Usual disclaimers. but you should be used to that by now!

Thanks for all the reviews... as you've been so good here is the next chapter!

***

That night Louis crept stealthily through the shadows, quickly and quietly climbing upon the garden wall and onto the balcony. True to her word Mary had left her window ajar. He listened carefully, ensuring she was alone before slipping through the heavy drapes. Mary was already asleep, her breathing deep and peaceful. "Mary," he whispered, placing his hand over her mouth - the last thing he wanted was for her to scream. "Mary..."

She woke suddenly, eyes wide and frightened until she saw who it was. "Louis," she smiled. "I'd nearly given up on you..." She reached up, grabbing him and kissing him hungrily.

"How long have we got..." he mumbled between kisses. "The baby..." He nodded towards the door, anxious that they would not be discovered but still kissing her.

"Charlotte should not wake for at least two hours, but if you hear her crying then you must hide. The maid will knock and wait before entering..." She smiled, watching him as he unbuckled his sword belt and eagerly shed his clothing. He slid in next to her, his arms encircling her as he nuzzled her neck, stifling a groan as she turned to kiss him. Revenge was definitely pleasurable.

***

Louis returned the same way for the next three nights, slipping quietly away before dawn to return to his ship. He sighed heavily whilst laying in bed beside Mary, unsure what to do about her. Part of him wanted to take her with them, but to do so would mean revealing who and what they were. He knew she hated the Sparrows, especially Catherine, but there was a big leap between hating somebody and actively trying to kill them.

Mary sensed his mood. "Louis?"

"We will be leaving with the tide tomorrow evening," he said regretfully. "I will miss our nights together Mary..."

"You will be returning though, surely?" she gasped. She would be sad to see him go having finally realised what pleasure mutual attraction could bring. She had married Theodore for his money, there had been no love to begin with and none had followed - he was pleasant enough in his stilted ways, but there was not the electric spark that she felt with Louis.

"I will visit if your husband is not in town," he grinned, leaning across and kissing her.

"Will I see you tomorrow... before you leave?" she asked.

"I am sure I can find some excuse to visit..." He thought carefully. "Perhaps you ordered something for your husband and we missed it from the delivery? Send a maid down to the docks tomorrow morning and I will come." He kissed her again, sighing as he slipped quietly from the bed. "I must be gone before the maid wakes..." he apologised as he reached for his clothes. "But I will return..."

She rose, kissing him one more time. "Promise..." she smiled.

"I promise..." he vowed, kissing her again before dashing out through the windows. She watched sadly as he left, realising that she would not see him secretly for many weeks.

***

Louis smiled when he saw one of Mary's maids waiting for him on the dockside in the morning. "Captain Valais!" she cried. "Captain Valais! Mistress Groves asks that you attend her with all urgency."

"Is there a problem?" he queried, secretly delighted to be seeing Mary again.

"There were a number of items missing from the goods that your men delivered and she wishes to speak with you about it," the maid confided. "Some wine I believe..."

"Ah, the wine! Of course! Please tell your Mistress I will attend her as soon as I am able but my ship leaves on the tide tonight and I must see to a number of things before then." He dismissed her smoothly, turning his attention back to the water barrels that needed to be loaded.

"Yes Captain," the maid bobbed, hurrying back up the hill towards the Groves household.

***

"Mistress Groves, Captain Valais is here to see you," Collins announced.

"Thank you," she smiled, careful not to allow her delight to show on her face. "Show him in to the lounge - I will be there shortly." She glanced in the mirror on her dressing table, straightening her dress and tidying her hair before walking slowly down the stairs. A maid waited at the bottom for her.

"Will you be requiring any tea Mistress?" she asked politely.

"No. Captain Valais will not be staying long." Mary walked into the lounge to find him studying one of the paintings on the wall - a typical naval scene that Theodore loved. He turned, smiling as he saw she was unattended.

"Mistress Groves," he spoke so that his voice would carry to the lobby in case anyone was listening. "I must apologise for I understand some bottles of wine were missing from our delivery..." He gestured to the table where a large basket of fruit had been placed. "Please accept this as my apology... if you let me know exactly what was missing I will to obtain some more bottles for you on my next trip..." He stood close to her, his hand cupping her breast as he kissed her.

"I have no paper here Captain. Please, come into the study and I will find some..." She kissed him quickly before leaving the room, indicating that she wished him to go with her.

Louis followed her across the lobby, watching curiously as she opened the door to what was clearly her husband's study. He walked into the room, his gaze catching upon a framed but tattered map that hung above the fireplace. "What is that?" he asked, his heart jumping with excitement for it was clearly a treasure map.

"Oh, some old map that belongs to Theodore," she said dismissively. "I don't know why he keeps it, the tatty old thing." She reached for a sheet of paper, quickly noting down some alleged missing wine bottles. "I trust that you will return with these items at your earliest convenience..." She smiled, ensuring he fully understood the other meaning behind her words.

"Of course Mistress Groves. Again, I must apologise for the mistake." He leaned close to her as he took the paper, nibbling her neck. "I will return as soon as I can." He pulled away, sensing the maid nearby. "Until then Mistress..." He bowed low, turning and quietly left.

She watched him from the window until he was out of sight. As far as she was concerned, he could not return to Port Royal soon enough.

***

Louis walked excitedly back to the Catalyntie, the image of the map burned into his mind. He knew he had to return in secret - he had to have that map at whatever cost. Thanks to Mary he already knew the easy way into the house and all he would have to do would be to enter two windows along through the bathroom.

He could barely contain his excitement - night could not come quickly enough.

***

Louis waited quietly in the shadows, watching the Groves household until all were asleep. For a moment he wished he was seeing Mary again, but they had said their goodbyes the night before. It was late and silently he climbed the garden wall, easing the catch on the bathroom windows with his dagger. It opened with barely a sound, but he waited, cautiously ensuring nobody had heard the noise before slipping inside. Soft booted feet padded lightly down the stairs and he quietly opened the door to the study - well aware that Edmund Groves slept above. A few quick clicks and his tallow candle was lit, burning fitfully in the gloom.

For a few moments he stood in the centre of the room, looking around if there was anything else worth taking... but the map drew him like a lodestone. He carefully took it down from the wall, turning the frame over and easing it gently out. He folded it along the old crease lines, quickly placing it within his jacket as he turned towards the door... to find Mary staring at him in disbelief from the doorway.

Eyes wide Mary entered the room. "There had better be a good explanation for this Captain Valais," she whispered, noticing the opened frame beside the fireplace. "If that is your name..." He grabbed her arm, pulling her to him as he kissed her roughly. "Who are you?" she gasped, still whispering for fear of waking Edmund above, her body betraying her as his he pulled her nightdress higher up her thighs, pressing her against the wall.

"My name..." he gasped between kisses, "is Louis Lact." He laughed quietly, realising that his name meant nothing to her. "I am a pirate Madame and the sworn enemy of Jack Sparrow!"

"Pirate!" she gasped, pulling away from him in shock, but he wrapped his arms tightly about her.

"But you hate the Sparrows too Mary... what a team we could be!" He smiled, kissing her neck. "Does this change our attraction?"

"Is that why you came here?" she groaned, her body shuddering with pleasure at his touch.

"Initially... but not for long once we met." He smiled. "Come with me Mary... now!"

"I cannot Louis! Theodore would hunt us down! My father too!" she protested but she did not try to pull away..

"So..." he shrugged, as a pirate he was unafraid of the thought of being hunted by the Navy. "Come with me tonight!" He kissed her again, more urgently than before.

"But..." she mumbled between kisses. "But..."

"But nothing! Come with me now! I don't want to leave without you" Louis could sense her resolve weakening.

"I... I..." She gasped, looking over his shoulder in shock.

***

Edmund Groves was not a light sleeper, but something woke him and he could not say why. Frowning he pulled on his dressing gown, walking quietly out onto the landing. There was a light in Theodore's study and he could hear Mary speaking with someone. He descended the stairs, pushing the door open silently, wondering if Theodore had returned early.

"Mary!" he gasped in shock, not believing the scene before him. His son's wife was wrapped around a man that clearly was not Theodore. The man drew his sword as he turned. "Captain Valais!" His eyes widened in horror as he realised the man's intent, but he could not move fast enough - his weak leg giving way.

He did not stand a chance as the sword lashed towards him, piercing him cleanly through the heart. He dead before he hit the ground. Louis calmly wiped his sword on his dressing gown before sheathing his sword. He turned to Mary who was frozen with shock. "Now Mary you have no choice but to come with me... you will come with me or I will have to kill you..."

"I... I..." she stuttered in disbelief, unable for a moment to comprehend what was happening.

Louis grabbed her arm, dragging her past the body of Edmund Groves. He extinguished his candle, quickly crossing the lobby to the front door. Carefully he opened it, pushing Mary out into the street. "Not a sound!" he warned as he shut the door carefully behind him, forcing the still dazed Mary to the docks and into his boat. She was so shocked by what she had witnessed that she did not consider struggling.

He was half way to the Catalyntie when she stood up, the boat rocking wildly. "My baby!" she protested, eventually seeming to understand what had happened. "I can't leave my baby!"

"Be still woman or you'll have us over!" he hissed angrily as they bumped against the hull of the Catalyntie. "Climb!" He pushed her upwards, relieved when she staggered over the ships rail and onto the deck. The men on watch looked at him in disbelief as he pulled her into his cabin. "Stay here!" he ordered, turning and locking the door behind him.

"Captain?" Henri Nevers looked at Louis in disbelief. The woman had not been part of the plan that he had told the crew earlier in the day.

"Things did not go entirely as intended Henri... there is a body in the study of the Groves household that must not be discovered for some time," he warned. "Take some men and clear the mess up!"

Henri nodded, picking several men and rowing back into town. Louis urged the remaining crew from their hammocks for the tide was already beginning to turn and he intended to be well away from Port Royal when dawn broke.

***

Henri Nevers and the crew crept quietly through the town, heading quickly towards the Groves house. The front door was unlocked and they slipped inside, finding the study and the problem.

"Henri? What should we do?" Bertram asked - he was good as brawn but had little in the way of brains.

Henri looked around as best he could in the dark, relieved to find a discarded candle. Quickly he lit it, raising it up as he looked more closely around the room. He smiled, seeing a wire-fronted bookcase. He held the candle close, watching as the books started to blacken and smoulder before turning his attention to the drapes and the clothing of the corpse. "Cleaned!" he declared, slipping quickly from the room. He touched the furnishings in the lounge with the candle, as well as the large rug in the lobby, smiling in delight as they burst into flame. They quietly left the house, setting fires at various properties along the way, determined to cause chaos and to distract attention from the Groves household.

They rowed back to the Catalyntie, relieved to see the sails already unfurled and the ship ready to sail. An orange glow spread over a number of points in the town. "Problem sorted Captain!" he smiled.

Louis looked towards the town, counting at least fifteen separate fires burning. "Then let us be away before they realise we were involved," he ordered. What Mary did not know would not concern her - it was not as if she could ever return after that night.

"What course Captain?" Henri asked, his hand resting lightly on the wheel.

"Tortuga. We will need some more supplies before heading west..." His hand briefly touched the map inside his jacket as he smiled. "For some reason the English are reluctant to sell cannon balls and powder to strangers..."

Henri laughed loudly at this. "Aye Captain, Tortuga it is!" He turned the wheel a few points towards port, heading northwards for the Windward Passage.

The Catalyntie was miles from Port Royal before Louis had a chance to properly think about the woman in his cabin. He knew the crew were rough, very rough - and violent too. Mary was... well, well-bred was the best description, gentile perhaps and he feared how she would adapt to life on a pirate ship. Regardless of their attraction to each other, he knew he should not have brought her aboard, but such was the price of their discovery by Edmund Groves. She would just have to learn.

***