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Chapter 22
"This isn't another one of your games, Lily?" Samuel asked seriously, looking at her from his position propped against the headboard of the bed. Lily's head was resting gently against his knee and together they were sprawled over the entire bed. She, of course, was shamelessly taking up most of the space by throwing her arms wide and lying diagonally, but Samuel didn't complain.
"A game?" she asked drowsily. "Of course not."
They had disposed with the covers long ago, the heat rendering them unnecessary, and they lay now on just the mattress, content simply to rest.
Every so often Lily would lift her head and look back at him, smiling slightly as their eyes met before lying back down. As if she was checking to make sure he was still there.
He always was.
Samuel smiled slightly at her quick and sure response, one of his hands gently entwined in her soft hair. It was like gold dust between his fingers.
Lily sighed, perfectly happy with the silence, but after a while she felt the need to speak. Gently she sat up and scooted closer to him, one hand resting on his bare chest and her eyes locked with his.
"We can't let your father know," she said quietly, "can we?"
The look on her face was terrible to Samuel, as if she'd already accepted that they couldn't be together. End of story, only sorrow.
"No," he said slowly, "no...we can't but..."
He never got to finish that particular sentence as, at that very moment, the door burst open and Pontac swaggered in, stopping in his tracks at the sight that greeted him.
The girl was bare but for her thin white slip that did little to conceal her, and Samuel was shirtless, his belt off. They were twined up on the bed, gazing starry-eyed at each other. Pontac could see right off that this was something more than lust but...that didn't stop him being a bastard.
"Oy gents!" he bawled, grinning wolfishly at the pair as they scrambled away from each other. "Young Samuel's won his bet!"
Coarse laughter could be heard from the men as they came running and Lily gave a sharp intake of breath, her eyes flashing as she looked from Pontac to Samuel.
"What bet?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"To bed you, o' course," Pontac said with relish and she gave a little scream, pulling her hand out of Samuels and running to retrieve the covers from the floor just as the pirates came into the room and gave a throaty cheer. Her breath caught in her throat as she gathered the covers around herself and backed away, her cheeks a flaming red and indignation working its painful way right to her heart.
And all Samuel could do was sit there, shocked. How had it all gone wrong so quickly?
"Get out," he heard Lily say and assumed she was talking to the pirates. Then she repeated herself, louder, and he looked up to see her glaring directly at him.
"Lily -"
"OUT!"
"You can't honestly think that -"
"Samuel I swear to God!"
Pontac jeered, leaning casually against the door frame.
"Trouble in paradise, lovebirds?" he crooned but Lily did not react. Her glare was for Samuel alone.
"I mean it Samuel. I want you out of here and I don't want to see you again."
Shame was ripping her limb from limb and tossing her love to the wolves, it had shredded her dignity and wounded her heart.
"Not until you let me explain," Samuel said, standing up quickly and crossing to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders when she tried to evade him.
"Get off," she hissed and he was just about to reply when a shout was heard from the deck.
"The pursuer's closing! She's ready to board!"
"Shit," Pontac growled, his smug look completely gone from his face.
As one the pirates ran to the deck, congregating at the sides just in time to see Governor Hanley's ship swing round.
"Father!" Samuel shouted, forgetting for a minute what had just happened and back to being the Captain's son.
Barbossa stormed onto deck and cursed foully when he saw the ship.
"Ye good fer nothin' swills!" he shouted, punching the man nearest to him in the gut an kicking him aside as he strode to the side. His furious gaze fell, from there, on Lily.
"Get the girl over here," he barked and Lily found herself picked off her feet by a pirate she didn't recognize and slung over his broad shoulder.
"No!" she protested, struggling, but he didn't even seem to notice.
In all too short a space of time she was set down in front of the captain and held in place by the same pirate. Never before had she wanted to run away so much.
"This is yer last chance, girl," he said in a tone of deliberate, icy calm.
Lily swallowed, her eyes darting from face to face as she thought through her limited options.
They then became even more limited as Barbossa pulled out a pistol and placed it at her temple, his expression almost bored.
Click went the gun to show it was ready to do its worst, and Lily made up her mind.
Quickly.
"The governor," she said reluctantly, "from back at Port Royal. That's his flag."
"Is it now," Barbossa mused, absent-mindedly firing the gun into the sea and replacing it in his belt.
On the other ship the crisply uniformed sailors were preparing to board with what looked like more than a little trepidation. Barbossa's men, on the other hand, were restless, waiting with relish for the fight.
Lily could see how this was going to turn out. It probably wouldn't end with her being rescued. More likely with Thomas's death.
She frowned. That is if he's even on the ship...
She scanned the sailors intently, looking for his shock of tousled blonde hair that was so different from...
Stop it, Lily. Don't think about him. Don't look over – you know he's still staring. Keep your eyes for looking for Thomas, don't waste them on that -
She struggled to find a harsh enough adjective to do him justice.
She settled for pig.
Just as she'd made this satisfying decision she saw him. Thomas was in the middle of it all, shouting orders and waving his arms about, probably giving some pep talk or the other.
She just couldn't bring herself to feel anything. She felt quite numb.
This man had risked his life to save her, had come for her just like he'd said he would. He very probably loved her.
So why was her heart still? Why did her cheeks still hold their icy chill. Where was the feeling that, even now, even with only minutes spent apart, she missed.
Since when could a person be this empty?
With distant interest she watched the sailors divide; half prepared to board and half to stay and shoot should their shipmates need help.
Thomas was to board. He was gripping the rope with grim determination as he climbed onto the rigging, his hair blowing in the strong sea breeze.
He looked every part the dashing young hero.
Her eyes slid; they slipped to see Samuel standing apart from the rest of the crew. His sapphire eyes were glinting and his expression was furious, his strong jaw set. His raven black hair fell into one eye but he made no move to brush it away, simply standing stock still with his arms crossed.
"Ready yerselves," Barbossa growled just as Thomas jumped.
The ropes took him and the other sailors across the gap and they landed, swords drawn, on the deck of the pearl. They were immediately met with an onslaught from the assembled pirates and backed away instinctively before composing themselves and responding with admirable vigor.
Lily stood, in the middle of it all, watching with a detached, cold expression as men were cut down left right and center. She didn't flinch, not even when one of Thomas's sailors fell right at her feet.
It was certainly a sight to behold: the bloody battle, fierce captains on either side and strong crews. And then, in the midst of it all, a figure in white, so pale and thin that she could be taken for a ghost.
But she lived and breathed, despite her expression of icy indifference.
She lived and breathed and felt and hurt.
That was exactly why she couldn't (wouldn't) move. Her heart was beating a mile a minute because every time a sword came close, every time danger was within her reach, she beckoned it. If Samuel had been lying, if she'd bared her soul to him and he had lied then...she didn't want this anymore.
The pain seemed pointless. It could end, after all, so why shouldn't she?
With the cold deliberation of one who has made up her mind she stepped forward, further into the fray.
Blades clashed and sparked, the pirates too caught up in the fight to take notice of the girl.
Except one.
Samuel saw and he knew exactly what she was thinking and planning and, before either of them really knew it, he was at her side and yanking her out of the crush.
Lily felt his hand close around her arm in a grip that was painfully tight and completely inescapable. She struggled of course, fighting to get back to the blades that would help her, but he won.
"Stay where I put you," Samuel ordered, sounding a lot like his father as he glared at her. Why did she insist on making him feel like this? Nobody should be so important that the very thought of harm coming to them was enough to drive you mad.
It wasn't healthy.
Lily spun round as soon as she could and pushed him away.
"I am not a dog!" she spat, her eyes flashing furiously. "I will not 'stay' on your command. Would you have me fetch a bone as well? You chauvinistic pig."
"I'm telling you for your own good, not mine," he protested, his expression equally angry.
"Oh, I'm sure," Lily replied, her tone scathing and her glare deadly.
She tried to push past him but he shoved her back, ignoring her outraged shout.
"What's on your mind? Go on, you might as well share," he said, crossing his arms.
"Don't try and be self-righteous with me," she fumed, just about ready to punch him. Her hands had even curled into fists. "You're the one who lied."
Suddenly, before Samuel could respond, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and roughly turn him.
The young man who had sworn to come after Lily all that time ago – the lovesick one – was squaring up to him, his jaw set and his sword drawn.
"Get away from my fiance."
Unfortunately, Samuel was not facing Lily at this point so he didn't see her jaw drop at the fanciful elaboration, and neither could Lily see the hurt that flashed across his face.
She heard his fist connect with Thomas's chin though, all too clearly.
Before the other man could react Samuel whipped round to face Lily, breathing heavily.
"Looks like we all have some explaining to do."
