A/N: Thank you for your very kind reviews. And for reading the story!

Additional note: From chapter 9+, each chapter

Note: Changing from rating T to M.

Tell Me Why

Married

CHAPTER XI

It ought to be something that started it. Something like a sharpened neel that just burst the bubble that built up.

However, what caused such a beginning? Like a turned page into a new chapter. Jack would wonder. He would muse. But just for the slightest piece of a moment, as he preferred never handing situations too much of a thought.

Yet he does think of it...

That a day where he almost never met her passed.

How does two people living under the same roof manage not encountering? Of course there can be many reasons why. The house has too many rooms, more than people living in it. There is a grand group of people hired as staff members, which makes each sound coming from a roof a grander chance of belonging to either of them rather than from the few owners of the house.

There surely are different scenarios.

For that night he could barely deny the urge even to himself. He refused as good as he could, but he kept waiting. The hunger in him seemed only to grow and he could barely wait for her to come. But as she would return to the bedroom, he was already asleep. Somehow his body or mind, must have given him up and fallen for the sleep.

Unfortunately.

And as he woke up before her - he quickly regretted every single thought he had yesterday and decided to go away on a luncheon with Baron Peter Rothley. It may be a strange thing to utter, but spending time with such a person like Rothley himself, does make him forget about whatever turns upside down for the moment. He achieves a glimpse of getting closer to a simple yet firm signature that speaks his freedom.

Angelica herself had spent the day at a seamstress, getting measurements and tryouts of new gowns together with a few neighbor-wives. When leaving the carriage, her airy smile disappears and Jack understands, from his spying position at a grand window, behind a curtain, that whatever meeting she had, must have been overly exhausting. For a truth, he does wonder how she does it. At least he gets to spend time with people not too different from himself. Sure they are, in hundreds of ways. But they are also quite amusing to share a moment with every now and then. However sadly for Angelica, she had to develop a skill in gossip, tea parties and other absolute nonsense. Clearly not very fitting for her. She did play it well though. A true master.

During their dinner, first time meeting her since their little nightly event, he cannot resist giving her a second glance. She must notice so, due her view of him in the corner of her eyes. As if she refuses to reveal that she does check him out but rather keeps her attention elsewhere. When the nursemaid arrives, she sets Frances down in some sort of baby-chair made for small children. Fortunately this is between Jack and Angelica.

If not Frances with her gurgling sounds in tryouts of words, resulting in looser mood, Jack might have felt a bit uncomfortable beside the missus.

For another point of view, it can also seem as if Angelica herself barely notices. Exhausted and breathing tiresome reveal her struggle to stay awake. And whatever food placed in front of her does not precisely earn her interest, even the slightest. Instead she turns, as a tired mother shining up upon the sight of its child, towards Frances. Carefully she begins to feed her, an eye somewhat aware of Hans' presence in front of them.

"Lady Angelica," he greets.

And she responds. "Hans."

For a person never postponing anything, he goes as always straight to the question he has. "May I ask of the gentlemen's club, Lord Teague?"

Hans would open the conversation politely. Angelica pretended only to care for Frances, but she did have an ear specifically to hear any detail of this night.

Jack's smirk is evident but he never assimilated to any information of abundance of women, liquid or money. To break for habits, this may be one time when Hans completely agreed to Jack's swallowing of what Hans referred to as devilish non-nobility things. But who would Hans truly try to fool if he ever objected such? He surely is a true witness of such parties and what truly goes on behind the scenes of a fancy facade.

Just like the ugly game he himself runs for Governor Milton. Surely there is no pink and fluffy clouds there.

At first Jack opens his mouth to reply but halters as he sees Angelica clearly looking at him in the corner of her eyes. With a lingering answer, he first closes his mouth again. "I look forward to the next time," he instead confesses cheerily, a little bit admittedly to piss off Angelica.

Her smile is rigid when she turns to him and it brings him to a surprise. He can see how she bites her tongue from spitting something to him. Seductively she licks her lips and he manages looking away too late. Already she received the reaction from him that she probably aimed for. He cannot control how his body reacts to this and brings in a deep breath. With all he has, he focuses on his plate in front of him and refuses moving from his chair. Not for a long time.

That.

Infernal.

Woman.

Now he is the one who in the corner of his eyes, can see her smirking at him as if she tries to make him surrender in a battle or something. Perhaps there is a silent one.

Hans looks between the two but says nothing. He would specifically not comment on the matter around the servants. And in fact, it never bothered him when they were on terms. Truthfully, what does he know of them simply acting in front of the audience of servants anyhow? Which they probably just do. They hate each other. As much is clear. But they are perfect masters at this game of being manipulative pretenders. Surely they are.

It would be Hans that told them of this. And deep down, Jack probably already knew what was bound to happen. It has already begun, and who is he not to finish a game? A game he has entered, embarked. He is ready to gamble, but not until his leading lady is as well.

However she would be.

That specific night.

And in a way, Jack cannot wait for it. So it was maybe in some parts a vision just as Hans dropped the words.

"Montgomery hosts an eventful party in two days."

That he knew it was game over for her.

To whatever gentle side he may have, he did wish his head could do as much as restrain her from doing that. To pull her back on the path they shared together to the very same destination.

However what he does fear the most, is him letting her walk over to that other path, and him being unable to not join her.

He can feel his pulse rise as he understands that no matter what, he will never be able to go through all that path he is supposed to, without just tasting the other.

Just a little.

Because she was opening the gate for it. Just slightly, but it appears to tempting already.

At first Angelica would object to Hans about the invitation to the Montgomery estate, speaking of there always being something to celebrate for these crazy Londoners. And it is true. The rich always seem to have something to celebrate. Whether it was someone else's misery or someone's pure happiness. It never mattered. But it certainly would be celebrated as if life ended tomorrow.

She was astonished and clearly disliking this major activity of fiestas but regardless obeyed to the idea. Nervous around Jack, or so he liked to believe, she did keep herself away from him. He took a note of how she would stay up late in Frances' room, tucking her to bed and soothing her whenever she cried. Something he wonders was a result of her ignoring him or if he truly would be unfair suggestion such. She does after all truly love this tiny girl.

However she did avoid him just as much.

During one time when he saw her down the hallway, she was fast to dive into a room where maids would clean the fireplace, and Angelica pretending searching for something in there, among some drawers inside a bureau. It did not matter too much for Jack. As Hans has suggested the late night event at Montgomery's, he knows they will make progress anyhow. At least an event she cannot get around with by avoiding it.

Even if he somewhere felt her tug under his skin. Not in an uncomfortable way at all. It was rather… nice actually, to have imagined the warmth of her. One time when he however surprises her in another hallway, she avoids his penetrating gaze and he tries to shake his head into understanding the better result of it all would be if it stayed as an imagination.

So when they eventually both end up for another time in that carriage, Angelica must wave her fan to cool herself down.

"It is January," Jack would point out. And from there on she increases her attempts of neglecting him. For whatever reason Jack really cannot grasp. It was really just to tease her a bit playfully, that he kept eyeing her, to hold her under his stare. Quite smug, he must admit he was when he only noticed her waving fan increase its pace.

When he assists her down the carriage, he steadily yet gently, clasp his hand around hers and hold onto her hand for a bit longer than usual, to gain the precise reaction from her that he does. Because in surprise, she turns to him as to find out the reason why, and for for a first time in a long while, meets his eye. He is almost teasing her with his gesture and she grows partly shy and partly annoyed before managing to look away.

"Stop it, Jack," she warns under her breath.

"Stop what," he hisses to her ear smoothly as they walk. The glare she gives this time is sort of new. From the corner of her eyes, a true discreet one.

Amused is what he is.

"Please stop doing that," she goes on.

He knows what she refers to. He has been enjoying teasing her way too much lately, as she has tried her best into ignoring him. Probably a way for her to take a step back, distance herself from when they almost… well, did something on that dining table.

They are just acting, and that is all there is. Nothing less, nothing more. It seems to grow into his new motto. But each time she lingers herself a bit closer to him, it appears as if he begins to question that remark. And maybe that particular night, now, is yet one of those.

"Angelica!" a screaming Anna shouts and off his wife is.

His wife.

He pauses his steps and must clear his throat.

Or whatever she is.

His partner in crime.

That is an absolute perfect definition of the two of them.

When he himself enters, Montgomery is the one greeting him, gentlemen-like introducing him to another group of friends. Honestly, he can barely understand how the others manage to shift their behaviors like that. He knew he can himself, as he has a background of piracy as far as his own life reaches, pretty much.

If only the wives would know. If only the Londoners would know. If only the world knew.

There are a few he has met before, at different times but some specifically from the gentlemen's club. Everyone of course acts differently. He notices there are no ladies who were not married to the men. Tonight only wives attended. And therefore, a completely different aura to the event. Still a true and genuine cheerful mood, but not trashy.

As one person, Montgomery rings his golden glimmering bell, everyone begins to head into the grand dining room.

Rothley has found Jack among all people and waves for him to join him near the front.

"Jack! Come and join us," and as Jack approaches them, he shakes hand with the following he gets introduced to. "Lord Jack Teague, this is William and Francois du Charon, both sons to Gilbert du Charon the fifth."

"A pleasure," Jack slips out while scanning for a nearby glass of rum.

"My dear old friend Otto Adams and Duke Ed of the Sambourgh's house."

"Wonderful to meet you," a few shakes hand with Jack. He tries to memorize the names to correct faces but understands he may as well give up from start. The duke had he met before though, at any sort of event there has been. Kind of hard to place exactly which one.

Anna arrives with every single wife according to man in tow. A group of cupcakes is what they look like. Colors of any kind, shimmering stones embroiled in dresses and as Anna tries to pull in Angelica, Jack tries to catch her eye. Does she want to continue the evening beside this Anna, the curious woman asking too many questions, or would she prefer a break?

Understanding her exhaustion from before, he would fully get her if she had too much of gossip and preferred a break. As much he knows her.

He can read her expression and decides to announce. "Love, you sit with me."

"Oh, Jack, cannot I sit with Anna?"

It is all an act from Angelica, but her eyes do tell Jack he did the right thing, and Rothley seems to agree with Jack. "It's for dinner, Anna. You know the etiquette, do you not? Husband and wife together and after dinner, I care not what you are up to."

Following Rothley's words as some sort of engraved founded law, Montgomery is fast to point out to all of what seating there is.

In the noisy sound of everyone sitting down, and as Jack gently holds out the chair for Angelica, she mouths him a 'thank you'.

"Tell me all about you, Lord Teague," a curious William du Charon shouts from across the table, sitting in front of them, together with his wife that Angelica just had met. And surely, Jack would babble all about what is written about him in his journal, every now and then letting his personality slip of witty comments. He barely even reckons how he distantly all the time pulls on the lowest curls of Angelica's wavy hair. His hand is resting on her back while playing with her hair.

Her agreeing humming is charming and her voice rather seductive as she speaks. Her eyelashes are long as she looks under them, winking one more time than necessary when giving a response to someone. She is absolutely divine.

"Tell me," suddenly one of the wives asks, "How did you meet your wife, Lord Teague? Forgive my nosiness."

Oh, damn bloody question. How was that now again? His head spins in search for that specific line somewhere in the journals.

As to calm him down, Angelica places her hand in his lap, reassuring him she will handle this. Well, she does not precisely calm him down, but he likes her effort. "Came to Spain and picked me up," she smiles but says the following under her breath bitterly. "Literally."

"Careful, 'Gelica," he hisses to her quietly. She winces from his sudden proximity but smiles falsely to the company.

As soon as the dinner begins to lead for dessert, many of the hundreds of guests begin to stand, move among others to mingle and Angelica brings this opportunity into leaving Jack. She escapes outside for a terrace balcony, letting the squared grand windows stand open as the long curtains flutter in the breezy air. It is quite cold, but she just needs some fresh air.

Everything has become too intense for her.

Frances.

Jack.

Her purpose in this.

She barely understands herself of what she is doing anymore.

What does she want?

She was out here to save her… new man in her life.

But now, it seems too diffused.

And she feared this would happen.

Her getting new thoughts.

She breathes deeply. Maybe she should just go back to focusing on Armando. Remember what she came for and why she is here in the first place. It is all Jack's fault.

And how he speaks. They are doing an act. And he is apparently up to nothing else. He cannot be any clearer to her.

He says it all the time, right? How she better stop acting any different than simply doing what they came for. The cause of why they are here. He wants the job done, and she needs to stop acting like an obstacle. She is not. They are partners.

She swallows.

But not like that kind of partners. They are partners as criminals doing activities together in forms of business.

She almsot screams in surprise when Anna jumps out, followed by wives.

"There you are!" she exclaims as if they have searched the whole mansion for her.

Angelica immediately tries to calm her nerves and snatches a glass of champagne from one of the wives, gulping it all down. She is in a nightmare she cannot escape.

Could they not at least not have found her?

The worst part is that she is trapped. She is in a cage, with things trying to take over her feelings, her emotions and no matter how hard she tries to fight against it, she finds it almost impossible.

It is as much as she can take.

"Is something wrong, Lady Teague?" one of the wives asks.

Breathing hard, Angelica shakes her head. "No, why would you think so?" If Jack, who knows her, saw her right now, he would probably think she was about to faint. Luckily the other wives do not.

The other lady intervenes. "Because you just took off."

Anna agrees. "I noticed you ignore your husband. Perhaps you two had a fight or something?"

Oh, no. Hans AND Jack will kill her if they ever find out the ladies believe her marriage with Jack is not perfect.

"Oh, no," she tries to reassure them. "I just ate something bad. I love..," she halters, truly uncomfortable with the words but decides to spill them regardless. "I love Jack, and have never been more in love with him than I am at the moment. Believe my words, please."

All women tilt their heads and Angelica would in other circumstances have rolled her eyes at this.

"How wonderful to hear, Angelica," Anna confesses, completely buying Angelica's crap. "That you feel that way. My husband has dozens of affairs behind my back. And I'd never felt further from in love with him."

Another wife agrees. "That gentlemen's club. I hate it."

"Loathe it!" the fourth agrees.

Now curious, Angelica opens her mouth again. "What do you know of this gentlemen's club?"

Anna sighs. "They meet… unmarried women, drink too much booze and stay up way too late. It'd truly be a scandal if the crown ever found out what they are up to, believe me."

Nodding slowly, Angelica again pushes back all ideas of what Jack did there.

"Jack was there though," she speaks without thinking. It is her speaking. Not Angelica Teague, but Angelica Teach. The real Angelica. And before she knows her mistake, the ladies are shaking their heads. Anna, most certain one.

"But you cannot possibly have anything to worry about," Anna says. "You of all people."

"I don't?" Angelica wonders.

"No, it would be impossible if you ask me," Anna goes on. "The way he looks at you. I've never seen a man love his wife more than him."

The sentence knocks her breath away and she does everything she can to hide it.

The question is if he is that good of an actor.

"But you just seemed to hate him," another wife brings up again.

Now, Angelica rolls her eyes and fakes a smile. "It was just the food," and she even dares being slightly intimidating by now. "Anna, you should tell Montgomery to perhaps rehire a chef. This cannot be the best one, making poisonous food, can it?"

Anna, mouth open, only nods. "How true, Angelica. A very good point. I almost feel ashamed to have Montgomery have such bad cooking."

Going all in for the group's kind of talk, Angelica pushes it high. "So do I."

By grabbing her gown to lift from the ground, she begins to go back inside. "If you excuse me."

Why are the wives that prying, curious and ready to gossip all the time? The last thing she needs is them spilling a word, create a rumor of her and Jack in a fight and she will be off charts. Not that Anna might do that, but the others.

What is she supposed to do?

She hurries inside a bathroom and locks the door, places herself in front of a mirror. Carefully she leans against the door while reflecting herself.

How does she even look?

Madre de dios how different she is. Yet she cannot get a grip around this.

In a sense she misses home. Whatever her home may be, was and ever can be.

But no matter how much she tries to push these thoughts away, she does grow comfortable in this situation. At the same time as it drives her insane.

Moving closer the mirror, she adjusts her hair, the formation of her gown and betters on her make-up. After reassuring herself for a longer moment that everything will be alright, she decides to for another time face the wolves.

The group is inside the second chamber Angelica enters and she has no time to dive into another room before she notices that they have already seen her. But instead of adjoining them yet once, she makes eye contact with Jack, gestures for him to come to her.

She needs to do whatever has to be done to reassure her marriage is fine.

And so she will.

Because she never lost a game. And she would certainly refuse to lose this one.

A/N: Things are just getting staaaarted. Oh well, what did you think? "Like it/hate it?":)