"Course, this wasn´t the first time I´d been captured but this is the longest I´ve ever gone," Marcella finished.
Annamaria couldn´t help asking, "Mama, why did you leave Papa and me?"
"Darling, your father would never have let me sail again as long as I lived with him." Marcella bowed her head. "That´s why I left you all my pieces of eight and shillings and doubloons. . . for you to run away and find me too."
"Oh, Mama," said Annamaria, trying not to cry. She sat up straight. "I´m so glad you´re with me, for good."
"Here, here," Jack murmured. He then roused Elizabeth. "Darling, wake up."
"Mmm?" Elizabeth said drowsily. "Whazzat?"
"Time to go back to the Pearl," Jack said. He added playfully, "Time to go, poppet!" echoing Pintel´s semi-perverse nickname for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth flinched, then giggled. "Those bumbling fools," she said. "I´m quite shattered, let´s go."
They stood up to go and suddenly, Ragetti and Pintel, with heavily bandaged arms, loomed up at them, leering eerily.
"´Allo poppet," Pintel snarled. "´Member me?" He leaped at Elizabeth and held his gun to her head. "No moving, popkin, don´ wanna be doin´ that."
Elizabeth squeaked. She felt like passing out, she was so tired. Will, Mick, and Jack all waved their respective weapons at him, but Ragetti grabbed Marcella and Annamaria and slipped out quietly, wincing as they bit and scratched at his hands.
"You bastard," said Will, "and I thought you´d something better to do than threaten a helpless girl."
Elizabeth glared at him. She was NOT helpless.
"Shut up!" yelled Pintel and here is where he made his fateful mistake: He waggled his pistol at them! Elizabeth took this opportunity to kick Pintel´s crotch and elbow him in his gut, sending his gun flying. Jack caught it (natch) and Pintel moaned in pain.
"Say goodbye, mate," Mick roared. With this, Elizabeth, next to Jack, noticed Layla was gone!
Suddenly a high-heeled foot struck Pintel´s wretched rear and sent him careening into the table. Jack cocked Pintel´s pistol at him. "Unconscious."
"Now, THAT´S what you call ironic," crowed Will triumphantly.
"Where´re the cap´n lass an´ ´er daughter?" cried Mick. As everyone looked round, a small voice said quietly,
"Excusez-moi, je voudrais un ´merci´!" It was Layla, owner of the high-heeled foot.
"Layla!" cried Mick and swung her round. "´S get outta here ´fore we end up like the cap´n an´ her daughter!"
"Marcella an´ Anna are gone?!" said Jack, whipping his head around to scan the room. He dashed out of the Faithful Bride and his eyes searched wildly.
Behind the tavern, Annamaria chomped down on Ragetti´s hand, making him scream in pain. "That´s wha´ ya get fer stealing my mother!" Annamaria barked, breaking free and tossing Marcella an empty bottle.
Marcella took this opportunity to clock Ragetti on the head with it, and he crumpled to the ground. "´S get outta here, darling," she cried to Annamaria, and the duo dashed round front, sneaking up on Jack. "There y´are!" Jack shouted happily. "C´mon, the other lot´re right here."
The little rescuers started clomping down the main road down to the docks. Elizabeth, snug and safe inside the crook of Jack´s arm, prayed for her safe return to her father. Maybe she wasn´t cut out for piracy after all.
Governor Swann was fine. After he pitched forward into the ocean, he was saved by Captain Gillette. He received a promotion to Admiral for his valiant rescue.
Lily, Mary, and Catherine- the maids- tended to Weatherby Swann during his period of convalescence. He would not let anyone else see him, even Admiral Gillette.
"Mary, kindly bring in my lunch," the Governor rasped the next afternoon.
"Yes, Governor," Mary replied, and went out. Catherine and Lily resumed fluffing his pillows, dusting the paintings on his wall, and sweeping his floor.
"Thank you, Mary," Governor Swann said to Mary, who brought in tray of delicious hearty foods. He tucked in and shooed the maids out when he was done. Just as the shrill little maid Lily was about to close the door, Governor Swann called, "Wait!"
They cautiously shuffled back in. He cleared his throat. "Girls, do you know anything about Elizabeth?"
Lily said, "Guv´ner, I heard from my sister´s husband´s cousin, Mick Smith, or something, that he was picked up by a crew in Tortuga. Rumored to have been commanded by Captain Jack Sparrow-" The maids sighed with delight "- and that Will Turner, and a few others. And a black girl. Another girl was there too, seemed to like running around in her undergarments."
Governor Swann half-sighed, half-grunted. So Elizabeth was alive and well and living in her unmentionables.
"Thank you, Lily,Ó" Weatherby Swann said. "Please leave."
"Yes, Guv´ner," Lily said and shuffled back out.
Elizabeth, a pirate? Governor Swann thought as he settled in for a nap. Preposterous.