She was jealous.
She was jealous of a woman who seemed to know Aaron from before he had ever set eyes on Belle, and that made her uncomfortable.
Had it been foolish for her to believe that maybe, possibly, he might love her in return for her blind adoration and devotion? But then again, she should have realized that pirates were incapable of such emotions.
And now she was starting to sound like Brylee. She never thought she would see the day.
To get her mind off of her troubled thoughts, she decided to focus her eyes on the black night. The stars sparkled brightly. They seemed to be so big, Belle thought if she could get to a certain elevation, she just may be able to reach out and pluck one from its home.
"Excuse me?" a smooth tenor voice said from behind Belle. She turned her head slightly so she could get a view of the man who had called out to her. She couldn't see him too clearly, but she could make out that he was tall and appeared to be quite handsome. "I do not mean to frighten you, Miss, but a beautiful woman such as yourself should not be out here alone without an escort." He offered her a friendly smile as he stood beside her, and his eyes twinkled teasingly.
Belle refrained from rolling her eyes. Due to her accumulation of freedom, she felt it was rather silly for men or family members to escort young unwed women. If the women were merely given a chance, Belle was sure there was a strong possibility they could defend themselves.
So this must be the elusive Prince Charming Brylee always speaks of, Belle thought to herself, a humble, dry smile touching her lips.
"And you are here to provide it?" she asked in an innocent voice.
My word, are you flirting with him? a voice in her mind asked her.
It's Aaron's fault, came her retort.
"It would be my pleasure," he said and nodded his head in agreement. They were silent for a long moment before the man cocked his head in order to study Belle's sharp profile. "It is such a beautiful night. It is terrible it is tainted with the rumors spreading amongst the guests here." He was baiting her and she knew it. No matter how handsome the man was, he was still a typical, high-class gossip.
"Oh?" Belle said, arching a brow, deciding to humor him.
"Yes," the man said in a tone that revealed he was quite familiar with what was going on. "Apparently the elusive Captain Aaron Donovan, the pirate, has struck small ports along the coast in the past two weeks." Belle feigned a look of indignant shock, causing the man to continue. "Oh yes, but the rumors do not end there. In fact, even worse, I say, is the fact that there might not be one but two women accompanying him on his raids. Witnesses have painted them as alluringly beautiful – quite a distraction, I would think, but apparently Donovan can keep his focus around them given how many people they have looted. And you know, I do not think it matters how beautiful a woman is – if she has been with a pirate for any amount of time, I would not give her a second glance, I say. Her mere affiliation is enough to deter me from her." He smirked, as though his words would surely cause her to deem him a worthy match, but she gave him an inquiring look.
"So you judge someone based on who they are seen with rather than who they are as a person?" She tried to keep the judgment out of her question, but Belle only succeeded slightly.
Before he could answer, somebody else interrupted them.
"Excuse me," a low, familiar drawl said from behind the two. "Arabella, is that you?" Belle didn't answer, knowing full well who it was. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder and gave Aaron a look that he never particularly liked.
Aaron ignored it for the time being, and offered the man a friendly smile. "Good sir," he said. "I wish to convey my thanks for being out here with my wife to ensure she was not without supervision, but now that I have finished making the company's acquaintance, I would hope that you could give the two of us privacy."
The man strained a smile upon realizing that Belle was not suitable for a suitor such as himself and nodded a couple of times. "You should keep a better eye on her," he advised as he backed up. "You have a beautiful wife there. You never know who might snatch her up, especially with the persistent rumors of pirates."
"Indeed," Aaron muttered under his breath when he was certain the man was far away enough that he could not hear the pirate captain. When the man had finally reentered the manor, Aaron swung around so he could regard Belle with frustrated brown eyes. "You are aware of what he was doing, correct?"
"From my view, he was merely offering his company and engaging in friendly conversation," Belle told him a soft, innocent voice.
This caused Aaron to frown. "He was undressing you with his eyes," he told her flatly. "You do know about men and their eyes, yes? When they look at a beautiful woman, millions of thoughts flash through their eyes and none of them are at all proper."
"Oh?" Belle asked, arching a brow up. "Then tell me, Aaron Donovan, what do your eyes say?"
"Mine?" he asked her, his tone slightly incredulous. "You would like to know what my eyes are saying right now?" They seemed to be burning a hole through her own, but it didn't matter. Belle was transfixed. "They wish to relay the message to you that there is nothing more I wish to do right now than have my wicked way with you right here, and you'll probably ask me to do it again. And I will." Belle's face had flushed crimson as she stared at him in awe. No man had ever been so forward with her, and she was tempted to slap him for it, but the same desire that currently possessed the pirate to say such things caused her to hold back. "Do you realize how much I absolutely loathe when men look at you in a way I deem inappropriate? I suddenly have an urge to grab them and slit their throats because of the fact that they have accosted you with their eyes."
Belle had to swallow before she could speak, and when she did, she hoped her voice was firm and not shaky. "Why are you saying these things to me?" she asked, articulating each word that came out of her mouth. "I thought you assumed that Belle Rochester was damaged goods. That is what you had said, is it not?"
"Well, are you?" Aaron asked, knowing that was probably not the correct thing to say at a time like this, but his stubbornness refused to care.
Belle was surprised by his question, and it took her a moment to answer. "I guess it depends on what your definition of damaged goods is," she told him curtly. Before he could respond, she quickly continued. "Though maybe you are affected by another woman who will not seek to ease your comfort, so not only have you degraded yourself for damaged goods but second helpings as well." Again, Aaron looked as though he was about to argue, but Belle once more cut him off. "I think it is best if I go back to the ship. I do hope you find a solution to your problem."
Before Aaron could stop her, she quickly headed out of his presence and back into the manor. Aaron quickly decided to follow her, hoping that she would see reason and stay with him. However, he could tell the woman was determined to carry out what she said she would as she headed out the front doors.
When Aaron reached the frame of the doorway, his whole body froze. Members of the Royal Navy were blocking Belle's path. One held her wrists tightly before shackling them together. Without realizing what he was doing, Aaron felt his hand touch the butt of his pistol before pulling it out of his belt and walking a few steps into the night. Even so, he knew he could do absolutely nothing. There were too many of them, and only one of him.
He felt his eyes pool with pure worry, his brow pushed together. Though his mouth had dropped open slightly, his jaw was tightened. He wanted to go after her, but he couldn't. Not when his crew was currently executing a mission there.
How had they known she was here? How had they known what she looked like?
Belle never turned around to look at him, afraid she might give his presence away.
And before Aaron knew it, she was gone.
32
Aaron wasn't quite sure how long he stood there, his eyes rooted on the place Belle had been only moments before, with his pistol drawn in his hand, resting at his side. She was gone. Really, really gone.
He couldn't just wait around for her to come back. If he didn't get to her soon, who knew what the Navy would do to her? Hell, she might be hanged at dawn some day in the near future if they found out her true identity.
They must know who she is, Aaron, a voice in his mind grumbled. They would not have arrested a woman unless they knew it was Belle.
Commack had to be behind this. He had to. Belle had not yet been with Aaron long enough for her to be identified on the street by herself.
Unless of course, the fact that she was a woman improved her legend. Maybe it was true then. People always seemed so surprised when it had been found out a woman was engaging in piratical acts.
It didn't matter, though, who was behind it or who had recognized her as Aaron's partner in crime. All that mattered was getting her back, and he intended to do just that.
Spinning on the heel of his boot, Aaron quickly headed back into the manor. He tried to act as casually as possible in hopes he wouldn't draw any attention to himself which would result in further distractions from his ultimate goal. He paused when he reached the outer edge of the dance floor, his chocolate brown eyes scanning the couples as they moved gracefully along with the music. He had to find Rick and Brylee as quickly as he possibly could.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Aaron managed to catch sight of Rick's floppy chestnut hair, and he made a beeline over so he could talk to the man. It was in this instance when Aaron was thankful his first mate had naturally messy hair, even though it frustrated him at times when it was imperative to look immaculate for certain raids.
The pirate had no trouble reaching the couple, and if the situation had been different and he wasn't in such a hurry, he would have noticed that both Rick and Brylee were laughing, enjoying each other's company. However, that was not the case. His primary focus was Belle, and as a result, ignored the further development between Rick and Brylee, at least for now.
"Hello, you," Rick said after a moment, having obviously forgotten Aaron's faux name for the night.
Aaron should have scolded him for it, but didn't. He was too worried. "It's Belle," he managed to get out. Even though he had reached his intended destination, words tumbled in his mind and it was hard for him to speak properly. He managed to continue, however, especially once he saw worry clearly written in Brylee's blue eyes. "I saw her. She's been arrested." He made sure he kept his voice down to ensure he wouldn't alert other patrons to their presence.
It would seem Brylee did not take the hint. "What?" she all but yelped, her eyes burning into Aaron. When Rick nudged her side with his elbow, she realized her mistake and felt her cheeks flush crimson. "How could she get arrested?" she whispered, her voice still firm despite its quietness.
"I'm not sure, exactly," Aaron said, hoping he didn't sound as helpless as he felt. "I was following her out; she wanted to go to the ship. But when I stepped outside, four Navy men swarmed her and grabbed her. I couldn't go after them. I was alone."
"Aaron, calm down," Rick said upon hearing the earnestness in his captain's voice. "We will get her back, but we cannot raid the town's brigs without some sort of plan or our rescue attempt will be in vain."
"Right," Aaron said, allowing Rick's logic to calm him down slightly. "Right. Harry should be nearly finished releasing the slaves and Carver has to be finished ridding this place of its loot. Meet me at the ship, then, as soon as you can."
"Aye," Rick agreed, nodding his head a couple of times.
Aaron lost himself in the crowd once again, hoping to leave in order to get back to the ship and come up with some sort of plan. However, upon his hasty exit, a familiar young woman cut him off, a devious look sparkling in her eyes.
"I need you to move, Melissa," he said, his voice dangerously low.
She pursed her lips into a pout. "Oh, come on Aaron," she said in a child’s voice. "Just one more dance. I saw your partner getting arrested outside so there really is no excuse…"
Aaron narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I swear to God, Melissa, if I found out that you were the cause of her arrest," Aaron began, but realized he was wasting precious time. "Please move or I will use force."
"Oh Aaron, you know I always liked it when you used force," the young woman teased. However, something in his eyes caused her face to drop and then her eyes flickered with jealousy. "You would harm a lady?" she challenged, her voice tight.
"I never would harm a lady," Aaron conceded, "but then again, you never really were one, were you?"
His remark caught her by surprise and Aaron took his chance by pushing past her and disappearing into the crowd.
Belle did not go quietly. While she wasn't exactly yelling or screaming, she struggled as hard as she could, and managed to scrape her wrists on the tight shackles that encompassed her wrists. She didn't want people to see that it was she who had been arrested in case someone would recognize her as Aaron's date and pieces might start falling in place…
No. It was better that she was arrested in place of Aaron. He would still be able to do what he did without her presence, and help those in need of help.
"Why were you at the governor's mansion?" a Navy man asked her in a gruff voice as he all but shoved her in their awaiting carriage.
"How did you get here?" another one asked.
"I took a carriage," Belle said helplessly. Though she knew she was doing the right thing, it didn't cause her fear to subside. "I came alone. The governor's daughter is an acquaintance of my parents'. I thought I should pay my respects by showing up at her debut incognito."
"Alone?" yet another one asked in disbelief.
"Captain Donovan thought it was a waste of his time," Belle told the men. She always had a knack for lying, and after eight years on her own, had perfected the skill. There was only one thing on her mind that she decided to follow. No matter what, she would never speak of the whereabouts of Aaron Donovan, no matter the consequences.
Though the agents kept shooting questions at her and demanding that she answer, Belle kept her mouth shut. Instead, she focused her eyes out the window and on the black sky.
When they reached their destination, Belle was pushed out and then yanked down wooden stairs, where the brigs were positioned. It surprised the young woman that she had managed to maintain some sort of balance so she didn't fall flat on her face. Instead of being taken to a cell, as she expected, she was escorted to a small, nearby room. Her shackles were released on one hand only and then clamped on the arm of the chair she was supposed to sit in. Other men filed out save for one, who sat down across from her with narrowed grey eyes.
"Where is he?" he asked in a crisp, articulated voice.
Belle feigned innocence. "Who are you speaking of?" she asked him, her voice light but certain. She met his challenging eyes with a look of her own.
He slammed his palm down on the surface of the table that separated them. "Do not take me for a fool, Miss Rochester," the man snapped. "You know exactly to whom I am referring. Now, where are the whereabouts of Aaron Donovan?"
"I don't know," Belle said as calmly as she could.
"How did you meet up with the criminal?" he asked.
"I have not met up with him," she replied in the same voice.
"Are you the rumored female associate who has been accompanying him on his raids?"
"No."
He wasn't sure if it was her obvious lies or the fact that she appeared to be so utterly relaxed that caused him to be so upset. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was the fact that he had to interrogate a pirate's whore that bothered him.
Belle sat there for hours and hours and hours. She wasn't allowed to eat, sleep, go to the restroom, or even get up out of her chair. She even got slapped around a few times, and her lip was bleeding, but her answers never changed, her determination never wavered.
"Do you realize how dangerous Aaron Donovan is?" the man asked. This one was not the same as the other few who had tried to crack her and come out unsuccessful. But he, too, wasn't getting anywhere.
33
Rick stared at Brylee with an arched brow and pursed lips as she skillfully began to pile up her light brown strands on top of her head. It wasn't the fact that he disapproved of what she was getting ready for, of course, but did she have to look like… that while she did so? The young woman he had grown quite fond of was wearing a light pink dress with an especially tight corset. The dress itself was lower than necessary concerning the cut of it, and it was more form-fitting than he would have preferred. On her feet, she was wearing matching heels that she wasn't familiar with when it concerned actually walking. Her pretty face was littered with more makeup than necessary, but it enhanced her features quite nicely.
"Captain Donovan," Brylee murmured as she gazed in the oval-shaped glass at her reflection. "Will you please go over the plan once again so I am familiar with it?"
She spoke to the man standing adjacent to Rick, who had previously been pacing up and down the length of his quarters. It was odd for Rick to see his captain so uncertain when Aaron was notorious for having everything planned out. There were times when he even had plans for plans.
"Of course," the pirate captain said with a curt nod, though Brylee could not see it from her position. "You are supposed to be a female of the nightly persuasion. You should stumble upon the jail and go in, surveying the place until you set your sights on Belle."
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