The next morning Gwyneth woke up early and found she wasn't alone. She heard voices down in the galley and went to see who it was. She heard soft voices getting louder with each quiet step she took.
"Daddy, when am I gunna read?"
"That's up to you darlin'."
"Why?"
"Well I can't be teachin' you…"
"Why?"
" 'Cause I don't know how to read…"
"Why?"
Jack sighed in desperation. Gwyneth imagined he had heard the word 'why' many times. "I just didn't learn…Will will have to teach you."
"I want you to…" She went on. Gwyneth couldn't stand it, she had to stop spying. She walked the rest of the way down and they both waited to see who it was.
"Gweny!" Brenda squealed. Jack his hand on her head to calm her down.
"Ms. Johnson, you need something?"
She stopped in front of the table Jack was sitting at. She noticed Roberts didn't work down stairs all twenty four hours of the day. "You don't happen to have any coffee do you?"
"That stuff ain't good for you, you know that?" Jack said with a slight smile on his face.
"Oh yes, and rum is?"
He laughed, "I'll get you some coffee." He got up and put Brenda in his spot. Gwyneth took a seat next to the child who was playing with a little doll with a sword strapped to its side.
Interesting… She thought to herself, wondering where Jack would've gotten such a thing.
"So why'd you wake up so early?" Jack asked, trying to make conversation with a person he barely knew.
She shrugged, "I don't sleep very well on ships…"
"This isn't yer first ship?"
"Well being engaged to a captain…that makes it pretty hard to not be on a ship."
He nodded his understanding.
"So where is this 'Tortuga'?"
Jack looked surprised. He had finished cutting up the coffee beans and put a strainer on top of the cup and poured hot water so the scent and taste would travel downward. "You've never been t'Tortuga?"
Gwyneth shook her head, "Never heard of it…"
"Now that's shockin'. I would expect bein' around Will and Liz you would've heard some of their stories."
"Oh I have," she paused when he put the mug in front of her and picked up his daughter. She curled up against his chest and he supported the bottom of her with his arms. "But they didn't list everything you might've experienced."
Jack hesitated before saying something that he was sure would get him smacked if he didn't have a child in his arms. "Yer not too fond of pirates, are ye?"
"Says who?"
"No ones talkin' behind yer back- don't get jumpy on me…it's somethin' I've evaluated for me self."
She nodded slowly and said, "Nathan was killed by pirates…I've never really been in contact with any other pirates…"
"What about when the Pearl raided Port Royal? You did say you lived there…right?"
She nodded and sipped her drink. Strong, she thought. "I do live there, but in that point in time I was at a cousin's house in Bermuda."
They both were silent and they heard the rhythmic breathing of Brenda. Jack felt his chest go down when hers went up. They made up for each other. When she breathed out, he breathed in. Jack thought about how that used to be his life. Someone was always opposite him, someone to compensate for him…but not anymore. The person was gone and once again he was on his own, except for a three year old who insisted on leaning on him for support, love and guidance.
That afternoon showed promise as the winds were perfect and the island where Tortuga was tucked away in, was in sight. Gwyneth stayed in the cabin, seeing no reason for her to be outside getting in the way of the people who actually had something to do.
She searched through her trunk that had been transferred on to the Pearl the day before. She had some dresses, some borrowed britches from her brother. She thought how her family was holding up. She knew they wouldn't get back home until well into next week. Gwyneth was somewhat surprised that her mother had not objected to her coming on board a pirate ship. Knowing Will was here probably made it better. But it was still amazing. But mother was in a touch-and-go state. Wavering on the edge of tears. She seemed to take the death of Nathan worse than I did… Her thoughts drifted to Nathan as she went searching through her trunk for something she could do. Anything she could do.
She finally found some needle work sampler that she had started some time earlier, but with the wedding plans, never gotten that far on. She sighed; she couldn't remember what she had planned on putting on it. She had put some roses and one word on it: 'A'. It could be anything! She figured it had something to do with marriage since she was getting married.
She looked at the ring on her finger. The golden ring with four diamonds on it kept its place on her left hand. The shiny jewelry barely getting any light from the port hole in the side of the wall. I suppose I should take it off…I don't want to though. It's a reminder…well…of what? She decided to take the ring off and stored it in a box that had other jewelry in it.
Gwyneth took out the sampler, different colors of string and sat down on her cot. Hers was opposite of Ana's and was right close to the door. Soon there was a knock on the door and while still studying the empty sampler she said, "Come in!"
It was Will. He looked solemn. She looked at him and searched his face. He said simply, "There's nothing for me to do…"
Gwyneth caught the hidden meaning, "You miss Elizabeth, don't you?"
He nodded and sat down on the cot next to her. "It's hard you know? It's only been a few months after our wedding."
Gwyneth sighed, thinking of Nathan again. "Yes, I know how it feels." They were both silent for a minute and then she asked, "So are we close?"
"To Tortuga? Yea, pretty close. Two hours away at the most. Are you going to stay here?"
"No! Why would I do that?"
Will paused, "You've never heard of Tortuga have you?"
She shook her head.
"Well it's not very…it's a place that pirates love and noblemen would faint at just seeing."
"I don't care Will. I'm going to find out the information."
"But we can tell you!"
"No."
"You think we'd lie?"
She looked him in the eye, "Will. I'm going."
He frowned, thinking, I wonder how Jack is going to react to this…Gwyneth is a strong headed person…but Jack is pretty stubborn too…This will certainly be interesting…at the least.
Two hours later Will found out how Jack was going to react to this piece of information. Gwyneth had adorned her brother's pants, one of Ana Maria's shirt, her brother's vest that she had found and some boots borrowed from Will.
"Where do you think yer goin'?"
"I'm going with you, Captain."
"Will is comin' with me…I don't remember tellin' anyone else that they could come…"
"Captain, I need to find out about Nathan's killers."
"This ain't a field trip luv, yer stayin' 'ere.
"No, I'm going with you."
"Yer stayin'."
"Captain, I could go on for hours if I needed."
"Doubt it Gwen."
"And that's another thing, my names Gwyneth – not Gwen."
"Whatever- yer stayin' 'ere."
"Why!?" She asked finally.
"Because I'm the captain and I said so," He said starting to walk toward the plank.
"That's not a reason!"
"Yes it is!"
"I'm going unless you give me a valid reason!" Jack stopped and turned on his heel and sauntered back to her.
"Yer stayin' 'ere."
"If you think that I'm going to stay here just because you told me to, then you're mistaken Captain."
He narrowed his eyes, "Fine, you want a reason, 'ere it is, yer a small, defenseless woman who doesn't know how to use a sword, a dagger, a pistol or anything else you might need to fend off the inhabitants of Tortuga."
Gwyneth narrowed her eyes right back at him and said, "You'd be surprised."
He paused, if she does get hurt, Will and I are there to help her…but I'm not goin' t'help her. If she trips an' falls into a hole, she'll have to dust herself off. "Fine luv, you can come, I'm not gunna be responsible t'what may happen to you, but you can come."