Chapter Seven
Catherine felt a slight pain in her head as she woke up. Whatever she was lying on was moving gently from side to side, but it made her feel nauseous. She opened her eyes a little, but closed them again immediately. The sun was shining too brightly today, and it felt as if it burned its way through her eyelids and onto her retina.
A small sound escaped her mouth as she tried to turn around and lie on the other side. Her head ached so viciously.
"'Morning!" Someone said cheerily, and Catherine recognized Will's shrill voice. Wait a minute! Will's voice wasn't normally that shrill, was it?
She turned around to face him and realized that the pain in her head was the reason why Will's voice had sounded so shrill. It was also the reason why the sun seemed to shine so brightly. In fact, it was a little cloudy today.
"Oh my…!" She said and put a hand to her forehead. "Did I pass out last night?"
"Ehm…Yes!" Will said with an amused smile. "Which was probably not such a bad idea. Think you had had enough rum already!"
Oh no! Catherine suddenly remembered what had happened shortly before she passed out. She had been so embarrassing. She had… She had kissed Captain Sparrow!
"Oh no!" She cried and hid her face in her hands. "Please tell me it was only a dream!"
"What was?"
"Oh. Nothing." Catherine said and hoped that if Will didn't know what had happened, then no one did.
"Is she awake?" Catherine heard Jack's voice from somewhere.
"Yeah. Not sure if she's dead or alive, though." Will replied cheerily and left Catherine. "Want me to take over?"
"Yes, please." Jack said, but Catherine couldn't hear what they were doing.
They were just changing places. Jack had been standing by the rudder for a while, as they had been on the open sea, and it hadn't been so difficult to sail.
"How are you feeling today?" He said smilingly as he came over to her. "Got a head-ache?"
Catherine didn't reply but stared at him pretending to think he was an idiot.
"Don't worry; you're not the only one." He said and frowned as he put a hand to his head.
"Did you get too much rum too?" Catherine asked bewildered. She was sure she was the only one who had made a fool out of herself.
"Ehm… yeah, I'm afraid so." Jack admitted and sat down next to her. "And I said quite a lot of things that I shouldn't have said last night. You're not the only one."
"You know what I did?" Catherine asked with a face that turned pink in realization.
"Yeah, but it's okay. I'm the only one who knows and I wont' tell anyone."
"Oh no!" Catherine exclaimed feeling sorry for herself.
"What? You want me to tell people?"
"No. No, that's not what I meant. I just hoped no one would know. Least of all you." She said and looked away.
"Least of all me?" Jack said wonderingly. "I don't care. I don't think you're stupid or anything." He did care, but not the way she thought.
"Are you sure?" Catherine asked and sat up. The pain in her head was almost unbearable.
"Of course I'm sure. Why would I think you were stupid just because you…" He didn't finish his sentence but began a new one instead. "Hey, I did some quite stupid things myself that I'm not proud of, but it turned out to be alright."
"Like what?" Catherine asked with a little smile. "What could you possibly say that was stupid?" She had a hard time believing that the polite Jack Clarence would say or do anything that he hadn't first thought through thoroughly.
"Ah, you don't wanna know." Jack said and now it was his time to look away.
"Come on, Jack!" Catherine said not caring about the improperness of speaking his first name. "You know my secret. Now I wanna know yours!" She said with a teasing smile at him. His face turned a little pink and he didn't say anything for a long time.
"Well…" He finally began. "I kind of… Threatened my father!"
"Threatened him? Why?"
"Because…" He didn't really wanna say this, but she was obviously embarrassed because he knew she had kissed his father. He didn't want her to feel that way, and so he had to give her something back, to reveal something, so they would be square.
"Yes?"
"Because I thought he had… done something to you, laid hand on you or something, and I wanted to defend you!"
"That was really sweet of you, Jack." Catherine said and blushed. "That wasn't stupid at all."
"But I accused him of something he hadn't done. That's stupid." He said and breathed in. "And he didn't get mad at me. He forgave me immediately and called me 'son'."
"Well, that's what your father's like. He forgives the people who mean something to him, though they do stupid things. Just go ask Will!" She said the last part a little louder, and found out, just like she had expected, that he was listening.
"What did you just say?" They heard Will's voice from a distance.
"I said that you do a lot of stupid things!" Catherine shouted back frivolously.
"I know you're right." Jack said after a while. "He does forgive and forget. We talked a long time after you…passed out. He and I, I mean. It was really good talking to him. He even said that he was sorry he hadn't been there for me. I had no idea he could be serious."
"I had." Catherine said and watched Jack softly. He looked a little sad.
"Everybody knows him better than I do, isn't it ironic? I'm glad I went with you on this trip. It was good to get to know him a bit."
"I don't know him better than you do." Catherine admitted. "I just thought…" Her voice trailed off. "But I was wrong."
It felt as if a big rock had been removed from Jack's shoulders. Catherine had only thought she was in love with his father, but she wasn't in love for real. Wasn't that what she was saying?
"At least I know him a little better now." Jack said happily. "And from now on I'm gonna call him Papa. Can't wait to see the look on his face the first time I do so!" His own face darkened a little. "If I'll ever see him again."
"Of course you will." Catherine said and put a comforting hand on his arm. "Your father's not stupid. He won't let the Commodore catch him."
"I hope you're right." Jack replied and caressed the hand that was still lying on his arm. Catherine removed her hand immediately, but couldn't help but feeling a little warm inside. It felt as if a butterfly or two were rising by the touch of Jack's hand.
"Sorry." He mumbled and got up. "I'd better go help Will."
~
"Catherine, where in the world have you been!" It was the first thing she had heard when getting home that night. Her parents had been worried sick for her, and of course she understood. She just hadn't had the energy to listen while they scolded her or when they tried to cross-question her. Her brother, Robert, had watched from the doorway, looking very amused. Catherine knew him well enough to know that he hadn't been amused because her parents scolded her. He had been amused because she had run off from home and afterwards refused to tell where she had been.
In the end Catherine's father had grounded her, and she was not allowed to have any visitors at all.
She hadn't really cared. She had been tired and wanted to sleep, so she hadn't objected.
The next morning, however, she was beginning to think it a little boring to be locked in her room. She was daydreaming about the trip home to Port Royal, when somebody knocked on her door.
"Come in." She said and was glad she had dressed though she hadn't counted on any visitors.
It was only the maid.
"Your father wants you to come downstairs, Miss." She said and walked into the room. "Let me help you dress your hair."
"Why?" Catherine said a bit annoyed. "You wouldn't usually dress my hair just to send me downstairs."
"Your father told me not to tell you…"
"Yes, but what is it?"
"There's a gentleman there waiting for you."
Catherine's spirits rose a little. Could it be Jack?
"It's the Commodore. He wants to speak to you."
"Oh." Catherine said disappointedly. That explained why her father let her have visitors.
~
"Commodore!" Catherine said and smiled as she entered the room they usually received their visitors in. Her hair was looking really well in spite of the fact that it had only taken the maid three and a half minutes to dress it.
"Cath… Miss Winston!" The Commodore replied and looked a little stunned.
Catherine noticed her father slipping out of the room without saying anything. She also knew he had already told the Commodore that she had accepted his offer. At least that was what she expected from him.
"I am so glad to see that you're safely back again." The Commodore said and smiled at Catherine. "So, did you find him?"
"No, we didn't." Catherine lied. "He's probably already far away."
"Well, if he is, then there's no need for me to chase him anymore, is there?"
"No there's not." Catherine replied in relief.
An awkward silence fell upon the two of them.
"Catherine…" The Commodore finally said. "Have you…thought about my proposal?"
"I have." She said and looked down. She still wasn't sure what answer to give. It was certain now that Captain Sparrow didn't want her. Would anyone ever want her again if she said no to the Commodore?
"And…?" The Commodore asked hopefully.
"I…I think I…" Catherine said but the words stuck in her mouth.
The Commodore took her hands and looked so intensely at her that it was impossible to let him down. Still, she couldn't say the words.
"Catherine Winston, will you be my wife?" The Commodore pressed, still not removing his eyes from Catherine's.
"I…I will!" Catherine finally said and her eyes flickered. She smiled, though, as she saw the frown leave the Commodore's face and turn into quite a happy expression.
"My dearest Catherine, you actually frightened me there!" Commodore Norrington said and looked happy. Then he did something that Catherine hadn't quite been prepared for. He kissed her, and it was a very sweet and gentle kiss. Catherine had expected to feel differently about being kissed, though. She had expected to feel butterflies all over her stomach, and she had expected to feel dizzy. She felt none of the above. It actually felt like when she had kissed Captain Sparrow. Except this time she didn't start to cry.
"Let's go tell your father, shall we?" The Commodore asked and held her hand.
"He doesn't know?" Catherine asked perplexed.
"Not if you haven't told him, my dear." The Commodore smiled. "He told me he wasn't sure what you would say, and so scared me almost as much as you just did!"
~
Jack looked at the grave faces when Will and Elizabeth entered the smithy. He knew immediately that something bad had happened. Oh, please, don't let I be my father! Don't let him be caught by the Commodore! He prayed.
"What is it?" He asked without as much as a nod for hello. He had put down the hammer in his hand as soon as he had seen the expression on their faces.
"What is?" Will tried to sound cheerful.
"What's wrong? You two are so easy to read. You've come with bad news. Is it my father?"
"No, it's not your father." Elizabeth said and smiled. "He's not that easy to kill!"
"Who's been killed?" Jack exclaimed scared.
"No one's been killed and no one has died." Will said with a little laugh. "It's really not that bad!"
Jack sighed with relief and took the hammer again.
"Catherine's getting married." Elizabeth broke the news. "To the Commodore."
Jack stiffened and the hammer fell out of his hand and onto his foot. Though it hurt he didn't notice. The pain inside of him was much stronger.
He sat down on the ground looking as if he was about to cry. He felt like it, but no tears came from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jack." Elizabeth said and sat down next to him, though her dress would get dirty. She put an arm around him. "I had a feeling the news wouldn't suit you."
"Who cares?!" He exclaimed angrily and got to his feet again. "He's just an old, dirty prick who wants to take my father away and now…" He breathed in to avoid the tears from slipping through. He was a man, and a man didn't cry!
"He won't be taking your father away!" Will said and tried to calm Jack down. "And I'm sure he won't take away Catherine, either. She'll keep coming here and spending time with us."
"That's not enough!" Jack shouted and took down a sword from its hook.
"Jack! No!" Elizabeth yelled and tried to hold him back. Will did too, but the pain and frustration made Jack too strong for them, and so he walked out the door resolutely. It would be him and the Commodore now. Face to face, man against man!
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Mr. Clarence?" A voice stopped him. His heart was pounding wildly as he looked up. It was Catherine. Alone. No Commodore next to her. Her hair was dressed nicely and she looked exactly like the lady he knew she was. She was way too good for him.
"I…eh…no where." Jack said and tried to hide the sword behind him.
"You look kind of upset. Is anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. Just been practicing a little."
"Out here? In the street?" Catherine asked puzzled.
"No. Inside. Had to get some air afterwards."
"Oh." He obviously didn't want to talk about it, so Catherine changed the subject "I was just on my way to you."
"You were?" Jack asked. A feeling inside of him rose, though he had believed it to be dead.
"Yes… I…" Catherine looked away. "I wanted to tell you that… I've consented to be the Commodore's wife."
"Oh." Jack said hiding his true feelings. "Congratulations."
"Thanks." Catherine replied and looked at him. It wasn't the behaviour she had expected from him. She had expected at least a small sign of sorrow, but it wasn't there. In some way she had kind of hoped it would be there. At least now she knew that marrying the Commodore was the right thing to do. He was the only one who loved her, and he didn't make her believe things that weren't true.
"Well, I'm a bit busy." Jack said and turned around to go back. "Got a lot of work to do."
"Jack…" Catherine said and made him turn around to face her again. The look on his face was soft as his eyes found hers. She felt a little tickle inside.
"Yes?"
"I want you to be there. At the wedding. Would you do that for me?"
How could she ask him that? How could she ask him to be there when she gave the Commodore her 'yes'?
"Sure. I'll be there for you." He sighed and turned around again to go back. This time she didn't stop him. Something felt wrong about him leaving like that, but she didn't want him to know.
---
Sorry about the lack of Jack Sparrow in this chapter. He'll be back. I promise. No, honestly! He'll be back! And he'll be the one who… Nah, won't tell ya! You'll have to see for yourselves!
Anyway, please review. All you have to do is press the small button to the left and scribble something. Good or bad, it's your decision – I'll be grateful for both!
~ Miss Sofie
