The next morning, Elizabeth woke up before Micah, her head on his chest. She stretched her body a bit before looking at Micah with a tender smile as she brushed her hand on his cheek. She still could not believe what happened yesterday, that he shared her feelings. She stood on her elbows and planted a delicate kiss on Micah's lips, which caused him to slowly wake up.
"Mmh, you're still here?" he said with a sleepy voice.
Elizabeth blinked a few time at the man before starting to stand up.
"Kidding! I'm messing with you! Stay here" he laughed as he grabbed her by the waist and lay her under him.
Elizabeth was pouting hard as she looked at him. Micah only looked at her with a gentle, yet playful smile as he pushed one of her cheeks with his index, making her laugh.
"There. I prefer the smile" he said as he leaned down to kiss her.
Elizabeth smiled as she kissed him back. They fooled around for a bit before they heard activity in the camp.
"We should get out of bed" Elizabeth said, not motivated one bit.
"Sure we should" Micah answered as he ran his hand from her waist to her thigh and planted lingering kisses in her neck.
Elizabeth hummed in contentment as she closed her eyes and played with Micah's hair, a smile on her face. What a good way to spend a morning.
"Micah! You're awake?" Dutch suddenly called out, approaching the tent.
"What is it?" Micah asked, rolling his eyes.
"Have you seen Miss Forcier? I can't find her" Dutch asked.
"... no. What do you want from her" he answered hesitantly, looking at Elizabeth under him, who was trying not to laugh.
"Her lead about the riverboat. It's for tonight. If you see her, can you tell her to meet Josiah at the tailor in town to pick a dress in the afternoon?" Dutch said.
"Sure, I'll tell her" Micah answered as he looked at Elizabeth, still giggling.
"Thanks. I'll see you later" Dutch said before leaving.
"Well, you heard him" Micah said as he sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with his hand.
"Yes, and I have an idea" Elizabeth started "You remember what you promise me the other day?" she asked with a mischievous smile.
Micah looked at Elizabeth above his shoulder, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"That you'll take me to town?" she explained.
"Oh, that. Yeah" Micah remembered his discussion with her.
"Well, that could be the opportunity. We go on a stroll into town, and when the time comes, you can show me where the tailor is" she explained her idea as she got out of bed and put on the dress from yesterday.
"You never give up huh?" Micah chuckled, getting dressed as well.
"Never, remember? I'll see you later then" she simply said, with a wink, as she left the tent.
Micah put his hat on his head and went to see Dutch.
Elizabeth quickly went to her tent to change her dress and joined Mary-Beth, who was cleaning some clothes near the river. She sat next to her and helped her.
"Dutch was looking for you this morning" Mary-Beth said, looking at her work.
"Yeah, I heard" Elizabeth said as she looked awkwardly at her friend.
"And where were you? I, also, was looking for you this morning" Mary-Beth asked, a small smile appearing on her lips as she kept her gaze on the shirt she was cleaning.
"... with Micah" Elizabeth whispered, her face bright red.
"I knew it!!" Mary-Beth finally looked up at her friend, a huge smile on her lips. "And I'm guessing after seeing you rushing to your tent this morning, still wearing the dress from last night, that things got interesting" she said with a knowing look.
"Stop it!" Elizabeth hided her face in hers hands as she laughed.
"But more seriously, did something happened?" Mary-Beth asked as she started to clean another cloth.
"You could say that" Elizabeth said shyly. She was not used to talk about those things.
"Mmh" Mary-Beth simply hummed, leaving to Elizabeth the freedom to say more if she wanted to.
"I also... told him that I love him" Elizabeth added quietly, playing with the piece of cloth in her hand.
"And?" Mary-Beth's head perked up, very interested.
"He said he loves me too" Elizabeth answered, a huge smile appearing on her face, pink again.
"Seriously?!" Mary-Beth almost shouted her eyes wide opened.
"Yes. I was surprised too. I mean, I knew he cared at least a bit for me. But I never would have expected that" Elizabeth said as she started to do some cleaning.
"Well, it's not like Micah to express his feeling, but at the same time, he has changed quite a bit since you joined us. A lot of people noticed he acted less like a jerk lately" Mary-Beth said pensively. "So, what now? You're like, a thing?" Mary-Beth asked carefully.
"I'm not sure, but I guess. We're going to town together later" Elizabeth explained as she washed more clothes.
"It's a date then!" Mary-Beth said, still very excited.
"Is it?" Elizabeth asked as she looked at her friend.
"It is!" Mary-Beth answered with a confident expression.
"Alright, alright" Elizabeth laughed as they finished their washing.
"Go to your prince, I'll deal with those" Mary-Beth said as she took the clean clothes from Elizabeth's hands.
"Thanks, see you" Elizabeth said before leaving toward the hitching post cheerfully.
She waited a bit, petting and giving food to Baylock.
"Ready to be disappointed?" Micah joined her.
"Come on, it can't be that bad" Elizabeth chuckled.
They both mounted Baylock and headed toward Saint-Denis. Elizabeth felt very excited, not only because of the town, but because she'll be able to spend some time with Micah, far from the camp.
They left Baylock at a hitching post near the train station and went on by feet. They went through a lot of little alleys and ended up on one of the main paved avenue. They walked and talked together. Micah tried to look annoyed and unimpressed by the city, but Elizabeth's fascination made him melt. He thought she was really cute, acting like a child discovering a new place. When the time came, Micah guided her towards the tailor to meet with Trelawny.
"Ah Miss Forcier, just in time. Mister Bell" Josiah greeted them.
"I'll see you tonight" Micah told Elizabeth after nodding at Josiah and walking away.
"Shall we?" Josiah then said, showing Elizabeth the tailor's shop. She smiled at him and entered the shop.
At first, Elizabeth was a bit overwhelmed by the number of dresses, colors and materials. But with Josiahs' helped, she soon enjoyed herself. She picked an elegant backless dress, green and made of silk. It has thin straps and no sleeves, which was not common. But she thought that it would be good to draw attention to her, it would give more freedom to the boys on the riverboat. She put it on and showed to result to Josiah.
"My, my, my, Miss. You are simply exquisite" Josiah said as he took her hand and made her spin.
"I really like it. But isn't it a bit too much?" Elizabeth asked, unsure.
Josiah took both of her hands and looked at her in the eyes.
"If you like it and you want it, then it's never too much. We'll take this one" Josiah said as he left Elizabeth get changed and went to pay for the dress.
When Elizabeth got out of the dressing room, her dress in her hand, her eyes got caught by something. She touched it from her fingertips as a smile appeared on her lips.
"Can you add this to the bill please" she quickly said as she rushed towards Josiah and the seller. Josiah looked at what she had in hand and only smiled, not saying a word.
They then met with Arthur and went to the barber, where Elizabeth and Arthur changed their clothes and got their hair done, and joined Javier and Strauss in front of the boat. When he saw her, Javier stayed speechless for a moment, until Josiah led them to get on board.
"You look wonderful in this, Hermosa" Javier whispered in Elizabeth's ear.
"Thanks Javier. You pretty handsome too in costume" Elizabeth blushed slightly. Her dress was showing a lot of skin and she was not used to have men looking at her like this. It got worse when they entered the main room in the boat. Josiah, who stayed with her, felt her getting tensed and trying to hide behind him.
"You are truly marvelous tonight. Don't let those pigs make you uncomfortable. You love the dress, enjoy it. Wear it proudly" Josiah said discreetly to her ear as he put his hand on the small of her back, very chastely, and guided her to the bar.
"Thanks Josiah" she said quietly before taking a deep breath and straitening up, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"Much better" he winked at her as he gave her a glass of champagne.
They talked for a bit, drinking and observing the people in the room. Elizabeth enjoyed Josiah's company. He has a way with words, which made him someone very entertaining. Suddenly, Elizabeth recognized a familiar face.
"There, the mayor's nephew" she subtly nodded in the direction of Louis, the man she met at the major's party.
"Time to work" Josiah laughed as Elizabeth finished her glass and left toward the man.
Louis Martin was leaning against one of the pillar, looking with a bored expression a game of poker.
"Enjoying your evening?" Elizabeth asked as she stood next to the man.
"Oh! It's you!" Louis said, surprised.
"It is. Seems like we meet again" Elizabeth said with a charming smile.
"It seems" Louis answered, a bit distracted by Elizabeth's dress.
"I suppose your father is currently playing?" she asked, looking around the room.
"He is indeed, has been the whole time actually. I don't know what to do anymore to pass time" Louis sighted.
"I was going to take a stroll on the deck. Would you perhaps accompany me?" she asked sweetly, with a small smile.
"Avec plaisir" the man said with enthusiast. She took his arm and they walked out of the room.
Javier watched them disappear behind the door. He had changed his clothes and was now playing the guard. He could not help but feel a bit jealous. He also would have loved to spend some time with her tonight. He also was a bit worried at first to see her leave with a man, but quickly concluded that the man was not a menace.
Elizabeth and Louis were walking on the deck, enjoying the fresh evening air.
"Is it alright for you to walk with me? Didn't you mention your father wanting you to guard his cabin?" Elizabeth asked innocently.
"Oh right... Do you mind if we quickly go check it?" Louis asked awkwardly.
"Not at all. Allons-y!" Elizabeth answered.
They were heading towards the stairs when Elizabeth noticed Javier coming outside. She quickly motioned for him to follow them. When they arrived in front of the cabin, Louis quickly opened it to check inside before closing the door and putting the key in his inner vest pocket.
Elizabeth leaned against the fence and looked at the sky.
"The stars are so pretty tonight" she said dreamily as Louis came beside her "Don't you think there is something romantic about a black sky full a shiny stars?" Elizabeth asked as she turned her body to look at the man, getting closer.
"I get the feeling you are a romantic person" she added as she brushed her hand against his, and slowly moved it up his arm and shoulder, to end up on the lapel of his vest.
"I might be, yes" Louis stuttered, hypnotized by Elizabeth's lips. He leaned towards her, but got interrupted by someone cleaning his throat.
"Miss, Mister, I advise you to be careful, the river can be agitated at night. We don't want to lose any passengers tonight" Javier, still disguised as a guard, advised them.
"Erm, sure Mister, thank you" Louis answered quickly, embarrassed about the situation as Javier went on his way.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth had the time to give the key she collected to Javier, without Louis noticing.
"We should probably head back inside, it's getting colder out here" Elizabeth proposed.
"Sure things" Louis answered.
When they entered the room, Elizabeth noticed Josiah and Arthur at the bar, arguing with another man.
"There's plenty I don't like about you, but I have the good manners to keep my mouth shut" Josiah said to the man as he stood up.
"There he is, shoot that man" a man in his underwear shouted as he indicated Javier.
After that, everything went rogue. Bullets came flying from everywhere as Elizabeth and the others were trying to make their way to the deck. They all jumped in the cold water and swam towards the harbor. Elizabeth struggled a bit with her long dress but managed to keep up.
"Well, never a dull moment..." Josiah said as they caught their breath.
"You're alright?" Javier asked Elizabeth while the others were counting the money.
"Yeah, just cold, thanks" Elizabeth shrugged. She felt a bit sorry for her dress, but at least they all made it to the shore.
In the stagecoach, Javier showed Elizabeth what he found in the Martin's cabin.
"One thousand dollars, some jewelry and diamonds, and an engraved hunting knife. Not bad at all" Javier said happily as he gave everything to Elizabeth.
"What about you?" she said, a bit confused.
"You're the one who got the key" he simply said with a wink.
"And you're the one who actually stole all that. You should take half of it" Elizabeth insisted.
"Then, half the money, keep the rest. You deserve it, you did well on this job" Javier told her as he accepted the money she gave him.
"... alright" Elizabeth gave up with a smile.
When they arrived at camp, they all decided to celebrate their success with a beer around the scout fire. Only Strauss excused himself and retreated to his bedroll. Elizabeth saw Micah, who was sitting at the main fire.
"Hey, you're still up?" Elizabeth asked, not expecting to see Micah, but not disappointed one bit.
"Yeah, didn't feel like sleeping" Micah shrugged as he took in Elizabeth's appearance "That's a mighty fine dress you got yourself" he added with a smirk, looking at her from head to toes with no shame.
"And you haven't seen it dry" Elizabeth laughed.
At the same moment, Javier put his arm around her shoulder.
"Let's celebrate our best con woman!" he chirped, already a bit tipsy.
"Come with us" she tried to tell Micah. But he only scoffed and headed toward his tent.
"What's between you and him anyway?" Javier asked as they sat down, the other to busy talking and drinking to pay attention.
"What do you mean" Elizabeth said, feeling her face heating up.
"Come on, it's all pretty obvious you two spend a lot of time together. It's just... I care about you Elizabeth" Javier said as he took one of her hand, suddenly serious. "And I don't want you to end up sad because of Micah. He's not known to be faithful" he added quietly.
Elizabeth was a bit speechless for a moment before a small smile appeared to her face.
"Thanks Javier, I really appreciate it. But you really don't need to worry about me. Everything's fine" she said as she put her second hand on top of his.
"You love him?" Javier simply asked, still looking at her straight in the eyes.
"Yes" Elizabeth whispered, lowering her head to hide her blush.
"Alright, if you're happy, then that's all that matters to me" Javier answered as he gave Elizabeth her beer and then took his. "To happiness" he said more cheerfully as he raised his bottle.
"To happiness" Elizabeth repeated with a smile.
Arthur and Josiah joined them and they drank a bit more together. Elizabeth finished her beer and said good night to the three men. She quickly and discreetly headed towards Micah's tent, hoping he was not sleeping yet. She passed her head thought the canvas, and indeed, Micah was awake, sitting on his bed, sharpening his knife.
"'Found myself a pretty one on the boat earlier. All engraved" she said quietly as she put down the bag Javier gave her before.
Micah did not react at all, his gaze still on his knife.
"Right..." Elizabeth whispered to herself. She came to understand that Micah could be quite the jealous type, even if he would never admit it.
"Micah, do you think you can help me with my dress?" she started, trying to dry her hair with a rag she found. The humidity was not helping.
No answer.
"Micah, please. I'm all wet, it's difficult for me to remove it" she added with a flirty tone.
Micah looked up at her with an annoyed expression.
"Fine" he mumbled as he stood up he got closer. He undid some of the lace from her dress, trying not to stare too much at her naked back, before quickly turning back and starting to sharpen his knife again.
Elizabeth sighted, loudly, before turning her back to him and removing her dress.
"That was a pretty dress, don't you think?" she asked, looking at him above her shoulder.
"Don't know, don't care" Micah grumbled, not looking up.
"I really liked it. And this too. I bought it earlier with the dress, though it's a shame it got wet. You like it?" she asked quietly.
Micah, a bit confused about was she was talking about, looked up and froze. She was wearing a beautiful lingerie set, dark green like her dress. He was devouring her body with his gaze, still speechless.
"Well, I guess if you don't like it, I'm just gonna leave you to your dear knife" she said with a small sight, quickly grabbing her dress and turning towards the exit.
"Wait!" Micah stood up faster than ever, grabbing her arm.
She turned around to look at him as she let the dress fall back on the floor. Micah's hold on her arm became looser and both his hands ended up on Elizabeth's waist, gently touching the soft material.
"You like it?" she whispered as she put her arm around his neck, looking at his face with adoration.
Micah simply nodded, a smirk starting to appear on his face as his hands became more pressing.
"Love it" he said as he buried his face in her neck to plant lingering kiss, still enjoying the feeling of the soft material under his rough hands.
Elizabeth was proud of her surprise. It was definitely a success.