Honour Bright

Beaumaris, Wales--April, 1652 The Neptune Rising pulled into the harbour of Beaumaris as the dawn's light was breaking through the indigo sky. Rhys shouted out his commands as they brought the ship into the dock. Dolan stood at the gunwale and looked at his friend. Never before had Rhys Morgan seemed so antsy to leave his ship. Finally Rhys joined him. Breathing the salt air, Rhys smiled at his quartermaster. "Ahh! The sweet smell of Wales!" Dolan smirked. "I'd say we could be anywhere she was and you would say the same." Rhys shielded his eyes and looked towards the port. "I know she will understand once I explain what happened." "You honestly think so?" Rhys shook his head. "No. No, I don't. Hopefully she won't be too upset. I'll take a room at the inn and then I'll wait for her gypsy friend Athena to get word to her to meet me on the bluffs. Then we head off to my father's estate and properly wed her. And then off to Cambridge to resume my studies and live a happily ever after." "You think Jack is doing alright?" "He was the last we left him. Weak as a kitten but Dr Gander said with the care Renee will give him, he will be on the mend. Don't know about his mental state though." "I thought you said he was 'Mad Jack' anyways." Rhys looked out over his ship. "An experience like that has to change you. It would anyone. Whether it will make him more introspective or reckless, only time will tell." Dolan lit his pipe. "I know it changed me. How can one man be such a monster?" "Power. Someone must have told him that he was put in that position by God. And he believed it." "Heard he was a Castilian." "Yeah. Full of himself. Probably descended from Joanna the Mad. Totally bonkers, that one. Obsessed with her husband. And Diego was totally obsessed with Mercedes." "Where is the doxy now?" "Divides her time between that fortress but escapes to Havana when she can." "Well, I hope Jack pulls out of it all with minimal scarring. Both mentally and physically." "Time will tell, Dolan. Time will tell." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ His ship was docked, the men were given shore leave for a week. Rhys knew that Dolan would take care of the ship and the men would be loyal to him. He stopped in front of the grey stone cottage, anticipation that perhaps by day's end, Rhiannon would be lying in his arms in the room he booked. Knocking on the door, it was opened by a beautiful gypsy girl. "Are you Athena?" She nodded. "And you are Rhys Morgan. Rhiannon described you perfectly. Right down to the sun streaks in your hair and the eyes she said were the colour of the sea. But you were supposed to be here at the end of December, Rhys Morgan!" He sighed. "I know. I ran into a complication where lives were at stake. Is she really upset?" Athena shrugged. "Well, it's hard to---" "I'll make it up to her, I swear. Would you be able to get word to her today at the convent?" Athena shook her head. "She's not there." "What do you mean, she's not there?" Athena sighed. "You had better come in, Rhys Morgan." Rhys followed Athena into the parlor. The cottage was immaculate, the smell of patchouli and sandalwood filling the air. "Please sit down." Rhys sat and took off his hat, twisting it in his hands. "But she is well, isn't she?" Athena poured a glass of wine for Rhys and handed it to him. "She's gone." "Yes, you said that. Now where is she? Back with her father?" The gypsy shook her head. "I don't know where she is." "But...but you go to the manor, don't you?" She nodded. "I do. I hate to have to tell you this, Rhys. But when you didn't come back, the Mother Superior found out about the two of you and sent Rhiannon home in disgrace. I saw her when I went there to drop off the season's vintage of wine. And I saw what I hoped was not true." "You are speaking in riddles, Athena. Please! Tell me where she may be and I will find her." Athena took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Rhiannon Conaway was being fitted for her wedding dress." Rhys caught the goblet right before it slipped out of his hands. "She--she--what?" "She was getting married." "But...when?" "About three weeks ago." "Then I have time to get her. Would you please go and tell her I am here?" Athena shook her head no. "It's too late." Rhys turned pale. "What do you mean....too late?" "She was married two weeks ago." Rhys was hearing the words that Athena was telling him but it sounded far away. Like it was happening to someone else and he was eavesdropping. "...and when I saw her, she wouldn't look me in the eyes. I never saw her again. And I haven't been able to find out who she married or where she is. I'm sorry, Rhys. I really am."

Deleted. Changed my mind.

I changed careers in two totally different directions. Formerly an office manager for my husband's now-defunct construction company, I am now working in two hospitals as a pharmacy technician. One of the hospitals is a state of the art, cutting edge brand new children's hospital. I also am a contributing regular writer for Pirates Magazine.

Australia is a pretty big island too.

'Ahh...Venice!' ~~Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I think they should get an 'unknown' so there are no preconceived images. If I have to see Brangelina on the cover of one more magazine, I'm throwing my frozen peas at it in the checkout line.

Rhiannon looked out the window of the carriage. How different her life had turned out. From summer to winter, she had metamorphosed from an innocent girl to fallen angel to reluctant bride. The man who sat next to her was Lord Madoc Castlemaine. Her new husband. "What do you mean, I am to marry Lord Castlemaine? He--he's OLD!" Rhodri Conaway looked at his youngest daughter. He gave a deep sigh. "What do you expect, Rhiannon? You have acted in a most disgraceful manner. Consorting casually with a pirate. Despicable lot, they are. They have been using my property for their ill-gotten gains. And I found out who it was. Captain Rhys Morgan. And from a fine family, he is! Turns out he is the youngest son of Sir Owain Morgan. Had a promising career and educated at Cambridge until he fell in with his renegade uncle. Coincidentally, it turns out to be the very pirate you consorted with. The one who left you after he amused himself with your virtue. If I ever get my hands on him, he will pay. Not only for trespassing, but the humiliation he has brought upon this family and the Conaway name. I'll hunt him down and when I find him, I'll stretch his neck." "NO!" Rhiannon cried. Rhodri folded his hands across his chest and looked at his daughter coldly. "Then I would say you had no choice in the matter. Save his worthless hide. Marry Lord Castlemaine and it is that or I will see Morgan hung." She hung her head in defeat. Lord Conaway took a gentler approach. "Rhiannon, it's not so bad as that. Lord Castlemaine is willing to overlook your past--indiscretion---in exchange for a young bride. And after you give him children---" "Children? With THAT fossil?" Coldly, Rhodri said, "Watch what you say. He is scarcely older than me. As I was saying, all women want children. Lord Castlemaine would provide handsomely for them. And you. "He already has three. And they are older than me." "It doesn't hurt to have spare." She stood there and her shoulders sagged. "I have no choice, do I?" "Not from where I sit, you don't. Rhys Morgan's worthless life in exchange for a life of privilege and title." She nodded slowly, her eyes filling with tears as she met her father's gaze. "Allright," she whispered. "I'll do it." And with that she ran out of the study. Within a minute, Dilys stormed in the room. "What on earth is in your head?" Lord Conaway looked up from his papers. "I assume you have something to say, Dilys?" "I just saw Rhiannon. She looked like she was about to faint." "Brides sometimes do." "WHAT?" "Rhiannon has agreed to marry Lord Madoc Castlemaine." "Are you out of your mind?" "And you are out of line, Dilys." "The man's wife died under suspicious circumstances. And you are selling my baby sister to him?" "He is looking for a young wife and I have a daughter that needs a husband. One who is willing to take her." "Why? Because she fell in love?" "With a pirate." "With a man she loved." "And where is that man?" "Something has delayed him." "Or he took what he wanted and what he wasn't entitled to and left her." Dilys locked his with her father's. "And when is this happy event?" "In two days." "TWO DAYS? Not even enough time to post the banns." "We can file them after the ceremony. The bishop---" "Can be bought. The mighty Conaway and Castlemaines throw a few extra coins in the coffers and he will turn a blind eye and wink at the lack of propriety." Lord Conaway stood up and slammed his fist down on his desk. "Sometimes I wonder what I have done to deserve daughters such as this." Dilys raised her chin defiantly. "Still upset that I married Angus?" "He's a Scot." "He loves me. Something that is in short supply in this family. It's a wonder Mother ever had children." Lord Conaway grew silent and said in a hoarse whisper, "She loved me." Dilys replied, "And you changed. What you did--and are doing--to Rhiannon, she never would have approved. She was Mother's last gift to you. Instead of cherishing her, you got rid of her. It wasn't her fault what happened to Mother." "She's always been defiant and headstrong. If she had been an obedient child, I may still have had a wife." Dilys spat, "You disgust me!" and left the room, slamming the door on the way out. Lord Conaway ran his hands over his face. 'It's the right thing. It's the ONLY thing.' Megan sat on the bed holding Rhiannon as she sobbed, grieving for the apparent desertion by Rhys. In between her cries, she haltingly said, "Something must have happened to him. Rhys would never do that! He wouldn't!" Gwyneth solemnly looked at the clothes strewn on the bed. Quietly, she asked, "Rhiannon, love. What dress do you want?" Dilys, leaning against the dresser, asked hotly, "What difference does it make? May as well pick out her shroud." "Dilys!" Gwyneth admonished as this brought fresh wails from Rhiannon. Dilys held Rhiannon's hand as she said shamefully, "Forgive me, darling." Megan rocked her sister and soothed her. "Rhiannon, we will always be here for you." Gwyneth added, "In time, Rhiannon, it all works out. In the end, all things are equal. Now...what dress, dear?" she asked gently. Dilys retorted, "That one. The black one over there. And a black veil over her face!" Gwyneth shot her a look. Rhiannon stood up. She blew her nose in a handkerchief and with her red-rimmed eyes, defiantly threw the clothes in a pile. She pulled one out of the bottom. "This one. I want this one." Gwyneth was shocked. "You can't wear that! It--it's scarlet!" Dilys applauded. "I think it is perfect!" Megan started, "Rhiannon----" But her little sister raised her chin and said through clenched teeth, "I wear the scarlet one or I don't get married at all." In the end, a cooler head prevailed. But one act of defiance was known to Rhiannon and Rhiannon alone. She wore a dress of butter yellow. The dress she wore the day she gave herself body, heart and soul to Rhys Morgan. Lord Conaway did not kiss his daughter.

Keep the map.

As much as I look forward to the next POTC 4 movie, I hope it doesn't spawn yet another wave of Jack Sparrows at faire ad nauseum. It was cool the first season. Now it just shows lack of originality.

She knocked on the study door. A gruff voice from within said, "Come in." She opened the door tentatively. "Hello, Father." Lord Conaway stared. "What are you doing here?" "Happy to see you too, Father." He stood up and gave her a perfunctory hug. Not much warmth there, she thought. "Order couldn't handle you either, could they?" "It was time for me to leave, Father." "And tell me the story." "I'd rather not." "Either you tell it or you can keep going." "You'd throw me out?" They both stared each other down. He motioned for her to sit down. She did. The silence was palpable. "Alright, if you must know, I made a few mistakes. So I felt the time was right to come home and reacquaint myself with the family." He tented his fingers and said, "No need to tell me what mistakes you made. You're not with child, are you?" She grew indignant. "Certainly not!" He shrugged. "You may stay here. For now. Until we can work out a mutually beneficial solution to this problem." "Problem. That is the way you dismiss it?" He said nothing. "Very well," she said. Lord Conaway said, "Your room is exactly as when you left. Your sisters insisted." She left the room without a word. Lord Conaway ran his hands over his face. What to do with this unexpected problem that showed up on the doorstep, he thought. If she is in trouble with the order, then that is trouble I don't need either. He went to the stables. Parry came forward and said tentatively, "Aye, it be good to have young miss home again, yes?" Lord Conaway ignored that and took Goliath out of the stall. He mounted his stallion and then said to Parry. "Don't get too used to it." And with that he rode off to negotiate a release from his 'situation.'

Wales--February, 1652 Riding up to the manor of the house she grew up in, Rhiannon rode straight to the stable. Currying an incredibly large stallion was a groom. She alighted from her horse and led Taliesin into a stall. The groom turned around and said, 'What in the name of the gods do ye think ye are doin' there? This be estate of Lord Conaway. This not be a tavern and ye canna be just droppin' yer steed 'ere." He stood there with his hands on his hips and started towards her, his face red with indignation. She barely suppressed a grin. "Hello to you, too, Parry." Parry looked closely, "Do I know ye?" She faked a little girl voice and said, 'My father said I could ride Goliath. He gave me permission. So are you going to bridle him for me or shall I do it myself?'" Parry looked at the young woman before him. "No! Can't be! Impossible!" She grinned at him and said, "Do you need any more proof than that? 'Here, Parry--I brought you some blueberries. I am sorry they got squished in my pockets. They were delicious!' " Parry's face split in a grin. "Well, I'll be! Miss Rhiannon! Thought I'd ne'er lay me eyes on ye agin! Are ye home to stay?" Rhiannon led Taliesin into a stall and grabbed a curry brush. "It all depends, Parry. How welcome do you think he would make me?" Parry shrugged. "Been--what? Ten years?" "More like eleven. I'm seventeen now." He took the curry brush out of her hand and with his hand under her chin, tilted her face up to meet his. "Ye be in trouble, child." She turned her face away and patted Taliesin, ignoring the question. Just then Muir ran into the stable. He looked at Parry and then jumped up on him, knocking him down. Rhiannon commanded, "Muir! Down! Muir sat down at her feet. She reached out and helped Parry up. He said, "That be MUIR? Why, he be a mere pup when he left. But then, ye be a mere slip of a lass when ye left." She looked at Parry and said, "It won't get any easier, will it?" Parry shook his head. "No." "How is he?" "Older." "How will he receive me?" Parry hesitated and then picked his words carefully. "He'll be beside himself." She turned to go. "That's what I was afraid of." Rhiannon made her way to the manor house, Muir at her heels. She knocked on the front door. It doesn't feel like home anymore. Do I even have one? A man who she did not know opened the door. "All trade is to be taken to the rear of the house by the servants' entrance." He closed the door. She turned to Muir and laughed. "Can you believe that, Muir? KIcked out of my own childhood home! She continued to laugh as she went around the rear. In reply to her knock, the door was opened. The cook, Mrs. Quincy, took one look at her and the dog and then threw out her arms. "You've come home, dearie! And with the dog too!" Rhiannon laughed and said, "You are the only one who recognized me, Mrs.Quincy!" Mrs. Quincy bustled her inside. "I thought about you every day and twice on Sunday! And you are just how I imagined you would have looked. Had you been allowed to stay here and grow up proper!" The cook hurried to give her a glass of milk and some hot scones. She took them eagerly. "No one could match your scones, Mrs. Quincy!" "Are you home to stay, child?" "That depends." "Have you been let go from the Order?" "Let's just say I left voluntarily and let it go at that, alright?" Mrs. Q. sniffed and said, "Never was a place for a bit of a lass like you anyhow." "Is he about?" The cook nodded, "Aye. He is in his study." Rhiannon made a face. "That was the last place I saw him. Couldn't even come to see me off when I was handed over." Mrs. Quincy pursed her lips. "Don't think the servants didn't notice either." "And my sisters? How fare they?" "All married well and contented. They are scattered over the shire. You have several nieces and nephews." "Wonderful! I shall catch up with you later. I had better get this over with. I need to see if I have a bed tonight or if I sleep in the stable."

Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. My mom went to Borders and saw seven copies there. She went there a few days later to buy it because her daughter writes for them and they were already sold out.

The last issue of Pirates Magazine had such an excellent article on the restoration of the arifacts that I couldn't put it down.

Beaumaris, Wales "Come on, Muir--let's go check." The wolf-dog raised his head and gave what passed for a sigh. He trotted off to the docks with his mistress. Rhiannon scanned the port, then to the horizon. No sign of the sails she longed to see. She tried to keep the tears that welled in her eyes from spilling over. 'Two months now. He promised, Muir....he promised." Muir put his muzzle in Rhiannon's hand. She pet her faithful companions head, then hugged his neck. 'Why, Muir? Why is he not here?' She felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning quickly, she came face to face with one of the novitiates. "Mary Agnes." "Come with me, Rhiannon. Mother Superior wants to see you on a matter of grave importance." "What now?" "I have no idea." "Oh, bother! I forgot to make the beds." Rhiannon stood in front of the Mother Superior. "Your dog stays out of the office." She lifted her head in defiance. "Muir stays with me." Mother Superior drew her mouth into a tight line. "Very well. How long has it been going on?" "How long has WHAT been going on?" "You and...that man." Rhiannon felt her heart sink. "What--what do you mean?" Mother Superior stood up, her face a mask of contorted rage. "You have been meeting that man. Often and in a most unseemly manner." Rhiannon's mind raced. How? How did Mother Superior find out? She drew up her courage. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said haughtily. Mother Superior took her switch and smacked it so hard on her desk that it broke in two. "Do NOT add lying to your sins, Rhiannon." At this point, Rhiannon knew she had been found out so she mounted her counterattack. "So I was seen talking to a man. That doesn't mean anything. I have talked with lots of sailors. I find them alot more fascinating than burying my nose in a hymn book and wailing a dirge like the Benedictine monks. If talking to colourful and interesting people is a sin, then yes, I am guilty." The nun's face twisted in rage. "You have been found out, Miss Conaway. Someone finally came forward. Her conscience bothered her and she confessed what she saw to a priest." Rhiannon couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not so much that she had been confessed to a priest but the fact that a priest violated the sanctity of confession. "The priest felt it was his duty to tell me to save your immortal soul. Little did he know the problems I have had to endure because of you. Your father has been generous to us as our benefactor. But it seems your time has run out. I am sending you back to your father." "You-you're sending me away?" "He can deal with you and your sinful ways." "Sinful ways. If talking to a few sailors is a sinful way, then yes, I am guilty of that." Mother Superior took great delight in her next words. "Your sinful ways consist of more than chatting. More like pleasures of the flesh. Oh, yes! You were seen coming out of a cave with a--a pirate! The person who observed you on more than one occasion had seen you come out arm-in-arm with a man who is renowned in these parts as a pirate who uses the cliffs and caves for his smuggling operation. The last time you trysted in there, you left behind a blanket and a candle. It wasn't hard to deduce what had been going on in that cave!" Rhiannon was beginning to see there was no defense. She was being sent back to Lord Conaway. Her head bent down in defeat and her shoulders sagged. The Mother Superior then went in for the kill. "You have been looking more pale every day and losing weight. You are not with child, are you?" At that Rhiannon snapped back to reality. "With child? No, I am not with child. I almost wish I was! I'd have someone to love me. And you'd best hear it from me, Mother Superior! I would raise that child in love and not with alot of detestable and harsh rules--or with beatings. And my child would be the child of the most feared and awesome pirate in Wales---in the world!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That day, Rhiannon Conaway packed her meager belongings. She carefully folded the yellow dress that she wore the first day she and Rhys had made love. Muir stood beside her, his tail wagging. Almost as if he knew they were breaking free from the chains of the Order of St Brigid. Mother Superior had arranged for a carriage to transport them back to Lord Conaway. As Rhiannon walked down the hall, the nuns and novitiates were lined up. She looked each one of them straight in the eyes. Each one met her gaze. Some with pity, some with compassion. One or two with a faint amusement. And one who stood with her eyes cast down. Mary Agnes. The novitiate. Mother Superior stood at the door. Stiffly she said, "God be with you." Rhiannon replied, 'Whatever." "Your carriage is waiting." Rhiannon said, "I would like to say goodbye to Cedric if you don't mind. It will only take a few minutes. You can grant me that one favor, can you not? I mean, since you made so much money by my being here...." Steely, the Mother Superior said, "Alright. Ten minutes. No more." Rhiannon nodded silently. As Muir trotted beside her, she said softly to him, 'Don't question, Muir. Just stay with me. I know what I am doing.' She went to the side door of the stable and opened it up. There stood one of the horses of the Order of St Brigid. A white stallion by the name of Taliesin. Muir started to bark. "Hush, Muir! The way I understand it was Father gave alot of money to the Order to keep me here. So, in a sense, I think this horse belongs to the Conaways." She quietly bridled Taliesin. He was a stallion seventeen hands high. She took Muir and hoisted him over the crossbars of the stall so his feet were dangling over each side. He whimpered as he hung there. "Quiet, Muir. It is just for a minute." Throwing her bag over the back of the horse, she climbed the crossbars and jumped expertly onto Taliesin's back. Reaching over, she scooped up her wolfdog into her waiting arms. She whispered, 'Think you are going to send me home in a rented conveyance like some Scottish woman? Think again, you old battle-ax! Lady Rhiannon Conaway will go home in her OWN way." She touched Taliesin's neck and whispered, 'Off to the meadows, Taliesin. I heard the hay is good and that pretty little mare is usually out there.' He whinnied and tossed his head, walking briskly towards the door. She murmured, 'Just like a man to trot off if there is a good bedding to be had....' As the horse cleared the door, she kicked him hard in the flanks. Taliesin leaped and galloped across the meadow. Towards Rhiannon's childhood home. For all six years of her life.

Here's your chambermaid reference. Wikipedia had this as an example of his diary-- October] 6. I rose at 6 o’clock and said my prayers and ate milk for breakfast. Then I proceeded to Williamsburg, where I found all well. I went to the capitol where I sent for the wench to clean my room and when I came I kissed her and felt her, for which God forgive me. . . . About 10 o’clock I went to my lodgings. I had good health but wicked thoughts, God forgive me. Bet she is sorry she bent over to make the bed! No, really, I found it to be a fascinating read. I couldn't stand the guy by the time I got done, but it really was insightful as to how colonial America had their mind-set. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Oh, it's not to say I didn't find it very interesting.... but I think he was narcissistic and hypocritical. He seemed more concerned what he ate or whether he was constipated than in the death of his son. I guess if I was his wife I would have slapped him upside the head!

Wow, this guy is a real piece of work. The only good thing is he and his wife saved two other people. Nothing gets your blood up I guess more than a morning rogering, beat a few slaves and a good night rogering.

Don't forget a pair of scuffy, expensive boots.

How about 'how to get blood out of a nice white silk shirt?'

Matt, you and Dave have every right to be proud of this issue. I just received mine on Thursday and the quality of the paper is unbelievable. It really is a high-class journal. The article by Thomas Frey on Blackbeard and the findings of the Queen Anne's Revenge is riveting. It was an article I couldn't put down. As with the rest of the issue. The magazine just keeps getting better and better! I am indeed humbled and proud at the same time to be part of the Pirates Magazine's Press Gang. For those that don't know, Mad Jack and I write El Lobo del Mar under our real names. Um...anyone know a literary agent or publisher?

"I'm here to see my sister." Mother Superior looked up to see a stylish woman in her early twenties standing before her. She had luxurious honey-blonde curls and sparkling hazel eyes. And an air to the manor born. "I'm sorry, Lady Llewellyn. Your sister is not able to receive visitors." Lady Llewellyn took her gloves off carefully. "And why is she 'not able to receive visitors'?" "I'm afraid that is abbey business. She is a ward of the convent. And as such, she is under my care." "And ownership? You seem to deny access to her on a regular basis, Mother Superior." "I have been entrusted with her education and upbringing and----" Lady Llewellyn leaned over the desk, her hands gripping the sides of it. She went nose to nose with the nun and said in measured tones, "I am well aware that you personally do not care for my sister. But she is a Conaway and I shall see her at once." The nun and Lady Llewellyn locked eyes. The younger woman continued, "Please don't make me go to the bishop with my suspicions that you tend to imbibe in the sacrificial wine." "I NEVER!" Lady Llewellyn stood up again. "True or not, it will result in an investigation and I am sure you would not like having to answer questions. Now I would suggest you get your fat arse up and lead me to Rhiannon." The Mother Superior pursed her lips, her face turning crimson red. However, this was the daughter of her benefactor and any disturbance into the arrangement and the nun knew she could end up nursing lepers in Malta. "Very well. Follow me." "I knew you would see reason." Mother Superior led the way down a hall to a small room. She knocked on the door and then opened it. Stiffly, she said, "You have a visitor, Miss Conaway." "Megan!" Rhiannon leaped off the bed and hugged her sister fiercely. Megan turned to the Mother and said, "You can go now. And close the door." Without a word, Mother Superior turned on her heel and left. Megan took Rhiannon's face in her hands and looked at her carefully. "Are you allright?" Rhiannon nodded. "Yes, now that you are here." "She's been up to the same shite?" "Not since Muir finally bit her hand. She threatened to have him poisoned. And I told her if she laid a hand on him, I would personally throw her out the belltower." "Why did Muir bite her? I mean, he must have had a good reason." "She took a switch to me once too often." Megan hugged her sister. "You will be eighteen in another year, darling. And then you will no longer be a ward of this convent. Daffyd and I will see that you make a smart match." Rhiannon held her finger up and whispered, "I'm taken care of." Megan stared at her sister for a few moments. She blurted out, "Oh, PLEASE don't tell me you have decided to take the veil! I'll yank you out of here so fast!" Rhiannon burst out laughing. "Perish the thought! Me? A NUN?" Megan put her hand over her heart and stated, relieved, "Thank God! I can't see you as a 'bride of Christ!'" Rhiannon said smugly, "Oh, I'll be a bride alright. Megan, the most wonderful thing has happened. I'm in love!" Muir looked at Rhiannon with a look that almost said, 'Go on! Go on! Tell her who it is! Please! Please! Please!' Megan stood there expectantly, her hands on her hips. "Well? Out with it! It certainly can't be Lord Buckley's son Percival." Rhiannon shook her head. "Not one of Sir Neville's sons!" "No, not one of the Neville brothers." "I heard Lord Madoc Castlemaine is 'in the market'." "Oh, please! He's as old as Father!" Megan tapped her foot and gestured with an 'out with it' gesture. Rhiannon let out a pent-up breath. "Do you ever hear of Lord Owain Morgan?" Megan nodded slowly. "Yes. Very powerful and influential family to the south of us. From Monmouthshire." "I'm going to marry Lord Morgan's son." Megan looked at her sister and then burst out laughing. "Rhiannon, you have such a wild imagination!" Rhiannon looked hurt at her sister. "It's true!" Megan shook her head. "Sir Cadfael is engaged to Lady Gwyneth Evans." Then a long pause. "Wait...Rhiannon you don't mean...the other one?" Rhiannon looked down and said, "By the other one, if you mean Rhys Morgan, then yes." She looked up. "I am going to marry Rhys Morgan!" Her eyes were shining, her face full of hope. Megan looked at her sister and said, mostly to herself, "I should have known. He's a---a pirate!" Then she burst out laughing. "A pirate! Rhiannon, leave it to you to give Father the coronary he is certainly going to have!" Rhiannon and Megan sat on her bed. Rhiannon told her how she met Rhys again and the plans they made. "And we are going to live in Monmouthshire. As soon as he comes back." "And where has he gone?" "To the Caribbean. He is meeting a Captain Ferret--or maybe it is Coyote, I am not sure--but he is wrapping up his pirate business and then he will be back by the end of December to take me to Monmouthshire. I am sure Father will be glad that I will be Lady Morgan." "And what will Captain Morgan do with his life now?" She said proudly, "He will be an astronomy cartographer. He is going back to Cambridge to finish his studies. We have it all planned out." "And what are these plans?" "As soon as Rhys is in port, Athena will get word to me. And look!" She reached under her bed and pulled out a few boxes of things. "I have already begun to pack. Muir and I can be out of here in fifteen minutes." Megan started to laugh. "Oh, Rhiannon! This is priceless! I would love to see Father's face when he finds out." "So will I. But alas, I shall be far away." The sisters spent the next hour catching up on the shire gossip. Megan described every little thing her little son Dylan had done. As Megan rose to go, Rhiannon hugged her tightly, the tears starting to spill over. "I can't tell you how much your visits mean to me, Megan. I--I miss you and Dilys and Gwyneth so much!" "Gwyneth will try to get here next week. She has a few essentials she thinks you need and Dilys always makes sure some sweetmeats are tucked away for you." Rhiannon hugged her sister all the more tighter. "I will send word with Athena when I am safely gone." Megan held her sister at arm's length and said seriously, "If there is anything you need, you come straight to me. Understand?" Rhiannon nodded. "I don't care what time of day or night it is. You come home. Daffyd loves you like a sister. Promise me? Promise me you will come right to me?" Rhiannon nodded. "I shall. If I am ever in trouble, Megan, I know that you and Daffyd will take me in and take care of me." Megan clasped her sister and whispered, "Promise me." "I shall. No matter what happens in my life, I shall always come home to you, Megan." Megan kissed the top of her sister's head and whispered, "God be with you, little sister!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan walked by the Mother Superior. The nun sat there pretending to be busy writing. All of a sudden, her wrist was caught in a gloved grip. Megan leaned across the desk and said in a solemn voice, "You ever lay a hand or take a switch to my sister again, the Conaways will make sure this abbey is torn down. Stone by stone, brick by brick. And I'll personally make sure you are assigned to pick up any missing or detached body parts at a leper colony so far out of this realm, even God himself won't be able to find you." With that Megan slammed the abbey door behind her.

Rhys stood at the gunwale looking out over the whitecaps under the starlit sky. The air was warm despite it being winter in the Caribbean. He breathed deeply, knowing this may be the last time he looked upon a tropical night. His quartermaster and best friend came up behind him. "Feeling a bit melacholy, Rhys?" Rhys sighed. "Nothing like a night like this under the skies of the Caribbean, eh, Dolan?" Dolan chuckled. "Not too late to change your mind, you know." Rhys shook his head. "No. Much as I love the sea and the islands, my heart belongs in Wales." His uncle's words came back to haunt him. 'Some little lass will creep into your mind and get under your skin and then it is good-bye, briny deep and hello, hearth and home....She's out there, my lad. She's out there. And then you can say good-bye to your heart..' Dolan leaned against the gunwale and took out a black cigar. "You aren't looking forward to telling him, are you?" Rhys shrugged. "He'll understand." Dolan laughed. "Understand? Jack Wolfe will say you are crazy. 'Taken in by a tart' he would say." Rhys's jaw clenched. Dolan was quick to add, "Of course, Rhiannon Conaway is no tart. We both know that. But Jack Wolfe, he has never been roped in. Never tied down." "It's a shame. But Jack swore he would never be tamed by a woman. Maybe if he had found someone like Rhiannon, it would change him." Dolan asked, "Any last minute regrets, Rhys?" "No. The deal between you and me is complete. The sale of the Neptune Rising and the smuggling operation will be turned over to you at the agreed upon percentage. Jack likes you. Maybe not as much as he likes me, but he trusts you enough to deal with." Dolan flicked his ashes into the sea. "That's good enough for me. Think Jack will try to talk you out of it?" "Probably. But my mind is made up, Dolan. She's young but she's smart. And she is the one I have been waiting for all my life." "What about Molly? How will she take the news?" Rhys shrugged. "She won't be happy." "Not happy? That is an understatement. I heard tell that Molly was last shopping for a wedding gown last you were in port. She all but had that ring on her finger." "Then she can stop looking. I never was serious about Molly. She was a good time. But my heart wasn't with her. It is with a young lass in Wales." "From a convent. If that doesn't beat all, Rhys. A nun." He laughed. "I made that mistake once when she was ten. Asked her if she was a nun. Never saw a little girl draw herself up so regally. 'NEVER!' She was very emphatic about it too. I made the mistake of calling her a nun in training. I thought she was going to throw a book at me. 'I thought I made it clear that day that I was NOT a nun. I would never be a nun.' He shook his head. "Lord, what a spitfire!" "What of the smuggling operation up in those caves on Castlemaine's property?" Dolan asked. "I'll help you clear the goods out. You can take it back with you or sell it in Scotland. Give me my fifteen percent and you and Jack can split the rest of the profit. I just want out." "To go back to Cambridge and become an astronomy cartographer?" Rhys laughed. "Among other things. You fail to remember, Dolan, that the Morgans are landed gentry. If I come back, settled and with a wife and a lucrative career, my father will overlook my--how did he put it?--shortcomings. My mother will just be overjoyed to have her boy back home!" "What of Castlemaine?" "That bastard? I clear things out of the caves and he gets nothing. He can't prove that his caves were used. And he certainly can't complain to any authority that he never got his 'cut', can he?" Rhys inhaled the salt air. "Only one thing that can make me give this up, Dolan. It's her. I think she is my saving grace." "You sure Jack Wolfe is gonna be in Tortuga?" "If not, he will leave a message at The Red Bull where he was making port next. He always alternates another port with Tortuga. My guess is if he isn't there, then he is probably in Bridgetown or St Lawrence." Dolan clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I wish you and the little lass the best, Rhys. You know that. But I have a bad feeling in my bones." "How so?" Dolan looked up at the sky. "Last night, when I had the watch? I saw a comet." "So?" "So you know what they say about them." "You honestly believe that stuff, Dolan?" He shrugged. "The passing of a comet is an omen that often coincides with the fall of a great ruler. Several Aztec myths also point to the coexistence of a comet with the coming of the Spanish conquistadores." "And what does that have to do with us? We are not great rulers, nor are we Aztecs and the last time I looked, you weren't Spanish." "Yeah, but still...." "Dolan, you Irish are a superstitious lot. Any more Irish and I will be calling you by your real last name--'O'Dobhailein'. As an astronomer, comets are nothing but dirty snowballs of rock and dirty snow." Dolan just gazed at the sky. "But what if the portent isn't about us?" "What do you mean?" "Look at it this way. Great ruler......great captain. Spanish conquistadores..those who took gold by force. Don't you see?" "See what?" Dolan sighed. "I feel trouble. And it all points to one man." Rhys looked questioningly at Dolan. He threw his cigar into the whitecaps and said, "Jack Wolfe. The portent is about Jack Wolfe. There is trouble, Rhys. Mark my words. Big time trouble."

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. {{Hugs}}

Wales--Autumn, 1651 Rhiannon slipped outside in the early morning mist. She had taken a bottle from Mother Superior's secret stash of her best claret and two goblets. She wrapped her cloak around her and hid the bottle underneath. As always, she hurried down the path. Rhys was waiting for her in the cave. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. He had a candle lit and stuck in an upturned shell. She laughed and produced the claret. Rhys poured them each a glass. "I must say, you are full of surprises, Rhiannon." She put her arms around him, being careful not to spill the wine. "No, my darling. Just a woman in love." He gently disentangled her arms and held her hands at her wrists. "Rhiannon, I have to go leave in two day's time." "What?" "The Neptune Rising is ready to sail. I have to make one more run but I shall be back for you." Rhiannon lifted her head up. "Take me with you, Rhys! Please! I can't bear to be apart from you another day! I am so afraid Mother Superior is starting to suspect things are not as they should be. I think I am being followed. Mother Superior isn't above having one of her lackeys--commonly known as a novitiate--do her spying for her." He slipped her chemise down and kissed her shoulder. "Now, how would that be, a fine upstanding lass as yourself running off with a pirate? I swear, I will quit this life and come back respectable and shall ask for your hand proper. And then go back to Cambridge to finish my abandoned course of studies as an astronomy cartographer." Rhiannon looked deeply into his eyes. "My father will never---NEVER!--give his consent, Rhys. You are a pirate! Your kind has left their booty in his caves and used them for smuggling. I have a bad feeling he knows about the booty stored there. He tries to ignore it because he fears repercussions. But he hates you all the same." "I'll only be gone a couple months. I'll be back no later than December. I have to go to Barbados. There is an operation going on down there. I have a partner. And he is getting it started in Castara. I have to deliver the news to him that I am quitting the life and becoming a respectable member of society." "Can't you just send him a letter?" Rhys shook his head. "He's not the kind of man you send a letter to tell bad news to. I know him. He will try to talk me out of it but we need to square it all away. Papers need to be signed. I'm giving up my share of the company. It needs to be done according to the Code." "What code?" Rhys spread the blankets out on the floor of the cave. "It's more like Jack's own code. And I owe it to him. I can't really explain." She pouted, "I don't think I like this Jack person. He's taking you away from me." Rhys laughed as he took the ribbon out of her hair. "This it is fortunate that the two of you shall never meet!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She laid her head on Rhys' chest, listening to his heart beat. He gently caressed her back. "Rhys, I thought of a way for you to let me know you are back." "How, love?" "My friend Athena." "The gysy girl I met last week?" Rhiannon nodded. "She lives about a mile from St Brigid's. Her father stops regularly to check on the horses. At least once a week. Athena sometimes comes with him and supplies the sacramental wine from her mother's vineyard. How else do you think I knew about Mother Superior's proclivity for red wine? Anyways, Athena lives in that stone cottage over by the edge of the woods." "The one with the pink roses growing up the side?" "That's the one. I can't slip away during the week to the bluffs. And you certainly can't come into the convent. But Athena can. She can get word to me and I can be packed and ready to leave by nightfall." "It sounds plausible. Will she do it?" "Athena has been telling me for years I need to get away from this place. And she knows I love you. So, yes, she will do it. Get word to Athena and she can get word to me." He stroked the hair back from her face and told her, "I have something for you. Close your eyes, love." She did and Rhys slipped a ring on her finger. He said, "It has been in my family for generations. Solid gold. Supposedly belonged to Owain Gruffydd. King of Wales in the time of Henry the Second. Of whom I am descended. Owain, not Henry." Rhiannon's eyes shone as he slipped it on to her finger. She kissed him gently. "I shall wear it forever." Rhys laughed, "It is what I call a promise ring. Look inside. What does it say?" She took it off her finger and said, "The writing is so tiny.. it says, 'wa--wait--wait for me." Rhys said, "I had it inscribed. It is a symbol that I will come back to you. I promise, Rhiannon, I will come back for you." She said softly, "You always kept your word to me, Rhys. And you will. You will come back." It was growing late in the day. Rhys stood up and reached for his breeches. Rhiannon tried to be brave. "This is it, isn't it, Rhys?" He said, "Yes. I am leaving at daybreak. I have to check the supplies. I swear, I shall be back no later than the end of December." Tears were beginning to spill down Rhiannon's cheeks. "Rhys, why can't you take me with you?" "We've been over this, Rhiannon. I have a few things to straighten out. It's not like I can just bring you aboard the ship. The men are expecting to do a bit of privateering on our way back to the Caribbean." Rhys reached into his sketch box and pulled out a paper. He handed it to Rhiannon. "Here. I sketched Muir and you sitting on the cliffs." She looked at it through her tears. "Oh, Rhys! Look at the details! You are a world class artist!" Rhys said modestly, 'It wasn't hard. The subjects were fascinating!" He put his shirt on and reached for his boots. Rhiannon turned her head so he wouldn't see the misery on her face. He sat next to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Don't cry, my love. I shall be back. And we have a wonderful life ahead of us! Be brave. And keep this close to your heart. The knowledge that I love you." She closed her eyes, the tears on her lashes and threatening to spill over. Her mouth trembled but she bravely nodded and barely whispered, "I know." Rhys walked to the entrance of the cave and looked back just once at her with a face that reflected his love for her. He couldn't bear it any longer and squared his shoulders and walked out of the cave. Rhiannon pressed her face into the blankets and cried as if her heart were breaking in two.

Yeah, I can see Peter Falk! Will he have Dog with him?