Alice and the Pirates

Alice and the Pirates. Approximately 6600 words. This is the third in the Misadventures of Alice series. The packet boat on which Alice was being transported to Calais to serve as governess for the two daughters of Sir Robert is captured by Captain Kit and his pirate crew. Her fellow passengers are Sir Peter, a portly gentleman in his 50’s, his wife, Lady Amelia, a voluptuous woman in her 30's and their servants, Baldwin and Peggy. Most of the episode is taken up with the debauchery of the sluttish Lady Amelia by the pirate officers. However, an important secondary theme is the continuing development of Alice as an self-directed, cunning and insightful woman who is learning to read the character and intent of the men she must deal with. Alice learns how to negotiate terms that are to her advantage and how to use her beauty and nascent charisma as a bargaining chip in those negotiations.