"Why James Telford, I never figured you for a sentimental sort of mate."

"A man in a bumboat was sellin' it. I figured it for some kind of ward. Maybe you could use it to get rid of your demon. And–" here he trailed off.

"Out with it. No use hemming and hawing around me, ye've known me too long for that nonsense."

"Aye, I have. I suppose I thought a lady should have a bit o' sparkle to brighten her up. Even if you don't have the chance to wear it openly, being a special sort of lady." At this Rebekah turned toward him. He was holding an object in both hands, as nervous as a schoolboy. She took it from him, turning it over in her hands. The gold gleamed in the failing light. A snake eating its own tail, fashioned to fit around an upper arm.

"What a peculiar object. Beautiful in construction, but what a hideous subject." She looked up at Telford in time to see a hurt expression settle on his features. "Of course, the ugliness must serve to scare off unfriendly demons. It is heavy, lacking the feminine daintiness usually associated with fine jewels. I think I could wear it without too much risk. Thank you James." He smiled at that.

"My pleasure Rebekah," he replied, his voice pitched low in case anyone was listening.

"No need for secrets this evening. All our men are safely aboard the ship, and no one else dares be away from town after dark–not with pirates in dock." Her eyes glinted wickedly in the moonlight.

"That's a true blessing then. You get rare chance to be yourself."

"'Tis true what you say. But all that will be behind us soon, James. Think on it–in as little as a year we could be living peaceful in a far away land. No one will know who we are. We could even–" it was her turn to hesitate. She had never been the sentimental type, but James was a good man, an intelligent one. He was worth the sentiment. Blessedly, he saved her from blundering through some declaration of love by interrupting.

"Mayhap we could, Rebekah. But those are thoughts best left for that day." But he still took her hand, after checking once more that no one was watching. "I'd be honored if the daughter of the great Jack Rackam found me a suitable first mate, in all things."

Rebekah smiled, but it was a hard one. "Daughter of the great Calico Jack Rackam I may be, though I've never known for sure. But you mustn't forget my mother was a pirate in her own right."

James put on an expression of deep offense. "My lady! How could you insinuate I would forget about Anne Bonny, feared from Jamaica all the way to the Mother Country? Why if she hadn't taken me aboard as a young lad, I would never have learned the sweet trade meself."

Rebekah threw her head back and laughed, a sight to behold. "My mother would appreciate the compliments, to be sure. To think she finished out her days cloistered in that wretched nunnery. No adventure, no smell of the sea to raise her spirits. I imagine she died of sheer boredom."

"Won't you befall the same fate, being on some distant island with no piracy to be done for a thousand miles?"

"I'll have you, won't I James? And a great fortune in trade. We can make an honest living for a change, and no one says we can't run up our sails once in a while. For old time's sake. My mother had none of those good tidings."

"I hope your desires come true. Long I have wanted to leave this nasty business behind and live a life with you by my side." James shifted his eyes away from her. He'd never told her that before.