Twelve Part Two

Jude Kensington was becoming increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied. He paced his study floor, wearing the threadbare carpet even thinner than it already was. He ran his hand back and forth on the side of his head roughly, trying to clear his mind of the twisting, turning thoughts that consumed him. He was frustrated and dissatisfied with his life, with his lack of funds, and also, with his cousin Gwendolyn.

When he and Gwen were youths, he saw her as an easy mark for his growing needs. Not his sexual needs, but his need for the things he could not remotely afford to purchase for himself. His need for a lifestyle he could not well afford on his own, either.

Gwen had a very large trust, and he had guessed correctly that she would be willing to share a bit of it with him. All he had had to do, was to make her believe he found her exciting and desirable. She had been so starved for affection, she had easily believed his honeyed words of wanting, his casual brushes against the womanly parts of her skinny body. She began craving and seeking out the passionate embraces he bestowed upon her behind the hedgerows at her father's manse.

She had been so very young and inexperienced. Each touch that he had expertly calculated and carried out, had caused her to shudder with the new awareness of her own awakening body. His every promising whisper had her believing anything he told her, as he plied his charms to the very best of his abilities.

She did not have to know he liked his women much more voluptuous than she, he definitely lusted after more attractive ladies than his pinched faced cousin.

All Gwen had needed to believe, was that he desired her above all others. He had known then, when they were younger, that there was no chance he could be tied to her for life, even if he started bedding her. Yet, she had accomplished holding onto him far longer than he ever meant for her to.

It had just been altogether too easy, casually mentioning a horse he desired, sulking over a bad night spent at the gaming tables, or maybe his wish for a new wardrobe, as his was becoming a bit shabby. If he said the word, his wish was granted.

She would do anything he asked. He was just very careful to craftily mention these things in passing, never asking her outright, just a well placed hint, and whatever he desired had been his.

Quite a bit of funds had come his way by acting in a sullen mood because he couldn't afford something he wanted. She did not like seeing him downcast, especially when she was in an amorous mood. She had opened her purse, just as swiftly as he had opened her laces.

But now she was talking insane. How she thought to kill three men, two of them peers of the realm, and not raise any suspicions was beyond him. He would give her his pride, his lies, and his time, but he would not hang for some crazed dream she thought she could bring to pass. She thought she could even buy his aid in her endeavor.

Oh, he did not tell her he thought her mad. As a matter of fact, he had offered to help her, if only to know her plans ahead of time, so he could betray her.

He was done with manipulating her, he was ready to find himself a rich, young heiress to wed and bed. He was not without his own title. Though he may only hold the title of Baron, it was still more than most men had. He was tired of having to wheedle and scheme for every extra farthing that came his way.

He was not getting any younger. He had noticed the subtle changes to his own face and body. If he waited too long, his good looks would not carry him any longer. As it was, he still looked somewhat trim and distinguished. He could still hope to charm a young lady into wedlock. He would be needing an heir soon also, as he was the last of his line.

He did not think Gwen would appreciate being replaced in his affections very much at all. He knew she would continue to be a nagging thorn in his side. After all, she had not quit their relationship when she had married, she would expect it to continue after he wed also.

He wanted her out of his life for good, and she, herself, was providing the way. The way to not only to be rid of her, but also the sorry, sad, excuse of a son they had created together.

Jude would have never thought he could be disgusted by the fruit of his own loins, but he was. Alfred's beady eyes made his skin crawl. The pasty faced young man was nothing to be proud of, a would be murderer, and just as much of a schemer as his mother.

Also, Jude did not want a rival to his own legitimate heir, once he had one. If Alfred found out that he could perhaps have his title, he could be in the same predicament that the Mederois men were in now. He certainly did not need a target on his own back. Jude hoped the Marquess may even be grateful to him for the warning that would save his, and his son's lives. He wanted to inform Marcus also, yet he had to come up with a way he would have been privy to the information, without revealing his and Gwen's longstanding affair. This was where much of his frustration was coming from.

Jude had recently met a young woman he thought might fit his requirements for a bride, he hoped to be unencumbered very shortly by anything that may get in the way of starting his own family. If he could rid himself of those two, Gwendolyn and Alfred, he could be well on the way to his own future, with no further, ugly, unnecessary complications.

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Samson finished trimming the sails, he tied the lines off tightly, then he signaled to his Captain he was going below deck to get some coffee. Vi too thought it sounded a good idea, nodding his agreement, that he would take one also when Sam returned.

Sam lumbered down the steps to the hall that lead to the galley, he was just about to make the turn, when he saw a tiny head peek around the captain's door.

Big, blue eyes and short, brown curls framed a face that smiled impishly at him. He stopped cold in his tracks and stared at her. She blinked at him and he blinked back. She smiled wide at him and his handsome, rugged face grimaced back at her. She stuck out her tongue at him and he did the same back to her. She laughed at him and he quietly laughed too, holding out his arms. Lila ran the length of the hall and he swept her up into his embrace, as her own tiny arms came around his neck.

"What are ye doing up already, sweetheart? Did ye have a good nap?"

He stroked her silky curls as he asked, and she leaned back to look at him as she placed a hand on his stubbly cheek.

"I did, and I was all done sleeping Samson, can I get up now and come with you?" She smiled at him with her straight, tiny, white teeth, her eyes questioning adorably, and his heart squeezed in his chest.

"Let me check on the others and close the door first so we do not wake them." He whispered.

She nodded, taking his hint that they should be quiet while he did so.

He peeked in the door and saw through to the bed that the other two babes were still sleeping peacefully. Closing the door quietly, he carried Lila to the galley and set her on the counter where she could hold onto a post beside her. "Hold tight now, sweetkins, I would not want ye ta fall."

She nodded and wrapped an arm around the post.

He got a cup and put a wee bit of coconut water in it for her. The ship was still rocking, and he did not want her to spill on herself. He gave her the cup and waited while she drank it.

She finished it all and held the cup back out to him, "Thank you, Samson." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, as she looked at the big man with the soft, brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. His skin was tanned from many hours in the sun, his eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled down upon her.

He put her cup in the sink then got Violet a mug of coffee. Samson picked Lila up and put her on his right hip, his left hand holding the mug.

"We going up?" She blinked at him again, as she asked where he was taking her.

"The Capt'n wants some coffee, shall we take 'im some together?" He looked down at her precious face, as she looked up at him with those big, blue eyes of hers.

"I want to go where you go." She said it so matter of factually, he chuckled.

"Aye, aye, my little sweetkins." He held her tight as he navigated the stairs and deck, coming topside, he absorbed the rocking with his knees, trying to balance the liquid with the swells.

Violet was nuzzling his wife's neck, as Betsy closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on her nape and his warm breath on her cheek. Suddenly he laughed lowly, causing her to open her eyes and look back at him questioningly.

"Look what comes yonder." He directed his eyes in front of her, she turned to see Samson and Lila approaching the helm.

The sight of the bear of a man with the tiny girl in his arms, making Betsy "Awww" at how sweet they looked.

Lila had her arms wrapped around Samson's neck tightly, as her head lay upon his shoulder.

It amazed Betsy how the big man was able to navigate the swaying deck with a babe in one hand and a mug in his other. He moved so smoothly, it was as if he were one with the ship.

He came up to the helm, handed Vi his mug, and turned to go fetch his own, which he had gone down for in the first place.

Betsy laughed as Lila's smug little face peeked at her over the back of his shoulder.

"I think someone has an admirer." Violet observed the look also.

"T'would seem so, but I would wager, her appearance means the others will not be far behind her." Betsy held the wheel tight with both hands, as Vi now used one of his own to hold the brew.

"What would you know about wagering, my sweet?" Violet found humor in her statement. "Stay while I drink my coffee, then you can go below to check on them, I need you to keep us steady for a few moments." Violet let her hold the wheel on her own, as she was doing very well in spite of the heaving, rolling ocean. He stepped a little to the side of her and stroked her cheek with his free hand, as she smiled up at him quickly, then directed all her attention to holding their course.

Violet downed his coffee same as he did his tea, in one long swallow, then he set the mug in a hollowed out spot on the rail. He stood behind Betsy and went back to nuzzling her neck, he put his hands on her sides holding her tiny waist, then smoothing his hands up to her ribs. He brushed the sides of her bosom, as she tried to keep her eyes from drifting shut to more fully enjoy his caress. He kissed her jaw, seeing her nose wrinkle and her eyes narrow in concentration.

"Tis not fair, Violet." She chided him. "It is pulling away from me." She felt her own weakness as he chuckled deep in his chest and moved his hands to her arms, skimming down the length of them to put his hands atop hers, even as his body came in from behind to press fully against her.

She could feel the proof of his ardor against her backside, and she smirked as she wriggled against him the littlest bit.

He chuckled again, "Vixen."

"What?" She queried innocently, then she copied his mirth with a deep, soft chuckle of her own.

Violet had not been able to keep her in the dark for very long after leaving the isle. Nigh on a week ago, she had wanted to know all, and she had been pleasuring him with her caresses as he had taught her lessons about her own body at the same time. He had yet to consummate the wedding vows, yet he had not felt the dire need to do so, as they found other ways to please each other in the furs at night.

They had also spent time in the evenings reading her good book, talking about the things that plagued him, and sharing more of their experiences while they had been growing up. He had told her about when Josh had lost his father, what a blow that had been to his boyhood friend. How it had been at that funeral, seeing the devastating tears of Josh's mother, the heartbreak of his good friend, that Vi swore to himself he would never put himself in a small boat and try to take on the mighty ocean, fishing, as a way of life. He had shared with her how Marcus had taken them both under his wing when he came, and how Marcus had treated Josh just as well as he had treated himself.

She shared more about her time with her Papa, his parishioners, and the Lady Eleanore. Even sharing the story of Will and the dancing lesson. This brought about a dance or two in the privacy of their cabin, Violet humming an off key tune, as she laughed almost as much as she had with Will that day. She did not feel the need to tell Vi about Will trying to kiss her, she felt that a bit too recent, and as he never had accomplished his goal it did not really matter. Truly though, she believed Will had accomplished it, as she felt his goal had really been to tease her mercilessly. That part of her life had been very different from this part. There was something about being the hired help that differed vastly from being an actual member of a family. Violet knew he was the first to kiss her, the first to hold her in his embrace, the first to introduce her to love and it's pleasures. The first person she could call her very own family after so many years without her Papa.

Violet now knew he would stay on land and not sail away from her in the future, yet, he also felt it would only be right to have his dealings with the King, before he made her completely his. If he were to be hung for piracy, he did not want her to be encumbered with his child when she may have to go on without him. Vi knew he trusted God, that once she had grieved, the Lord would find her another love for her lifetime. It was definitely not something he wanted to think about, much less dwell upon, yet it was a cold, hard fact that it could happen.

At the moment, the boys started running their direction, so he stopped accosting his wife, and took a hand off of hers to rub her hip. "Go ahead and check on the babes, I will get Pete to take over here in a short time, and I will come find you."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he took possession of the helm again, kissing him softly along with a promise for later, as the boys came stomping up the steps.

"I will leave you gentlemen to it, then." She kissed Violet's cheek, then ruffled each boy's small head as she passed them on her way to the lower deck. She was surprised how much easier it was to walk now, after being on the swaying helm for a couple of hours. She walked into the sway of the ship, timing the swells shifting motion.

Violet watched her sashay across the deck, noting she had improved her stride. He had an image in his mind of those snug breeches under her shirt, and he smiled at her retreating form. He then gave his attention fully, to the jabbering youths that surrounded him.

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May your day be filled with love, my friends :)