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"Foul bastard!" shouted anotherher to sink You butchered her crew"

"I did no such thing!"

"You evenand innocent Victoria Wyeth and her le word didn’t explode fro What words had come out of the man’s mouth were so abominable they couldn’t be true

"No!" he cried, an eruption of horrified protest "What are you talking about? Victoria Wyeth was on no ship She is ho"

"Victoria Wyeth was on the Annabelle Lee, heading north to Virginia at her father’s command--to escape the likes of you," the lieutenant informed him

"And you did draw her out and murder her, in cold blood," another cried

He shook his head "This is not true Victoria is not dead She cannot be dead"

"You were seen," said the lieutenant "Your ship was seen, blasting cannon at the merchantman You lured the ship to the reef, and proceeded to pu vessel to cut down and kill all aboard"

"No! Never, never! I love Victoria!" he said

"You loved her, you scurvy bastard, and you couldn’t have her, so you killed her," the lieutenant said scathingly

Bartholo said He couldn’t comprehend them Because it couldn’t be true

And if she was dead…

Nothing else mattered

But she couldn’t be dead Not Victoria, with her laughter, with her spirit, with her joy and kindness, and absolute beauty in person and in soul

"You itnessed, and all know that you are a pirate, Bartholo to our law, you will now be hanged by the neck until dead"

He didn’t care He didn’t care what happened to him

But, Victoria…

And the accusation that he had killed her? Killed his love?

"Back away!" he warned, swinging his sword "If what you say is true, if Victoria Wyeth is dead, then gladly will I lay down er in this world But it is a lie, a foul lie I killed no one, and damn you all and the liar who said it I was never aand country, and then the ideal of this country, and I fought the enemies of my state at all times To murder any woman would be abhorrent to me--to injure a hair on the head of Victoria Wyeth would be anathee"

"Seize hiood two dozen But there was soed beast, which, in truth, hat he was Men fell back before hiht the tip of one fellow’s nose with so s out that he had been injured

Many another bore a slice, but he had no desire to kill

No desire to live

He had a chance to make a clean strike and kill the lieutenant He watched the man step back in fear

He lowered his sword

"Tell me--is it true? Is Victoria Wyeth dead?" he asked quietly

"Indeed," the lieutenant said quietly "Your ship was seen A witness cries against you, one who fled in terror for his own life"

"The witness lies," Bartholomew said

"You are condeo to o near him

He shook his head, his heart dead already He dropped his sword and offered his hands to be bound behind his back

Finally ato tie the rope He did the job badly It didn’t ht