Marriage is Murder

"Fine, by the looks of it," Angus said, looking at the chef and the soux chef in the galley. "I'm not cooking anymore on this vessel. Captain duties takes up too much of my time to do that.

"But you're welcome to meet them. This is the chef for your journey, Nicky Robinson. He's Jamaican born and bred," he gestured to the small man with the bright smile, who merely nodded. "And the woman with him is the soux chef, Ezola Gray. She happens to be Nicky's cousin, also from Jamaica.

"Nicky, how is lunch coming?" Angus asked.

"We're almost ready," Nicky said.

"What am I smelling?" Angus asked.

"It's a creamy Tropical seafood bisque," Ezola said.

"It smells wonderful," he said.

"I think you'll like it," Nicky smiled. "Will we be setting up on deck?"

"No," Angus said. "I don't think so. Mrs. Quinn is resting there. Please just set up the dining room."

"Yes, Captain," Nicky said.

"The dining room, if you haven't found it," Angus told Steven and Jack and Cassidy, is just on the forward side of the salon. From the main deck, you can take the forward stairs below deck, or from the aft, you can walk through the main salon into the dining room. Either way."

"Give us another 20 minutes," Nicky said.

"I'm holding you to that," Angus said.

Al of them smiled and nodded to the couple and smelt the food " wow smells delicious. " Steven said with a smile. " ow it will take us that long to find it " he said to them and Jack chuckled.

"Speak for your self " he said downing more of the soda as he watched them cooking. " There very officiant Angus, I guess only the best for you, hey Captain" he said watching as Cassidy and Steven walked off towards the dinning room. He shook his head and followed them to the dinning room.

Angus listened to their comments about feeling unsure about finding the dining room.

"Follow Jack. He knows how to find the food," he said.

Robert went back to Brian's room. "Jess," he said, "I'd like to stay with Brian awhile. It looks like this could go on for hours or maybe days. And I'd also prefer you take a break and go get something to eat with the others. Besides, I am presuming that you need a bit of a breather to be able to talk with Jack. It is rather difficult to do that in here while you need to be focused on Brian."

Angus went up on deck to check on Khaat. He found Marcus there, only a couple steps away. He was leaning on the rail of the ship, staring out across the water.

"You okay?" Angus asked him.

"Me? I'm fine," Marcus smiled.

"I take it that it was pretty intense down there," he said.

"Like watching the worst possible ending to an otherwise award winning movie," he said. "Not a damned thing I could do but let it play out."

"No, that's not true," Angus said. "You did save her. And you got the help that they needed before it was too late."

"Was it? Was it before it was too late? I shouldn't have let her go," Marcus said.

"She knew, you know," Angus said. "Or something. She didn't want to go. She went because she knew it was important to him. She was afraid."

"I should have been there with her."

"I offered to go with her. She turned me down. She didn't think it would work since she couldn't swim."

"I won't make that mistake again," Marcus said.

"It wasn't anyone's fault. It was an accident. I know better than to ask you if you want me to cover you so you can eat."

"Yes. You do know better," Marcus said.

"I'll send your lunch out here. Shall I send her something, or will you let her sleep?"

"I'm guessing that wherever her mind is right now, it's probably better than here. I'm letting her sleep. She ate breakfast. It won't hurt her to miss lunch. You will have to shift, for a bit, to things that are no muss or fuss."

"I know. Lots of glasses with straws. And bite sized things. I thought of that. I'm going to discuss that with the chefs this afternoon. But what about you? Is there anything you need?"

"The only thing I can think of is that I'd like to know if there is anything at all hopeful that I can tell her, whenever that comes."

"Certainly," Angus said.

"Oh, and where is her cabin, if I need it?"

"Across the hall from Brians. Her's is the third door on the right. Your is actually the second door on the right. Next to hers."

"Thank you. I'll handle the rest of it."

Jack looked at Angus at the mention of his name " hey, Just because I have a sensitive nose and a big appetite " he said and chuckled as did Steven and Brant. " but yeah come on I know where it is" he told them and lead them to the dinning room.

Jess looked up as Robert walked in she heard him and sighed deeply. "As much as that would be wonderful, I have to make my peace and explain to you first." she said her voice showing little emotion as she spoke. Her head looking up at him "all I can do is apologize for leaving the way I did, I received a letter, a rather disturbing letter from a Convent on Canada..." She paused as she took a calming breath in.

" My Mother was dying, They needed me there right away, I would have come to you but the insisted I leave and tell nobody at her insistence, she is funny that way always was." she tried to explain " she was filled with paranoia thinking some one was after her and following her, her food had to be tasted in front of her she was that bad." She refocused on Brian having slipped slightly from her task. " I would have wrote but the convent didn't allow for outside communications in any form." She again looked at him. " I know I will not be accepted back here after how I left, but believe me, Jeffery knows he was called, I called him to help I was not strong enough to ease her pain, he was" she said softly.

He merely looked at her and listened. Her story didn't make one bit of sense to him. He didn't doubt that her mother was dying but the rest of it didn't make any sense whatsoever.

"What you do with your mother is your business. I'm not questioning that. But how you handled it, frankly, stunk. Your priorities really don't make any sense to me," he said. "I'm glad you realize that I could not keep you employed. Not here, not at St. Mungos. But for separate reasons. St. Mungos was merely for abandoning your post. This--this is entirely different here. So long as you're here, I will pay you for the time you spend caring for Brian at your standard St. Mungo's rate. But before you can come back to either place, you have to earn it.

"I am presuming that whether you continue to stay here, as in living with us, is between you and Jack. As his wife, you're entitled to stay with him, if that's what he wants. I'm not getting involved with that.

"I am very glad for your help with Brian, but I don't understand or like the rest of it. I do wish you luck in talking to the others, though."

Jess sat and listened to Robert and nodded " I understand and I know it doesn't Jeffery said it wouldn't." She listened more as he spoke again. " I understand and I wish I could have told you and let them know, but it was impossible the Couvent Des Freres Carmes are very strict on no communications." she told him. Hearing him mention Jack she sighed and slowly nodded again.

" I will speak to him, but the small room at the end of the hall will suffice, if he will not." she told him " it is for me my penance for hurting every one by disappearing like I did." She told him softly.

"So we're clear, here's the issues I have, just for the record. In all the time I've known you, you have never, not one time, ever mentioned your mother. You have, however, pledged your loyalty to protect my family unconditionally even at the cost of your own life. You've worked with us in deep secrecy, knowing full well that we're very accomplished at keeping the secrets of not just our family but of all of England, for God's sake.

"And then you disappeared, for months, not bothering to even send a post-it note before you left. Not to me, not to anyone. Not even something to Kate or Khaat, from seer to seer. Nothing. I would have thought you'd have thought enough of us to know that, with my very limited abilities in healing, I was able to deal with the psychological issues of another human being," his tone had turned a bit sarcastic now as he tried to reel in his anger.

"But you didn't see fit to trust me with that. I do so appreciate the vote of confidence--including that you could take Jeffrey into your confidence but not send a single syllable to us. Any of us. Nor, apparently, did you think about sending us word through Jeffrey.

"Honestly, the fact that you called Jeffrey doesn't make it one ounce better that you didn't contact us. Now if we're done here, you're relieved for a couple of hours for lunch."

Jess sat and listened to Robert understanding he was angry at her she had explained all she could. Now she accepted his wrath and stayed sat quiet listening to him even hearing the sarcasm he gave her. Once he was done she looked up at him.

" I did the only thing I could at the time, I never expected to ever hear from my mother ever again after she abandoned me thats why I have never spoken of her, even my father disappeared, I don't even know if I have siblings but I did find a photo of several children, we made amens on her death bed and we did." She said standing as she turned and checked Brian her feelings and emotions detached from her duty she knew it would be along time before she was trusted by Robert or the others again.

Yet inside she knew she had done what had been right at the time, even if to him and the others it seemed wrong. "Some times to do the right thing, we have to do wrong thing first." She said softly as she broke her connection to Brian feeling Robert take over. She sighed and moved from Brain " I will return in a few hours, Minister." She said.

Robert took over the life support spell.   He saw no point in trying to get her to understand him.  

"You have totally missed my point, and if you can't get those basic concepts about how this family runs or what I need from my staff, then you're not ready to work for me," he said coldly. "Do let me know if you decide to pop out again on us while you hold Brian's life in your hands, won't you?"

He breathed in, needing to focus on Brian.  He felt responsibility to try harder, to try to do more.  

"You'll excuse me, but I have my family to attend to," he said. "Enjoy your lunch."

The chefs finished setting lunch in the dining room and called them all to the dining room. THen they brought a tray out to Marcus so he didn't have to leave Khaat. Angus looked in to Brian's room to see if Robert wanted lunch. Feeling like he had all he could handle at the moment, he waved Angus away.

Jess looked at him as he spoke." I understand and I have no plans on leaving again, ever." she told him. " I will be on deck meditating if you need me." she told him choosing not to go to the dinning room just yet but to recharge her energy the way Jeffery had taught her to do. Moving up on deck she felt the breeze and sat down her legs crossed as she then closed her eyes refocusing on her thoughts and feelings again pushing them aside so she could think clearly. At this time she didn't want to talk to any one but knew she would have to.

Jack moved from the dinning room to the deck where he found Jess. " so this is where your hiding" he said but she didn't look at him. " so.. what I don't even deserve to be looked at now?" he said. Jess took a deep breath in and stayed where she was.

" I explained, right now I'm trying to get my energy back to a normal level" she told him. She was not ready for what he did next. reaching down Jack pulled her to her feet and made her look at him.

"No, screw that, you left with out a word Jess " he said and made her look at him" we put our selves and our lives on the line yet you just up and left" he said still holding her shoulders.

" Jack, I had no choice..." she started to say but Jack interrupted her.

"Bull you didn't, an owl or send a message through that link you seers have to Kate, but no you disappeared, your kids have been worried sick Jess " he told her and saw her hang her head.

" I wish I could have, I know I let you all down, Robert has made that perfectly clear to me. " she paused " He no longer trusts me, even after the many years I have been loyal, in one move....its all gone." she said her face just as cold as when she arrived. Jack slowly her her go and sighed.

" I guess that goes for us too, until you prove your trust to the family again, your not my wife." He told her. " Part of being together is the trust, you broke that, how do I know what you did while you were away you could have had an affair for all I know....no until Robert trust you I won't." Jess nodded her head to him and moved to sit back down.

" As you wish." she said and returned to her meditation.

"Right now your not doing anything to help" he told her as he headed down to the dinning room