June 10th 1723

Now the twins were almost six months, tasks were a lot easier to do. They would object to me leaving them at first but would settle quicker, Edward was around a lot more which was nice. It meant no more staying inside, we would go to our beach with the youngest three and Anne would join us later with Jenny. Since the twins were still so young I would sit with them in the beach hut, watching Eliza figure out a task for Grace to then copy her. I found that quite often Eliza would study Charlotte and attempt to copy what she did, then when she'd master it Grace would watch and eventually end up doing the same task as her older two sisters.

After Edward has tired Charlotte out he brings her up to the hut so she can sleep, wrapping one arm around me we watch the three of them napping.

"I forgot to tell you, I received a letter today. The assassins offered me a role with them in either London or somewhere in the new world" I'd seen him opening letters earlier but unless if it was important we never really discussed them.

"It's a bit weird they would just write out of the blue and move you to a different country, especially with the twins being so young and there still being some assassins on the island"

"I have something to confess" I merely raise my eyebrow unsure on what he's going to say "When the twins were born, I wrote a letter asking if there was somewhere we could move to. Where we could be a part of the order without taking too much of a physical role, they wrote to me and said that London needs more members or we could be a part of the few that start up the order in the new world. Imagine that, being a main part of starting the order in the new world. All the opportunities that the children could have, Knowing that their parents helped hundreds of lives" his speech sounds inspirational and practised to the last word, still the words rush around my head in an uncomfortable buzz

"Do you remember the words you said to me when we took this place all those years ago?"

"Mary..."

"You said we'll make something of it in time and with a bit of fixing up, it'd be a decent place to call home. Well, we fixed it up, we made it our home. Our two children were born here and Charlotte was raised here, it's our home and it is truly the only place I have ever called home"

"The Caribbean isn't safe as it was, there have been reports of attacks on smaller islands than this. Towns have been raided and then flattened, I don't want our family in any risk of being in danger. The age of pirates is coming to an end, the stragglers are growing desperate and attacking anything they believe could hold some value. The navy is fighting against it, but if they happen across a trading island flying no flag what do you think they will do? If we raise an English flag, the Spanish and Pirates will attack us. Raise a Spanish flag and we'll have the royal navy at our doors and Pirate cannons pointed at the town. Raise the black flag we once flew and we won't be free, we'll be straight back in that jail. Jennifer, Charlotte, Eliza and Grace will all be taken. You won't be able to plead as you did before and before long we would be hung out as a warning to others. So realise that I know this is our home, I love it and love our family thriving here. But we have to think around a nice house and warm weather" I had heard about the attacks as well, a town that was mainly inhabited by fisherman had been burned to a crisp almost a month ago, I thought that being such a big island with so many people here we would be safe. Now our greatest asset was also the biggest lure to the island. The trading ships sat there like honey to bees, and as soon as one tasted it more would follow

"We could fight like we did before, we saw off five ships full of trained fighters without a life lost"

"They weren't smart enough to use their ships in combat, they came in and tried to take us on foot"

"We could lure them ashore" I didn't know how but guessed that he would "Before you turned this place and yourself around, what lured crews to here? What made them leave their ships to drink on the beach?"

"Just drink and women, these people don't want just drink and women though. They take what they can and leave nothing in their paths, they don't follow a code like we used to"

"We could meet them in the sea then, both the Charlotte and the Jennifer are fully kitted ships. They would easily take out a schooner, we could make them sail through a bottleneck and then attack from both sides. The island doesn't have to see another battle if necessary" I realise that I'm babbling, clutching at straws, desperate to not leave my home. It would make sense to move, but the ghosts of London and the daunting prospect of the new world isn't helping me admit this.

"I can see in your eyes that you know we'll have to leave here at some point, we don't have to go straight away. We can plan where we would go, we need time to look into how and when we would leave" he kissed my forehead, the way he knows comforts me and keeps me calm.

"If we moved would I have to wear a dress?" he smiles at this and tries not to laugh

"Is that all you are worried about, A dress"

"No. I'm worried we'll have to have one of those dreadful family portraits made, we would hang it over the fireplace and at some gaudy supper party we would throw Gertrude and her husband Arthur would marvel upon it, insisting they simply most have one as well and compliment us on how perfect our family is. We'd have to attend church and pray to a god I've never seen or prayed to, The children would go to a school with others and we'd be forced to make up a story or the former lives we lead. Rumours of us would float around. They'd be shocked that I wear shorts sometimes or that we aren't married, our children would be punished for being born out of wedlock and sin" by now he knows that I'm joking "I don't care what others think but if rumours were spread any Templars would know of our location and that would put the children in danger"

"Well you know what that means then don't you" I don't, so I challenge him to tell me "You'd have to finally marry me before any more children are born and try to change our plans" Its become a bit of a running joke between us now, we planned to wed after I nearly lost him attacking the jail. We started to plan again before we found out about Jenny, we tried again and I found I was pregnant with the twins. We had the ring now we just had to plan the event, although if he thought it was going to be a big event he had another thing coming "What are you thinking? I can always tell when you've continued the conversation in your head"

"Was just thinking how fewer people I'd want there, how it should be a small gathering of people we care for"

"I'd like that, but how about we leave the planning for another day and we take these three back home. Jenny can come with us to the beach tomorrow, she'd understand that we had to get them home" the walk back was nice, since the twins were asleep and tied to my chest it left my hand free. Edward carried Charlotte in his left hand holding my free hand with his other, it seemed like we never really got a moment like this to ourselves any more. I wouldn't change our little family for any riches the world had to offer, it may take up a lot of our time but it made us value the little things in life.

As we suspected Jenny didn't mind not going to the beach, she went to Charlotte's room and read to her whilst she was sleeping. When I went upstairs I found her asleep on the bed next to her sister, Tucking them both in I went to find Edward.

He was stood downstairs playing with the door in the study, it was as if he were a child trying to figure out how his favourite toy worked.

"That's a door, people use them to exit and enter a room. It also keeps the drafts out and the warmth in" he shot me a smug glare, so I continued "Most of the time they are made of all wood, but some carpenters have started to add glass into it thus creating a window for light to enter the room. I'm not sure of who created the door or where the first one was installed, but I can tell you that one works perfectly and doesn't need to be constantly opened and closed" quite proud of myself I take a seat and watch him studying the entrance to the old cave.

"I was just thinking if a bookcase could fit onto this door, making it a secret to those who don't know its there" next thing I know he chucks the books from one of the bookcases on the opposite wall and drags it to the door "We could move all of them over here so it seamlessly blends, then it wouldn't look out of place" proud with himself we comes to sit next to me

"You know how when I'd been here for a few months" he answers with a nod "We tried all the rooms in the house" that gets his attention and I feel him twitch "we never did get to try out down there" I nibble playfully on his ear lobe as a moan escapes his throat

"Are you trying to delay getting married" the tone of his voice tells me he couldn't care about the outcome of what we are about to do and that a wedding is the last thing on his mind.

"If you are worried about that, there is plenty of other things we could do" I get up and stand by the door, before going through it I undo my shirt dropping it to the floor. I pull on the laces that hold my shorts up and let them drop off me as well, with a wink I leave him sat dumbstruck on the seat. I make my way to the pile of unused furniture down here and rest on a red velvet settee, footsteps bounding down the stairs makes my heartbeat quicken and its not long till he finds me. His eyes focused on me, I don't suppose we'll be leaving this room any time soon.

Sorry this took so long, I hit a brick wall and couldn't think of anything to write. So apologies if this feels like a rubbish filler chapter, The next one will be a lot easier to write because I've been looking forward to it for a while.

Anyhow thanks to everyone who Followed, Favourited and Reviewed. Big thank you to those who messaged me asking if everything was okay and wondering where this chapter was. Just a big fat thank you tbh, the 12,500 reader checked this out on my birthday making it a very special number. Until next time :D