Chapter 16
Disclaimer: Disney can have everyone else but Pearl is MINE! And they'll just have to square with that some day.
It was late when Edward Norrington returned to his home. The government officials had forced him to repeat his story over and over, and then sit there as Gillette did the same thing. They had seemed to believe them, in the end, and had agreed that they had done the right thing. Getting the money for the rudder chain that evening had taken some doing, but he had managed it.
He tossed the bag in his palm thoughtfully. He hoped Pearl would get it to the proper recipient. He had reason enough to believe that she would. After all, if a Tortuga tavern owner had been willing to lend it to her she had to be trustworthy. Even the smith had refused out of need rather than a lack of trust. And in the end it didn't really matter. If the money never turned up they would go after Pearl. They would never have any way of tracking him down.
He paused in his steps at that thought, appalled by how much it sounded like a pirate. Memory of Pearl proclaiming he would make a good pirate nipped at the back of his brain, but he pushed it away.
Midge, the round, motherly woman who kept careful track of the maids in his home, met him at the door. She had been his nurse when he was young, and a close friend of his mother's. Now she was all he needed of a mother, and more than he wanted most days.
"That chit of a girl is in yer room," she announced as she took his coat. He nodded. "You be careful," Midge warned. "She'll break your heart, this one."
He smiled at the kind woman, worry shining in her eyes. "She already has," he answered. "Don't worry. She sails out tomorrow. She can't cause too much more damage."
"I don't know what she's told you, Sir, but that ain't no Lady."
He smiled again. "She's told me the truth, Midge. And, as always, you're exactly right. She isn't a Lady."
"Then what is she?" Midge demanded, trailing behind him as he made his way toward the kitchen.
"You have to promise not to tell," he ordered as he picked up a knife and began hacking at the chunk of ham his cook had left out for him. His servants were used to leaving him to get things for himself. It had taken him ten years of insisting on doing just that to convince them.
"Who would I tell?" Midge demanded.
Norrington shrugged as he took the plate full of ham over to the table and sat, indicating Midge could do the same. She did, after pouring him a glass of wine. "She's a pirate. You'll remember Jack Sparrow? She's his daughter."
"Pirate?" she repeated.
Norrington nodded. "Good actress, isn't she?"
"A bloody pirate? In my house? In your house?!"
"Midge, calm down, please. She isn't here to cause trouble. If she were I wouldn't have brought her. She's sailing out tomorrow."
"I should count the silver," Midge remarked.
Norrington laughed. "She isn't after our silver. She isn't after anything."
"Aye, I think she is. She's after your heart. And she'll misuse it, mark my words."
"I already offered her my heart, Midge. She's refused it. She'll leave tomorrow morning, we'll still have all of our silver, and no one will be the wiser."
"If you say so, Sir," Midge answered with a sigh. "I do trust your judgement."
"Thank you," he said, finishing off the wine. "What's she doing?"
"Reading. I tried to keep her from your library, but she was insistent. Do you wish me to go remove her from your chambers? I've prepared a guest room for her."
He shifted uncomfortably. The woman was going to throw a fit, but there was no use trying to hide it from her. She knew everything that went on in the house. "No, Midge. She will be, that is, spending the evening in my chambers."
He knew he was bright red as Midge stared at him in shock. "You'd best be teasing me, boy."
"I'm not," he assured her. "And I'm no boy. I haven't been in a very long time. Don't look at me like that, Midge. I'm not doing anything wrong." He couldn't help but think of how ironic it was that HER family had been so much easier to deal with. "The thing is, I would prefer it if the maids didn't gossip over this."
"Don't you worry about that, Sir. Every lass in this house will do exactly as I tell them, and all the lads as count. I can't say that I approve, but you are your own person. And I can't begrudge you any happiness you may find, after what that awful Elizabeth's done to you."
"Elizabeth isn't awful. She's just following her heart. We can't blame her for that." He looked longingly at the door. "And I'll marry soon. No, not Pearl. But I'll find someone. You need someone to help you run this house."
"Just as you say, Sir," she answered. "I just wish you to be happy."
"Thank you, Midge," he said as he strode toward the door.
He found her in his room, stretched out on his bed wearing her night gown, deeply involved one book or another. Two more lay beside her on the bed.
Norrington strode over to pick them up. "Pope, Kent. Satire. Why am I not surprised?"
She giggled. "I may be creative but it never hurts to read the masters. How did your meetings go?"
"Fine. They seemed to believe us, and agreed that we did the right thing. Here's your money," he added, showing her the bag before laying it on the table.
"Thank you," she said. "On my behalf, as well as Cork's."
"Be sure to thank him on our behalf as well. Did you find a boat going to Tortuga?"
She nodded. "Wasn't hard. There were several I knew. I found one that's captained by one of Jack's old crew. Was protective of me when I was young so he'll take good care of me now."
"I'm glad to hear it," Norrington said as he dug through a chest. Finally he straightened with a quiet exclamation. "Come here. I want you to have something."
She came forward slowly. "Edward, you know you shouldn't."
"You shouldn't worry so much about should and shouldn't. You're a pirate, remember?"
She laughed. "Well, you have me there."
Going around behind her he looped a gold chain around her neck and fastened it, brushing her hair fondly out of the way to lay the clasp against her neck, placing a kiss next to it.
She fingered the bobble, picking it up to look at it. It was a bird, so intricately carved in the soft metal each feather was visible. A small ruby served it for an eye, a large one for a wing, and several more small ones were set into the tail. She gasped. "Oh, Edward. It's beautiful. A Phoenix?"
He nodded. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather see wearing my crest."
"Like the woman it was originally intended for?" she asked, fingering the cold metal.
"What do you mean?" Norrington asked, blush evident even in the meager candle light.
"You didn't have enough time to have this made just for me. I don't care, Edward, but out of curiosity, who was it originally intended for?"
"Elizabeth. I meant to make it an engagement present. I would make it an engagement present to you, if you would let me."
Pearl rolled her eyes and shook her head while heaving a great sigh. "Edward, I'm going to have to start hitting you if you don't get the message soon. I'm the wrong sort. You should find someone, soon, more befitting of this." She glanced down at the bird around her neck. "It's ironic, you see. The Phoenix is a being of myth. It lives in the lands of Gods. It isn't meant for the likes of meager sparrows." She smiled up at him. "I dare say the sparrow would be consumed by the fire."
"We aren't birds, Pearl," he interrupted.
"We may as well be," she told him. "The fish may love the bird, but where would they live?"
Norrington sighed, striding forward to take her in his arms. "We aren't fish, either. Is there anything, anything at all, I could say to get your consent to marry me?"
"Yes," she answered.
Surprised, he pulled back to look into her amber eyes. "What?"
"That you were giving up your Commodoreship and wanted to come with me to join Jack's crew. Shed your pretty feathers," she said, pointedly fingering his red coat, "and take on the dull grey."
"Turn pirate?" he asked. She nodded. "Pearl, you know I can't do that."
"I do know that," she answered. "But you asked." She smiled up at him, slipping her hands beneath the folds of the coat. "Come, Commodore, no more of these gloomy thoughts. The night is too short as it is and you've kept me waiting far too long."
Edward Norrington awoke the next morning to sunlight streaking through the window over his bed. It took him a moment to remember where he was and what had happened last night. He smiled at the last part, rolling toward his bed-mate. "Pearl, my dear, I believe you've ruined me for all other women."
No answer came, either in the form of a sharp-tongued remark he'd come to expect from her or a warm embrace. In fact, the only thing that greeted him was a cold bed and the sound of parchment crinkling under his arm.
"No." His eyes flew open, darting around the room. "Pearl, no."
There was no sign of her. Her pirate clothing, lain out on a chair the night before, was gone, as was the small leather bag containing the money for the chain. So was the trunk the Governor had sent over as well as her bag and case containing her fiddle. All that remained was the sheet of paper crumpled beneath his arm.
He snatched it up quickly. Pearl's handwriting--neat and formal as any man's, totally lacking the curly italics he was accustomed to from women--crossed the page beneath his hand.
There's no use in my telling you not to be angry because you will anyway so I won't bother. You might have expected this, if you'd thought on it. Pirates aren't any good at goodbyes, and I'm no exception. This is easier. For both of us, before you start calling me selfish.
The boat left at dawn. Judging by the fact that you didn't even stir when I left I'd wager it's well past that time now. I couldn't leave you without a final word, however.
You take care of yourself. Be safe, be well. Marry a beautiful, fragile flower of a woman. It's what you deserve.
All of the love I have to give,
Pearl
He turned the paper over in his hands in shock. That couldn't be it. He was supposed to get a chance to say goodbye. One last chance to convince her to stay, to marry him and be happy. She wasn't supposed to just disappear on him.
Getting up he paused long enough to pull on breeches before he threw the window open and stared down into the harbor. The sun was indeed well over the horizon. He looked south toward Tortuga. Maybe it was best. It didn't really matter, because it was what was. And he should have expected it. It was her way.
"No regrets," he whispered into the breeze.
"Good morn, Commodore!" he heard below. He looked down to find Margaret Neats, the rich young sister of one of his officers, waving to him.
He waved back with a smile, careful not to lean too far out. The window was high enough to keep her from seeing anything but his bare chest, but even that could be considered inappropriate. Hidden from sight by the curtain as he was, he knew he was in no danger.
She was pretty enough, a fragile flower if ever there was one. The very picture of Pearl, if he thought of it. Slim with long red locks. He was hardly ready to go speak with her father, but it was enough like fate to give him pause. "No regrets," he repeated thoughtfully, returning to his rooms.
The End.
Hey, relax! Did I ever promise you a happy ending? No. I would have noticed if I did because I would have known that I was lying. I mean, come on. I clearly said no Mary Sue. The bottom line is, I couldn't do it. Pearl would never settle down and I wouldn't be being fair to the character if I made her. And Norrington can hardly turn pirate.
But who said this had to be THE end?
I'm hoping Pearl's grown on you, as she has on me. So I'm taking a poll by way of reviews. My current poll seems to suggest that you would like a sequel, and I admit that I am planning on it. If anyone wants to make sure I do write a sequel review and let me know. The latest round made me so happy! I can't even tell you how happy so I won't try.
I promise, since I've gotten a lot of reviews on this, that Jack would be in the sequel, and Elizabeth and Will. I just felt like Jack has such an overpowering presence it would be hard to develop a character with him around. Pushing him out of the picture sort of gave me a chance to let Pearl bloom (not that I think she would let her father keep the spot light too long or too often). But since she's now well developed I will Definitely have Jack around.
As for the leprechaun, well, I want to settle this once and for all. I've decided.
Jack: Running in with a maliciously grinning leprechaun on his shoulder Good news, luv.
Me: What might that be?
Jack: I've solved you leprechaun problem.
Me: That's funny because I was about to–wait. How have you solved my leprechaun problem?
Jack: Well, the little lad's Irish you know. Leprechaun starts rubbing its hands together in glee So he has a big family.
Me: I don't think I like where this is going.
Jack: So I brought in his family.
Door suddenly bursts open and a wave of green and red bouncing leprechauns come through, including a certain blond elf crawling with them.
Me: AH! Jack, what have you done?
Jack: Gotten your reviewers leprechauns. Now I can keep my wee lad.
Me: And where is he going to go when I KILL YOU?!
Jack: Better men than you have tried, luv.
Me: Ah! Reviewers all take one, quick. Heck, take twenty! I don't want any left. But you get no leprechaun if you don't review. Quickly I said!