Held Captive

Nels was not one to cry but she certainly felt like it now. Emma words were hard and Nels honestly couldn’t really blame her. She didn’t understand it all, politics were above her she just knew that Emma was taken hostage and though it wa uncommon they had taken hostages before and were paid a large sum for their return. “But...I don wan another man, I ant im,” she said sadly. “He’s a...diffrent then these other blokes. He’s...a…” She didn’t know the world for passionate. And when he made love to her she really felt loved for certain sure. Her cheeks bloomed with color when she thought about it. Why was she even talking to Emma? She was competition as far as she was concerned and yet her fierceness and the way she held herself was...appealing to Nels and Nels thought she was beautiful besides. “And you are...married?” She said the word awkwardly. “Yet your eyes look at him as if you’re not, sometimes. ‘And you do not...uh, love this man? Your married man?” She said. In her experience marriage meant one. One man and one woman but that was a definition she had learned long ago for what it all meant. Silas has had more than one woman before, and Nels sometimes was with another woman with him or by herself or with 2 men. Pretty men though, she liked them pretty,” she agreed. Not these slack toothed sort on the ship.

Emma sighed a little when Nels proclaimed that she didn't want another man. She knew that nothing she was going to say was going to be the right thing so she decided to not even try again. If this woman wanted to spend her life chasing after Silas then the best of luck to her. She had seen how Silas acted around her and it was certainly not like a man in love. He treated her like a friend or a sister...not like a woman he was madly in love with. However, she had also noticed that he kept everyone at a distance so maybe she was wrong.

She started to eat again, but paused when Nels asked her about her husband. She sighed a little and was quiet a moment before speaking.

"Yes, I'm married to the Duke of Cumberland. It was an arranged marriage and no, I do not love him. I was in love once though with a man who loved me back. He was handsome and kind and very intelligent. We were set to be married, but two months before the wedding was to take place he was killed at sea. I mourned his death and the death of my mother at the same time. My father, however, told me that the Duke wanted me as his wife and arranged my marriage to him. I barely knew him before we were married."

“Oh yah, I herd bout tha...don’t seem fair tho...I’m...I’m sorry bout yur man Emma,” she said when one of the sailors stopped to look at them Nels got an angry face. “Whatcha lookin at Gelb!?” she snapped and Gelb moved off quickly not wishing to raise Nels ire right then.

“I don know what this duke’s done to make Silas so angry at em but I’ll not let any these fools have at ya,” she said as she fingered her bracelet. He knew it belonged to Emma but Silas had gifted it to her and only a bargain between her and Emma could make her give it up. She saw Emma look at it though. “Silas...he ain’t the giftin type ya see...if...if it were any other man, I’d give it up Emma. But….but I can’t,” she said and then looked around to make certain no one was watching them. “Unless...unless we could make a bargain,” she shrugged and when her eyes came up to hers again there was desire in them, for her!

For some reason knowing that Nels was suddenly on her side made her feel better. It seemed that this young woman had some authority on the ship and to have her protection brought her relief. She didn't know if she would ever call Nels her friend, but at the very least they know understood one another better. When she saw Nels fingering the diamond bracelet a wave of pain went through her as she thought about her mother. Clearly Nels saw her looking at it because she began to talk about how Silas had given it to her. She began to wonder how she might get it back when Nels suddenly mentioned a bargain. She looked up at her and was surprised to see desire in Nels eyes...for her! Emma began to panic inside. There was no way she could do what Nels wanted, but she wanted that bracelet back. She knew she was going to need to handle this very carefully.

"Nels," she said softly so no one else could hear, "I am very flattered at your attentions towards me, but I would like for us to be friends. You may not know this but that bracelet belonged to me. Silas stole it from me at my engagement party. It...it belonged to my mother." Tears suddenly filled Emma's eyes and Nels would be able to see that she wasn't faking them either. "My mother got very sick last year with fever. I stayed by her side night and day trying to nurse her back to health. She was...my best friend and it broke my heart to watch her die in front of my eyes. Just before she passed she gave that bracelet to me and told me that as long as I wore it she would always be with me. I will give you my diamond engagement ring," she told her as she pulled it off her finger and offered it to her, "in exchange for my bracelet back....please."

Nels sighed and stood up. She moved over next to Emma’s right but sat the opposite way on the bench and looked around. Her glare was enough to make 2 men that came toward them go the other way. “I...I never knew my mum or da,” Nels said. “I’d a liked too ave a mum,” she said and fingered the bracelet again. She looked at the ring too, it looked nice but the bracelet had sentimental value to her. It was her love link to Silas though he didn’t really love her back. It meant he possessed her and that was enough for Nels right now. Nels leaned in close so she could talk softer to Emma. And then she moved her hand and light rubbed Emma’s center. “Silas has taught me how to please women, Emma and you are very beautiful,” she said as she moved her hand away and set it on her hip. She was doing her best to be seductive but saw how uncomfortable it made Emma and sighed and withdrew her hand.

“Well...uh, there is something else I want then but,” she said as she leaned in and gently kissed Emma’s cheek and looked around. “I...wanna learn ow ta be a lady,” she whispered and was very worried about anyone hearing her admission.

Emma felt her heart sink hard in her chest when she saw the way Nels glared at her. She swallowed back any more tears that she had and watched as she fingered the bracelet again. She began to think that she had just lost her only opportunity to get the bracelet back. She watched as Nels then leaned in closer to her and began to talk in a soft, seductive way. She felt incredibly uncomfortable as Nels began to touch her, though she did not want to upset her any more by pulling away. She was therefore thankful when Nels got the hint and withdrew her hand. When Nels then told her that there was something else that she wanted Emma tensed up, fearing the worst. However, Nels' request was not what Emma expected at all and she slowly relaxed as she began to realize Nels was serious.

"Well, I can certainly teach you that," Emma told her, though she quietly wondered why Nels wanted to learn such a thing when she seemed to like being a pirate.

ooc-new thread