Chapter 9: Avoidance and Cleansing
Will and Jack stepped together, keeping the very disheveled Arianne behind them and out of Elizabeth's sight. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I was talking with Jack and lost track of the time," Will said, sounding very apologetic. Too apologetic. Elizabeth frowned at him.
"Where's me greeting, lovey?" Jack asked and stepped forward, as Will slipped Arianne off to the bedroom suite he shared with Elizabeth, leaving whatever Elizabeth replied unheard.
"Alright, I know you're going to want to get cleaned up, and trust me, it'll make your meeting Elizabeth a lot better for you, the woman can throw a fit over the tiniest speck of dirt...it's terrible," Will said, gathering up towels and running the bathwater for her. "Too hot?" he asked. She checked the water and shook her head. "Alright. Well, I think I should probably get back to Elizabeth. Preferably before she starts flirting with him too badly...Anyway, do you need anything?"
"Um...help with removal of my bandages...and more bandages for later, as these have no doubt been bled through by now, if you don't mind..." she said a bit hesitantly.
"Oh of course!" he exclaimed, feeling incredibly stupid.
She stared at him, and suddenly she realized that if he were never to speak to her again, she would die. She needed him. Sure, she was in love with him, but that had been an infatuation...it was nothing compared to what she felt now. On an impulse, she took off the shirt and presented her back to him, hoping he'd take the hint and begin to unwind her bandages.
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He stared at her. She had just taken off her shirt...oh God how beautiful she was. He found himself getting rather excited, but swallowed down what he wanted to say and instead began to unwrap the bandages around her waist and ribs. This was pure torture. He wanted so badly to tell her...what? What did he want to tell her? He shook his head and simply continued to unwind.
When he finished, he sighed inwardly with relief and made to leave, but Arianne held him back with a single word. "Will," she said softly, his name a caress. He turned back to her. She stared soberly at him. "Will, thank you. Thank you for helping me. I don't know what I'd have done without you."
Impulsively, he moved back over to her and took her in his arms-- always careful of her wounds--and kissed her lips lightly. Knowing he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer with her naked torso pressed against him, he quickly moved out of the bathing room, leaving her stunned and staring after him. He tracked down one of the servants and gave instructions on re-bandaging Arianne's wounds after she had finished bathing.
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"Jack!" Elizabeth replied in unconcealed joy, barely even noticing that Will had hurried off. "I'm so happy you're back!" She hugged him.
"Well, if this is the greeting I get when I come here, I should definitely come more often!" Jack exclaimed, hugging back and then gently pushing her away.
She felt all fluttery inside, and couldn't help but grin at him with what she fervently hoped was NOT a foolishly infatuated look on her face. She had hoped he'd come to her...would he now fulfill the rest of her fantasies? She repressed a sigh.
"You will be staying for supper, I hope?" she asked, almost pleading.
"Of course!" he replied. "Wouldn't miss a free meal, now, would I?"
She smiled happily and told Jack to make himself comfortable as she rushed into the kitchen to inform the cook there would be another guest for supper. Thrilled, she helped the man make more food, as well as some for Jack to take with him when he departed. Hopefully with a guest of his own...
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Arianne stared after Will blankly, her knees giving out on her and making her fall onto a chair somewhat painfully. The pain jolted her out of her stunned trance. Blinking back involuntary tears, she slid out of the boots, stockings and breeches and carefully climbed into the huge bathtub. The hot water felt fantastic. She sat there for a little while and simply let it relax her muscles and relieve the tension she felt.
In the meantime, she thought about the kiss. Why had he done that, and then left without so much as another word? She had wanted him to kiss her again, when she was prepared to kiss him back. She sighed. Did this mean he had feelings for her, though? Or was he simply reacting to her half- naked body? Oh she hoped it was the former. She didn't know if she could stand not being able to act on her feelings for him for the rest of her life.
Realizing her thoughts were now going in circles, she ended the train and decided to work at unpinning her hair so she could wash it. She sighed with frustration. Damn the elaborate hairstyles, there were far too many pins and such to remove, and it was doubly difficult to undo her hair in the dirty mess it was in. What made the dismal task even harder was the fact that her shoulders hurt so very bad...
A knock sounded on the door. Praying it wasn't Elizabeth, she called out for whomever it was to come inside. She breathed a sigh of relief...it was only a servant. Seeing what Arianne was about, the girl wordlessly came around and began to unpin her hair. Arianne put her arms down in relief and let the hot water relax the tension she had put into her shoulders.
"Ma'am? Ma'am?" she heard a soft voice asking and realized she must have fallen into a doze.
"Yes?" Arianne replied, blinking her eyes to rid herself of the fuzziness.
"Should I brush your hair, ma'am?" the girl asked.
Arianne winced, but knew it had to be done. She sighed. "Yes, please, if you don't mind."
"Yes, ma'am."
The girl went to work on her hair, and though she tried to be gentle, Arianne flinched several times as she encountered a rough knot or a clod of dirt.
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Jack had been sitting in an armchair in the sitting room for what seemed like hours before Will finally reappeared, looking a bit dazed. "Did ye get her taken care of, then?" Will nodded dumbly and sat down. Jack grinned inwardly. Will really was quite smitten with the girl. But was Will enough in love with her for him to pull off his own stunt? He decided to bide his time. He could be patient. And in the end, didn't Jack Sparrow always get what he wanted?
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Will felt odd. Very odd. What had he been thinking, kissing Arianne like that? Wasn't he breaking his vows to Elizabeth? Though she was breaking her vows in thought, Will couldn't shake himself of the guilt he felt of breaking his vows in deed. And thought, now that he really took the time to think about it. Hadn't he been thinking about leaving Elizabeth? Hadn't he been thinking about how beautiful Arianne was and, he had to admit, indulging in fantasies of what it might be like with her? Wasn't his crime worse than Elizabeth's? He sighed, his conscience torturing him, and sat opposite Jack, though he barely even acknowledged Jack's question, and his mind continued to turn in circles.
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Arianne dunked her head under the water, her hair finally detangled, and surfaced, grimacing a bit at the dirt that was now in the water. Resignedly, however, she rubbed soap into her hair, scrubbing her scalp and working the soap up into quite the lather before she finally felt her hair was clean. If there was one thing she really disliked, it was uncleanliness. Draining the tub, she stood up and allowed the maid to dump buckets of lukewarm water over her head until all the soap was rinsed out, then proceeded to brush her hair again.
When her hair was unknotted once more, Arianne tied it into a knot at the nape of her neck and began to carefully wash the rest of her body, realizing she probably should have done this first. She carefully went over every inch of her body, even more careful over the wounds blood had been washed away from and were now slowly preparing to leak the precious red stuff again. She allowed herself to be rinsed once more and then toweled herself off, letting the maid bandage her up again before unknotting her hair to let it air-dry a bit before putting the rest of her clothes back on.
Not much later, she left the bathing room fully clothed and looked at the small timepiece in the bedroom. It was after 8 o'clock. The summer sun, of course, wouldn't set until around ten, and Arianne knew she couldn't hide up here forever. Also, she was getting hungry. Sighing, she resolutely opened the door to the bedroom and motioned for the servant to lead the way to wherever everyone else was at, braiding her damp hair along the way.
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Alright, I doubt that they had waterheaters in this time-period...but I really didn't want this scene to take all that long...
Will and Jack stepped together, keeping the very disheveled Arianne behind them and out of Elizabeth's sight. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I was talking with Jack and lost track of the time," Will said, sounding very apologetic. Too apologetic. Elizabeth frowned at him.
"Where's me greeting, lovey?" Jack asked and stepped forward, as Will slipped Arianne off to the bedroom suite he shared with Elizabeth, leaving whatever Elizabeth replied unheard.
"Alright, I know you're going to want to get cleaned up, and trust me, it'll make your meeting Elizabeth a lot better for you, the woman can throw a fit over the tiniest speck of dirt...it's terrible," Will said, gathering up towels and running the bathwater for her. "Too hot?" he asked. She checked the water and shook her head. "Alright. Well, I think I should probably get back to Elizabeth. Preferably before she starts flirting with him too badly...Anyway, do you need anything?"
"Um...help with removal of my bandages...and more bandages for later, as these have no doubt been bled through by now, if you don't mind..." she said a bit hesitantly.
"Oh of course!" he exclaimed, feeling incredibly stupid.
She stared at him, and suddenly she realized that if he were never to speak to her again, she would die. She needed him. Sure, she was in love with him, but that had been an infatuation...it was nothing compared to what she felt now. On an impulse, she took off the shirt and presented her back to him, hoping he'd take the hint and begin to unwind her bandages.
********************************
He stared at her. She had just taken off her shirt...oh God how beautiful she was. He found himself getting rather excited, but swallowed down what he wanted to say and instead began to unwrap the bandages around her waist and ribs. This was pure torture. He wanted so badly to tell her...what? What did he want to tell her? He shook his head and simply continued to unwind.
When he finished, he sighed inwardly with relief and made to leave, but Arianne held him back with a single word. "Will," she said softly, his name a caress. He turned back to her. She stared soberly at him. "Will, thank you. Thank you for helping me. I don't know what I'd have done without you."
Impulsively, he moved back over to her and took her in his arms-- always careful of her wounds--and kissed her lips lightly. Knowing he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer with her naked torso pressed against him, he quickly moved out of the bathing room, leaving her stunned and staring after him. He tracked down one of the servants and gave instructions on re-bandaging Arianne's wounds after she had finished bathing.
********************************
"Jack!" Elizabeth replied in unconcealed joy, barely even noticing that Will had hurried off. "I'm so happy you're back!" She hugged him.
"Well, if this is the greeting I get when I come here, I should definitely come more often!" Jack exclaimed, hugging back and then gently pushing her away.
She felt all fluttery inside, and couldn't help but grin at him with what she fervently hoped was NOT a foolishly infatuated look on her face. She had hoped he'd come to her...would he now fulfill the rest of her fantasies? She repressed a sigh.
"You will be staying for supper, I hope?" she asked, almost pleading.
"Of course!" he replied. "Wouldn't miss a free meal, now, would I?"
She smiled happily and told Jack to make himself comfortable as she rushed into the kitchen to inform the cook there would be another guest for supper. Thrilled, she helped the man make more food, as well as some for Jack to take with him when he departed. Hopefully with a guest of his own...
********************************
Arianne stared after Will blankly, her knees giving out on her and making her fall onto a chair somewhat painfully. The pain jolted her out of her stunned trance. Blinking back involuntary tears, she slid out of the boots, stockings and breeches and carefully climbed into the huge bathtub. The hot water felt fantastic. She sat there for a little while and simply let it relax her muscles and relieve the tension she felt.
In the meantime, she thought about the kiss. Why had he done that, and then left without so much as another word? She had wanted him to kiss her again, when she was prepared to kiss him back. She sighed. Did this mean he had feelings for her, though? Or was he simply reacting to her half- naked body? Oh she hoped it was the former. She didn't know if she could stand not being able to act on her feelings for him for the rest of her life.
Realizing her thoughts were now going in circles, she ended the train and decided to work at unpinning her hair so she could wash it. She sighed with frustration. Damn the elaborate hairstyles, there were far too many pins and such to remove, and it was doubly difficult to undo her hair in the dirty mess it was in. What made the dismal task even harder was the fact that her shoulders hurt so very bad...
A knock sounded on the door. Praying it wasn't Elizabeth, she called out for whomever it was to come inside. She breathed a sigh of relief...it was only a servant. Seeing what Arianne was about, the girl wordlessly came around and began to unpin her hair. Arianne put her arms down in relief and let the hot water relax the tension she had put into her shoulders.
"Ma'am? Ma'am?" she heard a soft voice asking and realized she must have fallen into a doze.
"Yes?" Arianne replied, blinking her eyes to rid herself of the fuzziness.
"Should I brush your hair, ma'am?" the girl asked.
Arianne winced, but knew it had to be done. She sighed. "Yes, please, if you don't mind."
"Yes, ma'am."
The girl went to work on her hair, and though she tried to be gentle, Arianne flinched several times as she encountered a rough knot or a clod of dirt.
********************************
Jack had been sitting in an armchair in the sitting room for what seemed like hours before Will finally reappeared, looking a bit dazed. "Did ye get her taken care of, then?" Will nodded dumbly and sat down. Jack grinned inwardly. Will really was quite smitten with the girl. But was Will enough in love with her for him to pull off his own stunt? He decided to bide his time. He could be patient. And in the end, didn't Jack Sparrow always get what he wanted?
********************************
Will felt odd. Very odd. What had he been thinking, kissing Arianne like that? Wasn't he breaking his vows to Elizabeth? Though she was breaking her vows in thought, Will couldn't shake himself of the guilt he felt of breaking his vows in deed. And thought, now that he really took the time to think about it. Hadn't he been thinking about leaving Elizabeth? Hadn't he been thinking about how beautiful Arianne was and, he had to admit, indulging in fantasies of what it might be like with her? Wasn't his crime worse than Elizabeth's? He sighed, his conscience torturing him, and sat opposite Jack, though he barely even acknowledged Jack's question, and his mind continued to turn in circles.
********************************
Arianne dunked her head under the water, her hair finally detangled, and surfaced, grimacing a bit at the dirt that was now in the water. Resignedly, however, she rubbed soap into her hair, scrubbing her scalp and working the soap up into quite the lather before she finally felt her hair was clean. If there was one thing she really disliked, it was uncleanliness. Draining the tub, she stood up and allowed the maid to dump buckets of lukewarm water over her head until all the soap was rinsed out, then proceeded to brush her hair again.
When her hair was unknotted once more, Arianne tied it into a knot at the nape of her neck and began to carefully wash the rest of her body, realizing she probably should have done this first. She carefully went over every inch of her body, even more careful over the wounds blood had been washed away from and were now slowly preparing to leak the precious red stuff again. She allowed herself to be rinsed once more and then toweled herself off, letting the maid bandage her up again before unknotting her hair to let it air-dry a bit before putting the rest of her clothes back on.
Not much later, she left the bathing room fully clothed and looked at the small timepiece in the bedroom. It was after 8 o'clock. The summer sun, of course, wouldn't set until around ten, and Arianne knew she couldn't hide up here forever. Also, she was getting hungry. Sighing, she resolutely opened the door to the bedroom and motioned for the servant to lead the way to wherever everyone else was at, braiding her damp hair along the way.
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Alright, I doubt that they had waterheaters in this time-period...but I really didn't want this scene to take all that long...