" You do not want to do that,” Green said ominously. “I beg you, sir,” Brown pleaded, “do not remove the gag.” The captain stopped for a moment and looked from man to man. “What, pray tell, is she going to do?” Green and Brown said nothing, but they both backed up, almost to the wall. “Good God,” the captain said impatiently. “Two grown men.” And then he removed the gag. “You!” Poppy burst out, practically spitting at Green. Green blanched. “And you,” she growled at Brown. “And you!” she finished, glaring at the captain. The captain quirked a brow. “And now that you’ve demonstrated your extensive vocabulary—” “I am going to kill each and every one of you,” she hissed. “How dare you tie me up and leave me here for hours—” “It was thirty minutes,” Brown protested. “It felt like hours,” she railed, “and if you think I’m going to sit here and accept this type of abuse from a pack of idiot pirates—” She coughed uncontrollably. The bloody captain had shoved the gag back in. “Right,” the captain said. “I understand perfectly now.” Poppy bit his finger. “That,” he said smoothly, “was a mistake.” Poppy glared at him. “Oh, and by the by,” he added, almost as an afterthought, “we prefer the term privateer.” She growled, grinding her teeth around the gag. "
― Julia Quinn , The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #3)