It;s been hard to find time to write anything with all my summer school work. Sorry for the delay and for not being able to say much.

Captain Hawkes of the Gallant

After the funeral services had concluded and the officers had dined, Stephen sat with Jack, Tom Pullings, and Captain Hawkes in the Great Cabin with coats set aside and glasses in their hands. The whole day had turned out to be just as interesting as Stephen had hoped, and the arrival of little Christopher Stirling had done much to pierce his mother's grief. Now, as he sat listening to the captain of the Gallant, Admiral Bellows's illegitimate son and obviously someone closely related to Rose Stirling, he wondered if Hawkes was the son of Lily Flint and Admiral Bellows.

"We put in at Kingston shortly after your troubles there," Hawkes told them. "By thunder, lads, you've had your slice of it, haven't you? Well, I knew your cruise from the admiral, of course, and such news boded ill. Boarded in a friendly port!"

"They came to execute Mrs. Stirling," said Jack. "The price on her head among pirates and smugglers is ten thousand pounds."

"Ten thousand?" he repeated in disbelief, staring at Jack. Then he shook his head slowly. "Those papers must be damning, to say the least! Does she know?"

"She knew in Savannah, but then it was five thousand."

The captain of the Gallant could not hide his surprise. "Savannah?"

"We went there to interview an old pirate who served with Flint – her father – and collect a map of the island."

"An old pirate?" asked Hawkes with great interest. "Whom do you mean?"

"An old fellow called Terayen. Apparently, he was Flint's steward. He knew her very well indeed."

"Terayen." As captain Hawkes repeated the name, Stephen studied him. He knows him, he thought. Hawkes knows Terayen. "This is all a bit overwhelming. Perhaps I may hear the tale from the beginning?" The utterly disarming manner of the man was so much Rose's that Stephen shivered. Had they been closer in age, he might have imagined them to be twins. But how was it possible? He recalled Rose's words after the attack in the Port of Kingston: "my parents were both born gentlefolk, for my mother was the granddaughter of a viscount…"

Stephen's mind turned over the question as Jack began to tell the story of the visit to Savannah; when he was done, he left the tale of Kingston, the man in the green coat, and the attack on the Surprise for Tom to tell. The lieutenant spoke hesitantly, as was his way among strangers. The other man's dark eyes pierced him with a keen glance: Stephen imagined that Hawkes realized Tom was not entirely objective when it came to Rose. The poor lieutenant could not dissemble and probably had never considered doing such a thing.

When that bit of the story was over, Stephen added the little he had discovered after following the man in the green coat. Jack went on to tell them something of what had occurred on Flint's Island, but curiously, he left out the bit about the treasure they had found.

"So, you've learned the secret of the reef?" asked Hawkes.

"Well, it was our poor sailing master who took the knowledge with him, though any of us could attempt to duplicate the feat. Not that I'd like to try if I didn't have to." He shook his head as he recalled the dangerous entry into the narrow inlet of Flint's Island. "Now, we're for Nassau, I'd say, unless you have other orders from the admiral."

Hawkes did not reply right away; he studied Jack for a long couple of seconds. "You are certain you got everything?"

Jack frowned at him. "Quite certain – a whole case full of parchment and the scoundrel's account book to boot."

"I do not think that Captain Hawkes was referring to the papers," Stephen said.

The other three men turned to him, and a slow grin spread across Hawkes's face. "You're a quick study, there, doctor. Aye, there's little I don't know of this, and I know of Old Flint's loot and that Rose wouldn't touch it to save her own life."

"Yes, well, we have that as well, to be divided as with all other prize money," replied Jack looking rather more guarded than he had before.

"Don't think I mean to deny you your prize, lads. But if things had been different, well, that lady would have been my passenger and you'd have yourself a handy little mid." He grinned round at them.

"Why was Mrs. Stirling sent on the Surprise?" asked Stephen. "Surely, she would have been more comfortable on the Gallant with you."

"Well, the decision was made to split up the wee lads, and that she had to go fetch the papers alone. Admiral Bellows judged, quite rightly, that it was too dangerous to send them together. Well, she wouldn't let either of them go with strangers, they were sent with Theo and me. That left precious few captains handy whom the admiral knew he could trust, and Aubrey, you were both handy and reliable. And Lucky," he added with a twinkle in his eyes.

They all smiled at the joke; however, Stephen felt uneasy. Something was being concealed, and he could not get a measure of Hawkes honesty. What wasn't he saying?

The final story was Tom's to tell: he gave his report of what had occurred onboard the Walrus. Having just heard the story the previous day, Stephen watched Hawkes as carefully as he could. The names Bantam and Morton seemed to be familiar to him, but the most curious thing happened when Tom told of the hint of orange blossoms he had twice detected.

"Orange blossom?" repeated Hawkes in a strange tone and with a dark frown. As an afterthought, he added, "Was there some other woman on board?"

"No, sir. They couldn't have kept any secret on that ill-run ship. No discipline and plenty of insolence. Our crewmen were the only sailors worth a tuppence, save for firing the guns."

"Has Rose said anything of this?"

"Not yet, sir. Under the circumstances… Well, the doctor said not to trouble her for a bit."

Hawkes nodded as he twisted the stem of his glass round and round upon the table. "And, were you able to discern who threw the marlinspike?"

"No, sir," replied Tom. "Well, at least it was not one of our men. I expect one of the pirates dropped it at the opportune time."

Hawkes sat frowning at him and scratching his chin as he thought it over. Eventually, he nodded and Tom was able to go on with the rest of the story.

As the men were finishing off what was left in their glasses and reaching to put their coats back on before going up on deck, Stephen's mind was working. Should he mention his concerns to Jack? There was an unspoken agreement between them to never discuss the men – Stephen hated to be an informant – but in such a dangerous situation involving murder, piracy, treason, and more money than he could imagine, was it not wiser to speak and err on the side of caution? Somehow, his instincts told him not to say anything, to wait and see. Observe Hawkes a bit longer and maybe see what Rose had to say. He had had his suspicions about her, he remembered with a self-mocking smile.

"Sir, may I beg a moment to speak to Captain Hawkes?" asked Pullings, looking both earnest and deeply embarrassed.

Taken completely by surprise, Jack glanced from the lieutenant to Hawkes and back again. "Eh..." Hawkes himself arched one black eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest expectantly. When Jack looked at Stephen the doctor gave him such an arch look that he found his voice. "Why, of course, of course you may Tom."

Once they had left the pair alone and gone up on deck, Jack stood watching as Stephen lit himself a cigar. "What the devil was that all about?"

"Well," Stephen puffed on the cigar to get it started. "Captain Hawkes is the closest thing that the lady has to a male relative. I believe Tom intends to ask for her hand."

"Forgive me, sir," said Tom nervously as Hawkes fixed him with a very curious and somewhat amused gaze. "I didn't know if there would be another chance to speak with you, you see."

"I am agog with anticipation, Mr. Pullings," replied the other man with a slight edge of sarcasm in his voice as he leaned back in his chair and watched Tom the way a spider watches its prey tangled in a web.

"Well, Mrs. Stirling… she told me that you are her brother, you see."

A look of shock flickered across Hawkes's face. "The devil, you say!"

"Well, sir, she told me in secret," Added the nervous lieutenant, "never to be spoke of, you know."

Hawkes was sitting up straight now, and there was neither amusement nor sarcasm in his appearance. "I see," he replied in a low, melodious voice. "Well, then. I can imagine what it took to gain her confidence, and I say that only the lowest of dogs would take unfair advantage of a defenseless woman."

In complete stunned silence, Tom's mouth fell open and he stared at the other man without the ability to make a coherent sound. Whether it was the murderous look in Hawkes's eyes or the chilling calm in his voice, Tom could not guess, but the painful cold wash of fear flooded him and left him unable to speak and struggling to even think.

The captain's lip curled into a sneer and his eyes flashed. "Very well, you've seduced my sister and taken a share in our father's blood money – you can't imagine there's anything you'll get from me, you pale-skinned bastard. I'll see you to Davy Jones before I'll give in to blackmail."

Blood drained from Tom's face, leaving him white. The man's voice had hardly risen louder than a normal conversation, but his tone was vicious. Like facing a wild beast unarmed, Tom thought, the man was deadly! Was this what Flint had been like? "No," Tom managed. "No. Captain…"

"You don't think I can do it?" Hawkes smiled now, and Tom felt the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. "Are you demanding I play the gentleman andmeet youat dawn? A faithless cur like you deserves no such courtesy."

"That's not – please, sir," Tom stammered. "The lady says she will marry me. I – I – I… well." He managed to swallow and clenched his sweaty palms into fists. "Forgive me, sir, I have spoken badly. I wish to ask your blessing, you see. She has already agreed, but I thought I…" He trailed off rather miserably and shook his head. "I don't mean any disrespect, sir. I passed my word and won't speak of your secret. I just wanted to say that's why I knew you're her brother."

With a frown, Hawkes sat back to study the man who sat across from him. It was impossible to say what he was thinking, but he no longer looked like a predator. "Rose has agreed, you say?"

"Yes, sir. Well, that lady…" Tom sighed and wiped his palms on his knees. "To be honest, she's a bit like a wolf with her cubs. You know – fierce. But she could use a bit of looking after."

Amusement glinted in Hawkes's eyes now, but he maintained a cool expression. "And you want my permission to marry her?"

"With respect, I don't think that your permission is necessary, sir, but I did think that the lady would want you to share in her joy."

Now, a tiny smile hovered at the corners of his lips and he regarded Tom with his familiar eyes. "It seems as though I owe you quite an apology, then."

Relief flooded Tom like a deluge and he exhaled a huge sigh. "No, sir, as long as I haven't got to face you over dueling pistols."

The tiny smile melted into a broader grin. "I should think not," he said and then stopped to study Tom again with a rather thoughtful expression. After a moment, he nodded. "Well, that girl is in need of some looking after, you're right there.