Antonio avoided them during the rest of their journey to the Island of Monte Cristo. From how she caught her Giacomo watching him gloomily on several occasions, Annie knew that he suspected the quartermaster of secretly plotting against them, but he never shared his worries with her.

On reaching the small island, Restless Soul, being too large and heavy for the treacherous shallows surrounding it, dropped the anchor a fair distance off its rocky shore, and Annie and Giacomo reached the isle on a boat.

Giacomo wasn't the one who accompanied Annie only because he refused to let her go alone, or in company of anyone else, but because he, having been born on the nearby Island of Elba, was the only member of the galleon's crew who had ever set foot on Monte Cristo before.

Annie did not complain; she would never have chosen anyone else to come with her. In the three weeks since they met, she and Giacomo had become inseparable.

When Annie showed Giacomo her map, he immediately pointed out to her the one island's cave he knew about, the one used by the smugglers. He had no notion of the other two, but he was sure that during the whole day and night promised to them by the captain, they would find Annie's hidden treasure.

"This is the first time we are completely alone together," Giacomo smiled at her the moment he pulled the small boat on the beach of a small cove, its rocky promontory hiding them perfectly from view of those left on the galleon.

He drew her into him, kissing her deeply as he removed her turquoise kerchief and ran his fingers through her hair, letting it fall loose to her waist.

"We won't get far if you won't stop this," she sighed, leaning into him, wishing she could surrender to his touch and forget everything else.

"You're right. Let's go then," he agreed reluctantly, grabbing their bag containing Annie's map, some food, and a few other things they would need during their stay on Monte Cristo. Then, hand in hand, they left the beach and started to climb the rocky hill taking up the majority of the island.

Deciding to leave the cave Giacomo knew about as the last place to explore, they started with the one shown to Annie by the captain, situated near the very top of the hill.

It was small and well-lit thanks to the numerous holes and cracks in its walls and ceiling. It didn't look like the safest place to hide anything, and after they searched it thoroughly, they decided to move on.

The descent took them a long time as they tried to circle around the hill as well as they could at the same time, trying not to leave any spot unsearched. It was getting dark when they found the second cave situated not too high above sea level, its entrance overgrown by vegetation, well hidden from view.

"I think we should spend the night here, whether we find something or not," Giacomo suggested, his eyes strolling to the far horizon where the sun had just disappeared into the heaving waves, while his nimble fingers produced a small fire to light a couple of candles.

Luckily, it wasn't completely dark inside the cave yet; the faint, moving light produced by the candles would not help them much in the vast, beautiful space they suddenly found themselves in.

There was a large crystal clear pool in the middle, a sound of running water attracting their eyes to a small cascade on the other end of the cave.

"Fresh water..." Annie whispered, shedding her clothes swiftly. She had been dreaming about bathing in fresh water since she had set foot on the galleon.

Laughing at her impatience, Giacomo followed her example.

The water was so cold that it took their breaths away momentarily. Annie's body erupted in goose flesh, and she giggled at the pleasant sensation, heightened by the skilled, teasing touch of Giacomo's hands as he drew her close...

"Annie, promise me you'll be mine," he said later as they lay side by side on the bank.

The moss-covered strip of land encompassing the pool felt like the softest velvet to Annie's skin, by now accustomed to sleeping on rough sails and rigging.

"But I am yours," she said, trying to see his eyes through the now near complete darkness filling the cavern.

"Will you marry me? I'm sure that if we speak to the captain, he will take us to Elba and there I'll find someone to marry us, or Captain Francis can do it if you prefer..." He paused a while, letting his words sink in, then continued, "I know we have only met a few weeks ago, but I love you, Annie, and..."

She pressed her finger to his lips, interrupting him, thankful for the darkness through which he could not see the tears pooling in her eyes.

"I will marry you, Giacomo. I love you too."

Annie woke up before Giacomo in the morning, the moment when the first ray of sunshine found its way inside the cave. Leaving Giacomo to sleep a little longer, she slipped inside the pool again silently, and this time swam towards the cascade.

Behind it, suddenly illuminated by another sunbeam, she noticed several steps carved into the rock wall. She walked up curiously, finding that they led to a small niche with a little hole in one of its walls, offering a perfect view of the sea and Restless Soul waiting for them.

Tentatively, guided by an instinct she did not understand but could not ignore, Annie pressed the palms of her hands against the cool rocks of the cave, and soon enough, one gave way.

When Giacomo woke up some time later, he found Annie sitting at his side, looking inside a small wooden chest.

"So you found your treasure, pirate," he teased, kissing her.

There were many precious gems, some gold, a couple of letters, and a map inside the box.

"Those are enough to buy you a new ship or a small castle." Giacomo grinned at her.

But Annie was so absorbed in reading the old letters, nearly illegible because of their age and the humidity of the cave, that she paid no mind to his words.

"They are from my father, Giacomo. He says that this map will take me home..." she said, looking up at him through tears-filled eyes.

After one glance at the hand-drawn map, he nodded. "It's Cornwall, in England. I'll take you there if you let me."