Second Chances~ Iron Maggie's Herstory
The following week after my immediate employment in the Commodore's House passed with many painful incidents. It turns out that I was prone to have disagreements with the scalding tub in the Scullery. The tub was filled with scalding hot water and was used to scald clothing and various other materials in the house. As one might imagine, this scalding tub was very dangerous and I had no patience to do the Scullery work. The Scullery was always hot and incredibly moist. The air in there was too thick to breathe at times.
I was determined to be removed from the Scullery, but removed in such a way that would not result in my termination. So one afternoon while I was melting in the Scullery, I carefully removed one of the rags I was boiling from the tub and quickly placed it on my left forearm. The pain from the hot rag searing through my flesh was excruciating. I bit down on my lip to keep myself from screaming prematurely. After a minute of this self-inflicted burning, I threw the rag back into the tub and then let out a pain-filled scream.
It didn't take long for Miss Steele and Lillian to find me. To add to my dramatic performance I fell to the ground after screaming. The two maids found me lying on the hot floor clutching my left arm and crying. Lillian helped me to stand and escorted me out of the Scullery and into the hall where Miss Steele examined my red arm.
"How did this happen?" barked Miss Steele.
"Some of the hot rags fell on my arm when I was removing them from the tub." I said in a whimpery tone.
"You silly girl." Smirked Miss Steele. "Lillian, take Miss Montague to the drawing room, there you will find Mr. Vendalham."
"Yes Miss Steele." Replied Lillian as she led me into the drawing room like an obedient dog.
Vendalham was checking the room for dust when Lillian and I entered the drawing room. Our entrance was shortly followed by Miss Steele. Vendalham gazed around at all of our faces before setting his gaze on me.
"What is the matter?" He asked.
"This stupid girl has gone and burnt herself in the Scullery." Replied Miss Steele.
"Is that a fact?" asked Vendalham sarcastically. "Come here child and let me see your burn."
I went to him, as a child would to a parent, with my left arm outstretched so that he could clearly see my injury. He looked at my burnt arm for what seemed like an eternity before saying the words that would liberate me from the Scullery hell.
"This doesn't look too bad. I believe it will heal without leaving any noticeable scars." Said Vendalham.
"I did not bring her here so you could evaluate her injury." Said Miss Steele. "I want to know what should be done with her. She is a careless wreck!"
"Isn't it obvious? She shall be moved out of the Scullery." Said Vendalham.
"If she is not to work in the Scullery, then where is she to work?" asked Miss Steele, who was not at all happy with Vendalham at the moment.
"She can clean like everyone else here," said Vendalham. "Can you make tea child?"
"Yes sir." I said.
"Very good. You will clean like the rest of us and make the Commodore's tea." Said Vendalham.
Miss Steele let out a defeated grunt, as she was obviously hoping I would be terminated by Vendalham, before she stormed out of the drawing room. Lillian suppressed a laugh and smiled lightly before she too took her leave. Vendalham advised me to return to my room to rest for the day. I was more than happy to oblige him.
I retreated to my room to tend to my arm. It was a small sacrifice to pay to escape the Scullery, but it was well worth it. Now I would be cleaning like the other maids and I would be making the Commodore's tea. Tea making was perhaps the only domestic skill that I excelled at.
I kept my arm wrapped in cool rags when I was cleaning, which occupied a great deal of my time. The highlight of my days came an hour before tea time. I would work on the tea for an hour prior to serving time. Using the tea as an excuse to get out of cleaning was wonderful and I didn't waste it.
The Commodore enjoyed my tea and I actually enjoyed serving him. I never would have dared to think that one day I would enjoy serving the Pirate Hunter, but he was very kind and always a gentleman with his servants.
If only I would have spent more time trying to get away from Port Royale and less time thinking about the Commodore; I might have been able to poison his tea and get away before anyone figured out it was me. But I can honestly say that the thought of poisoning Commodore Norrington did not linger in my mind for that long as my feelings for him grew stronger each day.
I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I definitely had feelings for the good Commodore, and these feelings were anything but platonic. I would seize every opportunity to scold myself for having such feelings for an officer of the Royal Navy. I even tried beating the feelings out of me, but that didn't work.
I "tripped" and fell down the first floor stairway and that didn't do anything except bruise me up royally. I then "forced" a few books to fall off of their shelf and hit me in the head when I was dusting the library, but all I wound up with was a massive headache and more bruising. I did, however, succeed at convincing Miss Steele that I was out to annoy her.
My little trying-to-get-rid-of-my-feelings-for-the-Commodore incidents were really bothering her. Out of desperation, she locked me in the attic for a whole day because her nerves could no longer stand my presence. After that she would send me to the market to do the shopping just to keep out of the house. I thought this was a good compromise because it kept me away from the Commodore and it gave me an opportunity to catch the latest pirate rumors and town gossip.
During my little outings to the market I would hear rumors about the latest pirate raids and so on, but nothing about the Rose or her crew. On my third or fourth outing, however, I did hear two merchants speaking of a ship that had run aground off the coast of Port Royale. My heart sank to hear such horrible tidings. Later I heard rumors that the Bloodless Band had been pretty quiet as of late.
It didn't take me long to put two and two together. The Rose was the ship that had run aground and the Band had grown quiet because they were on board her during that storm that I had escaped from. All my hopes of getting back to Tortuga were vanquished by this horrible news. My family was lost and now I truly was alone.
I told Vendalham that I was not feeling well and retreated to my room to dwell on the past; my past. I had been with the Bloodless Band for nigh eleven years. I had never wanted to become a pirate, but it was my only choice.
My father, Henry Montague, was a poor officer in His Majesty's Royal Navy that happened to have fallen for the rich debutante socialite Magdalena Hastings, my mother. They were married against her family's wishes and so banished to the Caribbean where my father accepted a commission in the Royal Fleet stationed in Nassau. There my father fell ill to malaria and died, leaving my mother with child. Magdalena bore the child, me, with hatred and contempt.
The death of her beloved husband, who had shown real talent in the Navy, left her bitter and mad. I was to become the focus of her rage. She viewed herself a socialite that had been cheated by fate. So she vented on me, her only family. She never hesitated to tell me how awful I was and how horrible I made her life. She flat out refused to teach me how to be a lady, claiming that I was unworthy of such refinement. Little did she know that I learned by watching her movements carefully.
I would hide in my room to avoid sound lashings and her verbal abuse. Each day that I awoke, breathing, and in good health vexed her to no end. She would've had me sold into slavery if not for the fact that she needed me to help manage the house and do her chores.
What really bothered her was the fact that I was a spitting image of my father. She would tell me that I did not possess any feminine features and no respectable man would ever take an interest in me. That didn't particularly insult me as I preferred knowing that I resembled my father and not my mother.
At the age of fourteen I decided that the only way to get away from that mad woman was to run away to Port Royale, as Tortuga was too wild for such a young girl. I finally went for it when I was fifteen. I would sit in my room, which afforded a great view of the harbor, and stare out at the marina, dreaming that my knight on a white horse would come off of a ship and whisk me away to true happiness. The day after my fifteenth birthday was the day my knight came to Nassau, the H.M.S. Knight. That ship had the whitest sails I had ever seen; they gleamed in the warm sunlight and beckoned to me.
That night I climbed out of my window and ran as fast as I could to the wharf where my knight was silently waiting for me. Under the cover of darkness I was able to sneak on board that brig. I was so invisible that none of the officers noticed me, which was good. The H.M.S. Knight set sail for Port Royale the next morning with me, a stowaway, in the hold. I left my mother's name of Hastings in Nassau; from that day on I was Irene Montague.
My voyage wasn't nice in any means; I had to eat some portions of the rations so I didn't draw any attention to myself. I was in the dark the entire time and the smell was horrid. But I braved it all for the promise of a new, better life in Port Royale.
Five days, I think, into the voyage the Knight came under attack by another ship. Little did I know down in the hold that the enemy ship was none other than the Rose of Tortuga and was crewed by the Bloodless Band of Pirates. The Knight bravely fought for some time before being outgunned by the Rose. Pirates swarmed the Knight like locusts and they found me in the darkness of the hold.
I was brought out and my presence was made known to the remaining crew of the Knight. I was then taken to the Rose where I met the Pirates' captain, Grimwood, a stern man who had a kind heart. He gave me two choices (neither of which allowed me to remain on the Knight and continue on to Port Royale): join his band freely and become a pirate and member of his crew or, be given to his crew to do with me as they pleased and then be sold into either slavery or prostitution in Tortuga.
I chose to become a pirate, despite the fact that I loathed pirates at the time. Captain Grimwood educated me in the ways of piracy. He taught me to duel and to use a pistol. He instilled in me the values and codes of piracy, the sweet trade. Under the instruction of the crew I learned the mechanics of ships, navigation, and defense. In two years time I was plundering with the rest of the crew.
Captain Grimwood transformed me from the shy, demure child that I was into the bold, audacious woman that I am now. My real test of skill came when I was eighteen years of age (as I said in the beginning). I bested every man foolish enough to challenge me in a duel. I bested the Captain with his own cutlass. That act garnered me my official title of 'She-Pirate.'
It didn't take long for the news of a She-Pirate to spread in Tortuga and throughout the Spanish Main. I dropped my christened name of Irene and decided to dishonor my mother by adopting her name, Magdalena. I took the name of Jericho in honor of my father's father. So I became the She-Pirate Magdalena Jericho.
Captain Grimwood said that I had a will as strong as iron, so I added that to my name and soon people were talking about Iron Magdalena Jericho and her piratical exploits. When I was twenty-one sailors and merchantmen began singing songs about the infamous Iron Maggie and the Rose.
I sailed with the Rose and shared in the plundering and pillaging of other ships and small coastal towns. I was a pirate and I embraced every aspect of pirate life. I even grew to like storms at sea, they kept us all humble.
This life of a servant was nothing like that of a pirate. I infinitely preferred life at sea; I was not a landlubber. Oh how I longed to be back with my Brethren on the Rose. Society here in Port Royale was more agreeable then that of Tortuga, but a polished society lacks true character in my opinion.
It was well past midnight when I ventured out of my room. I needed to quench my thirst as I was unable to keep it at bay any longer. I moved as quietly as I could, attempting to mimic the stealth of a cat. I went to the Scullery to get a cup of hot water and then fetched some tea from the kitchen. I settled myself in a couch next to the fire place in the drawing room.
I was watching the fire slowly die out when I heard someone in the hall way. My curiosity was satisfied in no time when the stranger in the hall came into the drawing room and was revealed to be Commodore Norrington. He was out of his usual uniform and dressed very informally.
He didn't notice me at first, but when he did he stood completely still. He was obviously not expecting on encountering anyone so late at night.
"I did not think anyone was still awake." Said the Commodore lightly.
"I'm sorry sir. Do you wish me away?" I asked, equally surprised at not being the only person awake.
"No, no. You do not need to be sorry. I should have informed you that my work at the fort keeps me awake."
"Surely it is worth it, the work you do."
"There are times that I question that."
"Your work is important to those that you protect, sir."
"Perhaps. May I ask what keeps you awake at this hour?"
"A troubled mind, sir."
"May I ask what troubles thee?"
"I do not wish to burden you, sir."
"I have many burdens Miss Montague, one more will not upset my balance."
"I heard that a ship run aground during the last storm. Is it true?"
"A ship did run aground, yes."
"Were there any survivors?"
"Why the sudden interest in this particular ship Miss Montague?"
"No ship should be taken by a storm, sir."
"That is all too true Miss Montague. But I'm afraid that this happens all too often."
"Do you know the name of the ship that has run aground?"
"As of yet, no. It was completely destroyed in the storm. The piece of hull that bears its name has not washed up."
"Oh."
Here a short time was filled with that unpleasant awkward silence that kills so many conversations. My mind was now toying with the thought that maybe the run aground ship was not my Rose. That night had been so dark that just maybe another ship was sailing nigh our course and it had the terrible misfortune to run aground. Maybe my family was still alive; maybe they found their way to Tortuga. Maybe they believed that I was the one dead…
"Mr. Vendalham informed me of your accident in the Scullery. Are you alright?"
"I wasn't as careful as I should have been. The pain is all-but-gone. I am quite fine now sir."
"I am glad to hear that. I did not employ you to be killed in my house."
"And I did not accept this job to be killed in your house sir."
"Good. If you will excuse me Miss Montague, I have an early day tomorrow. I believe I shall try to sleep now."
"Very well sir. Good night."
"Good night Miss Montague."
He slowly rose from where he had been seated and left the drawing room. The fire in the fireplace had burnt itself down to smoldering embers during our conversation. Instead of dwelling on my Brethren and lost ship, I was now thinking of nothing but Commodore Norrington. He was tall, dark, incredibly handsome, strong, brave, and feared little in life. He was almost perfect, if only he could change his opinion on piracy.
I dragged myself up to the attic after the Commodore's room had grown silent. I could hear that he tossed and turned for a good hour before settling into sleep. Poor man, I felt sorry for him. He was just thirty years of age, successful, yet was unclaimed by any woman. A good man like him should be married and have four children already in my opinion.
I settled myself into my own bed in the drafty attic while pondering about Commodore Norrington. He had a story and I wanted to hear it.
Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long in updating. I started this piece during the summer and had hoped to have it done by now, but life exceeds at throwing me a lot of curve balls. Bear with me, I'm attending college full time and working part time. But I shan't neglect this fic for so long again. Big thanks go to Rusalka for getting me back on track. I had no idea I was dragging my feet for this long. Thanks. If you feel that I'm taking to long don't be afraid to tell me that I should hurry. I need people to tell me I'm taking too long. So how about this: If I take more than three weeks on a chapter, you all start emailing me or something letting me know that I'm taking too long. Okay, this note is longer than I anticipated. I'll just say two more things 1) I borrowed the name Miss Steele from Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"(in case you didn't know) and 2) I reserved my copy of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" on DVD yesterday!
Okay, I'll start on chapter four ASAP. Oh, if you haven't read "Freedom is What I Want Jack" by Twilight Whisper, you're missing out. The crossover is coming up fast and I want all my readers to be in this loop. So read it!