Opera Comes to the Caribbean

Chapter 4

"Please tell Captain Rush I would like to speak with him." Caffarelli called politely to the guards through the door of his cabin.

Caffarelli had abruptly ceased his banging and shouting long ago and the guards had not heard so much as a whisper from the cabin since.

"S'pose one of us ought ta go tell Cap'n Rush 'e wants ta talk to 'im?" Guard #1 said.

"'m not sure we should leave our post, 'sides 'e might be up ta no good, plannin some kinda trick." Guard #2 said warily.

"Trick? What kind o trick? 'n why would 'e want ta be playin a trick?" Guard #1 said.

"Could be any kind of trick, and 'e might have all kinds of reasons for wanting to play a trick, might have it in mind ta take over the ship or somfin such as that 'r steal a long boat and make off in it." Guard #2 answered.

"Don't seem like this'd be much of the proper time ta be playin tricks of that nature being 'e couldn't possibly use said trick ta take over the ship as 'e'd be outnumbered with no weapons on 'im ta use against us, and we're still too far out ta sea fer the stealin of a longboat ta do 'im much good." Guard #1 said.

"I'm just sayin ya can't never tell what people like 'im have in their heads." Guard #2 said huffily.

"People like 'im?" Guard #1 said with a puzzled look.

"Aye people like 'im, you know them op-er-y folks. Alays been warned against trustin anyone don't sing in a language what's understandable." Guard #2 said with authority.

"But ya listen ta old O'Leary when 'e's in his cups and all tuned up 'n singin in 'is native tongue." Guard #1 replied.

Guard #2 started to speak, "I'm just sayin……."

"I know what yer sayin, and I'm sayin yer not makin any sense." Guard #1 interrupted.

"Fine then, go off and tell the Cap'n, but don't be surprised if on yer return ya find just what I've said could happen is happenin." Guard #2 answered huffily.

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James looked up from the document he was reading and called out, "Enter" at the knock on his door. Groves stuck his head in and with a smile said cheerfully, "The Regal has been spotted Commodore, should be making port in a couple of hours."

"Where is Sparrow?" James immediately asked.

"Still in the Wandering Lass according to the last report from the two men watching him." Groves answered.

"Well let us just go see for ourselves shall we?" James said as he stood up, walked over and put his hat and jacket on, and walked out the door with Groves following. As he came down the stairs into the lobby and passed the desk on his way to the door he called to the duty officer, "Mr. Groves and I shall be out of the Fort for awhile Mr. Bloom, Mr. Gillette will be in charge during our absence."

Mr. Bloom saluted, "Aye Sir, where shall I tell him you've gone if he asks?"

"Tell him we have gone to make sure Port Royal remains the shining Pearl of the Caribbean, he will no doubt understand." James called back over his shoulder as he and Groves went out the door.

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Jack swayed into the Wandering Lass through the back door and made his way over to the table where AnnaMaria was sitting.

"Bout time ya got yer arse back here Jack, if them Navy boys out front were a bit more ambitious and poked their heads in here ya'd a been found out." AnnaMaria snapped at him as he sat down.

Jack's smile glittered in the low tavern light; he spread his arms wide and said, "Luv, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

AnnaMaria snorted as she passed a bottle of rum over to Jack, "Like I said Captain Jack Sparrow it's lucky ya got yer arse back here when ya did." She nodded toward the door where the two Navy men had just stepped inside and were trying to look inconspicuous, and doing a poor job of it, as they peered around the room looking for Jack.

"Trifles darling, and I did find out what I was in fact trying to find out." Jack said with satisfaction as he picked up the bottle, leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on the table, took a drink and fluttering his hand about said, "Ya see luv I found der William, who fortuitously for me just happened at the time ta be unaccompanied by the Bonny Lass, and therefore unimpeded in his informative responsiveness to me interrogatorily inclined inquiries."

"So what did ya find out?"

"Now that's the curious thing here ya see cause with what young Turner had ta say I'm beginning to think our fine Commodore may have been out in the sun a tad bit too long…..though how he'd have managed such as that and still remain so white 'n…..unexposed lookin's beyond me…….seems like if he'd been standin around out in the sun long enough ta make him daft…….."

"Jack!"

"Aye luv?......Oh aye, anyway seems there's some manner of remarkable 'n rememberable Op-er-a fop arrivin courtesy of the Uppity Ups in Old Mother England ta do a bit of performin for the gentry herebouts. Now the curiosity of the situation is this, evidently the Commodore has somewhere gotten the idea I'd be wantin ta be near the docks for such an occasion, it's like he doesn't know me at all."

"Or mayhaps there's more to it than that." AnnaMaria added.

"Aye, there is that." Jack replied as he tilted his head to the side and tapped his chin with a finger as he considered this, "Somefin ta be ponderin on for sure."

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"Is Captain Sparrow still in there?" James addressed the two marines outside the tavern.

They hadn't noticed James' approach until he spoke, and immediately jumped up from where they had been lounging in front of the tavern and stood at attention. They snapped off salutes as they spoke, "Aye Sir, we've been keeping an eye on him Sir jest like ya ordered."

"He's been in there the whole time Sir, couldn't a got past us if he'd tried Sir."

"Indeed." James replied as he stepped over to the door, opened it and stepped inside, Mr. Groves stepping in behind him.

"Ah Commodore," Jack smiled and waved his arms about as he spotted James entering, "You and your Lieutenant come over and join us." A moment later he grimaced and let out a 'bugger' as AnnaMaria punched him in the arm, "What'd ya do that for?" he said poutily. She raised her fist to hit him again and hissed, "Are ya daft? What ya doin invitin him ta come over here?"

He rocked back out of reach before she could connect again, held his index fingers up and said, "Trust me."

To Be Continued

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