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Part XXI

Posted on Wednesday, 09-Sep-98

Nantucket Island, MA:
July 13, 1998

hea hardly slept that night. In the moment that Daphne had revealed her impression that Connor Douglas resembled Mr. Elliot, Thea saw red and stormed off to the bathroom immediately. She knew nothing with any certainty but the fact that she would not allow Daphne to reduce her life to a version of Persuasion and that the very real and warm Connor Douglas could not be compared to Jane Austen's vile Mr. Elliot. She knew that Daphne hadn't liked Connor when she met him that evening, but insulting him in this manner was going too far!

She didn't return to her bedroom until she could be sure that Daphne had fallen asleep, choosing to sit in the living room in front of a very bad late night movie which didn't divert her attention at all. Instead of watching it closely, Thea wound up mulling over all that had happened to her and thinking further about what Daphne had suggested. By the time that she had returned to the room, she was ready to look through Persuasion herself. She had decided that she needed to prove just how little Connor Douglas had in common with William Elliot. And, as long as she was at it, she would also make a mental list of all the ways in which Andrew Carroll did not resemble Captain Wentworth!

But Daphne's sleeping form was not about to give the book up without a fight: that woman had it tucked under her chin, both arms wrapped around it in Daphne's trademark stranglehold. Thea just shook her head at the sight, Daphne treated her books with the same smothering affection that she did her friends.

Thea went back to her dresser and pulled out the copy of Persuasion that Scott had loaned her earlier in the summer. She jumped into bed and crawled under the covers, realizing that she would have to return the book to Scott before he left the island. Didn't he say that it was his sister's copy? She certainly would wish to have it back.

Thea flipped through the chapters with an instinct guided by years of thumbing through the story. She scanned the pages for descriptions of Connor's -- no -- Mr. Elliot's character as well as Andrew -- Captain Wentworth's. Thea felt herself grow frustrated with herself at these slips. Surely she could keep the fictional characters separate from the real individuals! Maybe it was due to a lack of sleep. She would not allow herself to give into Daphne's suggestion.

She had to admit that there were a few similarities, but they were of little substance. Both Connor Douglas and Mr. Elliot were both be charming, attractive men with a great deal of wit and spirit, but the fact remained that she had no reason to believe that Connor had ever lied about his intentions towards her or had shady business dealings. Certainly Daphne, in her role as "the widow Mrs. Smith" didn't have anything to reveal about this. Connor certainly was not her cousin and had nothing to gain by winning her affection, as was the case with Anne Elliot.

Thea felt her heart leap when she thought of how his intentions had changed. Had he really asked her to move to Los Angeles to be with him? Thea's eyes widened as she thought of making such a weighty decision. She wasn't quite sure if she were equal to it. She also remembered the last time that she had to make the same decision. How many times in the last four years had she regretted the fact that she hadn't chosen differently? Was she being allowed the opportunity to reverse it?

Thea wished that she had more time to deliberate, but Connor had been very clear about the fact that he was leaving in a few days.

Thea blew a lock of hair away from her forehead, knowing that the only rational thing to do was to spend the next few days in an all-out effort to get to know Connor, the real Connor Douglas, not the Mr. Elliot clone that Daphne had pictured him to be. She looked over at the next bed and the sleeping Daphne and realized that her presence might make that more difficult. Daphne could be very obstinate and always seemed to be where she was least wanted. Thea flipped back to the pages of the novel that described the widow Mrs. Smith. Thea read through the last speech that Mrs. Smith made in the story, the revelation of Mr. Elliot's past. But, Thea noted, Mrs. Smith began by supposing that her friend was to marry him and not attempting to put a stop to it! She only started discussing her relationship to Mr. Elliot and explanation of his true character after Anne had assured her that she didn't wish to marry him. Thea would have to remind her own Mrs. Smith of this in the morning. Maybe it would carry some weight with her, since she was so eager to live her life with reference to a novel.

And, as for Andrew being such a Captain Wentworth, Thea could perceive no likeness greater than the fact that they both were ambitious men who had advanced quickly in their careers. Perhaps this advancement could be based on a shared tendency towards optimism and ability to exude confidence. The similarities had to end there, though!

But then, Thea hit upon the page where Captain Wentworth lifts Anne's troublesome nephew off of her shoulders and recalled the fact that Andrew was equally kind and useful with Thea's own nephew. Thea found herself recalling the quiet expression on his face as he comforted the child back to sleep.

Thea shook her head forcefully, trying to jar the reflection away. This would not do at all!

Thea slammed the book shut, half hoping to disturb Daphne's sleep, not enough to wake her, just enough to bother her. She dropped the book on the floor, dismissing it. She would return it to Scott first thing tomorrow morning and then begin making her decision on moving to Los Angeles, without reference to a cast of characters and plot written by an author who had lived nearly two hundred years ago.

In the morning, Thea drove herself over to the White Elephant House, where she knew the film crew were staying, with two exceptions. Andrew was one of them, he was still staying with his parents, and Connor was the other, he kept a room at the more exclusive mansion that had once been owned by a part of the Vanderbilt family. Thea was eager to run this errand and had even chosen not to have breakfast first. Once there, she realized that she had no idea how to visit him tactfully. She didn't like the idea of knocking on the door -- just in case Crystal happened to be there as well. But then, how might Crystal feel if she were to call up to his room and ask to see him?

In the end, Thea wondered why she cared so much about what Crystal thought and asked the desk clerk to ring his room and ask Scott to come downstairs.

That she had woken him up was evident as soon as he walked into the lobby. His hair was flying wildly around his face and shoulders, having yet to be tied back in a band. His eyelids drooped and she could tell that he was having difficulty focusing on her face.

Thea wished that she had thought better of coming to visit so early. Why had returning the book seemed so urgent?

Scott flopped down in the chair next to Thea and looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry," Thea said, "I wanted to return your sister's book," she held out his copy of Persuasion.

Scott took it, smiling sleepily. "Yeah, my sister would've had my head on a plate if I hadn't brought it back," he said. He looked at her, confused. "You aren't leaving today, are you?"

"No," Thea negatived, "I just knew that you would be returning to California soon and I didn't want to forget."

Scott nodded again in recognition.

"When do you leave?" Thea asked.

"Crystal and I will be leaving in two days," Scott said, a light coming into his as he thought of it.

Thea was pleased to see it, "I'm glad that things have worked out so well for you," Thea said sincerely.

Scott's smile broadened, "Thank you," he replied. "Actually, you deserve a great deal of thanks, considering that --" he stopped, suddenly realizing that he had no idea how she had known that lightning would strike the mast. "How did you know?"

Thea grimaced and looked away. She really didn't know how to answer that question. The truth was hardly believable and she couldn't think of a convenient lie that might explain everything. It was a wonder that Diana had decided to believe her sister at all and she had required the photo album as proof.

"I don't suppose that you'd believe that it was just a lucky guess?" Thea hedged.

Scott shook his head, "It was not a lucky guess, " he echoed, "But, I wonder if I really want to know." He appeared to give that some thought.

Thea smiled brilliantly. "I really don't think that you want to know!" she replied, glad for a way out.

"I should just be grateful and ask no more questions?" Scott's sleep fuzzy brain figured.

"Yes!" Thea nodded furiously.

Scott took Thea's hand and squeezed it warmly. "Then, I'm very grateful. If you hadn't told me about what you --" he searched for a word, " -- suspected would happen, then Crystal might not be alive today."

"And she wouldn't be nearly as grateful to you for saving her life," Thea smiled mischievously.

Scott agreed. "Things have turned out very well indeed."

They could have dwelt on the subject longer, but not without returning to the question that they had agreed to avoid. Thea let go of his hand and stood up to leave. "So, what are you going to do now that the filming is over?" she asked.

Scott looked at her with some surprise, "Didn't you hear?" he asked.

"Hear what?" Thea sat back down.

"Andrew has quit the film. I've been put in charge of the editing phase," Scott said.

"What?" Thea was aghast. "Why would Andrew do that?"

"I must admit that it does seem very odd," Scott said, "Directors hardly ever leave a project at this point. Especially when they've written the screenplay."

Thea recalled that last argument between he and Connor. "Andrew said that Connor couldn't go forward without him because he still had the rights to the story!"

"Apparently, Andrew just sold them to Connor," Scott admitted.

Thea couldn't imagine Andrew doing that, "But this film was his baby!" she said emphatically. "Did he give any reason why?"

Scott's forehead scrunched up in concentration and he shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure," he said eventually. "Connor did say something about Andrew having grown tired of Hollywood and wanting to get out of the --" Scott put his hands up and made a quotation mark gesture with his fingers, " -- scene for awhile."

"Getting out of the scene?" Thea echoed, giving it some thought.

"Well, he's been working pretty steadily for the last four years," Scott reasoned. "Five films in four years has to be some sort of record."

"Is it?" Thea asked.

"He sacrificed a great deal when he first came to Hollywood," Scott recalled. "He worked unhuman hours, hardly ever slept, and never took time off."

Thea bit her lip and thought of Andrew pushing himself so hard.

"It was almost as if he had something to prove and a deadline to prove it by." Scott went on. "No one could understand it. He took what it meant to be driven to new limits."

Thea smiled sadly at the picture that Scott painted.

"And then, last year, he started dating Crystal," Scott explained, "and we all expected him to calm down a little, but he didn't. He just started writing this script, researching and writing and trying to get funding. It seemed to be something in which he believed very strongly."

"And now he's just walking away from it?"

"I can't explain it. It must be something very big that's taking him away from it now."

Thea drove back to the cottage, attempting to make sense of what Scott had just told her. Why in the world had Andrew decided to give away 'The Pirate Queen'? Surely it wasn't because of what happened on the Rose? Was he still blaming himself for what happened to the ship? That didn't seem likely. He appeared to be very calm when talking about the added costs involved in repairing the mast. Perhaps it had to do with Crystal? Maybe he couldn't stand to see her on film now that they were no longer a couple? But hadn't he appeared very resigned to that fact and even said something about wishing Crystal and Scott well? Could it have to do with Connor? Was it that he just couldn't work with his producer any longer?

Questions with no apparent answers wandered through her brain, muddling her mind to the point where she actually missed the turnoff into Diana's driveway and had to turn around a little bit farther down the road. And why was she so interested in figuring out Andrew's reasons for leaving the project? Thea could think of no reason why she should actually care.

She got out of the car and walked into Diana's cottage, determined to push all thoughts of Andrew out of her head and replace them with Connor. She had to find a way for Diana and David to get to know him, without being influenced by Andrew and Daphne. She believed that her sister and brother-in-law would learn to like him if they really had a chance to know him.

So, it was with great exasperation and an anger that boiled barely below the surface, that Thea found her sister in the living room and received the news that David and Andrew had managed to borrow a friend's sailboat for an excursion tomorrow. "Everyone is included!" she trilled and then went on to name only the Carrolls, Daphne, Amy, Little David, and Andrew.

"But not Connor?" Thea asked.

Diana said nothing and began to check Little David's diaper. "He needs to be changed," she remarked, shouldering the baby and walking back towards the nursery, avoiding the subject very easily.

But Thea was not going to be that easily put off. "Didn't it even occur to you to invite Connor?" she asked, moving into the nursery in order to continue the conversation.

The guilty expression on Diana's face was confirmation that she had thought of it, but had just thought against it.

"Diana! You aren't even trying to like him!" Thea exclaimed, "Which is unfair! When you first started dating David, I made the effort!"

Diana looked over at her sister sharply, shaking extra baby powder all over Little David's face. He began to cry. "But you aren't that serious about Connor!" Diana said, "I mean, you didn't really warm up to David until I told you -- that -- he was --" she drifted off, realization dawning.

"The one?" Thea finished for her, remembering what her sister had termed David six years ago.

"Thea? You aren't thinking that Connor could be the one, are you?"

It was obvious to Thea that her sister had not thought of this and that the idea, now planted, was not immediately pleasing. Her sister looked almost frightened, something that frustrated Thea even further. Why did they all dislike Connor so much? Was it just for Andrew's sake that they were all acting as if he had a new and deadly communicable disease? "I don't know if he's 'the one', but I'm never going to be able to find out if my family keeps pushing him away!" Thea exclaimed.

Diana looked down at her screaming baby and made quick work of fastening on a new diaper. She pulled the baby up to her shoulder and began quieting him by patting his back. She looked at her sister, puzzled. "But I thought that Andrew --" she began.

Thea shook her head, "I shouldn't have kissed him. It was a mistake --" Thea began her now pat denial of feelings for an old boyfriend.

Diana sighed loudly. She had heard all of this before. "I know, Thea, you were just so relieved to see him alive and it has nothing to do with loving him still!"

"It doesn't!"

Diana shook her head, disbelieving.

Thea knew that there was no use in trying to convince her sister of this. Diana's hope for Andrew was too strong. "Couldn't you at least attempt to like Connor?" Thea asked.

Diana looked down, recognizing that she should do at least that. "Why don't you call and ask him if he'd like to come tomorrow?" she relented.

Connor wasn't especially excited about the prospect of getting on a boat that was to be sailed by Andrew and David. In fact, it took a great deal of convincing on Thea's part to get him to agree. "David said that he and Andrew were thrown out of some of the best sailing camps on the Eastern Seaboard!" Thea attempted lightly, trying for the same cheerful humor that David had used when he explained the fact that they were quite capable of sailing a 36 foot cabin cruiser.

"Which should tell you something right there," Connor scoffed loudly.

"David says that they were just bad boys, not bad sailors," Thea explained further. "And Andrew's father used to be an Admiral in the Navy!" Thea stopped, recognizing another connection to the book. Thea smacked the side of her head in annoyance. Frank Carroll was not Admiral Croft, regardless of that fact!

Thea could hear the rasp of Connor's breath as he deliberated at the other end of the line.

"Connor," Thea tried her hand at persuasion. "This would be a really good opportunity for you to get to know my sister. And David and Little David," she added a moment later, "And Daphne," she added, later still.

Connor snorted at the last name, obviously aware that this woman wasn't very interested in becoming more acquainted with him. "And Andrew?" he questioned.

"He will be there as well," Thea replied softly.

Connor snorted again, "Then, I'll definitely be there, if only to protect you from him!"

Thea hung up with Connor and walked out onto the deck so that she could tell Diana to expect him tomorrow. But it was Andrew, not Diana, that she found reclining on one of deck chairs. And, as if his presence were not enough, he appeared to be engrossed in reading Daphne's battered copy of Persuasion. He looked up and smiled at her enigmatically as she opened the screen door.

"Really Andrew, don't you ever go home!" Thea exclaimed, a note of irritation rising in her voice.

Andrew raised an eyebrow at the sour expression in her voice. "I'm just waiting for David," he explained, "We're planning to go over to the harbor and get the boat ready for tomorrow."

Thea gestured to the book in his hand, "And Daphne gave you her copy of Persuasion in order to do that?"

Andrew looked down at the book, "No," he said sheepishly, "She just thought that I might enjoy it."

"Really?" Now it was Thea's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Okay," Andrew rolled his eyes depricatingly. "She said that it was your favorite book and I thought that --" he trailed off, looking at her expressively.

Thea turned away quickly, "What did you think?" she began. "Did you think that you could erase the past four years by reading my favorite book?"

"Well, she thought that I might learn to understand --"

"I'm very easily understood!" Thea interrupted him. "I spent the last four years lonely and unhappy because I couldn't get past my memory of you and now that I'm finally trying to -- find some happiness with another --"

"With Connor?" Andrew broke in quietly, but with an urgency that betrayed his attempt at placidness.

"Yes Connor," Thea confirmed.

Andrew only nodded his head at that, mouth rigid.

"I think that my chance for happiness with him is as good as it was with you!"

"No, I wouldn't agree to that," Andrew said flatly.

"Why?" Thea asked, half hoping for a real answer. "What do you know that would make you say that?"

Andrew looked at her, as if searching for something that might be there. What was it that he was wishing to see? A seed of doubt planted against Connor, something that he could water with greater hints of his bad character?

Would Andrew stoop to that brand of sabotage in order to regain her?

Or protect her?

In the end, Andrew looked down, shaking his head sadly. "I don't have anything to tell you over what I assume you already know. He's never been known as the type of person who liked the idea of settling down," he laughed bitterly at his use of such a euphemism.

Thea exhaled slowly, half pleased to hear that Andrew didn't have anything really shocking to reveal about Connor. The other half wasn't sure why it felt so dissatisfied. "So, we'll see you tomorrow," Thea commented.

Andrew's eyes grew wide as he realized what she was really saying. "Connor is coming as well?" he asked.

"Yes," Thea replied evenly, watching carefully for a response. And she had to look closely, because it was an almost imperceptible change. She would find it difficult to describe, like a slow droop bringing down his shoulders and something like resignation tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, then --" Andrew stumbled, searching for something else to say. He was rescued quickly by David calling to him from the kitchen. "I'm ready!" Andrew responded and moved quickly towards the screen door, leaving Thea on the deck by herself. Thea looked out across the ocean and noticed Daphne sunning herself out on the sand. Thea walked down the stairs, having determined that Daphne should not miss out on being given a piece of Thea's mind.

Part XXII

Posted on Wednesday, 16-Sep-98

Nantucket Island, MA:
July 14, 1998

After having had a personal conversation with nearly everyone going on the sailing trip and having had insisted that they all be on their best behavior around Connor, Thea assumed that she had done all that she could to see that the cruise could be tolerated, if not enjoyed. She had made it very clear to those involved that Connor was to be treated with kindness and that absolutely no one was to attempt to irritate him.

But she had forgotten to set the same ground rules for Connor.

They were barely out of the harbor before Thea began to seriously regret the fact that she had made such a fuss over including him in their plans. He seemed calm enough while they were driving over to the harbor and was even pleasant to the others while they were stowing things on the boat, even greeting Andrew with a terse hello. Once on the water he became an annoyance: even making sarcastic comments while Frank Carroll attempted to give those unfamiliar to sailing a few rules to follow. It was as if he didn't appreciate being told how to do something, even if he had no experience with it at all. Thea felt the eyes of the other members of the group on her whenever he opened his mouth and let a another biting comment fly.

Thea burned with mortification. It was obvious that they were all wondering what she saw in him. She certainly was wondering the same thing. What did she ever see in him that had actually convinced her to beg an invitation for him? She looked back at the harbor, eyeing the stone jetty longingly, wishing that she were brave enough to swim back to shore.

But the jetty was growing smaller as they sailed further into the ocean. And Connor's behavior was growing surlier.

Thea watched him closely as she sat next to him in the cockpit of the boat and wondered if he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. She could tell that he was paling markedly under his exterior tan. And were those bags under his eyes? Thea leaned in for a closer look. Certainly, his skin was blotchier than she had ever seen it before.

"Sleep well last night?" Thea finally asked.

"Like a baby," Connor replied curtly, looking into the cabin where Diana was trying to put a fussy Little David down for a nap. Her son was definitely not cooperating with her and the quiet calm of the sea around Nantucket was broken by his plaintive wails. "Well, not like that baby," Connor scowled.

Thea was only able to force out a noise that didn't resemble a laugh at all. Connor's attempt at a witty observation was no funnier than any of the others he had chosen to make, but at least she was the only one who had heard it.

She looked away from Connor, glancing past the helm where Andrew and his father were standing. It was much more obvious to Thea that Drew had not slept at all the night before. The definite droop to his eyelids could not be mistaken, even if the dark circles under his eyes could be attributed to a different cause. She wondered what could have kept him up the night before, but was too shy to ask him.

That was the unfortunate side-effect of yesterday's air clearing conversation with Andrew. It had cleared the air up so much that Andrew had stopped speaking to her at all or even looking at her for extended periods of time. Thea knew that she should have been pleased. After all, she had asked him to go away this time. But now that he had, it only made her feel strangely hollow inside.

She watched him at the helm, standing silently next to his father and wasn't pleased by the aching, disappointed look that seemed permanently etched upon his face. She couldn't lie to herself and pretend that she hadn't been the one to place it there and wasn't proud of herself for having done it.

Frank Carroll attended to the wheel while his son and David managed the sheets attached to the jib, trimming them at his command and moving them expertly when it was time to come about. Thea looked on, quietly impressed by their expertise, acknowledging that they must have been thrown out of some really top-notch sailing schools.

Eventually, Little David settled down for his nap and Daphne, who had been attempting to help Diana with the belligerent little baby, came topside. Frank Carroll directed her to sit in a space next to Connor so that the boat would heel over even further into the water and bring the sails to better advantage. She did so with only one look towards Connor, her face registering alarm. Daphne spoke her mind immediately: "You're all peaked, Connor!" she described baldly, "Are you going to be sick?"

Connor stared back at Daphne with a look that would have frozen silent a less warmly cheerful person. Daphne remained untouched, however, her loquaciousness undulled.

"I have some dramamine in my purse!" she announced, "Perhaps you should take some. You're looking a little green around the gills."

Thea looked over at Connor and realized that he was less brownish and more bluish than she had noticed before. "Perhaps you should," Thea echoed, seeing the wisdom of Daphne's suggestion at once. Connor wasn't crabby because he was sleepy, he was crabby because he was seasick.

Connor turned to Thea and flashed her a dangerous look, one that managed to quell her effectively. Obviously he didn't want to talk about his queasy stomach.

"Let him suffer, then," Daphne said to no one in particular and then turned her attention towards Helen Carroll, who was seated on the other side of the cockpit, near to her husband. "I see that you don't seem to need pills to keep you from heaving into the ocean, Ma'am," she commented to the healthy looking woman, "Did your husband marry you because you were such a good sailor, or did you become one soon after the wedding?"

Mrs. Carroll smiled at the question, "A little of both, I believe," she replied.

"She comes from a sailing family," the old Admiral proudly answered for her, "I would have much preferred her on board with me over all those raw recruits from the midwest who had never even seen a ship before, much less been on one. There's nothing worse than having to play nursemaid to someone who doesn't have the sea in them. They can't keep solid food down for a week!"

Daphne, David, and the Carroll's laughed at this image, but the three others remained silent, Thea noticing that Connor appeared to be getting whiter by the minute.

Daphne did not notice this. She appeared to be more concerned with Andrew than Connor at that point.

"Didn't you pass your sea legs onto your son?" Daphne asked the Carrolls, nodding towards Andrew who was sitting down at the moment, leaning sleepily against the side of the boat.

Helen shook her head, "He's not sick, he just spent the entire night reading that book you gave him," she looked at her son, "What was the name of it?"

Thea's eyes widened, suitably impressed by the thought that he had stayed up all night to read Persuasion.

It was Andrew's turn to glare someone into silence. He gave his mother a look which communicated the fact that any further discussion about the book was to be dropped immediately.

And it was dropped, though not because of Andrew's silent message to his mother. The old Admiral decided to bring the boat about, which started up a flurry of activity in the cockpit. Thea had learned enough about sailing to understand that the only job she had to do was to switch sides of the boat whenever the boat changed tacks. Frank Carroll turned the wheel and let loose the mainsail, forcing the boom over to the other side of the boat. At the same moment, David let go of his cleated sheet and Andrew began dragging the jib towards his side. Thea and Daphne joined Mrs. Carroll on the other side of the cockpit, leaving Connor all alone on his side. The man didn't seem capable of quick movements any longer.

"Are you sure that you don't want to take some dramamine?" Daphne asked again, voice laden with concern. She might not like the man, but she hated to see anyone in pain.

"No," Connor hissed darkly.

"If you fix your eye on the horizon, Connor, " Andrew began helpfully, "You won't feel so sick. It works on the same principle as being in a car and watching the road."

Connor's dark eyes flashed angrily, "You'd like it if I did that, wouldn't you," he whispered gruffly.

Andrew snorted, "I don't care what you do. But please do your best to be sick over the side of the boat. I'm not going to clean up after you."

"So, you won't return the favor? I just had to clean up a whole ship after you!" He placed an emphasis on the word ship, a note of righteous indignation ringing in his voice.

Andrew winced and looked away, contrition replacing indifference.

Connor sensed a victory and pressed further, "And now you expect me to keep my eyes fixed on the horizon so that you can make another play for Thea behind my back!"

Thea gasped audibly, completely surprised by Connor's candor. Surprise quickly gave way to annoyance at his attempt to humiliate Andrew in front of his parents and friends. How could he do such a thing? Thea looked up to see how Andrew was handling such a slight.

He was looking at Connor with a steely hardness flashing metallic in his eyes. She had never seen such a degree of cold loathing in his normally warm blue eyes.

"That's not the case, Connor," Andrew replied, regulating his voice with some effort. "Thea has already told me that it won't work."

Thea looked away from him, biting her lip unhappily.

Connor smirked, sickness forgotten for the moment, seemingly too pleased with this confession. "So, your plans seem to have gone horribly wrong somewhere, haven't they?"

The intensity of dislike in Andrew's eyes grew stronger as he stared back at Connor, not flinching and not turning away. He lost his sleepy appearance immediately. Fully awake now, he spat back his agreement, "I guess they have."

Thea's mind clouded over as she tried to discern what they were speaking of. What plans?

"I told you it was a stupid move," Connor taunted, sounding just like one of Thea's more petulant fifth graders.

Andrew looked back at him levelly, "I still don't think that it was a stupid move," he emphasized the last two words equally. "It just didn't turn out the way that I had hoped."

Thea looked back between the two men in confusion, "What plan?" she heard herself ask.

Everyone in the cockpit turned to stare at Thea. She looked into their faces and realized that she was the only one who did not know the answer to that question. If was as if she had been left out of a major discussion.

Or was it that she just hadn't been paying attention?

It was Connor who finally answered her, rising unsteadily to his feet, swaggering a little. Whether it was due to nausea or supreme self-confidence could not be quickly determined. "Andrew gave up the film so that he could move back to the East Coast in order to be with you," Connor said easily, looking directly at her.

"What?" Thea gasped, looking at Andrew. She watched as he sunk further into his seat and stared down at the floor. "Why?"

"You'll have to ask Andrew," Connor replied, sounding just as flippant as he had the moment before, but his countenance had changed drastically. Choosing to stand up had not been a good decision. Thea watched as the green tinge to his skin become even more pronounced and his lips curled into a sickly leer.

Thea closed her eyes in disgust, but it wasn't directed as much towards Connor as it was towards herself. In that moment, she recognized the fact that she could never be happy with such an unfeeling monster. Connor was just a handsome shell of a man, an empty container that held nothing of substance inside. He was as hollow as a conch shell washed up on the shore, one that a child might pick up and put to her ear so that she could pretend to hear the rushing of the waves. But, in the end, there's nothing to hear at all. Thea felt like throwing him back into the sea just like she might have done to a broken old shell, not worthy of being kept.

In that moment, Thea realized that there was no big mystery behind Connor at all! The only thing that had not been revealed to her was just how little and mean-spirited he really was.

"Why don't we turn around?" Thea heard Frank Carroll suggest to the rest of the group, an idea that was quickly agreed to by Helen and David. There could be no pleasure to be found in continuing with the cruise, only the opportunity for Connor to inflict more pain on Andrew. And, Thea realized, Connor's condition was worsening. She heard Connor cry out in a piteously hoarse whisper and Thea opened her eyes in time to see him lean over the side of the boat, retching loudly into the ocean.

The next moment brought a command from Frank Carroll, "Coming about!" he shouted, rousing David and Andrew into action on the jib. The boom of the mainsail was released and swung quickly towards the other side of the boat just as Connor stood up.

"Connor!" Daphne screamed a moment too late. The boom caught him at the back of his neck and sent him overboard into the vomit sickened water.

Thea gasped and rushed over to the other side, where she could make out Connor, angrily fighting the waves and gasping for breath. A second more brought David over with a life preserver, which he flung out towards the man.

"Grab on!" David shouted.

Thea watched as Connor flailed his arms wildly in some sort of attempt to grasp the floating ring.

"Can he swim?" David asked Andrew, who had come over to stand next to Thea.

"I don't know," Andrew said, an answer that must have frightened him as much as it frightened her. He didn't hesitate any longer. Kicking off his shoes, Andrew drove into the ocean after him.

Thea froze, terrified now. Did Andrew really believe that Connor might drown? She was sure that nothing but an acute sense of danger would have compelled him to jump into the ocean after a man who had been taunting him so cruelly just minutes before. "Andrew!" Thea heard herself scream involuntarily as she watched him break the surface of the water and start stroking his way towards the other man.

Something inside of Thea snapped as she watched Andrew swim away from the safety of the boat and she saw clearly the worth of what she had been willing to throw away just the day before. How could she bear losing Andrew again? Had she really been stupid enough to wish it?

Thea gulped back tears and realized that she had. She had been too busy trying not to follow the same storyline as Persuasion, trying not to be prejudiced by old character descriptions. In the end, she had been unable to see anything clearly at all!

Thea saw it all with great clarity now. She was still in love with Andrew and probably would always be. It was no use trying to "get over" him, she would never be able to do it.

And now Andrew was risking his life for a petty, cruel, little man who was probably never interested in Thea at all!

Thea continued to follow Andrew's progress through the waves to where Connor was still whipping his arms about wildly in an effort to stay afloat.

"He really can't swim," David whispered, recognizing the fact just as Andrew reached the other man and tried grab onto him. Connor kept up his frenzied motions, thwarting Andrew's attempts completely.

"Stop it!" Thea heard Andrew insist to Connor, attempting to calm him down enough to help him.

"Stop fighting, Connor!" David shouted out as well, shaking his head in disbelief. "He's becoming so hysterical that he'll drown Andrew as well as himself!"

"No!" Thea gasped, horrified. "Stop fighting, Connor!" she shouted out to the man.

Thea couldn't tell whether Connor had heard their admonitions or if exhaustion had set in, but he stopped struggling and Andrew was able to maneuver him onto his back and place an arm around his chest. Together, with Andrew providing most of the power, they swam back to the boat where David and Frank were able to reach down and haul Connor out of the sea. Dripping wet, he sank bonelessly onto the bench and gasped for breath.

Daphne went into the cabin for towels as Thea watched Andrew pull himself over the back of the boat. He sat down on the edge, turned back towards the water, and pulled off his shirt so that he could wring the water from it. Thea's eyes widened in involuntary admiration. She had forgotten just how broad his shoulders were. The muscles on his upper arms hardened as he twisted his soggy shirt over the transom of the boat. It was no wonder that he was able to swim with Connor back to the boat so quickly. Andrew turned around and Thea found herself staring directly at him, especially his bare chest. She recalled how much she used to enjoy running her fingers through the hair scattered lightly on it. Drops of water glistened on his skin and fell from the dark curls plastered against his forehead. He took the towel that Daphne offered and began to rub his hair dry.

"Thea!" Daphne hissed next to her, making her turn away from Andrew in embarrassment. Daphne held out the other towel and nodded her head meaningfully towards the limp body of Connor. Her pointed glance could not be more clear: since Thea was the one who had subjected them all to Connor's irritating presence, she should be the one to take care of him now. There was to be no more staring longingly at Andrew while the man she called her boyfriend was sick. Connor was Thea's responsibility and Daphne was big on keeping commitments.

Thea reluctantly took the towel from Daphne and knelt down next to Connor, not sure how to comfort him at all. She supposed that she should dry him off before he became chilled by the brisk wind coming off the water, but he didn't appear well enough to endure such a thing. In fact, he didn't appear well enough to endure anything at all.

"Connor, are you going to be sick again?" Thea asked, watching his face grimace in pain. He was only able to nod an assent before he turned his head towards the side of the boat to vomit again. Thea helped him sit up in order to do so.

Daphne tactfully supplied a bottle of water from the picnic basket and Thea handed it to him so that he could wash out his mouth. Thea helped him lay back on the seat, a rolled up towel serving as a pillow. He seemed to revive somewhat from all this attention. He found his voice, at least. "I could've drowned," he whispered to her.

"Yes," Thea agreed, "But Andrew was able to get to you in time."

Connor's eyes narrowed at that comment and it was all too obvious that he was quite bitter about Andrew having been the one to save him. Or perhaps he was bitter at the idea that he needed saving at all. His next comment confirmed that fact: "If he and his father hadn't tried to kill me in the first place --" he began, loud enough for those in the cockpit to hear.

Thea gasped and looked around to see if anyone had actually heard that comment. From Andrew's reddened face and his father's raised eyebrow, she could tell that they had. "You shouldn't say that!" she exclaimed.

"Why shouldn't I say that?" Connor went on, "They certainly let that stupid sail go at the most opportune time!"

"It was an accident!" Thea said, "And, besides, didn't you hear Frank say that they were 'coming about'?"

"No, I didn't!" he stated confidently. "I did not hear anything at all! Perhaps he didn't say it!"

Thea felt like slapping him for not being more thankful to Andrew and his father for saving his life! How dare he suppose such a thing? She pulled herself away from him, reclining back on the heels of her feet. "Shut up, Connor," she hissed.

"What?" he asked, looking over at her in surprise.

"Just -- shut -- up," she repeated, looking at him witheringly. "No one wants to hear from you."

Part XXIII

Posted on Saturday, 19-Sep-98

Nantucket Island, MA:
July 14, 1998

On land again, Thea drove Connor Douglas to his expensive hotel room in his rented Lexus and saw that he was safely tucked into his large four-poster bed with the heavy down comforters. She drew the shades so that the sunlight wouldn't keep him from sleeping off his nausea and, after wishing him a speedy recovery, left him in his room. She didn't want to have anything more to do with him and wouldn't have even bothered to drive him back to the Inn had Daphne not insisted upon it. After enduring a boat ride on a choppy ocean and a near-drowning, Connor had been in no shape to drive.

Thea was grateful that Connor was too ill to speak much on the drive home. In fact, she didn't recall him saying anything more than, "It's over, isn't it?" to which she replied tersely, "It's over." Connor's silence gave her the opportunity to think about Andrew and what had happened on the boat. Did Andrew actually quit the film in order to be with her? Why had he done such a thing? And did he actually read all of Persuasion last night? Had he actually stayed up all night to read a book just because he knew it was her favorite novel? And this was after she had told him to stop hoping for a reunion. Perhaps he really did love her! Could it be that it wasn't an elaborate competition against Connor after all? Half of her heart clung to that belief and she could feel her heart begin to sing with happiness. It was a quiet whisper of a song, though, half smothered by the agony of all that she had said to him the day before.

Thea remembered the look of bitter resignation on Andrew's face, as she and Daphne helped Connor off the boat and into his car, and wished that she hadn't been expected to drive that man home. All Thea could think about was how she longed to walk over to Andrew immediately and reach out to him. She wanted to touch him. She wanted put her arms around him and kiss away that empty look in his eyes, replacing it with the hopeful expression that they had worn just the day before. She wanted to give him back his confidence in the fact that everything would work out in the end.

Instead, she was saddled with an invalid and was required by Daphne to return him safely to his hotel. Thea could have wept as she pulled the car out of the parking lot. She felt as if she were driving away from the most important part of her life. But she hoped that it wouldn't be very long until they were together again. She was determined to drop Connor off and then find Andrew and tell him everything. She could only hope that Andrew would understand.

Thea escaped gratefully from Connor's room and emerged into the sunlight outside only to realize that she had no ride back to Diana's cottage. She couldn't drive Connor's Lexus, especially since she had left the keys on the night stand of his room. She resigned herself to the fact that she would have to call a taxi cab and wait for it to arrive, adding precious minutes onto the time that she had to wait until she could talk to Andrew. She was just about ready to return to the Inn so that she could ask the concierge to call her a cab, when she heard the honk of a car horn. She turned in the direction of the sound and saw Daphne at the wheel of her car.

She had never been so glad to see Daphne in her entire life! She ran over to the car and climbed into the passenger seat, grateful that her friend had thought of the fact that she would be stranded on the other side of the island. "Thank you so much!" Thea said breathlessly, closing the door quickly.

Daphne put the car in gear and started to drive out of the parking lot, shaking her head as she went along, "I'm not going to say anything, Thea," she said. "Not a thing. Nothing. I told myself as I drove over here that I was not going to tell you that I told you so or that you're a fool or anything like that."

Thea rolled her eyes. Daphne would never change. "Then why are you?" she asked, wishing that Daphne would go just a bit faster. She seemed to be afraid of passing other cars as well. Really! How did Daphne ever survive in the commuter wasteland of New Jersey?

"Okay, I'll say nothing more than this." Daphne began, "Thea, you really don't know what's good for you."

"Oh yes I do!" Thea exclaimed, "And if you would just pass that car in front of you, I might be able to do something about it."

"Oh really, do something about it?" Daphne scoffed lightly.

"Yes, Daphne!" Thea returned, "I'll admit it, you're right! Andrew is the most wonderful man on this planet, and I'll be supremely grateful to have a second chance with him! There! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Daphne looked over at her and smiled triumphantly, "I would've settled for you admitting that I'm right!"

Now it was Thea's turn to shake her head in disgust. "Daphne!" she shouted.

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll drive slower," Daphne teased, taking her foot off the accelerator.

"No! Don't do that!" Thea pleaded.

"I won't speed up until you agree with me that he is exactly like Frederick Wentworth!" she furthered. "In every way imaginable!"

"Daphne!"

"Say it, Thea!" Daphne looked at her commandingly, foot still perched above the foot petal.

"Okay! He's just like Captain Wentworth!" Thea shouted in agreement. And for the first time, that thought didn't bother her at all. What did it matter if he bore a strange resemblance to a character that had been created nearly two hundred years ago? What did it matter if her life bore a strange resemblance to a plot written in the past? All that mattered was that it might work out in the end.

Daphne put her foot back on the accelerator and the car responded immediately, gaining quickly on the truck ahead, and overtaking it easily. Daphne had to swerve into the other lane in order to pass it, which was a little frightening, considering that it was a two-lane highway with a several sharp curves and no berm to speak of. "Daphne!" Thea shouted in alarm.

"We've got to get you to him before he falls asleep!" Daphne shouted over the revving of the engine.

"Falls asleep?" Thea gasped, suddenly realizing that Andrew might not be awake to hear her confession. "He can't do that!"

"Sure he can!" Daphne said, "He didn't sleep at all last night!"

Thea gulped and put her seatbelt on.

They made record time back to Diana's cottage and, surprisingly, came out of the experience unscathed. Daphne, Thea realized, was a very skilled driver after all, although she didn't know what the police would have said about a few of her moves. Once the car was parked safely in the driveway, the two women ran into the house, where they were greeted by Diana, feeding Little David in the kitchen.

"Where is he?" Daphne said. "Do you think that he's gone to sleep yet?"

Thea wished that she had been the one to ask her sister that question, it was almost as if Daphne were more excited about the prospect of talking to Andrew than she. But what did it matter in the end who asked Diana where he was? She just needed to know.

"He went back over to his parents," Diana admitted softly, looking at her sister.

Thea's heart dropped. "He's asleep?" she asked in disbelief, feeling an empty pit in her stomach grow deeper. Was she actually going to have to wait until morning? She didn't think that she could wait that long. The idea of waiting even five more minutes to know what he was thinking was breaking her heart. Unhappily, she wandered away from the group and went over to stand next to the sliding glass door. She leaned up against it and pressed her cheek to the pane, considering whether or not she had enough courage to wake him up by throwing a rock at his window pane. Did she even know which window was his? She imagined the embarrassment of waking Frank or Helen up by shattering their window with a badly thrown rock.

Thea sighed unhappily and looked out at the beach, watching the ocean waves lap against the sand. The sky was darkening and it was difficult to discern what was out there, but she was almost sure that she could make out the shape of a man sitting, looking out at the ocean, his knees drawn up to his chin.

Thea's heart leapt. Could it be Andrew?

She didn't give it another thought. For the second time in a week, she tore at the catch to the sliding glass door, not able to get it open quickly enough. She jumped out onto the porch and ran to the edge of the deck, squinting her eyes in the darkness.

The shape turned around and stood up. It was Andrew! He wasn't asleep!

Thea was about ready to tear down the stairs and run towards him, but shyness stopped her. She still didn't know how he felt tonight. Especially after all that had happened earlier in the day. She blushed when she remembered how Connor had acted. Then she remembered what Andrew had done that afternoon. He deserved some gratitude for his willingness to act so quickly, and Connor had given him none.

Slower now, but not calmer, she descended the stairs and walked towards him. "Thank you for saving Connor's life," Thea began, when she had reached a place directly in front of him. She searched the outline of his face, wishing that her eyes would adjust to the darkness, or the moonlight would become instantly brighter. She wanted to see the expression on his face.

"You're welcome," he said, sounding cautious.

"It was really -- heroic" she said, attaching a term to his actions, after some thought.

Andrew shook his head slowly, "It wasn't heroic."

"Yes, it was!" Thea affirmed strongly. "I still can't believe that you were actually willing to dive in after him after all that he had said --" she stopped, unable to go on.

Andrew didn't add anything. He remained as silent as a statue.

Thea realized then just how heavy her breathing was. She felt nervous and excited at the same time and had no idea of what to do next. "Thank you," she repeated eventually.

"Is he okay?" Andrew asked, not sounding as if he cared that much about Connor's condition.

"He seems fine, I'm sure that he'll get over it after a good night's sleep." Thea replied.

"And then you'll be going back to Los Angeles together?" he asked, attempting a sense of lightness in his voice that was not successful.

Thea gasped, "No!" and then immediately had to qualify it. "I mean, I believe he's going back to Los Angeles. Tomorrow, I assume."

"But you won't be going with him?" Andrew probed.

Thea gulped and found that she couldn't make any sound come out of her swollen throat. Emotion had taken over her wind pipe again, making it impossible to talk. She shook her head vigorously, hoping that it would be sufficient.

It was more than enough. Andrew let out a long sigh and moved closer to her.

"You aren't going with him?" Andrew asked for confirmation.

This time her throat stopped constricting long enough for her to reply, "No," she whispered hoarsely and reached out one of her hands towards his own.

He looked down and took it in his and Thea felt herself drawn closer to him. His other arm wrapped itself carefully around her shoulder. In reply, she placed her hand upon his cheek, treasuring the rough feel of it. Light less dim now, she glanced up at him and realized that he was looking down at her, eyes unwavering. Thea nearly closed her eyes in surprise, his eyes were so remarkable, it was almost unsettling to know that they were what he was seeing her through.

But she didn't close her eyes, not until she began to tilt her mouth towards his own, searching thirstily for a kiss.

And then it was there, something that she had been longing for every day in the last four years. Something long and deep, holding a promise of other days with other kisses, just as tantalizingly sweet. Thea felt both of his arms go around her body, pressing her tightly to his chest. In response, she moved her hands to the small of his neck, one raking her fingers through his short curls, the other moving his head even more closely towards her. She didn't want to let go of him for a very long time.

But then he stopped. Breaking away from her slightly, he rested his chin on the top of her head. "We have to talk," he said, sighing loudly in frustration.

Thea felt her body grow cold and she immediately started to fear what might happen next. "Why?" she whispered, unwilling to let go. Her hands remained connected to his neck, her body remained curved to his own.

"Because I don't want us to make the same mistake that we did a week ago," he whispered back. "When you came out to me on the deck in the rain,"

"That wasn't a mistake, Andrew!" Thea began to protest vehemently. "It wasn't a mistake, I do love you!" She pulled her head away in order to look at him.

She watched as his lips curved slowly into a smile, "You do?" he asked.

"Yes!" she could have shouted in confirmation. "I did then, I do now! I'm so sorry that I called it a mistake the next day. I was afraid that you were going to say it first and I was embarrassed."

Andrew chuckled softly, a deep sound that resonated in his chest. "You were afraid?"

"Yes," Thea confirmed. "I was afraid --" she stopped, feeling fearful once again. Here she was, committing herself again when she didn't know his feelings with any degree of certainty. It was time to be brave, however. " -- I was afraid that you didn't love me as much as I loved you."

"Oh, Thea," he whispered roughly, tightening his grasp on her. Thea's heart leapt at the sound of him speaking her name. He had such a deep, resonant voice. She felt herself go weak against him at the sound of it. She collapsed, letting her head come to rest on his chest.

Eventually, he pulled her down onto the sand, "That wasn't the mistake I was talking of," he whispered into her ear.

Thea settled against his shoulder, unwilling to move further away. What was he saying about another mistake? She couldn't bear the idea of another misunderstanding! "What do you mean?"

"We hardly spoke that night," Andrew replied, beginning to stroke her hair with his hand. "You sent me home to take a hot shower and I thought that I understood what had happened: we had come back together again. You went to take a hot shower thinking another. We should have talked that night. We should have made sure that we understood each other."

Thea saw the reasonableness of this and began to lose some of her fear.

"And I should have never left you on that train platform four years ago," Andrew said regretfully, "We should have tried to understand each other then. I should have never left New York without talking to you again."

Thea pulled herself away from him, putting enough distance between them to give her some perspective. He was right. They needed to talk.

"I need you to make this real for me," Andrew let her move away, but kept one hand on her own. "I need to know what this means to you."

But Thea had some questions of her own. "Why did you give up the film?" she asked. "Was Connor right?"

"Yes," Andrew admitted softly. "I gave it up so that we could be together."

Thea still didn't understand fully and her confusion must have been apparent because Andrew explained further. "I didn't want to make your moving to Los Angeles a requirement of our getting back together. I didn't want to ask you to leave your job and family and move across the country so that we could be together."

"Really?" Thea asked in surprise. Had he actually been thinking of her when he did it?

Andrew smiled wryly, "I especially didn't want to do it after listening to Daphne at lunch on the day she arrived."

Thea though back to that first conversation and tried to remember what had been said then. All that she could recall was being completely embarrassed by being the center of attention. Daphne's praise of the work she did with her students had been quite embarrassing. She started, realizing that this must be what Andrew was speaking of. She looked up at him, brows furrowing.

"I didn't have the heart to take Ms. Moore away from her students in Tenafly," he admitted smilingly.

"So, you gave up your chance to win an Oscar?" Thea exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't you think that you're more important to me than some stupid statuette?"

"But --" Thea began, remembering how important it had been to him once.

Andrew shook his head, "Four years ago, I chose that over you and I've missed you ever since. It didn't make me happy in the end, just lonely."

"You're really willing to move back to New Jersey with me?" Thea asked.

Andrew nodded, "I can find work in the City quite easily." he said confidently. "And you won't have to leave your job in Tenafly."

Thea nearly shuddered with happiness and, for the first time in her life, could really understand how Anne Elliot must have felt on that first walk with Frederick Wentworth. Which brought up another question: "Did you really read Persuasion last night?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "Daphne nearly insisted that I do so. She didn't have to press very hard, though. In fact, all she had to say was that it was a favorite of yours and that I might understand how you were feeling if I read it."

Thea rolled her eyes again at the thought of Daphne insisting that he read it. "Daphne," she scolded. "I don't suppose that she told you her theory?"

"You mean the parallels to our life?" he asked.

Thea nodded, secretly reveling in the fact that he had used the word "our" to describe their life together. She played that phrase through her mind several times just to hear him say it again -- our life. She suddenly remembered how much she had loved the sound of his deeply resonant voice and how broken-hearted she had been three years ago when she suddenly realized that she couldn't recall it in her memory. It was too painful a recollection to dwell upon, however. She leaned in towards him, choosing to settle herself against his chest, the better to listen to the sound of his voice. It wasn't awkward in the least. In fact, Andrew's arms went around her and pulled her even closer before he chose to go on.

"Yes, Daphne explained that all to me," he admitted, "how she thought that you were living through the same situation as Anne Elliot,"

"And that you're my Captain Wentworth," Thea added softly, not feeling bothered by the idea at all.

"Oh, I'm all Captain Wentworth," Andrew chuckled self-consciously, "Especially that part about being half agony and half hope," then he qualified it slightly, "Well, I must admit that I was all hope for the first few days and all agony during this last one."

Thea knew that he was speaking of Connor and realized that they had to talk about him. "I don't know what I ever saw in him," Thea said.

"He's a remarkably charming man, I know that," Andrew described regretfully. "And I certainly wasn't paying any attention to you when he first came to the island. And you're just the kind of woman he usually goes after: pretty, intelligent, and unaffectedly sweet."

Thea bit her lip, blissful at the thought that Andrew considered her to be those things.

"Connor never does go for Hollywood starlets," Andrew revealed. "It must be a defense mechanism of some sort. He avoided the type of person who might take advantage of the fact that he was a producer who could make a girl's career."

"So, he found me interesting because I wasn't an actress?" Thea asked.

"He found you interesting because you are," Andrew corrected.

Thea smiled and felt herself snuggle even further against his chest. It was an amazingly comfortable position.

"Did he hurt you?" Andrew asked, sounding fearful of the answer.

"No," Thea shook her head, "I don't think that I ever liked him enough for that to have happened."

"But then why were you so insistent that he come on the boat ride today? Why did you try to convince me that you were in love with him yesterday?"

The hurt in Andrew's voice pained Thea. She wondered if she would ever be able to explain why she had done such a ridiculous thing. She had to try to make him understand, however. "Daphne told me that she thought Connor was really Mr. Elliot and I was determined not to be prejudiced by that," Thea began, "I was angry that she was reducing my life to a modern version of Persuasion and that I was expected to play along by falling helplessly into the arms of the modern Captain Wentworth."

Andrew shook his head, "Knowing you, I can see how her attitude must have been infuriating. You never did like to do what people told you to."

"Except my parents?" Thea recalled the fact that they had managed to persuade her from following him to Los Angeles. She twisted her head around so that she could see his face. His smile had twisted into a grimace as he recalled their conversation four years ago.

"Well, they were your parents," Andrew allowed, "And things might have turned out very differently if I had stayed around instead of instantly running away like some whipped puppy."

"Four years," Thea said sadly.

Andrew didn't say anything in response to that immediately. Instead his hand went up to her hair and he began stroking it again, gently moving to caress her cheek. Then, cupping her chin with the palm of his hand, he brought her face close to his own. Thea closed her eyes as his mouth claimed her own again. She responded timidly at first, but with a passion that strengthened and grew as the kiss deepened. Thea forgot to regret the last four years, all that mattered was that they were together again. She allowed herself to be cradled in his arms. Putting her own around his neck, she promised herself that she would never let him go again.

He broke away just long enough to whisper, "We'll just have to make up for lost time," in her ear. Thea smiled inwardly at the thought of all that might entail.

Eventually, they both noticed that the porch light of David and Diana's cottage had gone on and that they were no longer hidden in darkness. Thea turned towards the house and saw that Daphne, Diana, and David were all on the deck, looking at them curiously.

"We're being watched," Thea murmured to Andrew, shaking her head in dismay. Would they never be able to get rid of their relatives? It was a wonder that Daphne hadn't walked over to the other cottage and woken Helen and Frank Carroll up.

"Well, maybe we should give them something to celebrate," Andrew began.

"I'm sure that they already have the champagne chilling," Thea said dryly, not too upset by that thought. It was lovely to think that people cared so much about her happiness and wanted to share it with her.

"Then, let's give them something to toast," Andrew began again, trying to get Thea to listen carefully to him. "Will you marry me?"

Thea gasped, eyes widening. How was it that she hadn't imagined this happening so quickly?

"I don't want to ever be without you," Andrew pressed, "I don't even want to leave Nantucket before making you my wife."

In the bright glow of the porch light, Thea could see Andrew's face quite clearly and she realized that her hesitation was placing a measure of apprehension in Andrew's eyes. She didn't want that. She never wanted to see him be anything but happily confident of her love for him.

"Yes, I will," she whispered, watching for the change that she was sure this would make. She wasn't disappointed. In an instant, his eyes lit up with optimism.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Andrew smiled, motioning in the direction of the crowd on the deck.

"Let's tell them together."

Continued In Next Section