Disclaimer: I don?t own GW?and for the record, I don?t own the 1800s either.
*~Upper Class~* Chapter Four
By Gundam Girl
Heero watched Relena?s shocked eyes for a minute, and then smirked at her and slid from the bed. ?At ease, madam. I?m a pirate, but I have some honor. I told you I wanted to sell you a virgin, don?t you recall?? He grabbed one of the numerous pillows and swept a blanket from somewhere on the floor and settled down on the hard wood at the foot of the bed.
Relena was still shocked, but this time at the ounce of propriety, even nobility, in the captain?s actions. ?You won?t? I mean,? she stammered, face still pale, ?you?re not going to??
?Bed you? That?s our most polite way of putting it,? he added from the floor. ?Nay, madam. Lie down now. Rest yourself and let me do the same.? When Relena still did not move, Heero raised his head from the pillow. ?Afraid I don?t have much to offer you in the way of sleeping garments.?
?I?? Her cheeks went from white to almost fuchsia. ?I cannot? This corset, you see??
Heero grinned, understanding. ?Shall I remove it for you, madam??
Her chin tipped upward. ?Certainly not.?
?Well then. If you don?t want help, there?s no point in your complainin?, is there??
Frustrated, Relena lowered herself to the bed while Heero turned his back to her. Accursed things, corsets. Perhaps they were a work of the devil and not of God. Noin?s gesture had been indeed kind, but impractical.
?Woman, I asked you to be quiet. I hear your thoughts too loudly. You think your bloody waist constraint a terrible invention; I agree, miss.? Though he wasn?t facing her, he didn?t resist a smug look. ?It cuts down time of undressing the female.?
?You people are pigs!? she exclaimed.
?Madam, if you want to survive this voyage with us, you let your thoughts get a bit dusty. ?Tisn?t healthy to get so surprised all the hours of day.?
Relena sent his spine a fierce look. ?If you and your crew abandoned their crudeness, I?d not be so surprised.?
?Maybe if you abandoned your virginity,? Heero retorted, ?the result would be the same and keep us from changing who we are. Your kind is always doing that. It makes one wonder why they should think hanging a pirate is going to inspire sympathy in another pirate. Go to sleep.?
Relena wasn?t quite sure, but had there been a slight wave of grief in Captain Yuy?s voice?
No, she corrected herself. A monster like that could never feel pain; greed and lust, perhaps, but never true aching of the heart.
She was exhausted and forced herself to lay down. The corset?s tight edge dug into her lower back. Extremely uncomfortable, she closed her eyes in hopes of sleeping from the pain.
But of course, that was prevented by the loud moans and other night noises made by the Maxwells in the next room.
***
Dorothy Catalonia was seriously considering anchoring for good. She was young, aye, and still a looker. And she could still man a helm with the skill of one twice her age. But there was a happy image of marrying into money that somehow pleased her. She could float from affair to affair; parties, banquets, the theater, or whatever else she chose to amuse her.
The sea was good; it was cool, refreshing, and far more interesting than any brown and yellow dirt she might walk upon. But the truth was there were very little people to see, or at least to keep contact with (because if there were few people, who on earth would she raid?). And Dorothy liked people. She liked to study them, their strengths, their weaknesses, their good points and their bad. She liked to know who was a kind heart, who would rather spit on the poor or offer their hand. Who was charming? Who was sincere with their charm?
Yes, she very much enjoyed the human emotions and the effects of them. Did love hurt, or did it heal? Did being hated really bother anyone?
The last rhetorical question made her chuckle lightly into her thick mug of beer in the second-rate pub in Nice. It was slightly risky to be a pirate, and a female one no less, in France. The French didn?t like pirates and had very few of their own. They preferred riches to be stolen from other countries by land rather than sea. Amateurs.
But she would keep her guard up, even as she pulled out the letter from her cousin. Alex and Muller would keep their eyes on the door. They were a ragged threesome, but they worked well together.
What she read widened her smile until she looked positively feline ? provided the cat kept a dagger hidden in its fur. ?Luchrezia Peacecraft?s little sister-in-law has been captured by the Ivory Damsel,? she murmured to the man next to her. ?How quaint.?
Mueller laughed, and ran a hand through his black hair. ?Really? That must be a change for the London area.?
?Dover actually,? she corrected. ?She was to be married to Governor Quatre Winner and was stolen from him the night of her arrival. They?d only just met.?
Alex leaned over to peer at the letter. ?She wants you to help? She?s a noblewoman, though, Dorothy. Even her handwriting is elegant! Are you going to say yes??
?I don?t know what to say quite yet.? Dorothy tapped well-trimmed nails on the bar and crossed her britches-clad legs. ?She is a noblewoman, yes, and surely has never needed help with anything before. But she is a good person, Alex. In fact, she holds a rather surprising respect for, ah?? She glanced at the bartender and various people in the pub. ?Those of our business.?
Mueller nodded. ?And now for the most important question; what penny has she to offer us??
?Well, as Baron Milliardo Peacecraft?s wife?? Dorothy grinned slyly. ?Ten-thousand pounds.?
The amount wasn?t enough to make either man?s eyebrows rise, but they both appreciated the number just the same.
?A generous soul,? Mueller commented.
?She loves her little sister-in-law quite a bit. Luchrezia was the only child her parents relented to have. They didn?t love each other, as you can suppose. Arranged marriages tend to falsify any affection.? Dorothy ran her long fingers through her bangs. ?Gentlemen, I?ll not lie to you. This proposition intrigues me.?
?Near everything intrigues you,? said Alex.
?Aye, and it does. But the chance to look the crew of the Ivory Damsel in the eyes sends my blood thumping.? Smacking a hand down, Dorothy whirled on her stood and slipped onto her feet. ?Settled then, mates. Get the others. We haul anchor tonight, no later than half-six. I?ll meet you there by then.?
?And where are you to be, Dorothy?? asked Mueller, already feeling her contagious enthusiasm for any challenge.
?Not playing the kind rescuer, by any means.? With a flick of her hand, she manipulated her hair so that it rain across her back in a sleek curtain of sunshine. ?I?ll be at the post office writing to my dear cousin. Don?t want our provider worrying her pretty pampered head.?
Life on land be damned, she thought. Settling down wasn?t an open option. Not yet. Not until she?d tasted more of the salt-flavored adventure she so hungered for.
Alex and Mueller laughed as she swaggered in her feminine way out of the pub.
***
Relena was woken by the light pattering of rain above her head. Upon opening her eyes, she realized the room she had been previously sleeping in was illuminated by a dull, gray light. Switching her gaze from the ceiling to the wall, she saw the tiny window, the spots of water on the glass, and she heard the wind rushing against the pane.
She hadn?t forgotten where she was; she didn?t in a rush remember her being kidnapped. She had dreamed of it; Duo carrying her out of the governor?s mansion, Quatre?s outraged and fearful eyes following her own, Duke Treize?s contemplative expression, Lady Anne?s shocked gape. She remembered Wufei?s scowl, the women Hilde, Catherine, and Sally and their banter. She could recall Trowa?s quiet eyes, his soft voice.
However, most of all, she remembered Captain Heero Yuy and his growling tones, his sea-swept gaze. And his kind retreat to the floor, leaving her the bed.
Tensing, she quickly leaned over to the foot of the bed to check if?no, Yuy had gone, and she was alone in the room.
Alone, she realized, and free from the confines of her treacherous corset. In fact, the front of her gown, which was held up with ribbons and buttons, was open and gaping, her breasts bared to all who may enter at any moment.
Mortified, Relena flew from the mattress and searched for her undergarment. Failing in her quest, she hurriedly closed her bodice, for the dearest mercy of God. Why was it??
Yuy.
No, Relena thought, her eyes sharpening as temper and embarrassment flushed her cheeks and heated her blood. No mercy from God for him. No mercy from anyone for him.
Completely angry, as she had rarely been in her whole lifetime, Relena flew barefoot from the bedchamber, over wooden floors to the deck.
?I?d not recommend ye go that way.? Turning, Relena saw Hilde who was watching her with interest. ??Tis raining. You?ll be wet?ed, and that high-priced dress of yours ruined. Come this way, Mrs. Winner.? She jerked her shoulder in a motion for her to follow, which Relena did.
?I demand to speak with Captain Yuy immediately. And I am not yet the governor?s wife,? Relena reminded the darker woman with a voice of the most bitter of sea winds.
?Aye, miss. The captain is taking his breakfast, if you care to join him. Of course, you?ll have an audience.?
?I would rather I speak with him in private,? Relena told her, deciding just after she spoke that it wasn?t what she wanted at all, but it was little matter anyway.
?Forgive me, miss,? said Hilde, who didn?t sound the least remorseful at all, ?but the crew of the Ivory Damsel is one of mind. You speak to Heero, you speak to us all.? She grinned like a feisty cat. ?Although, I can?t guarantee us not to make uncalled-for remarks.?
She was most certainly Duo?s wife, Relena thought as they walked into the kitchen she had been led to the night before.
?Well, Miss Relena,? Catherine said to her as soon as she entered. She was rolling dough on the counter. ?I must say I?m very surprised. Heero tells me he did not touch you this past night.?
?That remains questionable,? Relena replied tartly, her eyes shooting to where the captain leaned against a wall and shoveled eggs into his mouth. ?Where is my corset??
There was a hoot of laughter from Duo and the slightest of snickers from Wufei, but both wore grins of utter amusement. ?Lost her underwear, did she?? hollered the braided pirate. ?And was a little too busy to remember where it landed. Poor princess.?
Heero watched the deep red blast into the baron?s sister?s face and took a small bit of pity by giving her a direct answer: ?I tossed the useless thing overboard.?
?You what?!? she half-screeched, thinking of the expensive ? if detested ? clothing article. ?How dare you? It was mine!?
?I thought it might embarrass you less than to auction it off at the next port.? Heero lifted his glass of ale and splashed it down his throat. ?Fetch a pretty penny, it would have indeed, though. Now I find myself regretting it, thinking of it too much.?
?It?s disgusting of you, having your way with such a personal item.?
?Is it then?? The corner of Heero?s mouth tipped up in that enraging-yet-captivating smirk. ?And here I thought I be doing you a favor by ridding of it for you. You turned so much last night, Miss Peacecraft, it seemed you had a fool hard time making yourself comfortable. And that, milady, is the last thing we would want you to suffer.?
?We acknowledge our guests? comfort greatly on the Ivory Damsel,? informed Trowa quietly, and the others chuckled with good nature.
Relena, however, grew only angrier. ?More, Captain, it was dishonoring of you to take the right to remove my corset. The nerve you have, to simple rip open my gown??
?No button is popped, no frilly ribbon torn,? Heero pointed out. ?Had I ripped it open, its condition would be worse?n you see, milady. As for my right?? He stood from his chair and walked closer to her. Relena gripped the edge of the counter beside her so that she would not back away. ?I am captain of the ship you sail on. If you require a harsher term, I am your kidnapper.? But she winced slightly at the word, so Heero softened his voice, startling himself with his own behavior. ?I don?t understand why ?tis you?ve been so upset anyhow. Rightly shaped enough, you are. What need have you for a foolish restraint such as that?? He turned away to return to his ale, trying not to think how sorely tempted he had been to take her flesh last night.
?It was a gift from my sister-in-law.?
The words did nothing to make him halt in his stride across the kitchen, but the tone she used to say them froze his limbs ? and his libido. He angled his head so he could look at her from the corner of his eye. ?Aye,? he said lightly as his crew looked upon them, their faces a bit more sober as well. ?The Baroness Peacecraft. And what significance does something so slight as underwear hold for you, madam? Would you not have rather settled for a pretty bauble??
Relena despised the tears that rose as far as her throat, but her pride did not allow them any further up. ?My marriage, and thus the rest of my life, was arranged, Captain Yuy.? When her voice threatened to break, she hardened with steel as cool as the knife Heero wore at his hip. ?As a last-minute offering of strength, she packed something away for me. The form her gift took is not important. The feeling of the emotion in it, worn right over my stomach and my heart?? She pressed her fist to her heart now, as thought to guard it from him, his ship, and his crew. ?It gave me courage.?
Heero stared at her for a half-minute, then shrugged his shoulders. ?Any other woman in your place would prefer a bauble, she would.?
She lifted her wrist, and the ring of diamonds around it gleamed in the light of the adjacent fireplace. ?Any other woman in my place would be able to realize she was to soon receive one from Quatre Winner.? Eyes flashing, Relena jerked her head to the side to deny him her gaze.
Feeling the tension thicken nearly to hanging soup, Catherine hurried to say, ?Would you like some porridge, Miss Relena? I guarantee it is not spiced with poisonous powder.?
?No, thank you, Miss Catherine.? Relena gave her back to them all and hurried for the door. ?Captain Yuy might suppose I would prefer to dine rather than to stay in my prison.? Her hands clenched on the folds of her wrinkled gown as she lifted the skirt. ?And there he would also be wrong.?
As she swept out of the room, Heero turned fully to watch the last tips of her hair fly away.
?Well.? Clearing his throat, Trowa downed the rest of his own ale and strode for the door. ?I would like fish for lunch, so Catherine, I?ll be out to catch my own.?
?Thank you, Trowa. We?ll all have some.? Catherine folded her arms as Trowa, too, walked out.
?Chores,? Sally said promptly. ?I need to, ah? wash the deck! Wash it, I shall!?
??Tis raining, you fool of a woman,? Wufei frowned, following her.
?We mean to find something to do,? Duo said vaguely, tugging on Hilde?s arm and pulling her out.
When Cathy and Heero were alone, she glared at him. ?Oh, a fine one, you are, Heero Yuy.?
Heero titled his head at her. ?What reasons have you to be scowling at me, Catherine??
?She?s different from us, Heero, I know. I was like her once.? Catherine sighed, and scratched her temple. ?Oh, the ache you give me. The girl is tender, you brute, and upsetting her will only make the rest of us ill.?
Heero narrowed his eyes. ?A point, Catherine, is what I require.?
?My point is just what you *don?t* require. A low crew, and you?ll get one.?
?Not usually are hostages the happiest of people.? He reached for the dough she was rolling, and she smacked her hand.
?Nor will you be if things don?t brighten up today. You?re blessed with a moody crew, Heero.?
??Blessed? be not the word I?d have chosen, Catherine.? At her bad-tempered look, he shot out: ?You know, we can be in Singapore in two days.?
?No, Heero. No. I?ll not have it on my head that we took a lady of a status I once possessed to be a whoring slave.?
Heero didn?t want to say that he would not have it on his head either.
?Well, then,? he said instead. ?I s`pose I should try to think of something to soothe her.?
Catherine grinned; an arrogant, often-clueless bastard Heero was, but a good one. ?Assuring her you?ve no intention of selling her off may be a very good start.? She wagged a finger. ?Be nice, as you can. If you are, I promise to take extra care with your fish. If not,? and her eyes went stern at this, ?it will be very raw or very burned, depending on my mood.?
Heero chuckled as he left the kitchen. ?Such a gentleman I will be.?
***
Treize was certain, very certain, that Quatre was close to dying. Oh, he didn?t at all look like it any longer; the color was back in his face, the gleam had returned to his eyes.
But the young Winner heir had preferred Dover over London any day, and here he was, about to just race into the city over a girl he?d known for less than three days.
Oh yes, he was dying. And Treize was very suspicious; what could have possibly passed between Relena Peacecraft and Quatre to make him so determined to have her returned?
Well, there was that one possibility, but it was very unlikely. Quatre was a supreme gentleman, and Relena a lady. But yet. He grinned slightly. He had seen Quatre look at Relena and there had been more than simple fondness for her. A man?s need for flesh was sometimes achingly evident.
He returned to his grim expression as Quatre turned at the carriage door and extended his hand. Treize took it. ?God go with you, my friend,? he offered dutifully. Part of him meant it, at least.
?If He ever decides to return to me, I shall accept Him.? Quatre set a hand on Anne?s arm. She had been at Treize?s side, quiet as a church mouse, all morning. He kissed her cheek and climbed into the carriage closing the door before his footmen could do it for him. ?Thank you both for you help.?
?Nonsense, Quatre. Don?t you worry.? Treize smiled. ?If anyone comes for a wedding, we?ll give them tea and send them on there merry way ? straight back home.?
?That?s good of you.? Quatre did his best to smile himself, but only managed a poor grimace. ?I?m sorry for this trouble.?
?My darling governor, we?re troublemakers ourselves,? said Anne and lifted a gloved hand to wave. ?Safe trip.? She took Trieze?s arm as the carriage started away, leaving behind it clouds of light brown dust. ?Will he even survive the journey to London, Quatre??
?It is questionable, my dear. Yet nothing disrupts a man with a quest.? Trieze lightly kissed her forehead. ?I would hate to be the one obligated to meet Milliardo at this time.? He shook his head, clicked his tongue. ?The man must be furious.?
?He was very polite in his letter,? Anne pointed out.
?Exactly.? Treize laughed as they began to walk to their own carriage. ?That?s why I suppose he is livid.?
***
Livid Milliardo was. When Quatre finally arrived at the Peacecraft manor many hours later, his immediate greeting was a cold glare from Milliardo and a sympathetic glance from the pregnant mistress as he stepped into their parlor.
?Ah, and he comes with an apologetic face and a desperate plea for forgiveness,? muttered Milliardo before Quatre could offer any sort of condolence.
?I come with the first,? Quatre pointed out, ?but have not yet said anything to imply the second.?
Luchrezia, though her expanded waist made it difficult, crossed to take Quatre?s hand and kiss his cheek. ?Welcome, Quatre. My husband and I thank you for coming so quickly. We did not expect you until tomorrow, at the very earliest.?
?I expected him an hour ago,? ground out Milliardo. ?With answers.?
?This matter is extremely important to me,? Quatre assured Luchrezia. ?As well it should be. The fate of your sister was mine to attend to, and I did poorly.?
?Quatre,? began the baroness. ?The fault is??
?With him,? finished Milliardo. ?Hardly a day, Quatre ? hardly! ? and then Relena is gone completely, stolen by sea scum! Would you not think it was difficult enough having her out of London?!?
?I imagine,? said Quatre quietly, ?that it was ill-adjustable for you, Baron Peacecraft, and for that I can hardly begin to express the sincerity in my regret.?
?It is not regret I require from you. It is action,? seethed the Peacecraft heir. ?And so far you?ve taken very little!?
?Hush, darling, you?ll wake Agatha,? warned Lu softly.
Milliardo acquiesced and lowered his voice but not his anger. ?The navy is out scouring, but we are at home.? His eyes narrowed and burned with fury bared in check. ?It will not remain so.?
Luchrezia knew before she voiced her thought. ?We??
Milliardo?s gaze fixed on her, and it softened slightly. ?If I could stay, you know I would, Lu. But Relena??
?I do no more than bear a child, something I have already endured,? said Luchrezia. She held out her hand and when her husband took it, she pressed his to her cheek. ?The light will burn for you when you return, my love.? She smiled. ?With your sister.?
They shared one meaningful look for several seconds before Zechs nodded firmly once. ?We?ll be off in the morning then. Quatre.? He waited until Winner?s eyes were fixed solely on him. ?I refrain from judgment as of now. When I pass it, I do so as a brother.? His brows lowered. ?Not a friend.?
?I understand that you are both, Milliardo,? returned Quatre. ?When I receive your judgment, I will accept it as a fianc?e.?
Pleased with the governor?s reply, Milliardo set a hand on his wife?s waist and led her from the room, declaring that they would set out tomorrow. A butler entered at their leave to escort Quatre to a guest bedchamber.
Filled with apprehension, Quatre could only prepare for a second night that would hold complete wakefulness.
***
They left in the afternoon the next day. The morning had been spent making arrangements for the use of a prestigious English ship, the Redeemer. Going by the word of fisherman in Dover, they followed the Ivory Damsel?s supposed direction across the Atlantic.
Luchrezia saw them off with a smile, fighting back the tears. Even as they stood on the dock, even as Quatre went aboard ahead of Milliardo, her husband did not say that he loved her. It swept through her, shone tenderly in his eyes, but the words were not given. As much as she wanted them, he would not offer them to her.
Returning with a hand pressed caringly to her abdomen, Luchrezia found that Dorothy Catalonia had already replied to her letter, which it seemed had been received in Nice by the grace of God alone. With a somewhat critical eye, she read:
Dear Luchrezia,
My, but a surprise your letter was to me! Surely we have not written since we were but fourteen. In fact, it was very much like being written to by a stranger; yet, nevertheless, a stranger in need of my services. And as we are kin, I am inclined to help in whatever way I can.
I warn you, Luchrezia, that though my crew and I accept your offer of ten thousand pounds (?no more, no less,? as you have said), our expertise lies in plunder, as you well know. I cannot guarantee that it will be I to return your sister-in-law, for rescuing is a motive I am not accustomed to. However, I can promise you that we have a better chance than any crew Baron Peacecraft or that silly governor hires.
I will work for you, Luchrezia, and I shall keep you informed of any news of interest. Careful not to worry quite so much; you?ve a second child coming is the word. I will say no more in case this letter is received by those with ill intent, but know that we are heading toward the Caribbean, should by chance we encounter Captain Heero Yuy.
With due respect,
Dorothy Catalonia, Captain of the Belladonna.
The baroness passed her hand over her eyes for just a moment. The Belladonna, was it? A Spanish ship then. Dorothy would not be singled out in the Caribbean.
It surprised her greatly that she would accept the assignment. As her cousin had duly noted, they had not made contact for many years. She did not know well Dorothy?s current personality as a woman, yet she was very certain that she had no intent of rescuing Relena for family loyalty. Loyalty to her fortune was sure to be the case.
It mattered not. Relena was a joy to Lu?s life, as dear to her as Milliardo or Agatha. She missed her so much that her heart constricted.
With a sigh, Luchrezia rose and began the struggled walk up the stairs. Agatha needed to be fed.
********************************************************
Yeah, crappy stopping point, but I wanted to touch on Zechs? and Noin?s ? excuse me, Milliardo and Luchrezia?s ? relationship.
I hope you guys liked this chapter! I?m VERY, VERY sorry for taking so long to update. I hope all my readers are still with me because you guys have been fantastic with previous chapters! Review and let me know if you still are with me! Comments are always very welcome!
-GG
Thanks for liking!