Chapter 32: The Rescue
"We're going to rescue her, then?" Will asked as he hurried to catch up to Jack. "What made you change your mind?"
"I know the location of where he put her," Jack answered without slowing down.
"What? How?"
"I talked to the person that put her there, of course."
Will stopped for a moment, shock rooting his feet to the ground. The moment passed, however, and he was forced to run and catch up to Jack again. "But...he's unconscious! And why would he have told you anyway? He hates us, remember?"
"Listen, boy," Jack said, stopping abruptly and making Will nearly collide with him. The tone in his voice and the fact that Jack had just called him "boy" stung. "I don't think you ought to be questioning me. I have never given you reason not to trust me, though you have given Arianne very good reason not to trust you." With that, he turned and started walking again.
Will was angry and ashamed at the same time. What right had Jack to judge him? After all, wasn't Jack the one that had deserved so many slaps from so many different women? Seeming to read his thoughts, Jack called back, "And those other women weren't exactly the kind of women that trust or should be trusted in the first place, not that it's any of your business.
"Now do you want to save your wife or not?"
Again, Will ran to catch up to Jack, more ashamed than angry now.
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She lay back in her bed, thinking still about what Jack had said. She knew what question he had been referring to now, and she was more than a little surprised that he had heard it. She was doing her best to evaluate this objectively, but was failing. While she was still sad--and more than a little angry--about what Will had done to her, she found herself feeling excited and giddy about Jack's proclamation. She also felt a little wary. What was to prevent Jack from doing close to the same thing to her that Will had done? He had--and possibly still did have--feelings for Elizabeth, what would he do if Elizabeth should decide that she wanted Jack more than she wished to remain with Will?
This seemed likely as she reflected upon how Will and Elizabeth had been the last time she had seen them together. Then what would she do? She couldn't very well go back to Will knowing that he was more in love with another woman than herself. Damn it all, she thought, I shouldn't be worrying about this now! Jack and Will were out there looking for Elizabeth, she should be worrying more about them! Sighing, she prayed that Jack would be alright, that he would return unharmed. She forgot to include Will in her prayer.
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"Hullo, Mister Turner," said one of a pair of men as he passed by Jack and Will going the other way. He was carrying what looked like a wench by the rattiness of her scanty clothes, and she appeared to be in a drunken sleep. He didn't catch a glimpse of her face, but her hair looked like it might be the same shade as Elizabeth's in the light...
He shook his head. What next, would he start thinking he saw a little of Elizabeth in any woman? Jack had stopped some steps ago, and Will turned around to look at him. He was watching the two men that had just walked by them, and motioned that Will go on. Shrugging, Will turned and headed for the beach that Elizabeth was supposed to be on, not even thinking Jack's behavior odd.
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He stared after the two men, also noting the striking resemblance to Elizabeth's hair, but thinking beyond that. Elizabeth had been in Amos' care for about a week, and it was unlikely that Amos would have thought to allow her to bathe or to give her clothes other than the ones he had stolen her away in. The ratty clothes the woman was wearing looked like a tattered nightgown, and Jack knew she had been taken in the night. After motioning Will to move on, he followed the other two quietly so as not to give himself away. After he followed the two to their destination, he would go find Will and perhaps allow him to help in the rescue of his wife.
Listening carefully to the conversation that passed between them, he discerned that the man carrying the woman--who, he had to admit, had yet to prove to be Elizabeth--was the smarter of the pair, but, on the other hand, the other man was incredibly drunk. The drunken man kept pawing at the woman, and the one carrying her kept warning him that he should stop doing that. This woman was very important and could bring them both lots of money.
Well, if that didn't sound like it should be Elizabeth, then he didn't know what would! Following them only a little farther--into a very dingy section of town--they finally entered a run-down hovel. He waited about five more minutes to see if they would leave, and when they didn't he ran off to the beach excitedly to find Will.
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When Will reached the destination Jack had told him of, he saw nothing, no one. He searched deeper into the little area, thinking she might be farther in. Still finding nothing, his anger began to grow. Never given him reason to doubt him, he said? Well now he bloody well had! Lead him on a wild goose chase, would he? And then he was even too cowardly to see him to its end!
His anger played itself out very quickly, leaving only remorse and guilt. If it hadn't been for him, Elizabeth wouldn't have been taken. He should never have left her, should never have allowed himself to get bored. When he had said that he should have told her every day from the day he met her that he loved her, he had meant it, but he hadn't known how much he had meant it until now. These past months with her had been lost and now he may never get to make up for his stupidity.
Tears began to roll down his face as he placed his head in his arms. Now, because of his complete idiocy, he had betrayed two women. One of whom's only mistake had been to love him so much that she gave herself over to him completely. God, what had he done? ********************************
Jack found Will sitting on the beach alone, and realized that Elizabeth, indeed, was not there anymore. When he saw his shoulders shaking with what could be only sobs he decided to go brighten his day.
"Will!" he called out. Will immediately lifted his head. What Jack didn't expect was the fury with which Will launched himself to his feet and came at him, sword drawn. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked, incredulous, as he backed away quickly.
"How dare you!" Will shouted at him.
"How dare I what?" he returned, still stunned.
"How dare you lead me out here only to find that Elizabeth is not here! How dare you lead me on this wild goose chase and then not even have the courage to complete it?" Will said, his voice rising in volume.
"What wild goose chase? This is where he told me she would be! And she likely still would be if two men hadn't picked her up and taken her home with them!" When Will's fury wavered, he continued, "I followed them, just in case. I figured if she was here then you could handle it by yourself. Since she's not here, you should come with me to where they've taken her, but quickly! They may leave any moment!" That, Jack prayed, had to work. If it didn't, then one of them would likely be dead before leaving this beach.
It would be Will, he decided. He had to return to Arianne, after all, but he hoped that he wouldn't have to kill the boy in spite of his stupidity.
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He stared dumbfounded at Jack. Elizabeth had been kidnapped yet again? God, would her terror never end? He also felt angry with Jack still, though, and decided that if Jack was leading him on yet another failed adventure that he would tie the noose around Jack's neck himself. "Let's go, then," he said.
Off they went.
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She woke but didn't open her eyes. When she realized that she wasn't in a soft bed, she knew that she had to have been kidnapped yet again. When would all of this end? All she wanted was to live in peace with the man that she loved! When she thought further on this, she realized that the man she loved remained--and would likely always remain--Will. This thought brought her into full wakefulness, and she unconsciously sat up.
Or tried to, rather. Her wrists and ankles were bound yet again, but this time there was no gag in her mouth. "Ah, so you've finally awoken then!" came a cheerful voice to the side of her. In the dimness of the room she could barely make out his features, but she recognized his voice as one of the two who had found her on that beach. She groaned in disgust.
She felt rather than saw his smile. "Yes, you remember me then! Good! I should warn you, however, that you should save your breath and not even bother to scream. We aren't anywhere that you're likely to be heard by anyone but the wretched beggars and rats that live in the streets."
"You are absolutely despicable! Kidnapping me? Why would you want to do something like that?"
"Well, you see the little hole we're livin' in here," he said, gesturing. She suddenly realized that this must be the only room, and it was very unclean. "As you're the governor's daughter, we figure you can help us a wee bit."
"Ransom," she said. Just that. When he nodded, she groaned again and stopped trying to get up.
She knew not how long they had sat in silence, but when a knock came on the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin, seeing the figure jump as well, knocking over his chair. "What the--" he started before the door was suddenly flung wide open.
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Will followed Jack into the dirty little hovel--and little it was, there was hardly any room at all. As soon as he saw Elizabeth, he went to her side, ignoring Jack's scuffling about with the two men. "Elizabeth," he said softly, and then went about untying her. When she was free, she immediately threw her arms around him.
"What took you so long?" she whispered brokenly in his ear.
"I'm so sorry love, I'm so sorry," was all he could say.
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As easy as it was to knock the two out, Jack couldn't help but be irritated that Will hadn't even bothered to help. When he turned to look at the pair, though, the irritation faded. What replaced it was fury that Will could so betray Arianne this way, but he quickly tempered that anger.
"So, then," he started, "are we to just leave these two here, then?"
Will, seeming to ignore him completely, asked Elizabeth if she could walk. When she stood and tried out a few steps, she judged that she could make it a little ways, but not far.
"Right, so carrying them is entirely up to me then, sounds fun!" he grumbled to himself. Waving Will--holding Elizabeth in his arms, of course-- along, he found some rope and tied the two unconscious men together, slowly proceeding to drag them out the door and down the street. At least until they reached an area where a police officer could find them.
At least Elizabeth was saved at last, he thought to himself. Now he could go back to Arianne.
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Oh man, I really don't like how Will's coming off as such a jackass in this story, but I can see how he would be that way. I'm not writing this story, it's writing me. Blah. Ah well, soon it shall be done! Woohoo!
"We're going to rescue her, then?" Will asked as he hurried to catch up to Jack. "What made you change your mind?"
"I know the location of where he put her," Jack answered without slowing down.
"What? How?"
"I talked to the person that put her there, of course."
Will stopped for a moment, shock rooting his feet to the ground. The moment passed, however, and he was forced to run and catch up to Jack again. "But...he's unconscious! And why would he have told you anyway? He hates us, remember?"
"Listen, boy," Jack said, stopping abruptly and making Will nearly collide with him. The tone in his voice and the fact that Jack had just called him "boy" stung. "I don't think you ought to be questioning me. I have never given you reason not to trust me, though you have given Arianne very good reason not to trust you." With that, he turned and started walking again.
Will was angry and ashamed at the same time. What right had Jack to judge him? After all, wasn't Jack the one that had deserved so many slaps from so many different women? Seeming to read his thoughts, Jack called back, "And those other women weren't exactly the kind of women that trust or should be trusted in the first place, not that it's any of your business.
"Now do you want to save your wife or not?"
Again, Will ran to catch up to Jack, more ashamed than angry now.
********************************
She lay back in her bed, thinking still about what Jack had said. She knew what question he had been referring to now, and she was more than a little surprised that he had heard it. She was doing her best to evaluate this objectively, but was failing. While she was still sad--and more than a little angry--about what Will had done to her, she found herself feeling excited and giddy about Jack's proclamation. She also felt a little wary. What was to prevent Jack from doing close to the same thing to her that Will had done? He had--and possibly still did have--feelings for Elizabeth, what would he do if Elizabeth should decide that she wanted Jack more than she wished to remain with Will?
This seemed likely as she reflected upon how Will and Elizabeth had been the last time she had seen them together. Then what would she do? She couldn't very well go back to Will knowing that he was more in love with another woman than herself. Damn it all, she thought, I shouldn't be worrying about this now! Jack and Will were out there looking for Elizabeth, she should be worrying more about them! Sighing, she prayed that Jack would be alright, that he would return unharmed. She forgot to include Will in her prayer.
********************************
"Hullo, Mister Turner," said one of a pair of men as he passed by Jack and Will going the other way. He was carrying what looked like a wench by the rattiness of her scanty clothes, and she appeared to be in a drunken sleep. He didn't catch a glimpse of her face, but her hair looked like it might be the same shade as Elizabeth's in the light...
He shook his head. What next, would he start thinking he saw a little of Elizabeth in any woman? Jack had stopped some steps ago, and Will turned around to look at him. He was watching the two men that had just walked by them, and motioned that Will go on. Shrugging, Will turned and headed for the beach that Elizabeth was supposed to be on, not even thinking Jack's behavior odd.
********************************
He stared after the two men, also noting the striking resemblance to Elizabeth's hair, but thinking beyond that. Elizabeth had been in Amos' care for about a week, and it was unlikely that Amos would have thought to allow her to bathe or to give her clothes other than the ones he had stolen her away in. The ratty clothes the woman was wearing looked like a tattered nightgown, and Jack knew she had been taken in the night. After motioning Will to move on, he followed the other two quietly so as not to give himself away. After he followed the two to their destination, he would go find Will and perhaps allow him to help in the rescue of his wife.
Listening carefully to the conversation that passed between them, he discerned that the man carrying the woman--who, he had to admit, had yet to prove to be Elizabeth--was the smarter of the pair, but, on the other hand, the other man was incredibly drunk. The drunken man kept pawing at the woman, and the one carrying her kept warning him that he should stop doing that. This woman was very important and could bring them both lots of money.
Well, if that didn't sound like it should be Elizabeth, then he didn't know what would! Following them only a little farther--into a very dingy section of town--they finally entered a run-down hovel. He waited about five more minutes to see if they would leave, and when they didn't he ran off to the beach excitedly to find Will.
********************************
When Will reached the destination Jack had told him of, he saw nothing, no one. He searched deeper into the little area, thinking she might be farther in. Still finding nothing, his anger began to grow. Never given him reason to doubt him, he said? Well now he bloody well had! Lead him on a wild goose chase, would he? And then he was even too cowardly to see him to its end!
His anger played itself out very quickly, leaving only remorse and guilt. If it hadn't been for him, Elizabeth wouldn't have been taken. He should never have left her, should never have allowed himself to get bored. When he had said that he should have told her every day from the day he met her that he loved her, he had meant it, but he hadn't known how much he had meant it until now. These past months with her had been lost and now he may never get to make up for his stupidity.
Tears began to roll down his face as he placed his head in his arms. Now, because of his complete idiocy, he had betrayed two women. One of whom's only mistake had been to love him so much that she gave herself over to him completely. God, what had he done? ********************************
Jack found Will sitting on the beach alone, and realized that Elizabeth, indeed, was not there anymore. When he saw his shoulders shaking with what could be only sobs he decided to go brighten his day.
"Will!" he called out. Will immediately lifted his head. What Jack didn't expect was the fury with which Will launched himself to his feet and came at him, sword drawn. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked, incredulous, as he backed away quickly.
"How dare you!" Will shouted at him.
"How dare I what?" he returned, still stunned.
"How dare you lead me out here only to find that Elizabeth is not here! How dare you lead me on this wild goose chase and then not even have the courage to complete it?" Will said, his voice rising in volume.
"What wild goose chase? This is where he told me she would be! And she likely still would be if two men hadn't picked her up and taken her home with them!" When Will's fury wavered, he continued, "I followed them, just in case. I figured if she was here then you could handle it by yourself. Since she's not here, you should come with me to where they've taken her, but quickly! They may leave any moment!" That, Jack prayed, had to work. If it didn't, then one of them would likely be dead before leaving this beach.
It would be Will, he decided. He had to return to Arianne, after all, but he hoped that he wouldn't have to kill the boy in spite of his stupidity.
********************************
He stared dumbfounded at Jack. Elizabeth had been kidnapped yet again? God, would her terror never end? He also felt angry with Jack still, though, and decided that if Jack was leading him on yet another failed adventure that he would tie the noose around Jack's neck himself. "Let's go, then," he said.
Off they went.
********************************
She woke but didn't open her eyes. When she realized that she wasn't in a soft bed, she knew that she had to have been kidnapped yet again. When would all of this end? All she wanted was to live in peace with the man that she loved! When she thought further on this, she realized that the man she loved remained--and would likely always remain--Will. This thought brought her into full wakefulness, and she unconsciously sat up.
Or tried to, rather. Her wrists and ankles were bound yet again, but this time there was no gag in her mouth. "Ah, so you've finally awoken then!" came a cheerful voice to the side of her. In the dimness of the room she could barely make out his features, but she recognized his voice as one of the two who had found her on that beach. She groaned in disgust.
She felt rather than saw his smile. "Yes, you remember me then! Good! I should warn you, however, that you should save your breath and not even bother to scream. We aren't anywhere that you're likely to be heard by anyone but the wretched beggars and rats that live in the streets."
"You are absolutely despicable! Kidnapping me? Why would you want to do something like that?"
"Well, you see the little hole we're livin' in here," he said, gesturing. She suddenly realized that this must be the only room, and it was very unclean. "As you're the governor's daughter, we figure you can help us a wee bit."
"Ransom," she said. Just that. When he nodded, she groaned again and stopped trying to get up.
She knew not how long they had sat in silence, but when a knock came on the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin, seeing the figure jump as well, knocking over his chair. "What the--" he started before the door was suddenly flung wide open.
********************************
Will followed Jack into the dirty little hovel--and little it was, there was hardly any room at all. As soon as he saw Elizabeth, he went to her side, ignoring Jack's scuffling about with the two men. "Elizabeth," he said softly, and then went about untying her. When she was free, she immediately threw her arms around him.
"What took you so long?" she whispered brokenly in his ear.
"I'm so sorry love, I'm so sorry," was all he could say.
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As easy as it was to knock the two out, Jack couldn't help but be irritated that Will hadn't even bothered to help. When he turned to look at the pair, though, the irritation faded. What replaced it was fury that Will could so betray Arianne this way, but he quickly tempered that anger.
"So, then," he started, "are we to just leave these two here, then?"
Will, seeming to ignore him completely, asked Elizabeth if she could walk. When she stood and tried out a few steps, she judged that she could make it a little ways, but not far.
"Right, so carrying them is entirely up to me then, sounds fun!" he grumbled to himself. Waving Will--holding Elizabeth in his arms, of course-- along, he found some rope and tied the two unconscious men together, slowly proceeding to drag them out the door and down the street. At least until they reached an area where a police officer could find them.
At least Elizabeth was saved at last, he thought to himself. Now he could go back to Arianne.
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Oh man, I really don't like how Will's coming off as such a jackass in this story, but I can see how he would be that way. I'm not writing this story, it's writing me. Blah. Ah well, soon it shall be done! Woohoo!