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"Well, now," Bonnet said slowly I could see his eyes trace the distance between him and Marsali--fifteen feet or more, too round, beginning to rise He could reach her in three strides

"Don’t let hi at his shoulder He fell to the side, catching himself on one hand, then heaved back, faster than I could have i me back down, this time on top of him

There were screams from behind ers at his eye, narrowlyas he jerkedfurrows in his skin We rolled in a flurry of petticoats and Irish oaths,at once to throttle me and protect himself

Then he squirmed and flipped over like a fish, and we ended with his arainst his chest There was a whisper of ainst , and took a deep breath

Marsali’s eyes were the size of saucers, her aze, thank heaven, was still trained on Bonnet, and so was the gun

"Marsali," I said, very calun down, colleen," Bonnet said, with equal calmness, "or I’ll cut her throat on the count of three One--"

"Shoot hiulp of air

"Two"

"Wait!"

The pressure of the blade acrossof blood as I took a breath I had not expected to be given I hadn’t tih; Brianna stood ao," she said

Marsali had been holding her breath; she let it out with a gasp and sucked air deep

"He isn’t about to let o, and it doesn’t matter," I said fiercely to thehtened on the gun, but she couldn’t quite do it She glanced at Brianna, white-faced, then back, her hand treerness had gone from his face He was pale, too, and stood close to hiswith me, darlin’, you and the lad" I could feel the vibration through Bonnet’s chest as he spoke, and sensed the half-so"

"Don’t," I said, trying to o, you knoon’t He’ll killto do is shoot hiot her attention Her eyes jerked to runted, half in annoyance, half in airl to be doing such a thing, Mrs Fraser"

"Marsali--he’ll kill you, and the babe with you," I said, straining every muscle to make her understand, to force her to fire "Germain and Joan will die out here, alone What happens to me doesn’t matter, believe me--for God’s sake, shoot him now!"

She fired

There was a spark and puff of white sed, the un tilted down--and the wad and ball fell out on the sand with a tiny plop Misfire

Marsalithe fallen bucket and hurling it at Bonnet’s head He yelped and threw hirip on ht it, stupidly staring down into it It was da of the blue-white waxy berries stuck to the wood

Then Ger her head off in the wood, and I dropped the bucket and crawled madly for shelter behind a yaupon bush

Bonnet was back on his feet, face flushed, the knife in his hand He was clearly furious, but made an effort to s to raise his voice to be heard above the racket "It’s only yourself andeither of you"

"He’s not your son," Brianna said, low-voiced and vicious "He’ll never be yours"

He grunted conteeon in Cross Creek, sweetheart And now I see hi slowly "He’s irl He’s the look of me--haven’t ye, boyo?"

Jehed, shrugged, and gave up any pretense of cajolement

"Come on, then," he said, and started forward, obviously intending to scoop Jemmy up

Brianna’s hand rose out of her skirts, and aimed the pistol I had yanked out of his belt back at the place it had come from Bonnet stopped in mid-step, mouth open

"What about it?" she whispered, and her eyes were fixed, unblinking "Do you keep your powder dry, Stephen?"