Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, its storyline or its characters.
Chapter 4
An Unexpected Discovery
"I have a message for you from Admiral Norrington." the young boy said, holding out the rolled up letter.
Cassandra didn't take the letter. "I can't read." she said.
The young teenage boy had woken her up before sunrise with three knocks on the door. The last thing she wanted was a letter from James.
The teenage boy's eyebrows rose in slight surprise. "Oh," he replied. He checked the hall for anyone else before removing the red ribbon and unfolding the letter. "I probably shouldn't do this but...you must get the message. It says, 'Dear Cassandra, I can help you. I will be in the tavern this morning at seven o'clock if you want to meet with me. James.'"
The boy looked up at her.
"Thank you." Cassandra said. For a moment she wondered if the boy would reveal anything about her and James to anyone, and she realized that allowing him to read the letter was probably a bad idea.
He turned to leave. "Wait!" Cassandra said. The boy turned to her expectantly. "You won't...tell anyone about this...thing between him and I, will you?"
The boy shook his head. "Oh, no. Of course not. These things happen all the time, especially with officers...And I wouldn't want to lose my job by running my mouth."
Cassandra swallowed nervously. "But, I'm not his mistress or anything you know. He's just helping me out." she told him. She didn't know why she felt the need to explain herself to this boy.
The boy nodded. "I understand."
He left and Cassandra shut her door. She ran over the scene in her head again and again, wondering if she had revealed too much. Living in Port Royal certainly made you paranoid; you wondered if every action meant death.
Cassandra sat on her bed and sighed. Last night she had walked back to the tavern, fuming. She had stormed up the stairs and locked herself in her room, pacing around until she was in tears.
It had become undeniably clear that she had failed last night. She had gone to sleep, feeling depressed and low, wanting nothing more than to leave and be with her mother.
She hadn't expected his help though.
Cassandra crossed her arms and looked at her closet. Now that she had his attention she realized she could use it to her advantage. James could help her get into Beckett's head.
Cassandra changed into the dress she had arrived in yesterday and fixed her hair into a braid. Then she looked at the clock: a quarter before seven. He would be there soon.
She waited a while before going down. When it was finally seven, she went downstairs to meet him.
The tavern was quite empty when Cassandra came down. The tavern owner was standing at the bar, waiting for more customers.
The only customer was an old man that frequently came in; a fisherman.
The tavern owner noticed Cassandra. "I gather you got a message?"
"From Admiral Norrington?" Cassandra asked.
"Yes, he's in the back. He'd like to speak to you; ask you a few questions. The Admiral has some suspects he'd like to catch." the owner explained.
Cassandra nodded and walked into the back of the tavern, which was usually reserved for the gentry.
James was sitting at a table in the left corner. He sat facing her, with a mug of alcohol. Her eyebrows rose in slight surprise at this. He was dressed in his uniform but had placed his hat on the table. She still found it hard to get used to men like him in wigs. She couldn't quite understand how they were perceived as fashionable.
He quickly took her in and met her eyes. "Hello," he said. He gestured to the chair across from him. She pulled out the chair and sat down. "How is your leg?"
"Better." she told him.
He nodded. "Good. In all fairness though, I wasn't aware that it was you."
"I was surprised by the letter," she admitted, getting straight into business. "I thought that you wanted to avoid me after last night."
"Well, I can recognize good intentions when I see them," James responded. "And I understand your reasons for..." He looked at the doorway, where the tavern owner and customer were just on the other side. "trying to take the heart."
"You said you could help me?" she asked eagerly.
James folded his hands. "Yes, I can speak on your behalf to Beckett. I can ask him to free your father." James whispered.
"Beckett isn't going to care about a low-class woman like me," she whispered back. "Unless there's something in it for him, and I have nothing to offer."
James thought for a moment. "I'm afraid you might be right..." he replied. "But it's worth a try, isn't it?"
Cassandra sighed, exasperated. "A try isn't good enough! I need to free my father, I need to see him again..."
James inhaled deeply, contemplating this situation.
"Unless..." Cassandra started.
James looked up at her. "What?"
She bit her lip. "Unless I can pretend to be someone else, someone important..."
James made a face. "Oh Cassandra please...Please, no more impersonations. You can't do that. Do you know how much trouble you will get into if Beckett or the navy finds out?"
She shrugged. "Like you said, it's a worth a try, right?"
He gave her a pointed look. "My suggestion is less dangerous."
Cassandra looked around her and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Listen, I have treasure I found while I sailed with the Chinese merchant sailors. It's quite a bit of money; enough to be well-off actually...It's hidden in a cave."
James looked stunned. "You found it?" he sputtered, almost in slight distrust.
Cassandra smiled impishly. "Finders keepers right?"
"Someone may be coming back for that treasure..." he warned.
She shook her head. "I don't think so. The cave we found was full of treasure - I mean gold, silver, statues, coins...It was full of treasure! If they were coming back for all of that they wouldn't be able to carry it all away, not even with a full crew. It looked like some sort of shrine but the merchants thought it was really just a pirate stash."
"Where did you find it?" he asked, sounding interested.
"Colombia." she told him.
"Good God, you sailed all over the world." James remarked.
She nodded. "I did," she replied. "Anyway, what I meant to say was that I might be able to use this treasure."
"Perhaps you could use it as a bargaining tool with Beckett." James suggested.
"I don't want to give away that money!" Cassandra hissed possessively.
A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "You're more pirate than you realize, Miss Lockhart..." he remarked, amused.
She cocked her head at him. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Because I have to keep a sense of propriety..." he explained. "And I do it out of habit." he added, before taking a drink of his alcohol. She just watched him a moment. After taking a swig of his drink he carefully placed it down and looked squarely at her.
"Now, what are we going to do about the treasure?" he asked.
"Maybe I could use it as proof of my wealth..." she proposed.
James sighed again.
"But it could work!" she protested, holding up her hands. "It would be a quicker way of getting close to Beckett and gaining his trust. Then he might be more willing to help me."
James thought for a moment. "It could work...but it would be risky. If you were caught..."
"Then I just have to be careful then," she told him brightly. "Besides, if I do, I think you and myself included can get me out a mess."
"Let's hope so..." James added.
That morning Cassandra left the tavern and made her way to James' house. He had left after speaking to her, saying that he had to return home and that he would meet her there. The Admiral's house was on the edge of town, closer to the dense forests and elegant houses of the Caribbean. Her walk was long but pleasant.
She felt safe walking around Port Royal: the people were decent, the bums on the street passive and harmless, the soldiers of the navy alert and respectful, the children playful and giggling. It reminded her of home- Port York. Thinking of Port York caused an ache in her chest, deep and incurable. Her coastal town had been burned in a fire during a pirate raid.
That event had set in motion a series of events. First she had been separated from both her parents in the raid, second she had escaped, ended up in Tortuga and then come to Port Royal, looking for work. It was here that she had met James a year ago.
When Cassandra arrived at James' home, the large wrought iron gate was open and a few gardeners were out tending to the foliage. On her way up she had caught sight of a stable in the distance that she hadn't noticed before. It was down the road, sitting beside a vast, lush field. The boy who had delivered the message earlier was walking up the road, dusting off his pant leg.
He must be a stable boy, Cassandra thought.
As she approached the house the gardeners turned to her out of curiosity. She wondered if any of them recognized her and so she smiled, greeting them politely. But they only stared blankly.
She ascended the steps and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal James' butler, whose name she had forgotten.
"Ah...Cassandra," he said. "You've returned. Come inside, James was expecting you."
"Thank you," she said, stepping inside. "How are you?" she asked.
"Good." he answered pleasantly, taking her bag from her.
Cassandra thought it strange that just a year ago he had been snobbish and cold towards her. But he had not known her then.
From the kitchens a figure emerged and came into full view of the foyer. It was Adele, the first friend she had made while working under James.
There was a look of utter shock on her face as she stared at Cassandra. "Oh! I can't believe it- it's you!" she cried. She ran forward and pulled Cassandra into a hug. Cassandra laughed.
"It's good to see you too Adele!"
Adele pulled away from her, holding her arms and looking into her face. Her blue eyes were teary. "I thought you were dead. Admiral Norrington said he didn't know what happened to you! After that I was so worried!" She looked at her for a second and then hugged her once again, swaying them back and forth. "Oh, I'm so happy! I've missed you."
The two women took time to talk and catch up in the hall, and Cassandra finally said, "I owe you money, don't I?" she asked slyly.
Adele blinked and then started laughing. "Yes you do, missy!"
Adele had done her a favor a year ago and Cassandra had kept her promise to owe her back.
Cassandra smiled and placed her pouch of change in Adele's hand. Adele was about to speak but got interrupted by the door to the library opening. The two women turned to see a tall, dark-haired woman and James emerge from the library.
Cassandra scrutinized the woman. She was slim, dressed in a white gown with a floral petticoat and stomacher. The floral pattern was of delicate blue and yellow flowers, and green leaves. The pointed tips of her shoes peeked out from underneath the gown. Her golden-hued brown hair was pinned up in a chignon, with curled strands gliding over her shoulders. As she looked at Cassandra and Adele, Cassandra could see that her eyes were a bright blue, like the waters of the Caribbean. And her skin was flawlessly pale, untouched by the sun or outside elements.
Her gaze landed on Cassandra and she turned to face James. "Is she a new servant? I haven't seen her before."
I haven't seen you before, Cassandra thought.
James' gaze landed on Cassandra. "Um...yes." he said. The butler appeared with the woman's hat and parasol.
"Why must they all be so pretty James?" she asked as she tied up her hat. "Aren't you afraid that they'll be a distraction away from me?" she continued, almost coquettishly as she moved toward the door.
Adele nudged Cassandra and smiled. Cassandra however, was a bit shocked at the woman's insinuation.
James smiled but didn't meet her gaze. "I'm not so easily distracted, Evelyn."
Cassandra's stomach dropped. It was clear that they were familiar with each other. She felt sick.
When she was gone, James turned around to face her. "Well, now that you've arrived I'll let you get settled in. Then we can talk." He gazed at her a moment before walking away.
After Cassandra got settled into her room and changed into a new dress, she met James in the sitting room.
James was sipping a cup of tea and staring out the window when the butler escorted her inside the sitting room.
"Thank you, Edward." James nodded and Edward left the room, shutting the door behind him.
So that was the butler's name.
Cassandra sat down across from him. James set his cup down. She took a look around the room. She had seen it before but had forgotten the little details like the model ship on the mantel and the sheer curtains on the window.
"I wanted to talk about that treasure you found." he stated.
"What about it?" she asked.
"Well, I need to come up with an excuse in order to leave the coast. I was thinking that you could claim that you saw pirates. I would take a crew with me and investigate the waters. You also remember that you've heard stories about these pirates hiding valuable treasure, stolen from the Crown. So we head in the direction that your treasure is located in, and take it, disguising it as a confiscation."
Cassandra thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Wow, that's a good lie," she remarked, impressed. "So good it could be a pirate's lie!" she added teasingly.
He gave her a displeased look.
"When will we go?" she asked.
"Tomorrow."
She nodded and looked at a table by the fireplace.
She suddenly thought of something. "What are we going to tell everyone in the house when I start acting like a courtier?" she asked.
James took another sip of his tea and leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Mhm...Well, we could tell them the truth and say that you came into quite a bit of money. I could say that I'm helping you manage that money. I could say I'm helping you find a residence while you stay here."
"Seems believable..." she said, pursing her lips.
A strange silence arose between them.
James took another sip of his tea and set it down. Then he looked out the window.
Cassandra smoothed out her dress, her mind elsewhere.
She looked up at him. He was still looking out the window, arms resting on his knees.
"How do you know that woman? Evelyn?" she asked suddenly.
He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Mhm?" he said. "Evelyn? She's a family friend. Our fathers knew each other for several years. Evelyn and I knew each other since we were young children." he explained.
"I see..." Cassandra said, looking away.
She could feel his gaze on her. "Why do you ask?"
Cassandra turned back to him and shrugged. "I'm just curious..." she answered. But she wasn't just curious; she was slightly suspicious of their relationship. She had a feeling there was something more, mostly on Evelyn's part.
"So we'll leave early tomorrow for the treasure. Be ready to leave before sunrise." James told her.
Cassandra nodded and quickly left the room, not saying a word. She then ran up to her room- she was exempt from chores and duties, seeing as she had just arrived.
She closed the door and sat on her bed, staring blankly at the window ahead of her. As tears trailed silently down her cheeks, she wondered why she had fallen for a man society would never allow her to be with.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any suggestions or feedback I'd be happy to hear it. :)
