Charting A New Course

Chapter 3

                 

"My heart's against your chest, your lips pressed in my neck. I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet."

-Kiss Me, Ed Sheeran

It had been nearly two weeks since Charles Vane had taken up residence in her father's dungeon and Honora had to admit that she'd never been happier. Every morning she brought him breakfast and they followed the same routine for supper. Somewhere along the way, Honora had taken to eating with him in his cell every night. Lord Spencer had never been one for family meals and she enjoyed the company. She had never been able to open up to anyone the way she had been able to with Charles. Over the past weeks Honora had shared nearly every detail about her life – including her mother's death when Honora was only eight years old. There's so much about her that I've longed to share with someone, she thought. I just never thought that someone would be a notorious pirate. Vane had also been surprisingly open with her. He had told her stories of the crew, his life at sea, how he had escaped the hangman more than once. Yet, Charles hadn't breathed a word about his personal life and Honora found that she craved more. She wanted to know what made him into the man he was. A man that, if she was honest with herself, she knew that she was quickly falling for. In an effort to protect herself from the pain of disappointment, she had never allowed anyone to get this close. However, Charles gained her trust faster than she anticipated. Something about his eyes, the way he treated her with such kindness despite her father's actions, and his gratuity for such simple acts made her believe that there was much more to him than the stories she had overheard. There must be more to him than meets the eye. Something I can fully appreciate. As Honora made her way to the kitchens to procure their nightly meal she was snapped out of her reverie by her least favorite voice.

"What in God's name did you say to Commander Bolton last night at his commendation ceremony?"

"Nothing," Honora said, spinning around to face her father.

"Nothing," Lord Spencer replied, laughing sarcastically. "You couldn't keep your mouth shut if you wanted to."

"I said nothing because I did not attend Commander Bolton's ceremony. I refuse to socialize with that maggot," she said fiercely, fire behind her eyes.

"You, little..." her father muttered as he reached out and grabbed her by the arm. The next thing Honora knew, she was on the ground clutching her stinging face.

"He is the best marriage prospect you have, and far better than you deserve, so you had best warm up to the idea," Lord Spencer spat as he stood over her.

As Honora listened to his footsteps retreating back down the corridor, she wiped the tears from her face. She wasn't crying from the blow – that wasn't anything new in their father-daughter relationship – but from the idea of marriage. Any man that her father approved of was likely to treat her the same way as he did. Honora simply shook her head, trying to rid herself of the notion. Thoughts for another day, she told herself as she ran her tongue over her now-bruised lip. However, she knew that her judgment day was coming soon and Honora was unsure of anything that could stop it.

After arriving at the entry to the dungeon, Honora had to pause before opening the door to gather herself. Once she had gathered the courage to have Charles see her in this state, Honora descended the staircase with their supper for the evening. As she reached the bottom and came into the light she saw Charles' usual smile disappear. Looking at the anger in his eyes, Honora could finally see the man who inspired so much fear.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, his voice reverberating off the stone walls.

As she opened his cell she kept her eyes downcast, ashamed at appearing weak in front of such a brave man. Charles allowed her to lay out the food in silence but when she rose again, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Finally, she looked up when she heard his voice soften.