Chapter Ten
It was not an elaborate affair, James' town house, thought it had a set of large rooms on the first floor for entertaining and a few more than a few bedrooms upstairs. Indeed, the previous owner the merchant had been a man characterized to be more stingy than James himself. However, a man in love is not inclined to be stingy, especially on his beloved, and Norrington had turned the inside of the house into a cozy, welcoming place, fitted with every creature comfort he could offer.
Meredith toured the house with growing delight, marveling at the huge brick fireplace in the kitchen and the various culinary tools James had commissioned from Will Turner. "Hopefully you won't be spending too much time in here, and we'll get a cook instead." James said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her waist and nestling his head on her shoulder.
Meredith chuckled. "Are you implying I can't cook?" she asked him, frowning a little.
"Oh, never! I only meant that I want you to be a lady. Not just a housewife, with red hands and swelling ankles from washing and being on her feet all day." James said in apology. Meredith broke away from his arms, smiling with some yet unspoken thought.
"So you do not wish me to be tired, is that it?" she asked mischeviously.
"In a manner of words…" James trailed off, not catching whatever hidden meaning she had.
"You want me to be alert. Ready for anything when the signal comes." Meredith continued, backing away towards the stairs with a keen smile. James took a moment, following her train of thought with creaky mental wheels. Alert…signals…signals were made with flags…she mentioned she wanted to run up flags…James' own smile turned roguish.
"For anything." He said darkly, slowly prowling towards her. She made her way up the stairs, carefully so as to not rip her dress, slowly luring him into his bedroom.
"Even at three in the afternoon?" Meredith said, turning back to him as she opened the door.
"Even at three in the afternoon." James said, pouncing and pushing her inside, slamming the door behind them.
The sun was just beginning to fall back down to the Jamaican horizon when Meredith made herself get out of bed, collecting her clothes from where they had been thrown about the room.
"Well, I must be getting back to the Queen's Road Inn. They will be expecting me there for dinner, and I have a private room there for the next week." She said, business-like, sitting on the side of the bed to put on her stockings
James sat up, his carefree smile gone. "I thought you would stay here for until the wedding. With me." He added, somewhat hurt.
"I can't sully your good name like that. Think about what people would say! It would not be good for business, you know." She reminded him, tweaking his nose as she would a small child. "After the wedding, I promise."
"That is not going to be a subject of debate!" James thundered in consternation.
Meredith continued getting dressed, her voice taking on a strained tone. "James, I can see that I've upset you. However, I am going back to the inn, and nothing you may say can change that. Whilst I am going back, I will make inquiries of that little church on the way about their rules regarding weddings. If you would like, you may escort me back to the inn. But you must promise to be a perfect gentleman and not ask admittance to my room. I will not get married with the whole town thinking I'm some sort of hussy." Meredith said decidedly, slipping her dress over her head. "I will have some semblance of respectability as a start to this marriage."
James hung his head for a moment and nodded. "I'm sorry. I was…only thinking of myself." He watched her scramble for her shoes, and he sighed, getting out of bed and helping her look. "Am I never going to be allowed to win an argument with you?"
"Never, James." Meredith said with a sigh. "There is never enough room for two captains in one house. It is better you find this out now rather than…later…" her voice trailed off, sounded ragged.
"Oh, well, we shall make it work. I can be a very patient man, you know." James said, still searching for her shoe.
She turned around just as his back was turned to her, and she could not help but laugh at her naked fiancé. He stood up, vaguely annoyed.
"What on earth amuses you so much, woman?" James said, somewhat more gruff than usual.
"Your skin is as white as a sheet and you've the reddest love-mark I've ever seen on your shoulder, my dear." Meredith said with a laugh. James turned around his head, frowning.
"Where?" he asked, knowing he must look a sight, with his head craned over his shoulder and stark naked to boot. Meredith stepped over the carnage of two over-eager lovers and laid her finger on it, turning him around to the mirror so he could see. There on his shoulder was a messy looking mark, very red against his pale skin. She had kissed him there, he remembered now. "Oh. What do you know." He said, inspecting it in the mirror for a few moments before Meredith pinched his bare bum and flounced out. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"
"I thought you said you were escorting me home!" she said, walking down the stairs, her voice echoing in the empty house.
"I am! I did!" James defended, holding a hand to the pinched spot and winching.
"Well you can't very well do it naked, so stop admiring your bum in the mirror and get dressed!" she shouted back up to him. James rolled his eyes.
"I was not admiring my bum. " he said in a defensive voice, searching for his shirt.
Aww, cute fluffy funny stuffs. Gots ter have that every two or three chapters. I apologize for the short length, but I kinda lost my thread and it just sort of ended there.
A lot of people have been mentioning in their reviews that they think this whole Will/ Elizabeth thing will come back to haunt James. While that is not far from the truth, all I'm saying is, there will be the wedding crashing to end all wedding crashings in a later chapter. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn will be put to shame.
Not saying by who, but keep a weather eye open, give it a chapter, maybe three or four, and form your own guesses…