Page 71 of A Pirate's Pleasure
He came up onto his knees, pressing his face against the bars. “Whether you’re around or not, I’ll never stop loving you. Eight years has proved that.”
I mirrored his posture, so we were both on our knees. “Nor I, you.”
The kiss between the bars was awkward, the angle our heads were forced into not conducive to deepening it to the degree we both wanted. It was no less sweet for it, though. It was a kiss that said a lot of things. Far more than words ever could.
When it was over, Lief stood, neither of us uttering a single word as he backed away, his gaze holding mine before silently slipping through the door.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Lief
Even at this early hour, Elderborough’s market square was full. The already baking heat of what was going to be a lovely sunny day was a startling contrast to the hollow darkness that existed inside of me. Even with the hood of my cloak pulled up to hide my identity once more, I couldn’t get warm. It was possible I’d never be warm again.
There was no market today. No bustle of people calling out their wares. No delicious scents tempting you into buying some of what they had to offer, even though you weren’t hungry. No bright canopies or jangle of coin.
Just the wooden scaffold erected in the middle of the square, twin nooses hanging from it. Two of them, because the people were in for a rare treat today. Not one hanging, but two. Zephyr would have the company of the very man he himself had brought to justice. I expected that was Reeve’s doing, the man finding one last opportunity to twist the knife.
The people in the square were an eclectic mixture, some old, some young. Very few children, but I guess that was to be expected. There were better family outings than to take them to a hanging. That hadn’t stopped some people, though, the youngest hanging off one woman’s arm looking no older than three or four.
Snatches of conversation floated all around me. “…framed Lord Cooper, didn’t he? Mind, if you ask me, if you set yourself up in a big house, you make yourself a target. People have always believed that family to be cursed. Someone should have burned Cooper Hall to the ground a long time ago.”
“…I’ve never seen a pirate. I bet he’s a sight to behold, all scars and tattoos. I hope they have him secured properly. We don’t want the brute getting away.”
“…do you think they’ll hang them at the same time? Or will they do one and then the other? Seems like they should make an event out of it, make it last longer.”
“…I’m here to see the pirate meet his maker. Good riddance to him, I say. My friend, Bessie, was once on a ship robbed by pirates. She said it was a horrific experience, said they looked at her like she was a piece of meat. She’s never been on a ship since. Can’t say I blame her.”
“…I met Baravor once. He didn’t look like a murderer, but then I suppose if every murderer looked like they were one, no one would ever get murdered.”
“…I hope it starts on time. I have laundry to do.”
“…not enough hangings of pirate scum, if you ask me. At least there’ll be one less of them after today.”
More people filed into the square and I let them go past me. I needed to be here, but I didn’t need to be close enough to the front that I could see the whites of their eyes, the whites of Zephyr’s eyes. Even when I’d told him I wouldn’t be here, I’d known it wasn’t a promise I could keep. No matter how gruesome it might be, no matter how much the events of today would haunt my dreams—and I already knew they would, that a night’s sleep would never be the same—I needed to see it.
Someone stopped by my right shoulder and I made to move away, to find a quieter spot where I could wallow in my misery without fear of being disturbed.
“Lief, it’s me,” a voice whispered urgently.
The use of my name had me turning. The man wore a similar cloak to mine, and just like me, he had it pulled up to cover his face. He angled his head to let me see inside, the familiar bearded face of Whitby staring back at me. A sharp burst of elation filled my chest. Maybe there was still hope after all. “You came,” I said. “When I didn’t hear from you, I didn’t know whether my message had even reached you.” I scanned the crowd for more cloaked figures, but wherever they were, they’d obviously hidden themselves well.
“I got it,” Whitby said, “and I appreciated it.”
“Who else is here? I assume there’s some sort of plan? How many did you bring?”
“It’s just me,” Whitby said.
Only three words, but they hit me like a battering ram, stealing all the oxygen from my lungs and making speech temporarily impossible until I’d composed myself. “But… how can you save him if it’s just you?”
“I can’t, Lief. I wish I could.” Whitby’s voice was full of sadness. “We tried to come up with something… I promise you, we did. But there was no scenario that didn’t end with us joining him on there, and Zephyr wouldn’t want that.”
“So you’re just here to…”
“To watch, yes. I had to be here. I know it sounds crazy, but…”
I took a moment to digest his words, tamping down on the urge to rage at him for his inability to offer a lifeline. It wasn’t their fault that Zeph had ended up in this predicament. If anyone was to blame, it was me, so Whitby didn’t deserve to be the focus of my frustration. I took a deep, calming breath. “It makes perfect sense. At least you didn’t tell Zephyr you wouldn’t come and then turn up here, anyway.”
Whitby winced. “West wanted to come with me, but I wouldn’t let him. I didn’t want him anywhere near a pirate hanging. I’m sure Zephyr was just trying to protect you.”