The gentlewoman giggled warmly, her wide, sweet smile and laughing grey eyes teasing the tall, proud man at her side. He only gave the small, strangely-shaped purplish object in her fingers a most dubious stare, and one arched eyebrow.
 
"Robert! Go on now, quickly! Before the sugar melts on my fingers!" Antoinette's silken, thickly-accented voice flickered as brightly as any one of these lovely lanterns. "It is only a candied hibiscus blossom! I promise, you will like this!"
 
"Candied... [i]flowers?[/i]"
 
"[i]Oui, mon chèr![/i] Oh here now, you big [i]bébé![/i]" Her lovely face only inches from his own, she peered up into Commander Murray's dark eyes, popping the sugary blossom past her full, generous lips. [i]"Mmmm... "[/i] Her brows arched with obvious pleasure as she slowly licked the sweet syrup that remained from her finger and thumb, her eyes never leaving the officer's face.
 
"Here now Robert, you see how tasty this is?" she whispered. "Come now, be adventurous with me." She lifted another sugared blossom from the silver tray beside them, offering it between that same finger and thumb to his lips until the stoic officer finally relented. 
 
"There you go, see?" she crooned, the tip of her thumb oh-so-gently lighting along his lower lip, as if to wipe away any remnant of crystalline sugar. "You should always trust your Antoinette... "
 
Commander Murray said nothing at all, only daring to kiss that same thumb tenderly before he offered her his arm, stepping away from the tables toward the dancing and music. He glanced down to the top of her ebony-crowned head, his gaze falling to the alternating fiery red and alabaster hothouse roses she had cleverly braided into her hair over her left ear. These blooms had been his gift to her earlier this day, but it was this gentlewoman who made a gift of herself to him this night. 
 
This night, she chose a dress to honor him. Crimson silk fell from her bare shoulders, to the elegant sleeves draped to her forearms and the smooth, corseted bodice. This same brilliant silk was gathered at her waist, draped and parted elegantly in the front to reveal an alabaster damask underskirt, exquisitely sewn with gold threads in dancing, glimmering floral patterns. These same golden threads were cleverly embroidered in vines and florets about her neckline and the edges of her sleeves, as if she wore a resplendent argent garden. 
 
Robert Murray smiled, almost wistfully, as his eyes traveled upward once more, to the caramel-skinned bosom she refused to whiten with powders of creams, and the bare shoulders so velvety soft, they begged kisses. A choker of pearls encircled the elegant curve of her neck, a single tear-drop faceted ruby nestled comfortably in the hollow of her throat. The ruby’s facets shimmered, winking in the torchlight, a glistening contrast to the long midnight black tendrils of curls that cascaded down her back. 

And all he could have wished for in this moment, was to twine just one of those silken strands in his fingers.
 
"Miss Greene, shall we?" Though of course, Commander Murray did not truly have to ask her for this dance - he simply wished to see the delight on her face, in the depths of those incomparable silver eyes as she looked up to him, to the sound of [i]his[/i] voice. 
 
The gentlewoman's eyes never once left his face as they moved, her uncanny grace wrapping the pair in the illusion of floating over this manicured lawn, dancing in the clouds above as they flitted over the moon..
 
Until the very moment that, against all probability - possibility even - Thomas. Damned. [i]Lightfoot[/i], had come to pluck him out of the sky, right here in his very [i]home.[/i]

Once he collected his wits about him, and wiped the startled look from his visage, the British officer still fought to bite back the first words that might have tripped off his tongue, words very like, [i]‘Who the hell let you in here, Lightfoot?’[/i] 
 
His dark eyes glanced toward Antoinette, the dusky rose at his side. Though it cost him near every ounce of hard won discipline he had ever mustered, a thin, tight smile stretched across his lips, the dim match to Thomas' bright grin. "Of course Thomas, though Miss Greene is her own woman, with quite the mind of her own. Introductions first perhaps, and then she will have her say. Miss Antoinette Greene, this is Thomas Lightfoot. Captain Lightfoot... " he added, emphasis on the title made at some obvious cost from within. "Thomas, Miss Greene." The small smile twisted up to something almost true as the Commander turned to the gentlewoman at his side.
 
It was all the rogue could do, to keep the pleasant-but-interested appearance of Mademoiselle Antoinette Greene pasted to her face at the sight of Thomas. [i]Here[/i]. Of all places, right here, right now. How in all the[i] world[/i] had he ever found her - oh. Oh wait just a moment... 

Of course. [i]Jax.[/i] So it seemed the helmsman had dared to accept that invitation, to come this night with his captain in tow, though the rogue had yet to be graced by the sight of that ever-grinning face.

Oh, [i]such[/i] a treat.

But even so, what in this world was Thomas up to? He knew very well she did whatever she would, whatever she thought best; that every step she took when the [i]Skate[/i] docked was only ever for the crew. For [i]him.[/i] Her lovely man never once troubled her footsteps to find her, certainly not before she had something worth the offering...
 
Not, of course, that at this very moment, he was truly "troubling.” Oh no, not to her eyes in the least. Ah her lovely man, her dear, crafty Silverfish - and how resplendent in silver and ebony he was this night. She could not remember a time when he had ever cut so dashing a figure - to say he 'cleaned up well' was a gross understatement. And, unless she were terribly mistaken (which, of course, she most certainly was not)? Oh yes, every eligible lady in the gathering was casting the gamut of furtive to bold glances in his direction - not that she blamed them.

And all the rogue could imagine in this moment, the sweet little fantasy that cavorted through her thoughts? What must it be like to lay her cheek against his, cleanshaven for perhaps the first time since she laid eyes on that handsome face.. 
 
[i]"Capitaine[/i] Lightfoot," Antoinette said with that musical, perfectly Parisian accent, nodding her head in elegant acknowledgement. "Are you a friend of my Robert?" she asked, all sweet innocence and wide, generous smiles. "It seems you know one another, [i]non?"[/i] With the last word, her face tilted up toward the Commander, whose visage turned from glower to glowing in an instant.

[center]**********[/center]

[b][i]Jax[/i][/b]

Jax kept thinking of turning around and running toward that beautiful night pond and those flowers. That’s where he should be. Not here. Not dressed in someone elses clothes at someone else's party pretending to be someone else. He should just turn around. He had his fun. The Captain was here and his game with Ms Greene,or whoever, someone else, played out. 

It wasn’t the clothes that made him want to leave before he even got there. To his surprise they were actually amazingly comfortable. The shirt, a light sky blue was softer than anything he had ever felt against his chest, well besides the body of a soft silk female, but anything other than that. And it was loose enough to slide over his stomach and arms with a tease of richness he could enjoy. He didn’t really want to put the dark deep blue jacket over the shirt but if he was playing the game, he best put on all the parts. Well, most of the parts. He wouldn’t say, but he left the vest folded up on his cabin bunk. Why do they need so many layers on a hot summer night? Jax didn’t. Besides he thought the shirt and jacket looked just fine. He left the under closes beside the vest as well. No sense having this nice material and not letting it touch him. So of course he wouldn't tell the Captain that. His secret.

He tucked the fine leather pants into the tops of the sueded amazing boots. Oh he liked them too. He left his cabin feeling dashing. With the ties given he pulled back his hair and swept his face clean. He was fine. So why did he stand outside this expansive display of wealth and want to turn away. Because you can’t shine shit, Jax chuckled. He liked how his thoughts did not say which was the dung of the earth, this place or him?

And just then the sound of the First Mate caught his attention. He pushed his hands behind him holding the flowers he collected. Her voice so much sweeter than her words, as so often the case with her. He turned to answer, to tell her he had to ride with the Captain because he owned him and needed last minute advice as to where this part went and how does he keep his hair in this soft string? 

But the words didn’t come. He looked at her stunned. Now he had his reason not to run. She was…...Jax smiled and then laughed. “You are..” He stopped and slowly offered his gift of two flowers, night blooms of course. “I wasn’t sure why I took you there. But now I know.” He held the flowers out to her. “The thing about Night Blooms is they stay closed all day, tight balls, leaves hiding the bright colors and the frequency. Most never see them.” He smiled to her.

“But like things of beauty once and awhile they just have to open and release what is so tight inside.” Jax held the flowers out to her.

“You are the Night Bloom tonight, M’Lady. You are stunning beyond imagination. No one will miss the short time you bloom.”

He stepped back allowing himself to enjoy the look of her. He then offered his arm to her. “I have been thinking of the spy stuff.” He whispered enjoying that he had a reason to lean close to her. “We need a system. Like a code in there. If you get into a conversation or dance you don't like tug your right ear and I will obnoxiously rescue you. If you get a really juicy piece of information, slick out the tip of your tongue. If you need to quickly run just place your right hand on your right hip.”

Jax chuckled, “And if you are going to start hitting anyone, slugging away for some reason quickly slide your finger up your nose…..or wait maybe just along side?” He smiled at her hoping to get one back in return. Even if she did not he knew where his eyes would be tonight.