Connor stood outside while Dr. White and Diana checked on Carolyn. Diana appeared at the door and gestured for him to come in but he shook his head and stood in the snow until she finally bundled her coat around her and came to him. "She's very sick. Someone will need to sit with her. You should probably be inside. Just in case." He shook his head noting the tone of sympathy already creeping into the edge of her voice. "She would not want me there." Seeing Diana's confusion he explained. " Carolyn and I, we're not going to be married anymore. She would not want me in the house." Diana gaped at him, her voice shocked. "How can you say that? What if we need you?" He shrugged. "It is the truth. You stay with her. There's little enough I could do anyway. Take the bedroom upstairs. If you want me to stay nearby I'll sleep in the stable. I've done so before. Just don't tell her I'm here." She looked around the yard. "Connor, it's freezing out here." He pushed her back to the house and turned to go around the side. "It does not bother me. Promise you will not say anything. It would only make the situation worse." Diana watched him turn. "I promise."
For almost a week he stayed in the stable bringing Diana supplies and leaving them on the step. She brought him meals outside and let him know what was going on. "How is she?" He sat on the ground and ate while she talked. "I'm not sure. The fever comes and goes. Yesterday she was hallucinating. She kept talking to people who weren't there and the things she said made no sense. Last night she woke me up screaming for her father." Connor nodded, he had heard her screams but there was little he could do. "Talking to who?" he asked curiously. She looked around somewhat nervously. "Men mostly; a John and a Charles who seemed to frighten her. And a Haytham. That seemed to calm her down. At least then I could get some broth into her. If this lasts much longer I don't know what we're going to do to get her to eat. Right now all I can do is try to keep her cool and keep an eye on her in case she gets worse." He handed up the plate to her. "Thank you."
It was the middle of the night when she returned, her voice urgent and she pounded on the wall. "Connor, get up! I need you!" He stood from the bed roll. "What is it?" "The fever's spiked. She's having convulsions." "I'll get Dr. White." He turned for the door but she grabbed his arm. "No. I'll get him. I need you here. You'll need to hold her down or she'll hurt herself. I'm not strong enough." He hesitated and she turned to him angrily. "We've no time for this. She's hardly in any condition to know you're here and if she dies then she will not care." He nodded and saddled the horse, boosting her up into place. He turned and ran for the house, pausing briefly in the doorway. In the darkness he could see her thrash, limbs flailing. He took a breath and moved beside the bed, gripping her shoulders and pushing them down. Her back arched, legs kicking. He turned and grabbed her thigh pushing it to the bed as she continued to buck. He held her like that as well as he could for a minute as she continued to thrash beneath his hands before sighing and climbing on top of her, pinning her to the bed with his weight. Her face was flushed and sweaty and she gasped for air. He spotted the cloth and bowl of water by the head of the bed and reached over with one hand to grab it. Gently he wiped her face and laid the cool cloth across her forehead and eyes as he had seen Diana do. Her hands clawed at him but he held her wrists and waited as she convulsed beneath him.
Eventually the trashing stopped and he breathed a sigh of relief. As time stretched on she moved beneath him again, pushing up on him where he pinned her legs and pulling on her wrists where he gripped them but the movements had purpose. He froze unsure of what to do. "Please." She said, her voice raw and tired. "Please don't. Let me go." She pulled at her hands frantically and began to scream. He could hear the hoof beats of Diana's return outside. He looked around and scrambled off the bed and out the door.
Carolyn took a deep breath of the cold January air and opened the door to the Green Dragon tavern. She moved inside the doorway, letting her eyes adjust. Spotting her targets; three men and a woman she recognized as Assassins leaned over a naval map. "Ratonhnhaké:ton took care of the Lucinda..." She approached the table and the conversation stopped. "I need to speak to Connor. I know you know where he is." The tall one flipped the map over and eyed her angrily. "You have a lot of nerve coming here, Templar." She shook her head. "This is personal, not business. I need to see him." He looked up at her, "Maybe he does not wish to speak to you." She met the eyes of the woman, her voice going soft. "Please. I know he might undo it if he could be he is my husband. We cannot change that. I need to talk to him." The woman's eyes narrowed and she toyed with a knife. "I could change that." Instead she stood and stalked from the table. The fair haired man at the table stood and smiled. "No, I think it's best to have this finished properly. Follow me." He turned and walked to the back door and she followed behind him cautiously. She could hear the others rise from the table.
He led her to a court yard with a fountain and tables set out for patrons though the air was cold enough none ventured out to it today. She was expecting the first blow and dodged it, starting to circle around so he was between her and the building. A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. She turned, staring at it and looked up at the tall man as he wrenched her arm behind her back, driving her to her knees. The fair man was in front of her again. His fist hit her face twice in short succession driving her backwards but the man behind her held her upright. She licked her lips tasting blood. "I see. He's going to let you do what he's not man enough for." She met his eyes unflinching. He grinned down at her. "Why? Do you need a man now that he's gone? Are Templars not enough for you now?" He grabbed her chin and lifted it, considering her. The man holding her arms laughed and she shifted in his grip. Behind him she could hear the door open.
"Oh leave her be." Connor's voice was bored. "You'd only be doing her a favor. She means to be a martyr." The men released her and stepped back. "Leave us alone." He nodded back to the door where the young dark haired man stood nervously. She nodded at him slightly. Connor stood over her. "Get up. What's so important that you couldn't write?" She got to her feet carefully and walked to the edge of the fountain. Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket she broke the ice with her hand, dipped it in the frigid water and dabbed at the split edge of her lip frowning. "I did write. I wrote a month ago to the Sons of Liberty. I asked if you would rather come by the house or meet me somewhere else. You never answered and I've run out of time." She brought a small mouthful of water up from the fountain and swished it before spitting out the bloody water on the grass. She sat on the edge of the fountain with a sigh and faced him.
He frowned. "I never received any letters." She rinsed the handkerchief in the fountain and wrung it out before apply it gently to her eye which was starting to swell. "Hmm perhaps it was lost. Or perhaps they felt you didn't need to see it." He considered her as she sat on the edge of the fountain. She was wearing a new black dress, the lines stark and hard which only made her paleness and the circles under her eyes more visible. It reminded him of what she wore the day they met and how she had already been in the house. Most disturbing of all her eyes had lost the inquisitive spark he knew and her gaze was introspective and tired. "You look awful." She laughed and winced reapplying the cloth to her face. "This is nothing." He shook his head. "No, I'm not talking about the eye." His hands tightened into fists and his voice regained its hard quality. "Never mind, it's none of my business." She shook her head. "You always were more blunt than most. Don't worry. I didn't come here looking to seduce you. I've been sick. Not everyone recovers as quickly as you do." She reached in her purse and fished out a key, handing it to him. "I'm sailing soon. I've cleaned the house. I left it as you saw it last but I wasn't sure when you would be back so I have not stocked the kitchen. You can decide what to do with the items I could not take with me. I took only the money I brought with me originally." He frowned. "Soon? This is not a good season to sail. The seas are rough. You're free to wait." She shook he head. "No, I would have left a month ago had I not been too sick to come to Boston to find you. The town found out about your leaving. I can't bear their sympathies any longer." She cleared her throat. "I've left the jewelry again. Perhaps when the war is over I can send someone to retrieve it." He glanced around the courtyard. "How are the children?" She swallowed and took a sharp breath. "Prudence has been teaching the classes. I've been too sick. I paid her from the homestead accounts. It's only fair since they are losing her labor at the farm." He nodded.
He pocketed the key and sat on the edge of the fountain. "You could have left the key with someone in town. What else is it?" She studied the ground. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened after I passed out in the woods." He flushed. "I carried you back to the village. You were soaking wet and freezing so I…" "No!" She interrupted him abruptly. "No. I mean the second time. I remember walking back towards the house and then I remember waking up over a week later. The part in the middle is all a blur." "Ah. I'm sorry. I misunderstood. I put you in the house and went to let Dr. White know you were sick." She swallowed hard. "Anything else? I won't be mad. I promise. But I have a right to know." He shook his head. She pressed on. "Please don't make me say it. Did you do anything to me while I was sick?" He took a sharp breath. "No! You surprised me in the woods. You will not surprise me again." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I had to ask. I don't suppose you had anybody watching the house?" He shook his head.
She contemplated the courtyard and the tavern. "My father used to come here back in the days with Haytham when the city was full of Templars. I suppose now that they are all gone it makes sense that you use it. I suppose I should be grateful you're letting me leave with my life. It's more than most." A half mad laugh tore from her lips. "You're definitely letting me leave with more than most." She turned now to face him. "There was one other thing." She paused briefly but took a breath and continued. "My father's ring… If you want to keep it you can, but if you mean to get rid of it I'll buy it from you." His hand tightened on his knee briefly but he slipped the ring from his finger and handed it across to her. She fumbled for her purse but he shook his head. "No, it was yours to give. I do not want anything. You'll need your money." He dropped the ring into her hand noting her ring still on her finger. "You still wear yours?" She nodded and considered it. "Calling myself a widow is true enough. Connor Kenway is no more if he ever existed at all. He's been replaced by Ratonhnhaké:ton so it seems."
"Will you tell me what ship you're sailing on?" She shook her head. "I'd rather not. I suppose you'll just have to pick your next few targets carefully." She sighed and turned to him. "I've promised to let Timothy know when I get there. He's sworn not to tell you but if you need to reach me he'll forward the letter. Should you get yourself killed if someone lets the town know he'll inform me as well. If I need to reach you I'll send a letter to the house." She stood and tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket. "I suppose this is goodbye. Be careful out there." He nodded and stood as well. "Take care of yourself." She smiled sadly at that wincing at the cut on her lip. "I suppose I'll have to." She turned and walked quickly between two buildings, gaining the street and putting the tavern as far as she could behind her.
Shortly she was at the dock, eyeing the ship that was already loaded with her possessions and would sail at turn of tide. She put a hand on the wall of the building steading herself but turned when she heard a voice behind her. "So did you tell him?" She turned quickly to face the dark haired woman standing behind her cleaning under her nails with a knife. "Everything I needed to. Yes." The woman snorted and ran her glance over Carolyn. "The men won't have noticed. But you can't fool me. Does he know?" Her eyes went wide but she shook her head. "And you're leaving?" She nodded. "I leave the colonies tonight," she confirmed. The Assassin smiled. Carolyn's eyes went wide and she took an involuntary step backwards. "You won't say anything?" The woman laughed. "Not a word. Have a safe journey. Do not think to come back." And with that she turned and walked away.