Heroes & Thieves

by Heather C. Myers

  Belle glanced up at her father to find that he was teasing her, so she smiled slowly before quietly thanking the man who placed her food in front of her. "Well, Father," she began, raising the glass of water to her lips and swallowing some before replacing it on the table. "To answer your question, no, I did not recognize who he was or think he was somebody else. But his face did catch my eye." She smiled, and Aaron realized it had a mischievous glint to it. So the woman did have a sense of humor after all. And that smile of hers was full of wicked promises she did not intend to keep. Even he could not stop the corners of his lips from pushing up into a small grin of his own.

  "May I tell you something quite humorous?" Dustin asked after swallowing a rather large bite of the greenery that was placed in front of him. Though he had asked a question, the way his golden eyes bronzed as he regarded Aaron said that it was nothing of the sort.

  "Of course," Aaron answered, nodding once. "I am always in the mood for some sort of humor."

  "Yes, well this particular tidbit of information will be ironic, if anything else," Dustin told him before tilting his head in Belle's direction, while keeping his gaze squarely on the pirate captain. "The woman you are now married to, Arabella; she and I used to be betrothed when we were children."

  "Oh?" Aaron asked, raising a brow, though he had known quite well the two had shared a history together. "That is ironic. Well then Mister Commack, I really must thank you for terminating such an arrangement for I have never been happier in my entire life than I am with my Belle." For whatever reason, the words sent a flattering chill down the woman's spine even though she knew they were false, only said to keep their appearances up. Before she realized it, Aaron placed his arm around her shoulders, though she couldn't see the unexplainable territorial look that currently resided in Aaron's eyes, making them darker than they already were.

  "It's Commodore Commack, and actually, no," Dustin said, trying to maintain his temper as his eyes narrowed at the contact before heading over to Aaron once again. "It wasn't me who broke off our engagement. For whatever reason, Belle ran away without telling anybody, and as a result, I was left with no fiancée. However, I was lucky enough to be matched with her beautiful sister."

  Belle clenched her jaw as she watched Dustin place his hand on Brylee's shoulder and squeeze. She caught eyes with Brylee who, to her credit, forced a smile, but it was evident in those clear blue eyes of hers that she wasn't overjoyed with the caress.

  "Everything worked out then, Commodore," Aaron stated before taking a bite of the salad. As he chewed, he gave Dustin a smile, though Belle was quick to notice that it did not reach her eyes.

  "It would seem it did," Dustin agreed, his voice low. His tone seemed to contradict his words, but no one said anything about it. Instead, Dustin let his hand holding onto Brylee drop in his lap, and he took a long gulp of his wine.

  "So where are you off to now, Belle?" Nancy asked, looking over at the daughter who had returned to her after all these years. "With a husband such as Master Donald, surely you'll be traveling. He is a successful merchant after all."

  "Yes he is," Belle said, hating that she had to lie to her mother in order to help out Brylee. However, it was deemed necessary, and Belle would be damned if Brylee actually married the brute sitting next to her. Even if it meant lying to her mother. "And yes, we plan to travel all over the world."

  "How exciting!" Horace exclaimed, looking at the couple with approving eyes.

  "I agree," Belle said with a smile. "Actually, when Brylee and I were upstairs, I was telling her all the places we were to visit. It would seem she has not even left Port Royal! I thoroughly think a woman should be well-traveled before she settles down to marry."

  "Is that why you ran away all those years ago?" Dustin asked her, raising a taunting brow. "So you would be well-traveled before our nuptials?"

  Belle felt herself clench her teeth together, and before she could respond, she felt Aaron squeeze her shoulder very slightly. For whatever reason, the gesture calmed her down, and in a moment, she felt herself relax against him. No wonder he could throw dice so well; he had very talented hands.

  Instead, Belle smiled and ignored the commodore, throwing her glance over to her mother. "You know, Mother," she said, her tone suggesting that she was going to say something she believed in, "I think Brylee should accompany Jonathon and me as we travel to different places."

  "What?" Dustin asked sharply, narrowing accusing her eyes in Belle's direction. It was the first sign that he was on the brink of losing his patience.

  "What?" Aaron asked at nearly the same moment, though his tone was more curious than sharp.

  Horace and Nancy exchanged looks across the table before they both regarded Belle once again, hoping for some sort of explanation.

  "Well," Belle said before swallowing a nice amount of chewed lettuce. "I assumed that Brylee would be marrying Dustin Commack relatively soon, and I feel she should see some of the world before she has to stay here and raise a family. Jonathon and I are traveling now, so the opportunity has presented itself rather nicely, and I really would like to catch up with my sister that I have not seen in so long. I can promise that we will return Brylee to Port Royal in time for the wedding; we do want to see the two get married, after all. And certainly it is not fair that Commodore Commack will no doubt be busy with his new esteemed position and Brylee will have nothing to entertain herself as the days go by. Why not allow her to travel for a bit, with her older sister at that?"

  "Brylee has her activities that can get her through the days quite nicely," Dustin said, his voice low, tight. "She does not need to see the world to be a good wife."

  "Yes, well, maybe she wants to," Belle said in a retort-like fashion. "Have you even asked her? You seem to already be making decisions for her and yet you are not even married."

  "I made none of your decisions, and look at you," Dustin said through gritted teeth.

  "I think I turned out quite nicely," Belle told him with nonchalance. "And I think I did a pretty good job. I married someone I love very much, a wealthy merchant at that. I have never been happier." The small insult thrown Dustin's way went unnoticed by everyone save Aaron and Dustin himself.

  "I do want to go," Brylee said, her voice coming out slightly weaker than normal. However, her eyes remained firm. "I really would like to travel a bit before having a family. I really would like to spend time with my sister. I do wish to go."

  Belle smirked in Dustin's direction, perking her brow as if to say, 'Told you so.'

  Chapter XIX

  "I still must disagree to this proposal," Dustin said once supper had finished and Master Rochester was leading him outside. "I daresay no good can come from this. Though Belle seems to be quite fine, I am not sure we can trust her word when she had run away all those years ago. And that husband of hers; I do not trust him. We do not know anything about him, sir."

  "Yes, yes," Horace said, trying to keep his patience as he leaned on the doorway, awaiting for Dustin Commack, the new Commodore, to take his leave.

  "Please," Dustin said, suddenly spinning around on his heel so he could face Master Rochester. Horace blinked, startled by the sudden action. "At least take my worries into consideration, sir."

  "Will do," Horace agreed, nodding once. "It has been, as always, a pleasure to have your company, Commodore. I do hope you will be joining us once again in the future."

  "Of course," Dustin said in a solemn tone, and then disappeared out the front doors of the manor.

  Belle and Aaron were currently standing in the dining room with Brylee, speaking in hushed tones concerning the idea that had been presented at supper. Actually, truth be told, Belle and Brylee were speaking while Aaron looked at them with a lazy gaze. Though he appeared to not be paying attention, Aaron was listening intently despite the fact that it was hard to hear his supposed wife due to how softly she was speaking. It did not matter that she was standing a couple of feet from him. His hands were placed loosely in h
is pockets and his brow was resting casually over his eyes as he watched Dustin Commack leave the residence. He knew he was quite lucky to have remained in this house without recognition, even with his familiar face. Yet, now Belle was offering her sister passage on his ship?

  Why?

  He intended to find out, but Aaron was certain it had to do with the fact that Belle had recently found out her sister was betrothed to this man. However, he couldn't exactly question her about it when said sister was in the same room.

  Horace cleared his throat, causing Belle and Brylee to hush their musings and Aaron to snap his eyes to the older man. Even Horace had said he had recognized the pirate's face from somewhere. It appeared those wanted posters alerted ordinary citizens that a pirate was on the loose, but when confronted with the pirate, couldn't quite recognize him. He was a notorious man, Aaron Donovan, and had been for the past fifteen years. He'd gotten into some scuffles (including a few with Commack himself), and even when he was caught, managed to escape. He was kind, soft-spoken, and very well-mannered, even to those he was robbing. The Robin Hood of the Seven Seas had acquired many admirers and supporters, especially from the lower class. Maybe he was more recognizable among them than the upper class. He could believe it. The upper class didn't want to see him. Which was all right by him. Easier to escape and all.

  Nancy strode over gracefully to stand next to her husband, and offered her two daughters a warm smile. "Well, my Belle, it would seem you have presented your sister with a peculiar opportunity," she said in her normal, soft-spoken voice. "Brylee, might we have a word with you in the study to discuss this matter further? I hope you can excuse us…?" She directed the last question at her older daughter and her husband, who both gave agreeable nods.

  When they were left alone, Aaron turned to regard Belle with a long stare, his lips pursed as he began to think about what to say next. "Listen," he finally began, as Belle shifted her eyes in order to lock them onto Aaron's own. "I realize that I have promised you safe passage to the next port for pretending to be my wife, but I had no idea you intended to ask your sister to come along."

  "Yes, well," Belle said in reply, and though her voice was relatively light, her eyes narrowed slightly, "I had no idea my sister was engaged to Commodore Commack until only a couple of hours ago."

  Aaron tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow. "You must really have something against the good commodore," Aaron pointed out, his voice in a low murmur. "What, exactly, did he do to you to spark such fury Miss Rochester?"

  "You should know better, Captain," she said, making sure none of the nosy servants overheard, but inflecting a sharp warning tone in her voice. "I still have the key, and it is futile to try to pry it open with magic words or bare hands. Though I must say, I had no idea you wanted to so much."

  "Everything is treasure to somebody," Aaron told her, his eyes sparkling a bit as he regarded the woman in front of him.

  "Yes, well my treasure will never be yours," Belle told him before clenching her jaw in order to keep her voice down before suddenly looking away. Her eyes stopped at the door her parents and her sister were behind, and hoped that they would allow Brylee to come with her. Aaron watched her and wondered what it was she was thinking. It was an odd request – two females going traveling together. However, Belle seemed to know about survival and she could always teach Brylee how to defend herself. She had managed to survive after so many years, after all.

  "He must have done something abnormally heinous to make you hate him so," Aaron pushed, though he was sure she wasn't going to say anything to him. He merely wanted to see how far he could go in hopes that that might tell him what the commodore had done.

  "Don't," she snapped, and though her eyes had turned a fiery emerald, her voice was more desperate than she would have liked. "Just don't. Take any and all of your assumptions concerning Dustin Commack and me and keep them to yourself. I do not want to hear them. I do not wish to know what you think."

  Aaron nodded in agreement, though he kept his lips closed. Instead he chose to study Belle as best as he could without saying anything. Yet he couldn't quite gather what she had been through many years ago. He remembered her whole body tensed whenever he came in contact with her, and realized that might have something to do with Commack.

  What was it? What had he done?

  "I am a pirate, you know," he said suddenly, turning his body in her direction so now he was facing her profile. "We aren't married, Belle. How do you think Brylee is going to take that? I do not really even know the woman, and yet she comes off to me as someone who wouldn't be particularly overjoyed to find out she was now traveling with a wanted pirate."

  "I will be sure to inform Brylee of who you really are once we are on the ship and it has pulled away from the docks," Belle told him tersely, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes before glancing back at the door.

  Aaron grinned at that. Belle could be very sneaky when she wanted to; he would have to watch out for that. "You know, with your thinking, you could easily turn pirate," he told her, and his smile deepened when he saw her cheeks turn pink due to his words.

  "Yes, well speaking of pirates," Belle said, trying to shake the odd, smooth feeling that had caused the hair on her skin to erect. "I wish to remind you that I just helped you rob my parents blind. I think you can do this one favor for me, wouldn't you say so?"

  Aaron thought for a moment, before nodding his head once. "Of course," he agreed. "I will take you and your sister to the next port. Just make sure that when she finds out who I really am, she doesn't come at me with anything sharp when I am sleeping." Aaron could swear he heard Belle giggle, though she refused to acknowledge his comment with one of hers or even look at him.

  No matter. He had done what he had wanted – make her smile.

  At that moment, the door suddenly pushed open and out stepped Brylee, Nancy, and Horace. Nancy's eyes were a very slight pink, and though she was trying to refrain, Aaron could easily tell that the woman had been crying. This could either be a good thing or a bad thing. He watched as Belle then looked at her father, who was supposedly notorious for his inability to successfully mask his emotions. Now, however, he had an enigmatic expression on his face, revealing absolutely nothing. Belle frowned at this before locking eyes with Brylee.

  "I get to come!" the younger woman exclaimed with such excitement that Belle was surprised she had held it back. "I get to go!"

  Belle started laughing happily, and she rushed over to her sister and enveloped Brylee into a tight hug. Aaron smiled at the sight. He would never admit it aloud, but seeing Belle genuinely happy was worth his agreement.

  Inwardly he groaned, hoping he wasn't going soft. Too soft, at least.

  Chapter XX

  The goodbye between the family was short but very sweet. Aaron watched with a nostalgic smile off to the side, not wishing to intrude on such a tender moment. He had a close-knit family much like this one – a mother who loved him blindly and a father who was strong, though his love shone through those dark eyes he had passed along to his son. Sure, they weren't exactly as rich as the Rochesters, but above all, they were happy, and that's what had mattered. Aaron was an only child, and as a result, he was spoiled as much as possible for a family living on a small portion of money. They even managed to acquire the money to get Aaron an education in hopes their son could rise above the poverty that had stricken them.

  They were the reason he went into piracy in the first place. He loved his family, but Aaron wasn't as daft as people assumed because of his low-class upbringing. The man was sharper than most men of wealth, and at eighteen, he left home promising to return with a large portion of it. His parents thought he managed to get an esteemed job working with the Navy, but Aaron knew better. The only way to get rich quick was to take it. However, Aaron didn't just take it from anyone; he only stole from those that were ridiculously well-off and couldn't appreciate what they had. Once the currency was successfully collected, he offered a sm
all portion of it to his crew before giving it to those more in need than they were. It took a couple of years, but soon, Aaron began joining the ranks of other notable pirates – not because he gave no quarter or had excellent fighting skills; it was because what he stole, he immediately dispersed to the poor, he never killed unless his life was threatened and even then, he would try talking his way out of it rather than inflicting bodily harm, and because he spoke beautifully for someone deemed an uneducated pirate. Aaron transformed himself into the Robin Hood of the Seven Seas, and instead of fear, people admired him.

  When he returned to New Providence, the island he was born and raised, in order to give his parents what he had accumulated with them in mind, he found out that they had died. Apparently, Aaron's father was quite sick, but managed to hide his failing condition from his son. His mother passed on not long after that.

  How he missed his beloved parents. But he knew they were in a better place, somewhere at least. Aaron wasn't exactly a religious man, but he did believe in the afterlife. Where that was, he couldn't say. But it was somewhere, and even though he transpired in many wicked activities, he hoped to one day reach that place.

  Brylee had one of the butlers help her with her luggage as she began to head out the door. Belle raised an eyebrow, wondering if Brylee had ever been on a ship before. Fancy clothes weren't exactly necessary to successfully live on such a vessel. She looked over at Aaron who had the same expression on his face as he glanced at the youngest Rochester. She pushed her lips together, hiding an amused smile before kissing her mother and father one last time.

  When the goodbyes were over, Belle slipped her arm through Aaron's, and the couple led Brylee out the door. Though the Rochesters wanted to walk their daughters to the door, there were pressing matters at hand for them, considering the fact that Belle was well and married. However, nobody seemed to mind, and the trio exited the mansion.