"How many people know you're alive, Elle?" The captain demanded.  His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyebrows were drawn together making him look displeased.

"A few but most are people I trust with my life." she told him as she walked over to sit on Zaras bed.

Miles looked at her no longer hostel.

"How many?" the captain said clearly irritated. "Every person that knows you're alive is a risk to your life."

"I told you I trust them. Non of them would betray me. Most of them have their own grievances with Sir Travis." she told him adamantly.

He shoved a hand through his hair. "You hope they won't betray you. But you can't be sure." He moved around the room as he spoke.

"You're the one who told the whole bloody ship." She said then glanced at Miles who had been excluded from that Announcement. She turned and glared back at the captain.

He walked around the room shoving his hand through his hair and alternating with rubbing his stubbly chin as if he were deep in thought.

"Almost Half the crew voted for me to be left behind. They don't want me there, so what's the point, what's the probability of some of them betraying me?" she demanded as she leaned back against the headboard and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"They're pirates, Elle. Pirates don't walk in the same social circles as the elite. A good number of them have there own reasons for staying away from Travis and his crowd." he had stopped pacing and now stood facing her.

"Twelve." she said. "Twelve People know that I'm alive not including the ship's crew and the people standing in this room."

Captain Talbot resumed pacing nodding his head as he moved. Miles, Harv, and Zara just remain still and watched. Talbot moved like a caged panther. He paced about part of the room, Occasionally he would nod his head a shake his it. Agreeing or disagreeing with one of his thoughts.

He stopped pacing and turned and looked at her. His eyes bored into her making her uncomfortable. It was like he was trying to look at her soul and she hated it. Her hand in her lap twiched. Finally she was so uncomfortable she leaned forward off the headboard. She attempted to look nonchalant. She rested her elbows on her knees and watched him back.

Harv shifted his weight. uncomfortable. That shift seemed to break a spell. Zara sighed.

"There's a place in France that you can be safe. A place for one women. You'll have to change your name and your appearance again. Your hair is almost long enough for a girl so in a few months you should be able to pass through one again. I can take you there after the runs."

Elle was so focused on Captain Talbot she didn't noticed Zara giving Miles a desperate look and motioning towards the door.

Vaguely, from the corner of her eye, she saw him stand and move. They quietly exited the room whenever she ask her question.

"What do you mean a place for women?"

"A convent. The priest there owes me a favor or two."

Elle jumped off the bed. Her shock and rage had her shaking.

Harv was now making his way quickly out the door.

"A convent!?" she screamed at him.

"It's for your own good, Elle. You ne-"

"My own good? My own good?" Are you crazy? I'm not going to a bloody convent." She said as she walked toward him.

"It is for your own good. You need a life, a husband and baby."

She reached out and put him in the chest. "You." She pushed again. "Are." She pushed again in the center of his chest. "Not." Push. "My." Push. "Father." she shoved hard against his chest, this time with both hands.

Suddenly he was there, invading her space. His presence alone pushing her back.

His hands grabbed her wrists. His eyes blazed with fury. His grip was so tight that pain radiated up her arms.

"No. I'm not your father, Elle. Something you need to remember next time you push me." He growled as he let go of her right wrist and jerked her toward the door. "We need to get out of this room."

She tried to jerk her wrist out of his hand. "I'm not going to a convent, I tell you." She kicked at the back of his leg.

He let go and rounded on her. He was shaking, his eyes were narrowed. "This is why you have to go." He said his voice a deep rumble in his throat. 

He took one step, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward.

To Elle the world seemed to slow. the front of her body was pressed up to his. One hand moved to her back and pulled her even closer. The other hand slid over her shoulder, up her neck and into her hair. 

Just the smallest amount of pressure and her head tilted back. His head came down and his lips touched hers.
She froze.

He applied more pressure and she made a tiny sound in her throat.

The wet heat of his tongue brushing over her lips made her gasp. His tongue swept past her open lips. It brushed her tongue, drew slow circles in her mouth. Her eyes closed. His tongue withdrew only to sweep over her lips in a sensuous caress. Again it slid past her lips to mingle with her own tongue.

Heat begin to build in her body. The longer the kiss lasted the hotter the fire within her grew it found a spot low in her abdomen to settle.

The uncomfortable pleasure caused her to moan and cling to him desperately.

He moved his hips, she groaned. she found that she wanted him even closer. She tried to move closer but all she succeeded in doing was grinding her lower stomach against him.

He ground. She was unsure if she had caused the sound to arrived from him so she tested it. Again she tried to get closer and rubbed their bodies together.

It was unmistakable. The knowledge that she had such delectable power cause the heat in her abdomen to burst into flames.

Her own tongue darted out over his lips.

He moved both hands to her arse and pulled her close. He lifted her up and move her legs around his hips.

Elle felt the hard length of him pressed against her. She groaned and tried to move her hips. the movement unbalanced him and they stumbled against the door. It booked and rattled against his back. Elle slid down his body.

I'm not found it on the door. "Elle, Captain Talbot?" Zara called.

Elle and the captain scrambled to write themselves.

Zara Pushed open the door. If she So anything I miss she didn't show it.

"Captain, The tavern closes in 30 minutes. The owner has made available rooms for half normal cost." She said and lowered her voice, " I think he's just glad none of you killed someone tonight." She grinned at them. "Come on, I'll show you where you can wash up. The end has a bath house and Morgan is preparing you all baths."

Who spoke as they followed her down the hall. "For all of your rooms, Meals, Baths and laundry it will be a hundred crowns." She looked at captain Talbot. He didn't seem to care how much it was. He didn't seem to care that she had made the arrangements without consulting him either.

In the kitchens they washed their face and hands in a basin of water. The table they said it was the same as the rectangle ones in the tavern.

Miles and harm already said at the table, big bowls of thick dark stew in front of them. Platters of bread, cheese, butter, and pickles litter the table as well. Big mugs of dark ale sat before each space.

The scent of meat, carrots, onions, potatoes, and garlic drifted up from the bowls. Elles stomach grumbled and her mouth watered.

When a big bowl set in front of her she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent.

She grabbed a small loaf of bread ripped it open and dunked it in the stew. She lifted her spoon and place some of the stew in her mouth.

No one spoke as they ate. The only sounds were those of the utensils and appreciation.

A woman entered through a back door. She pushed her hair from her face and walked up to the table.

"The baths are ready. I had Joe put the tubs in their rooms before filling them." She told Zara her tone made it clear that she thought it was all a lot of extra work for nothing. No one commented on the tone.

"Thank you, more Morgan. You're free to clean the tavern lobby. I'm sure all the other customers have left or gone to bed by now." Zara told her.

The woman left without a backwards glance.

Zara looked around at the others. "Come," she said as she noticed the mostly empty table. "I'll show you to your rooms." She told them and stood squeezing out out the space between Miles And Talbot.

They followed her out the back door and up a flight of stairs. At the top was a long hallway. There were five doors on each side of the hall and one at the other end.

"Harv, this is you." she said at the first door on the right. The third door on the left was Miles, third on the right was Talbot's.

The forth door on the right was for Elle. Instead of leaving Elle at the door as she had the others Zara entered with her.

The room looked a lot like Zara's but it was larger and a four foot copper tub set in the room. the three foot deep space was filled almost full of steaming hot water.

A chair sat by the tub. Thick off-white towels sat in the chair. A two inch thick bar of soap sat on the towels.

"Go on." Zara said indicating the tub.

Elle Had long ago lost any shyness in front of Zara. There have been many mornings when they had woken in compromising positions. Zaras bed with small.

Elle undressed. She saw Zara wince when she started unwrapping her breasts.

"That looks painful."

"It used to be but I've grown used to it." She said as she undid the bindings.

Nude she tested the water with her hand. It was still almost too hot. Elle had to slowly ease her body into it and even then it still hurt.

"Is that it?" Zara asked. She pointed to the scar from the captain sword.

Elle looked at the ugly red scar. "Yeah." She said as she sank deeper into the water where they went. She closed her eyes and waited for her body to adjust.

"I wanted to thank you, Elle." Zara said. Elle opened her eyes and looked over at her. "For not killing Miles or having one of the others do it."

"Zara-"

Zara halted Elles words with a raised hand. "No. You had a right. He attacked you more than once. He tried to kill you. He didn't understand the situation, but that doesn't make what he did right." Zara paused. "It's Crazy but I love him, Elle. I have for 3 years. So, yes, thank you for not taking him from me."

"Why haven't you married him, Zara?" Elle questioned softly.

Zara smiled at her almost sadly. "I'm 31, Elle he's only 24." Zara said. She moved forward and moved the towel to the back of the chair.

Elle waited.

After she sit down she continued.

"It won't be long and he'll want a family. He deserves that. I won't take that from him. Eventually he'd end up hating me for it and I couldn't live with that."

" my mother was 30 when she had me, Zara." Elle said hopefully.

"I can't, Elle. It's not that I don't want to. I can not." She looked down at the floor.

"Can't?" Elle Said. Zara didn't look up she just shook her head. Elle didn't want to pry so she stayed silent.

After a moment Zara inhaled and exhaled loudly.

"Come on, hand me the bar. I'll wash your hair before I see Miles." She stood and ignored Elles protest. She wiggled her fingers demanding the bar of soap. Elle handed it to her.

"Wet your hair." Zara demanded.

Ella took a breath and slid down into the tub. The water was actually still hot but it felt good. She lifted back up and Zara rubbed the bar over her hair. In just moments she had worked it into a thick leather. She used her fingers to massage Elles scalp.

The combination of hot water, the clean scent of the soap, and the manipulation of Zara's fingers had help Elle leaning almost boneless against the edge of the tub.

Zara used her fingers to comb Elles soapy hair.

" Okay." Zara said and rinsed her hands in the tub. "You can rinse now."

Elle wanted to cry. Until that moment she had not realized how tired she really was. "No." She pouted instead, still leaning on the tub.

"Come on, Elle." Zara said.

"Fine."  Elle grumbled. She took a breath and sunk under the water. She felt Zaras fingers moving her hair about under the water.

He needed air so she lifted backup. Zara handed her the soap.

Zara leaned down and gathered Elles clothes in her arms. " Don't worry about the tub someone will get it after you leave in the morning." Zara said and walked out of the room.

Tired, Elle washed and rinsed. She was too tired to bond her chest after she dried off. The combination of the sword fight, the confrontations in Zara's room, a large meal and a hot bath had her so relaxed that the bones in her body seem to have melted. She extinguished the lamp and climbed into the bed. She didn't even mind the stretchy sheet against her bare skin.