This is a re-write of the last chapter I wrote, but by the time I realized what I'd done, I knew that the chapter wasn't finished to my satisfaction. I changed the title, also, though it's not much of a change. I like the chapter better now, it seems more complete

Chapter 35: Shipwreck Island

She put her hand in front of her eyes to shield them from the lamp he held. "Billy! What? How?" She stood up and grabbed her robe, "When did this come about?"

"He sent me a message, I just got it. There are things happening, Cathy, things you don't know about. Your brother keeps things close to his chest, but he must have decided that he wanted or needed to see you. You're to pack a small bag, with enough things to last you for a few days, and only that."

"I'm bringing my chest, too, I'll not leave that here. I've got to see to my horses, if I'm gone too long without funds to care for them, I may lose them."

"Give me some money then, and I'll see it gets to the stables. You're an awful lot of trouble Cathy, you know."

"Yes, I do." She was busily stuffing clothes into her portmanteau. She'd keep her cashbox with her, and someone could row the chest in a separate boat. This was making her uneasy, after all this time, why had Flint suddenly decided that he wanted to see her? This did not bode well, and she was worried about him. He should have stayed at the Pearl, she decided, they'd be close and able to reach each other at a moment's notice. This distance between them distressed her.

"Is the back entrance locked? It leads to the alley, but sometimes they keep it locked to prevent customers from leaving without paying their bill. If so, we should break it and go out that way. There's too traffic to leave from the front. So many people come and go here that maybe no one would pay attention, but I don't want to take chances."

"It's already taken care of. I have men waiting to take your chest down to the boats. The moon's half full, which means some cover and light to steer the boats by. The men know the way, so we won't get lost. Now, for God's sake Cathy, hurry."

She threw one last pair of slippers into her bag. Billy would leave money the landlord in case there was a problem with the room. She didn't know what was going on. At first Flint had told her to stay in Nassau until she could take a ship to Port Royal, and now she was being transported in the middle of the night to God only knew where. Where she was concerned, however, Flint generally had a reason for what he was doing. And she missed him. There were times when they hated each other, but never for long. They were too much alike, and it drew them closer, or made them want to kill each other.

Someone had thoughtfully piled rugs in the prow of the boat, and they'd provided her with cloaks to shield her from the chill of the night. She fell asleep to the sound of the oars splashing, and the hull of the boat skimming gently through the water.

She woke to find herself in a sunny room, with open air windows and woven palm mats on the floor. She sat up and stretched, feeling unexpectedly refreshed. How long had she slept anyway? Someone must have carried her here, but she had no memories of it. She'd been tired but surely she hadn't slept during the whole journey.

"How are you feeling?" Flint set down a plate of food he was holding and held his arms out. She ran to him, not caring that she was behaving like a young girl instead of a woman grown. Lord how she had missed him!

He'd cut his long hair off—it was cropped close to his head and she was not sure she liked it. He beard was still there, rich and full, well-trimmed. There were more lines in his face, from worry and care—hopefully she had not been the cause of some of them, but she knew he'd gladly forgive her if they were.

"Oh, Flint, I've missed you so much!" They stood quietly as he rocked her in his arms. Theirs was a strange bond, one that few besides themselves understood. In his presence she always felt safe, protected. It was too bad that Eleanor had had no one, if she had, maybe there would have been no Charles Vane, and she never would have seen the inside of a prison cell, and wonder how much longer she had to live.

"Eat," he commanded, acting like the older brother looking out for an irresponsible younger sister. He led her to the table where the plate of food, hot and steaming, waited. "It's yams, eggs, and fruit. I know you like coffee, but you're going to have to settle for small ale. No bacon or ham for now, but it's almost ready to come out of the smokehouse. There'll be fish for dinner, depending on what they caught. We've been keeping a lookout for English ships, we expect them any day."

"I haven't been paying much attention to what's going on, I'm sorry for that. When Woodes first arrived it seemed a sort of relief, I didn't even really consider what it would mean to the island. Selfishly, I thought only about leaving. I don't know who told him, but he knew I was your sister, so someone must have. You were gone, and I knew that eventually I would have to leave, but I just didn't want to deal with things. Then Eleanor turned up, Woodes Rogers took her in, and when the chance arose she had Charles Vane hung."

"She what?" Flint put down his mug of ale, disbelief showing on his face.

"Vengeance for her father, you know. Charles was stupid, he killed Richard Guthrie to get even with her for freeing Abigail Ashe. Up until then I hadn't quite tired of him, but killing Richard Guthrie was too much. Those games they were playing-ultimately she thought she won, but instead she paid a heavy price. I'm tired of Nassau, tired of pirates with the exception of you and maybe a few others. I'm no longer willing to stay in the islands and be a spectator to all of this. I'm sailing to Boston, then try to catch a ship to France and look for my privateer. If I can't, well, he's not the only man in the world."

"To England, perhaps?" a small smile played across his mouth, he was playing one of his favorite games—seeing how easy it would be to bait her.

"NO! And not funny, not funny at all. Italy, maybe, or Constantinople, maybe I'll visit Athens and see the Acropolis. But Paris appeals to me the most, I love it above all the other cities in the world. I'll bank the rest of my money in Paris or Genoa and then decide where I want to go."

"Just stay away from Nassau. There's a war coming, Cathy, the English want to reclaim this island and won't stop until they succeed. Nassau is no longer a place where gentlemen of fortune can be safe, and I won't be a slave to the crown."

"Like I won't be to a husband," she replied, "We're not made for bondage to anyone, you and I. I'm surprised you lasted with Miranda for so long."

He put his arm on her shoulder, "I know you didn't like her, but believe me, we were more suited than you think. It will be a long time before I fall in love again, Cathy."

She decided to change the subject. "Tell me, brother, why am I here? I wanted to see you, but accepted that it might be a long time, or maybe never. When you tell me to do something, I don't question, you've never steered me wrong. Why have you changed your mind?"

"Because even I have my fears. I have worried that I might not see you again, I am not immune from bullets or the hangman's noose. I wanted to see you, if only for a few days. I also fear what Rogers might do, I had a nightmare about him imprisoning you because of me, that I could not bear. I'll get you out of here before they invade. I feel better having you here." He turned and smiled at her, that old, familiar smile she loved, "That's all. I simply wanted to see my sister."

There were footsteps and someone entered the room. She put her hand over her mouth, not wanting to give herself away. Silver stood before her. He looked the same, or maybe even better. His limp was less noticeable—maybe they'd treated it and for once he had listened to someone's advice. Was it the woman? Hadn't Billy said that Silver had a girl now?

"Cathy," he looked at her, flushed an unbecoming red. It was awkward for them both. "Ahem, Madi—the daughter of the queen of the island—she wants to meet you. I said I'd ask, but I was sure you would."

She took a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, it would not be polite for me not to. You're looking so much better—how is your leg?"

"It's better, the native healers are very good, and I waited until I healed before I went back to using my leg."

Flint had not been aware of her liaison with Silver and evidently still had no knowledge of it. "Silver has someone besides me that he will listen to now. He resisted long enough, but came around. You'll like Madi."

"The only thing I am concerned with now, brother, is whether there is someplace for me to bathe, and then I want to change my clothes. This has all happened so quickly that I almost feel dizzy. I hope I am safer here than I was in Nassau, but there is nowhere now that feels safe."

"Madi can help you with that," Silver answered, "I'll bring her by later." He paused, kissed her chastely on the cheek, "It's good to see you, Cathy. We've missed you." He left the room and Cathy exhaled noisily.

"Madi, so that's her name," she said softly, "And all along I thought it might be Max."

"What was he to you? Surely nothing," Flint demanded, "Cathy you are better than him, and you know it."

"And nothings are who have I been with since I came to Nassau. Vane, Low, Silver, Billy. My privateer in Paris was a step up, but scratch the surface and a privateer is nothing more than a pirate. Yes, my standards have fallen far short, but who else has been here? What you want from me is no less than I want for myself, but I am a woman who likes men, and I don't apologize for it. You had your Mrs. Barlow, and I had no taste for the men she wanted to introduce me to. I prefer my scoundrels. I've grown up, brother, but you still see me as a child."

"That is not likely to change. Your portmanteau is here; you have your clean clothes." He took her face in his rough hands, and kissed her gently on the lips. "I forget how self-reliant you've become. We're adaptable, we Flints, always have been." He ruffled her hair and left her to herself.

She was surprised that seeing Silver had had such an effect on her. She had always thought of him as a pleasant companion in bed, and enjoying his company as she did a pleasant bonus. She'd deeply loved Charles Vane, even when she did not understand why, but there had been something special about John Silver that had gotten under her skin in a way she did not expect.

Billy was different. She had known Billy since she first came to Nassau. Billy was the kind of good friend she could always rely on. Billy had sense, Billy was not the reckless buccaneer that Silver was. Billy had and would always protect her, but that's all it was. Familiarity had made them fall into bed together, but that's all there was to it. She loved Billy, even desired him, but did not want him.

He ducked into her room as if he knew she was thinking about him. "Are you all square, Cathy? Are you all right?"

"Yes, but things have happened a little too quickly for me." She went over to the window and looked out. "It seems strange here, yet familiar. Like one of the plantations that I've visited, only without white overseers. Do you know how long this has been here?"

He came over and put his arm around her shoulders. "No, but Scott would know. No, would have known," he corrected himself, "There are a few places like this, hard to find, out of the way islands where runaway slaves have taken refuge. Scott's widow has had the running of this place for a long time now. They go to great lengths to protect themselves, even to murder."

"Do you blame them?" she pulled away from him, "If the English find them, it's back to the cane fields for them. No more freedom, just misery until the day they die."

"Ah yes, and you're the one who compares marriage to slavery."

"For the woman, yes. After we marry, our property, our children, and our money is no longer our own. Husbands can beat wives, rape them, imprison them and the law will do nothing for them. All I had to do was look at Peter Ashe and know that was not what I wanted. I'm slave to no man, and I intend to keep it that way. Pirates aren't the only ones who don't want to be enslaved."

"You remind me of smarter, better looking Anne Bonney. Until I met you, I couldn't imagine that a lady would renounce the comfort and security that a good marriage would bring. You, Eleanor, Anne: none of you are slaves to convention."

"But look what's happened to Eleanor! Sometimes I think I was the one who could deal with Charles Vane."

"Even though he beat you? I still remember your face, Cathy, the bruises, the split lip and black eye. If I remember rightly, you were ready to kill him, you'd even found a pistol."

"Yes, and I have you to thank for the fact that I didn't. I learned a lesson from that, never be afraid to rely on a friend when you're in trouble." She kissed him and hugged him around his slender waist.

"Yes, and when I sent you to Cuba I had no idea that you'd pull the stunt that you did—and that you'd get away with it. You could have wound up with your neck in a noose."

"Well, I learned from the best how to avoid that fate. I'll never again have anything to do with Spain and Cuba, but I'm a rich woman now."

"Cathy, get back to Nassau as soon as you can, and take a ship—to anywhere, unless you want to live under English rule. When we tell you it's time to leave, you leave, and no argument. War is coming and someone will no doubt alert the English to this island's existence. You be sure that you're as far away from here as you can get before the shooting starts. Don't depend on Eleanor to be your friend, you don't know what her motives are. Likewise, Woodes Rogers, he could use you as bait to catch your brother if you're not careful. These are dangerous times and I want nothing more than to see you away from here."

"Billy, I'm not sure I can, not yet anyway. I slept with Woodes Rogers…"

"What?" Billy was surprised and a little angry, "Does Flint know? What were you thinking?"

"I was out riding, and he found me, or I found his horses hoof prints and followed them. Face it, Eleanor is beautiful and alluring, but she is just a shadow of who she used to be. The ordeal in prison, the death of her father, it's taken a toll on her. The impetuous, headstrong Eleanor is gone. She seems so sad now, like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. He saw me and remembered what it was like to be around a woman who was happy and carefree. Things happened, Billy; remember, we're linked by friendship. You don't love me, you just like me—as I like you.

He circled her waist with his strong arm, "Yes, Cathy," he said, "I like you very much, and sometimes I wonder if there could be more, but we are the wrong two people."

"That is what I've always known, no wonder we get along so well." She looked up at him, an earnest expression on her face, "I'm thinking that I should stay here, help with the resistance any way I can. Maybe I can go back and forth between sides, just like I did in Cuba."

He pushed her away from him, forced her to look at him, "And wind up with your neck in a noose? No one knew you in Cuba, everyone knows you here. Eleanor and Max wouldn't trust you for an instant, even if you could fool Woodes Rogers for a while. No, there's too much risk for you to do that. And Flint would never consent."

"He has nothing to say about it, nor do you. But you may be partially right. For all intents and purposes, I've disappeared from Nassau, that may arouse suspicion enough. But there was one thing I was thinking, who do the English hate most at the moment?" She paused, waiting for him to answer, "The French, of course. What if I could persuade some of the French privateers to help the resistance? The privateers are no longer employed by the king, and I am sure that some of them are desperate for some fighting, and some pay. Getting the ships may be a problem, but may not be impossible."

"You're flirting with disaster, Cathy, you know that of course. Don't be rash, think this over, carefully. We could use the allies, but don't expect that the French can or will be trusted. Please just go somewhere for right now and think—don't act, think. If I thought that turning you over my knee and spanking your bare bottom would help, I would, but I'd end up fucking you."

She looked at him and smiled. "Oh, so you think that would help? The spanking, not the fucking."

He took her shoulders and shook her—hard. "Listen to me, there's a lot at stake. Nassau is not really your home, isn't that what you always tell me? You're rash, you like to take chances, you're too much like your brother. For once in your life, Cathy, do the smart thing." He turned and left, because he wanted her very much, but it was not the time or place. Cathy drove him to madness and he needed to get away.