PRELUDE TO EL LOBO DEL MAR

[Welsh Wench]

 
The morning sun streamed into the room. A gentle breeze carried in the perfume of a myriad of tropical flowers.  Jack stirred and woke to find that he and Honour had barely moved from the way they'd held each other after making love.  He smiled and gently brushed a strand of golden hair from her face.  She drew in a soft waking breath and smiled, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.
"You've got that look in your eyes again, Jack Wolfe," she whispered.
"And what look is that, darling?"
"That look of wanting to lie abed with me, but knowing that duty calls."
"Oh, that look!  Am I that transparent?"
"As Italian crystal," she smiled, and kissed him softly.  "Go.  Play captain and I'll join you later.  I still need a bit of rest after last night. I've never seen a man with such stamina."
"As you wish, darling.  But mind you--if I come back and find you still in bed, I'll be obliged to join you."
Honour pushed him away playfully.  "Keep dreaming, you tarry sailor!  Out of my bed!  Go! Go and make us rich!"

They laughed and talked as he dressed. They kissed once more, and he opened the door to leave.
"Oh, Honour, did I mention that there are scorpions on this island?"
"No, you never did.  I think I'd remember such a thing," she replied worriedly.
"Yeah, well, just the same--be careful.  I'd hate for one to crawl into bed with you."
Honour yelped and threw the covers off, and jumping up on the bed looked for any unwanted guests.
"Ah, there's that freckle that I love!" Jack laughed.
Her eyes grew wide as she realised he'd played a prank on her.
"Oh!!  That's it!  Out with you!!" she laughed, and threw a pillow at his head.  Jack ducked out and closed the door, smiling happily.

As he walked down the stairs, he saw Cade and Briggs sitting at a table looking over some charts and papers.
"Well, well!  The last time I saw him this chipper, we had a full load of swag in our hold and a burning Spaniard to our rudder!  What brings you down from Heaven, Admiral?" Cade joked.
"I wanted to make sure your new commission hadn't gone to you're head, Captain, sir!" Jack quipped.  He looked around the room, and noticed something was amiss.  "Oi, where's Bonita?  I'm starved."
"I saw her walkin' down by the shore early this mornin'," Josiah replied.  "Damned if I know what that wild woman be up to, nor where she intends to do it."
"Fine.  She's been right moody of late.  No matter.  Cade, fetch me that bowl of apples, if you please."
"Pulling rank, are we?" Cade asked.
"Damned right, and step quickly!  Honestly, Josiah, why did I ever promote him?"
"What, like ye ever ask anyone before ye go and do it?"
"Good point.  Ah, thanks, mate."  Jack bit into a juicy red apple before continuing.  "Now, gentlemen.  Down to business..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honour laid in the bed, smiling inexplicably.  Well, alright, so she knew why she was smiling.  But she couldn't quite figure out why she should be feeling so exceptionally... content.
She closed her eyes and stretched her arms above her head, yawning.
Leaning over the side of the bed, she looked under it.
Good.
No scorpions.

She put her feet down on the floor and got up.  Grabbing her dressing gown of silk, she walked over to the French doors and opened them.
The view of the azure sea and the palm trees framing the yellow sand was breath-taking. While she had gone back to sleep, Jack must have brought a bowl of fruit up and left it on the dresser.  Taking a mango, she bit into it, deep in thought.

She had only been married to Captain Wolfe a week.  A week!  Her first marriage had lasted just over ten months.  Ten long, terrible months.
She felt she knew Jack better than she did Madoc.  She shuddered at the thought of her deceased husband. If it hadn't been for Rhys keeping her sane...
Honour pushed the thought of Rhys Morgan far down into her soul.
'This is not the time nor the place to be bringing that memory up from the depths', she thought.
I'll think about that later.
Some day.
Some day when it doesn't hurt so much.

Honour inhaled deeply the blossomed air with the underlying sea breeze.  Just a glorious day to be alive and...in love?
Was she in love?
She wondered.  It felt... different than it did with Rhys.
'Maybe because I am older', she reasoned.  'After all, I AM nineteen now.'
She threw on a chemise and quickly laced a waist cincher.  No need to bother with a skirt. She tied her hair up in a ribbon and headed down the stairs.

Jack was talking with Briggs and Cade.  They had maps and charts spread out and were studying them intently. Briggs pointed to an area.
"Now, if we expand the port over on this side..."
"Yes, but there are shoals over here..." said Cade.
"Why make it too easy?" Jack asked.
The three of them looked up as Honour reached the bottom stair.
"Mornin', Mrs. Wolfe," Briggs said stiffly.
Cade smiled and nodded.
Jack walked over to her and kissed her lovingly, and touched her ribbon in her hair.
"Dressed casually, are we, love?  Not fitting the station of a pirate queen."
She giggled at his attention.  "I intend to go to the cove and maybe pick some of the fruit there.  Or catch myself a macaw."
Jack laughed uproariously at that.  "And what do you intend to put him in?  Your chemise?"
She coloured at that.  "Alright, so I will forego the parrot.  But I intend for you to catch one for me before we leave."
Honour kissed his cheek, and waved to the others as she walked out. picking up a basket that was left by the door.  Looking back just once, she saw the men resume their consultation of the charts.
All but one.
Cade Jennings was watching her leave.  As she caught his eye, he quickly looked back to the charts on the table.
Odd, she thought.
Very odd.

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Jack tapped a brass ruler on the table. Cade blinked and looked over at his mentor.
"What?"
"Just making sure you're back with us, Cade," chuckled Jack.
"Head on a swivel, I swear," teased Briggs. "Your mama get scared by an owl?"
Cade found himself blushing. He hadn't meant to stare at Honour. But she was so lovely...
"I'm sorry, Jack. I don't know what came over me."
"Can't say as I blame you. She is beautiful." He gave Cade a stern look. "And taken, just remember."
"I'd be a fool to even thing of trying anything, not that I would."
"Yeah, you would be. But I taught you better, so there's that. Besides, I trust you with my life."
"And now who's the fool?" chuckled Briggs.
"Really?" said Jack. "I've seen you taking your share of looks, old friend."
Briggs' face turned bright red. "Well, I, um..."
"Uh-huh. Just as I thought."
"Wait! What? Did you just-- ?" sputtered the quartermaster.
"Get you to confess you've been sneaking looks at my wife? Do I have to keep an eye on you too, Josiah?"
Cade was laughing openly by now, and Briggs couldn't help but join in.
"All right, gentlemen, we all agree Honour is a very fetching woman. Now if we can come to a consensus over how to handle the increased traffic into our port, we'll be getting somewhere."

"I've been meaning to ask, Jack," said Cade. "When did you negotiate the letter of marque with Culley? I thought you hadn't met with him in months."
"What does it matter?" Jack replied.
"It will matter a great deal to our partners if they arrive at St. Lawrence with a hold full of swag and nowhere to sell it. But there's no danger of that. Is there?"
Jack fiddled with a protractor. "No imminent danger, no."
Cade looked at him in disbelief. "There isn't a letter, is there? You made it up?!"
"A little louder please, Cade. I don't think they heard you in bloody Anguilla!"
"I can't believe you lied about something this important, Jack!" pressed Cade, though considerably quieter.
"Ye're playin' this one fast and loose, Jack," added Briggs. "More'n usual."
"Look, there will be a letter of marque, when I can show Culley just how profitable this arrangement will be for him." Jack took a deep breath and sighed. "He wouldn't consider it without proof I could get the ships and minimise his risk. But now, we have the ships, and more will sign on. I'll be sailing back in a few days to Barbados, and I'll prove our case and get the letter. Simple as that. What could go wrong?"
"He could say no," said Briggs grimly.
"That's because you're not a positive thinker."
Cade leaned on the table. "And I'll be the one left holding the bag if we can't produce the letter. Remember, I'm the one you put in charge here. They'll be coming to me for the answers."
"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten, and I wouldn't leave you high and dry," said Jack. "Once I get the letter, it will be on its way here by fast packet. That's a promise."

"All right, Jack. I trust you." Cade said, though half-heartedly.
"Fine! It's all settled then." Jack picked up a sheaf of papers and headed for the door.
"And where are ye goin'?" Briggs asked.
"To find my wife! We're going birding."
"We still have these plans to look over!"
"Later!" said Jack breezily as he left the tavern.
Cade and Briggs looked at each other in disbelief.
"Think he'll pull it off?" asked Cade.
Briggs shrugged. "We'll find out together!"

[Welsh Wench]

"HELP!"
Captain James Blake looked around.
"HELP!"
A coconut bounced onto the ground and rolled at his feet.
"HEY!" he shouted.
"SORRY!"
He looked up.
"What are you doing up THERE?"
"I'm stuck, what do you think?"
He chuckled and shielded his eyes.
"Honour Bright, you get yourself into the most unusual predicaments!"
The voice from up the tree yelled, "IT'S MRS. WOLFE! AND HELP ME GET DOWN!"
"Wait right there, I'll be up to help."
"Where am I going to go?"
James deftly shimmied up the tree. When he got to the palm fronds, he burst out laughing.
"HOW on God's green earth did you manage THAT?"

Honour was hanging there by her lacings which had caught on the back of two fronds and she was swinging free.
She said tightly, "Just get me down without dropping me on my----"
"Alright, alright. Let's see....just move this lace that way...and that lace this way....now hold onto the fronds so you don't drop....oh, dear!"

"AHHHHHH!"
Honour was thrown to the ground and landed on a pile of the fronds.
"OOOF!"
James climbed down and jumped the last five feet.
He bent over into a bow. "I trust you had a soft landing. No broken bones?" he asked as he helped her up.
She checked all over and said, "No, I seem to be in one piece."
James said quietly, "Good. Your husband would not be pleased and would probably run someone through out of temper."
"Surely you jest, James. He's very loving and wonderful to me."
James stopped in his tracks and looked at her incredulously. "And have you ever wondered why he is the foremost revered pirate in the Caribbean?"
She shrugged and said, "I didn't know that he was."
"He's absolutely brilliant. His campaigns are a success and his pillaged holdings are beyond belief. Some say he gets inside information and is blessed by unconventional means."
"What do you mean?"
"Word around the ports is he has help of a supernatural kind."
"James, will you PLEASE stop speaking in riddles?"
He sighed and said, "Some people say Bonita is a witch. A voodoo practitioner and Jack is the recipient of her wisdom."
She burst out laughing. "Voodoo? Bonita is nothing but smoke and mirrors!"
James shrugged, "Just repeating what I hear."

They walked on the shore in silence, Honour picking up a few shells.
James broke the silence and said, "Why did you go off with him? Why not wait for me?"
"You never asked, James. And we didn't know each other long enough."
"How long did you know Captain Jack Wolfe?"
Honour's head was down and she whispered something.
"What, Honour? I didn't hear you."
She brought her face up and her face was blushed. "I said, 'five hours.' "
"Five hours? Am I hearing right or did you say 'days'?"
She said hotly, "I couldn't help it. It's something that I--we----can't explain!"
James smiled wryly, "I must say you held out for the top dog, as it were. Tell me, Honour---is the reason you married him measured in millions?"
She raised her hand to slap him but he caught her hand and raised his eyebrow.
"Did I touch a nerve, love?"
She jerked her hand away. "I told you. I can't explain it. And I shouldn't have to."
James looked out to the sea. "I did come back, Honour. Amos told me you had gone away. Someone in your family was ill."
"What? I have no family."
"That's what I thought."
"When was this?"
"Back in February. I know because I had just come back from a meeting with your husband. He had a business deal for me and I turned him down. You want to know why?"
Honour picked up the shell and turned it over in her hand, letting the sand run through her fingers.
"Because you had other pressing business?"
"You could say so. I came back to St Lawrence to find you."
"Me? But I..."
Her voice trailed off. She unconsciously touched the faint scars where Corwin had dragged his sword across her chest.
"Oh...February. Yes. Well, I was visiting family. My....my sister came into town and I spent the day with her. Yes. That had to have been the day."
James looked toward the horizon.
"It could have been us...." his voice trailed off.
Honour sighed. "Amos. God bless him, he went and made a decision for me. And damn him too."
James turned to her, a wry smile on his face. "Think we could have made it work?"
She shook her head. "James, it was too soon. My fiance had died."
He stroked her cheek. "I would have taken you around the world, Honour."
She touched his hand and gently removed it from her face. "No, James. You say that now. But if you really wanted to, you would have taken me then and there. You left me with a bolt of sky blue silk and a lovely memory."
He shook his head. "I couldn't get you out of my mind. You invaded my daydreams and haunted my nights."
She turned away from him."This isn't fair. You can't leave and then come back whispering these confessions and expect me to tell you it is alright and expect more."
She held up her hand, the emerald ring glinting in the sun.
"This. This is what is tangible. A lover's promise never came with a maybe."

She looked up and saw the darkening sky.
"Looks like rain. I'm heading back. You can walk with me if you want to but no more chastising. No more 'what ifs' and 'why didn't yous.' This is now a closed subject. Married I am and married I am staying."
He said, "Till death do you part. Well, as you wish, Mrs. Wolfe."

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

"By the powers, what are these men thinking of when they named their ships?" Jack asked out loud to no one as he walked along the path, reviewing the list of the captains who had signed the roster, and their ships. "I mean, really! Privateers Greed? Stating the bloody obvious, that.  Victorious Secret?  A very odd sense of humour at work. Oh! There you are!" he called as he spied Honour and James walking together. "James! Have you seen the names of some of these ships? Wait a moment... what be the name of your vessel again?" He looked through the list. "Ah! The Dark Vexation! Moody, but it works."

"Aye, Jack. If I may ask, what has you in such a cheery mood today?" Blake asked.
"She's stand right next to you, mate. Or have you fallen suddenly blind? Hello, Honour, dear. My, don't you have a lovely pair of coconuts!"
"I what?? Oh!" she gasped, and realized he was speaking of the two coconuts she'd knocked from the tree. "I found them lying on the ground and I thought they looked interesting," she offered, with a slight blush to her cheeks.

"That they do. But I digress. James, how fast is your ship again?"
"The Vexation can outrun any navy ship, and most pirate hunters.  I'd say she's fast enough."
"Most pirate hunters?  I suppose that will have to do."
"She's no Lobo, but being second to the fastest ship in these waters is a good place to be."
"Aye, it makes my life easier, since all I have to do is outrun you!" laughed Jack.  
After a moment James laughed too.  Honour smiled, trying to decide what to make of the friendly sparring.
"All jest aside, James, I have an offer to make you. I'd like you to take a larger role in the offshore operations. You're a fine captain, and you have a fine ship and solid crew. What say you?"
"Just like that?"
"You have a problem with taking a larger share, James? I mean, I can find someone else if you're not up to it..."
James blinked, trying to figure out Jack's generosity.  "Not at all!" he said happily.  "I have to say this is an unexpected turn of things."
"I agree, putting my trust in you has got even me scratching my head, but what can I say?  I'm feeling agreeable these days.  Must be something in the air.  That hint of jasmine, I should think," Jack said with a wink at Honour.  "Now, James, I'll escort my wife the rest of the way. That is, if you don't mind terribly."

Blake looked from Jack to Honour, and he touched the brim of his hat as he smiled at her. "No, not at all," he lied. "Mrs. Wolfe, I have enjoyed our conversation. Thank you for your company. Captain Wolfe, I'll leave you to your lovely wife.  And I'll be off to tend my ship." James strolled off down the path to the wharf, wondering to himself just how much more good fortune could possibly fall to a man like Jack Wolfe.

Jack and Honour strolled along for a while, enjoying the scenery and each other's company.
"You and James seemed to be getting on well," he finally said.  "I've never seen him quite so talkative with a woman he's just met."
Honour caught herself not breathing, and her face began to feel hot.  "He's quite a gentleman for a pirate," she said clumsily.  "I mean, he was very respectful and polite."
"That's James, right down the line.  But don't let that cordial demeanour fool you.  He can be as ruthless as they come."
She thought about the two weeks she and James had spent together, and how tender and attentive he had been toward her.  The idea of him being ruthless didn't seem to fit.  But then, she had given him plenty of reasons to be tender and attentive.
Honour cleared her throat.  "Yes, well, I'm glad you aren't jealous that he and I were talking."
"Jealous?  Not one bit," he chuckled.  "No, James Blake is too busy mooning over some woman he met in port a few months ago.  Seems sincere about it, too.  Best I can tell, at any rate.  It's hard to judge with a man like James.  He keeps his thoughts and intentions under tight wraps.  I never thought I'd see that man that caught up in anything but the sea.  Certainly not some woman."

Again, Honour found herself not breathing.  She knew exactly which woman James was so serious about, serious enough change his world.  Her.

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

She swallowed hard, still keeping a grip on her composure.  The old desire to run was building fast in her stomach.  "I'm sure people have said the same of you," she said with a forced laugh.
"Plenty.  Hell, I've said it about me!  The power of a good woman, eh?" Jack smiled.  "I've come to understand his reasoning.  But I do have a serious question for you."
"Yes, Jack?" she said hesitantly
"You're the wife of a pirate now. There may come a time, forbidding all, that you may need to defend yourself. I'd like to teach you how to handle a blade, if you'd like. To tell the truth, I'd sleep easier if you did."
Jack's honesty surprised her. "I would love for you to teach me, my husband. But I need to change!" Honour looked at the sky. "It looks like rain. Do we have time?"
He looked up at the clouds. "Aye, we've got an hour or two still."

They walked briskly back to the tavern, chatting about everything and nothing.
"I'll be right back down. Please take care of these for me?" She handed the coconuts over to Jack. "I promise I'll only be a moment!"

Honour started up the stairs, and Jack called after her, "I'll happily take care of your coconuts, whenever you ask!" He placed the coconuts on the counter as he watched her climb the stairs.
"You're a bad man, Jack Wolfe!" she laughed. In a moment, she disappeared into their room.

"Her have no idea what trut' she say, Jack Wolfe!" a voice snapped harshly behind him, accompanied by the slam of a pick being driven into one of the coconuts.
"Bonita! I didn't notice you appearing out of nowhere like that." He gazed uneasily at the coconut she'd stabbed all the way to the handle of the pick.  "Be a dear and milk these?"
"Milk dese Bonita will, like him milk everyone him touch."
"I sense a touch of bitterness on your part, dear."
Bonita drew the pick from the coconut and had the point scarcely an inch from Jack's eye in a flash. "Him de one what have no idea now." She slammed the pick on the countertop and stalked off.

Jack drew a heavy breath and tries to shake off her threat. He crossed the room to an innocuous looking door and, after digging for a key, unlocked it. He opened it to reveal an impressive arsenal.

He started looking for a suitable sword when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "What the blue blazes...!" he yelped, and spun around to find a surprised Honour standing before him.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked?
"You've got a bit of cat-like quietness, don't you! Caught me lost in thought, looking for a suitable blade. That's all," he lied.
"Oh, my lord, look at all this!" she marvelled. "Can I pick my own, please?"
"Do you know the first thing about swords, love?"
"I know what I like! And I like... this one!" She grabbed an intricately wrought rapier with a gold inlaid basket.
"Oh, you don't want that. Too long and too unwieldy on the deck of a ship."
"But, I like it!" she pouted. "It's impressive, and I think it looks good on me."
"Oh, all right. When you put it that way," Jack laughed. He fitted her with a belt and a frog for the scabbard. He helped her on with the belt and got the sword hung neatly on the left hip. As he slung on his halberd and cutlass, he caught her switching her blade to her right hip.
"Here, now! What are you on about? Put that back!"
"But I like it over here! It looks better."
"Are you left handed?"
"Um... no. Why?"
"How do you intend to quickly draw your sword when it's on the wrong hip?"
"Oh... FINE." she acquiesced, and shifted the rapier back to the correct hip.
"Follow me, you dangerous fashion plate, you," he teased.

[Welsh Wench]

 
They went out the back of the tavern to a groomed area that resembled a fighting ring. He stepped behind her, and placed his hands on her hips.
"Is this entirely proper?" she teased.
"We're husband and wife, love. It's all proper!" he whispered in her ear. "Now," he said softly, "draw your sword."
She drew the rapier and held it tight.
"No, love, not like that. It's not a meat cleaver. Oh, fine, it is, but a bit more refined. Here, hook your forefinger through that section there - that's it! See how it feels more balanced? That's my love!" He stepped around in from of her and drew his sword. "Now, I want you to forget about your hand. The sword is your arm. Focus on the tip. The tip is everything. Your enemy gets inside the first 8 inches of your blade, you've lost the advantage. Now, slowly, deflect my blade."
He moved his sword about, slowly encroaching on her blade. She focused intently and, to his surprise, deftly defended herself.
"Excellent! You're a near natural to this. Now, I presume you can dance, yeah?"
"Of course I can dance!" she chided. "Why, can you? I though we were here to learn about swords, not waltzing."
"Now here comes the real elegance of swordplay. Your foot work. If you can dance, you've got the proverbial fighting chance. Keep in mind what I said about the tip. You seem to understand defending yourself, now let's see if you can attack with the same aplomb!"


Jack fell into a defensive posture, and teased her forward. "Come on! I can dodge your best! Attack the tip of my blade.."
Honour felt the rapier fit her hand very nicely. It was a French rapier with a three ringed swept hilt, and bone gripping. Not like that piece of cheap brass Captain Adam Faraday had given her.
'If Rhys hadn't taught me all I knew about swordplay and self defense, the Corwin chapter in my life could have a very different ending. ' But to Jack, she was convent raised and what would a ward of a abbess know about defending one's honour--and life--with a blade?
The misplacement of the scabbard from left hip to right was a nice maneuver on her part to cover her expertise.
She delicately moved forward, getting the feel of the hilt and the heft of the blade.
She took a small step forward and her blade clashed with Jack's.
"Now you are getting the hang of it, love."
He thrust the sword carefully, controlling his move so she would not feel quite so defensive.
A resounding zing in the air and suddenly she was transported back to another time, another place.
Two years ago. A dark, snowy winter night when she was fighting for her life and that of the man she loved.
Tropical sunlight glinted off Jack's sword, just as the firelight had reflected from Madoc's that terrible night.


She took hold of the sword and whispered one word.
'Bastard.'
'BASTARD!' She screamed.
The sword took on a life of its own, wielded in the hands of a woman he loved.
She swung with all her might as Jack ducked just in time, the blade resounding against his ear.
"What?!" he yelped, completely surprised by her sudden turn. He brought his blade up quickly to parry her next strike. The clash of her sword against his rang loudly in the air.
Honour, stop! What are you doing?" he shouted, but she never responded. Normally he could gauge where an opponent would strike next by following her eyes. But Honour wasn't looking at him. She was looking through him.
She swung her sword downward, and he sidestepped the attack, using his blade to drive hers into the sand.
Jack used the opportunity to get behind her. If he could move quickly enough, he could grab her before...
Honour yanked the sword free and slashed at him. He barely deflected her blow. She swung hard again, giving him no other choice but to dive for the ground. Her sword cut deep into the palmetto tree that had been directly behind him.
Tears streamed down her face as she yelled, 'You bastard! You'll never do that to me again! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!'
"Honour! HONOUR!" he said loudly, trying to bring her out of whatever had possessed her so. "Easy! It's me! It's Jack! HONOUR!"
Suddenly she quit struggling. Her breath was ragged, the tears still flowing down her cheeks. She looked around for a moment, confused as to what had just happened, then began to sob.
Jack kept hold of her, walking her backward slowly from the sword that was buried in the trunk of the hapless tree.
"It's all right, love. You're safe. You're always safe with me," he said soothingly. Honour's legs went weak, and he lowered her easily to the ground.
She leaned back against the tree wiping her face with her hands.
"I'm sorry....I'm so sorry....' she said over and over again.
Jack put his arm around her and cupped her face with his hand.
"Honour?" he said softly. "What did someone do to you?"
She turned her head.
"Nothing. It was...nothing."
"Nothing? Darling, a less experienced swordsman would be pushing up daisies by now."

She took a shuddering breath. "I guess it was in the tavern before I met you. I always had to be on my toes and once...in an alley....well, Amos got to me in time before he could...could...."
She gave him a faltering smile. "I am alright now. Really I am."
She looked over at the tree, then cast her eyes down. Her shoulders sagged.
"The tree....not so much so."

[Welsh Wench]

She gave him a faltering smile. "I am alright now. Really I am."
She looked over at the tree, then cast her eyes down. Her shoulders sagged.
"The tree....not so much so."
She looked back at Jack, pain in her eyes.
"I--I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to....to..."
With that she turned her head so he wouldn't see the tears filling her eyes again.
Jack took her in his arms, and gently stroked her hair. "It's all right, love. Plenty more trees where that one came from."
He eyed the tree, still not believing the ferocity with which she had attacked it. "But I think we're done with weapons training for today," he said.
She nodded slowly and started to rise. Jack took her arm and helped her up.
"That beautiful tree...'she said remorsefully.
"Don't worry your pretty head over it, love. The monkeys will find somewhere else to play."

The first heavy drops of rain began to fall. "Here, you go on back to the tavern before you get drenched. I'll be along in a moment."
But before she could answer, the skies opened in a downpour.
"Jack!" she said over the thunder. "I need to get that sword."
Rain poured down her face, mixing with the trace of tears. Rivulets of rain ran down her back.
"I'll get it for you, Honour," he answered. "You just get inside!"
Honour hesitated for a moment, then ran towards the tavern. Jack waited until she was inside before he turned back to the tree.
"I don't know who she thought you were, mate, but I pity you. And him."

Jack took hold of the sword's hilt, and put a boot heel against the tree. He shoved the tree as hard as he could while he wrestled to free the lodged blade. Suddenly, the sword popped free, sending Jack reeling backwards before falling in the sand. He watched as the tree slowly twisted where it had been gashed, its bark and wood splitting noisily as the tree sagged to the ground.

Getting back on his fee, Jack held the sword up, looking from it to the tree, then to the tavern where Honour had gone. A mixture of worry and disbelief played across his face. There was something dark Honour wasn't telling him, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honour quietly opened the door to the tavern, hoping against hope that the queen of voodoo was nowhere to be seen. She shivered as the storm blew the tavern door open and then slammed shut, jumping at the unexpected noise. In a panic, she ran outside to see where Jack was, the overwhelming need to be held by him more than she could bear. She saw him trudging up the path, rain pouring off the brim of his hat, his silk shirt plastered to his chest.
She couldn't stand it another moment and ran to him, her face lit against the background of a flash of lightning.
"Honour, are you daft? Get back in that room!"

She looked like a frightened child.
He grabbed her arm and led her into the tavern great room.
"I--I was afraid. It was almost as if something sinister was in the room."
She shrugged and laughed in a shaky voice. "I guess I was a bit spooked."
He glanced over to the countertop and saw the two coconuts slashed and hacked to pieces.
"Let's go upstairs and get into some dry clothes. If I'm with you, then no hobgoblins will dare pester you," he said as they climbed the stairs. "How are you feeling now?"
Jack hoped he could keep her attention, she wouldn't see the ruined coconuts.
"Wet," she shuddered. "And a bit foolish. I don't know what got into me out there."
That was a lie. She knew full well what had happened. For just a moment, she hadn't seen a tree. She had seen Madoc and Corwin, somehow horribly fused into one monstrous entity. Her instinct to survive took over from there.

In their room, Honour wrung out her hair over a basin and Jack had taken off his wet clothes and had put some dry breeches on. Opening up a cabinetl,he pulled out a bottle. Pulling the stopper, he filled two glasses with the amber liquid.
"What is this?"
"It's brandy. A little something to take the chill off you and relax you."
She gratefully took the glass and sipped it.
A shiver ran through her body as the alcohol coursed through her veins. She tried to will her hand to stop shaking.
Closing her eyes, she murmured, "Just what I need on a night like this."

She walked over to the French doors and looked out over the courtyard where in a flash of lightning she saw the hapless tree lying there. In the brilliant light of it, the palm took on the shape of a man lying there....just lying there. Thunder crashed  and she dropped her glass, shattering it against the floor.

Jack took her in his arms and eased her away from the window. "Easy now, love! That's it, just follow my lead."
He took his wet breeches and threw them on top of the broken glass.
"I'll clean that up later.  The brandy was supposed to calm your nerves, not make them worse. Dear lord, you're shaking like a leaf!"
"I-- I'll be fine," she said halfheartedly.

"Let's get you out of these wet clothes and get you warmed up," said Jack. He smiled and looked into her eyes as he unlaced her bodice.
Honour shivered, but not from the cold this time. He was giving her something much more pleasant to think about.
Jack looked up into Honour's eyes and what he saw startled him. It was the completely trusting look she had. He loosened the drawstring on her skirt and it fell into a puddle of silk at her feet.
Jack felt his pulse quicken as he tenderly pushed her wet hair away from her face.
"You must have been a very beguiling child, Honour Bright. I can almost see you come up for air after diving into a pond," he said softly.

Suddenly a reminiscence came unbidden to her mind. The memory of a girl on the verge of womanhood.The thunder...the lightning....the rain outside a cave. A dress of butter yellow and the arms of a pirate she loved from long ago.
The wet chemise slipped to the floor as she put her arms around Jack and whispered, "Just love me...one more time..."

[Welsh Wench]

Honour laid there contentedly, her arms wrapped around Jack, her blonde hair trailing across his chest.She gave a satisfied sigh.
He kissed the top of her head . "Are you feeling better now?"
She looked up at him and nodded. "I am sorry. I don't know what possessed me to attack the tree like that."
"You yelled out, 'bastard'. I must inform you, darling, that my parents were lawfully wed."
Honour blushed and buried her face for a moment in his chest. "It wasn't you. I-- I don't know what it was about. I'm just glad I didn't hurt you."
"Honour," he said gently, "What happened? Who is the bastard?"

She took a deep breath before she began to weaver her lie. "I was walking near the Varlet and Vixen when I landed in St Lawrence. As I neared an alley, a ruffian grabbed me from behind and dragged me in the alley. He had a knife. I guess when you advanced towards me, the memory came back. But I feel better now, " she laughed shakily. "I think it was a catharsis for me."
She reached up and ran her fingers gently through his hair, smoothing it away from his face. "I can guarantee it won't happen again. And to be sure, maybe you should keep sharp pointy things away from me."
Jack touched her cheek, a look of worry on his face. "That must have been terrifying for you. I hope you weren't hurt by him. Or is that where the scar came from?"

Honour self-consciously covered up the faint crisscross of scars over her chest.
She couldn't meet Jack's eyes. "I--I didn't think you would notice."
"I notice everything, love. It's a handy talent in my line of work. Though with someone as exquisite as you, my attention is tenfold."
He gently touched her chin to turn her face back toward his.
"Don't worry. The scars don't diminish your beauty one iota. But if the bastard hurt you beyond that, I'd be interested in squaring the score."

She gently took his hand away and kissed it.
"I couldn't even begin to tell you what he looked like.  It was dark.  But no, he didn't hurt me beyond that. Amos came to my rescue just in time. That is how I started working at the Varlet and Vixen. He offered me employment. I stayed there until I found something better."
"And I guess you never did."
She moved up and kissed his neck.
"I surely did. A full time occupation as Mrs. Captain Jack Wolfe."
"I must warn you. The job entails cooking and cleaning....among other things. Do you think you are up for the position?"
Honour smiled slyly.  "As long as the other things outweigh any cooking and cleaning duties, I think I might be interested."

Jack grinned, and kissed her playfully.  "Look what you've turned me into, Honour," he laughed.  "The happiest man who ever lived.  And a married man at that!  If only an old friend could see me now.  He would never believe it."
She raised her head. "Is it that hard to believe? Everyone gets married---eventually.  And you are happy right now because you got to...you know."
"Show my appreciation for you?  Yes, that always makes me very happy.  But as far as marriage goes--that was never in the plan.  Besides the cliche of a captain being married to his ship, that is.  Everyone, including myself, had me pegged as the eternal bachelor."
Honour propped herself up in her elbow."Someone broke your heart once, I'll bet. A Spanish senorita? A countess? Maybe even a voodoo queen?"

He made a sour face at the voodoo queen remark.  "Very funny!  Now whatever gave you the notion I had a heart to break?  I'm a pirate, remember?  I'm supposed to do all the heartbreaking.  It's in the rules."
Honour rolled over and stretched her arms over her head, then smiled sleepily at Jack.
"I know quite well you have a heart. I hear it beating really quick when we...."
Jack quickly kissed her.
"So, Captain Jack Wolfe.....care to enlighten me with a bedtime story?"
"A story?  Of fortune and treasure? Or of past misdeeds?"
She ran her finger down his chest. "I want to hear about your friend and why he would be surprised you took the vows."
Jack gave a wistful sigh.  "He was a good man, and a good friend.  The best.  He saved my skin on more than one occasion.  I only wish I'd been able to repay that debt when he needed it most."

Honour gave him a puzzled look.  "What do you mean?  Is he in prison?  Or is he...?"
"He's dead, love.  And I couldn't help him."
She laid her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry, Jack. Was it small pox? Or a hurricane? Oh,don't tell me he died in a duel. Or was it a mutton?"
"Mutton?"
"You know. When they take your ship, put you on an island with only a gun, one bullet and a bit of water and sail away yelling 'Adios mi amigo.' "
"Mutiny."
"What did I say?"
"Mutton."
She pouted. "Alright. Was it a mutiny?"

He played with a curl of her blonde hair as he thought back to his friend.  "Not a duel, exactly.  But it was a fight over a woman.  Quite senseless, really, and I warned him of it too."
"Well, don't leave me in suspense.  It's not fair."
"He fell in love with another man's wife, and got caught with the goods, one might say.  I told him to forget her, but he was determined to whisk her away."

"He sounds like a romantic man.  But you make it sound like love is a foolish thing," she frowned.
"No, not at all.  I'm all for someone going after their heart's desire.  But sometimes, the prize is on too high a pedestal."
"Maybe she was worth it. Maybe he was so in love with her he would have moved heaven and earth to be with her," she murmured, a far away look in her eyes.
"Now you're starting to sound like him!  That's just the way he spoke of her.  But even so, trying to steal away the wife of a powerful man like a lord is no small undertaking."
He shook his head.  "I swear, you Welsh can be so headstrong..."

Honour could feel the blood leave her face and she fought to keep her voice even. "A--and what was the name of this friend of yours?"
"Rhys Morgan of the Neptune----Honour! Are you alright?"

She jumped up and ran to the privy closet. He got up and knocked on the door.
"Honour! Are you sick?"
She came out looking pale and tried to give him a smile.
"I--I'm sorry. I must have gotten sick drinking brandy on an empty stomach."
He guided her back to the bed, covering her up with the quilt and putting his arms around her.
"Well, suffice to say Rhys would find all this quite funny, with me married and all."
Honour took a deep breath and forced herself to ask the question.  "And... and the woman?  Whatever happened to her?"
"No one knows.  Story is, one of the man's sons came home to find him stabbed through the heart.  Rhys' body was there, too.  The safe was emptied, but the woman was nowhere to be found.  Gone, like she'd been taken by the wind."
Honour curled up with her back against Jack, fighting to keep the tears from her eyes.  "I'm really tired from today.  I think I need to sleep."
He said, "I guess you have had a full day. Goodnight, love."
She barely whispered, "Goodnight."
Moving over to face the French doors, the tears began to trace down her face. She buried her face in the pillow, hoping her body wouldn't be wracked with sobs.

A wound she thought was healing had been torn open again.
She prayed that Jack would never find out the truth.
That she was the woman to blame.

[Welsh Wench]

  
The next morning was cool and overcast. Jack awoke to find Honour still curled up, clutching the covers. He was concerned over her taking ill so suddenly. Something was amiss, but no simple answer presented itself. Quietly, he rose and closed the window to keep the chill from her. The gentle click of the latch was enough to wake her. She opened her eyes, and immediately noticed the look of concern on his face.

"Good morning, darling. How do you feel?" he asked.
She put on a cheery smile, trying not to think about Rhys or Jack's friendship with him. "I'm feeling much better today. Really. It was silly of me to go without eating like that."
"All the same, I would just as soon have you rest today. We'll be setting sail for Barbados tomorrow, and you'll need your strength for the passage. It wouldn't do for the captain's wife to be weak from the vapours, now would it? I'd hate for you to be off your game when the opportunity to irritate Briggs presents itself," he smiled.
"Jack, really. I'm fine. The last thing I want to do spend the day on a beautiful island cooped up inside! You know how I love the sand and the salt air. Please?" she pouted.
"As usual, I can deny you nothing," he sighed, as he began pulling on his clothes. "But grant me this; take your time getting up. I have business with the ship that should take no more than a couple of hours. I'll have a tray of food brought up so you can eat and dress at your leisure."
"You're not sending up that horrid woman, are you?"
"I promise, I'll have one of the servants come up. Anyone but Bonita." He fetched a dressing gown from the armoire and laid it on the bed next to her. He leaned close and kissed her lips tenderly. "I'll be back as soon as I possibly can. Josiah most likely has everything in order, but I need to inspect it myself."
"Hurry back, darling," she smiled. "And tell Josiah I've had a wonderful time buying trunks and crates of pretty things he'll need to find room for!"
Jack laughed and blew her a kiss as he closed the door.

As he descended the stairs, he looked about the tavern for a servant, but none could be found. He shook his head and set about filling a tray with fresh fruit and meat. Finally satisfied with the selection of food he'd selected, he started up the stairs just as the front door opened. In walked Cade, who gave his mentor a bemused look.
"Have you added serving wench to your many titles, Jack?"
"As a matter of fact, Mister Clever Arse, I was just fetching my wife a bite to eat before I go check on the ship. But since you're just milling about this morning being cheeky, do us a favour and run this up to her. I'm late enough as it is. Josiah begins to act like an old spinster then."
Cade took the tray, with a slightly puzzled look on his face. "Aye, Jack. See you in a bit."

[Welsh Wench]

Honour stretched out on the bed and then grabbed the dressing gown that Jack had left next to her. Arising, she slipped her arms through it, drawing it close to her. She padded over to the French doors and opened them up, inhaling the sea air. The sea was in a tempest, almost as if it were angry at someone. The waves crashed down on the shore and the sky was grey. Everything took on a less-than-friendly air.

She sighed and closed the door, shivering. Maybe there won't be the opportunity to go to the shore before we leave. So what do I do? Go downstairs and hang around the tavern? Bake apple tarts with Bonita? The thought of the woman sent a chill through her.
'Nonsense!' she said in an undertone.

Honour pressed her forehead to the window and peered out at the palmetto tree that she had decimated with the rapier. She couldn't believe the ferocity with which she attacked it. Her survival instincts had taken over just as they had that night Madoc arrived home and caught her with Rhys. Just as they had that night she faced Jonas Corwin as he attempted to exact his vengeance from her. Rhys would have been proud of her swordsmanship. Swordswomanship?
'Whatever,' she thought.

A knock was heard at the door, startlng her out of her reverie. She rose quickly and cautiously opened the door, half expecting to see that witch Bonita.
"Oh. My goodness, Mr. Jennings!"
She instinctively wrapped her dressing gown closer to her.
"Good morning, Mrs. Wolfe. I seem to have been the one pressed into service to deliver your breakfast. Your husband was late in his duty to his ship and as I was the only one in the tavern..."
Honour gave him a smile and said, "Please! My manners seem to be lacking. Do come in!"

Cade came into the room. "Where would you like this?"
She took it out of his hand and said, "I'll take it right now. Foolishly I forgot to eat since breakfast yesterday.
Please, won't you have a seat?"
Cade sat down, a bit nervous he was in a room alone with Captain Wolfe's wife and she was in a dressing gown. But sit down he did. Who was he to refuse an invitation?

Honour helped herself to a peach and some grapes. She offered a pomegranate to Cade which he took.
"Mmmm! I just love peaches! And fresh biscuits, too."
"Bonita made those this morning."
Honour reluctantly put it back. "I think I shall pass on the biscuits. If she made them, there may be ground glass or arsenic in them."
Cade laughed. "They are fine. In fact, everyone in the tavern had some this morning."
"Then I shall help myself to them. But if anything happens to me, be sure and tell my husband that it was the biscuits!"

Cade couldn't help but smile at the light-hearted way that Honour had. She looked so young with her hair tied back in a blue ribbon, tendrils framing her face. Her dressing gown was of sky blue and she was barefoot. Her dimpled smile was infectious and she made Cade feel at ease. If only she wasn't married to...

"... and I hope to come back to Tobago really soon. Hello? Mr. Jennings?"
Cade snapped back, his face blushing. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wolfe. You were saying...?"
"I was saying that I was really sorry about the palmetto. I guess I got carried away. Will you see that the tree gets replaced? For Jack?"
"I certainly shall. For your sake."
Honour's smile wreathed her face, and she said, "Thank you, Mr. Jennings. You are a dear."
"Please. 'Mr. Jennings' sounds so formal. Call me Cade."
"Very well...Cade. If you would return the courtesy and call me Honour. 'Mrs. Wolfe' makes me feel like Jack's mother. My goodness, will you look at the clock on the mantle! I've been sitting here chatting for an hour and keeping you from your work! And I should get dressed and make some plans. I want to plan something special for Jack, seeing it is our last day here."
Cade picked up the tray and said, "Aye. I need to finalize plans for the smu---I mean, for the trade that Jack has outlined."
Honour laughed and said, "I know a bit about it, Mr...Cade. It is smuggling, pure and simple. After all, I AM married to a pyrate!"

Cade caught himself staring at Honour's brilliant blue eyes, and felt the heat rise in his cheeks. She was easily the most beautiful and radiant woman he'd ever seen. And she was the wife of the man who'd he come to look upon as a father-figure. How could he covet his mentor's wife?!

"Aye, ma'am. That you are. I'll be running this tray down for you. I hope you have a wonderful time here, what it being your honeymoon and all. I'll be leaving now." Cade offered incredibly clumsily. He retreated, only to catch a glimpse of Hounour framed in the light from the window. He paused and shook his head before descending the stairs.
'Alright, Cade, so she's beautiful,' he muttered to himself. 'Quit acting like a schoolboy.'
He crossed over to the tavern's bar and shoved the tray across its surface.

"Dance in your mind, does she not? Tempt you, don't she? Make you want her, no matter de consequence? D'at be her evil, that which already consume Jack, and make you doubt him." Bonita hissed. "Already you plan, in d'at dark heart you hide away. You plan to take for your own! D'at way lie darkness. But you already set you feet d'at way, so I not try to dissuade you. Have her, you will, but at a price you not want to face. De price be you immortal soul."
"Bonita, you are talking nonsense, as always," he retorted. "She's a lovely woman, yes. But she is also Jack's wife. Everyone knows that a captain's woman is untouchable and this isn't any different."

"Jack have his own fate, and she play dearly into it. He toss Bonita aside, for d'at child! He not know what he cast away! He be know as the greatest pyrate what ever sail. Pah!! He no longer worth my favours. You! Bastard child what he call his 'next in line'! Your mentor, and him grand design... distance yourself. D'at woman? Your death, it lie with her. Not that I can stop you. Not that I can stop any of you. It be what it be," she laughed hollowly.

"Fine. But the bottom line is, Bonita, that you are consumed with jealousy. Don't deny it--the green-eyed monster had gotten the better of the great voodoo queen. You need to take all these  issues up with Jack and kindly leave me out of it. And I'll not have you spreading any of your 'theories'  or as I see it your vicious lies about me, thank you very much."

He turned and quickly walked toward the door. But when he paused to look back, Bonita was nowhere to be seen. It was then that he heard Honour's door open. She was singing sweetly to herself. Cade found himself smiling as he closed the door to the tavern behind him.

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Jack strolled about the deck of his prized ship, inspecting the work of his men as they went about making the vessel ready for the voyage back to Barbados. He wore an uncharacteristically contented smile, which under other circumstances would have unnerved his crew. But they knew exactly why their captain seemed so happy, and they couldn't blame him a bit.
Josiah Briggs bustled up to Jack, wiping tar from his hands on an old rag.
"Jack! I wasn't expectin' to see ye. It's not like ye to pull a spot inspection."
"You know me, Josiah. Full of surprises."
"Especially these days."
"Boring isn't my style. How go the preparations?"
"Right on schedule," Briggs said proudly. "Maybe even ahead a bit, if the men keep this pace. Hungry for swag they be. Morale is at an all time high, thanks to this new plan ye've hatched."
"It has the benefit of never having been tried before. Expectations are guaranteed to be high. Now all we have to do is live up to them."
"Ye not be worried, I hope."
"Worried? Me?" laughed Jack. "Never. In the last ten years, how many times have we failed?"
"Not once. But... there always be that first time."
"Ah, there's that Briggs fatalism! The cloud to my silver lining. How does the hold look? Any extra room?

Briggs shook his head. "Nay, not with all the swag we're bringin' back as a 'gift' to the governor, in addition to the sale cargo. Even the rats are complainin' about the cramped quarters."
"Well, that won't do," frowned Jack.
"Eh? What's the matter with it?"
"I know this will come as an odd request, and I hate to bring it up, but... can we leave about a ton of the governor's cut here?"
"A... a ton?? What on Mother Mary's halo for?"
Jack gave a resigned sigh. "Well, I was telling Honour about some of the other ships and what they're carrying. Fabrics, luxury goods, things like that. The next thing I know, she wants to have a look. So I made the arrangements and showed her about. Long story short, it turned into a shopping excursion. Silly, I know, but I can deny her nothing. That's why I need the extra room. For her purchases."

Briggs caught the edge of a short powder barrel and sat down on it. The blood had drained from his face. "I knew ye'd take complete leave of your senses one day, Jack, but never like this! And do ye know how much extra work it will be to offload cargo, haul it to the warehouses, make space, and take on that woman's whimsies? And what the flyin' hell are ye laughin' at?!"
"YOU!" replied Jack, barely able to catch his breath. "Listen to yourself, Josiah! I think that's the shortest it's taken for you to work yourself into a froth!" He held his sides and shook his head. "I was having you on, my friend. Honour didn't buy anything, and there's no cargo to trade out. I wanted to see how you'd react, but I never thought you'd be this entertaining!"
Briggs glared at Jack for a moment, but his indignation passed quickly as he began to laugh at the joke as well. "Aye, ye had me goin', that's for sure! I ain't exactly warm to the notion of a woman - any woman - bein' aboard ship."
"I've noticed that. What's the matter, Josiah? Don't trust yourself?"
The quartermaster's mouth flopped open. "Now just a..."
"All right, all right, I'll stop. I promise! Honestly, Josiah, you make this too easy sometimes. What would you do if I didn't make sport of you?"
"Easy," smirked Briggs. "Lay low. That's when I know ye be angry with me!"

"Touché," Jack said with a smile. He looked around the deck and nodded. "Everything looks in good order, as I'd expected. Tell the men at the end of the watch there's two extra rations of rum as reward for their hard work. Any word of Duckie?"
"Nothin' new, so I expect he'll be makin' port this evenin' as planned."
"And he'll be as sociable as always when he gets back from one of his botanical excursions."
"Was was he after this time?" asked Briggs.
"He's still working on a journal of native cures. The primitive folk near Grenada caught his attention this time. I wonder if we'll see him outside of the surgery at all before we make Barbados?"
"Last time, we had to tell him thrice we'd docked. Once that man gets his head in the books, there be no draggin' him out for love nor money."
"He was that way at university as well," said Jack. "You could tell he was working on a paper. He'd carry so many books, it looked like part of the library had grown legs and wandered off."
"I believe it! All the same, it'll be good to have him back. I don't trust another surgeon with as much as a head cold otherwise."
"I will too," said Jack as he looked out over the bay. "The sooner we get back to St. Lawrence, the better."
"You in a hurry for somethin'?" asked Briggs.
"Hmm? No, no hurry. Just thinking out loud. Tell the men to keep up the good work. I'll be back at the tavern if you need me."

Briggs watched as his captain and friend took the gangway to the dock and walked briskly along the path leading toward the tavern. He wiped at the tar on his hands once more.
"Hmph. No hurry, my arse," he snorted to himself. "What are ye rushin' to this time, Jack Wolfe?"

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

As Jack hurried along the path back to the tavern, Muir came bounding down the path towards him. He kneeled and accepted the sweet puppy kisses Muir felt eager to bestow. "What is it, boy? What do you want?"
Muir slapped the ground with his front paws and ran off down the path. Jack jogged in pursuit, and found Muir and Honour waiting for him a short distance from the tavern. Suddenly, everything felt right again. He rushed to Honour and swept her up in his arms, as Muir barked and jumped with them.
Honour tried to catch her breath as she laughed.
"Jack, darling, you only left me a few hours ago!"
He held her and then drew back, brushing the hair off her shoulder and caressing her cheek. "Aye, but it seems like forever, love."
Muir continued to run back and forth. Jack rubbed behind the dog's ears and asked, "And what has him in a tizzy?"
She reached behind a palm tree and picked up a basket. "We, my dear, are going to have one last day to ourselves. We are going on a picnic."
Jack frowned. "Honour, sweetness, pirates don't go on picnics! We plunder, we pillage, but we don't picnic."
She smiled, "Today you aren't a pirate. Today you aren't Captain Jack Wolfe. Today you are John Michael Wolfe and you are my husband. Tomorrow we have Briggs frowning and disapproving but today it is just us. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe. And their dog."
Jack lifted the lid and picked up the corner of the cloth. "Smells good. And what did Bonita pack for us?"
She playfully slapped his hand and said, "That woman didn't have a thing to do with this. I have cold meats and cheese and bread. And frosted cakes for dessert. And----" she reached behind the tree again and picked up a bottle of wine "---I hope you don't mind that I went down in your wine cellar and took a bottle of claret. I figured if it was yours, then it technically is mine. And this is what I wanted. I found a secret place I wanted to show you anyways."

Bonita sat at the tavern bar and continually threw the bones. "This be right! Bones no lie. Bones never lie. Tia Elena say so. Always right!"
The bones continued to form the same pattern. The leg bones of the chicken bones always ran parallel and the breast bone touched each of them, slightly between the two. She sat there in satisfaction and said aloud to no one, " They lives run parallel. But never cross again. She touch each. She keep apart yet touch. She no love. She never love. She poison! Jack no listen. Jack never listen. Jack remember. Mon Dieu, he remember but it be too late. Too late for all. D'at child-bride... D'at child poison! Not what she seem. Jack no listen. Jack pay de price."

Honour took Jack's arm and led him down a path that paralleled the shore. Abruptly she turned them to the greenery and then she climbed over a large rock. She pulled her skirts up and tucked them into her waistband. Jack followed. Within a couple moments, after climbing up a small, narrow path, Honor stopped suddenly and swept her hand over the area.
"Voila! Is this not paradise or what?"
They stood in a small grotto. Overhead, a waterfall spilled over the shale and pooled in a small stream. The trees formed a canopy. She spread a cloth down and sat cross-legged on the ground. Muir ran to the pool, barking at his own reflection.
Honour produced two crystal goblets and handed Jack the bottle.
"Would you do the honours, my darling husband?"
He grinned and after opening, he poured it into the wine glasses.
"Honour, you are up to something. We may only have been married ten days, but I can read your mind. Now..what is it you are angling for?"
She looked down and said, "Am I that transparent?"
"Yes."
She looked up and there were tears on her lashes. "Jack, I--I'm afraid to go back to Barbados! I have a bad feeling about it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid something bad will happen before we get there. I can't help it. Please! Can we not stay here? Can we not live here? Surely with all the treasure you have, we can--
Jack cut her off. "What are you saying?"
She took a deep breath.
"I want you to give up being a pirate."

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Jack finished his sip of wine and took a deep breath. "Surely you're joking," he said quietly.
"I've never been more serious in my life," she replied, the resolution clear in her voice.
"You really have no idea what you're asking."
"I'm asking for normalcy. Stability. Safety. All the things a wife ought to expect from her husband."
"Stability and safety? Here? I would dearly love to give you those things, Honour. But in my world, those things are in scare supply."
"What's wrong with right here? We're away from the rest of the world, and you have a veritable army of loyal men surrounding you! How is that not safe?"
"What makes you think those men are loyal to me, love?"
"I've seen it with my own eyes, Jack! They adore you! They do whatever you ask, even the other captains, as if you were their king."
Jack smiled wanly. "Honour, those men are loyal to what I can bring them. Gold and silver, spoils and treasure. That's all I am to them. They're as loyal to me as dogs are to the town butcher. Only they're less honest about the relationship. No, if I were to step away here and now, they'd turn on me in a heartbeat."
"How can that be? What about the oaths they swore to you? What about the Code of the Brethren?"
"The Code? Oh, sweetheart... the Code is a myth. A fairy story. A bit of fiction made up by whoever writes those halfpenny books about pirates back in England. The most they've done is sign the ship's articles, like any other sailor on any other ship." He poured another glass of wine and drank half of it.

Honour sat silently, considering what her husband had just told her. "Then... there's no simple way out of this for you? For us? None at all?"
"Remember when you were a little child and grown-ups would tell you everything is going to be fine, but you knew they were lying to you just to make you feel better?"
"Yes."
"Well, everything is going to be fine."
"That isn't funny, Jack." Honour shook her head balefully. "But I see it now. You are a prisoner."
Jack slowly turned his face to look at her. She didn't notice the look in his eyes.
"... And me with you," she said bitterly. "If I'd know half of this, I never would have--"

"No."
Honour turned to look at him. "What?"
"I said no."
"I don't understand."
'It means, NO!"
"But you just said--"
"NO!" he practically shouted. "I will not be a prisoner. No, you won't be a prisoner, either. No, we will not be trapped in this life. You want safety and security? Then that's what you're going to get."
"But... you told me that's not possible. That the way things are, the expectations of your crew..."
"Captain's prerogative. I'm changing the rules of the game."
"You can do that?"
"Oh, you just watch me!"

"I don't understand the change of heart, Jack," said Honour. "First you said there was no way you could leave the trade, now you say you want to. What am I to believe?"
Jack took her hand in his. "You can believe that I want nothing more than to have a quiet life with you." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Honour, this is the first time I've ever given retirement serious thought. I've never had reason to before. I have been running my entire life, usually from one thing or another. Sometimes even from myself. But it's time I stopped running. Here and now, it ends."
His words caught her off guard. No more running. Suddenly it all made sense, why they seemed such kindred spirits. They'd both been running the better part of their lives. She now had a much better understanding of the man she called husband. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against him, not knowing if the tears that welled in her eyes were out of happiness or relief.

"I know you're worried about the crossing to Barbados, but it's a necessary thing," he told her. "It's a big colony. We can start over there. Fade into the background and live that quiet life together. And I promise, it will be a faster sail back, at least a day shorter. What could possibly happen?" He pulled back just enough so his eyes could meet hers, and he gently wiped away some of her tears. "It's our best chance, my love. Will you take it with me?"
She nodded wordlessly. When she found her voice, she said, "Aye, my husband. I trust you with my life."
Jack said soberly, "I wish you wouldn't put it that way, Honour. That is a heavy responsibility for a man like me. But yes, we'll build a life together, away from all this. No more running, no more looking over our shoulders."

Honour smiled and kissed Jack, then stood up and stretched her back. "I shall always remember this as one perfect moment. A hidden grotto, nothing but the smell of fresh air and the earth. A very sweet, heady aroma. It reminds me of...." She stopped suddenly.
"Of what, Honour?"
She shrugged and said, "Of happy days of my youth."
She had a flash of the weekend she spent in Cardiff with Rhys. That too had been a perfect day. Like this one. A guilty feeling rose up in her. She didn't know if she felt unfaithful to Rhys' memory or to Jack. Time to push it down again till it finally would surface no more....

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

She looked at the waterfall and she smiled. Without a word, she stood, loosened her chemise and let it drift down in a silky swirl.
She walked over to the waterfall and stood under it, her hair streaming down her back and the water glistening off her skin. Jack looked over at Muir . The wolf-dog looked at him questioningly. He laughed, "She'll be the death of me, yes, pup?"
The dog gave a sharp bark and then laid down with his paws over his nose.

They laid on the grass, the picnic blanket covering them. Honour pulled away from Jack and propped herself on her elbow, her fingers trailing over his chest.
"Jack, I have been thinking..."
Jack yawned. "Honour, I already said I would seriously consider giving up this life when we got to Barbados."
She said carefully, "Barbados has some fine sugar plantations. I am willing to hazard a guess that we could buy one of them and settle down to a life of raising sugar cane."
Jack gave a quick snort of laughter. "Me? A gentleman farmer?"
She started to talk rapidly to make her pitch. "Barbados is the richest of all the European colonies in the Caribbean region. The prosperity of Barbados is regionally unmatched. And don't forget the other commodities like rum, molasses, and Falernum. And it would be a perfect place to settle down and raise children and...."
Jack jumped up, taking the cover with him. "Hold it right there, Mrs. Wolfe! What are you talking about? You mean ba---ba---ba---"
"I believe 'babies' is the word you are looking for, Jack. But eventually I thought we might start a family. A little captain..."
"Whoa! When I said 'I do' that night, I didn't say I wanted a replica of me calling me 'da-da'. I just thought we were in for a bit of fun first."
Honour looked at him with hurt in her eyes. "A bit of fun. Is that all I am to you, Jack? A commodity in itself? Like your rum casks? Like your silks and guilders and Madeira wine?"

She grabbed the cover back from him and wrapped her hurt in it.
Jack softened and began to realise his bonny bride was little more than a child herself.
He said, "I'm sorry, Honour.  I've put my foot in it again.  I promise, we'll talk about all this when we reach Barbados, love. Alright?"
She just nodded. She turned to quickly wipe a tear that trailed down her cheek before Jack could see. Perhaps children of her own would wipe Rhys' memory off her soul. She did love Jack. They were both searching for something in their lives. She prayed it would be the same thing.

Pulling her chemise back over her head, she grabbed the cover from Jack and stuffed it into the basket.
With a brittle smile, she said, a bit too brightly, "Shall we go back? I am sure you have business to attend to and I have some packing to do before tomorrow."
She started to walk back. Jack hurriedly put his shirt and breeches back on.
Muir nudged Jack's hand and Jack scratched the dog behind the ears.
"Holy shnikeys, Muir...babies!"

[Welsh Wench]

Bonita unlocked the door to the room that Jack and Honour shared. She stood there, her hands on her hips.
Surveying all, she felt feelings of anger and resentment well up in her. Honour's silky finery was scattered all around the room. A pair of Jack's boots were cast under the bed. The dresser had a vase of wildflowers.
The bedcovers were thrown back, showing rumpled sheets. Honour's scent of jasmine was in the air.

Bonita picked up something lacy that laid on the floor. She stood in the center of the room and closed her eyes. Clutching the fabric to her forehead, she whispered, 'Montrez-moi ! Montrez-moi où elle l'a des charmes cachés...'
The French doors suddenly flew open, banging into the wall. The curtains blew and rippled into the room. Bonita's skirt whirled around her like a dervish. She opened up her eyes and strode to the dresser, her hands out in front of her. She walked around and suddenly she stopped in front of the trunk that Honour had brought on shore with her. Bonita knelt down and ran her hands over it. She smiled to herself and tried the lock. It would not give.
"What the hell are you doing in this room?"

She whirled around and came face to face with Cade. She assumed a lofty attitude and said haughtily, "Jack leaves his room a mess. I do my job. I clean it."
"Since when?"
"Since he marry dat child-bride of his who ne'er clean a room in her life. Tavern wench? HA! You not think Bonita not know something not right there?"
"Bonita, your jealousy is getting the best of your judgement."
"Dat were you be wrong. I show you. Come downstairs."

Cade reluctantly went downstairs with Bonita. She took him over to a table in the corner and she lit two black candles. Cade asked, "Wh--what are the candles for?"
She just shook her head and the candle's flame reflected in her eyes, her pupils on fire.
She said, "Sit."
He did so with great trepidation. She withdrew a deck of cards and laid them out.
"I be using these since my tia Elena give them to me. Always de same. Always when I lay dem out, dey read the same."
She turned a card over and exclaimed, "Look!"

She turned over the Lovers card.
She said bitterly, "Always her. Always dat child bride. It be a temptation of de heart. A choice of potential partners. A single lifestyle be sacrificed and a relationship gained or one partner chosen while another turned down. Heed dis well, Cade Jennings! She make a choice in de future but it not made lightly. Like Adam and Eve, the Lovers card mean impulse dat drive us out o' de Garden. Curiosity. Well, she be curious 'bout Jack's life. Once she have stepped passed de threshold, there be no returning to the Garden."

Cade shook his head and said, "Bonita, I'm sorry but no card can read what is going on in a person's mind."
She arched her eyebrow and said, "Fool ye be, Cade Jennings. I return to de deck. And look!"
She turned the next card and came up with the Magician's card.

"Dis be Jack's card. Always have been the card of Captain Jack Wolfe! See here. Dis card point to talent, capabilities and resources. Its message tap into one's full potential rather than holding back especially when dere be a need to transform something. Dere be choices and directions to take. He may be a beneficent guide, but he not necessarily have our best interests in mind. He may also represent the querent's ego or self awareness. He also represent the intoxication of power, good and bad."

Cade stood up. "Bonita, you are making this up as you go along. It can mean anything you want it to."
She said darkly, "You stay right dere, you be next, Cade Jennings. Den maybe you believe Bonita!"
She slowly turned over the card.

Cade could not take his eyes away and stared in disbelief.
"A...devil? What does THAT mean?"
She gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Ah! Now de young pup o' dat wolf want to know what de devil card mean!"
She leaned forward and hissed, "It mean our bondage to material things rather any evil person. It be an obsession or addiction to fulfilling our own earthly base desires. It mean money and power, one who be persuasive, aggressive and controlling."
Cade laughed uncomfortably, "You must be mad, woman! That fits Captain Jack Wolfe. Not me."
She then leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms and said, "De Querent understand dat de ties that bind are freely worn, and you be only enslaved if you allow de abuse to go on."
She delivered the final barb. "You, Cade Jennings, you. YOU! You be de snake in Jack's little Garden of Eden."

Cade stared at her. His arm swept across the table, scattering the cards all over the table and onto the floor. He put his face inches from Bonita's and whispered hoarsely, "You damned witch."
He turned on his heel and walked out the door, the laughter of Bonita following him out the door.

It was near dark when Honour and Jack walked up the slope to the tavern.
"Ooof!"
"Jack! I--I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."
Jack said, "Cade, where are you going in such an all-fired hurry?"
"One of the ships docked and I have to see what they have netted on their 'fishing expedition.' From what Captain Parnell said, it was a successful trip. Spanish wine, some Belgian lace. Silks from Persia. And there is a rumour that the captured ship's hold contained alot of Aztec gold."
Jack clapped him on the back and said, "Then get to work, Cade. I must say, I do have every faith in you. In spite of my riding you unmercifully."
Cade looked at Jack and saw the captain did have a look of pride on his face. Cade felt miserable and guilty in view of what Bonita had just predicted for him. Impossible! A snake in Jack's Eden? Never!

Cade looked over at Honour. She had her arm linked in Jack's. Her wet hair hung down her back and a few tendrils around her face. She was barefoot and carried a basket. Her chemise clung to her damp body. She smiled at him but he could sense there was a wistfulness in her that became apparent. Like there was an underlying distress.
She said softly, "I do hope we shall see you in the morning, Captain Jennings, before we leave."
His face turned red and he said, "I shall make it a point to say goodbye."
Jack looked from Cade to Honor and then back to Cade. He said, "Then off you go, Cade. See you in the morning."
Cade tipped his hat to Honour and said, "Ma'am."
Jack put his arm around his wife and said, "I swear, sometimes I just can't suss him out..."