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"I did regret it," he said, very quietly "When I caht, and saw ye, I was sorry then that I hadna killed hio shter’s virtue" He looked down, and I could see the mark where he had bitten his lip

"Now ether Not only that ye should be impure but that ye should lie to me"

"Lie to you?" Her voice was no more than whisper "Lie to you?"

"Aye, lie to me!" With sudden violence, he turned back to her "That ye should bed a man from lust, and cry rape when ye find ye’re with child! Do ye not realize that it’s only chance I have not the sin of murder on my soul, and you the cause of it?"

She was too furious to speak; I saw her throat sords, and knew I had to do so, at once, before either of them had the opportunity to say more

I couldn’t speak, either Blindly, I fu I found it, pulled it out, and dropped it on the table It chiold of the tiny circlet gleaht

Froone completely blank Brianna drew in her breath with a sob

"That’s your ring, Auntie," Ian said He sounded dazed, and bent close to look, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes "Your gold ring The one that Bonnet took from ye, on the river"

"Yes," I said My knees felt weak I sat down at the table, and laid h to take it back, deny its presence

Jaerous insect, he picked the ring up gingerly between thuet this?" he asked, his voice alh ht it to her" Brianna’s tears had dried, evaporated by the heat of her fury She stood behind ripped me by the shoulders "Don’t you look at her that way, don’t you dare!"

He shifted the look to her, but she didn’t flinch; only held on tointo ain, his voice no more than a whisper "Where?"

"Fro, but froe, not fear "When…he…raped…h some explosion had burst him from within I made an incoherent sound of distress, and reached out for hiid, back turned to us, in the ht, heard Ian say, rather stupidly, "Bonnet?" I heard the ticking of the clock on the sideboard, felt the draft fros, but had no eyes for anything but Jamie

I pushed back the bench, stuh rooted into the floor, fists clenched into his belly like ato hold back the inevitable fatal spill of his insides

I should be able to do so I should be able to help the I could not help one without betraying the other--had already betrayed them both I had sold Ja of it had taken Roger and destroyed Bree’s happiness

I could go to neither of the ed chunks

Bree left me, and walked quietly around the table, across the roo up into his face, her own set like marble, cold as a saint’s

"Damn you," she said, scarcely audible "Damn you very much, you bastard I’m sorry I ever saw you"

PART ELEVEN

Pas du Tout

51

BETRAYAL

October 1769

Roger opened his eyes and threw up Or rather, down It didn’t h his nose and the trickle of vomitus that ran into his hair were uniroin

A thu kaleidoscopic colors from crotch to brain A damp smell of canvas filled his nose Then a voice spoke soed shape aot hi jolt through his te round his wrists Tied, he was tied up in the hold

The shape of panic blew up bold and black against his ht him, taken back the stones And now they’d kill hi at his wrists, teeth clenched against the pain The deck dropped beneath him with a startled snort, and he slaain, but his stoainst the canvas-wrapped bundles he lay across Not sails; not a hold Not the Gloriana, not a ship at all A horse He was tied hand and foot, belly down across a fking horse!