Usual disclaimers. blah!
Hope everyone had a good weekend!
And congratulations to Johnny Depp for being one of the nominees for Best Actor in the BAFTAs!
***
Mid March
The HMS Gauntlet sailed quietly back into Port Royal harbour. Theodore sighed heavily, disappointed that no sign had been found of the French ship the Catalyntie. If it had been Jean Claude Lact carrying out these atrocities then there was no sign of him. At least the attacks appeared to have stopped - perhaps the HMS Gauntlet and the Black Pearl being in the region had deterred further raids.
As soon as his boat landed he headed for the fort to hand his report to the Commodore. He crossed the yard quickly, still thinking about the weeks searching for the Catalyntie - if it even was Lact. He had begun to think they had been chasing a phantom.
"I am surprised to see you here so soon Captain," the Commodore smiled. "I would have thought you would have visited your wife and child first?"
"Child?" His eyes widened as he suddenly realised what the Commodore was referring to. "The baby has been born?" Theodore gasped in shock. He had completely forgotten the passage of time whilst on duty.
"Four weeks ago Captain. I suggest you go and visit your family and return with your report later..." James Norrington smiled wistfully as Theodore turned in a daze and headed home - wishing that for once he could manage to find a woman to marry.
***
Theodore entered to find the house full of flowers and the maid placing a large bowl of fresh fruit on the table in the lobby. "Oh, Captain Groves!" she smiled. "Mistress Groves is in the lounge..."
He nodded, placing his hat beside the fruit as he walked slowly into the lounge. Mary was quietly sleeping on one of the large settees - there was no sign of their baby. He shook his head ruefully, realising he did not even know if his child was a boy or a girl. He leaned against the doorpost, watching her as she slept. He wished his marriage could be as solid as that of his sister and Jack. Having spent the last six weeks in their company had shown him only too clearly what he was missing - the teasing, the raucous laugher and open affection. Theodore had resolved on his journey back to Port Royal that he would try again with his marriage and now that he had a child he felt it was even more important to try.
He smiled as he saw her waking, eyes widening as she saw him at the doorway. "I understand congratulations are in order Mary. I would have brought a gift, but I lost track of the time in the search for the Catalyntie..."
She rose, walking across to him. He noticed that she had already lost most of the visible signs of her pregnancy. He opened his arms to her. "Can we call a truce to the hostilities Mary? Now we are a family..."
"You wish to see your daughter then?" Mary asked coldly. There would be no truce on her part.
"A daughter..." he smiled in shocked delight.
"Your daughter Theodore. Her name is Charlotte," Mary quietly smiled, seeing the power she could exert over him with this baby.
"A daughter..." he repeated, smiling delightedly. "May I see her?"
Mary proudly led the way up the stairs to the front bedroom that had been altered to be a nursery. A new maid sat quietly inside the room, watching the baby whilst she slept but she rose and left when they entered. Theodore crept quietly over to the cot where they baby... no, where his daughter slept. Awe filled his eyes as he looked at her, the tiny perfection of her small hands as they clenched in sleep. For the first time he fully understood his sister's longing for a child
"She is beautiful," he smiled as he turned to face her. "Just like her mother..." He kissed her gently on the cheek, unsure of his reception but relieved when she smiled in return. He paused, looking awkward. "I am sorry I will have to leave you for a while... the Commodore is awaiting my report. I will be back as soon as I can..." He turned, walking from the nursery.
"But you have only just returned!" Mary retorted, angrily following him.
"I must report to the Commodore, Mary - it is my duty!" he turned to face her.
"And what of your duty to your family? You've been gone for weeks and cannot even spend an hour at home before going to the fort?" Mary's voice rose.
He sighed, thinking it best not to let her know that he had already been there. "I will not be long Mary, but I must give my report. I am sorry..."
He turned and walked slowly back to the fort, sad that he had already argued with Mary but still dazed at realisation that he was a father. For a moment he wished that the Black Pearl was in port, that he could row out and get a beautiful necklace or something for Mary to show his pride. But jewellery of the kind he wanted was only made to order and you had to have the stones for it in the first place. He sighed, realising he would have to resort to fruit and flowers... though perhaps with a modest piece of jewellery too.
Theodore stood for the second time that day before the Commodore and reported all that had happened in the weeks that he had been away.
"And you say there was no sign of either Lact or the Catalyntie?" James Norrington asked, frowning.
"No Commodore, and no ships were attacked whilst we were there. The Black Pearl will stay down there for a few more weeks, just in case, but if it was Lact then he has gone elsewhere or been sunk..." Theodore shrugged.
"Unfortunately Captain Groves, I believe it is the former. I received a disturbing report from Nassau only yesterday cataloguing another two possible such attacks. As soon as the HMS Gauntlet can be resupplied I will be sending you north - this ship must be caught before people are too afraid to take to the seas." The Commodore noticed the disappointment on Theodore's face. "Oh, don't worry Captain - I am sure it will take a week at least to resupply so spend the time with your wife and new daughter..."
"Thank you Sir," Theodore sighed. His plans to rekindle his marriage were obviously going to be put on hold for a while... even he could not work that kind of miracle in a week. He hoped Mary would understand that his duty was to his ship, but after their recent argument he somehow doubted it..
***
With heavy heart Theodore watched Port Royal slip from view. Things had improved between him and Mary to the extent that he had returned to their marriage bed, but now he was to be away for another five or six weeks playing hunt the Catalyntie... if it even was Jean Claude Lact. Mary had even brought Charlotte to wave him off from the dockside, so perhaps there was hope after all. He believed that they could make their marriage work better - perhaps things would improve now that the baby had been born. If only he could get his father to actually talk to Mary then the atmosphere in the house would improve greatly. Edmund Groves would not easily forgive the forced absence of his daughter and Theodore could see no easy way around the problem.
Hope everyone had a good weekend!
And congratulations to Johnny Depp for being one of the nominees for Best Actor in the BAFTAs!
***
Mid March
The HMS Gauntlet sailed quietly back into Port Royal harbour. Theodore sighed heavily, disappointed that no sign had been found of the French ship the Catalyntie. If it had been Jean Claude Lact carrying out these atrocities then there was no sign of him. At least the attacks appeared to have stopped - perhaps the HMS Gauntlet and the Black Pearl being in the region had deterred further raids.
As soon as his boat landed he headed for the fort to hand his report to the Commodore. He crossed the yard quickly, still thinking about the weeks searching for the Catalyntie - if it even was Lact. He had begun to think they had been chasing a phantom.
"I am surprised to see you here so soon Captain," the Commodore smiled. "I would have thought you would have visited your wife and child first?"
"Child?" His eyes widened as he suddenly realised what the Commodore was referring to. "The baby has been born?" Theodore gasped in shock. He had completely forgotten the passage of time whilst on duty.
"Four weeks ago Captain. I suggest you go and visit your family and return with your report later..." James Norrington smiled wistfully as Theodore turned in a daze and headed home - wishing that for once he could manage to find a woman to marry.
***
Theodore entered to find the house full of flowers and the maid placing a large bowl of fresh fruit on the table in the lobby. "Oh, Captain Groves!" she smiled. "Mistress Groves is in the lounge..."
He nodded, placing his hat beside the fruit as he walked slowly into the lounge. Mary was quietly sleeping on one of the large settees - there was no sign of their baby. He shook his head ruefully, realising he did not even know if his child was a boy or a girl. He leaned against the doorpost, watching her as she slept. He wished his marriage could be as solid as that of his sister and Jack. Having spent the last six weeks in their company had shown him only too clearly what he was missing - the teasing, the raucous laugher and open affection. Theodore had resolved on his journey back to Port Royal that he would try again with his marriage and now that he had a child he felt it was even more important to try.
He smiled as he saw her waking, eyes widening as she saw him at the doorway. "I understand congratulations are in order Mary. I would have brought a gift, but I lost track of the time in the search for the Catalyntie..."
She rose, walking across to him. He noticed that she had already lost most of the visible signs of her pregnancy. He opened his arms to her. "Can we call a truce to the hostilities Mary? Now we are a family..."
"You wish to see your daughter then?" Mary asked coldly. There would be no truce on her part.
"A daughter..." he smiled in shocked delight.
"Your daughter Theodore. Her name is Charlotte," Mary quietly smiled, seeing the power she could exert over him with this baby.
"A daughter..." he repeated, smiling delightedly. "May I see her?"
Mary proudly led the way up the stairs to the front bedroom that had been altered to be a nursery. A new maid sat quietly inside the room, watching the baby whilst she slept but she rose and left when they entered. Theodore crept quietly over to the cot where they baby... no, where his daughter slept. Awe filled his eyes as he looked at her, the tiny perfection of her small hands as they clenched in sleep. For the first time he fully understood his sister's longing for a child
"She is beautiful," he smiled as he turned to face her. "Just like her mother..." He kissed her gently on the cheek, unsure of his reception but relieved when she smiled in return. He paused, looking awkward. "I am sorry I will have to leave you for a while... the Commodore is awaiting my report. I will be back as soon as I can..." He turned, walking from the nursery.
"But you have only just returned!" Mary retorted, angrily following him.
"I must report to the Commodore, Mary - it is my duty!" he turned to face her.
"And what of your duty to your family? You've been gone for weeks and cannot even spend an hour at home before going to the fort?" Mary's voice rose.
He sighed, thinking it best not to let her know that he had already been there. "I will not be long Mary, but I must give my report. I am sorry..."
He turned and walked slowly back to the fort, sad that he had already argued with Mary but still dazed at realisation that he was a father. For a moment he wished that the Black Pearl was in port, that he could row out and get a beautiful necklace or something for Mary to show his pride. But jewellery of the kind he wanted was only made to order and you had to have the stones for it in the first place. He sighed, realising he would have to resort to fruit and flowers... though perhaps with a modest piece of jewellery too.
Theodore stood for the second time that day before the Commodore and reported all that had happened in the weeks that he had been away.
"And you say there was no sign of either Lact or the Catalyntie?" James Norrington asked, frowning.
"No Commodore, and no ships were attacked whilst we were there. The Black Pearl will stay down there for a few more weeks, just in case, but if it was Lact then he has gone elsewhere or been sunk..." Theodore shrugged.
"Unfortunately Captain Groves, I believe it is the former. I received a disturbing report from Nassau only yesterday cataloguing another two possible such attacks. As soon as the HMS Gauntlet can be resupplied I will be sending you north - this ship must be caught before people are too afraid to take to the seas." The Commodore noticed the disappointment on Theodore's face. "Oh, don't worry Captain - I am sure it will take a week at least to resupply so spend the time with your wife and new daughter..."
"Thank you Sir," Theodore sighed. His plans to rekindle his marriage were obviously going to be put on hold for a while... even he could not work that kind of miracle in a week. He hoped Mary would understand that his duty was to his ship, but after their recent argument he somehow doubted it..
***
With heavy heart Theodore watched Port Royal slip from view. Things had improved between him and Mary to the extent that he had returned to their marriage bed, but now he was to be away for another five or six weeks playing hunt the Catalyntie... if it even was Jean Claude Lact. Mary had even brought Charlotte to wave him off from the dockside, so perhaps there was hope after all. He believed that they could make their marriage work better - perhaps things would improve now that the baby had been born. If only he could get his father to actually talk to Mary then the atmosphere in the house would improve greatly. Edmund Groves would not easily forgive the forced absence of his daughter and Theodore could see no easy way around the problem.
