Chapter 8: It's About Time!
Elizabeth sat talking to the women she had invited for lunch, and felt profoundly bored. How COULD these women sit here and speak of nothing more interesting than the latest gift their husbands had bought for them? Much less for an entire afternoon! She sighed a bit wistfully. It had been a while since Will had gotten her something special...Frowning, she banished that thought from her mind. She had no more interest in Will, what was the point? It would only make her feel guiltier than she already did. Now, a token from her dream-lover...THAT would be most welcome. Sighing again, only this time with longing, she daydreamed about him, completely losing the thread of conversation.
He had just taken her into his arms for a kiss when all of a sudden he was speaking in a very feminine voice, "Elizabeth? Elizabeth, darling, are you quite alright?"
Snapping out of her reverie, she smiled weakly at the countess. "I-- I'm alright, thank you, Isabella."
"Are you sure?" she asked again.
Seeing an opportunity to get rid of the bores, she said hesitantly, "Well...I DO feel a bit faint..."
"Well, then, you should rest! We'll get out of your hair. We understand perfectly, darling. Why, I myself used to feel faint every so often when it happened to me, too," Isabella said, to her perplexity. She took the excuse, however, and simply smiled a bit in agreement. Isabella smiled indulgently at her, and then shooed the other women out.
What on earth had that old crow been talking about? Elizabeth wondered.
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Will, still blushing furiously, bandaged Arianne's wounds, doing his best to look only at what he was doing rather than looking at...other things. He missed the pain in her face, though he would no doubt have assumed it was from the wounds. "Will...do you promise?" she asked, and the pain was evident in her voice. He looked at her, surprised, for he was doing his best to be gentle, and there shouldn't have been such evident agony in her voice. Looking into her eyes, his heart broke a little more. There was so much pain in them, and not of the physical kind. She needed him. She loved him. She was afraid he'd abandon her.
He was so shocked he just stared at her. She loved him? But...how? Why? He blinked once or twice, and then his heart wrenched again at the look on her face. He touched her unbruised cheek and smiled, completely forgetting her nakedness. "Of course I promise, Arianne."
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Jack watched Will and Arianne from the corner where he had tied Amos with a smile on his face. He hadn't planned on Arianne's getting brutally beaten, but the plan was moving faster than he had planned, or so it seemed. Of course, now he had to rearrange things, but all in all it was a good thing...
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She relaxed, then. He promised. She felt an all-encompassing warmth inside, and wanted to dance for joy. Then SHE finally realized that she was naked, and blushed furiously. Dear God, Will was seeing her naked! Will was TOUCHING her!!!!! She nearly died of embarrassment and no small amount of lust. He finally finished bandaging her up and said, "Umm...I don't have any clothes for you," while looking away, red tinging his cheeks as well. She blinked, then remembered.
"Er...did you by chance see a bag in that alleyway? A green cloth bag?" she asked shyly, wishing she could cover up.
"A bag? What are you--oooooooohhhhhh," he said, as comprehension dawned. "Are there clothes in the bag?" he asked.
"Yes...there are...and, um, could you cover me up?" she asked plaintively.
"Oh! Yes! Of course!" he said, restraining the urge to smack himself hard on the forehead. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that earlier. He brought her another blanket and brought it back to her, as she attempted to sit up. "Here, let me help you," he said, tenderness in his voice. She let him help her, and then took the blanket and wrapped it about herself.
"Thank you," she said, feeling like a five-year-old with a crush and unable to look him in the eye. She did glance sideways at him, and noticed that he was still blushing. She smiled, hoping the blush meant what she thought it did.
Mumbling something about getting her bag, Will stood up and rushed out of the shop.
"How do ye feel, Arianne?" said a familiar voice from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, but her body wouldn't let her. It was still too painful, and the jolt as she jerked reminded her of that fact, tempering the warmth within her.
"Jack? What are you doing here?" she said as he approached her.
"I helped save ye, and I be keepin' an eye on the scum that calls himself yer brother," he said, smiling and gesturing towards a shapeless lump.
"Oh! Thank you so much, Jack, for helping me...I...I don't know what would have happened if you and Will hadn't shown up..." Suddenly she found herself crying again.
"Ah..." Jack stuttered as she started crying. He reached out to her, but then stopped, completely unsure what to do with a crying female.
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She was crying when he came back inside with her bag. Jack was sort of hovering, as if unable to make up his mind what he should do. He rushed over to her and took her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked, looking up at Jack, who looked immensely relieved.
"Well...I asked her if she was alright...and told her that we'd found 'er...and...she just started crying!" Jack said, sounding a bit confused. "Ye know...Elizabeth never did this..."
"Arianne," Will said coldly, "is NOT Elizabeth, who has never had to deal with anything like this." Jack just went back to his post. Will turned suddenly tender eyes on Arianne and held her lightly so as not to hurt her, letting her cry herself out.
"W-Will?" she sniffled, about ten minutes later. He stopped stroking her hair and released her, albeit reluctantly, and looked into her shimmering blue eyes.
"Yes?"
"I-I'm sorry, Will...I didn't mean to fall apart like this...a-and thank you very much for helping me, I'm very grateful," she said.
"No, Arianne, don't be sorry. I'm sure I would have done the same were I in your shoes, darling," he said. "As it is, however, we need to get you out of here until nightfall. Do you think you can get dressed and come with Jack and I to my house?" She sniffed and nodded, looking at him with more than a little love in her gaze. "Good," he said, and went over to help Jack get Amos back into the alley, giving Arianne some privacy.
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She waited until they had dragged her heavy lump of a brother outside before standing up--carefully--and reaching for her bag to bring out the shirt, kneelength breeches, stockings, and boots. Just as she was pulling on the stockings, a knocking sounded on the door. "Will? Jack?" she called, praying it was them. "Is that you?"
A muffled "yes" came in through the door. "You can come in, I'm decent," she called out to them. They opened the door and came in. They were both breathless with the effort of dragging the great lump, Amos, out into the alley. Of course, he was still tied up, and they had knocked him on the head one more time simply for good measure.
"Arianne? Are you ready to go?" he asked just as her boots were on properly. She nodded. "Wonderful. There shouldn't be anyone out and about at this time, it's the evening meal. Elizabeth is probably wondering just where I am," he said.
Her heart plummeted. Elizabeth. He was married. It was hopeless. She kept her face straight, however, as they left the shop and began the walk to Will's home.
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Elizabeth looked at the clock. Seven o'clock. Supper was ready, and was getting cold. Will should have been home half an hour ago. She sighed in disgust. He did this all too often when he got caught up in his work.
Just as she was about to give up and have the cook put everything in the oven to keep warm, she heard the front door open.
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Arianne was grateful that there was no one about at this hour...she was aware just how dreadful she must look. Her hair hung around her face, encrusted with dirt, she was wearing men's clothing...she had to look absolutely awful. She only wished Will didn't have to see her this way. She was still thinking along these lines when they reached Will's home and entered.
"It's about damned time, Will Turner--" a feminine voice began.
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Alrighty...I'm SOOO sorry that took so long! Thanks for being patient with me!
Elizabeth sat talking to the women she had invited for lunch, and felt profoundly bored. How COULD these women sit here and speak of nothing more interesting than the latest gift their husbands had bought for them? Much less for an entire afternoon! She sighed a bit wistfully. It had been a while since Will had gotten her something special...Frowning, she banished that thought from her mind. She had no more interest in Will, what was the point? It would only make her feel guiltier than she already did. Now, a token from her dream-lover...THAT would be most welcome. Sighing again, only this time with longing, she daydreamed about him, completely losing the thread of conversation.
He had just taken her into his arms for a kiss when all of a sudden he was speaking in a very feminine voice, "Elizabeth? Elizabeth, darling, are you quite alright?"
Snapping out of her reverie, she smiled weakly at the countess. "I-- I'm alright, thank you, Isabella."
"Are you sure?" she asked again.
Seeing an opportunity to get rid of the bores, she said hesitantly, "Well...I DO feel a bit faint..."
"Well, then, you should rest! We'll get out of your hair. We understand perfectly, darling. Why, I myself used to feel faint every so often when it happened to me, too," Isabella said, to her perplexity. She took the excuse, however, and simply smiled a bit in agreement. Isabella smiled indulgently at her, and then shooed the other women out.
What on earth had that old crow been talking about? Elizabeth wondered.
***********************************
Will, still blushing furiously, bandaged Arianne's wounds, doing his best to look only at what he was doing rather than looking at...other things. He missed the pain in her face, though he would no doubt have assumed it was from the wounds. "Will...do you promise?" she asked, and the pain was evident in her voice. He looked at her, surprised, for he was doing his best to be gentle, and there shouldn't have been such evident agony in her voice. Looking into her eyes, his heart broke a little more. There was so much pain in them, and not of the physical kind. She needed him. She loved him. She was afraid he'd abandon her.
He was so shocked he just stared at her. She loved him? But...how? Why? He blinked once or twice, and then his heart wrenched again at the look on her face. He touched her unbruised cheek and smiled, completely forgetting her nakedness. "Of course I promise, Arianne."
************************************
Jack watched Will and Arianne from the corner where he had tied Amos with a smile on his face. He hadn't planned on Arianne's getting brutally beaten, but the plan was moving faster than he had planned, or so it seemed. Of course, now he had to rearrange things, but all in all it was a good thing...
************************************
She relaxed, then. He promised. She felt an all-encompassing warmth inside, and wanted to dance for joy. Then SHE finally realized that she was naked, and blushed furiously. Dear God, Will was seeing her naked! Will was TOUCHING her!!!!! She nearly died of embarrassment and no small amount of lust. He finally finished bandaging her up and said, "Umm...I don't have any clothes for you," while looking away, red tinging his cheeks as well. She blinked, then remembered.
"Er...did you by chance see a bag in that alleyway? A green cloth bag?" she asked shyly, wishing she could cover up.
"A bag? What are you--oooooooohhhhhh," he said, as comprehension dawned. "Are there clothes in the bag?" he asked.
"Yes...there are...and, um, could you cover me up?" she asked plaintively.
"Oh! Yes! Of course!" he said, restraining the urge to smack himself hard on the forehead. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that earlier. He brought her another blanket and brought it back to her, as she attempted to sit up. "Here, let me help you," he said, tenderness in his voice. She let him help her, and then took the blanket and wrapped it about herself.
"Thank you," she said, feeling like a five-year-old with a crush and unable to look him in the eye. She did glance sideways at him, and noticed that he was still blushing. She smiled, hoping the blush meant what she thought it did.
Mumbling something about getting her bag, Will stood up and rushed out of the shop.
"How do ye feel, Arianne?" said a familiar voice from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, but her body wouldn't let her. It was still too painful, and the jolt as she jerked reminded her of that fact, tempering the warmth within her.
"Jack? What are you doing here?" she said as he approached her.
"I helped save ye, and I be keepin' an eye on the scum that calls himself yer brother," he said, smiling and gesturing towards a shapeless lump.
"Oh! Thank you so much, Jack, for helping me...I...I don't know what would have happened if you and Will hadn't shown up..." Suddenly she found herself crying again.
"Ah..." Jack stuttered as she started crying. He reached out to her, but then stopped, completely unsure what to do with a crying female.
***********************************
She was crying when he came back inside with her bag. Jack was sort of hovering, as if unable to make up his mind what he should do. He rushed over to her and took her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked, looking up at Jack, who looked immensely relieved.
"Well...I asked her if she was alright...and told her that we'd found 'er...and...she just started crying!" Jack said, sounding a bit confused. "Ye know...Elizabeth never did this..."
"Arianne," Will said coldly, "is NOT Elizabeth, who has never had to deal with anything like this." Jack just went back to his post. Will turned suddenly tender eyes on Arianne and held her lightly so as not to hurt her, letting her cry herself out.
"W-Will?" she sniffled, about ten minutes later. He stopped stroking her hair and released her, albeit reluctantly, and looked into her shimmering blue eyes.
"Yes?"
"I-I'm sorry, Will...I didn't mean to fall apart like this...a-and thank you very much for helping me, I'm very grateful," she said.
"No, Arianne, don't be sorry. I'm sure I would have done the same were I in your shoes, darling," he said. "As it is, however, we need to get you out of here until nightfall. Do you think you can get dressed and come with Jack and I to my house?" She sniffed and nodded, looking at him with more than a little love in her gaze. "Good," he said, and went over to help Jack get Amos back into the alley, giving Arianne some privacy.
************************************
She waited until they had dragged her heavy lump of a brother outside before standing up--carefully--and reaching for her bag to bring out the shirt, kneelength breeches, stockings, and boots. Just as she was pulling on the stockings, a knocking sounded on the door. "Will? Jack?" she called, praying it was them. "Is that you?"
A muffled "yes" came in through the door. "You can come in, I'm decent," she called out to them. They opened the door and came in. They were both breathless with the effort of dragging the great lump, Amos, out into the alley. Of course, he was still tied up, and they had knocked him on the head one more time simply for good measure.
"Arianne? Are you ready to go?" he asked just as her boots were on properly. She nodded. "Wonderful. There shouldn't be anyone out and about at this time, it's the evening meal. Elizabeth is probably wondering just where I am," he said.
Her heart plummeted. Elizabeth. He was married. It was hopeless. She kept her face straight, however, as they left the shop and began the walk to Will's home.
*************************************
Elizabeth looked at the clock. Seven o'clock. Supper was ready, and was getting cold. Will should have been home half an hour ago. She sighed in disgust. He did this all too often when he got caught up in his work.
Just as she was about to give up and have the cook put everything in the oven to keep warm, she heard the front door open.
**************************************
Arianne was grateful that there was no one about at this hour...she was aware just how dreadful she must look. Her hair hung around her face, encrusted with dirt, she was wearing men's clothing...she had to look absolutely awful. She only wished Will didn't have to see her this way. She was still thinking along these lines when they reached Will's home and entered.
"It's about damned time, Will Turner--" a feminine voice began.
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Alrighty...I'm SOOO sorry that took so long! Thanks for being patient with me!