Sea Pearl

         Teresa Radcliff awoke with a start to a peculiar sound.  She heard a loud crash almost as if a cannon had hit a house or something to that extent. She then jumped at what she thought was a gunshot and got out of bed dawning her silk robe as she rushed outside of her window onto her balcony. She let out a surprised gasp as she looked at the scene in front of her. Port Chesterfield was under siege. She looked to the docks and she felt her throat constrict at the pirate ship flying their Jolly Roger flag. She turned and ran searching her room for her dagger. She found it under her mattress, but she was suddenly jolted by the sound of a squeal from the housemaid, Rosalyn, down stairs. She ran to her wardrobe and hid there as the sounds of clunky boots on the stairs alerted her that someone was coming upstairs. She heard the pirates burst into her room, and she could hear their grunts and confused sounds as they looked around.
         “Where did she go?”
         She heard the steady walking of someone and it sounded like someone was walking towards her bed. “The sheets are still warm. Search the entire house, she couldn’t have gotten far.” She heard the deep richly handsome sounding vibrato of the man that was so obviously in charge. She heard another set of footsteps and they were getting closer. She backed into the wardrobe and instantly gave away her hiding place as a squeak sounded from the wardrobe. She looked up and screamed when the door was opened and the cynical face looked down on her. “Hello poppet.” She lunged at the man with her dagger and slashed at him, but all she could get in was a good cut to the face as he grabbed her and slung her to the ground where she fought the man. She heard him let out a nice loud curse as she elbowed him in the stomach, but he still managed to get her under control.
         “We’ve got her boys. Bring me that gag and blindfold.” He said loudly. She let out a soft whimper when another man ran in and quickly bound, gagged, and blindfolded her. “Now, you’ll be a nice little consolation prize for the captain.” She heard him say as he picked her up. She thrashed about roughly as she he carried her, but it was just causing her pain with the tight ropes around her hands. “Stop that, unless you just want to bloody up your wrists.” He said angrily, and she knew he was right so she cooperated.
         She felt herself being lifted into a saddle and she felt the man get on the horse behind her. She felt his muscular hard arms wrap around her so that he can hold the reins. “Now, don’t try anything funny unless you just want to fall off the horse and kill yourself.” He whispered into her ear. He let out a soft laugh as she shied away from his voice uselessly. “Oh, don’t you worry, Poppet. I’m not going to hurt you.” He said gently yet there was a mocking tone to his voice. He ran a hand through her silky yet tousled black hair. He smirked at the sound of her soft whimper at his soft touch. He then led the group of men back to the ship where the pirates were all retreating.
         Soon enough she heard the sounds of the ocean and she felt herself being pulled out of the saddle and walked up a plank onto a ship. “Here, she’s all yours, but you’ll not force her without the captain’s say so.” The voice said gruffly handing her over to a group of the ship.
         She felt herself being handed off and she could feel hands groping all over her and then suddenly she was shoved off to another man and they did that to her for a while.


         Jacob Turner watched the young maiden be man handled. He hated having to do it to her, but he didn’t have much choice. All the men where eying her lustily, but since he was the first mate they would do as he said unless it undermined the captain. He watched the poor girl as she whimpered and cried at the feel of hands running through her black hair or try and rise up the skirt of her gown and robe to get a little feel. She kicked at one man who attempted that and he couldn’t help, but like the feistiness of her attitude. He ran a hand along the new scar that she had given him with her dagger.
         She most certainly knew how to defend herself. That fact was for certain. He had cleaned the small wound up and taken care of it how it needed to be. He looked to the city of Port Chesterfield as the ship cast off for the open sea.  He heard the familiar sound of a limp and turned to see the menacing appearing Captain Baggins. “Captain.” Jacob said in that rich vibrato that matched his handsome appearance so well.
         “Turner.” The captain said as he walked over and watched the group of men handling the girl. He chuckled. “They haven’t torn her apart yet?” He asked gently.
         “Only because I told them not to.” Jacob said his hazel eyes falling on the haggard and grizzled man that would soon turn captaincy of the Triton over to him.
         “Good, lad. Very smart.” He said gently watching the group.

         
         Everyone froze at the sound of the captain’s familiar limping footsteps. Teresa shook uncontrollably as the footsteps came closer and closer. The grizzled man watched her gently then took off her blindfold looking into the frightened depths of the indigo eyes that the governor’s daughter had. She let out a frightened whimper and he reached a gnarled hand out and untied the gag and played with a lock her tousled black hair. “What be yer name, lass?” He asked in a deep grumble of a voice that was very much intimidating and natural as well.
         She backed away only to be pushed back to him. “T...Teresa.” She said gently and shakily looking at the ragged man. She looked away scared that just looking at him might hurt her. “Please, sir, just let me go.” She pleaded gently looking up at him. “What could you possibly want with me?” She asked him as he continued to play with her hair.
         He smiled cynically. “You’d be surprised, Lovey.” He said gently, but then something caught his attention. She had a chain around her neck. He followed it down to where the gown so wonderfully stopped to see half of a broken medallion with “Together” in Latin written on it. He reached down at it and ripped it off feeling satisfied that she gasped at the gesture. “Where did you get this?” He asked harshly looking up at her.
         She shied away from him some and looked at the necklace. “It was my mothers.” She said gently looking up at him confused.
         His gaze went back down to the necklace before turning. He looked at two of his men. “Take her to Turner’s cabin. I do not wish to have her and she will be treated right there. If I hear anything about you doing anything other than touching so help me God I’ll let Turner slit your throat.” He said harshly before walking away. Everyone on the ship knew that though Turner wasn’t exactly a moral man he did show respect to women and didn’t treat them like a piece of meat. She watched him confused then felt herself being grabbed by a set of hands and she was led bellow deck through a narrow hall into spacious sleeping quarters. They chained her foot to the bed giving her enough chain to move around a little. They even locked the door in case she was to manage to get out of her chains. She didn’t move from her spot though. Instead, she curled up on the big soft bed shaking in fright. She thought she knew exactly what was going to happen to her. She was going to be raped and be a sex slave to the ship and never see her father again. Her robe had been ripped off her and her gown was torn and tattered from being man handled.
         Would she ever see her home again? And why had that man reacted how he had at the sight of her mother’s medallion? It had been given to her because her mother had died giving birth to her. Her father seldom had talked of her. Only when she asked him about her and even then his answers were somehow unfinished.
         She felt herself slowly drifting off.
         
         Jacob unlocked the door of his quarters and slowly stepped in. He saw her curled up asleep on his bed and quietly made his way to her. He sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. He watched her sleep for a while before he stood and pulled the blanket up over her taking notice to her torn tattered gown. He would have to see if the captain had anything she could wear till they made their next port stop.
         He looked down at her in thought. She may have had dirt smudged on her face from the crew members and a tattered sleeping gown on, but he couldn’t help, but notice her beauty. She looked so peaceful sleeping. He remembered the terror in her eyes when he had opened the wardrobe doors and this sleeping beauty and horrified maiden seemed to be two completely different women. He sighed and walked over to a small bed niche that was hidden by a curtain.
         As he turned away from her, Teresa’s eyes fluttered open and she looked over at him. She watched as he peeled away his shirt and pulled off his boots. She felt her heart constrict at the sight of his broad shoulders and long muscular arms. She froze when she saw his hands reach down to his breeches and she closed her eyes and turned over.
         He looked over his shoulders at her when he heard the sound of rustling sheets. He watched as she seemed to go back to sleep for a while then he opened the curtain and lay down on the small bed in the niche and he went to sleep. He could hear her movements and he didn’t get much sleep for a while, but then he finally dozed off.
         Teresa awoke sometime during the daylight and looked out a window in thought then she climbed out and then discovered that her chain wasn’t quite long enough and she fell remembering that she had been chained to the bed. She curled up and scooted to the bed and nuzzled her face into her knees feeling tears welling up in her soft eyes.
         Jacob emerged quietly and quickly pulled on his breeches. He had heard her fall and it had awakened him, but now he saw her all huddled up against the bed crying. He sighed and walked over to her. He had just barely touched her when she shied away. “Don’t. Please, don’t.” She murmured gently at the feel of his rough calloused hand on her bare shoulder. Her strap had been torn and the one that hadn’t was just barely holding the gown onto her petite yet curvy frame.
         “I don’t want to hurt you, honestly.” He said gently brushing hair over her shoulder. He looked into her deep indigo eyes when she lifted her face and looked into his deep hazel eyes. She felt herself being trapped in by them and looked away shaking gently now. He noticed and looked around then back to her. “I suppose you would like some knew cloths?” He asked gently watching her.
         She looked back up at him and nodded her head gently. “Yes, sir.” She said gently glancing at him then down at her legs.
         “Please, call me Jake.” He said gently as he stood and held out his hands to help her up. She looked up at him then down at his hands and she very slowly and hesitantly took them. He easily helped her up and she reached up holding the gown to herself in a self-conscious attempt to hide herself. He noticed it and nodded gently. “Now if you promise not to cause any tom-foolery then I’ll gladly unchain you and you can come with me.” He said gently awaiting a reply. She seemed to weigh her options for a while. She finally looked at him and nodded her head gently.
         He smiled and reached into a pocket on his breeches and pulled out a key. He then bent over and gently took her ankle and turned it so he could see and unlocked it. He then stood straight up and went to put on a shirt. He looked at her as she nervously looked around. “What is your name? All I know is your surname.” He said gently watching her.
         She looked up at him then down at the floor. “Teresa.” She said softly looking back up at him.
         “That’s a lovely name.” He said gently. She nodded not saying anything. He just acknowledged it as her thanks.

         Captain James Baggins looked up at the sound of the knock on his cabin door. He looked up to see Jacob sticking his head out behind the door. “You may enter, Turner.” He said in a gruff voice as he looked back down to the map that lay in front of him on the desk. He looked back up in time to see Teresa enter with Jacob’s hand on her arm. “Aye, and what be the honor of having Miss Radcliff in my presence?” He asked in a mocking tone as he made a teasing bow to her.
         Teresa stiffened and held back a sharp remark, but it was only because she felt  Jacob squeeze her arm warningly when he had felt her tension in her arm muscles. Jacob looked from her to the captain. “I thought you might have some clothes that she could wear other than the night gown that the crew so viciously torn up.” He said gently looking at James.
         “As a matter of fact I have a few things that would be suitable for her time on the ship.” The gruff old man said as he walked over to a closet. He opened it to reveal a closet full of women’s clothing ranging from beautiful gowns to simple chemise and corset dresses. The sight brought a surprised gasp from Teresa. James looked to her and held out a beckoning hand. “Come here, Poppet.” He said gently looking at her.
         When she felt Jacob release her from his strong grip she moved to the old grizzled man still gazing at the closet full of clothing in wonder. She reached out and ran a hand down a lovely white gown made with white lace. James reached out to some dresses on his side and pulled out a chemise that had a corset wrapped gently around it. “The corset isn’t meant to be worn to where you can’t breath. It’s really just to keep you from falling out of the chemise.” He said gently handing it to her. She looked down at the lavender colored silk chemise then to the black lace corset that was trimmed in the same shade of lavender. It was absolutely beautiful even if it was just a simple chemise and a corset. She looked up to James timidly then to Jacob then back down at the outfit. “We’ll leave you to change. I have a few things I must attend to.” He said as he stepped out of his quarters. “Turner, help her with anything else she might need.” He instructed before closing the door.
         Jacob looked to her questioningly. “If you want I can step out to allow you to change.” He said gently looking at her. She nodded and he took that as her answer so he stepped out and closed the door.
         Her gaze traveled around the room as she began to change. She took in the small details as well as the large ones. She walked to the door and knocked on it gently then stepped back. Jacob came in a minute later and looked down to her. She turned around so he could see the back. Jacob noticed that the corset needed to be secured so he reached to the bottom of the corset taking the lavender laces into his hand. He gently tightened it, but not so much that she couldn’t breathe.
         As he tied the corset a picture caught her eyes. It was a sketch of her mother. Her brows furrowed at the sight of it. She slowly moved away from Jacob to the picture and she lifted it looking closer. “Who… who is this?” She asked looking up to Jacob questioningly.
         Jacob watched her curiously then looked to the picture. “That’s the late Mrs. Baggins. The captain’s wife is more like it though.” He said gently looking to her with a curious note to his eyes.
         “That can’t … that can’t be.” She said in a shaky tone as she set the picture down and looked back up at him.
         “And why is that?” He asked gently with a confused tone.
         “Because that’s my mother.”

         Captain Baggins returned to his cabin later to find Turner sitting at his desk. He had sent Teresa back to his quarters where she was to remain until he returned. “What do you need Jake?” The old grizzled man asked as he sat at the edge of his bed.
         “Is it true that your wife was Teresa’s mother?”
         “Unfortunately, yes, she is.”
         “Then you don’t plan on giving her back to the governor do you?”
         “Not now. I don’t. I didn’t know it was my little Teresa until I saw her mother’s medallion.” He said gently as he reached under his scruffy shirt and pulled out the other half of the medallion that matched the one that Teresa worn around her neck.
         “Then what’s the plan now?” He asked angrily standing up.
         “Well, since we destroyed half the city in order to be successful in the kidnapping they will take long enough for us to get out of their tracks to escape. We took out all their ships.” The old man said smiling gently.
         “Aye, but what do you plan on doing about Teresa?” He asked gently.
         “I’m not sure. I’ll find something to do about her, but I will not hand her back to that monster that killed her mother.” He said angrily looking to the picture.
         Jacob noticed the longing look in his eyes. He had seen it many times since he joined the crew of the Triton, but he recognized it. “What really happened to Ardith, Sir?” He asked curiously.
         “One night when we were living in Port Chesterfield, the governor decided that there would be a pirate raid. By that time Teresa was a few months old. When the governor and his troops came into the house I resisted arrest and they pulled guns out. Ardith jumped out in front a bullet just in time for it to kill her instead of me. So they sent me to prison to be hanged while the governor took Teresa away to be raised by him. I wanted to ring his neck.” He said gently looking up to Jacob. “I escaped my fate and here I am now.” He said gently looking out one of his windows.
         Jacob watched him for a moment then looked down at the floor. “What am I supposed to do about Teresa?” He asked looking back up at him.
         “Whatever you want, Lad. If she’s anything like her mother, she’s well worth spending your time with, and I don’t just mean in the bed.” He said looking back to Jacob smiling. Jacob nodded and stepped out of the quarters to leave the captain to his thoughts and returned to his own quarters to check on Teresa.
         When he opened the door she was sitting on his bed in the niche with a book in hand reading. Her gaze left the book a moved to him, but she quickly went back to reading. He watched her as he went to look out his window for a moment. He looked out the window for a moment trying to debate what to tell her. “What exactly does your captain have planned for me?” She asked gently.  She knew very well that the captain tied to her somehow. The way he had reacted to her broken medallion and the fact that he had sketches of her mother in his private quarters were clear signs.
         Jacob turned to look at her for a moment. He watched as she slowly set the book down in his lap. “I’m not quite sure.” He said gently looking at her then to the book. “What are you reading?” He asked gently moving closer to her. She looked down at the book.
         “Oh, just some little book of folklore.” She said gently looking up at him then back to the book. She felt the bed shift and she looked up to see him sitting on the edge.  “I… found it in your nightstand.” She said gently looking down at the book for a moment. She shifted nervously then looked back up at him. “I hope you don’t mind.”
         He smiled and shook his head. “Not at all.” He said smiling gently. She was a most interesting creature. That was for certain.
         Her gaze lifted and met with his, but quickly fled to the words of the book, but they no longer had any meaning. She shifted away from him as she slowly closed the book and looked back to him. "Why have you kidnapped me? Surely I am not worth anything to you and your captain."
         If only the girl knew just how much she was worth to James Baggins. His long lost daughter, and she didn't even know that he was her father. "You would be surprised." He said as he stood and walked about his cabin. He sat at the desk looking at a map thoughtfully before he looked back up at her. She was watching him with a curious, questioning gaze. "What did your father tell you about your mother?" He asked gently watching her.
         She shifted gently frowning, reaching up to where her broken medallion would be. "That she died giving birth to me." She said softly looking about the cabin when she finally lowered her hand. She looked back to him then down to her hands, wishing horribly she was home.
         Jake just studied her. He did not say anything. She did not know the truth. He hadn't expected her to. Her 'father' had kept many secrets from her and told her many lies of her true past. She did not know that her real father was one of the greatest pirates in all the seven seas. He would not be the one to tell her either.
         
         The next few days went by slowly for most everyone. The men were acutely aware of the lovely flower that was technically a prisoner to the ship, but they were not allowed to touch. What they didn't know was that Captain Baggins was trying to play match maker with Jake and the lovely Teresa. James wasn't going to admit it, but he'd had his suspicions of the lovely Teresa Radcliff before they'd kidnapped her, and now they were confirmed. He wasn't going to tell Jake that now. He had lied to the boy. He knew exactly what he would do. He was going to tell Teresa the truth. That her mother had been killed by the man she thought to be her father.
         Grey eyes watched her now. It was like watching  Ardith's ghost. He had said the day that Teresa was born that she looked like Ardith and Ardith had laughed. If she were still alive she would not laugh now though. Teresa was every inch of her mother, right up to the love of the ocean. He could see that just watching her. When she wasn't hiding from the men in Jake's cabin, she was at the rail, watching the ocean.
         She did have a love for the ocean. Teresa had begged her father on many occasions to take her with him on journeys across the sea, and now that she was finally riding on a boat, she felt oddly at ease. Even with the cut-throat pirates just feet away from her. This was where she belonged. Her father never seemed to understand that. No amount of begging and pleading swayed the man. There had been many times that she wondered where she got her love for the ocean from.
         She snapped out of her reverie at the sound of a limping Captain James Baggins. She turned her head to him slowly, studying him though curious indigo eyes. He smiled at her gently and gave a slight bow, as much as his crippled leg would allow. "Good morning, m'lady." He greeted brightly as he stood straight again. He did not doubt that she did not wish to speak with him. "Aww, do not be like that, lass." He murmured softly as he played with some of the dark hair that hung down her back.
         "What will you do with me?" She asked ever so softly, a husky tone in her throat.
         He studied her for a moment, wondering how they would go about this. "Let me show you something, Miss Radcliff." He said holding out his hand for hers. She looked to him and eyed his hand then him suspiciously. "Do not fear. I swear I will not touch you in any inappropriate manner." He said gently waiting for her. She studied him a little longer before she gently took his hand. He led her through a narrow hall in the belly of the large ship. They seemed to go farther and farther till finally he pulled her to a stop at the a door. He looked to her before he opened the door and led her in.
         The first thing that her eyes fell upon was a painting. A painting of a woman holding a baby and a man standing behind the two. The woman was unmistakably her mother. Teresa knew it because the woman looked like Teresa and the medallion hung from her neck. The painting was scorched and burned in places and she wondered what had brought such damage to it, and who was this man standing behind her mother and  who she assumed was herself. He looked oddly familiar, and the way his hands laid on her shoulders told her that they were very intimate, but it was not her father.
         James waited a few minutes before he looked to the picture. "That is a painting of your family. Your true family, Teresa." He murmured gently, causing Teresa's head to snap to him. She could see the pain in his eyes.
         "That can't be... that's not my father."
         "But it is."
         "No... its not." She said harshly looking back o the painting. She moved over to it and stroked a hand along her mother's cheek.That's when something caught her eye. Not only was her mother wearing her half of the medallion, but the man held another half. How could that be? She'd been told that the medallion had broken in half and that her mother lost the other half. She turned to the old haggard man after a moment questioningly.
         "That medallion was one of two halves. Always has been." He said as he dug out the two halves of the medallion. He held them up and Teresa's gaze fell on them. She slowly reached her hand out to them and took them, looking at them.
         She sat them together in her hand and realized that they fit perfectly. She studied the Latin for a moment trying to decipher the second word on the second piece. "Forever." She murmured as she lifted her face to him. "Together forever." She studied James for a moment, coming to the realization that her entire life had been a lie.
         James could see it coming to her. "Teresa, I'm your true father. "
         Teresa's gaze met his and she oddly felt that this was the truth. She looked back to the painting, studying her mother's face then the man behind her. She could see now. She saw the similarities, and she understood now. The years had not been kind to James Baggins. "This is you." She murmured, brushing a hand along the painted torso.
         James nodded and gently cupped her hand holding the medallions between his hands. "Aye, lass. That is me." He murmured studying the painting before turning his eyes to Teresa.
         She studied the picture for a long time before she looked back to the Captain. "I don't... I don't understand. Why would... daddy lie to me?" She asked weakly as she looked around the room. She carefully pulled a cloth off another picture and smiled weakly at the portrait of her mother, obviously pregnant with her. She licked her lips and looked up to James. She didn't understand any of this. What really happened all those years ago, when she was a newborn baby and her real parents taken from her. She looked back to the portrait for a moment then around at some of the other things. There were jewelry chests as well as several other portraits and paintings, all of which seemed to have just barely make it out of a fire.
         James watched her as her gaze traveled over the chests and paintings. Some of the chests contained Ardith's jewelry and some contained clothes and other articles of the late Ardith Baggins. He looked back to Teresa for a moment thoughtfully. She looked so much like Ardith now. There were a few subtle differences, but it was obvious who her mother was. "Because he's not really your father." James said gently as he studied Teresa a moment longer. "He's a heartless man who wanted what was not rightfully his." He said calmly, cold eyes watching her for any indications that she disagreed. He was a little surprised when she did not attempt to defend him.
         Teresa didn't try to defend her father because the Captain was right. Her father- or the man she'd always thought her father- had no heart really. And he always wanted what wasn't his. He was especially cold and heartless towards pirates. She studied the portrait of her mother a moment longer before she looked to James. "What happened? What happened to her?" She asked, her voice quaking just a little. She wanted to know, but then again, she didn't. She had to know though.
         "Your father had just been voted in as the govenor of Port Chesterfield. He celebrated by starting a pirate raid. He knew that me and my men had a base in Port Chesterfield, so he attacked the house you and your mother and I lived in. First we fought with swords. He wanted Ardith. She didn't want anything to do with him, but he 'fell in love' with her throughout the years that your mother and I courted each other and married." James paused for a moment, watching Teresa's face as she looked to the portrait of her mother, heavily pregnant and draped across a chase lounge chair. The fact that she was in the nude didn't bother Teresa. She found beauty in it, the way a blanket was provocatively draped over her breasts to cover them, Ardith's hands cupping and pressed against the bare mound of a stomach.
          She looked back to James, wanting to hear the rest. She knew that could not be the entire story. She didn't find it surprising that her father took to fancying something that wasn't his. "What then?" She asked ever so softly as she studied her real father. The man who had helped create her and bring her life.
          James studied her then looked to the pregnancy portrait of Ardith. He remembered that day. She laid down like that, and James had helped to drape the blanket over her. The artist had been most pleased when James and Ardith allowed him to paint her nude. She'd fallen asleep while the artist had been at work, and it made her look all the more serene in the portrait the way the artist portrayed that. "He pulled a gun on me. Your mother jumped infront of me as he pulled the trigger. He killed your mother. We were both stunned. Then he heard you crying. The gunshots woke you. So they captured me and they took you. He was going to burn the house down. And he managed to. I escaped from him and managed to save some things, with some help from some of my crew that I was housing. Since then, I've never stepped off this ship." He said calmly as he stroked a hand along the curve of Ardith's belly in the portrait. He looked to Teresa after a moment, studying her thoughtfully.
          "So, my father, who isn't really my father, killed my mother, took me to raise as his own, all the while thinking you were dead." She said softly as she looked at the portrait. She couldn't believe all this. Her entire life. It had been nothing more than a lie. She shook her head softly and laid a hand over her forehead. She felt a dull ache all of a sudden. The story explained a lot. Like why she had such a love for the sea when her father despised it and practically forbidden her to go on any sea-faring journeys.
          "I know it's a lot to take in, but-"
          "Don't. Just don't. My life has been nothing but a lie." She whispered before she turned to leave.
          James didn't bother chasing after her. He knew she needed a little time taking it all in and accept it. He looked up to the portrait of Ardith during her pregnancy and sighed tiredly. "Wish you were here, love. I could really use you right about now."

         Jake watched her for a long time from his spot up by the . She was just standing there, staring out over the water. He saw earlier when Captain Jack took her below deck. Jake imagined that the captain revealed everything. The truth. Something had Teresa upset. He could see it in her stance and the way she just stared out over the water as the ship glided through it with ease. He looked to the helmsman for a moment, thinking before he made sure their heading was correct then made his way down to Teresa. He didn't say anything as he leaned on the ledge of the boat. He just stared out over the water, waiting for her to talk when she was ready. He could see how much it troubled her in those deep indigo eyes as they just watched the water.
          "My entire life... is all a lie." She murmured weakly as she looked away from the one thing that fascinated her more than anything. "My father..." She didn't even know what to say. She just shook her head softlyand took a deep, shakey breath.
          Jake studied her for a long time then looked out over the water thoughtfully. "It doesn't change that much."
          "Like what?" She snapped, turning her head to Jake.
          He turned to her, studying her. "A lot of things. Your morals didn't change any when he told you, did it?"
          "No"
          "Exactly. The only thing that's changed is the story of your birth and your father." He said softly as he studied her. He gently tipped her head up to face him. He studied her for a long time as her eyes met his.He softly stroked his knuckles along her cheek and she turned her head away, looking back to the water.
          She never knew what to think of Jacob Turner. He was a completely different person from the man she'd seen the night of her abduction. Then he'd been the ruthless pirate. Now he was... she didn't know, a gentelman for sure. He gave her his bed every night while he slept in the pathetic little niche in his quarters. He made sure she was dressed, or at least covered when he came into the quarters. He had done nothing ill towards her, and she felt a slight bit of attraction for the man. She didn't understand what or why, but she knew it was there. She couldn't deny it, and by the way she constantly felt his eyes on her, there was some form of attraction he felt for her. She wondered what his story was. Why was such an attractive man, dark and broody as he may be, getting ready to take over her father's spot as captain. "It changes everything. I'm not who I thought I was. I was raised as a govenor's daughter. Funny considering my true lineage." She said softly as she slooked out over the water. It explained a lot, like why she loved the sea so much when her father despised just the thought of the sea.
          Jake frowned, studying her. She would always see it that way, so he didn't think it really mattered how much he argued with him. He could tell she was just as hard headed as her true father.