Thirty Two Part Four

While the men and boys took their strings of fish up to the house, to clean and filet for the cook, Elizabeth walked with the King over towards Brutus. The tall, well muscled man was attempting to lay a blanket upon the grass.

He and Margaret had chosen a mature tree to sit beneath, Margaret stood aside waiting, while Brutus fussed about, straightening out the corners.

"Brutus!" Margaret whispered fiercely.

Elizabeth held the King's arm, and they were wandering over to where Margaret waited.

Brutus stood and acknowledging their presence, he bowed his head at the King.

"Sire, this is Margaret," Betsy told the King quietly, as she saw that the babe still slept. "And this, is her son, Daniel."

Shyly acknowledging the introduction, Margaret lifted her eyes from the ground slowly, after dipping shallowly at the man.

The King's eyes were kind, an interest shown in his dark, curious orbs as he lifted a brow in question, receiving Margaret's slight nod.

The King moved the light cover away a bit, to see the babe a little better.

Brutus came to stand behind Margaret, almost possessively, but most definitely supportively.

The King smiled upon the couple, as they made a fine looking one, and the babe was also a beautiful child.

A perfect cherub's face, rounded, chubby cheeks, a tiny bowed mouth, his thick shock of black hair bringing an indulgent smile to the King's face. "Brutus, I did not know you were wed."

Margaret's eyes flew wide and her mouth did also, before she slapped her lips back together, as Brutus spoke.

Margaret felt heat crawling up her chest, she took a few shallow breaths, wishing the embarrassment away as her face became violently aflame.

The King thought her bastard son, who she, herself, could not say who his father was.... The King had thought Brutus to be Daniel's father.

Margaret wanted to disappear into the ground.

She willed a hole to open up and swallow her whole.

"I am not, Sire," Brutus replied regretfully, "Margaret came by way of the Green Eyed Lady, with the Duchess." Brutus looked down upon her dark head, "She lived upon the island Bailey owned."

Margaret looked down at the ground, then her eyes darted to her shoulder, as she felt Brutus' hand settle lightly upon her. "She is a survivor, Sire." Brutus said with pride in his voice, "I felt she could use a day of ease."

Brutus came forward a step to stand beside her, Margaret risked a peek at his face, and Brutus winked at her, before turning back to the King.

She had been ready to disappear.

Until Brutus placed his hand upon her shoulder, giving her a temporary anchor.

Until Brutus opened his mouth and praised her as an overcomer.

Until Brutus winked at her and made her want to cry at his loveliness.

The King realized he had embarrassed her, "My apologies, I thought the boy looked as you, Brutus." The King admitted his mistake, "It is my pleasure, Margaret, a fine looking boy you have there."

She risked a glance at the King, he was sincere in apologizing for his blunder.

"Thank you." Margaret whispered quietly, while looking down upon Daniel. The King was right, he was a fine looking boy.

"We shall leave you to his nap, then." The King and Betsy moved off behind them, wandering over to the fence a ways away, to watch the sheep graze in their meadow.

Brutus could hear Elizabeth's laughter as she watched the lambs tripping over one another at their play.

Brutus turned to Margaret, smiling, wanting her to know he was not in any way upset by the King's assumption. He had actually felt proud, and strangely enough, he had wished he could answer in the affirmative.

Margaret had no idea how very sweet she was to Brutus.

He saw nothing of her past when he gazed upon her, he simply saw her bravery and beauty.

Brutus was determined to make her look at herself differently, also. It pained him that she did not know her own worth.

Margaret spoke softly, as she laid the babe down in the middle of the blanket, sitting down beside him. "Imagine, he thought I was your wife, and that Daniel was your son."

I can imagine it, Margaret.

Brutus simply smiled an indulgent smile at her, knowing there were no words, at this point, she would accept. None that would smooth it over and relieve her.

Brutus sat on the other side of the babe, one knee cocked up to rest his elbow upon.

"He is a very good nap taker, all of this activity, and not a peep." Brutus smiled, trying to distract Margaret and change the subject.

"He has since he was born," Margaret laughed softly, looking down, sifting the hair upon Daniel's head with her fingertips. "I fear he is resting up for what may come later." She had a playfully, fearful look upon her face.

Brutus wondered how she would manage. "What will you do with him when you must work? Have you any ideas?"

"I do not know....... I have never had a child before, Brutus." She spoke softly and honestly, for she had not a clue what she would do.

"Was it hard for you aboard ship?" Brutus asked softly, "To care for him while at sea?"

"No more than usual, he sleeps much of the time still. He slept as the dead upon ship, actually." Margaret furrowed her brows, "I believe he liked the motion." She smiled in remembrance, "Once I became accustomed to the motions of the ship, I found it soothing myself." Margaret smiled across the babe, at the handsome man beside her.

His blue, black hair was worn in a queue, his sky blue eyes were framed by long, thick, satiny black lashes. His face was very attractive, masculine. He shaved daily, his cheeks and lip were smooth and tanned.

And he deserved so much better than she.

"I too, am comfortable upon the seas. I find it hard to sleep on land any longer, usually in port we simply stay aboard ship at night." Brutus thought back, "It has been years since I slept in a bed that did not move one way or another."

They both found this amusing.

"Did you run into any storms after we left you?" Brutus lay back upon an elbow, soaking up what little sun came through the canopy and hit his face.

"Only the one that shipwrecked us, that was not pleasant." Margaret remembered the ship lurching onto the reef, all of them scrambling aboard the skiffs, the rough seas while holding the babe as they made their way to shore.

"We have no set destination, usually, at any given time," Brutus shared, "we tended to be able to avoid the storms. If Trent had been given time, the other side of the island was sheltered, it would have been a good place to anchor and wait it out."

"So tell me about your pirating business, I am assuming you received your pardon from the King." Margaret's eyes sparkled mischievously, as she looked over her shoulder, at the man standing with Betsy.

"Yes," Brutus laughed, again softly, "As I told you, I am now Captain of the ship." Brutus went on to tell her of Violet's goal, and of his own part he would play in bringing them children to care for, or to find their families.

"So you have been rescuing children all these years?" Margaret asked with wonder.

"We have tried our very best to save as many as we could." Brutus assured her.

"If I would have known that, I would have found a way to ask your help." Margaret thought of all the times the Wench had been docked at Bailey's island.

Paying their due, or taking on supplies, to think she may could have had help that close, and not known it.

"I did not even think about the people who served Bailey. We wondered about the duchess, she was seen standing on the balcony staring out to sea," Brutus felt horrible of a sudden, "I just never thought....."

"Still, I wish I could have helped you."

His eyes, still filled with remorse, begged her forgiveness.

"And I wish we could have all stowed away on your ship." Margaret smiled slightly, trying to lighten Brutus' mood.

"Would you like to walk down to the water? We can hear him if he wakes." Brutus suggested.

"Alright."

Brutus rose and held out his hand, she allowed him to assist her to rise, then she took her hand from his, walking beside him to the water's edge.

"So, thanks being to the papers I now hold, I am now a privateer for the King. He wants me, and my crew, to continue what we were doing, but now I shall not be counted a criminal for doing so."

Brutus was glad of this, she could tell.

"It is what you wanted?" Margaret asked him, her eyes sweeping the surface of the lake.

"I could not have prayed any more specifically, nor received a more precise answer," Brutus nodded once, "It is more than I dared to hope for."

Margaret smiled at him, "I am happy for you, and your men."

"I would like to be able to continue to see you until I leave port," Brutus worded his request carefully, his clear, blue eyes imploring, "Most of our hours shall be spent fortifying the ship. I have no time to make acquaintances, would it be too much to ask.....?"

"I allowed we could be friends, Brutus, I would be glad to see you before you leave."

"You see, I am asking for more than that, Margaret. I am asking for dinners out and walks of an eve."

Brutus lifted her hair from her shoulder, "I am asking if I could take you places and have companionship, as there is nowhere to go to dinner, or for a walk, for that matter, once at sea."

Margaret giggled at the picture he made, a walk of an eve aboard ship, consisted of going around in circles, she knew that much.

"You may count on me, Brutus, what else are friends for?" She laid a hand upon his bicep, and moved around behind him, letting her hand slide off and drop to her side as she walked along the shore away from him.

She did not see his gaze linger hungrily where her hand had touched his arm.

Brutus closed his eyes to absorb the feeling her touch invoked. Just that second of touch convincing him even more that she was the one for him, as the feeling was just as it had been in his dream.

Brutus sent a prayer skyward and turned to follow the raven haired maid.

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Violet kept up a steady pace, he was now down to one of the Duke's men, and the last few hours of his journey he would be on his own.

He would be alone, fully armed, and he would not hampered by a Lady and a responsibility to her well being.

Violet took note of the landscape as he rode, wondering what it would be like where he and Elizabeth would decide to call home.

He was making good time, and may arrive before dusk if nothing untoward happened.

Though, it did not seem nearly quick enough, he resolved to hold a steady pace, as the miles passed beneath him.

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