"The Pirate Princess" (closed)

[MarieDavisRPs]

Talulah's in Nassau

With the negotiations over her take for fencing the Martha's ill-gotten gain complete, Hannah gestured a waitress over and told her they were ready for dessert. With the waitress's withdrawal, Hannah explained, "You're going to love this. They call it crème en mousse ... cream in a foam. Taluluh's pastry chef invented it. It's absolute heaven. He's going to be famous when this gets to the rest of the world."

What Hannah couldn't know was that the dessert made of whipped cream topped with coffee, liqueurs, chocolate, fruits, mixes of such, or even other ingredients dribbled atop the foam would eventually make its way to France and beyond. But it wouldn't catch on until the the late 1700s, and when it did, the credit would go to the kitchens and chefs of the royal houses of France, not some lowly chef in the pirate haven of New Providence.

As they were finishing dessert, Lizzie gave Hannah a knowing look, then turned to Thomas and said, "Will you excuse me a moment. I ... need to speak to someone. I will return immediately."

She rose, smiling nervously between the two, then turned and headed for the steps that led up to the restaurant's main entrance. There, she spoke with one of the men who -- if Thomas had noticed -- had spent nearly every minute of the dinner with his eye on Lizzie, Hannah, and Thomas's table. They chatted a moment, then simply walked out the door.

In case Thomas was inclined to follow, Hannah quickly said, "It's alright, Mister Witham. Elizabeth is perfectly fine. My man will get her to her destination safely."

When he looked to her, Hannah would smile knowingly before lifting her wine to sip at it; she preferred rum with fruit juice added, but -- to add more reasons for the pirate scum of Nassau to not want to patronize Taluluh's -- the restaurant didn't serve that particular alcohol.

"Elizabeth ... Lizzie ... is quite a young woman," Hannah began, watching Thomas's every expression and reaction to what she was saying. "I've been watching her as she grew up ... as she matured ... and I have told her again and again over the years that when it was time for her to ... grow ... up ... that I would ensure that the experience was something that she would happily remember forever."

She sipped again at her drink, checking Thomas for signs that he understood what she meant by grow up. Hannah continued in a softer voice meant only for him, "Down the street about three blocks ... on the other side of the road, is a boot shop called Henry's. I'm sure that you know of it."

The Henry of Henry's had been a sailor, privateer, and finally pirate with more than 40 years on the water, the last 10 of them aboard Martha. Then, he'd lost a leg and three fingers during the taking of a Portuguese merchant ship, and after collecting his Injury Share from his last job, he opened a shop doing that which he'd been even better at than pirating: leatherwork.

Despite now only having 7 fingers, Henry made some of the best boots in the West Indies. He made a very good living at it, but his side hustle brought in another 50% or so as well: he rented out the luxuriously appointed bed chamber over top of his shop to discriminating patrons who wished to spend some personal time with individuals that they really ought not to have been with: spouses that weren't their own, people from the wrong social class, even partners of the wrong gender.

"When you leave here," Hannah said, slipping a piece of cloth under the table to Thomas that had a symbol on it that he wouldn't know but Henry most certainly would, "You will go into Henry's, order a nice pair of boots -- make it something expensive, say, at least 10 pounds -- and hand him this piece of paper under your money. Henry will tell you what to do next."

Hannah caught the attention of a well-dressed woman at another table and excused herself. As she stood to pass Thomas, she leaned down close to whisper, "Don't hurt her, Mister Witham ... and don't disappoint her. I know people who will kill you without requesting payment for their services. They'll do it just to do it. But it won't be them that I call upon. Instead, I will call on someone who will pay me for the pleasure ... and the pleasure they seek rarely includes a quick, painless death."

 

[desperado1089]

Talulah's in Nassau

Thomas had, indeed, been inclined to follow, and Hannah's assurances did little to assuage his fears. Besides which, he had a nagging suspicion that he couldn't trust her, but he couldn't put his finger on why. However, the crew of the Martha were out about town, and if Lizzie were in trouble--assuming she couldn't take care of it on her own--they would quickly come to her aid. And then Hannah would answer for it, as Thomas was sure there was something off about her.

That said, his attention focused sharply back to the present when Hannah spoke next: about Lizzie (he wouldn't be ashamed to admit he got a little dopey-eyed when Hannah referred to Lizzie as 'quite a young woman', but his heart raced and his loins stirred when she referred to her 'growing up'. Thomas definitely knew what she meant, and didn't make a secret of it.

He eyed the slip of cloth curiously when Hannah slid it over to him; he'd heard of Henry's, of course, even bought boots from there before, but this was strangely new to him. He was just thinking that he'd have to backtrack to the ship to fish out a tenner from his quarters when Hannah got up and threatened him. His hand shot out and caught her wrist quick as a viper, holding her in an iron grip. "My dear Hannah," he said in a tone that was decidedly at odds with his honeyed words, "if you think for one fucking second that I would ever hurt or disappoint her, you don't know shite! I love her, damn it, so take your threats and put them in your vault along with the coin you take from us." It was a sign of how upset he was, how insulted, that he enunciated each word; normally he talked like, well, a pirate. He let her go as roughly as he could before standing up, at which point he stalked towards the door without looking back, snatching his weapons from the bouncer as he exited the restaurant. If he never set foot in that viper's nest again it would be too soon.

After backtracking to the ship to pull a ten-pound note from his lockbox in his cabin, he walked into Henry's and browsed some of the boots on offer. Having gone to shore a few times when Lizzie wasn't feeling well, he knew her size and due in no small part to Anne Bonny, the shop sold a small selection of women's boots. Selecting a pair that cost a bit more than ten pounds (he had the change of course) in Lizzie's size, he made his way to the counter and set the boots down and slid the money and the slip of cloth across the counter as Hannah had instructed.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Talulah's in Nassau

Hannah flinched in surprise when Thomas snatched her by the wrist, looking into his eyes and growling in whisper, "That ... hurts."

"My dear Hannah," he began, swearing that he would never hurt or disappoint Lizzie. Then, he surprised Hannah by confessing, "I love her, damn it..."

Hannah heard men say I love you to women often, but usually it was a pirate speaking to a whore who'd just emptied his cock into her mouth or pussy. But this wasn't that, and looking into Thomas's eyes, Hannah wondered if perhaps the man's feelings for Lizzie were in fact more than just feelings of lust manifesting themselves as love.

She backed away from him as he stood and stomped away. Once he was gone, Hannah again acknowledged the woman waving to her from another table and made her way through the restaurant to join that table. She listened to the conversation, but her mind just couldn't leave the earlier one with Thomas.



Henry's

The former pirate, current leather worker looked up at the dinging of the bell over the door to find Thomas Witham entering. Henry smiled at the familiar patron, then donned a faux expression of disappointment, saying gruffly, "Don'cha be telling me that those boots gave out. They're the best I ever made fer ya, Mister Witham. If they fell apart, you fell'em apart."

They chatted as Thomas milled about the store, with Henry spreading the rumor that had already made its way through the Nassau grapevine, "Word is yer the Mate of the Martha now." Then, his mood soured as he said, "Sorry fer yer loss ... fer Miss Thomas's loss. Weren't a better pirate or father in the islands than Robert Thomas."

Henry was surprised when Thomas stepped up to the counter with a pair of women's boots. He joked, "Cap'n's got ya doin' her shoppin' fer her already, Mister Witham...? Maybe ya should show me yer back ... see how deep the lashes went ... 'cause yer whipped!"

Henry laughed aloud ... an emotion that faded quickly when he saw the slip of cloth mixed with the paper bills for payment. Hesitantly, he took the cloth, turning it over to see the symbol on the other side; he had personally drawn that one-of-a-kind image, to ensure that he and only he knew who was supposed to be escorted upstairs.

It would have been surprising enough to Henry for someone like Thomas Witham to hand him that note in the first place; Henry's services and the room above his shop weren't what he'd call affordable for a common sailor, even one who was now a worthy pirate ship's First Officer.

What shocked Henry was the female who was currently upstairs awaiting Thomas. Hannah had, of course, made the payment for the matching notes, and -- at the time -- Henry has assumed that the well-placed, well-connected woman about Nassau had been affecting a secret dalliance between two of her good customers who otherwise could never been known to be ... dallying?

When the female had entered and presented her note, she had donned a dark black veil to hide her identity. Even so, Henry had known it was Miss Elizabeth Thomas. He hadn't known what to think about it as he escorted her through the locked door and gestured her up the narrow stairs: was she here for an exchange of gathered intelligence with an informed party; a confidential business deal with a controversial partner, now that she was Captain of the Martha; or -- as was more often the case -- a secret sexual rendezvous that could cause tsunami-sized waves if known by others.

But now, seeing Thomas holding the matching note, Henry knew. Lizzie would have no need for his room for either of the two options. He unlocked the door, gestured Thomas up the stairs, and closed it behind him, Henry wondered to himself Is this a good thing ... or not? Elizabeth Thomas wasn't young, not for this era and culture, but she was still so sweet and innocent. (Henry didn't know she'd once killed a man with a dagger, nor -- more recently -- shot a bullet so close to a Spanish doctor's ear that he was beginning to have hearing problems.)

As he went back to work, Henry couldn't help but smile. He knew Lizzie. And he knew Thomas. And he knew that such a pairing was probably the best thing that could happen to either of them.



Upstairs

Lizzie had simply stood in place, still and silent just inside the room's door, for several minutes after entering it. Her heart was pounding hard and fast as she repeated thought to herself, You can do this ... you WANT to do this ... so badly.

Even though she'd tried to hide it for a long time -- months? years? -- she always had a romantic interest in Thomas Witham. But it was something that she'd had to hide deep down, less her father learn and toss Thomas off the ship the next time they reached port ... or maybe even before they reached port. Robert Thomas wasn't going to have one of his crew finding his joy between his daughter's thighs. He'd set a match to the powder magazine with all aboard -- including his daughter and himself -- before he'd have a pirate under his command fucking Lizzie.

Lizzie hadn't been of the same thinking, obviously, and she'd taken the first opportunity to come to her to finally fulfill her desires and dreams. She finally milled about the room, investigating the sitting room and the adjacent bedroom. Each of them seemed to serve the patrons in the way they might use the secret room.

She was standing in the bedroom when she heard the door open. Stepping back into the portal between the two rooms, she drew a deep, anxious breath as she set eyes upon Thomas. Lizzie was still wearing the black veil, which she was thankful of; she was hot from the blush rushing through her face, and her expression surely reveal her deep nervousness ... and fear of what was about to come.

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's

"It's a gift, Henry, so shut yer trap," Thomas had said good-naturedly when Henry asked him to show him his back. When he'd paid for the boots, he watched Henry for his reaction, and was pleased to find a supportive expression on his face. When he escorted Thomas upstairs, he clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand. "Thanks, mate. Thanks a lot."

When he got upstairs and into the room, he looked around at the luxury appointments before his eyes landed on Lizzie. His face broke into an unfiltered, dopey smile, all the love he felt for her reflected in his eyes and the set of his mouth. Holding up the boots, he said, "Figured you'd appreciate these more'n flowers."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Lizzie could feel her entire body trembling with anxious fright upon meeting eyes with Thomas. His smile told her that he was delighted to see her; her eyes were still hidden behind the black, lacy veil over her head.

He held up the boots, saying, "Figured you'd appreciate these more'n flowers."

She smiled, then giggled, only the second part of that response obvious to him. Lizzie unhooked the little clips holding the veil in place, removed it, and set it neatly aside. Smiling again, she said, "Thank you, Thomas. They are lovely."

They actually were very lovely boots; she would never be able to wear them while working on the wet deck of the rocking and rolling Martha, but they'd be perfect for wearing about Nassau Town or other seaports when she didn't have to worry about sliding across the deck and falling overboard.

Lizzie wanted to step forward and accept her gift, but try as she might, she couldn't get her feet to move. Finally, still trembling -- maybe even more so -- she finally said with a timid voice, "I'm ... I'm not sure ... what to do next ... Thomas."

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Thomas smiled and set the boots down, before crossing the room and wrapping his arms around Lizzie. "We can start with this," he murmured as he hugged her tightly. Only when he was afraid he'd choke her did he release her, but that was only enough to tilt her head up so he could lean down and capture her lips in a soul-searing kiss. When it finally ended, he pressed his forehead to hers, breath ragged with the potent cocktail of emotions making his heart race. "Don't worry about a thing, Captain," he whispered with such tenderness and love one would be forgiven for believing he was a different person. "This time, I'll lead."

Taking a half-step back, he glanced down at himself and chuckled. "Well, after I get rid of my iron, anyway," he said as he unholstered his pistols and set them neatly down on a nearby table, unbuckling his sword belt and resting the scabbard next to them.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"We can start with this," Thomas said softly as he moved to Lizzie and wrapped his arms around her in an intimate hug.

She didn't hesitate to wrap her own arms around his torso, pulling him to her. She'd been imagining this moment -- and more permanent ones -- for so long that the embrace felt very familiar. When he pressed his lips to hers, goose flesh erupted upon her arms; she'd never kissed a man before.

She didn't know exactly what she was supposed to do, so she followed Thomas, mimicking what he did with his lips and tongue. It felt wonderful, causing Lizzie to pull their bodies even tighter together as the kiss continued with tongues touching their tips.

"Don't worry about a thing, Captain," he whispered. "This time, I'll lead."

Lizzie could only whisper, "Yes ... please."

As Thomas stepped back to begin shedding his weapons and belt, Lizzie just watched in stunned silence. She'd wanted this for so long, and yet as things began unfolding, she found herself hesitant. Things were happening too quickly, even though it was exactly that for which Lizzie had been yearning for so long.

"Perhaps..." she said, looking for a way to slow things down while ensuring that she didn't change directions. She felt a shiver run up her spine, and again her skin flooded with goose flesh. "Perhaps ... we could sit for a moment."

Lizzie moved toward one of the two armchairs that sat close to one another before a small round table; on it were two glasses and a bottle of wine that Hannah had brought to the room earlier in the day. Lizzie's father had shared a similar bottle of it with her their first time dining at Taluluh's, and while Lizzie had enjoyed it enough to drink a full, tall glass, later when she was back on the ship during increasing winds, she'd found herself vomiting the wine and dinner over the bulwark railing.

She hadn't blamed the wine itself, though, and wished to try it once again with Thomas. Lizzie had grown up knowing that alcohol steadied the nerves when anxiety was high. She'd also been told that alcohol lowered inhibitions, and -- to be honest -- she thought she would need that now.

Lizzie wanted Thomas ... so badly ... but she simply didn't know whether she could do this without ... help.

"I sometimes feel like we hardly know one another, Thomas," she said as she struggled to figure out how the cork removing tool worked. She finally gave up and handed both out toward the man, saying, "Tell me something about you that I don't already know."

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Normally, Thomas' previous lovers--those whom could properly be called such, of course, as opposed to those whose virtue was negotiable--would have gotten a dirty look, at best, from him if they needed liquid courage before they engaged in any bedroom activities, so to speak. But this was Lizzie, and besides which, he'd only been with one lover who was a virgin, and it just so happened that he was as well, at the time.

Regardless, the boundless love he felt for her would have made any feelings of resentment wither and die in his throat, if he had harbored any. So it was with a clear head and no animosity whatsoever that he smiled and sat down next to her, chuckling as he uncorked the wine. "Well, my dear, it just so happens that I am the Cap'n of me own li'l vessel. The SS Bottleton. Ye know that box in me quarters, the one I never open in front o' anyone? I'll show ye what I'm talking about the next time we're aboard the Martha. It's a ship in a bottle that me da got me when I was a lad."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"Well, my dear, it just so happens that I am the Cap'n of me own li'l vessel," Thomas began when Lizzie delayed their romantic moment with her hesitance.

She donned a surprised expression, asking, "What?"

"The SS Bottleton," he told her.

When he described the vessel as being a ship in a bottle, Lizzie laughed with delight. She reached up to her forehead, feigning tipping her hat "Cap'n." She giggled, saying, "I'd love to see it. Tell me more."

He began again, telling her things Lizzie didn't know. Suddenly, while he was midsentence, she cut in, "I'm a virgin." That stopped Thomas cold, and after she ridden out the rolling of her stomach, she said, "I don't want to be one anymore. I'm ... I'm sure you already know that."

After he responded, she asked, "Can you teach me?"

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"I could tell," Thomas said, the abruptness of her admission doing very little to break his stride. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that's what we're both here for. And because, well...I've been in love with you for far too long to stay silent anymore. Don't them posh gits in the church say that your first time should be with someone you're married to? Well, I mean, that's bollocks of course, but the next best thing is your first time being with someone who loves you, right?" He chuckled and took her hand. "We'll go slow, Lizzie. Don't fret. Are you ready?"

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Lizzie was shocked at Thomas's confession that he loved her. She knew that men lusted for her, many of them infatuated with her. And while men had told her that they'd loved her on many occasions, they'd usually been drunk off their asses and ended up laid out flat on their faces after Lizzie or someone who protected her had thunked them on the head.

She thought she should tell him that she loved him, too. But just as no one had ever said those words to her, Lizzie had never said them to anyone else either.

She was considering what to do when Thomas said, "We'll go slow, Lizzie. Don't fret. Are you ready?"

Lizzie was trembling again, holding her hands together in her lap in an effort to prevent them from shaking noticeably. She sipped at the wine a third or fourth time since Thomas opened and poured it, then set the glass down before standing up. She turned and walked slowly to the bedroom, turning back to Thomas and whispering with a nervous smile, "I'm ready."

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Thomas knew she loved him, and would not begrudge her her right to say it to him when she was ready. It didn't escape his notice that she held her hands down in her lap, but he wouldn't know that his guess as to why--because she was nervous--was correct.

He got up and doffed his hat, setting it atop his weapons as he followed her into the bedroom. "Think it might be best if we started with our boots, yeah? Go ahead and sit down for me, love." He gestured towards the edge of the bed as he stepped out of his own boots. When she sat down, he would kneel on the floor in front of her, like a supplicant before his Goddess, and slowly, carefully remove the boots from her feet, gently caressing her feet once that was done. "That alright?", he asked softly.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Lizzie first listened to, then watched Thomas follow her into the privacy room's bedroom. He told her, "Think it might be best if we started with our boots, yeah? Go ahead and sit down for me, love."

She hesitated a moment, still nervously overwhelmed with the enormity of what was happening. Thomas had been correct when he'd spoken about how the Church would say that this was wrong, sinfully wrong. But her hesitation wasn't about religion or sin, heaven or hell; it was about whether she was ready for this.

Her body was ready, Lizzie knew. Mother Nature had waited to begin her transformation from girl to woman until Lizzie had reached almost her 15th birthday. Wearing the right clothes and with her hair hidden up under the right hat, she'd often been mistaken by people who were unfamiliar with her as being a cabin boy or midshipman or powder monkey.

Then suddenly, it was as if Mother Nature had awoken from a long sleep and went to work; in less than a year, Lizzie had transformed from a the skinny, boyish-looking stick figure she was then into the shapely young woman she was today.

But while her body was ready, Lizzie's mind was unsure. In many ways, the 19-year-old sometimes still felt like a little girl. She was playful at times, chasing after seagulls on the dock, collecting shells on the beach, or doing cannonballs off Martha's stern while the ship was in port at this island or the next.

She sat on the bed's edge, and when Thomas dropped to his knees before her, she pulled her dress up to expose her legs to and then a bit beyond her knees. He removed her boots, then gently caressed her feet. "That alright?"

Lizzie smiled, blushed, and nodded. Clearing her throat, she told him, "Yes, that's fine. It, um ... it feels good ... Thomas."

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"Good," he whispered, as his hands began to trail up her legs, but stopped where her dress did. Instead, they ghosted over the material to rest upon her hips. In the same motion, he rose to a kneeling position that brought their faces in line with each other, and he didn't hesitate this time to kiss her once more, possibly even more passionately than before. At the same time, his hands quested for the fastening of whatever might come off next.

At the same time, if she wanted to rid him of the ruffled shirt or the velvet vest he wore, he would not make a single move to stop her.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Still trembling from excited fear, Lizzie partook of the kiss with delight. She'd peeked many times at men and women kissing before, and had never thought she'd want to do that, but that was likely because the participants had been sailors and whores. But it was far more enjoyable than she'd ever imagined with someone you loved.

I love, Thomas, she told herself as their faces pulled away, eyes set upon eyes. I do ... I do love him. She wished she could say it to him, but ... it was difficult. She had no experience with intimacy, romance ... love. She'd loved her mother, of course, and her father, but that wasn't the same thing.

Suddenly, Lizzie felt Thomas's hands brush over her bosom. She looked down to find him carefully, slowly, but deftly unfastened the top button of her dress ... then another ... then another. She looked back into Thomas's eyes as the front of her dress continued to open one button at a time until finally, he'd freed the last one near her belly button.

"I have to stand up," she whispered, regarding the next step; to shed herself of the dress and the pull-over shift beneath it, Lizzie would have to be on her feet. But as Thomas prepared to stand, she snatched the front of his shirt, holding him in place a moment before pulling him closer to kiss him once again. When their lips parted, she smiled timidly, saying, "I love you, too, Thomas."

Her lips went wide with happiness that she'd been able to say it. She'd known Thomas for years, since she was a little girl, and she'd always thought he was cute and sweet and tough and manly and all sorts of other positive descriptors. After she'd peeked on a couple having sex, then discovered the joys of masturbation, Lizzie had begun touching herself with fantasies of Thomas -- always Thomas -- being somehow involved, even if she didn't exactly know things got done.

She tugged his shirt upwards, urging him to remove it before they continued with her own clothes. Once he had, Lizzie gently reached her hands out to caress his chest...

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Thomas' smile was, if it were even possible, wider than Lizzie's when she told him she loved him back. He would definitely give her the room to stand up and would eagerly allow her to remove this meddlesome shirt he wore.

When she caressed his chest, a few tattoos and the scars of a dozen fights littered his skin. Most of them were shallow cuts and other minor concerns, but there were a few that carried memories of major injuries: a musket wound in his shoulder, a deep cut below the opposite armpit, and another just above his left nipple. He would react the same no matter where she touched: a shuddering breath full of pleasure and anticipation.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

Lizzie found herself studying Thomas's many scars with great interest. She knew how he'd received a few of them; they'd come as a result of pirate action aboard Martha or fights ashore, in taverns or on the docks.

One, though, was entirely unfamiliar to Lizzie, the one just above his left nipple. Lizzie traced a finger over the scar, asking, "Where ... I mean, when did you get this?"

As he answered, Lizzie traced her fingertip over it again ... then let it slip down to touch, then circle his nipple. She smirked playfully; she'd never touched a man like this, obviously. It was fun ... and stimulating as well.

 

[desperado1089]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"A woman who I thought held me in the same esteem I did her sought comfort in another man's arms. When I confronted her about it, she reacted...violently. I do not normally strike women with the intent to harm, but she fought like a cornered polecat, and she had a knife. It was lucky that we were in Nassau at the time, for if we were somewhere the English had actual control over I may have actually gotten in trouble. The way she carried on!" Thomas chuckled and shook his head. "'Tis not something I'm particularly proud of, mind, so would you mind keeping this from the crew? I promise, love, I will keep no secrets from you, so long as you keep them to yourself."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Henry's, upstairs in the privacy room

"A woman who I thought held me in the same esteem I did her..." Thomas began his story.

Even though Lizzie listened to every word, she had a hard time ignoring and shrugging off the fact that Thomas had been with other women before her. Oh, she knew this already, of course, even though she herself had never actually seen him with a woman. But it was nature for men to seek the pleasure of women, particularly pirates returning to Nassau after days or even weeks at sea, now with their pockets full of silver coins.

Thomas spoke of not normally striking women, something which Lizzie hadn't needed to hear from him. Even though, again, it was nature for hard-edged men to sometimes be rough or even brutal with the farer sex, Lizzie would never have imagined Thomas being so with a woman when other options were available to him.

"I would never," Lizzie said when Thomas asked her to keep this from the crew. When he swore to never keep secrets from her, Lizzie leaned forward to kiss his lips softly and say, "And I, you ... my love."

She reached to Thomas's shoulders and pulled the shirt off, dropping it aside before whispering, "Stand up."

When he did, Lizzie reached out with visibly trembling hands to begin unfastening the belt holding his pants up. She tried to work it loose but failed, instead giggling and blushing before saying, "Will you...?"

As he did, Lizzie stood up, too, and pulled her dress from her shoulders. It fell about her feet, leaving her standing before Thomas in a basic corset and a waist shift. As she watched Thomas, she reached with still trembling fingers to the bow holding her bosom tight to untie it, only to find it in a knot that she couldn't defeat.

She would look to Thomas to rescue her from her confines.