Usual disclaimers. humph!

***

May

Catherine went shopping with Jean Claude the next morning, relieved to be back in her normal ship clothes. They needed to bring in supplies now for they did not know exactly when they would be leaving. Everything depended on what Old Man Hallam could discover and as soon as Jack knew they would be sailing immediately. They walked back towards the docks in silence, Catherine deep in thought, when a shout made her stop, turning around.

"Kitty!" A woman's voice cried in delight. "I've been looking for you!" Catherine turned to see Kasia walking towards them, four year old Abby holding onto her hand amidst the bustle of the town. "I'm heading back to the Bride - walk with me a moment..."

Catherine could see that Kasia had something on her mind and matched her stride to the taller woman. "Kasia, this is Jean Claude - our new cook!"

Jean Claude eyed the woman appreciatively, taking her hand and kissing it. "Madame..."

Not speaking French, Kasia did not correct his assumption that she was married.

Catherine tousled Abigail's hair. "And this little lady is Abby," she laughed.

Jean Claude went down on his knees to make himself more her height, taking her hand and kissing it as he had Kasia's. "Enchantee petite mademoiselle..."

Abby burst into giggles, squealing with delight as he threw her up onto her shoulders. "Jean Claude..." Kasia frowned as if the name should mean something to her but sighed, shaking her head. "Pleased to meet you... Kitty, we really need to talk..." She led the way back to the Faithful Bride, walking through to the small kitchen in the back. "Come through... tea?"

"Please," Catherine smiled. "And do you think Sanchia would miss a small brandy?"

Kasia smiled and soon returned with a pot of tea for two, a brandy and a large glass of milk for Abby who was sitting quietly by the large stove dressing and undressing a rather tattered doll.

"Merci," Jean Claude grinned as he thanked her.

"Kitty..." Kasia began cautiously. "Has anything happened between Theo and Mary?" She was still fond of the tall Captain but venom crept into her voice when she spoke of his wife.

Catherine frowned, unsure what Kasia meant. "Well, she has been missing following the big fire in Port Royal recently... Theodore is frantic, especially with Charlotte being barely two months old..."

"They have a daughter..." Kasia's face clouded. "I didn't know..."

Catherine looked at her shrewdly. "But that wasn't what you wanted to speak to me about. There was something else, wasn't there?" she pressed.

Kasia nodded. "I saw Mary..."

"What?" Catherine gasped in shock. "Where... when..."

"It was about two weeks ago... she was with some sailors..." Both of the women smiled at her polite use of the term, knowing full well she meant pirates.

Jean Claude chuckled. "You keep interesting company Madame," he smiled.

Kasia raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed familiar but Catherine had introduced him as their cook. She shrugged - whatever it was it could probably wait.

Catherine frowned. "Did she appear to be there freely? Or under duress?"

Kasia sighed heavily. "Freely - if her behaviour was anything to go by... I've seen better behaved whores!"

"She would not have been ashore if under duress," Jean Claude reasoned. "If not here of her own free will she would have been locked in the brig..."

Chewing her lip, Catherine nodded in agreement, speaking quietly. "Do you know who she was with?"

"No, I am sorry," Kasia apologised, shaking her head. "As soon as I saw her I asked Sanchia if I could be excused for the evening... after all that happened before I didn't want her finding me here..."

Catherine smiled reassuringly. "That's okay Kasia," she reached across, squeezing her hand. "I believe you over that bitch any day!" She sighed. "But Theo will be relieved to know she is alive, even if she does appear to have run off with a pirate..." She finished her tea and rose, turning to Jean Claude. "We'd better get back to the Pearl. Jack will want to know about this..."

***

But Catherine would not get a chance to tell Jack until much later that evening. When she returned to the ship she found that Isaac Hallam was aboard already and that Joshamee wash showing him around. From the look of the rest of the crew, Jack was getting ready to sail.

"Put the supplies in the galley, Jean Claude," she smiled as she headed towards the cabin, stopping in surprise to find Jack sitting at the table with Jeremiah Hallam. She was even more surprised to see Clara Hallam sitting quietly looking out of the window.

"Ah, Kitty!" Jack smiled with relief. "I'm glad yer here... could yer show Mistress Hallam around th' Pearl fer me? Isaac is aboard an' she wants t' see where he'll be sleepin' an' th' like..."

"Sure," she smiled as she balanced against the doorway to their quarters, taking her boots off. "This way then Clara..." She frowned at Jack. "I doubt my husband has offered you tea, so let me show you the galley first." She led Clara out on deck, the woman's shoes clunking on the deck behind her.

"You don't wear anything on your feet?" Clara Hallam asked in surprise.

"How can I when I'm aboard," Catherine smiled at her. "When Jack might send me up to the crows nest or to loose the sails..."

Clara looked upwards in fear. "You go up there?" she gasped.

Catherine smiled. "The view is incredible! Would you like to see it?"

The older woman paled. "I don't think so my dear... you mentioned tea?"

Catherine laughed at her attempt to change subjects and led her down into the galley where Jean Claude was finishing putting away the supplies. He looked up as the women entered. "Ah, I am glad you are still here Jean Claude. Could you go back ashore and get the rest of the purchases? I was hoping we could get them tomorrow but now Isaac is aboard we'll probably be away tonight..."

Jean Claude nodded. "Oui Catherine," he smiled, heading back up the stairs.

"Get Paul to help you!" she shouted at his retreating back as she reached for the small kettle, dipping it into the barrel of drinking water and putting it on the stove. Soon it had boiled and the two of them sat quietly drinking tea.

"Your boat is very big..." Clara began.

"Ship," Catherine corrected. "Black Pearl is a ship - a boat is what brought you here..."

Clara smiled. "You'd have thought all these years being married to a pirate I'd be used to that," she laughed, "but I never went on the Margarite when it was Jeremiah's..." Catherine refrained from correcting her that ships were not addressed as "it" but "she". "And it would not do for Joshua to have his mother on it now..."

"How many ships have you been on?" Catherine asked.

"This is the first," Clara admitted.

"But surely when you came to Tortuga..." Catherine puzzled.

"No," Clara admitted. "I was born on Tortuga and have never left..."

Catherine gasped, her own life so entwined with that of Jack and the Black Pearl that she could not conceive being shore-bound for her entire life. Even as a child she had forever been on her grandfather's boat.

"And then the boys came along... Joshua, Neithan and Isaac..." she explained.

"So you've never been anywhere? Not even Port Royal?" Catherine was stunned.

"No... have you been to many places?" Clara asked.

Catherine took a deep breath. "I came from England, and have returned there once." She smiled remembering her father and his discovery of her husband being a pirate. "I've sailed most of the Caribbean, been as far south as Para and the Amazon, as far north as the Carolinas and even to Africa. I've sailed up the Mississippi River for hundreds of miles and ridden across half of the great continent of the Americas..."

Clara Hallam looked at her in shock. "It sounds awfully dangerous..."

"It can be," Catherine shrugged, smiling as she looked up to see Jack standing in the doorway with Jeremiah. "But I wouldn't change it for anything."

"Yer didn't get far then luv?" Jack grinned.

"You should know how important a good cup of tea is Jack," she teased. "But we were just about to start..."

"Well yer might as well tag along with us then," Jack offered.

"Thanks, but no. I doubt Clara wants to know how fast the guns reload and where you stole them from..." she laughed. "Us women will make our own way round.". They followed the men down onto the gun deck, but passed them to the small group of cabins in the stern that clustered around the rudder mechanism. "Only the senior crew have a cabin," she explained. "Joshamee as Quartermaster, Cotton as Ship's Doctor and Oran as Helm." She pointed to the three of the four doorways. "But this is the Sickbay..." She showed Clara the three small bunks squeezed into the starboard rear cabin. "Luckily it is usually empty," she smiled as they walked past the men still looking at the cannons.

"How many cannons do you have?" Clara asked.

"There are ten on this deck, another ten above and two in the main cabin," she smiled as she led the way back to the stairwell. "Down is the hold - pretty unexciting and the brig, through there are the heads..."

"Heads?" Clara frowned.

"Toilets," Catherine smiled.

"And where will Isaac sleep?" Clara looked around, puzzled.

"In a hammock on the gun deck with the rest of the crew." Catherine pointed to the neatly stowed hammocks lashed tightly to the bulkheads.

"But won't he have a cabin of his own?" Clara gasped.

"No." Catherine turned to look at her at the top of the stairs. "He will be crew and will be treated as such. There are no favours for anyone on this ship, whatever their name."

Clara opened her mouth to object, but was interrupted by a voice from the bottom of the stairs. "Pleased to hear it!" She jumped, not realising that Jeremiah Hallam and Jack had been climbing the stairs behind them. "The boy has had it easy for far too long Clara. It will do him good!" He climbed the last few stairs to stand next to her. "Are there really no favours on this ship Mistress Sparrow?"

Catherine chuckled. "Speaking from my own experience, I've swabbed the decks, I've cleaned the heads an' I've even done my fair time in the brig," she admitted ruefully. "So yes, no favours whatsoever!"

Clara looked aghast whilst Jeremiah laughed, turning to Jack. "You put your wife in the brig?"

"When th' occasion demands..." Jack grinned at Kitty. "Yer ladies finished yer tour?"

"Nearly, I was just heading to the quarterdeck" she smiled, "but perhaps we'll follow you." They followed the two men as they made their way towards the stern, climbing up towards the wheel.

"So you're leaving tonight Sparrow?" Jeremiah asked quietly.

"Aye. I've promised Little Feather I'd drop him ashore as far north as I can then I'll head back t' see if yer've any news..."

Jeremiah nodded.

"I need to go to Port Royal as soon as we can..." Catherine interrupted. "Family matters..."

Jack nodded. "We'll speak later," he said quietly, knowing she would not raise it here with the Hallams aboard. His hand caressed the wheel affectionately.

"How many of your crew take the helm?" Jeremiah asked, noticing Jack's affection for his ship and remembering how loath he had been to allow others at his helm.

"There's four - m'self, Booth, Gibbs an' Kitty..."

Jeremiah Hallam looked at Jack in disbelief. "Your wife takes the helm?"

"Yeah!" Jack defended. "An' she's done so with a frigate up our arse too!" He smiled at the memory.

"Well, if you are sailing tonight you must still have a lot to do," Jeremiah smiled. "Thank you for setting Clara's mind at ease over Isaac."

Jack looked towards the town, spotting Jean Claude and Paul Fearnan returning with the last of the supplies. "Well, yer'd best say yer goodbyes now then as we'll be gone when yer wake..." He stood back whilst they did so, before watching them rowed ashore by Hallam's own men. "So what's this family matter?" he asked.

"Kasia told me that she'd seen Mary here, in Tortuga - about a fortnight ago..." She went on to explain what had been said.

Jack sighed deeply at the news. "Poor ole Theo - cuckolded by a pirate. I doubt even the Spense family can forgive her this one..." He smiled affectionately at her. "T'morrow we'll be headin' north t' drop Little Feather off, but I'm sure we can detour to Port Royal on our way back... alright?"

She nodded. "I still cannot believe it... Theo will be devastated..."

"Well, at least he'll know she's alive..." Jack shrugged.

Catherine sighed, wondering if for her brother it would be better if Mary were dead.

***

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And Ani... review the right chapters this time!