Chapter 26: Island House

It was a beautiful morning outside, the sun shining thinly through the clouds, which were breaking up after a short rainstorm that had come just before dawn. Everything looked very much brighter and cleaner. Harry noticed these things only in passing, however, for when they emerged into the yard nearly every one of the slaves of the plantation were there to meet her. There were nearly sixty of them, ranging in age from small children to one skinny ancient with grizzled grey hair and clear, sad eyes. Many showed signs of neglect or misuse, and there were a number with fresh injuries as well. Most of them carried some type of weapon, weapons that had been recently used.

An amply proportioned woman dressed in the clothing of a housekeeper came forward and fixed Harry with a serious eye. "Lady Fanshawe, I'm Rachel. I've been keeping Island House close to twenty years now. We're very glad of your coming, Lady."

The woman spoke with respect, and Jack had to marvel that Harry, even dressed in boy's clothing, wounded and disheveled, still commanded the attentions due a dowager duchess.

Harry held out her hands, and Rachel took them hesitantly. "I am so very glad to be here," Harry said. "My only regret is that I did not come to you sooner. But now, I shall make everything as right as I can. Will you stay and help me, and teach me?"

Rachel looked down at this rather untidy but still oddly elegant scion of English nobility and what she saw in the intent, beautiful little face brought unaccustomed tears to her eyes. "You're asking me?" she said, her voice rough with emotion and surprise.

"I am," said Harry, simply.

The woman smiled. "Well, I will, Lady," she said. She looked up at her people and raised her voice so that all could hear. "It's long years since any of us have seen the shores of our old country, and some of these young ones don't know any land but this. There's no goin' back for most of us. But this island can be a good place to call home, as most of you likely remember. I'll stay, Lady. And I reckon most of these others will stay too." There was a murmured assent from the group.

Harry released Rachel's hands and addressed the group. "I know you have all been through a terrible time, but I promise I shall do everything I can to make it up to you." But then she frowned suddenly, the happy color fading from her cheeks, and raised a hand to brush it against her aching head.

Jack said, worriedly, "Lady Fanshawe's been hurt, Rachel. We need things to patch her up a bit. Can you show us where?"

Rachel said, "Let's go 'round to the back of the house, out o' sight o' that devil's whippin' post."

"Have it taken down!" exclaimed Harry, wearily.

"Whatever you say, ma'am," grinned Rachel. "Jess! Tom! See to it!" The big woman looked at Jack. "You pick her up and follow me, Captain. We'll go out back where there's some nice grass an' trees, and a sight of the sea."

Jack obeyed, ignoring Harry's rather feeble objections that she was fully capable of walking the short distance, and the whole party from the Black Pearl and many of the St. Claire inhabitants followed Rachel around the house to the back lawn, where comfortable chairs and a table were quickly set up on the veranda. After depositing Harry in a chair, Jack sat down next to her, and Elizabeth sat down on her other side.

Rachel said: "I'll go get some things to clean you up and tend that wound, and I've got just the thing to fix up your headache, too. You just sit a while with the Captain, here, and these others, and I'll be right back." She bustled off into the house, barking orders to several of her people as she went. Quite a few of them went to do her bidding, leaving mostly curious children and a few of their elders lingering on the lawn under the trees.

Gibbs nudged Will and they went after Rachel into the house, followed by Anamaria and Judah. Jack turned to examine Harry's wounded forehead more closely, frowning. Harry let him, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip slightly at the pain.

"Well, it won't need to be stitched, at least," he said finally, "But you'll have a bit of a scar there. It's close to your hairline, so it won't be too noticeable."

"It will add to my rakish air," said Harry, smiling. She leaned her forehead against Jack's hand as he caressed it.

"Headache?" he asked, gently.

Harry nodded, sudden tears coming to her eyes at the sympathy in his voice.

"Now, don't start crying," he said, a little severely. "That'll just make it worse!"

Harry laughed shakily. "I know. I must say, I'm glad it won't need to be stitched: I'm afraid I'd have hysterics!"

She sat back and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh morning air, hardly able to believe it was all over and had turned out so well. Presently Rachel reemerged from the house bearing a tray of drinks, followed by another woman carrying a basin of water, and still another with bandaging, and a box of medicinal substances, including a bottle of some kind of spirits.

"Rum?" Jack asked, with some enthusiasm.

Rachel put her tray of drinks on the table. "There's rum, and a good many other good things in these drinks: guaranteed to ease a headache. All of you, drink up now!" She handed them each a big mug.

Harry sipped, and then exclaimed, "This is delicious! And there's ice! Where on earth did you get it?"

"Brought clear from New England every winter, an' stored in the icehouse, deep under the barn. Keeps most of the summer, though it costs a small fortune, of course."

"This drink seems to be mostly fruit juice," commented Jack, unhappily. "Are you sure there's rum in it?"

"I think it's delicious!" said Elizabeth.

Harry said nothing, concentrating on drinking down the luscious concoction, and, since she'd had nothing to eat since breakfast the day before, she almost immediately began to feel the medicinal effects of the very considerable quantity of rum in it. She paused and took a deep breath of relief. "This is lovely!" she said, her voice slurring ever so slightly. "I want this for breakfast every day!"

"Looks like she's about ready to have that wound taken care of," Rachel commented, dryly. "Here, Captain." She opened the bottle of rum and added a good dollop to Jack's half empty mug. "You hold her hand, now, and I'll do the doctoring."

The next few minutes tried Harry's fortitude a little, but she bore up well between deep gulps of rum-laced punch and holding fiercely to Jack's hand. Finally Rachel stood back, surveying her handiwork.

"You won't need to keep the bandage on but a day or two: that salve I put on will help it heal real fast."

"Thank you, Rachel," said Harry, woozy with relief and rum. "Could you get me another of those drinks, please?"

"One's likely enough for a little bit of a thing like you," said the woman, with a smile, "but I'll get you another little one if you like. What you need is some real breakfast—and the Captain and Miss Elizabeth, too. And those others, if I can roust them out of the house: they're lookin' for that gold of yours. I told 'em it was in the cellar, but maybe I'll have to show 'em myself. You just set and rest while I do some cookin'."

o-o-o

Harry and Elizabeth had a long nap in a bedroom of the house after breakfast, while the others looked over the plantation, and counted the gold, which had indeed been in the cellar as Rachel had said. There were over six thousand pieces of gold. "And there's still this year's rum ready to go to ship," Judah said.

"If it's anything like what we had this morning, it'll fetch a good price," said Jack. "Good stuff, that!"

"It's just like. St. Claire's known for fine rum."

Will grinned at Jack. "Your luck's certainly improved, Jack! You finally meet your lady love and she actually owns an island where they make quantities of the finest rum!"

"Entirely in keeping with me persona, mate. After all, I am Captain Jack Sparrow." He gave Will a self-satisfied smirk, and winked at him.

o-o-o

Some time later, Harry and Elizabeth emerged onto the veranda again, looking much refreshed.

Elizabeth went off to look for Will, and Jack came to Harry, taking her hands in his. "Better?" he asked, looking her over narrowly.

"Yes, much!" She smiled up at him.

"Excellent. Then sit down here and I'll tell you what we're going to do." He fixed her with a challenging eye.

Harry opened her mouth. Closed it. Then said: "All right, tell me," and went and sat down on her veranda chair again.

He sat beside her and took her hand again, and patted it. "That's my good wee Dowager Duchess," he said approvingly, his eyes twinkling.

She sighed, and assumed an expression of vacuous insipidity.

He grinned. "We're leavin' tonight, after dinner, on the evening tide…" he began.

"So soon!" Harry exclaimed, a little distressed.

Jack put a long finger against her lips, with a warning look. She sighed again, and closed her lips.

He went on. "There's a dozen o' those ruffians of Cray's tied up in the barn, and they'll need to be watched close till we're able to get back here and take 'em to be sold. I don't want 'em on the ship till you're safe in Port Royal, and we don't want 'em residin' in the barn any longer than necessary. Savvy?"

"Aye, Captain." Her eyes smiled.

"The correct answer. Very good. Now, as for the rest. Anamaria's taken a bit of a shine to Judah, I believe, and has agreed to stay to help keep things in order here till ye come back after the wedding."

"How good of her! I shall want to return almost immediately after the wedding, of course."

"Aye, I thought so."

"And Rachel!" Harry said to the housekeeper, who was standing close by, smiling at the interchange between her new mistress and the Captain. "I'll want a list of our most pressing needs. I'll hire a ship and bring back as much as I can."

"We'll help you make up that list before you leave, Lady Fanshawe."

"I wish you will call me Harry," the Dowager Duchess said, with a slight smile.

"Lady Harry, then," said the woman, smiling back.

"Other than that," said Jack, "you've about six thousand in gold…"

"Four then, after your share," Harry pointed out.

"Four then," agreed Jack, "and the whole of this year's shipment of rum to be sold, so ye'll do all right."

"Yes, I will. But you must take some of the rum, too. I know you liked it."

"Oh, yes. Wonderful stuff. Better without all that juice in it, of course," he added, cocking an eyebrow at Rachel, who chuckled richly.

o-o-o

Jack had sent some of the crew back to the Black Pearl so that the ship could be brought round to the south bay, which lay just beyond the white sand beach below Island House. When it arrived, a longboat came out from it bearing Cotton and his parrot, and Michael Owens. The boy was wearing some of Anamaria's clothing, which fit him even less well than his own things, which Harry still wore. The Dowager Duchess ran up to him as he came ashore and, to his astonishment, knelt on one knee before him.

"Owens, my dear, can you ever forgive me? I'm so sorry to have made you a victim of my dreadful temper!"

Owens stared down at her, flushing uncomfortably. "Lady, I…you don't have to ask! You could've 'ad my clothes an' welcome: they fit you better'n me, anyway. It's just…"

"What?" she prompted gently as he hesitated.

"I was just…a bit worried was all. About you an' Miss Swann. And the Captain." He looked up at Jack, who was standing behind the Dowager Duchess. Jack winked at Owens, and the boy gave a slow smile.

Harry glanced back at Jack, then looked at Owens again. "Yes, well, you had reason to be worried. But it all came right in the end, thank God and the Angels." She took his thin hand in hers. "There's going to be a lovely dinner set out soon, with music and dancing, too, from what I understand. I daresay we shall all enjoy it excessively. Would you like to come meet some of the folk here?"

Owens mulled this over, a crease between his brows. "Can I stay with you and the Captain, though?"

She laughed, and stood up, but only to hug him, to his rather evident embarrassment.

"Of course you can, love. As long as you like," said Harry, and kissed his cheek.

Then she took his hand again, and Jack's, and they walked with her up the sloping path to her house.