The Duchess out of Time

XVIII

Upon the discovery of the treacherous letters that the Captain now had in his possession, he locked them all back up in their steel box and shoved it underneath his bed. Out of sight but certainly not out of mind. The Captain forbade Liz and Edward to breathe a word of this to the crew until he figured out what they were going to do. Edward didn't have any trouble following the order of his Captain as he retired for the night. Liz on the other hand couldn't get the letters out of her brain. What secrets did they hold? Could they do something to prevent a disaster from occurring?

The following day the Captain went about his day as though he had never found them. His cabin remained locked when he wasn't around, preventing Liz from having another peek at the letters. She wished she had spent more time focusing on translating them, than the wax seal. If she wanted to get her hands on a letter to discover its contents she had three options. One – she could pick the lock. Yeah right. She huffed to herself. She wasn't skilled in the art of picking locks; there was no way she was going to get in that way. Two – she could steal the keys of the Captain. I'm sure he will know something is up if he see's me within five feet of him. I don't even know where he keeps them hidden on his person. That eliminated that option. The only remaining option she figured was option three. She would have to sneak in when he was sleeping and hope he didn't lock his cabin door at night.

"What are you planning?" Edward asked her as he watched his sister with interest.

"Planning?"

"I know that look"

"I'm not planning anything" She sighed sagging her shoulders in defeat, as her brother wasn't sure if he truly believed her. Call it brotherly intuition. Edward spent the day keeping an eye on his sister at all times when he could but quickly lost interest as she spent the time hidden in her cabin with Henry. The young boy was beginning to get home sick. He had never been away from his mother this long before as he sobbed crying for Charlotte. Liz did her best to comfort him and distract him with stories, he was stubborn at first not wanting to listen, but soon the storyline was too thrilling for him to resist any longer.

"What happens next?" He asked nearly bouncing off the bed as Liz did her best to recall the storyline of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Henry soon became infatuated with the story of Captain Jack Sparrow and his magic compass that didn't point north but instead to the thing you most desired.

"Alright Captain Henry. Bed time" She called it as he groaned. The light had disappeared several hours ago and Liz throat was getting itchy from talking all day. Tucking him in she kissed his forehead before she went searching for a drink. The main deck was deserted as she made her below deck.

"Duchess? Still up at this hour?" Cookie was surprised to see the young woman as she gave him a tired smile.

"I just need a drink" She yawned as Cookie looked at the young woman with a nod. Dark circles had formed under her eyes as Cookie could see the strain that she had been under. It was slowly trying to catch up with her as she gave him a brave smile.

"I have just the thing" He promised as he prepared some warm tea. Handing it over to her Liz took blew it cool before she took a sip. Pausing at the taste in her mouth she gaze Cookie a sly smile.

"Ooooh Cookie, you sly fox"

"Don't tell the Captain" He winked as she happily finished her mixed tea. Cookie knew where that the Captain kept a small supply of whiskey below deck for emergencies. He had kindly poured a small portion into her tea, just a small amount to take the edge off her nerves. Liz kindly offered to assist Cookie with his clean up but the old cook wasn't having it. He was quick to shoo the young woman off to bed as Liz allowed him to kick her out of his kitchen.

Liz didn't even realise she had fallen asleep before she was awoken to a harsh kick in her side. Groaning, Liz rubbed the sleep from her eyes to see that Henry was upside down in the bed. He continued to snore unaware that he was kicking up towards Liz's head. He truly was her brother's son. He could sleep through a battle and not stir. Glancing at the sidewall, she wondered about the letters that were trapped underneath the Captain's bed. She was desperate to know the contents of the letters. What drove someone to commit treason? Now would be just a good a time as any. Her curiosity got the better of her as slipped out of bed. Leaving her boots behind she knew she would be quieter without them on.

Was the Captain a deep sleeper? Would she get caught? Slipping out of her room she made sure to be as quiet as possible as the door clicked behind her. Her feet were soft against the floor as she quietly turned the Captain's door. She was surprised to find it unlocked as the door eased open. She only needed to open it by a fraction as she slipped inside and shut it quietly behind her. Freezing for a couple of minutes she listened to deep peaceful breathing of the sleeping Captain. Slowly she turned to see him, scared that her movements could wake him.

He was lying on his stomach, his head buried in several pillows facing towards the wall, preventing her from finally seeing his face. Both his hands were hidden under his pillows as Liz swallowed at the sight of the man. His sheets were loosely covering his lower half, as it was clear to Liz that the man was naked. There was hardly any light shinning through the glass window as Liz slowly knelt down beside the bed. Her movements were painfully slow as she lifted the sheet to see under the bed. Stretching her arm out she just managed to grab a hold of the handle. There was a soft scratching sound against the floor as Liz stopped.

She heard a small shuffle of sheets above her, followed by a sleepy gruff before the deep breathing returned. Closing her eyes in relief, Liz was careful to pull the box out the rest of the way. She knew if she took the whole thing then he would know she had taken it. With one eye on the bed at all times, she eased the lid open and pulled out the top two letters before shutting it. Pushing the steel box back under the bed she turned to leave before she froze at the pressure of a knife to her throat.

"Duchess." His voice was raspy with sleep. The huskiness of his voice sent a shudder of desire down her spine. She was still currently kneeling on the ground, her back to the bed preventing her from seeing him. He was still lying on his bed, his face close to her ear she he took pleasure in watching her shudder beneath his grip. The Captain always slept with a knife under his pillow so he was always prepared to defend himself. He was actually a light sleeper and was conscious that she was awake when he heard her open her own cabin door.

"Captain." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, as she knew she had been caught.

"Unless you are here to warm my bed. Get out." He hissed out. He was a man of honour but at the end of the day he was still a man. There in his room, kneeling by his bed was a beautiful young woman in nothing but her nightshirt. Her long hair cascading over her shoulders in messy curls from wearing it in a braid for several days straight. She was temptation on a plate. His command to leave got her legs working as she lunged for the door only for a hand to slam it shut above her head.

"Duchess." His voice teasing her once again as her back stiffened at the feeling of his body pressing against her. She was trapped between him and the door and she knew that he was very naked behind her. Her nightshirt did nothing to hide the warmth that was seeping from him as he bent down his head towards her ear once again. His nose skimming her neck slightly as her breathing increased.

"The letters." He whispered enjoying the fun he was having. Licking her dry lips, Liz lifted the letters she had stolen to a position where he leaned over to take them from her.

"If you do this again, your brother won't be able to save you from what punishment I have planned. Do you understand?" He warned her. Wether the punishment would have been one of pain or pleasure the Captain didn't know and neither did Liz.

"Yes." Her voice was breathless in response before his grip on the door lifted allowing her to flee back to her room. At no point was Liz willing to turn to catch a glimpse of the Captain's face. She didn't want to hang around for another moment. With her back pressed against her own cabin door she breathed out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her heart was racing uncomfortably in her chest. She wasn't a fool, she had been caught and Liz grew concerned for what he would have in store for her tomorrow.