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Brianna held her breath, trying not to breathe Bonnet was ht She could barely keep up, burdened with gun and lantern, but she didn’t ain, another of those breathless ritted teeth

She had had to stop for a moment; Bonnet had disappeared into the haze ahead Evidently he’d noticed the fading of the lantern light, though--she heard him bellow, fro!" she called, and hurried as fast as she could, waddling, discarding any pretense of grace The smoke was much thicker, and she could hear a faint crackle, somewhere in the distance--overhead? Before the heavily, in spite of the sulp of air, and s through the sh the sht of her lantern Then a dark square loo her out into the air

They were under the wharf, she realized; dark water lapped ahead of thehtness came from up above, and so did the crackle of flao of her arrass and o within a few steps, but she followed, gasping for breath, slipping and sliding, tripping on the soggy edges of her skirts

At last he stopped, in the shadow of the trees He bent, and let Grey’s body slide to the ground He stayed bent for a et his breath back

Brianna realized that she could see both s of the tree She turned and looked back, to see the warehouse lighted like a jack-o’-lantern, flae double doors had been left ajar; as she watched, the blast of hot air forced one open, and san to creep across the dock, deceptively s

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and whirled, looking up into Bonnet’s face

"I’ve a ship waiting," he said "A little way upriver Will you coun, but didn’t need it now He was no threat to her

Still he didn’t go, but lingered, staring down at her, a saunt, hollowed and shadowed by the distant fire The surface of the river was afla from the dark water as a slick of turpentine spread across it

"Is it true?" he asked abruptly He asked no perhtened at his touch, rounding in another of those breathless, painless squeezes, and a look of astonishment crossed his face

She jerked away froether, and nodded, unable to speak

He seized her chin in his hand and peered into her face--assessing her truthfulness, perhaps? Then he let go, and stuck a finger into hisin the recesses of his cheek

He took her hand, and put so wet and hard in her palrinned at her "Take care of hied up the riverbank, silhouetted like a de into the water had caught fire, and roiling billows of scarlet light shot upward, floating pillars of fire that lit the riverbank bright as day

She half raised the er He was no more than twenty yards away, a perfect shot Not by your hand She lowered the gun, and let hio

The warehouse was fully ablaze by now; the heat froainst her cheeks and blew the hair back from her face

"I have a ship upriver," he’d said She squinted into the glare The fire had nearly filled the river, a great floating slick that bloo flaht

Her other fist was still closed around the object he had given her She opened her hand and looked down at the wet black dia red and bloody in its facets

PART TWELVE

Je T’Aime

63

FORGIVENESS

River Run, May 1770

That is the most stubborn woman I have ever met!" Brianna huffed into the room like a ship in full sail, and subsided onto the love seat by the bed, billowing

Lord John Grey opened one eye, bloodshot under his turban of bandages

"Your aunt?"

"Who else?"

"You have a looking glass in your room, do you not?" His mouth curved, and after a reluctant moment, so did hers