Part 19 – Treat her like a lady
Although she would have never admitted it, Irina fairly enjoyed the day in her room. Whenever she needed something, James or Sarah were there to arrange it for her. She didn't even have to move. So she spent the day in her armchair, mostly reading. When she was free to move, she always enjoyed spending her time in Jack's large library and so, this day wasn't so much of a difference – except that she spent her time in her own room reading.
The time passed her by, and when the servants lit the candles in her room, Irina was surprised at how quickly the day had turned into evening.
It was almost eight when the door opened. Irina expected the servants to bring the supper, but when nothing happened she looked up and found Jack leaning at the door, watching her amused.
Irina, who had been laying quite leisurely in her armchair, with her legs over the armrest, straightened herself out and got up. Her eyes locked with Jack's, and he could not tell whether she was angry or happy to see him.
"I know you are angry," he started to calm her down, "and you have every right to be."
Irina cocked her head. Actually she wasn't even angry anymore, and Jack's behavior now amused her. "How is that?"
"It was not right to lock you in here the whole day." Jack simply stated.
"No, it wasn't." She would not tell him that it had not been so bad. If he wanted to apologize, he should do so. It would give her an inner triumph.
"I hadn't planned it this way – however..." Jack continued and went towards her. Irina remained where she was without moving. When he touched her cheek, she evaded his touch and turned her back on him.
"Just to clarify this before," she started, "Are you going to share my bed again and then lock me up afterwards? Because if so, I'd rather not..."
"You're furious..." Jack stated with a sigh. Irina went to the window, pulling back the curtains slightly to be able to look outside.
"No. No, I'm not furious. I just want to know, so I'm not confused again." She stared out into the dark night. Down on the lawn in front of the house some servants were still busy with taking care of the horses.
Jack went to join her, and when he was standing behind her, laid his hands to her waist. "I do not plan to make love to you," he said softly. "Actually I planned to invite you for a ride into the countryside tomorrow. I have to visit one of my farms and I thought you might want to come with me to get to know the landscape a little bit."
Irina turned around and stared at him open-mouthed – for a moment too surprised to say anything.
When Jack saw her puzzled face, he took one of her hands and placed a soft kiss on it. "Please. I would really enjoy your company."
"I... I..." Irina said, unable to think or understand what he was planning. Why was he suddenly behaving so differently? He had apologized for locking her in her room, and now he invited her to leave the property tomorrow? What was he hoping to achieve by his kindness?
"It would be my pleasure." She finally answered with a faint smile, hating the weakness that she suddenly felt inside.
Since she had been determined to ignore Jack and play cool for some time, she was even more surprised that his sudden friendliness put her off. He behaved like a gentleman and had given her the possibility to choose whether she wanted to come or not. Being a woman, she was not at all immune to almost courting behavior from a charming man – but that Jack was the man who was able to break all her properly built walls of control wouldn't have come to her mind.
Jack returned her smile and turned her hand then to place a soft kiss on her palm. He didn't miss the slight shiver that ran through her body in reaction to his tender gesture.
"Great. We will start as soon as the sun rises. I am looking forward to it." He turned and went to the door, leaving a totally stunned Irina at the window. Before he left the room, he placed the key on the drawer next to the door and smiled at her. "Good Night."
"You too..." she replied in total disbelief and watched him close the door. Then she heard him go away. As soon as she was able to move without trembling again, she went to the door, trying the handle and finding that it was open. Irina took the key from the drawer and shook her head looking at it. What had happened to Jack? Why didn't he lock her up anymore? And most important of all, why did he behave so differently all of a sudden? He had been courteous and treated her like – Irina froze for a moment – yes, he had treated her like one of the ladies at court.
Before she could go further into that thought, the door opened and Sarah entered the room, her face bright and smiling.
"The lord told me to help you prepare for bed, because he said you have to be up early?"
"Yes," Irina nodded and looked at the tablet Sarah was bringing with her. Bread, warm milk and fruit were lying on it. Sarah put it on the table and while Irina started to eat, the young maid prepared everything for the night. While she was doing so she started to tell Irina about the beautiful countryside she was about to see and that the farm they were going to visit had been hit by lightening during the last thunderstorm. Therefore, it had to be rebuilt again.
When Irina had finished her dinner, she had almost learned everything about the farm and its owners. Sarah helped her to undress and waited until Irina was lying in her bed, before she started to put out the candles.
The morning air was cool and sent a freezing chill through their bodies. The light of the early sun slowly brought everything to life and gradually melted the dew that glistened in the trees and on the grass.
A fresh, salty breeze from the ocean made Irina shiver slightly, and she pulled her cape tighter around her body while she watched Jack giving orders to the stable aids.
She admired him for the authority he ordered his servants around with – even so early in the morning. Irina herself was not at all a morning person. Usually it took her two hours until she was fully aware to understand the words spoken to her. She fought against the urge to yawn, knowing that it was totally unacceptable to yawn openly for a lady.
She looked around on the yard, watching the hustle and bustle of the servants who had to be up early. Two younger girls were trying to drive the geese and chickens out of their small stable. Irina smiled, when again and again one or two smart animals managed to escape and run back into the stable. The girls started to yell at the chickens, but they didn't seem to care at all. Soon the girls came up with a strategy to make the animals leave and ended up hunting them through the whole stable in laughter.
The scene ended when Mrs. Tribbiani suddenly came out of the house with a strict expression on her face and headed straight towards the stable. She started to throw curses and yell at the girls who sank deeper with every word. Even the animals suddenly complied and left the barn without further ado.
Mrs. Tribbiani grabbed the girls at their ears and pulled them out of the barn towards the main house. Irina looked at her in disbelief, and when the eyes of the housekeeper met hers, Irina swore that she would have been dead if looks could kill.
She turned away and smiled at Jack who brought a horse towards her – the same horse she had wanted to take the first time, when her ride had ended in the cellar prison.
"You told me that you liked her, so if you get along with her you can take her today." He said handing the reins to Irina. Her face brightened, and she touched the horse's nostrils, her gaze never leaving Jack's eyes.
"Thank you," she said lowly. Jack smiled, and took the reins of his own horse out of James' hand. He turned to the old butler and nodded courteously.
"Okay," he then announced to some of his soldiers. "Are you ready? Then let's get moving."
With these words he turned to Irina and laid his hands to her waist. "Hold on," he said softly, and she did as he said in confusion. A surprised sound escaped her when Jack lifted her up onto the horse.
"Tha-thank you." She managed to say, touching Jack's hand softly. "But I could have gotten up by myself."
"I know." He replied and mounted his own horse. "Shall we?"
Irina nodded smiling. "Yes." She held the reins tight, and Jack didn't doubt for one single minute that she was a perfect rider. At a slow trot, they left the property through the large front gate, Jack riding at the top of the group and Irina next to him. The soldiers followed them, loudly joking and talking about happenings in the last war or fights.
"How large is your property?" Irina asked after some time of silence, and Jack looked at her.
"From here to the shore, a few kilometers along the coastline and a some kilometers into the countryside. The farm is at the edge of the land that belongs to me. The property was larger once, but in the times where the different counties fought each other, my ancestors lost some of it to their neighbors." He explained.
"It's beautiful," Irina swooned. "Our property has never been that large…only a few kilometers. It consists of only one village and two farms. We've lost a lot to the queen in the fights when..." she stopped all of a sudden and smiled. "Never mind. I love your property a great deal more than ours."
Jack smiled. "Wait until you have seen all of it."
They continued their way through the green fields and a smaller forest. The whole countryside reflected Jack's wealth. Whereas her own property was poorer and even destroyed at some parts, the fields and villages here showed a certain amount of prosperity.
When they had ridden for almost two hours, they could see a large farm in the distance. It was destroyed, obviously from a fire. Dark clouds were still rising from the houses and gave away that the fire had only been out for a few hours maybe.
When they entered the farm through the destroyed front gate, they saw two women already cleaning up some dirt and collecting things that were still intact from the ruins. Three young boys and one older man were trying to clear away some wood and stones from the burned house."
Jack got off his horse and so did the soldiers he had taken. The two women, who had already seen him, came running towards them and bowed deeply.
"Milord, thank you for your help." They praised him. Jack nodded simply, and while he helped Irina to slide down her horse, he gave orders to the soldiers. When the men were hurrying away to help with cleaning up and putting out the rest of the fires, he looked at Irina and offered his arm to her.
"If you want, I will show you around a little bit."
"I would love that." she smiled and took his arm gallantly. "How long will it take until the farm is re-built?"
"Approximately a month." Jack replied. "Fortunately the weather is still mild, and that eases the work a lot. If something like this happens in winter, there is no chance to build up anything. The families have to live elsewhere then."
"This is astounding. Nobody on your land seems to be poor." She said, more to herself than to him. Jack looked at her.
"Nobody is. The poverty is mostly caused by bad property-owners or rebels who destroy the reputation of the land."
"The rebels are caused by poverty." Irina replied. "It is too easy to say that it is them who are guilty of the poverty. There has to be lack first, before people start stealing and robbing."
Jack thought that it was probably better to not continue the discussion, but he didn't listen to his own advice. "That might be the case for one single land, Irina. But I know some other cases, which have been ruined by robbery and crimes. I myself was able to protect my land, but that is only due to the fact that I have enough money to afford a large number of soldiers. Other lords do not have that privilege, and so they have no means to oppose the groups of criminals."
"That is a lie," Irina hissed angrily. "The lords pull the last penny out of the pockets of the poor people by increasing the taxes and..."
"Because they have to rebuild their lands, as I have to do. They have to repair the damage the robbers and outlaws leave behind. It is not the lords who rob their people – it's the terrorists." Jack countered and touched her hand. "I don't want to fight with you Irina, but I have seen dozens of cases who prove that it is not the poor people who gain profit of terrorism, smuggling and robbery. It is some criminals who do - those men you call your bosses! And unfortunately, those men often already possess a good amount of money and want to increase their fortune by using people for their own goals."
"I don't believe you," Irina murmured and couldn't hide uncertainty from her voice.
"I don't expect you to," Jack replied softly. "I just hope that someday you will see that you gave your loyalty to really dangerous men who are not worth it."
"But the queen is worth it? Is that what you want to say?" Irina snapped and loosened from his grip. "The woman who kills innocent people is worth giving loyalty to, huh? The woman who sends out her soldiers to rape innocent women and kill children?"
"Irina, what are you talking about?" Jack asked, shocked when he saw the tears of rage standing in her eyes. "I am sorry, I didn't want to upset you."
Irina scoffed and turned her back to him. "Then don't ever tell me again that your queen is such a just and friendly woman. I know that she is not. Maybe the terrorists are not exactly what somebody of your rank would consider good company, but at least they are honest and don't betray their people."
"Such as Gerard Cuvee, who stood behind you when you needed help?" he asked, and Irina spun around.
"That was different! That was my own fault. He had all the right to treat my like a traitor. I betrayed them by telling you my name. And now you even want me to fight against my friends and convince me that it is really them who are my enemies when you are the only one I have to be afraid of," she yelled at him furiously, and although they were standing a good distance away from the soldiers, they shot them half-amused, but also concerned glances. Irina turned around and hurried away towards her horse.
Jack cursed himself. What had he been thinking to start a conversation like this with her? Sometimes he behaved like an idiot who had never heard anything about women...
He hurried to follow Irina and caught up with her when she had reached her mare. Softly he held her hand when she wanted to lift herself onto the back of the animal.
"Where are you going?"
"I want to go back to the house." Irina murmured. "It was a mistake to go on this ride with you."
Jack loosened her hand softly from the saddle and pulled her back into his body. "Don't do this..." he whispered into her hair. "Please... I am sorry for behaving like an idiot."
"Jack, leave me alone..." she whispered and turned her head slightly to brush his cheek with hers.
He touched her lips with his softly and wrapped his arms around her. "Let's not talk about the rebels anymore. I don't care, Irina... I want you. I want to spend this day with you. Let's forget about everything else..."
"Jack..." Her voice was almost a whimper. "I can't... if you weren't my enemy, if you weren't one of the queen's counselors... but we can't change things. You will always fight the rebels and I will always fight the queen. And that means that we will always fight each other. How could I forget that for just one second?"
She closed her eyes when his lips nuzzled at her neck and caressed her sensitive spots. After a short moment, he let her go and lifted her up onto her mare.
"I will show you something – a place you will surely like." Jack announced. "Just give me a short moment to pass the last orders to the soldiers."
Irina watched him walk away and closed her eyes. All she wished for was, that she could take Jack's offer and just be with him and never leave him. But the reasonable part inside her knew that this was just impossible. Jack Bristow was charming and nice, not at all like she would have imagined a counselor of the queen to be, yet, the fact remained that he was standing on the wrong side – no matter how much she wished that it was different or how much she started to like him, she was still his prisoner. Although they shared wonderful nights full of passion and desire, that was the only thing that connected them. Beyond that, they were enemies. Their little affair was fun, but she must never forget that it was just that: an affair. In the back of her mind, a small voice asked whom she was trying to fool here, but she pushed it away quickly. An affair – nothing more!
Jack was concerned about Irina's outburst and the opinion she had of the queen. What had she experienced that made her fear the men of the queen more than the rebels?
When Jack returned, Irina was completely under control again. He lifted himself onto his horse and made sure that she was ready to go.
"We will go westwards until we reach the seashore." He announced, and they set into motion.
For a long time neither of them spoke, Irina just observed Jack from the corner of her eyes. Although she didn't want him to notice her interest, she had to admit that he was the most attractive man she had ever seen. Not only was he looking good, he could be charming if he wanted to, and in a strange sort of way, she had a feeling that he was also just - at least she got the impression that he was.
Finally, after they had almost been quiet ten minutes, Jack started to tell Irina about the country they were riding through. It was a beautiful landscape, full of smaller forests and lots of fields. Most of the land was not cultivated and consisted only of grass and flowers.
When they reached the seashore, the land became rockier and the ground was, although still covered with grass, more uneven.
"Five generations ago, this whole land was split into smaller counties," Jack explained, "they all belonged to my great-great-great-grandfather though. He had gained them by robbing the landlords, and then bought their land for a split of what it was worth."
"So your ancestor was an outlaw." Irina stated amused, and Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Not exactly. Robbing landlords was only a minor one of his crimes. He earned his living as a pirate. On the sea, he robbed the ships of the government, murdered the sailors and kept the treasures. If there were women on board, he kidnapped them and blackmailed their families for ransom."
"How charming..." Irina murmured with an ironic side glance at the man. "Impressive how nothing changes over the centuries."
Jack only raised his eyebrows at her provocation but didn't go into it, instead he pointed at a cliff formation in the distance. "Do you see those cliffs over there? It is said that deep inside there is a cave – the cave my ancestor used as a hiding place."
"It is said?" Irina asked, her interest rising now. "So you don't know it for sure?"
"No. There is an entrance, but it is too dangerous to follow the way inside. Over the years, the sea has corrupted the stone and in some parts it is loose like sand. One could easily be buried in there... or fall down into holes or gorges, therefore..."
He wasn't able to finish the sentence, since all of a sudden Irina spurred her mount and galloped towards the cliffs.
It took Jack some time to react, then he started to scowl and followed her under curses. He had the faster horse, but Irina had the advantage of ten seconds.
She moved the mare along the edge of the cliff, and when she then reached the point where all of a sudden the cliffs got higher and formed a rocky mountain at the sea, she stopped the horse and jumped off its back. Fascinated she stared at the huge formation, while she bound the horse to a large tree.
Jack reached her only a few seconds later, jumped of his horse and grabbed her harshly. "What the hell was that?" he snapped and turned her towards him. She returned his look and freed herself.
"I wanted to see this place."
"You could have told me that you wanted to come here."
"Why, did you think I was trying to escape?" she asked amused and then turned around. Jack silently shook his head. While he tied his horse to the tree next to the mare, Irina went to the edge of the cliffs and looked down into the foamy breakers. She estimated that they were around 90 feet above the sea – the rocks Jack had told her off were even another 50 feet higher.
"Careful." Jack whispered next to her ear and wrapped his arms around Irina's waist when she bent further over the edge. "If you fall down there, you will never be found again. Nobody can help you. This coastline isn't called the cliffs of damnation for no reason."
Irina froze for a moment and pressed herself back against Jack's body. "That sounds as if people have already died here."
"Hundreds." Jack confirmed. "The ground around these cliffs is very dangerous because it has perniciously sharp rocks under the water. Many ships sank because they grounded on one of those rocks. None of the sailors who were on those ships was ever seen again and until fifty years ago, nobody dared to come here at night."
"Why, because of ghosts?" Irina asked amused, and Jack nodded.
"Exactly. It was said that at night, the souls of the dead sailors returned from the under the sea to moan and make the world know of their misery. And if they met a human being, they pushed him over the edge of the cliff in order to have company in their lonely, wet grave down there."
Irina shivered. "Are you trying to scare me?"
Jack chuckled and pulled her closer. "No, why? Are you scared?"
"No!" Irina proclaimed and tried to sound self-secure, but the shivering of her body betrayed her true emotions. Although she did not actually believe in ghosts, she also didn't strictly exclude the possibility of their existence. And the thought of dead, pale sailors who pulled poor people into the deadly waves was not one she wished to have on her mind for the rest of the day. "Tell me more about your ancestor." She inquired. "Something beautiful – not scary."
Jack smiled and brushed her cheek with his lips in a soft gesture. "One day, Jonathan Bristow II. robbed one of the bigger ships of a rich salesman and took a female prisoner. She was an elegant lady, the daughter of the salesman, and was on the way to her marriage. He brought her into his hiding place and held her there for many months."
"That is not beautiful!" Irina exclaimed. "Why did he hold her there? Did her family not pay?"
"No, they didn't. Because being abducted on the way to her marriage was too much shame for them. She had been alone with a man without a lady to accompany her, even more, she was in the hands of an outlaw. Her family assumed, that she had been raped anyway, so to them, she had become worthless, because if she returned, no man would take her as his wife anymore. She was dishonored."
"Poor woman, cruel man..." Irina said, and Jack smiled slightly.
"Not exactly. She was my great-great-great-grandmother."
"She married the man who had destroyed her luck and brought the shame upon her?"
"No, she married the man she loved." Jack corrected her softly. "During the months of being held prisoner, Alicia and Jonathan had a lot of time to talk and get to know one another. Although he was a pirate, he had a higher education and manners. He did not touch her once and protected her against the robbers who served under him. So instead of killing her after her family refused to pay for her, he asked her if she wanted to become his wife, and she agreed. They married, because they had fallen in love."
Irina gave a short laughter. "Jack, please. I'm sure she didn't love him. She was forced to marry him. Her family wouldn't pay, so she had no way to get free. You ancestor probably gave her the option to choose between death and marrying him. God knows how any times she tried to flee..."
"In the beginning after her capture, yes..." Jack replied, looking at her intensely. "Then she fell truly in love with him."
"How do you know that she wasn't unhappy and plotted ways to kill her husband every day? Maybe she thought about pushing him down these cliffs at night – nobody would have asked questions, because everybody would have blamed it on the ghosts."
Jack cocked his head amused. "I have my grandmother's diary, which she started to write the day she was captured." He said with a soft smile. "And no, she never considered that possibility. I am considering being more careful around you from now on, though."
Irina gave a soft laugh and touched his hands in a tender gesture. Suddenly she became aware of how intimate that gesture was. Their whole situation was way too close. They talked to each other like lovers would.
Clearing her throat, Irina loosened herself from Jack and went a few steps along the edge. Impressed, she touched the rocks and looked up to the higher cliffs. Some seagulls flew in the sky, landed and started from the rocks with typical shrieks.
Irina pulled her coat tight around her body when the wind grew stronger. She went along the rocks, away from the edge. Jack followed her in some distance.
"How far do those rocks go?" Irina asked.
"Some kilometers along the coastline. Most of it doesn't belong to my property anymore."
They followed the way along the rocks for some time, bringing more and more distance between them and the dangerous edge of the cliffs. Soon the only thing that let them know that they were still close to the sea was the sound of the breakers against the stones.
Irina enjoyed the beauty of the landscape. They were now shielded against the cold wind from the see by the high rocky reef and so the sun warmed them. When she reflected, Irina couldn't remember ever having been in a more beautiful place. She breathed in the fresh, salty air deeply while they walked.
Jack was just about to propose that they turn and go back, when Irina pointed at a small entry into the stone in the distance.
"Is that the entry to the cave system?" she asked, and Jack knew he didn't like the fascination in her voice. For a moment he considered saying no, but then he realized that he had never seen her so interested and happy before.
"Yes, it is," he said. "If you want, we can go closer, but then we should soon turn around. We have to be back for tea."
Irina grabbed the lower folds of her dress to be able to go faster. Jack chuckled at her enthusiasm and followed her. When they reached the entry, Irina looked almost disappointed.
"That's it?" The entry wasn't even big enough for her to go through when fully standing. She bent a little to peek inside. "Wow, there are dozens of smaller holes in the ceiling through which light comes in."
Before Jack had a chance to hold her back, she had disappeared in the darkness.
"Irina!" Jack said and bent down. "It's dangerous to go in there. You shouldn't..."
There was a short spark and then the darkness was filled with the light of a wooden stick, Irina had lighted at the stone wall. She smiled when she saw his stunned face.
"My father taught me." She explained. "The advantages of being involved in the life of a smuggler." She turned and looked into the dark tunnel.
"Irina, I would really feel better if you came out of there."
"Just a moment..." she replied fascinated and went further into the darkness.
Jack cursed when she didn't react to his demand to come back, but continued to go deeper into the rocky tunnel. Determined, he followed her, careful not to slip on the uneven ground. When he had reached her, she had already made ten meters. Jack grabbed her wrist.
"Irina, this is too dangerous. The stone is unstable in many parts of the caves, and we may get buried in here."
"It doesn't look unstable." She touched the rocky wall to her left. "In fact, I think it is quite massive." She loosened from his grip and continued her way.
"Irina, you will turn around at once." Jack yelled, irritated now. "Don't make me carry you out of here, because then you will have a problem."
"Jack, don't you want to know what secret it carries?"
"Not for the risk of getting buried, no." He replied dryly, following her unwillingly. He knew that she was determined to follow the tunnel, and if he refused to go with her, she would do it alone. "You know, women are usually afraid of dark caves."
"Yes... but I am not!" Irina said, not really listening, but watching her step.
"Unfortunately," Jack murmured and held his hands out to catch her when she slipped on a loose stone and had almost fallen. "You are the most stubborn person I have ever met."
"I am alright," Irina calmed him and pushed his arms away softly. "Was Jonathan Bristow happy?"
"Yes," Jack said, his hand still at Irina's waist to be able to hold her in case of danger. "He and Alicia were the happiest couple ever. They had two children. Sadly, their relationship wasn't meant to last long."
"But you said..."
"Alicia died when giving birth to a third child. So did the baby. Only a few months later, Jonathan Bristow was captured by soldiers of the queen. He was executed only two days later."
Irina looked at Jack in honest sympathy for the tragic lovers. "And the children?"
"They were adopted by two rich families and given a noble education. When the eldest son, Roland, was old enough and had married, the queen gave some of the land that his father had owned, back to him. Over the decades, my family regained more and more of the old property by serving the queen."
"How noble," Irina murmured sarcastically, "selling ones ideals to a woman just to get one's property back. I would have just taken it back. Where is the spirit to fight for something?"
Jack laughed. "You sound like a warrior. I'm sure some centuries earlier you would have made a great knight." Softly he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I think I prefer the lady though."
Her eyes met his in the flickering light of the flare, and he noticed that she blushed slightly. "You don't know the lady..." she said softly.
"I have to disagree... you've shown her to me in many ways." His hand touched her cheek, while his lips lowered to hers. Irina stared into his eyes, desperate to feel his mouth on hers, but at the same time unwilling to admit how much she longed for his caress. Still torn inside, she didn't even realize that her grip around the flare loosened. When Jack's lips touched hers, she accidentally dropped it. With an echoing sound it hit the stony ground and rolled over the uneven stones into a small mule filled with water. The next moment they were surrounded by darkness.
"I'm sorry," Irina murmured, and Jack sighed, laying his forehead against hers. Both of them started laughing in amusement about their situation. Blindly they felt for the wall in order to feel their way out.
"You know, you would make a great warrior." Jack mused. Irina's grip around his arm tightened, while he led her carefully along the way back.
"That was actually your fault." Irina replied. "If you hadn't – um – distracted me, there would have been no reason for me to drop the flare."
"So I distracted you? Good."
"Don't make it sound as if it was anything of importance." She replied flirtatiously.
"Well, if I distract you, to me that is something of importance, because there's nothing I like more than distracting you. Of course, I have other kinds of distraction in mind..."
"Did you hear that?" Irina suddenly interrupted him, stopping and turning back. For a moment, both stopped breathing and just listened into the silence, but except for the sound of the waves against the cliffs from somewhere deeper in the caves, they couldn't hear anything.
"Hear what?" Jack finally asked softly, and Irina hushed him.
"I heard footsteps behind us... maybe twenty meters."
Again they listened concentrating, then finally Jack gave a short laugh. "You are fantasizing."
"Stop making fun of me, I am sure there is somebody behind us."
"Stop being ridiculous. Who should be here? Do you see any light back there? Nobody could walk in these caves without a flare."
"How can you know, if you have never been in here?"
"Irina..." Jack warned, but she interrupted him.
"Jack, I have been in situations like this. I have learned to recognize the signals of being followed or observed. And I am aware if somebody is in a cave with me. I swear to you, there is somebody there."
She didn't sound frightened, just a little worried. Jack was just about to tell her, that nobody had been in this cave for years when there was the sound of rumbling stones about thirty meters behind them. For a moment it sounded as if somebody was going away from them, but then there was silence again.
"I told you," Irina whispered. For another moment they stood there, concentrating on the silence. Then Jack remembered that he had a woman with him. If he were alone, he would have tried to find out who was using this cave as a hiding place, but with Irina as his company, that was of course not an option.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he finally decided.
"Jack, do you not want to know, who's..." she started, but Jack cut her off.
"We are not searching this cave. We will return to the manor now. And we are not going to discuss this," he said. Irina's face darkened, but she followed him until they stepped out into the light again. Then she pulled her arms away from him.
"Do never ever give me an order again," she warned menacingly, then turned and went back in the direction of the horses. Jack sighed and looked after her. It was probably wise to apologize. Of course, he didn't really feel sorry. He was just glad that Irina was no longer pursuing the idea of exploring the tunnels. Later, he would send out a team of his soldiers to make sure nobody would enter the cave again.
He ran the last meters until he had reached Irina and took her hand into his. "You were right." His voice sounded absolutely serious, and his eyes met hers apologizing. "I had no right to order you around." He lifted her hand and pressed a deep kiss into her palm. Irina couldn't help but slow down at this tender gesture. Again he confused her, not only his reactions, but also his closeness – it was the kind of confusion she didn't understand.
Carefully she pulled her hand away from him. "Don't do that..." she murmured. He smiled at her reaction and allowed her some space when they moved on. Irina paid attention to have a certain distance between them and wrapped her arms around her body. "Why aren't you married?"
Her question, that came suddenly and out of he blue, put him off for a moment. "Um... you know I am married actually." He joked, then became serious. "I didn't find the right woman for me – up to now."
She didn't react, but kept looking straight forward. "And how does that woman have to be? The right one, I mean?"
"Difficult question." Jack murmured and looked at her. "Beautiful, hot-tempered, unconventional and passionate."
"Are you making fun of me?" Irina asked slightly aggressive, and Jack chuckled.
"Not at all, I assure you." He replied and folded his hands behind his back. "So how does the man of your dreams have to be?"
"Independent, self-reliant, unconventional and strong – but also handsome and passionate, and dangerous to a certain point." She sighed. "But actually there's no space for a husband in my life – maybe someday when the work of our group is done."
"By the work, you mean murdering the queen, I assume," he noted dryly, as if talking about the weather. Irina shot him a side glance, surprised by his coolness.
"Mostly, yes," she admitted. Jack decided that this was probably a good moment to ask her directly for the truth. Maybe he should try to learn it from her before his spies brought him the information.
"Tell me what happened that you hate the queen so much," he said softly, and Irina looked at him for a long moment.
"You probably think that my family is just helping the rebels, because we are bloodthirsty," she murmured, but Jack shook his head.
"No, not at all. On the contrary – which is why I am wondering how charming ladies like you and your sisters could get involved so deeply with revolutionists."
"We weren't always on that side. When my father was young, he supported the kingdom as much as you do. He was a patriot. But..." she looked in the distance, then suddenly forced a smile. "Why don't we go to the beach? Is there a place where you can sit directly at the waves here?"
Jack frowned at the change of topic, but didn't allow her to notice it. Every time he tried to talk to her about the past of her family, she blocked and didn't let him in. His spies should have soon brought him some information that would hopefully lead him to the truth. He needed to know why she was involved with the terrorists.
"Yes..." he finally answered her question. "It's small, but you're going to like it. Let's go there!"