Despite her knowledge that neither the Challenger nor the Falcon could return so soon, Elizabeth had spent the chief of her days searching the horizons for some mast to appear. She had kept her promise, and went down to the hospital every morning to see after the patients there. In the afternoons though, she hadn't left her room most of the time, claiming to be unwell, and not even lying – she had felt exceedingly ill and unfit for anybody's company. Not even Will had been admitted to see her then.

She had prayed for the return of the ships, but when she eventually saw the Falcon sail into the harbour, followed by the Black Pearl, her heart sank to her knees, and tears shot into her eyes at once. Where was the Challenger? There could be only one possible reason for the absence of the Challenger, and realising it, she fainted on the spot. Sarah found her like this, it confirmed her notion of her mistress' illness, and she put her to bed. Elizabeth did not resist her, she found she scarcely had the strength to go on breathing, let alone anything else.

The Challenger was lost, she knew what this had to mean – James would not come back. She sobbed, crying her eyes out, and every time when she remembered any of the horrid stories about Black, it got even worse. If she imagined how James must have died, her heart would miss a beat and she felt like suffocating. And again, like when he had sailed after the Black Pearl, she felt that it was all her fault, somehow. It all wouldn't have come like that, if she hadn't acted like she had back then in summer.

The good Governor had no clue about his daughter's breakdown; he had hurried down to the harbour when spotting the ships to welcome them. He had the same idea like Elizabeth – the Challenger hadn't come with them, and this must mean that she was lost. But unlike her, his optimistic nature ordered him to hope that it was only the ship that was lost, not necessarily the crew, and he lost no time to make sure about it. He didn't see the Commodore on the bridge, to his greatest dismay, but when Lieutenant Chandler stepped down to the pier two minutes later, he learnt quickly that his worries bore no truth. The Challenger was safe, the Commodore in Nassau Port to hand over the prisoners, and about to return home as soon as possible. Governor Swann hadn't felt so relieved in a long time, totally forgetting about his daughter, ignorant of the idea that her sickness could be owed to the sailors' absence in fact. He followed the Lieutenant to the fort to hear what had happened and invited the officers to come up to his house in the evening to celebrate such happy news. The invitation even included some members of the crew of the Black Pearl, which was most extraordinary for the Governor indeed.

He was only startled in his felicity when coming home again and learn from Elizabeth's maid how ill his beloved daughter seemed to be, rushing up the stairs to see after her. He found her weeping silently, her cheeks tear-strained and her hands folded for a prayer; she scarcely let show that she noticed his coming.

"Darling," he cried, "What is it? Do you have any pains?"

She did not look at him, murmuring something that he couldn't hear, and he asked again, "Sarah told me she found you unconscious – have you hurt yourself?"

She softly shook her head, still staring unfocused, and muttering a little louder, "It doesn't matter –"

"What doesn't matter, my dear?" he asked desperately, scared that she might have fallen on her head, causing her obvious confusion.

"Nothing matters anymore," she replied gravely, "and I deserve to be hurt. It's all my fault, all mine, and the Lord makes me suffer for my sins now…"

She had fallen on her head, or caught some dreadful disease in that wretched hospital; he was utmost alarmed and on the verge of calling for Dr. Jenkins, but asked once more, in what he meant to be his most tentative voice, "What is your fault, darling?"

"Everything!" she cried, starting to sob again, "He's dead, and it's my fault!"

The Governor frowned. "Who is dead?"

He received a look that was almost frightening, in return for this question. "James is dead! How can you even ask?! I've lost him, I've doomed him, I've killed him –"

"Elizabeth! Darling! Calm yourself! Listen to me – the Commodore isn't dead! What makes you think he was dead? Oh! I see –"

She couldn't stop crying at once, she was too deeply stirred for that, but she had understood. The wave of relief and gratification now engulfing her wasn't less violent than her former agony, and the poor Governor had to witness his child getting the next fit. He was at a total loss to understand her, but this wasn't new to him.

"My dearest Elizabeth… Are you crying because the Commodore has survived?"

"Of course not!" she coughed between two sobs. "He's alive! Praise the Lord! But where is he?! Ask him to come, father, please, ask him to come up at once!"

"I'd do whatever you wish, darling, but I'm afraid I can't call for the Commodore. He has sailed to Nassau –"

"Nassau?!"

He sat down next to her and told her everything he knew, glad that she calmed down more and more and eager to keep it like that. He realised his mistake as soon as mentioning Commodore's injuries for she gave a muffled scream.

"No, no, my darling, I assure you he's all right! You know how fond Lieutenant Chandler is of the Commodore, and he gave me his word that the Commodore is quite healthy –"

"But he still let him sail to Nassau!" She pouted. "Sail to Nassau, all on his own, after being so badly injured!"

"But he wasn't that badly injured –"

It was useless to argue with her, he knew from experience. She was determined to be sulking with the Lieutenant, and convinced that Commodore Norrington was heavily wounded, but she would relax in the end. She always did.

"Oh, before I forget – your friend Captain Sparrow will come for dinner. I thought you might like that?" he said before he left, and although she didn't answer, she did like it very well.

She had to figure out many things this afternoon; first of all, she rejoiced with the won battle and praised the Lord over and over again that He had answered her prayers and held His hand over James. But once she had swallowed this, she had to think of Jack next, overwhelmed with happiness that she hadn't been mistaken in him. He had gone for the Challenger, he had saved them even – Jack was a good man, if he liked it or not! As ill as her judgement of human nature surely was – she still blushed when recollecting her fondness of Captain Filister – at least she hadn't erred in this respect. Perhaps she was no entirely hopeless case after all!

Sarah helped her to restore herself, and when they welcomed their guests in the evening, only little betrayed her earlier bad state. Her nose was still rather red from crying and her eyes blood-shot, but it would take a close observer to take notice. Ignoring all rules of propriety, and to her father's embarrassment, she hugged Jack and Anamaria when they came in, she almost embraced even Mr. Gibbs, for shooting Black before he could kill James. In the end, she shook his hand so fervently that the old sailor asked her to stop, and she laughed. With great interest, she listened to their stories about the battles, with repelled curiosity she heard Lieutenant Chandler's report – abridged for the present ladies' sake – of Black's testimony, but what she was burning to know most, she did not dare asking while they were still seated for dinner. But directly afterwards, when going over to the parlour, she could no longer hold back.

"Jack, I knew you wouldn't let me – let them down. But why ever did you torment me like that? When you left, I believed you gave a damn! If I had only known that you would help them –"

"Oh, when I left, I was serious, love!" He grinned widely. "But thinking about it, I found your promise could come in very handy!"

"My promise?"

"You've said I could ask for just everything – Mr. Gibbs, is that what Miss Swann said or is it not?"

Mr. Gibbs nodded but did not dare to meet Elizabeth's eyes, and this one remembered her own words. "Oh, yes! So, what is it that you want?" she asked a little less enthusiastic; had she really meant Jack would do something for the mere goodness of his heart?!

"I've had a long conversation with the good Commodore about that," he went on, his eyes were sparkling with delight. "After all, you've said you'd make your father pay every sum of money –" The Governor froze dead when overhearing this, but Jack didn't pay any attention. "So I've asked the Commodore what he estimates how much money exactly I could demand, but he would not hear of it. Told me you were a bit – what did he say, Anamaria?"

"Impulsive," she replied with the same amused expression that he was displaying. "He said Miss Swann was a bit impulsive and you could impossibly take her for her word!"

"Yes, I guess these were his words. He then offered me to take on the obligation – he's bad in negotiating, doesn't know a thing about it, that man! He offered me fifteen thousand pounds at once, and did not even defy when I asked for thirty-five, can you imagine?!"

Elizabeth had turned pale and was incapable to utter a single word – thirty-five thousand pounds?! James life was worth every sum, to be sure, but she knew that he hadn't got so much money, and it made her sick to think that it was her promise that had caused him such predicament! She could have known that he would never agree to let her father pay for his rescue!

"Man of honour, but not a clue about accountancy! However, I figured his money wouldn't fully satisfy me. Must have worked half of his life for that sum, don't ya think? But there is something else that he can do for me and my crew, and I trust him to talk about it to Admiral Thompson just now."

"Admiral Thompson," she repeated, still dumbfounded.

"Yes, the Admiral… Grieved man, isn't he? To understand that his favourite officer is a scoundrel after all? Must be a terrible disappointment!"

"Yes, yes, but what is it now that you've asked him for?!" she cried impatiently, only a little gratified that Jack apparently wasn't about to ruin James.

"Clemency," he said simply, and Elizabeth gaped at him.

"Clemency?"

"Yes, clemency! I've thought I could become respectable, too – of course, I'll never be only half as respectable as the good Commodore, but half of his holier than thou attitude ought to suffice for us common mortals. He's negotiating an amnesty for me, you know, and I can only hope that he's doing it better than when he's been negotiating about his own money!"

"But – but – you're a pirate, Jack! What about – the Black Pearl means freedom and all that?"

"I don't mean to give that up, darling!"

"But then it's useless to ask the Admiral for an amnesty, isn't it? Just go now, then!"

"Oh, you don't get it. I intend to become a righteous privateer. Savvy?"

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "A privateer?! Well, I think it's just another branch in the trade!"

"Exactly, love, I knew you'd understand! Your friend the Commodore needed some more persuasion!"

"Because he's a sensible man. I'm foolish enough to know you're daft!"

Anamaria chuckled heartily. "The girl looks right through you, Jack! Oh, by the way – I never had the occasion to thank you, Miss Swann!"

She pointed at her neck, revealing the golden cross Elizabeth had given to her. This one beamed back at her. "No, please, do not thank me! I have to be grateful, you see? I wanted to give you the earrings as well, but Jack was in a hurry that night, and I couldn't find them so quickly. But now I've found them, so – regard them as a late wedding gift or so!"

She presented a pair of ruby earrings, and Anamaria blushed badly, refusing to take them.

"Oh please, you must!" Elizabeth insisted fiercely. "They belong to the necklace anyway. And if you do not like them at all – keep them and sell them in case Jack's career as a privateer doesn't turn out a success!"

"Well – thank you! I don't quite know what to say!"

"Say nothing, my dear Anamaria! If it wasn't for your help, I'd never be happy again, I suppose some earrings are little compared to that!"

Governor Swann held himself remarkably well, considering his unusual guests. By no means, he was used to pirates in his house, and he did not mean to make a habit out of it. But for a start, Captain Sparrow had acted very proper in rescuing the Challenger, and then, if he was serious about becoming a privateer, he soon would be a pirate no more, right? Nevertheless, their whole appearance was disturbing – only the woman that appeared to be the Captain's wife passing as decent. Unlike Mr. Gibbs or Jack Sparrow, she had put some effort to dress up for the event, she wore a red dress, plain and not comparable to Elizabeth's robes, but neat and clean nevertheless. Her two companions gave the most bizarre sight in the Governor's pompous parlour, ragged and dirty, and more gold flashing in the Captain's mouth, than Elizabeth wore for jewellery. He strongly suspected that they hadn't taken a bath in years. However, they were his guests now and he took every pains to make them feel at home and be a good host.

"You wish to turn a privateer, Captain Sparrow? How extraordinary!"

"You find? And I've meant there were plenty of them!"

"Well, yes, there are certainly. And regarding the latest developments about the French and the Spanish crown, there'll be need for many, many more."

"See, that's what I thought, too! Wouldn't it be a nice thing for a change to rob a Spanish gold frigate and not be sentenced to death for it?"

"It isn't about robbery, Captain, you'd serve the English Crown in doing so!" the Governor replied, consternated.

"And I shall enjoy doing so – but in my point of view, there's not much of a difference. Haven't I served His Majesty each time I've disabled a ship from taking her freight to Spain?"

"Well – one could see it like that, of course –" Governor Swann wasn't good in rhetoric, and absolutely not accustomed to cheeky remarks, apart from his own daughter.

"I've heard you were engaged, Miss Swann," Anamaria asked softly; Jack was genuinely amazed how civil his sweetheart could be if only she wanted. Not for a second he believed her normal lack of politeness could have anything to do with him.

"Yes, I am," Elizabeth answered, putting up her best smile. "But please, don't call me Miss Swann, it's so formal! I'm simply Elizabeth!"

"I told you, love, didn't I? She's about to marry the puppy!"

"Sh, Jack, keep your tongue when two ladies are conversing!"

"Ladies? I see no –"

"Oh, shut up!" Anamaria scowled at him, but wasn't really angry, turning to Elizabeth again. "So, when are you going to marry?"

"I don't know… In five years, perhaps?"

"Five years? That's a hell of a long time!"

"Oh well… It'll pass, and maybe – maybe it's good like that, don't you think?"

It was written all over Anamaria's face that she did not think so, and Jack chuckled roguishly. "Oh, it's fine! Very much time to make up one's mind! You must know, love, dear Elizabeth likes to change her mind –"

'Dear Elizabeth' turned pink; there was no way defying the comment, so she merely muttered, "I've sworn to better myself, Jack. Give it a rest!"

"It's no fault to change one's mind when one realises that one was wrong," he retorted with his forefinger raised and gesticulating, "Sign of the grown-up mind it is!"

"So you must be very grown up, Jack," Anamaria shook her head, "Don't listen to him, Miss – Elizabeth."

She tried to bear that advise in mind, but she couldn't help it. Whenever she was reminded of that particular change of mind, she was burning with guilt and shame and a strange feeling of suffocation.

"A thought just rushed to my mind, Captain Sparrow," the Governor cried and approached them. "What if the good Commodore does not succeed in making the Admiral pardon you?"

"Well, then the good Commodore is going to make up for it. He has promised me half of his fortune for compensation if he fails with the Admiral!"

On some occasions, Elizabeth Swann needed no corset to sink, and this was one of these moments. She was caught by the Captain and his wife, her father hurried to have some smelling salts brought to revive her, mumbling something that she had been quite ill recently, but Jack Sparrow only sniggered.

"Yes, I can imagine, Governor! Your daughter is always most anxious for those she loves!"