TOTSS
"So Far Away"
***Chapter Eight***
It was nearing twilight on a Sunday evening and the docks were virtually deserted, except for a small group of men and one woman. They were engaged in a tense business matter.
"Mr. Jones, we have been waiting here over two hours for your arrival." O'Finney spoke calmly if a little petulantly, "We had it on good authority that this is the type of woman your boss prefers." He petted the side of Isabelle's head, unaware of her scowl as he touched her. "Here she is. Is she not beautiful? Does she not square us? "
Gagged and arms tied painfully to her back, Isabelle listened in on the conversation O'Finney was having with a shorter man wearing an impressive blue suit. He wasn't powerfully built but he displayed an expression that plainly shown he had been here, in this same situation, many times before. *Mr. Jones* appeared vaguely Asian to Isabelle but he spoke perfect English. Behind him stood two unsmiling larger men, also impressively dressed.
In Isabelle's unsolicited opinion, all three appeared highly dangerous .
"Yes. She is beautiful, as promised, but my master requires more than just a pretty face." Mr. Jones looked Isabelle up and down once again, obviously unhappy with her jodhpurs and dark blouse. "Take off the gag. Untie her" he ordered. After it was done, he grasped one of Isabelle's hands, checking fingernails and the skin on her palms and fingers, "This woman has labored." he observed, distantly impressed, and felt her upper arms, "Good muscle tone. Healthy."
Isabelle managed to hold back her anger and keep silent while all this was going on, fearing the gag might be returned, but when the man forced her lips apart with his fingers and started to examine her teeth, like she was livestock, the woman could take the humiliation no longer. She parted her teeth and bit down on his fingers hard. She was painfully jerked backward by O'Finney's partner as a curse was uttered by the Asian.
"Yes, Mr. O'Finney." The man finally said, regaining poise and appearing almost amused for the first time, "She has spirit and my master will enjoy breaking it. We agree."
"Very good, Mr. Jones. How will you be taking the merchandise?"
"We have a private ship docked in space number thirty two." He lifted two fingers and pointed at Isabelle, an indicator to his subordinates. "My men will procure her now."
Without delay, the two larger men took an arm a piece and pulled the disinclined woman with them.
"And the debt is now paid in full?" O'Finney asked, to be certain.
"Yes." the Asian replied - waiting - knowing what would come next. Men like O'Finney were nothing unique to a businessman like Mr. Jones.
"There was talk that there might also be a finders reward." O'Finney stated, making it sound like a suggestion, but not entirely hiding a threat. If O'Finney was prompted he could easily talk to quite a few people who might make it uncomfortable for men like Mr. Jones, and whoever it was that employed him. "It took a great deal of effort to find a feisty beauty like Miss Reed. A female who will never be traced."
He held out a hand.
"I see." Mr. Jones looked at O'Finney and his partner for a few moments then nodded, "Forgive me my lack of gratitude." The man reached into the inside of his coat pocket and brought out a hand gun. He shot twice, first at O'Finney's partner then at O'Finney himself.
Both men fell to the wooden platform, eyes wide in disbelief.
Isabelle cried out. O'Finney was an insufferable fiend and fool but, if she were being honest with herself, she saw a tiny portion of him in some of her best friends (and perhaps even herself), back when she lived a less than wholesome lifestyle in England, and she never would have wanted anything like this to happen the them -- or herself.
"Enjoy your reward, gentlemen," Mr. Jones said turning, "in the hereafter." He followed his men as they pulled their newest acquisition with them to the ship.
***
"This one is gone, David." Mauriri announced, examining the bullet wound to the bedraggled and motionless man's chest.
They had ridden all night and it was still early, before the fishermen came out to ply their trade. They had found O'Finney and his partner laying on the dock. Blood was trickling from the Irishman's mouth and a gurgle came from deep in his throat.
"Save your soul." David Grief said to him, "Tell us where they have taken Isabelle."
Gulping and breathing in a last gasp of air, lifting a finger to point where his vision could not see, O'Finney said: "A ship. Dock thirty two. Go get her …"
John O'Finney, appearing a man of many deep regrets, then died.
****
"No! Let go of me!" She struggled against the two gorilla-like men who held her, "You can't just take me like this. I'll ..."
"You will do nothing, young woman, because there is no one out there who cares whether you live or die." Mr. Jones stated blandly as he motioned to the grizzled captain of their ship to prepare them for departure.
"It's not true. I have friends ... and a husband!" Isabelle attempted, all in vain, to pry a wrist free from one of her captors. If she could just get free she'd lay on a teeth rattling punch that Mr. Jones would not soon forget.
He all at once grasped her by the chin and made Isabelle look at him, "If that is the case then we will kill you right here and dump your dead carcass into the ocean. You are of no use to us if you have a lover that might come to call." he stated firmly, "Now tell the truth, woman. Are you wed? Shall I cut your throat?" He pulled a switchblade knife from his vest pocket and brought its sharp tip up for Isabelle to see.
"No," she quickly said, "No husband. No lover." Isabelle looked down at her feet, regretful because she feared she now was telling the entire the truth. "I lied. No one will miss me." If only she could have reached David when ...
"I wouldn't say that!" Mauriri, from out of the shadows, approached. He walked slowly on the wooden platform like a ghostly apparition.
Isabelle's eyes widened. Where there was Mauriri there was always ...
A loud "thunk" was heard and the group turned about to see David Grief aboard the ship, having just knocked their captain unconscious with a heavy chain he had found somewhere.
"Get them!"
At Mr. Jones order, the men threw Isabelle down on the wooden platform. One ran in the direction of Mauriri and the other jumped onto the ship, after Captain Grief. Isabelle was bruised but not harmed so she quickly got to her feet. She nearly made a lunge for Mr. Jones when his blade came up once again, warning her that any intervention could mean damage or death.
The large Asian who came after Mauriri had far too much momentum on his side. Mauriri merely leapt aside and watched him smash head long into a stack of crates. Mauriri helped him along by, in a not so gentlemanly fashion, kicking the man from behind as he passed him on his ill fated run.
Grief, meanwhile, had the advantage of a somewhat smaller and more limber body than his opponent. The bulky man swung at him several times aboard ship but missed completely when Grief dodged his advance.
Mr. Jones, seeing that all was not going well for his men, knew he had little time to lose. While Isabelle was distracted, not just by his blade but by her friends and their violent confrontations, he swung forward and knocked the woman down. The Asian then ran along the platform before she could once again scramble to her feet. Isabelle ran for a few minutes but Mr. Jones had been swallowed by the fog. She didn't know where he could have gone. Thwarted, she returned to where Mauriri and David fought.
"David, look out!" Mauriri called. He had his own assailant tied and bound but noted that his partner was now facing a nameless chap who, like his master before him, was sporting a dangerous looking dagger. He waved it in front of Grief's face as they circled one another, appearing pleased that the Captain was taking him seriously now.
"Are you skilled with that, my friend?" Grief asked.
In response, the man thrust forward and caught Grief with a nasty slice.
"David!" Isabelle cried, now standing beside Mauriri, and realizing her loved one could be in serious trouble. He wore his red shirt but it did not hide the darkening patch of moisture dampening the material at his shoulder.
The man, pushing his luck, tried another swipe but missed clean, giving Grief an opportunity to dodge. Grief then kicked out, catching the Asian behind his legs, and watched as he fell ... on his own dagger.
***
As Mauriri talked with the constable, straightening matters out, the couple sat on a bench which looked out to the sea but, for the longest time, they said nothing. However, when Isabelle could not bandage his shoulder wound any further, and when the sea gulls they had been watching flew away to an area of greater interests, the man and woman focused uncertainly on each other.
"Why did you do it, Isabelle? " he whispered, seeming to speak from a far away place. "How could you just leave like that?"
"Please, David. Don't do this." Isabelle closed her eyes with both shame and frustration.
"After all we shared ... Did it mean so little?"
"David!" A sob escape her lips. Did he not read her letter? "Can't you see that I had to do this? It wasn't easy. I hated it. But I was afraid, terrified of what might become of me if I allowed myself the luxury of feeling too much with you. I don't do attachment well. All of my love affairs seemed to end in tragedy. "
"And is that what it was Isabelle? An affair. Nothing more?" He spoke so quietly she could barely hear him.
"If I were to tell you "no" what would it mean to you?" she asked, "Would you be willing to give up your current way of life for me? The Rattler? Matavai?" Then she looked away from him. Her eyes cast downward, "Lavinia?" She spoke the woman's name for effect even though Isabelle knew Captain Grief's ex lover was not an issue anymore.
But in Grief's view this was the real issue between them. How could he and Isabelle ever start a relationship if she didn't think he and Lavinia had ever ended? "She is no longer mine to give up, Isabelle. You know that." Then he ran a hand through his tousled hair and leaned back on the bench, "Hell, even when we were together she was never really any man's to keep or give away. A guy knows when it's right ... and as much as I cared for Lavinia we were predestined to fail." He smiled a fond reminiscence, "Maybe that was what made our time together so special. Unique even. She is independent and so am I. In our hearts we knew it couldn't last."
"But she wanted you. She wanted marriage and to have your children."
"I know." He grew awkward once again.
"I take it the charm wore off when she started to make noises about commitment." Isabelle said, slightly bitter. She had been around too many men not to know what made them cool when the passion between lovers was at its hottest. "You know, there was a time in my life when having a casual affair, especially with someone as strong, confident and handsome as you, might have been all that I needed."
"And now?"
The sun was peaking over the horizon.
Isabelle looked away from him at a small rowboat that was pushing off. The fishermen were finally on their way to work. "I'm about to disappoint you terribly, David." she said, "I want more from a man than to have him warm my bed when the moment suits him ... or us. Lavinia and I may not see eye to eye on a lot of things but she's right about this one." Isabelle glanced at Grief's profile, as he looked out to sea, listening to what she had to say. "Considering all we have been through, as many times as I have tried to seduce you, does that make me sound like a hypocrite?" Isabelle studied him, gazed upon David Grief's dumbfounded expression, and she found herself chuckling. "Don't panic, David. I'm not trying to corner you. To the contrary. I'm just trying to let you know how is with me now. And I'll completely understand if you want to leave with Mauriri right now. You owe me nothing."
Isabelle watched as Mauriri finished speaking with the police. They appeared satisfied with whatever explanation he gave them. "I don't believe Mr. O'Finney's business partners will be a problem any longer and, as you well know, the Wilke's love me. Particularly the children." she informed, quietly.
"Don't doubt it a minute." Grief complimented. Then: "Are you happy?"
"I could be. In time."
"Wish I knew what to tell you, Isabelle. I came here to say so much but now it's all lost to me."
"I know you're torn, David, and I understand. This is one of the main reasons I left. If you weren't ready for commitment with Lavinia, who you adored, how could I possibly think that you would be willing to settle down, to have any type of commitment, with me? Especially now, when I have absolutely *nothing* to offer."
Stunned, David Grief shook his head back and forth, smiling at the way Isabel's reason worked. "You think you know me but you've never been further off the mark than this. How can you think that I could only love a woman who was successful with her own business?"
"That *has* been your modus operandi, Captain Grief. At least, from what I've seen." -- 'And a penchants for pretty ladies in distress.' Isabelle thought but did not say it.
"I'm sorry I misled you."
Again Isabelle closed her eyes and came to grips with what the handsome captain was imparting. "Let me get this straight, David. Are you trying to tell me that you *do* want me? After eighteen months of knowing one another, of working side-by-side, of me relentlessly flirting and you showing next to no interest or indifference, you're telling me ... what? I need to hear it from your own lips."
Now he turned to look at her, "I was never uninterested." Grief lifted a hand and touched her cheek. He was amazed to see the fear in her eyes. "I sailed all the way from Matavai to bloody Australia to find you because I thought you *had* to know ... I'm in love with you, Isabelle Reed. I want you to come back with me. I cannot promise you a white picket fence, a dog, a good sturdy home or even freedom from a wildly unconventional lifestyle but I can promise you *love* -- and commitment. That is ... if you're still willing to have me, with all my faults." He paused as a troublesome thought entered into his head, "I *can* be exclusive, I think you know that, but … " He paused to get this final thought straight in his mind, "… I don't think I could ever give up the sea, Isabelle. That is the one place where I draw the line."
She smiled, "I wouldn't want you to. You love it so much. It's in your blood." Isabelle searched his face for a sign of deception. She saw none. "The sea is you, David."
"So it comes down to this," Grief's expression was relieved, serious but also tender, "Are *you* in love with me? Are *you* willing to come back to Matavai with me, Isabelle? Are *you* willing to give us a chance?"
Isabelle sensed he was holding his breath and she could not bare Grief's uncertainty when her reply could only be: "Yes …" she breathed, then with more gusto, "Oh yes, David!" Dazed, she felt him take her in his strong arms, not caring if it disturbed his wound. If she had any lingering doubts about his faithfulness they were erased when she felt his warm, soft lips touch hers, parting ever so carefully, exploring her lips and face, a free hand reaching to touch her hair. Bliss. Memories of their one night together came back full force and she reached for him, pulling him closer, wanting to feel David Grief's glorious mouth on the skin of her neck. "Oh, David!" and wanting to feel the length of his body press her own.
She gasped and prayed that this moment would never end.
But it had to.
"Ahem!" came from the throat of a slightly embarrassed Polynesian. "Looks as if things are working out here." he half joked.
The couple parted, also self-conscious, and looked sheepishly at their friend.
"Isabelle has decided to come back with us." Grief announced.
"With you." Mauriri corrected. "I am going to take this ship." He indicated a freighter docked nearby, ready - it seemed - to push off.
"You don't have to do that, Mauriri." Isabelle said, quickly.
"No, you two need some time to yourselves. I suggest you get on the Rattler, take your time going home, avoid pirates, and talk to each other." He smiled, "I've never seen two people so perfect for one another … but who can't communicate worth a herring." He lifted a hand to shake both of theirs, "I'll be waiting for you on Matavai."
"We'll see you at home, my friend." Grief nodded.
***
They took the time to say goodbye to the Wilke family.
The children were upset that yet another governess, one they had grown to love in a very short period of time, was going to leave them. However, Isabelle promised to visit when the family came to Australia the following Winter. She told Miranda to pay attention to her riding instructor and not to sass he or she. "A young girl like you has much to learn." Isabelle also spoke quietly to Tim and told him it was important he learn to master a horse. However, there were far more important things in life than this. "Search for whatever it is that makes you happy. Then stick to it." The boy smiled and nodded, especially after she ruffled his hair and kissed him on the forehead.
Lord and Lady Wilke spoke quietly with David for awhile, appearing to be thinking seriously about something he said, then their expressions brightened upon seeing Isabelle's approach.
"Thank you for everything." Isabelle said sincerely, hugging both. "If it hadn't been for you I might have …"
"Oh My Dear!" Lady Wilke said, "When I think of the danger you were in because of *our* lack of vision, I just shudder. It should be us thanking you. John O'Finney could have …"
"But he didn't." Isabelle said, with a mild smile, calming the woman. "And he will never bother your family again."
A few more hand shakes and hugs then Isabelle and David Grief were off.
They were going home.
****
They sailed all day, laughing with one another, teasing and flirting. And - as Mauriri suggested - they talked. Serious talk about where, as a couple, they were going and how they would get there. There was so much they needed to say. Yet, there were some things they would never have to impart … They knew. They just knew. Isabelle and David talked about the past and the future. But both, by silent consensus, decided not to go *too* far into the future. So much could happen. Of their love they were sure but living, as they did, their lives filled with adventure and danger … who could know what card fate would deal them next.
Yes, the here and now. That was what was important.
And, as the sun set on a beautiful day, as Grief dropped anchor near a small island halfway between Sydney harbor and the Koala islands, as they munched on supper, and drank slowly of their glasses of wine, noting how cool the air about them was becoming … ideas began to form.
There were ways to keep warm and the best way, between a couple who already knew what joy their physical bonding could produce, was below, in a cabin on a bed big enough for two.
****
((There is an added paragraph to this section of the story that goes beyond the range of an R rating. Intimacy between a man and woman is involved. If you do not wish to read this scene it will not impede the rest of the story. You can go onto the next chapter without fear. However, if you would like to read it please go to the following site and click where indicated:
http://beckers13.tripod.com/TalesoftheSout/FanFicx.html
Thank you, Beckers))
((ONE MORE CHAPTER AND WE'RE DONE ….))
"So Far Away"
***Chapter Eight***
It was nearing twilight on a Sunday evening and the docks were virtually deserted, except for a small group of men and one woman. They were engaged in a tense business matter.
"Mr. Jones, we have been waiting here over two hours for your arrival." O'Finney spoke calmly if a little petulantly, "We had it on good authority that this is the type of woman your boss prefers." He petted the side of Isabelle's head, unaware of her scowl as he touched her. "Here she is. Is she not beautiful? Does she not square us? "
Gagged and arms tied painfully to her back, Isabelle listened in on the conversation O'Finney was having with a shorter man wearing an impressive blue suit. He wasn't powerfully built but he displayed an expression that plainly shown he had been here, in this same situation, many times before. *Mr. Jones* appeared vaguely Asian to Isabelle but he spoke perfect English. Behind him stood two unsmiling larger men, also impressively dressed.
In Isabelle's unsolicited opinion, all three appeared highly dangerous .
"Yes. She is beautiful, as promised, but my master requires more than just a pretty face." Mr. Jones looked Isabelle up and down once again, obviously unhappy with her jodhpurs and dark blouse. "Take off the gag. Untie her" he ordered. After it was done, he grasped one of Isabelle's hands, checking fingernails and the skin on her palms and fingers, "This woman has labored." he observed, distantly impressed, and felt her upper arms, "Good muscle tone. Healthy."
Isabelle managed to hold back her anger and keep silent while all this was going on, fearing the gag might be returned, but when the man forced her lips apart with his fingers and started to examine her teeth, like she was livestock, the woman could take the humiliation no longer. She parted her teeth and bit down on his fingers hard. She was painfully jerked backward by O'Finney's partner as a curse was uttered by the Asian.
"Yes, Mr. O'Finney." The man finally said, regaining poise and appearing almost amused for the first time, "She has spirit and my master will enjoy breaking it. We agree."
"Very good, Mr. Jones. How will you be taking the merchandise?"
"We have a private ship docked in space number thirty two." He lifted two fingers and pointed at Isabelle, an indicator to his subordinates. "My men will procure her now."
Without delay, the two larger men took an arm a piece and pulled the disinclined woman with them.
"And the debt is now paid in full?" O'Finney asked, to be certain.
"Yes." the Asian replied - waiting - knowing what would come next. Men like O'Finney were nothing unique to a businessman like Mr. Jones.
"There was talk that there might also be a finders reward." O'Finney stated, making it sound like a suggestion, but not entirely hiding a threat. If O'Finney was prompted he could easily talk to quite a few people who might make it uncomfortable for men like Mr. Jones, and whoever it was that employed him. "It took a great deal of effort to find a feisty beauty like Miss Reed. A female who will never be traced."
He held out a hand.
"I see." Mr. Jones looked at O'Finney and his partner for a few moments then nodded, "Forgive me my lack of gratitude." The man reached into the inside of his coat pocket and brought out a hand gun. He shot twice, first at O'Finney's partner then at O'Finney himself.
Both men fell to the wooden platform, eyes wide in disbelief.
Isabelle cried out. O'Finney was an insufferable fiend and fool but, if she were being honest with herself, she saw a tiny portion of him in some of her best friends (and perhaps even herself), back when she lived a less than wholesome lifestyle in England, and she never would have wanted anything like this to happen the them -- or herself.
"Enjoy your reward, gentlemen," Mr. Jones said turning, "in the hereafter." He followed his men as they pulled their newest acquisition with them to the ship.
***
"This one is gone, David." Mauriri announced, examining the bullet wound to the bedraggled and motionless man's chest.
They had ridden all night and it was still early, before the fishermen came out to ply their trade. They had found O'Finney and his partner laying on the dock. Blood was trickling from the Irishman's mouth and a gurgle came from deep in his throat.
"Save your soul." David Grief said to him, "Tell us where they have taken Isabelle."
Gulping and breathing in a last gasp of air, lifting a finger to point where his vision could not see, O'Finney said: "A ship. Dock thirty two. Go get her …"
John O'Finney, appearing a man of many deep regrets, then died.
****
"No! Let go of me!" She struggled against the two gorilla-like men who held her, "You can't just take me like this. I'll ..."
"You will do nothing, young woman, because there is no one out there who cares whether you live or die." Mr. Jones stated blandly as he motioned to the grizzled captain of their ship to prepare them for departure.
"It's not true. I have friends ... and a husband!" Isabelle attempted, all in vain, to pry a wrist free from one of her captors. If she could just get free she'd lay on a teeth rattling punch that Mr. Jones would not soon forget.
He all at once grasped her by the chin and made Isabelle look at him, "If that is the case then we will kill you right here and dump your dead carcass into the ocean. You are of no use to us if you have a lover that might come to call." he stated firmly, "Now tell the truth, woman. Are you wed? Shall I cut your throat?" He pulled a switchblade knife from his vest pocket and brought its sharp tip up for Isabelle to see.
"No," she quickly said, "No husband. No lover." Isabelle looked down at her feet, regretful because she feared she now was telling the entire the truth. "I lied. No one will miss me." If only she could have reached David when ...
"I wouldn't say that!" Mauriri, from out of the shadows, approached. He walked slowly on the wooden platform like a ghostly apparition.
Isabelle's eyes widened. Where there was Mauriri there was always ...
A loud "thunk" was heard and the group turned about to see David Grief aboard the ship, having just knocked their captain unconscious with a heavy chain he had found somewhere.
"Get them!"
At Mr. Jones order, the men threw Isabelle down on the wooden platform. One ran in the direction of Mauriri and the other jumped onto the ship, after Captain Grief. Isabelle was bruised but not harmed so she quickly got to her feet. She nearly made a lunge for Mr. Jones when his blade came up once again, warning her that any intervention could mean damage or death.
The large Asian who came after Mauriri had far too much momentum on his side. Mauriri merely leapt aside and watched him smash head long into a stack of crates. Mauriri helped him along by, in a not so gentlemanly fashion, kicking the man from behind as he passed him on his ill fated run.
Grief, meanwhile, had the advantage of a somewhat smaller and more limber body than his opponent. The bulky man swung at him several times aboard ship but missed completely when Grief dodged his advance.
Mr. Jones, seeing that all was not going well for his men, knew he had little time to lose. While Isabelle was distracted, not just by his blade but by her friends and their violent confrontations, he swung forward and knocked the woman down. The Asian then ran along the platform before she could once again scramble to her feet. Isabelle ran for a few minutes but Mr. Jones had been swallowed by the fog. She didn't know where he could have gone. Thwarted, she returned to where Mauriri and David fought.
"David, look out!" Mauriri called. He had his own assailant tied and bound but noted that his partner was now facing a nameless chap who, like his master before him, was sporting a dangerous looking dagger. He waved it in front of Grief's face as they circled one another, appearing pleased that the Captain was taking him seriously now.
"Are you skilled with that, my friend?" Grief asked.
In response, the man thrust forward and caught Grief with a nasty slice.
"David!" Isabelle cried, now standing beside Mauriri, and realizing her loved one could be in serious trouble. He wore his red shirt but it did not hide the darkening patch of moisture dampening the material at his shoulder.
The man, pushing his luck, tried another swipe but missed clean, giving Grief an opportunity to dodge. Grief then kicked out, catching the Asian behind his legs, and watched as he fell ... on his own dagger.
***
As Mauriri talked with the constable, straightening matters out, the couple sat on a bench which looked out to the sea but, for the longest time, they said nothing. However, when Isabelle could not bandage his shoulder wound any further, and when the sea gulls they had been watching flew away to an area of greater interests, the man and woman focused uncertainly on each other.
"Why did you do it, Isabelle? " he whispered, seeming to speak from a far away place. "How could you just leave like that?"
"Please, David. Don't do this." Isabelle closed her eyes with both shame and frustration.
"After all we shared ... Did it mean so little?"
"David!" A sob escape her lips. Did he not read her letter? "Can't you see that I had to do this? It wasn't easy. I hated it. But I was afraid, terrified of what might become of me if I allowed myself the luxury of feeling too much with you. I don't do attachment well. All of my love affairs seemed to end in tragedy. "
"And is that what it was Isabelle? An affair. Nothing more?" He spoke so quietly she could barely hear him.
"If I were to tell you "no" what would it mean to you?" she asked, "Would you be willing to give up your current way of life for me? The Rattler? Matavai?" Then she looked away from him. Her eyes cast downward, "Lavinia?" She spoke the woman's name for effect even though Isabelle knew Captain Grief's ex lover was not an issue anymore.
But in Grief's view this was the real issue between them. How could he and Isabelle ever start a relationship if she didn't think he and Lavinia had ever ended? "She is no longer mine to give up, Isabelle. You know that." Then he ran a hand through his tousled hair and leaned back on the bench, "Hell, even when we were together she was never really any man's to keep or give away. A guy knows when it's right ... and as much as I cared for Lavinia we were predestined to fail." He smiled a fond reminiscence, "Maybe that was what made our time together so special. Unique even. She is independent and so am I. In our hearts we knew it couldn't last."
"But she wanted you. She wanted marriage and to have your children."
"I know." He grew awkward once again.
"I take it the charm wore off when she started to make noises about commitment." Isabelle said, slightly bitter. She had been around too many men not to know what made them cool when the passion between lovers was at its hottest. "You know, there was a time in my life when having a casual affair, especially with someone as strong, confident and handsome as you, might have been all that I needed."
"And now?"
The sun was peaking over the horizon.
Isabelle looked away from him at a small rowboat that was pushing off. The fishermen were finally on their way to work. "I'm about to disappoint you terribly, David." she said, "I want more from a man than to have him warm my bed when the moment suits him ... or us. Lavinia and I may not see eye to eye on a lot of things but she's right about this one." Isabelle glanced at Grief's profile, as he looked out to sea, listening to what she had to say. "Considering all we have been through, as many times as I have tried to seduce you, does that make me sound like a hypocrite?" Isabelle studied him, gazed upon David Grief's dumbfounded expression, and she found herself chuckling. "Don't panic, David. I'm not trying to corner you. To the contrary. I'm just trying to let you know how is with me now. And I'll completely understand if you want to leave with Mauriri right now. You owe me nothing."
Isabelle watched as Mauriri finished speaking with the police. They appeared satisfied with whatever explanation he gave them. "I don't believe Mr. O'Finney's business partners will be a problem any longer and, as you well know, the Wilke's love me. Particularly the children." she informed, quietly.
"Don't doubt it a minute." Grief complimented. Then: "Are you happy?"
"I could be. In time."
"Wish I knew what to tell you, Isabelle. I came here to say so much but now it's all lost to me."
"I know you're torn, David, and I understand. This is one of the main reasons I left. If you weren't ready for commitment with Lavinia, who you adored, how could I possibly think that you would be willing to settle down, to have any type of commitment, with me? Especially now, when I have absolutely *nothing* to offer."
Stunned, David Grief shook his head back and forth, smiling at the way Isabel's reason worked. "You think you know me but you've never been further off the mark than this. How can you think that I could only love a woman who was successful with her own business?"
"That *has* been your modus operandi, Captain Grief. At least, from what I've seen." -- 'And a penchants for pretty ladies in distress.' Isabelle thought but did not say it.
"I'm sorry I misled you."
Again Isabelle closed her eyes and came to grips with what the handsome captain was imparting. "Let me get this straight, David. Are you trying to tell me that you *do* want me? After eighteen months of knowing one another, of working side-by-side, of me relentlessly flirting and you showing next to no interest or indifference, you're telling me ... what? I need to hear it from your own lips."
Now he turned to look at her, "I was never uninterested." Grief lifted a hand and touched her cheek. He was amazed to see the fear in her eyes. "I sailed all the way from Matavai to bloody Australia to find you because I thought you *had* to know ... I'm in love with you, Isabelle Reed. I want you to come back with me. I cannot promise you a white picket fence, a dog, a good sturdy home or even freedom from a wildly unconventional lifestyle but I can promise you *love* -- and commitment. That is ... if you're still willing to have me, with all my faults." He paused as a troublesome thought entered into his head, "I *can* be exclusive, I think you know that, but … " He paused to get this final thought straight in his mind, "… I don't think I could ever give up the sea, Isabelle. That is the one place where I draw the line."
She smiled, "I wouldn't want you to. You love it so much. It's in your blood." Isabelle searched his face for a sign of deception. She saw none. "The sea is you, David."
"So it comes down to this," Grief's expression was relieved, serious but also tender, "Are *you* in love with me? Are *you* willing to come back to Matavai with me, Isabelle? Are *you* willing to give us a chance?"
Isabelle sensed he was holding his breath and she could not bare Grief's uncertainty when her reply could only be: "Yes …" she breathed, then with more gusto, "Oh yes, David!" Dazed, she felt him take her in his strong arms, not caring if it disturbed his wound. If she had any lingering doubts about his faithfulness they were erased when she felt his warm, soft lips touch hers, parting ever so carefully, exploring her lips and face, a free hand reaching to touch her hair. Bliss. Memories of their one night together came back full force and she reached for him, pulling him closer, wanting to feel David Grief's glorious mouth on the skin of her neck. "Oh, David!" and wanting to feel the length of his body press her own.
She gasped and prayed that this moment would never end.
But it had to.
"Ahem!" came from the throat of a slightly embarrassed Polynesian. "Looks as if things are working out here." he half joked.
The couple parted, also self-conscious, and looked sheepishly at their friend.
"Isabelle has decided to come back with us." Grief announced.
"With you." Mauriri corrected. "I am going to take this ship." He indicated a freighter docked nearby, ready - it seemed - to push off.
"You don't have to do that, Mauriri." Isabelle said, quickly.
"No, you two need some time to yourselves. I suggest you get on the Rattler, take your time going home, avoid pirates, and talk to each other." He smiled, "I've never seen two people so perfect for one another … but who can't communicate worth a herring." He lifted a hand to shake both of theirs, "I'll be waiting for you on Matavai."
"We'll see you at home, my friend." Grief nodded.
***
They took the time to say goodbye to the Wilke family.
The children were upset that yet another governess, one they had grown to love in a very short period of time, was going to leave them. However, Isabelle promised to visit when the family came to Australia the following Winter. She told Miranda to pay attention to her riding instructor and not to sass he or she. "A young girl like you has much to learn." Isabelle also spoke quietly to Tim and told him it was important he learn to master a horse. However, there were far more important things in life than this. "Search for whatever it is that makes you happy. Then stick to it." The boy smiled and nodded, especially after she ruffled his hair and kissed him on the forehead.
Lord and Lady Wilke spoke quietly with David for awhile, appearing to be thinking seriously about something he said, then their expressions brightened upon seeing Isabelle's approach.
"Thank you for everything." Isabelle said sincerely, hugging both. "If it hadn't been for you I might have …"
"Oh My Dear!" Lady Wilke said, "When I think of the danger you were in because of *our* lack of vision, I just shudder. It should be us thanking you. John O'Finney could have …"
"But he didn't." Isabelle said, with a mild smile, calming the woman. "And he will never bother your family again."
A few more hand shakes and hugs then Isabelle and David Grief were off.
They were going home.
****
They sailed all day, laughing with one another, teasing and flirting. And - as Mauriri suggested - they talked. Serious talk about where, as a couple, they were going and how they would get there. There was so much they needed to say. Yet, there were some things they would never have to impart … They knew. They just knew. Isabelle and David talked about the past and the future. But both, by silent consensus, decided not to go *too* far into the future. So much could happen. Of their love they were sure but living, as they did, their lives filled with adventure and danger … who could know what card fate would deal them next.
Yes, the here and now. That was what was important.
And, as the sun set on a beautiful day, as Grief dropped anchor near a small island halfway between Sydney harbor and the Koala islands, as they munched on supper, and drank slowly of their glasses of wine, noting how cool the air about them was becoming … ideas began to form.
There were ways to keep warm and the best way, between a couple who already knew what joy their physical bonding could produce, was below, in a cabin on a bed big enough for two.
****
((There is an added paragraph to this section of the story that goes beyond the range of an R rating. Intimacy between a man and woman is involved. If you do not wish to read this scene it will not impede the rest of the story. You can go onto the next chapter without fear. However, if you would like to read it please go to the following site and click where indicated:
http://beckers13.tripod.com/TalesoftheSout/FanFicx.html
Thank you, Beckers))
((ONE MORE CHAPTER AND WE'RE DONE ….))