Will You Teach Me…?

I hope the last three weeks have gone well for you! For Brianna, only a few hours went by since the end of the previous chapter, where we left her lying down next to her son after a particularly violent argument with Stephen… and terrified of being thrown out of River Run.

We are entering a second phase in their relationship and in the story… A lot of things will happen in this chapter. Things that will have medium-term consequences. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks Rath101 and LykkeF for your reviews!

Rath101: oh believe me, Roger will keep on being a coward through and through! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

LykkeF: oh Bonnet definitely enjoys scaring her… and uses it to his advantage. The funny thing is… at some point, Brianna is so scared that she ends up doing what he wants even if he doesn't ask for it. And he loves that even more… *smirk* Thanks for the comment!

~o~

11. Happy Birthday To Me

When Brianna woke with a start – Jeremiah's small body curled up against hers – she was surprised to see the first light of day filtering through the thick royal blue velvet curtains. That did not make any sense: unless she had gone back in time or dreamt last night's altercation, there was no way she could still be in River Run at sunrise. I refused him... I punched him. Multiple times. The only reason I'm still here is because the Judge didn't have time to send the annulment papers yet.

She looked down at Jeremiah's head. The boy was still sound asleep and sucking loudly on his little thumb. Yes, that was it: they hadn't forced her out of bed only because Bonnet needed time to officially separate her from her son. He wouldn't take the risk of handling this by himself, without making sure Justice was on his side. But how long would it take? A day? Two, perhaps? And until then, what was she going to do? Hide in this room until two redcoats pulled her out, bound hand and foot? Her eyes filled with tears at the thought and she tightened her arms around her son a little more.

She would have done anything to go back in time and change the course of events. Not try to leave the house in Wilmington. Let Stephen do whatever he wanted with her. The argument might not have happened if she had kept a cool head. And she would have been allowed to stay with Jeremiah.

An hour later, the sun had risen in the sky, as high as her anxiety level. No one had come for her and if she had felt relieved at first, now the wait was becoming unbearable. She had to know. She needed Bonnet to tell her face to face when he wanted her out of the property. That way, she would be able to think about a strategy, or try to change his mind. I could apologize… The thought of begging him to stay revolted her, but this might be her last chance. She moved carefully away from Jeremiah and slipped out of bed to venture down the hallway. Near the stairs, Happy – true to his new nickname – greeted her with a nasty look and Brianna immediately turned left to enter the master bedroom.

The tub had been removed since the incident – probably by the servants – and the floor had returned to its original appearance, without any puddle of soapy water. The bed was empty and the sheets had been pulled. Stephen had gotten up early. Probably to throw me a farewell party…, she thought with a shiver. As she still wore the gown she had put on quickly before running away, Brianna decided to dress a bit more warmly before looking for Bonnet. She was about to take off the said gown when the door swung open and she whirled around, as the object of her thoughts entered and locked up behind him. Happy had probably warned him. That goddamn snitch...

Bonnet's face was so indecipherable that Brianna almost burst into tears. He seemed cold, neutral, indifferent, as if she was already a stranger in this house. A stranger to Jemmy… With a lump in her throat, she took a few cautious steps towards him. She needed to know what to expect and when. She needed to hear the words aloud. But first, she had to swing for the fences. And fast, she thought as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry...", she said hastily, and he froze with a frown, words dying away on his tongue. "I don't know what possessed me last night… I was exhausted…" Bonnet's frown deepened and she took a few more steps, until she could put her hands on the pirate's chest. "Please, don't cast me away. I… I'm just starting to find my bearings and enjoy some aspects of my life with you." It was a lie, of course, but she had to go all out. Especially if Jeremiah's custody was at stake. "Last night was… a momentary lapse in reason. Probably the strain of the journey."

Brianna saw the Irishman's eyes squint with a flash of incomprehension. Did she really believe his threats to annul their marriage? He would never let her go, not even if she resisted him. Quite the contrary, even. But she seemed unaware of that detail, and he had to admit this was quite convenient: the fear of losing Jeremiah would keep her obedient. Maybe even for a long time, until she would not even try to go back to her old life. That's why Stephen chose a similar approach: faking her out. Slowly, he pressed his forehead against hers and cupped her cheek with his right hand, whispering:

"I hate it when we quarrel..."

"So do I", Brianna answered in the same tone, almost expecting her own nose to grow like Pinocchio's. "It won't happen again…"

A slight grin made Bonnet's scar quiver. He was wondering how far he could go… how much he could get from her in fear of losing her child. His lips brushed against his wife's.

"Promise me…", he whispered against her mouth. "Promise me and you will not have to worry about bein' separated from Jeremiah. Not for a single day of your life."

Brianna frowned and stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was serious. Bonnet kept his eyes on hers, patiently waiting for an answer. Was this yet another test? What if she refused? She had no desire to find out. Being allowed to stay after what she had done was a miracle, and she already felt incredibly lucky. She soon nodded, a smile on her lips. "I promise."

The pirate's grin immediately turned into a smirk. He could feel her relief, as well as a new kind of confidence – in him or in herself, that he did not know. But when her lips took possession of his, with unprecedented eagerness, knowing the answer to that question did not seem so important to him.

Brianna was not quite sure why she had kissed Bonnet like that. The tension of the past few days, the fear of being kicked out of the plantation, of losing Jemmy... All of that had disappeared so quickly – thank God – that she had stopped wondering if it was all part of another clever plan to subdue her. He was giving her a chance to get away with it and she had taken it… And now, all she had to do was to thank him.

But thanking him with words was unthinkable. She would never be able to say "thank you" to this man who had ruined everything that mattered to her. Her dignity, her body, her mind, her marriage to Roger… However, she had immediately known what to do when Bonnet's eyes had briefly lingered on her naked body, still visible under her loose dressing gown. And the next moment, she had thrown herself into his arms.

After a moment of surprise, Stephen kissed her back with the same passion, slipping his fingers under the fabric to grab Brianna's hips and pull her against him. Carefully, he started to caress every inch of skin within his reach, while controlling himself to avoid taking her on the spot. He had to let her call the shots, show her that she could give herself to him before he even asked for it.

Brianna, for one, tried twice as hard to seem sincere and passionate. But especially convincing. Of course, she would keep her promise... until she found the perfect opportunity to bring her dear husband down. Until then, she would have to be flawless. Stephen would probably not give her another chance. A shiver ran down her spine when Bonnet's hands brushed a sensitive part of her groin, but she did not protest when those same hands delicately took her gown off.

Her brain had switched on autopilot, probably because of the past hours' flood of emotions. Closing her eyes, she tried to think of a mental scenario to escape reality, but by the time she realized this was impossible, Bonnet had also taken his clothes off and was pulling her towards him again. But not to push her onto the bed or slam her against a wall, this time.

Brianna saw him sit on the bedspread, then lean on one elbow with a lustful gaze – waiting for her to join him. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening. Stephen Bonnet was not one to let a woman take the upper hand. If he invited her to straddle him, it was not to let her take up the reins... He wants me to let him inside me of my own free will… Not be a rag doll that he can position as he pleases. In a sense, it was another way to impose his dominance over her. If he managed to make her active and no longer passive during sex, then he would win again. Fucking pernicious…

But she was too much on a sticky wicket to refuse, and she climbed onto the bed – which creaked, as usual – placing her legs on either side of her husband's hips. Bonnet was staring at her intently, waiting for the slightest sign of weakness in her acting performance.

If you think you can win that game, you're wrong… Surprised by her own insolence, Brianna slipped her fingers between her legs to caress herself slowly and prepare her body for what was to follow. Bonnet's pupils flared up instantly, but he waited for her to finish; the last thing he wanted was to rush things. Each of them played their role so well that it became almost choreographic.

When Brianna finally pushed him inside her, he let out a loud satisfied grunt, grabbing her hips to follow her movements. The feeling was exhilarating – so much better than when he just came between her inert thighs. Even if she thought she was in control of the situation, she had never belonged to him more than at this moment.

It was all so delicious that Stephen knew he would not last much longer. Pushing on his elbow, he straightened up to bury his face between the young woman's breasts, then put her legs around his own waist. Holding her tight, he pushed himself deeper into her and saw her gasp in surprise. Brianna's body tensed around his erection, as she unconsciously sped up her movements. Bonnet knew very well that Brianna had never come in his hands. But this time was different: the violence of their past argument, the fear of being kicked out and finally the relief of escaping punishment had broken down some of the mental barriers she had erected to protect herself. If he acted quickly, she would not have time to restore them...

He knew he had won this battle when after several minutes, his captive's fingers clung to his blond hair, and her walls tightened again around him. When he looked up, the sight of her closed eyelids, furrowed brow and pursed lips almost drove him crazy. Even though she did her best not to make the slightest sound – certainly out of pride or as an act of rebellion – he knew he had pleasured her for the very first time. And now, he only got one thing on his mind: to do it again.

~o~

November 23rd, 1773.

Sitting at the dining room table, where she was enjoying her hot morning tea with Jeremiah on her lap, Brianna was watching the flames dance in the hearth. The fire, combined with the soft warmth of her son's body against hers, was making her pleasantly drowsy and she heaved a brief sigh of contentment. Comfortably nestled on her thighs and wrapped in a thick woolen jacket, Jeremiah was gobbling up a huge slice of cake and some summer fruits preserved in syrup.

At the end of the table, Bonnet was also enjoying his breakfast – instead of wolfing it down as usual. Winter had somehow slowed down his activities, whatever they were, and he had been spending more time at the plantation for the past few weeks – managing what was left of the land and taking advantage of this well-deserved vacation to monopolize Jeremiah's attention. Brianna knew he was staring at her, but did not care. She had long stopped feeling uncomfortable when he eyed her like that. And since the 'bathtub incident', she had not dared to refuse him or rebel against anything. Worse, she had anticipated almost all of his desires, sometimes even around her fertile days.

Their fake relationship was running so smoothly that the original farce had now turned into something more realistic. Something that bore a striking resemblance to a normal marriage, and it was almost unsettling. Not almost. Absolutely, totally, definitely, fucking disturbing, she corrected herself, wincing when Jemmy accidentally hit her chest with his elbow, causing her to feel as if a red-hot iron was piercing through her left breast. The pain – as well as an obvious increase in size – had appeared two days earlier but she did not want to face the truth yet, knowing perfectly well what was the origin of the phenomenon. And she was not the only one. The day before, she had rolled onto her back in their bed and groaned in pain, putting a hand to her chest… a few seconds before Bonnet's hands landed on her breasts, manipulating them like a cow's udders at the agricultural fair.

"You're pregnant…", he had smirked, as she pulled away with a frown.

"I'm not late on my period yet", she had retorted harshly, before hurriedly leaving the room to hide her confusion. Now was not the time to risk another drama. She would have to keep a cool head if she was indeed pregnant… And do what would have to be done, in a couple of weeks. But since yesterday, Bonnet had been ogling her cleavage and this new grunt of pain caused by Jeremiah's intervention had not escaped his ears. A smile made his scar twitch and he pushed a plate of pastries towards Brianna, who rolled her eyes.

"Stephen, I'm not hungry anym-"

"Eat."

His tone left no room for discussion, despite the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Brianna was (once again) about to give in and grab the smallest of the scones, when Happy burst into the room, bringing the morning mail. Saved by the bell, she thought, immediately removing her hand from the plate. The man crossed the dining room, giving Brianna a venomous look in the process. She was wondering why, when the answer appeared before her eyes. Happy had placed several letters, a small parcel, and the Wilmington Gazette on the corner of the table, except for a letter he directly gave to Bonnet.

"It comes from Fraser's Ridge", he groaned.

Bonnet stiffened instantly, on the defensive, and Brianna turned her head so fast that she felt her neck crack. Despite her curiosity and her fear that Bonnet would destroy the letter before she could read it, she could not resist the urge to take a small dig at the butler-bodyguard.

"Good Lord… he can talk?", she exclaimed, pretending to be shocked. Happy glared at her and she just smiled, while Bonnet broke the wax seal as if the letter was addressed to him. Brianna saw him frown as he tried to decipher the handwritten lines. After a minute, his expression darkened and he waved Happy away.

It took him another minute to finish reading, ignoring his wife's signs of impatience. When he finally handed her the letter, he did not seem angry as she feared, but troubled like someone who has just heard some bad news. Brianna almost snatched the letter from his hand and propped Jemmy up on her left thigh to free her right hand and hold the paper in front of her eyes. As for Bonnet, his attention was now on the parcel, but Brianna had completely forgotten about it. She began to read, and her heart leapt in her chest as she instantly recognized Jamie's old, neat handwriting.

Happy birthday, mo chridhe.

Brianna blinked several times, taking an unusually long time to realize that it was indeed around November 23rd and that it was her twenty-fifth birthday. By a couple of centuries... Her heart sank and she bit her lip to hold back her tears and keep on reading. The letter, dotted with sweet words in Gaelic, contained some birthday wishes, as well as news from every member of the family and Brianna quickly gave up on holding her tears back. Hiding a sob under a nervous laugh, she saw Stephen scowl and felt the need to justify herself.

"Sorry… my sister-in-law Marsali is pregnant… again." Another weird laugh, as she angrily wiped a tear on her cheek. "Fergus is a real baby machine…", she added, shaking her head. "Do you hear that, Jem? Germain and Joan are going to have a new sibling… and you a new cousin!"

With all the enthusiasm of young kids, Jeremiah started clapping awkwardly, his hands sticky with syrup. Brianna smiled at him and wiped her right cheek with her sleeve before looking back at the letter. Other than everyone's news, it contained no crucial information and was appallingly trite. Brianna did not really know what she expected… Her family probably suspected Bonnet would read her mail, so they were not going to describe any escape plan. But those few kind words, those snippets of their life at Fraser's Ridge, had felt good and she would always be grateful for that. Not a single word about Roger, though…, she noted with a hint of bitterness. That coward certainly travelled back to the future.

She looked up at Bonnet. The letter mentioned a gift, probably the small parcel he was still holding in his hands. Reluctant to give him direct orders, Brianna pursed her lips and gestured towards the package.

"May I …?", she asked politely. Bonnet jumped, as if she had torn him away from his thoughts, and handed her the parcel, looking annoyed. His silence was making her uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

The pirate frowned, moistened his lips, blinked… A ballet of facial expressions that were not exactly like him. Something is bothering him... for real.

"Today is your birthday?"

Brianna nodded, as she untied the string that held the fabric around her gift.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "Because it slipped my mind until now. And I didn't think it was important…"

"Important enough for your family to write. Then it should be to me as well. You are my wife, by Danu…"

Brianna stared at him, a bit taken aback. He seemed genuinely frustrated at his own ignorance, and in other circumstances she could have been touched.

"I don't know yours either", she said in an attempt to appease him.

"I was abandoned on the steps of a church, no one knows exactly when I was born. Except that was the year 1737… And even if I knew, I had no one to celebrate it with."

"Oh…" Brianna bit her lip. Her attempt to put things right had failed and Bonnet seemed even more gloomy than a minute earlier. "In that case, why don't we forget our birthdays? Personally, I don't mind being twenty-five forever..." She saw Bonnet smirk, and added: "And if you agree, we will only celebrate Jeremiah's."

She had, in fact, absolutely no desire to celebrate any of her birthdays without her family. And especially not with him… But her offer seemed to please the Irishman, who nodded and smiled.

"He was born on-", Brianna began, but he finished her sentence before she had a chance.

"May 4th, I know." He seemed a bit offended by Brianna's surprised look, but did not make any comment.

"I will have four years old!", Jeremiah exclaimed, holding up three fingers of his right hand. The boy thought for a moment, then added a fourth finger.

"I will be four years old", Brianna corrected, before finally opening her present. It was a fairly old book, with a beautiful brown and black leather cover, enhanced with golden details. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, printed in 1733 as the first page indicated. She already knew the story by heart, from reading it dozens of times during her school years, and had often told Claire and Frank that she would never open that book ever again after graduation. Mama would never give me a book she knows I won't read... There must be more to it...

Raising her head, she saw Bonnet watching her intently and she smiled at him, holding up the book so he would not ask too many questions.

"Hamlet", she said, turning the cover towards him. "I love Shakespeare."

"A thoughtful gift… I very much appreciate the tales of good ol' Mr. Perrault, but it is sometimes nice to have a little change."

"Jeremiah is a bit young for this…"

"Jeremiah isn't the only one to like a bedtime story…"

And here he was, smiling gently again. Brianna nodded, not really knowing what to say. She did not mind reading for him – as long as he listened, he did not try to touch her – but she had to make sure that no visible message was hidden inside this book.

"I'm not that good of a tale-teller... I don't always use the right tone when I read dialogues...", she stammered, smiling embarrassedly.

"Even if you read our ledgers, I would hang on to your every word…"

Brianna laughed politely, but the information had not fallen on deaf ears. If such ledgers did exist — and if she managed to get her hands on them — perhaps she would find some information about Bonnet's illegal activities. Or clues about how he concealed them. Meanwhile, the Irishman seemed particularly proud of his compliment and finished his plate with a little more joy.

She therefore had little time to explore the book in search of any hidden message, hoping it would remain presentable and would not arouse Bonnet's suspicions if he came to look at it. Once rid of her husband – who was playing with Jeremiah and Blue in front of the house – Brianna had slunk away to "rest" in their room and comb through her copy of Hamlet. As expected, Stephen had not asked any questions: since he suspected her pregnancy, he had been particularly permissive and caring, and she was therefore able to retire upstairs on her own.

The book looked frightfully normal as she turned it again and again in her fingers. Nothing suggested that the cover had been peeled off to hide a message inside. The edge was intact and the space between the edge and the pages… hopelessly empty. No bulge betraying the presence of a piece of paper, no cut-out pages to hide a gun like in action movies… Nothing at all. With an exasperated groan, Brianna dropped onto the bed – which made a hell of a racket – and tossed the book onto the quilt next to her.

There had to be something. Claire would never give her this particular play. She knows I'm sick of it…, Brianna added inwardly, glancing at the leather binding. Rolling onto her stomach, she picked it up again. Perhaps someone had scribbled on the pages… She had just read the first two (and extremely dull) scenes of Act I, without noticing anything, when she thought about giving up. She was obviously imagining things. Where did she think she was? In a spy novel, exchanging secret messages through a newspaper? She had spent so much time dreaming about her mother finding a way to communicate with her, that this simple book had given her false hopes. And now look at me… thinking I'm some kind of Mata Hari spying on my German husband...

With a heart-rending sigh, she dropped the book – again – and it fell open on a random page (Act 1 scene 4). She immediately glared at it, as if the object was responsible for her misfortune. Then one of the letters caught her eye: it was an "A" with a small inkblot, like a printing defect, and Brianna ran her finger over it. The feel on the paper was slightly different than the other letters and she frowned. On the following page, a "V" also had the same imperfection, and the young woman felt her heart race in her chest. These blots were not original, she was sure of it. Straightening up on the mattress, she went back to the beginning of the text and started flipping through the pages. Here and there, other similar defects appeared and a smile crept its way on her lips. Jamie had been a printer once, he would never give his daughter such a misprinted copy. Here is my message...

The bed creaked loudly when she went to fetch her sketchbook in the back of her closet, along with a piece of charcoal, before sitting back on the mattress. Rolling her eyes, she tried to ignore the fact that she had already asked Bonnet a hundred times to have it repaired – to no avail – and opened her sketchbook to a blank page. On the previous one was a portrait of Phaedre in servant's clothes, a curious succession of tiny lines adorning her apron. Her current menstrual cycle… Above the twelfth line, a dot had been drawn on the apron and she glared at it. Each line represented a day and each dot… sexual intercourse. She usually found a way to avoid it between the eleventh and the eighteenth day, but Bonnet had returned on that evening with yet another extravagant jewel. And like every time he gave her a gift, she had been expected to "thank" him, hoping that twelve days were still early enough to avoid all fertilization. Well, apparently not...

Groaning, she shook her head to get her mind off these gloomy thoughts – she'd have plenty of time to brood later – and started to note each stained letter in her notebook. A long and tedious activity, which she had to interrupt every time she heard a noise in the hallway. First, there was Phaedre dragging a crying Jeremiah to his bedroom in order to change him (apparently after rolling himself in the mud with his dog), then Happy's heavy and slow footsteps which stopped right behind her door, only moving away after a few seconds. She had also identified Bonnet's gait and had quickly stuffed her work under the bed in case he decided to enter their room. She had sensed him twice on the threshold, probably pressing his forehead or his ear against the wooden panel. Pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, she could almost imagine him with his hand on the doorknob, wondering whether he should or should not join her. Long seconds passed, as Brianna prayed for him to finally make up his mind: she did not care if he came in or left – but that in-betweenness, that unbearable wait was torture. However, he never ventured into the room, turning on his heels to go back downstairs and she resumed her work as soon as the sound of his leather boots disappeared in the entrance hall.

E… a… p… o… n… The letters appeared one after the other on the sketchbook and Brianna soon got the gist of the message. Reaching the last page, she let out a sigh and read the whole text.

We received your message. Glad to know you are well despite circumstances. Bellingham thinks Tryon and Bonnet are partners. Legal activities but perhaps also illegal. Smuggled goods. Weapons. Other things? We lack information. Tryon was the one who bribed jury during the trial. Not enough evidence yet. Still working on it. More books if anything new. Don't give up hope, Bree. We will not let you down.

A sad smile slowly appeared on Brianna's quivering lips, soon to be wet with tears. The message did not contain anything new: she knew that Tryon and Bonnet had teamed up, and certainly not to donate their pennies to charities. But the simple fact that, somewhere out there, her family and lawyer were still fighting for her was extremely comforting. Just like the ghostly glow of a lighthouse in a heavy fog. Or sunlight at the end of a tunnel.

Of course, she was not alone here: she had Jeremiah and Phaedre to keep her company. And Stephen; although she abhorred the man, he was still part of her daily life. Not to mention the servants and guards constantly gravitating around their little family. Yet, Brianna had never experienced such isolation. And ironically, she had never felt lonelier than since there were potentially another being in her own body.

With a heavy heart, Brianna tore the page from the sketchbook. She could not keep it, no matter how comforting that message was. Folding the paper twice, she slipped it into her sleeve and crept out into the hallway. It was empty. Somewhere in the house, she could hear Jeremiah babbling and Blue barking happily, and she carefully walked down the stairs to the kitchen. It would certainly be empty, as it was not lunchtime yet, but there would be a fire in the hearth. The perfect place to destroy evidence...

As expected, she was alone in the pantry and went to the fireplace, beside which a large copper pot was already set up, ready to boil. She was about to pull the paper out of her sleeve when the door opened, startling her.

"Did you get some rest?", Bonnet asked, crossing the room as she tried to appear composed. He squinted and Brianna – realizing her bright smile was probably a bit suspicious – bit her lip and nodded.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better..." As he stared at her insistently, wondering what she was doing here, she felt compelled to justify herself. "I was a little cold, so I came to have a cup of tea. Do you want some?"

He blinked, pleasantly surprised that she would willingly share a tea with him and suspicious at the same time. As always…

"You could have asked Phaedre to bring it to our room…"

"I don't want to waste Phaedre's time… You may have put an army of people at our service, I still think that I'm perfectly capable of boiling some water."

Bonnet stifled a laugh and took a few steps towards his wife. For the hundredth time in two days, his gaze swept over Brianna's breasts with obvious satisfaction, and she almost rolled her eyes when he slid his hands around her waist. Shivering, Brianna let herself be hugged, her right hand clutching the paper that was sticking out of her sleeve. Any unfortunate movement and the message would fall, right under the pirate's nose. To avoid this, she raised her arm – forcing the message back into her sleeve – and placed her hand on the Irishman's shoulder until her fingers brushed the back of his neck. Again, he squinted, analyzing her intently.

"What is it?", she asked with a ridiculous chuckle that was completely unlike her.

"Nothing. It's just... I like this."

"What?"

"I may shower you with gold and jewels, but still you insist on preparin' your own tea..."

Brianna pursed her lips and her expression hardened slightly despite her efforts to play nice. "I will not let money change me, Stephen..."

An enigmatic smile made his scar twitch and he pulled her a little closer to him, until he could whisper against her lips:

"From your lips to Danu's ears, darlin'."

Brianna blinked in surprise, half a second before he took possession of her mouth. The kiss was brief, simple, but of a rare gentleness and she could not help but close her eyelids for a moment – her lips and her tongue following her husband's rhythm. And when he finally pulled away, Bree was suddenly left with an unpleasant feeling of… incompleteness. Bonnet must have felt it too, for he stared at her triumphantly, and left the kitchen without another word.

Taking a deep breath, Brianna waited until his footsteps had completely died away and turned back to the fire. She took the paper out of her sleeve and threw it into the flames. The message ignited immediately and with a slight twinge of sorrow, Brianna watched it blacken, curl up and then consume itself. Taking away with it the Frasers' message, but leaving her with something new. A spark ready to set fire, rekindling her determination and her thirst for justice...

Hope.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Well, a lot happened in this chapter! First, Brianna submits herself more and more to Stephen – for his greatest pleasure – and now she might be pregnant? She isn't exactly delighted, but Stephen seems over the moon… Do you think it could change him? After all, seeing Brianna pregnant with Jemmy is what sparked his desire to "better himself" by his own standards…

The next chapter will be quite dark and I will probably add a trigger warning to it. It's not in my habits, but some scenes could be triggering for some people! I look forward to reading your comments on this chapter! The next one will be published on June 12th and until then, I wish you well!

Xérès