Chapter 1
"I can scarcely believe how long it has been since we last saw them! The time has just flown by, hasn't it?" Governor Weatherby Swann stepped from the carriage, shading his eyes from the brilliant sunlight glinting off of the water of the bay while his daughter followed suit. "I trust you remember the Hewletts, Elizabeth? Granted, you may not have crossed paths with them very often, especially after we made our respective journeys to the Caribbean, but their friendship with our family is an enduring one." Elizabeth nodded and murmured a noncommittal answer and fell into step beside him, the attendants that had come with them a couple of respectful paces behind. Weatherby glanced at her as she looked around the bustling harbor, trying to suppress a sigh. He waited an instant and then remarked quietly, "Perhaps I was mistaken in thinking that you might welcome this as a diversion from certain unpleasantries." Elizabeth started and glanced at her father guiltily, hastily shaking off her distraction.
"Oh, it isn't that I don't, Father. My thoughts were simply elsewhere for the moment."
"I see," he replied, his voice sounding too knowing to her ears. Sharp defensiveness flared within her, followed by acute resentment. Those were only two of the emotions that had become all too familiar since she'd chosen between her suitors atop the battlements of Fort Charles, stepped from one man's side to the other in front of the entire township—much of which had then proceeded to talk endlessly. As though I need to hear vastly inadequate descriptions for my troubles, or to be reminded of them! She drew breath to frame a rejoinder, but his pleased comment forestalled her.
"And there is the Commodore, here already." She pulled her attention away from him and looked ahead to see the Commodore and his two right hand lieutentants waiting on the pier with a small company of marines. As they approached, the three officers came to meet them while the marines who had accompanied them kept to their places.
"Good day, Commodore Norrington!" Weatherby greeted warmly.
"Good day, Governor," James returned, his small, characteristically formal smile, the one he reserved for both official and social functions curving his lips, a glimpse of genuine warmth flickering through it as he spoke.
"I hope I did not prolong your wait overmuch," the older man continued.
"Of course not, sir. You've arrived right on time." He indicated the two grand vessels in the bay drawing closer to the loud announcement of arrival. Giving them a brief look, Elizabeth eyed James carefully from her place beside the Governor while the lieutenants offered their greetings, considering how best to proceed with him. Though the degree to which James had withdrawn from her life since the end of their short engagement bothered her more than she cared to admit—was in fact beginning to truly rankle—she missed his presence, missed having him as the ever available constant she'd long known. Deciding that a gracious approach would be best, she stepped forward with a small smile of her own as the men glanced in her direction.
"Good day, James," she said, unable to help the prompting, somewhat hopeful note that crept into her tone. He turned to her, a trace of emotion briefly flickering in his eyes. Her anticipation heightened, then collapsed into keen disappointment as his countenance shifted into the polite, yet unmistakably detached expression that he always showed her of late.
"Good day, Miss Swann," he answered, and the deliberate indifference in his voice stung her. She had no chance to try to draw him out, for the lieutenants' clipped acknowledgement of her—intentionally timed, she suspected, particularly on the part of Andrew Gillette—prevented her from speaking further. Drawing herself up and turning aside so that she'd not have to see James's dispassion, Theodore Groves's cool regard or the glint of undisguised scorn in Gillette's sharp gaze, she stared straight ahead. At that moment the ships were efficiently guided into the harbor, their smooth entry and docking amid the other vessels a clear indication of the expert hands aboard each. Authoritative orders to drop anchor triggered energetic activity on the decks that could be seen even from where they stood, and in what seemed no time at all, the gangplanks lowered to the surface of the pier. Weatherby and James trained steady gazes on the gate of the railing as it swung open, the gathered assembly following suit. Two attendants descended to flank the gangplank's lowest step, heralding the approach of a tall, dignified older gentleman whose posture was erect and his gait steady, despite the evidence of years marked by his queued salt-and-pepper hair and the lines etching his still-handsome features. Weatherby moved forward, a friendly smile spreading across his face and his hands extended in welcome.
"Lord Evan Hewlett," he declared, "It's been too long!"
"It certainly has," Evan agreed, exchanging firm clasps of hands and shoulders with Weatherby. "I see that the Governorship of Port Royal continues to agree with you."
"I manage it well enough, I am pleased to say, as I in turn expect that the management of your shipping business and your fleet still agrees with you."
"It does, with my son as well as myself. His accomplishments in such areas have been nothing short of commendable." Weatherby smiled and turned aside to gesture to Elizabeth, motioning her forward.
"That is most excellent. Allow me to reintroduce my daughter, whom I am certain you recall." Evan inclined his head in response to her curtsy, one corner of his mouth quirking up.
"I do indeed recall her. It is a pleasure to meet you once more, Miss Swann." She had barely uttered a proper response of her own before he turned to James, who had come forward to meet him, and gave a firm, affectionate clap to his shoulders. "And here is James Norrington—rather, Commodore Norrington now! That report in particular certainly made its way to us on Barbados, among other stories of success. I am most delighted to extend my congratulations to you, young man."
"Thank you, sir," James answered, the faint tinge of pink settling upon his cheeks at odds with his deferential, yet confident tone. "On behalf of His Majesty's Royal Navy, it is an honor to welcome you and your family to Port Royal."
"It is our honor to be presented with such an impeccable greeting from the military." As a young lady in clad in a lavender dress made her way off the nearest ship, he added, "And here is my daughter now." At the sound of the name, James shifted his gaze from Evan to watch her draw near, numerous memories from England surfacing alongside fewer, but no less fond recollections from past visits to Barbados, when time had too infrequently allowed. Images of a tiny, dark haired child coalesced before his mind's eye, shifting into those of a coltish young girl, spirited and endearing for all of her awkwardness. She came to stand before him, tilted her head to look up at him and all remembrance of the girl he'd known as a child and then as an adolescent was swept away by the presence of the young woman before him. Grey-violet eyes, the same shade as her father's, sparkled with vitality above an elegantly sloping nose and full lips which curved in a warm smile. Unexpectedly, he caught himself letting his gaze drift from her beautiful features to her golden skin, to the neatly arranged ebony hair that the tilt of her hat partially exposed. Firmly pulling his eyes back to hers, he inclined his head to her.
"Natalie," he murmured, "I'm most glad to meet you once more." He caught himself, began again. "That is to say, Miss Hewlett, I am honored to welcome you to Port Royal. I hope your journey was a safe one."
"Indeed it was," she replied, humor sparking in her gaze as she steadily returned his look. "I congratulate you on your promotion, and I am quite happy to see you again as well." His own lips tugged upward in response, the moment of interest began to lengthen and then Evan pointedly cleared his throat. They broke eye contact at that, James coughing lightly and stepping back while Natalie took a step away herself. Theodore, noticing his friend and commander's reaction to her, smirked and discreetly nudged Andrew's heel with his toe, causing the other man to purse his lips and slant his fellow officer a quick, chiding look.
For her part, Elizabeth ignored them and instead eyed James and Natalie, just as aware of what had passed between them as the others. Displeasure pricked her and she furrowed her brow, wondering how James could react to this girl in such a fashion within only moments of meeting her again, no matter that they had known each other before. Suddenly, she found herself wishing that Natalie Hewlett had grown into the plain, unimpressive gawk that Elizabeth had assumed she'd become, not caring how uncharitable the thought was. She carefully schooled her features so that no hint of her feelings would show, just as Natalie turned to address her.
"And I am pleased to meet you once more, Miss Swann." With some effort, Elizabeth forced her lips into a small, tight smile when they wanted to compress into a thin line instead.
"Likewise, Miss Hewlett," she brought out shortly. Natalie blinked at the abruptness of Elizabeth's reply and then her eyes sharpened. Just as the first stirrings of tension formed, diversion came in the form of two more newcomers, a tall, muscular, dark-haired man and a willowy young woman disembarking from the second ship a short distance away. James stepped forward to meet them alongside Weatherby and Evan as they advanced down the walkway. "Captain Sir Nicholas Hewlett," he addressed the first of the two, "On behalf of His Majesty's Royal Navy, I officially welcome you to Port Royal." Nicholas's full lips quirked upward in a jaunty smile that matched the vibrant spark in his coffee-brown eyes.
"You do us a great honor with your welcome, my friend. Allow me to offer my congratulations as well. And I'm sure you remember my lady wife, Cordelia?" The woman at Nicholas's side stepped forward and smiled, her azure gaze warm and courteous as she turned her attention to James.
"I certainly do. Welcome, Lady Hewlett," he intoned, chastely raising her hand to his lips.
"Well met once more, Commodore Norrington," Cordelia replied as Nicholas looked on, "I trust that what I've heard of your accomplishments since we last saw you is true."
"If I may say so," he answered modestly. "But some of it is a bit exaggerated." He looked over as Nicholas went to present his greetings to Andrew and Theodore. The arm clasps and brief, fraternal embraces were well within the boundaries of correctness, but when Nicholas and Theodore briefly leaned in to each other, he could hear, spoken low and discreetly,
"Teddy-Cat." The little grin Theodore let show matched Nicholas's.
"Nicky-Pet." Andrew swallowed a groan while Evan sighed, stating,
"Naturally, my son's excess of personality remains well intact."
"Much like our Lieutenant Groves, here," James said dryly, shooting a warning look at Theodore and then glancing around at the small crowd while he strove to conceal his embarrassment. "Honestly, I thought you'd abandoned those nicknames when we left midshipman status behind."
"Of course not," Andrew grumbled, equally as aware of the eyes on them as James, "They, unfortunately, are here to stay along with other quirks." Cordelia sighed as well, a long-suffering yet affectionate exhalation, looking from her husband to the officers.
"I take it, then, that certain stories of times past, including the origins of those rather unusual sobriquets are also true?"
"Regrettably so," Andrew told her, glaring at Theodore, who returned his look impenitently.
"And speaking of times past," Nicholas chimed in, the hint of mischief clear even in his unobtrusively pitched tone, "One can't help but notice how gamely you exchanged greetings with our Natty-Bug." James compressed his lips, while Natalie's mouth came open in indignation. She suppressed the instinctive urge to glance around for reassurance that no one else had heard, though her brother had kept his voice down.
"Why, I—how many times must I ask you not to call me that?" she wanted to know, annoyance making her voice's nasal undertone perceptible. Before Nicholas could reply, Evan broke in, sending his son a brief, admonishing glare.
"Rather than permit this occasion to become any more interesting than it already has, I suggest that we proceed to our new place of residence."
"Certainly, sir," James agreed. "My officers and I shall escort you and your family to your new home in formation." He turned to make for his horse, not advancing more than a few steps when Theodore cleared his throat to gain his attention.
"Actually, Commodore, if it is not too bold, I should like to suggest that you accompany Lord Hewlett and Miss Hewlett in their carriage. As part of official procedure, of course." James slowly turned his head to stare at Theodore, who pretended not to see his glower.
"You are no more bold than usual, Lieutenant Groves, inadvisable though such may be. I can see no reason not to follow your suggestion. This time."
"That is indeed a splendid idea," Weatherby concurred, hiding his amusement at the exchange. "And of course I shall be happy to offer the use of my own conveyance."
"Our thanks, Governor Swann," Nicholas replied with a smile. "You are most kind." Introductions to the rest of the assembly followed, and then the party of arrivals continued on their way. While the officers brought their mounts around and coachmen opened carriage doors, Elizabeth slowed her pace to observe James out of the corner of her eye. He'd not glanced in her direction once since his stilted, cursory greeting to her, and once he'd set eyes on Natalie Hewlett, it seemed that he'd forgotten her presence altogether. Oblivious to her, he extended his hand to see the girl into her carriage, another minute smile on his handsome features. The expression, though reserved enough to remain within the bounds of the propriety this occasion required, held unmistakable warmth and displeasure started to needle Elizabeth once again. She could think of no legitimate excuse to divert his attention, none that would not create awkwardness for her at the very least, so she had to stifle the sudden impulse to step forward and distract him. A limited degree of petty satisfaction arose when the hem of Natalie's dress caught on the corner of the high step and caused her to falter, only to be banished by the concern the trivial mishap drew from him.
"Here; allow me to assist you." She could hear James's soft, solicitous words, see the smile that that girl returned to him and her mouth tightened, even as Weatherby pointedly asked,
"Elizabeth, is something wrong?" She twitched and turned around to see her father watching her inquiringly. Hastily, she shook her head, trying to feign a nonchalance she didn't feel.
"What— no. It's nothing."
"Then do come along. We must be on our way." Elizabeth wordlessly nodded, allowing Weatherby to usher her into the carriage after the young Captain and his wife and settling herself onto the seat across from them. As it rolled into motion, she fussed with her skirts in an effort to put off the inevitable small talk and sent a quick look out of the window, only catching sight of a sliver of the conveyance behind them and the dispersing crowd at the pier. Several at the edge of the throng had turned to watch the procession depart and even over the increasing distance, she could see their mouths shaping their words and their expressions. Certain that some of those gazes were seeking her out, she drew away from the window, sat stiffly and tried not to look at anything in particular. Having to endure the veiled looks and unimpeded whispers in town was galling enough, but it appeared that some of the chatter was finding its way to the shipyard as well. Pulling in a shallow breath, she tried to maintain her calm. Cordelia chose that moment to speak, regarding her with polite concern.
"Are you quite all right, Miss Swann?" Elizabeth blinked and looked at the redhead, managing to formulate an answer for her.
"Yes, of course. Of course I am." Banishing her dubiousness, Cordelia continued amiably,
"Well, given the fuss that tends to surround occasions such as this, I imagine that it's been quite a day for you as well." Though she meant no offense, her statement only served to fully set Elizabeth's mind back on the annoyances that she had thus far had to tolerate and she bristled, unable to help herself.
"You might say as much," Elizabeth replied, more curtly than she meant to. Nicholas's eyebrows rose at her tone while Cordelia's looked at her archly, and Weatherby quickly interjected.
"Please forgive my daughter," he requested, hiding his chagrin. "It seems that she is not feeling quite well today."
"Apparently not," Cordelia remarked wryly. Awkwardness tinged the conversation that followed.
The atmosphere in the second carriage remained significantly more pleasant, and as the conversation progressed, James found himself musing that sometimes, Theodore's impertinence could indeed yield positive results—not that he would ever admit it aloud. The man was cheeky enough without any encouragement. Putting the thought aside, he fixed his concentration on their exchange as it drifted from the Navy's most recent duties to the subject of newer procedures in the Hewletts' shipping trade. He listened with interest, a measure of surprise catching him when he glanced at Natalie and saw just how thoroughly she understood many of the technical details mentioned. Understanding of such a trade is certainly not something one would expect from most young ladies…. A hint of the pull he'd experienced back on the pier stirred—passing intrigue, nothing more—and then he resolutely forced it down. It would hardly do to mistake curiosity over Natalie's grasp of her family's business practices for more than what it was. Not wishing to interrupt the flow of the discussion—or bring about another discomfiting moment—James brought his attention back to Evan's comments and offered his own. Before long, the gates of the Hewletts' property appeared before them, swinging open in the hands of caretakers to admit the two carriages and the mounted officers. Maids gathered freshly aired sheets and brushed rugs from the sills of open windows on the upper floor on the great manse, and several more members of the household staff waited to meet them as they left the carriages. Inside, the entrance hall and areas on either side of it bustled with activity and the plump older woman who had escorted them in alongside the butler turned to announce,
"Cook and the others will have lunch ready shortly, sir. Everything else should be in place, so you'll all be able to start getting settled in after the meal has been served."
"Thank you, Eleanor," Evan replied, and the housekeeper bobbed a curtsey before trotting away to attend to her tasks.
"It seems that everything is already quite well in hand," Weatherby commented, tranquilly glancing about at the activity. "We shall take our leave now, and please do not hesitate to inform me of a convenient time at which we may meet, to discuss some aspects of business in greater detail."
"Of course, my friend; I will do so in timely fashion, you may be sure."
"Likewise, I'll be contact you soon," Nicholas informed James. "You'll wish to know more about specific measures that have arisen, I am certain. And of course, we have quite a bit of catching up to do."
"We do, indeed." With that, the round of farewells began. The officers, Nick and Cordelia exchanged words alongside the older gentlemen, the dignified warmth of the moment disrupted only by Theodore's animated,
"Good day, Nicky-Pet." and Nicholas's reply,
"Good day to you, Teddy-Cat." Elizabeth forced herself to briefly speak to Natalie as she came away from the others, struggling to hide her reluctance to do so. Natalie responded in kind, but the seeds of aversion remained present despite the show of civility. Without another word or glance at the Hewletts, Elizabeth turned and moved to keep pace with her father in time for them to be escorted to the door. James inclined his head to Natalie, mindful of their company, and then led his officers away.
* * *
That night found the Commodore in his office at the Fort, bent over a considerable amount of paperwork as he so frequently was. The memory of Elizabeth's rejection did not weigh upon him nearly so heavily for a change, as often as it crept into his mind whenever he was alone and lacked distraction. Instead, the arrival of the Hewletts and the pleasure of seeing them again occupied the forefront of his thoughts. As well it might. His lips quirked upwards at the reminiscences his musings brought, from his first introduction to Lord Hewlett as a boy, to the similarities he hadn't been able to help noticing between Theodore and Nicholas even in childhood, then to the time spent on the Hewlett estate in England and later, those visits to the family on Barbados. His recollections brought him once more to the memories of Natalie as a little girl and that in turn led him to think of the way she'd looked that afternoon, her poise and her fine manner. There was certainly nothing childlike about her now. Realizing the direction his thoughts were beginning to take, James hastily shook off the notion, blinking at the sound of Theodore's amused, knowing drawl.
"Oh, that's what I thought."
"Whatever are you on about?" James asked, hiding his discomfort under starchy impatience.
"Come on, James." Theodore stepped away from the office door and came to the great mahogany desk to lay the last of the day's missives on its impeccably maintained surface. "I think you know perfectly well what I'm 'on about'. I noticed how you admired her. Everyone did, I'm sure."
"That's absurd—"
"There's no shame in it; Natalie's grown up into a fine young lady." Theodore's smile bloomed into a grin and he gave in to the urge to tease his friend. "And as much as you might lament the 'excess of personality' that both Nick and I have been accused of on occasion, it's undeniable that we are additional links to Natty-Bug." James glared at him warningly even as embarrassment threatened.
"It's not like that," he shot back indignantly. "It's no more than anyone would feel upon suddenly seeing someone they knew as a child fully grown! Aside from that, it's simple fondness from having known her for years, as you are quite aware."
"Oh, of course it is." The glare intensified above faintly pinked cheeks and Theodore held up his hands in a placating gesture, backing out of the office. "But say no more. Good night, James." When he had gone, James rolled his eyes and shook his head. The idea that Theodore had emphasized lingered, but he did his best to ignore it.
