"Elizabeth darling!" Governor Swann called. "I am gong for drinks at the Williamsons! Try to not stay up too late reading your stories dear!"

"I won't Father!" Elizabeth called back, marking her page in "Piracy in the China Sea" and setting it on the desk. She went to the window and watched her Father get in a carriage and ride off. "At last!" she muttered. Excitement building within her, she hurried out the back door, down the steps, and across the yard towards the beach.

Governor Swann disapproved greatly to Elizabeth's lack of interest in propriety. He had always felt that her love for the sea and her fascination with pirates would wear off. To please her father, Elizabeth had pretended to now be interested in droll subjects such as the Royal Navy's Order and Command. She started hiding her collection of Pirate stories in a chest under her bed and only visited her favorite spot when her father was out.

She made for a small area of beach on the far west side of the island that was enclosed by hills and trees. Elizabeth had discovered this spot years ago and it had always been her own because every time she visited, not another soul was in sight. Elizabeth paused briefly taking off her slippers and then removed her hair pins, allowing her curls to fall down her back. She then continued her walk.

Once she could not see a single building, she felt it was safe to remove her robe. She had once made the mistake of leaving her nice gown on during one of her outings and the scolding she received from the maid was harsh indeed. If it were to happen again, the maid told her, Master Swann would be informed. So she had worked out a plan in which she would peek at her father's appointment book every so often and make notes of when he had plans to be out. She was conveniently in her robe during these evenings and unbeknownst to her father, underneath was a simple white cotton nightdress she had permanently borrowed from one of the servants, in exchange for well over it's worth in silver. She deposited the robe and slippers under a tree and broke into a run for the water.