Connor left the 2nd in command in charge of the boat and went to sit on the edge of the railing, staring into the sea lost in thought. The events of the past year swirled in his mind and he wondered how he had ever let things get like this. Visions of his life with Carolyn flashed through his memory; her laughing smile at breakfast, her inquisitive take on life so at odds with the woman he had last seen in Boston. He ran over the scene behind the tavern again and again in his mind, the knowledge he had now making everything about that day seem so different. The vision of her holding his son to her breast made his chest ache. The truth of her comment that she had gone through this all alone was an open wound. He thought back to three months ago when he sent Dobby on the mission that would mark her as a full Assassin. He had travelled with her to monitor her progress. It had been close but they succeeded in the mission, the closeness of death making his blood surge. She had found him there in the darkness and called to him in a way he could no longer deny. Their passion had a sharp, dangerous edge that he had never experienced with Carolyn but afterwards he felt guilty and ashamed. He did his best to hide it from Dobby but the feeling only magnifying when she told him of the results of that night. Torn between honor and the wife he already had he did the only thing he could think of, he offered her a ring and use of his name though he could not give her a vow. She seemed content, happy on his arm and by his side at the head of the Assassins even if they stayed in Boston and avoided Davenport. He dared not take her there until he wrote the letter he knew he must and had Timothy send it. He hadn't wanted her to learn of Dobby through other channels. The thought that she had known about his son twisted the knife of the memory. Now the best he could hope for was to find his father before something happened and make sure he got home safe.
Reaching Boston he headed for the house he had rented to serve as his home and the Assassin headquarters. He met Duncan in the front room and pulled him hurriedly into the office. "Ah, my friend, you return! We've been waiting for you." Connor turned to him urgently. "Just the man I was looking for. I need your help. My father has come to Boston. If he is still here I need to find him quickly and quietly. " Duncan laughed and blushed a little. " I don't think that will be too much of a problem, Ratonhnhaké:ton. He's down stairs in a holding cell." Connor's eyes went wide. "Here? He's here?" Duncan nodded. "Dobby and Jamie brought him in last week. Dobby was dead set on killing him but I argued that we should wait for you to get back on account of your not killing him before. After all you could always finish the job yourself if you wanted him dead but you'd be hard pressed to bring him back if it was already done." Connor sat down on the edge of the desk. "I admit her desire for his blood surprised me. I've never known Dobby to be so vicious. Do you think it's because of her condition?" Connor closed his eyes. "She fears what he came to tell me but I know it already." "What is it?" Duncan's voice was sympathetic. "It's Carolyn." Duncan looked at him. "Your wife? The dark haired lady in the tavern, right? Did she find out about Dobby?" Connor nodded once aware that for all Duncan's break with the old church he still held certain deeply ingrained views of marriage. "Yes, I told her. But, Duncan, when you saw her last she was with child. She didn't tell me. She bore me a son." Duncan's eyes went wide. He clearly recalled the same scene from January. "Jesus, man! And now Dobby? Congratulations I suppose. What are you going to do?" Connor shook his head. "I don't know, Duncan. But first I need to get my father out of here. He's been taking care of her while I was gone and she'll need him." Duncan nodded and Connor rose, heading for the stairs.
He saw Haytham look up at the sound of his footsteps on the stairs and rise to his feet, grabbing the bars when he saw who was approaching. In spite of the situation he found himself grinning to see his father behind the bars. "I hope they haven't hurt you during your visit." Haytham grimaced. "Female assassins? Really, Connor. Who's bright idea was that? In the order I was frowned upon for teaching women at all let alone teaching them to fight." Connors lips twitched upwards. "And yet she was able to best you." Haytham's face was serious. "She did no such thing. I disarmed her. I admit I was delaying the killing blow, call me a gentleman but I never liked killing women unless I had to, when she suddenly announced to me that if I killed her my grandchild would die with her. I admit in my shock I did not see her friend sneaking up behind me." His eyes were cold like steel. "So tell me, Connor. Did she speak the truth?" Connor dropped his eyes. "Yes, she's carrying my child." Haytham's hands tightened on the bars, his voice shaking with rage. "Connor, I came here to tell you something." Connor shook his head. "I already know. I know about Carolyn… and Edward." Haytham drew a sharp breath. "You knew and yet you sent her away anyway? And now you've replaced her." Connor shook his head sadly. "She left without telling me. But you managed to muck up the waters enough that they sent me on contract down to Kingston to remove your assistant from the equation. I go looking for my target and find her and my son instead."
He saw Haytham's eyes go wide and he hurried on. "Of course I didn't hurt them. What do you think I am?" Haytham let out his breath and sat down on the bench inside the cell. "Which of you strayed first?" Connor looked at him in confusion. "I don't understand." Haytham turned to him. "She said she did not tell you because she was not sure who the father was. You're clearly sure that you fathered this other child. Which one of you strayed first?" Connor hung his head. "Carolyn was never unfaithful to me. It was a misunderstanding. She thought someone had attacked her while she was too sick to know what was happening. After I left her alone." Haytham stood and punched the bars with enough force Connor stepped backwards involuntarily. "She's my little girl. I raised her, Connor. Can you imagine how I felt when she showed up in Kingston? I thought she was dead and instead she shows up bruised and with child? You were supposed to protect her. I trusted your honor in this."
Connor blew out his breath. "I know, father. And I need your help now." Haytham's eyes narrowed. "Don't you 'Father' me. I have no son. We're through." Connor reached for the keys hanging on the wall and walked to the door of the cell. "But you still have a grandson. I can't leave Dobby. I'm all she has. There's nobody else I can trust to take care of her child. But I trust you to care for Carolyn and Edward. I know you won't let anything happen to them." He unlocked the door and swung it open, gesturing for Haytham to come out and pointing to where his weapon lay on the table. "There's a man upstairs who will take you to the Aquila. I promised her I would see you safely back if I could." Haytham nodded at him and turned, delivering a quick blow to his stomach that doubled him up. He straightened painfully. "I suppose I deserved that." "Damn right you did. You deserved for me to aim lower but it's too late for that." Haytham armed himself and headed for the stairs but Connor noticed an item left behind. He looked at the table seeing the envelope addressed to him in a familiar hand. Picking it up he followed his father upstairs and saw Duncan lead him towards the dock.
He waited upstairs, not at all surprised when Dobby ran in a few minutes later, her eyes seeking him out worriedly. "I need to talk to you." He shook his head. "Yes, we do. But he's already gone. I've sent him back home." He gestured her to follow him, drawing her into the office and away from the public areas. "I can explain. Don't you see this is trick?" He shook his head, his voice straining with emotion. "I held him. I held my son." She turned to him angrily. "And she didn't tell you. Doesn't that mean something?" He dropped his gaze. "She said you knew. I didn't believe her." Dobby gasped. "Are you even sure it's yours? Why would she not tell you if she was sure? I had no such doubts." He met her eyes sadly. "She wasn't sure because she thought someone had forced himself on her while she was sick but it was just a mistake. It never happened." Her eyes flashed. "Never happened? Well lucky for her. Because it did happen to me. It happened to me a lot before I got strong enough to protect myself. It happens to a lot of women out here, Ratonhnhaké:ton." He swallowed. "I'm sorry. I am. But she's my wife. She has my son." She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Then we will take him from her. We won't leave him to our enemies. " Conner swallowed. "She's his mother. I will not take him from her." Her eyes flashed and her grip tightened on him. "Don't you see? She's your enemy. She's a Templar." He swallowed and pulled her into an embrace. "She's my wife. She's the only woman I've ever truly loved. " She shuddered in his arms. "I'm not leaving, Dobby. I'll stay and provide for my child. I've sent Haytham to watch over Carolyn and Edward." She buried her face against his shoulder. "I don't want your money, Ratonhnhaké:ton. I want your love. I'm your wife now. What about our child?" He shook his head, his voice as gentle as he could make it. "I will not leave you. But I'm already married. You knew that. I cannot have two wives." She pushed herself from his arms and ran for the door. "You're a fool! She's just going to use him against you. You can't let her." He called out after her but she was gone.
The next day he had a meeting with the assassins to catch up with what he missed while he was gone. He looked around the room, sighing at the empty chair. "Does anyone know if Dobby's coming back? Even if she's angry with me she should still be at the meetings. And I don't want her going out by herself in her condition." The men looked between each other. "But she's out on an assignment now…" He looked at them in confusion. "What mission?" Jamie shrugged. "She wouldn't say. Just that she had to go do something for you. Something about a hostage. She was unhappy to hear the Aquila was gone. Last I saw her was yesterday at the dock trying to get passage on a ship." He looked around in confusion before his eyes went wide. He turned to Duncan. "I need a ship. The fastest one you can get me." Duncan shook his head in confusion. "What's wrong?" He swallowed. "I think she's going to try to kill Carolyn."