Hot winds of the Caribbean 2
Chapter 1
My eyes popped open and I jumped to sit on the bed. Again I've had the nightmare. I was having it every night. I lay in the dark and someone was holding my hand talking to me all the time. Then the speaker left and I stayed alone in the dark without any point to focus on.
I raised my legs over the edge of bed. I moved my hand before my mouth and rushed to a beautifully decorated bowl (in the mornings there was poured water with which I could wash my face). I vomited straight in it and felt disgusting nausea. When finally everything had come out, I pushed the bowl away and washed my mouth with water.
Finally I sat down back on bed and stared in front of me in a dim room. It had been nearly a month when I had seen last time Jack. I remembered lively his cold and hard look and I couldn't help feeling a sting in my heart. I missed him still and would have given anything to get him back.
I knew I had no other choice than to marry Phillip, but it felt so wrong. Phillip was a good man and cute as well, but I just didn't care about him. There was absolutely nothing in him which would have made me interested. However, he was able to offer me a home and a secure life, without him I probably would have to live alone. And that was no option at this time of world.
I twiddled the small emerald ring on my left ring finger. I had found it from the cave where Captain Hook's treasure had been hidden. Then Jack had said that the small rock on the ring was the same colour than my eyes were. Of course it wasn't true, but that little sentence somehow connected the ring to Jack and brought me at least a bit comfort.
Everyone thought Phillip had given it to me as a sign of an engagement. Only I and Phillip knew the truth, although he didn't know where I had got the ring really. He just smiled pleased, when people praised his taste on jewels. But to me the ring meant that I had promised my heart to a man, to whom it connected me, and it was Jack. Although I would marry Phillip, I always would be Jack's.
The knock on the door awoke me from my thoughts. I sighed deeply.
"Come in. I'm already awake", I said as calmly as possible, although I would have wanted to scream. The door was opened and in walked Mrs. Roach (who had been Annabelle Smith's nanny since her mother had passed away) and a young maid whose name I knew was Maria.
Mrs. Roach walked straight to the bowl intending to pour water in it and stayed to stare at it. Maria went to open the curtains of the room. A bright light flooded in and made me to squint my eyes. Apparently I had slept until noon.
"Dear, have you vomited again? It is already third time this week. Are you sure you are not ill?" Mrs. Roach asked.
"I'm sure", I snapped. And if I was ill, it didn't matter. If some disease killed me, I only would be pleased.
Mrs. Roach looked at me worriedly and rushed to take the bowl away. A minute later she came back and started to look a dress for me from a large wardrobe.
"All right, get up then, dear", she made a fuss and pulled a yellowish dress forward. When I saw its narrow waist I turned up my nose at it. This knew wearing a corset. "Today is an important day. Your father has arranged a small party for the honour of your wedding", she continued.
"What is the point of throwing a party when the wedding is already in few days", I snorted dulled, because I had known about the party already a week.
"Dear, the amnesia is still troubling you. Your father wants you to get to know all important people again", Mrs. Roach answered. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my back to Maria who wrapped a corset around me. I hadn't strength enough to resist anymore their supremacy of my dressing.
Tightening of the corset was completely pain as usual. I held on the bed's pole and tried to concentrate on my breathing. Finally Mrs. Roach tugged the dress on me, slipped the shoes on and sat me on the chair. She combed my long hair and made a pretty bun. Next she powdered my face and made up it a bit. I stared at myself on the mirror with empty eyes. I might have looked beautiful, if there weren't stuck a depressed look on my face.
"All right, dear, come downstairs. Phillip is waiting for you there and the party is starting soon", Mrs. Roach said and hauled me up from the chair. I sighed deeply and followed the woman downstairs. Maria stayed to clean up my room.
Phillip was indeed standing in the living room. When I stepped in, he stayed to stare at me for a moment. Then he rushed to me and grasped my hands.
"You really are beautiful today, Ann", he said. "But you look sad. Actually you look always like that. Don't you want to marry me after all?" Phillip's question surprised me completely. He was always too polite to ask direct questions. So why now?
"Phillip..." I didn't know what to say. "I... I have no options and you are a good man. I gladly will marry you." I was able to force a half-smile on my face.
For some reason Phillip was smiling back to me. He really made me wonder. I had shouted I loved another man in front of him and I carried a ring on my finger which reminded me of him. In spite of all that Phillip was friendly and loving towards me. The young man had to be really stupid and I couldn't understand what Annabelle Smith had seen in him.
At the same Mrs. Roach dashed into living room bringing something with her. She walked to me and held out white gloves.
"The guests are coming soon, dear. Perhaps you should wear these", she said.
"Why on earth?" I wondered.
"Those scars on your arm are very conspicuous. You don't want everyone to see them, do you?" she answered.
"As a matter of fact I do", I snapped feeling myself strong for a moment. "Moreover those scars are a memory from the past for me and reminder what I have lost. I will not cover them."
For the first time Mrs. Roach didn't argue with me. She just satisfied to look at me sadly. She left the room not saying a word and I turned to look at Phillip. He looked like he was about to say something, but didn't have enough time to open his mouth when Mr. Smith already stepped in. He also announced that the guests would come soon and suggested us to come to the hall with him. I knew at this point there was no use to protest, so I followed the men yielding.
We moved to a large hall. Soon there was a knock on the door and Mr. Smith's butler hurried to open it. First guests stepped in the house and came right away to greet us. Mr. Smith introduced every guest to me. I had an impression he had warned them beforehand about my so-called amnesia.
There were incomprehensible many guests. After a while I couldn't remember the half of the people's name. On the other hand I didn't care even to learn them. I stared with empty eyes in front of me, when suddenly Mr. Smith touched lightly my hand. I came back down to earth.
"Annabelle, this is governor Swann and his daughter Elizabeth Turner with her husband", he said. I raised my eyes at the trio which had arrived. What the hell? Will? I tried to keep a straight face, when Will grasped my hand and kissed it lightly. I saw from his eyes he was as puzzled as I was. However, there was no time for questions now. Next guest was already waiting on a line.
"May I introduce commodore Norrington, my daughter Annabelle", Mr. Smith said.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Smith", a stylish gentleman said.
The joy is not mutual, I thought. I remembered very well Jack had mentioned commodore Norrington, when we had been in Port Royal. "It's nice to meet you as well, commodore", I said aloud and smiled sugary. In fact I would have wanted to attack the man.
After commodore arrived still few guests. I was already frustrated to shake all this people's hands, when Phillip finally led me to the garden of the house. It was incredibly beautiful place. I had never been there during the time I had spent in Smiths' house, because mainly I had entrenched myself in my room.
Party was completely boring. I had conversations with unknown people about other unknown people and also listened their stupid compliments about my dress. Furthermore many of them congratulated me and Phillip on our wedding. I felt like strangling everyone who even mentioned the wedding.
"Excuse me, may I borrow Miss Smith for a moment?" suddenly I heard a familiar voice asking Phillip. I turned around and saw Will standing next to him.
"Of course", Phillip said a bit uneasy. Apparently Will's behaviour wasn't quite conforming to etiquette, but I didn't care at all. I really wanted to talk with this man.
Will offered me his hand and I grasped it a bit unsure. All these snobbish habits were quite strange for me. He led me to aside from other people and then stopped.
"Miss Smith, what are you doing here? I thought you belonged to Jack's crew", he finally cried out almost silently.
"Yes, I did belong... And don't call me Miss Smith..." I muttered. "This is a too long story to explain now. You have to help me!" I grasped desperately Will's wrist and looked straight in his eyes.
"What can I do... er, Ann?" Will asked worried.
"I need to speak with Jack! He must be found before the wedding!" I answered anxiously.
"But that is impossibility! He could be anywhere with his Pearl, I cannot reach him in two days", Will snorted.
"He is not necessarily on Pearl", I pointed out immediately. How would I know, if he had caught up his ship already or not.
"Then it might be even more difficult to find him", Will said.
"You must! I absolutely want to speak with him before I marry Phillip!" I kept begging.
"Why are you getting married with him in the first place?" Will wondered. "I understood you had promised yourself to Jack."
What the hell? Where Will had an idea like that? When we had been in Port Royal with Jack, there had been nothing really going on between us. I did not understand how Will... Jack! Of course! If I had not missed the man this much, I probably would have got angry because of his lies. Although they were lies no more. My heart belonged to Jack forever.
"I promised to marry Phillip so that Mr. Smith would spare Jack's life", I answered. "But it really is a very long story and I can't tell it right now."
"Will?" I heard a woman's voice asking and I saw Elizabeth Turner coming to us. "Is something wrong?"
I expected Will to deny, but instead he told everything to his wife. Elizabeth looked at me oddly for a moment.
"Phillip Spear is a fine man, which every woman should dream of. You are doing wisely, when you are getting married with him", she said calmly.
I stared at her shocked. She was a woman and didn't understand the whole point of the matter at all. What a moron! I turned my look from Elizabeth to Will.
"You must even to try reaching Jack, please." When Will nodded to me, I turned my back on both of them. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go back to my fiancée", I stressed the last two words on a cross tone. Elizabeth's comment had made me angry.
Rest of the party I was like on fire. I changed only few words with people and then concentrated to eat grapes. I noticed I fancied them a lot. I could have eaten a whole bowl of them all by myself. It was strange, because it wasn't my habit to eat ravenously anything ever.
Finally the guests were leaving and the stupid party was almost over. I didn't see the Turners anymore, but instead I run into commodore. First he talked with me just normal things, but looked at me curiously then.
"I heard you were kidnap by a pirate, Miss Smith. And not just any pirate but Jack Sparrow", he said.
"Captain Jack Sparrow", I corrected him automatically, "and he didn't kidnap me. I left with-"
"Annabelle, darling. Maybe it would be better for you to go to rest already, you look tired", Mr. Smith appeared there from somewhere and interrupted me. I gave him an angry look and headed to staircase. I would have wanted to say to commodore frankly like the things were, but on the other hand, what use it would have been. I went to my room and banged the door shut.
