Page 29 of Stolen by My Knave
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jack stared down at Elizabeth’s beautiful face. Her eyes were closed and her kiss-stung lips were slightly parted. He wanted to lean down and place his lips on hers again, but if he did it would lead them down a path of no return. It had taken every ounce of his strength to stop, and he might not be capable of doing so a second time. He lifted his hand and ran it over her silky hair. It was the color of sunshine on a hot summer day, and it reminded him of happier times. A childhood almost forgotten and a mother who died too young...
“I’m not sure I like the expression that crossed over you face.” Elizabeth lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. “What has you suddenly so melancholy?”
Jack hated the idea of unburdening himself on her. She shouldn’t have access to the deepest, darkest parts of his soul. If she truly understood what he’d done to survive, she’d run as far and as fast as possible from him. The more time he spent with her the more he realized he’d never be able to let her go. Her innocence was a breath of fresh air and it soothed him. If he was a good man, he’d leave and never look back, but he’d never claimed to have even an ounce of decency in him. For many years, he’d looked out for himself and that hadn’t changed. His title and saving the king had been a fluke. When he first arrived in the current century, he’d not been sure what was going on. He’d acted without thinking and had benefited from a moment of pure providence. At the time, it amused him to be awarded such a high title. If only his father had still been alive to realize his bastard son outranked him.
“Don’t worry about it.” He continued to stroke her hair and allowed it to soothe him into a better mood. “We have better things to discuss than my wayward thoughts.”
She frowned. “You can’t keep everything inside... It will eat at you until it is all you think about. Stuff like that will consume you—I’m here and willing to listen. Tell me what’s on your mind?”
Jack sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it, but if he didn’t she’d not let it go. He could act like an arrogant arse and push her away. That wasn’t really an option though. It would be foolish... Letting her out of his arms didn’t sit well with him. He rather liked holding her and didn’t look forward to the moment when he had to release her.
“It’s nothing of importance.”
It wasn’t as if he could find a way to avenge his mother’s death. His father was long dead. He’d forced himself to let go of that notion years ago. Most of the time, he was all right with the circumstances he’d been dealt, and he didn’t dwell on what couldn’t be changed—even if he could find a way to go back to his time he didn’t want to. Elizabeth wasn’t there, and she’d become far more important to him than any woman ever had.
Elizabeth chewed on her lip. “Why are you being so difficult?”
“I choose to think of it as keeping the past where it belongs—behind me.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “There are much more pleasant things in the present, and if we’re lucky enough, our future.”
“That’s a nice sentiment,” Elizabeth agreed. “But it is also a bunch of nonsense.”
Jack glared down at her and did the one thing he’d not wanted to. He let her go, stood up, and stormed away from her. How dare she push him to places he had no desire to visit? Didn’t she understand? His past was a dark, horrible place and someone as innocent as her had no place in it. He’d had to fight his way out of the slums of London, and even his ship had been stolen. That was what pirates did. They plundered, murdered, stole—he was a knave of the worst kind. He didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. Elizabeth was far too good for him
“You’re treading down a path of no return,” he said harshly. “Consider your next step wisely.”
Instead of heeding his warning, she smiled at him with all the naïveté of small child about to walk into danger without a care in the world. “Did I ever mention the first time I saw you?”
“As we met fairly recently, I didn’t realize it was something necessary to discuss.”
Where was she going with this line of thought? What did their first meeting have to do with anything? Elizabeth was clever, and her point was sure to hit him hard. He was almost afraid to find out what she had in mind.
“That wasn’t the first time I’d seen you,” she insisted.
Jack was baffled. When and where had she seen him before? He’d been in the current century a decade. She’d have been a small girl when he fell through the time hole. There wasn’t much possibility she’d crossed paths with him in society. He steered clear of ton events and kept to his club or his home. He didn’t have many friends, only business associates. “Then by all means, tell me.”
Elizabeth didn’t answer him right away. Instead she stood and strolled around the room. She stopped in front of a mirror and stared into it for several moments. Was this a new sort of torture she’d devised to drive him mad? Slowly, she turned to face him.
“To understand, I have to start with a story my mother told me.” She folded her arms over her waist and rocked back and forth. “It was a tale her mother told her and she passed on to me and my brothers. We all believed it to be fictional, for how could it be anything else?”
“Elizabeth,” Jack said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t drag this out more than is needed.” His head was beginning to pound relentlessly.
“Right,” she said. “As I explained, it has to be told in the right way or the impact will be lost.”
“Any more impact and I might not survive it.”
He lifted his hands and rubbed his temples. His head ached unmercifully. What was that racket? Was someone banging on the wall somewhere? Of course not... It was all inside his head.
“You poor thing,” she said. “All these surprises and not much time to acclimate yourself to them. Don’t worry, I think this will be the last one—at least for a time.”
He shook his head, attempting to clear it. “So this story. I assume Evelyn told it to Alys?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you referring to my mother so intimately.” She scrunched her nose up. “But to answer your question... Yes, my grandmother first told it to my mother many years ago.”
“And you assume it was about me?” That had to be what she was thinking. Why else would she have a need to bring it to his attention? What had Evelyn said about him? Would he be disappointed? His half-sister hadn’t had much time with him, and unfortunately not all of it had been good. Jack was almost afraid to find out what Evelyn had thought of him.
“There are no assumptions,” Elizabeth said. “There is not a doubt in my mind the story was about you. How else did I know about Captain Jack Morgan?”
