and here's the rest:
She moistened her lips. Part of her nearly settled to kill him and have done with it—throw the body out the window, forget him and the life he represented to her.
“If you’re going to kill me, please be my guest. I have no plans to fight. I’ve been killed by you before, and I suppose I could stand it again.”
He was so different. That was why she couldn’t speak. If it weren’t for the voice, she wouldn’t have recognized him. He seemed ancient, aged greatly in worldly wisdom, and weary of everything. His garments were exceedingly rich, his skin darker than she remembered, his hair in a single braid. Rings gleamed from his fingers, a diamond encrusted brooch adorned his cloak. And his eyes were dim, sardonic, almost dead. She set down both swords and stepped closer.
“Jack… Where have you been?”
“Does it matter?”
“Mother of God, Jack” she exploded, “I searched to the ends of the earth for you! People swore you were dead! I needed you, and where were you? Where have you been?”
“Everywhere,” he said tiredly, as if it had been quite troublesome.
“And what’s happened to you?”
“Everything.” His smile was haunted.
“Jack, you mustn’t play games with me, I’ll simply die. I’ve been pretending for five wretched miserable years and if you insist on parrying I’ll kill you!”
“Your impulsive side is coming back, I see,” he remarked casually.
“How did you find me?”
“An old friend of yours. Gibbs.”
“He brought me here,” Elizabeth stammered, “years ago.”
“So he did.”
“You knew?”
“Perhaps.”
Instead of rage, she felt nothing but the sharp sting of abandonment. She swallowed and tried not to burst into tears. “Why didn’t you come for me?”
“Come and rescue the Pirate King? The wife of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman? The proud Governor’s daughter who tricked me and plagued me and killed me? Why indeed?”
“You knew I needed you. I searched for you everywhere. I had messages sent.” Her gaze was sharp with accusations.
“Let’s not fight now,” he said, surprising her yet again. He seemed suddenly overcome with exhaustion, and he stumbled to the bed and sat. Tentatively, she joined him. “I’m not the man I was then.”
“I never knew you that well anyway,” she grinned. “You never let me.”
“You knew more than most,” he said, matching her smile. He studied her face, and reached with a gloved hand to trace its lines. “It would seem you had found the fountain of youth, and not me.”
“Have you found it, Jack?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement and envy.
“Oh yes, years ago. I’ve found everything there is to find, my dear. Every treasure, every mystery discovered. Every enemy cowed—for good. Every lust satisfied.”
Except one, Elizabeth was tempted to say. But she held her tongue. No use talking of lusts satisfied when she sweated and writhed through the nights, unsatisfied. His voice was so cultured, his movements so calculated. How old he seemed! She remembered the springy walk that had once amused her, the rough words, the tangle of dark braids, the smell of salt and sweat that used to travel with him. Now he smelled of cigar smoke and cologne. She wondered, were she to look beneath his embroidered jacket, whether the tell-tale scars would still be there or whether the years had removed them as well. “And you?” He asked softly. “What strange adventures have you had since last I saw you?”
“Only one adventure. My son…” She stammered. “I have a son.”
“William,” Jack said brusquely. “I know. Asleep in the next room.” They both looked at the floor. “I would never have pictured you as a mother.”
“I would never have pictured you as the wealthy, cultured man you seem to have become.”
He looked at her sideways out of his long dark eyes. “A perfect English lady you are now. Quite proper in every way. You were so ready to be married, but I fear this isn’t quite what you had in mind.”
Elizabeth bit her lip and did not give him the satisfaction of replying.
“It’s a pity. You have beauty and passion. You might have made some man exceedingly happy. But your bed is empty, isn’t it?”
Elizabeth blushed. Could Jack read her frustration and loneliness so easily? Would he exploit them, would he tempt her as he once had? Another glance at him assured Elizabeth he wouldn’t. He seemed leagues away from her. Of course, he still thought her beautiful. But from his implications, Elizabeth assumed he wouldn’t be taken in by a pretty face so easily anymore. It seemed he had had his fill of women, some perhaps much more beautiful than she.
A moment passed. Jack seemed to choose his words carefully when he said, “Are you disappointed with life?”
Yes, beyond all else, yes, Elizabeth thought. “I don’t regret the choices I have made,” she said steadily. “But every day I wake up and wish I was dead.”
He smiled briefly. “I thought as much.” He pulled out a pocket watch and studied it. “Time presses. The ship is in the harbour, ready to sail. We leave tonight. Are you coming along?”
Her heart surged with disappointment when Jack said he was leaving, and then swooped back up at the question he posed. She tried to force herself to think clearly. “What do you mean?”
“There’s one last adventure to be had,” he said, and spark of life came into his eyes. That spark was seductive beyond belief— he knew the word adventure was her greatest weakness. “I’ve obtained a map to the counterpart to my old compass. If found, it will not only show you your heart’s desire, but bring it to you instantly, make you the sole possessor of it forever. Whatever your heart desires, yours.”
She drew a sharp breath. He knew too well how to maneuver and manipulate her. She could hardly breath. “I can’t Jack… my son is here, my family.”
“Yes, your family,” he sneered. “Listen to me, Elizabeth Turner. You’ll never see me again if you don’t come now. I’ll never come back to this country. You must decide now what you want. Leave the boy; he’ll be well taken care of, given a good education. In five years you can come back for him, take him to meet his father, take him to hell if you like. I’ll not waste another minute here. Take off that ridiculous corset, put on a cloak and follow me out this window or you’ll spend the rest of your life clinking tea cups with the dukes of all boredom. Savvy?”
His words were proud and harsher than steel. Elizabeth stopped thinking. There was nothing else to be done. She met his eyes for a moment, and that was all she needed. With a quick movement, she unbuttoned the bodice of the heavy gown she wore, stepping out of it to reveal the too-tightly laced corset. Jack tilted his head to admire her body, and then pulled out a jeweled dagger. He stepped closer. Elizabeth’s heart pounded. With a smooth motion, he reached out and slit the strings of her corset from top to bottom, dropping it on the floor beside her.
“Much better,” he said, replacing the dagger. He stepped onto the window ledge, swung it open, and then held out his hand to her. “My lady,” was his dark invitation. Elizabeth glanced back towards the hallway, towards the room where her son slept. And then she turned back, her face set, and took his hand.