Elle rolled over on the bed then lay perfectly still. She knew she wasn't on the ship, there was no tale tale sway, no sound of the waves hitting the Hull, there was no hard lump on the mattress by her hip, and the sound of distance voices was also not present.

Her eyes opened and she felt the stab of light. She closed her eyes and groaned. She wondered if she would ever learn. Alcohol was not her friend and the allure of a few hours of numbness was highly overrated. The next morning the pain was far worse then the temporary reprieve justified. She groaned again.

Elle stretched and realized she was dressed in a soft shirt. Her breast were unbound. Her clothes were folded and sat on the dresser. The strips for binding her breast were piled neatly on top of them. She rummaged through the pile and found her old clothes as well as the ones that Zara had given her. She dressed quickly after performing the tedious task of binding her chest.

It wasn't until she was completely dressed that she realized that the sunlight from the window was dimmer then it had been when she woke.

She lifted an eyebrow and hoped that she hadn't slept for days. She had heard that could happen but had never seen it or experienced it herself.

Zara must have been the last to see her so she would be the one to ask.

If she had then the Captain wouldn't be pleased. She had messages to pick up, as well as ones to possibly deliver. 

The captain already didn't like her she didn't want to give him more reason to detest her. She was already going to the convent, something she didn't want to do, she certainly didn't want to speed up the process. She hurried downstairs and to the common room of the tavern.

None of the others were present. She found an empty table in a dark corner.  A pretty tiny brunette appeared.

"We got mutton, corn off the cob, peas, carrots, potatoes, rye bread or drop bread."

"Mutton, potatoes, and drop bread." She said giving the girl a thoughtful look. She wondered if she knew how lucky she was. Elle doubted it. She had forgot what it was like to have a normal life.

The woman started to name all the ales and other brews but Elle shook her head. "Water. Just water." She looked at her. She even felt a mild envy for the girls normal existence. 

She didn't care if the woman thought she was strange for ordering water in a tavern. She ignored the look she was given.

"Do you have any cheese?" She asked. Now the woman truly looked startaled. Elle smiled at her. She had meant the smile to be reassuring. The headache and sore muscles caused it to appear more of a sneer. The woman made a squacking noise, jerked her head in an affirmation, and fled.

The lantern lights barely reached her corner and for that Elles head was thankful. She hoped that some food would go a long way in easing the pain. The last time she had drank so much had not left her in such a state as this. 

The meager light from a lantern was blocked as someone approached. She released a heavy breath as she looked up.

It was Deanton strolling up to her table. He didn't look happy. Elle crossed her arms defensivly over her bound chest. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at him. He stopped and placed a big meaty hand on the chair across the table.

"What did you say to my niece?" He demanded.

Elle scowled up at him clearly confused. She shook her head. She gave him the gist of the short conversation.

"That's it?" He asked looking at her like someone would a bug they had never seen. "She's not one of the working girls. I'll not have men leering at her. I don't care if they are too young do anything about it."

He took his hand from the back of the chair, leaned closer to her, placed the hand on the table. Eyes hostile he met her gaze. "I know who you are." he said threateningly.

Her heart rate tripled.  She cast fast desperate glances around the room. She could make a run for it.

"If your pirate of a captain wasn't a good man and didn't bring me a few illicit items from his side business then you would all be banned.  But be warned I'll not let a boy of fifteen defile my niece. Jasmine is an innocent and she'll stay that way." He used his hand to poke Elles chest. It lost a bit of its heat as he had to stretch over the table.

Elles heart had started to calm down.  She had misunderstood. He didn't know she was Elizabeth,  he knew she was a pirate. The distinction shouldn't have been a relief but it was. Besides it seemed that he needed an item that he was able to get from Captain Talbot.

"I have no designs on yer niece, Deanton. Captain Talbot wouldn't be pleased. As you say he is a good man." She didn't add the part about him being a pirate. "I'm not interested in corrupting a child."

"See that she is." he said sounding only partly mollified. "I'll send someone with your food."

Elle slumped in the chair.  She did miss normal. She even missed the weekly lessons from Mrs. Banks, the teacher her father engaged to teach her math, reading, and writing. At this point she would even enjoy Mrs. Crawfords "lady lessons".

Elle studied her hands. They were no longer soft and ladylike. She had calluses.  She never noticed before that the skin had toughened and darkened even on her palms. Her fingernails were broken and chipped.

Mrs. Crawford would be horrified. The calluses would snag the thread if she were to try to darn a pair socks. She flexed her fingers then made a fist.

She was pulled out of her thoughtful revive as a woman dropped a wooden plate on her table. The scent of mutton and potatoes drifted up and caused her stomach to turn unpleasantly.

The wasn't Jasmine. The woman was haggard, she looked old and missused. She sat a small metel pitcher of water by the plate.

"Where's Zara?"

"Working. She got a man upstairs. You want anything else?"

Elle looked at the plate. She shook her head. She pulled the coins from her pouch and paid for her meal.

Her first bite was the small piece of white cheese. It wasn't as hard as she expected.  It caused her taste buds to do a happy dance. Her stomach seemed to calm down when the cheese hit it. She consumed the last bite of cheese slowly.

She was halfway through the little round potatoes when she saw Zara.  She was standing with a man in a dark green suit. Not the normal type of patron here. Her body was pressed against him and her finger played small circles over his chest.

The man wasn't looking pleased. He said something to Zara and Zara pouted. Zara spoke and tried to play with the ruffled fabric at his throat.

Lightening fast he grabbed her wrist and jerked her to the side. Even Elle, half way across the room, heard Zara's yelp of pain.

Elle was at Zara's side before she even thought to move.

"Zara are okay?" Deanton asked. His body tense as if he expected a fight. He glared at the man who still gripped Zara's wrist. "Time to let go." his voice wasn't loud but there was no arguing with the tone.

The man let go and looked around at the seven people standing around him. "It was a missunderstanding." he said and looked angrily at Zara. He clearly blamed her for the group of angry people currently looking at him. He turned to look at Deanton.  "I'm just looking for a womon."

Deanton raised a brow an looked at Zara. "Zara is a fine woman. However after your display I think we'll pass." Deanton told him. "Now it's in your best interest to find another tavern." Deanton turned to leave but none of the others did.

"No, damnit, see there's still a misunderstanding. I'm not looking for that kind of woman. I'm looking for a specific woman." The man said sounding put out. He was clearly frustrated and not bothering to hide it. "A thief."

Deanton turned back to the man. "You expect her to be here?"

The man didn't answer the question directly he simply stated that they were looking everywhere.

"Well lets here it then..." Deanton demanded.

The man glared at Zara as he started to speek then shifted his gaze back to Deanton. "As I said to the whöre, the lady I want is just above 5 feet tall, a little plump in the hips,  waist length dark chestnut hair, blue eyes. She's reported to be very soft spoken. As far as I know she has no distinguishing marks. She would be two and twenty now." He looked around the room. His eyes paused on each female then moved on. "She not well born but there is minor nobility on her mothers side. She has no real skills so her options are limited. she could be working as a ladiesmaid or barmaid." he glanced at Zara. "Or a lower profession if she were desperate enough."

"Ladies seldom show themselves here. The only one to even remotely fit that description would be my niece, Jasmine. She's only sixteen. What's the ladies name, you've not said." Deanton told him.

"We're unsure what name she's using. Clearly not her own, or we would have found her." He said then added, "I'll need to meet Jasmine. To be thorough, ya see. I'm sure it's not the same girl. But my employer wouldn't be please if I didn't I don't see for myself."

Deanton glared murderously at the man. To the mans credit he didn't cower before the tavern owners hostility. After a moment Deanton motioned one of the women to fetch Jasmine from the kitchens. 

"You'll be leaving as soon as you confirm Jasmine isn't the one you were sent for. I doubt we'll ever see you again." Deanton told him. His words were a polite way of saying leave and never come back.

The man nodded but told Deanton "I'm not the only one looking." Elle was unsure if it was meant as a threat or simply a warning.

"Who's your employer? " Someone asked.

"Sir Reginald Travis."

Elle had expected the answer but a shiver traveled down her spine all the same. She glanced at the others to see if anyone else had noticed her reaction. Zara was looking at her. Her eyes were calm but there was a small measure of doubt hidden in there depths. 

Elle  doubted that anyone would actually recognize her in her pirate get up. But she didn't really want to take a chance. She kept quiet and had moved back to the side. Briefly she had thought about leaving but didn't want to draw unwanted attention, so she had stayed.

Zara moved slowly to Elles side. She reached out and clamped on to Elles hand. Her hand was cold but sweating. Still Elle found it to be a comfort. She tightened her own grip around Zara's hand.

Even filled the tavern remained silent. Everyone was waiting to see if a fight would break out or things would slowly come to normal. The tension in the room was palatable.

Jasmine was let out by one of the other women. the young girl coward at her uncle's side. her hands were visibly shaking. Elle Assumed that the woman who had went and got her had explained to her what was going on.

The man's glance only lasted for a moment and then he dismissed her. "As I said. I never thought it would be her."

Elle and the others all heard the disappointment in his voice. he had truly expected,or at least hoped, that the girl would be the one that he was looking for.

His quick assessment caused Elle concern. She was sure she had never met the man. Still he was sure within seconds that Jasmine wasn't her. How could he be so sure?

"That's it. Ya barely looked at 'er." Elle said using a disguised voice. Zara gripped her hand painfully but spoke up.

"Yeah. We know she aint her. But how can you be so sure." Zara said. Elle wasn't sure if the condensation in her voice was a ruse or if it was a left over from the pain he had caused her earlier.

The man eyed Zara with contempt. "I seen a portrait." He said. With that he turned left.

No one seemed in a rush to go back to their seats. Some of the people still milling about eyed the door waiting to see if he would enter again. He didn't.

Zara pulled Elle aside. "What were you thinking?" she demanded in a low his.

It was Elles turn to pull Zara along as she lead her to her table.

Elle slid into the seat and pulled Zara in her lap. Zara slid into her lap her back to the crowd. 

"Reginald had the portrait finished. He's shown it to them, the men he has h looking for me." Elles voice was low but there was a hint of fear buried in it.

"What portrait?" Zara aaked running her fingers through Elles hair. The action reminded Elle that she needed a haircut.

"Our wedding portraits. They were going to be unveiled on our wedding day. I sat for mine for two hours a day for six days. I had no idea it was completed. I heard his plan on the day of my last sitting." Elle said. She kept her eyes aimes at the crowded common room over Zara's shoulder.

"You obviously don't look the same. He would have recognized you." Zara assured her.

El shake her head. "He didn't even look at me. He only looked at the woman and Denton. If he were looking at everyone who may have recognized me."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

It was an hour later when Miles doing them. He sat down at the table across from where Zara now sat.

After a few minutes he asked where Talbert and Harv were.

Zara Said they had a meeting about a cargo. This was news to Elle, because they hadn't discussed it.

At some point Deanton came and told Zara she needed to take a customer. Before she left she gave Miles a longing look that Elle  pretended not to see.

Surprisingly, the silence her absence left behind wasn't strained. Miles wasn't a bad person, now that he no longer wanted to kill her. He was turning into a friend. Even when she had decided to tell him the truth she hadn't expected anything like that.