Show Me the Horizon
Chapter 4
Captain Darley welcomed Will and Elizabeth aboard the Wave Dancer. After an exchange of greetings, he showed them to their cabin and left them alone. The cabin had been readied for the newlyweds - the bunk is turned down and there is a decanter of brandy and two glasses on the table. Elizabeth tossed her bonnet on a bench and sat down at the table with a sigh. "What a long day!"
Will hung his own hat and sword belt on a hook by the door and poured himself a brandy. "I thought it would never end. Why did we let your father invite half of Jamaica?"
"Because since he was already disappointed in my choice of groom, it was easier to let him plan the wedding the way he wanted." Elizabeth replied.
"Yes, well he doesn't really approve of me, does he.?"
"Will, it's not that he dislikes you." Elizabeth said, rising and coming around the table to put her hand on his arm. "He just had his heart set on me marrying someone rich and important. A blacksmith isn't what he'd planned for. He'll come around. He won't be able to help seeing you for what you are in time. He'll learn to admire you as much as I do."
Will reached out and ran his hand down her cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed her warmly and then with increasing hunger. Bending, he scooped her up into his arms and moved toward the bed.
--
Elizabeth woke to a light tap on the door. Opening her eyes she saw Will, already dressed in breeches and a loose shirt, open the door and take a tray from the cabin boy who waited there. Turning to set the tray on the table, he saw her eyes were open and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Turner."
Elizabeth reached for her dressing gown and wrapped it around her as she swung her legs out of bed. "Good morning. I see we're under way."
"About an hour ago." said Will, spreading jam on a piece of bread. "I woke when we weighed anchor."
"You should have awoken me," said Elizabeth.
Will shot her a mischievous look. "Thought about it." Elizabeth smiled and sat down, pouring herself some tea.
Will bit into his piece of bread. "What do you know about Captain LeSerre of the Banshee?"
She frowned slightly. "Captain Dominic LeSerre. He's a privateer under English letters. He's in Port Royal frequently, and tends to visit Father when he's in port. He's always very courteous to me, however..."
Will looked up. "However?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't like him, and I'm not sure why. Just a feeling."
Will swallowed and took a sip of tea. "He cornered me yesterday at the wedding. First he introduced me to the people around him as someone who'd engaged in piracy, then made some odd remarks about how I should keep an eye on you, because you prefer pirates. He made a rather nasty comment that you'd preferred a pirate blacksmith to a Commodore. Norrington was standing there, and he didn't appreciate it at all. Then LeSerre brought up the time you'd spent aboard the Pearl as Barbossa's captive, and the night you'd spent on that island with Jack. If it hadn't been in the middle of my own wedding party, I would have run him through. As it is, I threatened to."
Elizabeth stared at Will. "Why on earth would he do that?"
Will shrugged. "I wish I knew."
Elizabeth looked down. "You've never asked me about that night on the island. Why?"
Will set down his knife. "I knew you'd tell me what you wanted me to know. If anything had happened that night, I knew you'd tell me before the wedding. Now, I know that nothing happened."
Elizabeth got up abruptly and walked a few steps away before turning again. "Would it have mattered to you if it had?"
Will got up as well. "No." At her incredulous look, he went on. "Elizabeth, you agreed to marry Norrington so that he would be willing to rescue me from Barbossa. You'd have been intimate with Jack on that island if you thought it was what you'd had to do. You'll go to great lengths to do the right thing, Elizabeth. How can I blame you for that? And if anything had happened, how could I blame either you or Jack? For all either of you knew you'd be on that island for the rest of your lives. Expecting Jack not to try to seduce a beautiful woman under those circumstances is more than anyone could expect. I thought this all through a long time ago. I decided that I could live with not being the first with you, so long as I could be the last."
Elizabeth smiled tremulously. "The truth is, I encouraged him to drink so much rum he passed out."
Will smiled too. "So much rum that he passed out? That must have taken some doing."
Elizabeth laughed through her tears. "You were the first Will. And the only."
Will went to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I know. And I am wholly yours."
Chapter 4
Captain Darley welcomed Will and Elizabeth aboard the Wave Dancer. After an exchange of greetings, he showed them to their cabin and left them alone. The cabin had been readied for the newlyweds - the bunk is turned down and there is a decanter of brandy and two glasses on the table. Elizabeth tossed her bonnet on a bench and sat down at the table with a sigh. "What a long day!"
Will hung his own hat and sword belt on a hook by the door and poured himself a brandy. "I thought it would never end. Why did we let your father invite half of Jamaica?"
"Because since he was already disappointed in my choice of groom, it was easier to let him plan the wedding the way he wanted." Elizabeth replied.
"Yes, well he doesn't really approve of me, does he.?"
"Will, it's not that he dislikes you." Elizabeth said, rising and coming around the table to put her hand on his arm. "He just had his heart set on me marrying someone rich and important. A blacksmith isn't what he'd planned for. He'll come around. He won't be able to help seeing you for what you are in time. He'll learn to admire you as much as I do."
Will reached out and ran his hand down her cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed her warmly and then with increasing hunger. Bending, he scooped her up into his arms and moved toward the bed.
--
Elizabeth woke to a light tap on the door. Opening her eyes she saw Will, already dressed in breeches and a loose shirt, open the door and take a tray from the cabin boy who waited there. Turning to set the tray on the table, he saw her eyes were open and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Turner."
Elizabeth reached for her dressing gown and wrapped it around her as she swung her legs out of bed. "Good morning. I see we're under way."
"About an hour ago." said Will, spreading jam on a piece of bread. "I woke when we weighed anchor."
"You should have awoken me," said Elizabeth.
Will shot her a mischievous look. "Thought about it." Elizabeth smiled and sat down, pouring herself some tea.
Will bit into his piece of bread. "What do you know about Captain LeSerre of the Banshee?"
She frowned slightly. "Captain Dominic LeSerre. He's a privateer under English letters. He's in Port Royal frequently, and tends to visit Father when he's in port. He's always very courteous to me, however..."
Will looked up. "However?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't like him, and I'm not sure why. Just a feeling."
Will swallowed and took a sip of tea. "He cornered me yesterday at the wedding. First he introduced me to the people around him as someone who'd engaged in piracy, then made some odd remarks about how I should keep an eye on you, because you prefer pirates. He made a rather nasty comment that you'd preferred a pirate blacksmith to a Commodore. Norrington was standing there, and he didn't appreciate it at all. Then LeSerre brought up the time you'd spent aboard the Pearl as Barbossa's captive, and the night you'd spent on that island with Jack. If it hadn't been in the middle of my own wedding party, I would have run him through. As it is, I threatened to."
Elizabeth stared at Will. "Why on earth would he do that?"
Will shrugged. "I wish I knew."
Elizabeth looked down. "You've never asked me about that night on the island. Why?"
Will set down his knife. "I knew you'd tell me what you wanted me to know. If anything had happened that night, I knew you'd tell me before the wedding. Now, I know that nothing happened."
Elizabeth got up abruptly and walked a few steps away before turning again. "Would it have mattered to you if it had?"
Will got up as well. "No." At her incredulous look, he went on. "Elizabeth, you agreed to marry Norrington so that he would be willing to rescue me from Barbossa. You'd have been intimate with Jack on that island if you thought it was what you'd had to do. You'll go to great lengths to do the right thing, Elizabeth. How can I blame you for that? And if anything had happened, how could I blame either you or Jack? For all either of you knew you'd be on that island for the rest of your lives. Expecting Jack not to try to seduce a beautiful woman under those circumstances is more than anyone could expect. I thought this all through a long time ago. I decided that I could live with not being the first with you, so long as I could be the last."
Elizabeth smiled tremulously. "The truth is, I encouraged him to drink so much rum he passed out."
Will smiled too. "So much rum that he passed out? That must have taken some doing."
Elizabeth laughed through her tears. "You were the first Will. And the only."
Will went to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I know. And I am wholly yours."