Will You Teach Me… ?

I can't believe we're already at chapter 30. There are only 5 chapters left after this one, it's insane! I hope you will enjoy this (last?) interlude of sweet family moments with the Bonnets… And if by any chance you like this story, please let me know! It's my only reward for all this hard work…

Thanks Rath101 for your review!

Rath101: You want more fluff? I'll give you fluff. This chapter is probably one of the fluffiest of this fiction. It's nothing but love, rainbows, Enjoy!

~o~

30. Language Barrier

December 1774.

The cold had once and for all settled on Ocracoke and with it, the long winter nights and the gloomy, damp dullness. A few strong gales had shaken the island several times, treating the Bonnets with an astonishing show of raging seas and crashing waves. But every time the sun would eventually come back, like the day before when they had taken Jem to play near a small grove, a hundred yards away from the house. The grove contained some tall Eastern red cedar trees as well as those wide Southern live oaks – with their elegant, horizontally spreading branches – that could be found everywhere in the southeastern part of the colonies. And one of them especially had caught Brianna's attention.

A loud crackling sound made her look up and she glanced at the embers – to make sure none had bounced over the firewall onto the living room rugs – before looking back down at her work. Snuggled up comfortably in one of their mustard yellow armchairs, her feet propped towards the flames, Brianna put her piece of charcoal in her left hand and rubbed some parts of her drawing with her right ring finger to add shadows and perspective.

"Do you need anything else, Mistress?", Lloyd asked, clearing away her empty teacup, but Brianna shook her head, smiling.

"No, thank you. Good night to you, Lloyd."

"Good night, Mistress."

A few seconds after Lloyd's departure, the footsteps of Stephen – who had just tucked Jeremiah in – echoed in the hallway, and Brianna soon felt his warm hand rest on her shoulder, near the crook of her neck.

"What are you drawing?", he asked, grabbing the first sheet of paper she had put aside and which contained the "technical" part of her project. In other words, several views of two wooden boards brought together by three wooden braces nailed across the underside, with holes for ropes on each end. The second drawing represented the device hanging from one of the lower branches of a magnificent oak tree that looked strangely like one of those they had discovered the day before.

"Jeremiah hid behind that tree yesterday when we were playing tag..." Brianna craned her neck to look at him. "This branch here is thick, strong and horizontal… I thought I could make a swing for him."

Stephen raised an eyebrow and admired the level of detail in each drawing, the dimensions she had scribbled down in order to guarantee the safety of the user and the solidity of the device, as well as the nice shadows added for more realism.

"Could I ask you a favor?", he said suddenly, his eyes still glued to the sketches. Brianna nodded. "I would like you to draw a portrait of me with Jeremiah on my lap. And another of you... So that I can always have you with me, wherever I go."

Brianna gritted her teeth not to let her emotions take over. She was both flattered by the compliment and amazed to see him indulge in such sentimentality, but it also meant that he was planning their return to River Run, where he would resume his duties for Tryon. And her chest tightened at the very idea.

"What size?", she asked to chase away any dark thoughts.

Stephen seemed to think for a moment, and rushed out of the living room only to return a few seconds later with one of his jackets, opening it to expose the inside breast pocket. The one at heart level. "Somethin' like that?", he asked, pointing at the pocket.

"I can manage that", she agreed with a smile. "That would be your Christmas present."

"My what?"

Brianna bit her lip. The tradition of gifts was not yet popular at that time, but she had a ready-made excuse to justify herself to Stephen.

"It is one of my mother's family traditions: every year, on December 25th, she brings the whole family together to share a hearty meal and exchange presents..."

The Irishman nodded, then frowned. "I don't remember receivin' any present from you last year..."

"Last year, you forced me to spend Christmas with Lord Tryon and then dragged me to an orgy…", she grumbled, raising an eyebrow. Stephen's first reaction was to smile at the memory, but he immediately put on a serious face when his eyes met his wife's. "So if you don't mind, we will do Christmas my way, this year."

"Of course, darlin'... We'll reschedule the orgy for Easter", he retorted with a mocking grin.

"Too bad, my mother has another family tradition on Easter, so…"

Stephen chuckled and leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head. "Can't wait to find out what it is. Are you comin' to bed?"

Brianna looked down, checked again that all the technical information she needed was there, and judging that the artistic part was good enough to her liking, she nodded. "I'm coming."

With one hand, she placed the sheets of paper and the charcoal on the pedestal table near the armchair, then stood up, taking care not to rub her blackened fingers on her dress or on the velvet-covered seat. Behind her, Stephen had grabbed the only candle left and started to walk away to their room, taking with him some of the ambient light.

"Hey, not so fast!", Brianna shouted, trotting to catch up with him and the Irishman smirked as she wrapped her arm around his.

"I quite like it when you run after me…"

"I don't really have a choice if I don't want to climb the stairs in the dark. And here's for being a bad husband…", she added, wiping her charcoal-stained fingers on his white sleeve. Stephen winced disapprovingly but remained silent. "I can't wait to make that swing... I think I could use some of those nice wooden boards in the shed..."

"When you're done, I'll hang it for you..."

Brianna shrugged. "I intended to do it, but since you wish to join the action..."

At that, Stephen chuckled loudly as if she had just said a good joke, before his mirth slowly died down facing Brianna's glare.

"I fail to see what you find so amusing... I've climbed up my share of trees in my life, you know..."

"Oh of course, sweetheart, I'm sure you did", he lied with the worst patronizing voice. "But you're not a fifteen-year-old lass anymore and I wouldn't want you to break your neck. Jeremiah and I would miss you very much…"

Brianna rolled her eyes but said nothing. She also kept her mouth shut the next day, when after making and presenting his future swing to Jeremiah, she heard Stephen proudly announce to him that he would set it up after lunch. But it became more and more difficult not to make any comments when Stephen started to climb up the tree, whose trunk was still dripping from the latest rainfall. The first time he slipped – about 1,5 feet above the ground – surprised him somewhat, and he landed between the roots of the tree with a nervous laugh.

"Oh… bit slippery up there… You two stay back, aye?"

Standing with her arms crossed ten feet away from the tree and with Jeremiah clinging to her skirt, Brianna raised an eyebrow but remained silent as he climbed up again. The knots, holes and branches of the oak made good grips but the rain had greased the bark, making the ascent a little more perilous than it should be. However, Stephen Bonnet was stubborn and perhaps that was his greatest quality (or his biggest flaw, some would say). This time, he was almost six feet high when a large beetle – which he had certainly disturbed in its nap – took off to fly angrily around him and the Irishman began to sweep the air with one hand, before sliding back down to the ground. He landed on his feet again, with the agility of a cat, and straightened up immediately, readjusting his jacket and looking slightly annoyed. And then pointed a finger at Brianna, who had not uttered a single word.

"See? That's why I wanted to do it meself. This is no place for a lassie… There are… insects and Danu knows what else."

"Hmm hmm?", the young woman hummed, pursing her lips to hold back a mocking smile. The third attempt was successful and Stephen finally made it to the branch that would soon hold the swing, with a triumphant "Ah-ah!".

Brianna chuckled as she bent down to pick up the first rope. Twirling one end to give it momentum, she threw the rope in the air toward the branch, and it hit Stephen right in the face before falling back limply to the ground.

"Why didn't you catch it?", she asked.

"I was not ready! I was securin' my position on the branch, Brianna. It's a basic principle, when workin' at heights... rah, that damned bug!", Stephen grumbled, waving his hand once more to scare the furious beetle away.

Brianna chuckled again and turned to Jeremiah. "Do you know why women don't need to make fools of men? Because most of them are the do-it-yourself type..."

"Hilarious, darlin'…" Stephen let go of the branch with one hand and held it out. "Come on, try again. This time I'm ready."

Smiling, Brianna swung her rope up again, hitting the branch but this time a little too far, barely brushing the pirate's fingers. The latter waved at her to try again immediately and this time, he caught the hemp braid as it flew by and tied it around the branch.

"See, Jeremiah?", Stephen called out, as the child craned his neck to look at him. "I'm goin' to use a marine knot called the clove hitch. You will be safe on that swing, trust me… I bet your mother knows nothin' about clove hitches."

"Yep, thank God you're here…", Brianna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but Stephen didn't hear her (or he chose not to).

Jeremiah clapped his hands and jumped up and down in delight. "Will you teach me how to do it, daddy?"

"Of course… this one and dozens more if you like", he said, tying the knot and tugging on the rope. He then proceeded to crawl carefully along the branch, while Brianna bent down to pick up the second rope. But there was a loud crack above her head, followed by a furious "In ainm Dé!"" and she looked up.

"Everything all right up there?", she asked with a hint of concern. If the branch wasn't strong enough, she would not let Jemmy use the swing, but Stephen immediately reassured her.

"Aye, I tried to hold on to a small branch above me head, but it broke...", the Irishman grumbled before waving at her again. "Admit it, darlin', you planned all of this to kill me and make it look like an accident?"

"Oh damn, you got me all figured out…", Brianna drawled. "Seriously, if you're scared, just get down and I'll do it-"

A loud "No!" made her close her mouth. "May I be damned if I let my own wife climb up trees like an alley cat…"

An adorable pout appeared on Jeremiah's face. "You can do it, daddy?", he asked worriedly.

"Jemmy, would you please say the exact same thing, without makin' it sound like a question? You can do it, daddy!", he exclaimed as an example.

Jeremiah turned a worried face toward his mother, who sighed and threw the second rope at the Irishman. It reached the branch and Stephen grabbed it immediately, before tying it with another knot. "There you go!"

Proud as a peacock, Stephen began to crawl back toward the trunk.

"I have another one, Jem. What is the difference between men and treasury bonds?", Brianna asked her son, who shook his head as he had no idea what treasury bonds were. "Well, at least bonds mature."

"Tsssk, woman of little faith…", Stephen muttered, his feet feeling awkwardly the surface of the trunk as he looked for a good hold.

"Do you want help getting down?", Brianna offered with a smirk.

"Are you jokin'?" Stephen carefully placed his foot into one of the holes in the tree. "That's the easiest par-"

It was then that a bit of damp moss chose to betray him and after feeling his foot give way beneath him, Stephen crashed into the thick grass and greenery that lined the ground while swearing heavily in Gaelic.

"Are you all right, Daddy?", Jeremiah cried, running towards him. Meanwhile, Brianna picked up her swing, hung it to the ropes dangling from the branch, and sat on it to secure the whole thing.

Stephen stood up, dusting his dirt-stained outfit. "I'm fine, I'm fine… Look, Mama is playin' without you…", he grumbled, pointing at Brianna who was swinging gently with a mocking smile. Jeremiah rushed to the swing and she immediately let him take her place to push him as Stephen stood next to her, looking sulky.

"No comment", he muttered to Bree, who shook her head to let him know she had no intention of saying anything. But after barely three minutes (and a dozen sideways glances), she couldn't hold it any longer and whispered as Jeremiah rose higher into the sky, screaming with delight:

"Gravity, huh?"

His exasperated face was so comical that Bree had to bite her lip not to burst into laughter. And as if she knew in advance that he was about to jump on her, she scampered off like a rabbit to escape any attempt of retaliation, laughing her heart out.

~o~

"And this?"

Phaedre turned around to look at what Wohali was pointing at. The tribe had reached the borders of North Carolina, with Virginia to the north and the Cherokee territory to the west. Tryon's armies had pursued them relentlessly since they had attacked Phaedre's cart, and there had been some tension among the Catawbas over her; as some of them believed that returning the slave to her White masters would de-escalate the situation.

Fortunately for her, Angeni and Wohali disagreed and had always defended her when others had suggested to abandon the young girl near a settlers village. Wohali had even taken on a mission: to follow her wherever she went, which she did not particularly complain about. The way the young Indian looked at her made her cheeks heat up and the time they spent together was entirely devoted to a mutual teaching of vocabulary, which could sometimes veer off on a naughty tangent.

Wohali was pointing at the waters of the New River, a few yards away from them, rushing in gorges that the Catawbas had chosen specifically for their difficulty of access. Almost no white people ventured into this part of the Colony, so they had established their camp there, until things settled down.

"You mean the water?", said Phaedre, raising her eyebrows. "Yehiye?" But Wohali shook his head and waved his arm wider to signify that he was talking about the water as a whole. "Oh, the river!"

"Iswa," he translated, nodding his head, and Phaedre repeated the word, carefully copying each sound. Wohali smiled and grabbed a pebble in his hand.

"A stone. Oh, wait, I know that one…umm… inti? It's inti, isn't it?" Wohali nodded and the girl gave a triumphant smile. "Your turn." Cheeks burning, she put an index finger to her own lips and the corners of Wohali's mouth curled up imperceptibly.

"Is it… the mouse?"

"Almost... mouth", she corrected, emphasizing the sound. This one was complicated because it did not exist in the Catawbas' language, but Wohali was a diligent student and she had no doubt that he would get there very soon. And she was right: Wohali's hand suddenly rose to her face and his brown thumb gently caressed Phaedre's lower lip as he perfectly repeated "mouth". So much so that the young woman felt her entire body stupidly shiver under his touch.

Was that it? The feeling that had changed the relationship between Mr. Bonnet and Brianna? When he had started to shower her with small intimate gestures, had she felt her body shiver, her breathing quicken, her cheeks heat up just like Phaedre did right now? Did all men have this effect on women or was it just something Wohali and Mr. Bonnet could do? Phaedre did not have the experience needed to answer these questions, and even if she had it, she already used all of her mental power to prevent herself from parting her lips and kissing the tip of Wohali's thumb. She didn't know why she had this sudden urge, or where it came from, but one thing was certain: the gesture was un-Christian and she refrained from doing it. Although not without difficulty.

And Wohali made it even harder for her when he seized one of the pearl necklaces he wore around his neck with his other hand to pull it away from his chest.

"Neck-lace", he uttered with an insistent gaze and Phaedre's breath caught in her throat. Angeni had kept harping on to her about those necklaces and now Wohali was making it clear that he wanted to get one from her. But not just any necklace. The kind that would allow him to be with her. In the same way that Mr. Bonnet "was" with his wife in their room. And if at the beginning of their marriage, the only sounds escaping from the room were that of this horrible old creaking bed, the situation had changed over the months and Phaedre had repeatedly felt a strange and obscene embarrassment hearing Brianna's moans as the pair made love. Would she moan the same way if she gave Wohali a necklace? She really wanted to find out…

"Wohali!"

A booming voice startled them both, popping the small erotic bubble they had created around them and they turned their heads at the newcomer. Another man from the tribe was waving at Wohali and spoke to him very quickly in their language. Phaedre understood the words "rabbit" and "hunting", and realized that their little Catawba/English lesson was being cut short. Wohali looked embarrassed for a moment, but she shook her head and smiled.

"Go… they need you…"

The Indian smiled at her one last time and removed his thumb from her lips, depriving them of the soft warmth to which Phaedre had – very quickly – gotten used. She watched him walk away as she slowly started breathing again, and heaved a long, exasperated sigh. Her decision was made. And she did not care if it was un-Christian or inappropriate or forbidden for a girl like her. She wouldn't be the first person of African descent to marry a Native American, after all. Though it was rather uncommon.

Leaving the banks of the New River, Phaedre trotted back to the camp, spotted Angeni – who was sitting on an old stump and making some kind of basket – and stood in front of her with her arms crossed.

"All right, how do I make one of these necklaces?", she whispered, and Angeni immediately looked up from her work with a broad smile.

"By Manatou, I thought you'd never ask…"

~o~

December 24th, 1774.

"Why can't I have my presents tonight?", Jeremiah whined for the umpteenth time as Brianna tucked him in and Blue curled up quietly on his rug near the boy's bed.

Brianna frowned. "Because we open presents on December 25th or not at all... and if you keep throwing a tantrum, I'll ask Lord Tryon to remove December 25th from the calendar and move us straight to the 26th..."

"I think you overestimate the extent of his power, darlin'…", Stephen muttered, grabbing the candle on Jeremiah's nightstand. Brianna gave him a pointed look and he closed his mouth, pursing his lips to hide a smirk.

However, the threat had paid off, and Jeremiah obediently laid back on his pillow, admitting defeat. "Will grandpa and grandma be here tomorrow?", he asked pleadingly and Stephen looked rather embarrassed.

"No, Jem…", Bree whispered, stroking his hair. "But I can already tell you they will be with us next Christmas. And also, they will be visiting us more and more often this year... won't they, dear?"

Stephen looked up; this time Brianna was speaking directly to him, and after a second he nodded, knowing that he had to let the Frasers into their daily lives at some point. For the sake of his wife and son. They had yet to convince the family that the three of them were now really happy, but Brianna could handle it. He was sure of it. She had been literally beaming lately.

"And for my birthday too?", Jeremiah said excitedly.

Brianna smiled. "Yes, for your birthday too, just like this year!"

"And for Easter?"

"Yes, why not for Easter as well…"

"And for your birthday? And for Daddy's birthday?"

"Umm…", Brianna began, knowing that he would keep asking questions hoping she would forget it was way past bedtime already.

"And for grandpa's birthday? And for grandma's birthday? And Ian's birthd-"

"Calm down, Jeremiah, it's time to sleep!", she said, waving her finger at the child, who finally fell silent.

"Yes, Mama…"

Stephen bit back a chuckle and headed for the door with the candle. "Good night, son."

"Good night, Daddy. Good night, Mama."

Brianna closed the bedroom door and let out an exhausted sigh, causing Stephen to burst into silent laughter.

"Can you imagine if we had four or five more children to put to bed?", he sneered, pulling her close, but Brianna backed out of his reach with an outraged look, and the flame of the candle flickered.

"God, no. What would we do with so many children...? Croquet tournaments?"

Stephen nodded, determined to push the joke further. "There's a new game everyone is talkin' about, hockey… I've heard you need five players…"

"Back off, pirate. I won't let you touch me as long as you have that in mind…", Brianna threatened, taking a few steps ahead of him in the hallway. But Stephen did not insist and followed her obediently to their bedroom, admiring her out of the corner of his eye as she began to unlace her dress. He went to his own cupboard and took out a small box that he hid in his fist before coming to stand in front of her and presenting it to her.

"Merry Christmas, mo fíorghrá."

Brianna tilted her head to the side, giving him a both surprised and disapproving look. "I just told Jeremiah that we will open presents tomorrow…"

"His presents, aye. But I'd rather open ours now."

The young woman narrowed her eyes, but knowing full well that Stephen would not let go, she shrugged. "Fine, let me find yours." Rummaging through her dressing table drawer, she pulled out a leather pouch and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bonnet. Even if you partially know what it is."

Stephen frowned at the word "partially" and took the pouch with a smirk, though keeping the small box in his left fist.

"It's a wallet. I didn't want the portraits to get damaged in your pocket, so I thought about a way to protect them. There are different sized compartments to store important papers... and here...", she unfolded one of the leather flaps, behind which were slipped the drawings he had asked for, "...is what you wanted."

Stephen stared for a long moment at the drawing of Jeremiah on his knees, and his face lit up with such sincere tenderness that Brianna felt her heart race and her eyes sting. Stephen then took the portrait she had made of herself – with her curly hair down over her bare shoulders, just the way he liked it – and the sparkle she saw in his green eyes told her everything she needed to know. Taking the drawing out of its compartment, he placed it next to the real flesh-and-blood Brianna and made a fake unconvinced face.

"Hmm… I still like the real one better…", he hummed, before pulling her close to kiss her on the forehead. "They are perfect, mo fíorghrá. Thank you so much."

Brianna raised her chin proudly. "Can I have mine now?"

Stephen nodded and put the wallet and drawings on the dressing table, before handing her the small box. Inside was a beautiful Claddagh ring; the silver ring formed the hands, which carried a heart cut in a magnificent emerald, surmounted by a crown and three small white diamonds. The Irish symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. It was gorgeous, but as always when Stephen was overly romantic with her, she couldn't help but add a little humor – as if her mind was still sporadically resisting the budding love in her heart.

"Another ring…?", she joked, pretending to be jaded with all the jewelry he gave her, but Stephen raised a finger to the ceiling with a mischievous smile.

"That's where you've got it wrong, darlin'... 'Tis not just any ring..."

"Oh really?", she quipped, before her smile faded at her husband's suddenly serious expression. Taking her left hand in his, he slowly slid her wedding ring off her ring finger, and Brianna gave him a bewildered look.

"Stephen, what are you doing?"

The pirate bit his lip and Brianna realized he was focusing on her hand on purpose to avoid her eyes. There was a silence, during which she waited for him to find his words – as always when he was about to express difficult feelings – but this silence stretched much longer than usual and she decided to give him a little push.

"Stephen…", she whispered, caressing his cheek with her right hand.

"I could not stand the sight of it anymore…", he muttered, glaring at the old wedding ring, as if it was solely responsible for everything. "I don't like the way I put it on your finger. I used to be proud of it. I considered this moment as a victory but then… my feelings changed."

Brianna stared at him, taken aback, moved, but also happy that he finally measured the extent of his actions. She was about to thank him when he looked up and threw the useless ring in a corner of the room...

…and got down on one knee.

"Brianna Ellen Bonnet…"

The young woman could not help but giggle in surprise, while he presented the Claddagh ring in front of her left ring finger. "Stephen, you don't have to…"

"…will you do me the honor of… continuing to be my wife?"

Laughing nervously, Brianna shrugged. "We're already married, it's not like I have a choice..."

But Stephen did not seem in the mood to laugh and he gently stroked her hand, the ring still waiting an inch from her fingernail. "You have it… now…"

Brianna's eyes widened and she stared into her husband's gaze for a few seconds. The pirate's irises – as green as the emerald he was about to slip on her finger – expressed true repentance as well as a terrible fear of rejection and abandonment. But Brianna had made her decision two months earlier and even if she wouldn't have confessed it under torture, she was at peace with her choice to remain Stephen Bonnet's wife. So he had absolutely nothing to fear.

With a lump in her throat, she nodded and he gave her another questioning look, prompting her to gasp a "yes", before slipping the new ring on her finger and getting up to hug her. Brianna admired her gift with a shy smile, then put her arms around his neck to devoutly kiss him, as if they were in a church in front of a hundred witnesses and not in the privacy of their bedroom.

"Thank you…", she breathed against his lips. But when she pulled back to look at him mischievously, Stephen instantly knew that she was about to joke again. "Does that mean we will now have two wedding anniversaries?"

Stephen chuckled at her not-so-disinterested question and shrugged. "I don't know, darlin'… Do I have to give you a present on both occasions?"

"Obviously."

Stephen winced as he dragged her towards their bed, under Brianna's muffled laughter. "One is more than enough, then..."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Go ahead, you can say it, don't be afraid. ISN'T STEPHEN THE MOST ADORABLE OF DADDYS AND HUBBIES? Riiiight? Did I do a good job with him? Did he become the respectable man you've always dreamed of? Lol

I hope it's been invigorating to see all of our characters happy and in love! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this sweet chapter and on Stephen's romantic gift!

The next chapter will be posted on June 11th because next Sunday is Mother's Day in France so I will be slightly busy and I hope you too will spend and celebrate this day with the woman or women of your life, whether they are your moms, grandmas, friends, sisters or just someone you love... !

Xérès