Chapter 24:
Jack knew the others were behind him, as did Will. The fight that had ensued after the original confrontation had been small, resulting in the leader of the crew missing an ear, allowing the two Captains to get away safely. They couldn't run through the crowd along the wharf, as it would draw too much attention to themselves (not that the fight hadn't, but Jack thought that was only necessary leverage to get away without being caught), and so they were stuck walking along at a brisk pace, looking for Louisa, and pretending that the pirates/privateers weren't there.
Seeing a quick movement ahead, Will lengthened his stride, but didn't actually appear to be moving any faster. Jack heard the sharp snap as a gun was primed, felt for his own, and turned at the same time the leader held the gun directly at Jack's head. "Ye ain't too smart, you do realize? If you'd really wanted to kill me in full public, ye would've had the gun ready afore ye started chasin' me," stated Jack calmly. The guy snarled, "If I wanted ye dead, ye would be already."
Will glanced at Jack, who appeared to be in control of the situation, before turning and heading towards where he'd seen the movement. When he was closer, he almost changed his mind. Standing in the alleyway was a big man. A very big man. He was at least a foot taller than Will, and easily more than double his width. Feeling for his own pistol, Will paused only momentarily before walking up to the man. "Excuse me, sir, but I believe you are standing in my way," he said, with as much dignity he could find. The man just laughed, "The alley don't lead nowhere the road don't - go around."
Will kept his hand on his pistol the entire time; he faked a smile, and said simply, "But I wish to walk through the alley, sir. If you do not let me pass, I'll be forced to call upon the authorities!" The man laughed, "Around 'ere mate, I *am* the authorities!" Will laughed, "Well, sir, as I said, I'll have to call upon the authorities," he didn't pause as he brought his gun out, letting the barrel sit mere inches from the man's forehead. "And here they are. Now, sir, will you let me pass?" The man may have outweighed Will be several pounds, and have been able to pick him up and throw him easily, but he had one main fear - dying.
"Well, mate, I can't actually let ye through, considerin' me boss said he'd keelhaul me if I did," he stammered, and Will raised his eyebrows, "Aye? An' who'd yer boss be?" The man was visibly nervous now - sweat ran off him like water. "Me boss... me boss is Cap'n John Morgan, of the English ship the Marygold. He's been waitin' fer Cap'n Rolfe t' bring 'im payment. Cap'n Morgan would've preferred money, but the girl were good enough." Will didn't change his face, "The girl? What girl would this be?"
The man glanced over his shoulder, and was about to talk when he jolted suddenly. Will barely had time to step away as the man fell. Sticking out of his back was a knife, pushed in so far there was no blade visible, right into his spine. Running down the alleyway was a fairly-well dressed man, dragging a girl - obviously Louisa. Will looked back over at Jack, who was still immersed in negotiations with the guy from earlier, before turning and running down the alleyway after the pair.
*****
Jamie wasn't the type of person to be overly protective of his sister - he knew she could take care of herself - and he found the impending relationship between Isabelle and Will quite, well, normal, to say the least. Of course, he did give Will the obligatory jibing that came with liking his sister, but both knew he wasn't serious.
Being (pretty much literally) abandoned by their fathers, the three friends wandered around the small town, both looking for Louisa, and for anything that could be considered interesting. They were, after all, only teenagers, and had to find something to do to keep their time occupied. Being on a ship was all well and fine - there was always something to do - but once they were on land, they considered it to be boring. People who'd spent their entire lives on land would say the same about the sea.
Isabelle, for one, was worried about Louisa. "We can't just stand around! Louisa could be anywhere in this god-forsaken place!" Jamie sighed, "Isabelle - ye heard what Da said," but Isabelle cut him off angrily, "I know what Da said - but since when did I e'er get in trouble fer *not* doin' what Da said?" Jamie glanced at Will, "Ye know, she does have a point. She ain't ne'er been in trouble fer not followin' Da's orders - she's got 'im wrapped 'round her little finger!" Will nodded, "Aye, that she does. But it's a smugglers town - there's tunnels an' passage's all 'round the place - she could be anywhere."
Isabelle smiled, "So, we look. Are ye gonna help me, or shall I go by meself?" Jamie laughed, standing up from where he'd been leaning on the side of a building. "I'll come wi' ye, Bella. But it were *your* idea, an' ye have t' tell Da that when he finds out, savvy?" She nodded, and glanced at Will. He shook his head, "I don't have much o' a choice, do I?" Both shook their heads, and Will nodded, "Then I'm comin', but I'm willin' t' bet Da an' Jack find her afore we do." Isabelle glared at him good naturedly, "Well, I don' care if they do, but I can't stand sittin' 'round doin' nothin' while Louisa's out there."
It didn't take long for them to dig into the underground trading front, but it took them a little longer than what they'd expected to actually get into one of the auctions. "Ye canna tell me that this sale is gonna be above board - the guy tol' me that we could expect t' buy anything from guns t' 'household help'. They'll be sellin' slaves, at th' ver' least!" Isabelle argued as Jamie and Will faced off with her. Jamie shook his head, "Isabelle, I know what the guy said, but all I'm sayin' is that we won't see th' *full* sale 'cause we're new 'ere. They'll send us t' the smaller sales, wi' th' lower prices, until they see we can afford t' go into the bigger ones, savvy?"
Finding nothing to argue back with, Isabelle merely glared at her brother, and crossed her arms. Will tried not to laugh, earning himself a glare in the process. They followed the directions given to them by the owner of the street stall, ending up in a small, dimly lit room, filled almost to bursting with people of all sorts. There were the usual traders, looking for a bargain to pass on in another port, wealthy men from the passenger ships looking for cheaper varieties of jewelry for their wives, and mistresses, and many of the inhabitants of the town itself, supporting the local business.
Jamie paused at the entrance long enough to notice that many of the people in the room did not appear to have any real money - their clothes were old, upon closer inspection, and their shoes were worn. Isabelle was the only woman in the room - a fact she found oddly uncomfortable. Jamie whispered to her as they took their seats, "Do ye have yer money bag?" She nodded, and whispered back, "I'va hell of a lot more'n most of these guys - ye can tell, aye?" Jamie nodded, and Will passed her a small amount of information, "Wait until something rare comes out - an' it will - afore ye bid on anything, then outbid them as though ye've unlimited money. If ye go o'er the amount ye've got, then Jamie an' I will help ye out, savvy?"
Isabelle nodded, and settled back into her chair. She knew she looked different from the other women in town, and she knew the men in the room had noticed. Going from what Jamie had once told her, she was dark enough to appear exotic, yet light enough to not be mistaken for a slave. All in all, she guessed it was a good combination.
The auction started with small things - false gold boxes, jewelry, mouldy spices from overseas. Isabelle didn't bid on anything - she had Jack's eye when it came to spotting fake gold and silver, and most of the things they'd brought out were fake. The spices were of no use, and they were still to find a cook. When many of the people inside the room had bought something, the crowd began to disappear, until finally there were only about seven people in the room, not including the auctioneer.
The next item was something that not only caught Isabelle's eye, but also Jamie and Will's as well. It was a sword, finely made, inlaid with gold and silver, and delicately balanced. Isabelle sub-consciously sat up straighter, catching the attention of an older man several seats behind her. The bidding started, but Isabelle bided her time. Jamie knew what she was doing, and Will trusted her judgment, so neither told her what to do. The bidding finally came to rest upon 200 silver pieces, cast by the man behind them. Isabelle turned in her seat and smiled coyly at him. He almost fell off his seat.
The auctioneer started the final calls, "Going once at 200 silvers, twice, thrice..." Isabelle called out boldly, "150 gold." The auctioneer looked frozen. The man behind them let his mouth open and close like a fish - Isabelle only smiled. "I said, sir, 150 gold pieces. Goin' with what that's equal to, I'm guessin' that I'm payin' between 450 an' 600 silvers." The auctioneer finally came to his senses - "G...goin' once at 150 gold pieces... goin' twice... goin' thrice.... Sold, to the lady." Isabelle smiled at her brother, and sent him up to pay for and collect her sword. "Ye know, I always wanted one o' these..." she said with a grin to Will, who laughed, "Can ye use one?" Isabelle feigned being insulted, "What? With my father bein' who he is, ye think I canna use a sword? Course I can! Mine's better than his, that's all!" Will laughed, and Jamie presented his sister with her new sword.
On their way out of the room, a man from near the front stopped them. "You folks ain't from 'round 'ere, are ye?" Isabelle shook her head, "No, sir, we're from Port Royal. My husband," she paused while she took Will's arm, "and I came to pick up my brother. His wife left him, you see, an' he came here wi' the intention o' turnin' pirate, but that would ne'er have worked out, considerin' that he gets awful seasick!" Jamie and Will exchanged glances, but said nothing. The man looked thoughtful for a minute, and finally nodded, accepting the story he'd been presented with. "It's not a good thing t' be goin' to the sea if ye get seasick, sonny. I think ye'd best thank yer sister fer comin' t' get ye, aye?" Jamie nodded, "That I have, sir. That I have - coming to this auction was my way of thanking her - she can't resist a sale, although I did make her wait through all of the fake trinkets passed through at the start, you understand."
The man laughed, "You've an eye for gold?" he asked, and Jamie looked away, "Well, not so much an eye, sir, but I find it easy t' tell how much a piece is worth afore I like it or no." Nodding, the man held out his hand; Jamie took it without hesitation, "My name is Walter Newman - I control most of the auctions in this town. Perhaps you'd be interested in the one we have running tonight?" Jamie glanced at Isabelle, who nodded excitedly. "I think my sister seems to have made up my mind for me, Mr. Newman," he said with a laugh. Walter smiled, "Please, call me Walter, Mr....?" Jamie looked embarrassed, "My apologies... Walter. My name is James... Swann. I am a cousin of the Governor of Port Royal. My sister, Isabella, and my brother-in-law, Billy McIntosh - his father was Irish." Isabelle curtsied, and Will shook Walter's hand.
Walter grinned like the cat with the keys to the canary cage, "Very nice to meet the three of you. Come to this room tonight, just after nightfall, and we'll see what we can find for ye. Good day, Miss Isabella," he added, tipping his hat. Isabelle nodded her head, praying she hadn't made any mistakes. Her mother had been right - lessons in how to be a lady paid off occasionally.
Jack knew the others were behind him, as did Will. The fight that had ensued after the original confrontation had been small, resulting in the leader of the crew missing an ear, allowing the two Captains to get away safely. They couldn't run through the crowd along the wharf, as it would draw too much attention to themselves (not that the fight hadn't, but Jack thought that was only necessary leverage to get away without being caught), and so they were stuck walking along at a brisk pace, looking for Louisa, and pretending that the pirates/privateers weren't there.
Seeing a quick movement ahead, Will lengthened his stride, but didn't actually appear to be moving any faster. Jack heard the sharp snap as a gun was primed, felt for his own, and turned at the same time the leader held the gun directly at Jack's head. "Ye ain't too smart, you do realize? If you'd really wanted to kill me in full public, ye would've had the gun ready afore ye started chasin' me," stated Jack calmly. The guy snarled, "If I wanted ye dead, ye would be already."
Will glanced at Jack, who appeared to be in control of the situation, before turning and heading towards where he'd seen the movement. When he was closer, he almost changed his mind. Standing in the alleyway was a big man. A very big man. He was at least a foot taller than Will, and easily more than double his width. Feeling for his own pistol, Will paused only momentarily before walking up to the man. "Excuse me, sir, but I believe you are standing in my way," he said, with as much dignity he could find. The man just laughed, "The alley don't lead nowhere the road don't - go around."
Will kept his hand on his pistol the entire time; he faked a smile, and said simply, "But I wish to walk through the alley, sir. If you do not let me pass, I'll be forced to call upon the authorities!" The man laughed, "Around 'ere mate, I *am* the authorities!" Will laughed, "Well, sir, as I said, I'll have to call upon the authorities," he didn't pause as he brought his gun out, letting the barrel sit mere inches from the man's forehead. "And here they are. Now, sir, will you let me pass?" The man may have outweighed Will be several pounds, and have been able to pick him up and throw him easily, but he had one main fear - dying.
"Well, mate, I can't actually let ye through, considerin' me boss said he'd keelhaul me if I did," he stammered, and Will raised his eyebrows, "Aye? An' who'd yer boss be?" The man was visibly nervous now - sweat ran off him like water. "Me boss... me boss is Cap'n John Morgan, of the English ship the Marygold. He's been waitin' fer Cap'n Rolfe t' bring 'im payment. Cap'n Morgan would've preferred money, but the girl were good enough." Will didn't change his face, "The girl? What girl would this be?"
The man glanced over his shoulder, and was about to talk when he jolted suddenly. Will barely had time to step away as the man fell. Sticking out of his back was a knife, pushed in so far there was no blade visible, right into his spine. Running down the alleyway was a fairly-well dressed man, dragging a girl - obviously Louisa. Will looked back over at Jack, who was still immersed in negotiations with the guy from earlier, before turning and running down the alleyway after the pair.
*****
Jamie wasn't the type of person to be overly protective of his sister - he knew she could take care of herself - and he found the impending relationship between Isabelle and Will quite, well, normal, to say the least. Of course, he did give Will the obligatory jibing that came with liking his sister, but both knew he wasn't serious.
Being (pretty much literally) abandoned by their fathers, the three friends wandered around the small town, both looking for Louisa, and for anything that could be considered interesting. They were, after all, only teenagers, and had to find something to do to keep their time occupied. Being on a ship was all well and fine - there was always something to do - but once they were on land, they considered it to be boring. People who'd spent their entire lives on land would say the same about the sea.
Isabelle, for one, was worried about Louisa. "We can't just stand around! Louisa could be anywhere in this god-forsaken place!" Jamie sighed, "Isabelle - ye heard what Da said," but Isabelle cut him off angrily, "I know what Da said - but since when did I e'er get in trouble fer *not* doin' what Da said?" Jamie glanced at Will, "Ye know, she does have a point. She ain't ne'er been in trouble fer not followin' Da's orders - she's got 'im wrapped 'round her little finger!" Will nodded, "Aye, that she does. But it's a smugglers town - there's tunnels an' passage's all 'round the place - she could be anywhere."
Isabelle smiled, "So, we look. Are ye gonna help me, or shall I go by meself?" Jamie laughed, standing up from where he'd been leaning on the side of a building. "I'll come wi' ye, Bella. But it were *your* idea, an' ye have t' tell Da that when he finds out, savvy?" She nodded, and glanced at Will. He shook his head, "I don't have much o' a choice, do I?" Both shook their heads, and Will nodded, "Then I'm comin', but I'm willin' t' bet Da an' Jack find her afore we do." Isabelle glared at him good naturedly, "Well, I don' care if they do, but I can't stand sittin' 'round doin' nothin' while Louisa's out there."
It didn't take long for them to dig into the underground trading front, but it took them a little longer than what they'd expected to actually get into one of the auctions. "Ye canna tell me that this sale is gonna be above board - the guy tol' me that we could expect t' buy anything from guns t' 'household help'. They'll be sellin' slaves, at th' ver' least!" Isabelle argued as Jamie and Will faced off with her. Jamie shook his head, "Isabelle, I know what the guy said, but all I'm sayin' is that we won't see th' *full* sale 'cause we're new 'ere. They'll send us t' the smaller sales, wi' th' lower prices, until they see we can afford t' go into the bigger ones, savvy?"
Finding nothing to argue back with, Isabelle merely glared at her brother, and crossed her arms. Will tried not to laugh, earning himself a glare in the process. They followed the directions given to them by the owner of the street stall, ending up in a small, dimly lit room, filled almost to bursting with people of all sorts. There were the usual traders, looking for a bargain to pass on in another port, wealthy men from the passenger ships looking for cheaper varieties of jewelry for their wives, and mistresses, and many of the inhabitants of the town itself, supporting the local business.
Jamie paused at the entrance long enough to notice that many of the people in the room did not appear to have any real money - their clothes were old, upon closer inspection, and their shoes were worn. Isabelle was the only woman in the room - a fact she found oddly uncomfortable. Jamie whispered to her as they took their seats, "Do ye have yer money bag?" She nodded, and whispered back, "I'va hell of a lot more'n most of these guys - ye can tell, aye?" Jamie nodded, and Will passed her a small amount of information, "Wait until something rare comes out - an' it will - afore ye bid on anything, then outbid them as though ye've unlimited money. If ye go o'er the amount ye've got, then Jamie an' I will help ye out, savvy?"
Isabelle nodded, and settled back into her chair. She knew she looked different from the other women in town, and she knew the men in the room had noticed. Going from what Jamie had once told her, she was dark enough to appear exotic, yet light enough to not be mistaken for a slave. All in all, she guessed it was a good combination.
The auction started with small things - false gold boxes, jewelry, mouldy spices from overseas. Isabelle didn't bid on anything - she had Jack's eye when it came to spotting fake gold and silver, and most of the things they'd brought out were fake. The spices were of no use, and they were still to find a cook. When many of the people inside the room had bought something, the crowd began to disappear, until finally there were only about seven people in the room, not including the auctioneer.
The next item was something that not only caught Isabelle's eye, but also Jamie and Will's as well. It was a sword, finely made, inlaid with gold and silver, and delicately balanced. Isabelle sub-consciously sat up straighter, catching the attention of an older man several seats behind her. The bidding started, but Isabelle bided her time. Jamie knew what she was doing, and Will trusted her judgment, so neither told her what to do. The bidding finally came to rest upon 200 silver pieces, cast by the man behind them. Isabelle turned in her seat and smiled coyly at him. He almost fell off his seat.
The auctioneer started the final calls, "Going once at 200 silvers, twice, thrice..." Isabelle called out boldly, "150 gold." The auctioneer looked frozen. The man behind them let his mouth open and close like a fish - Isabelle only smiled. "I said, sir, 150 gold pieces. Goin' with what that's equal to, I'm guessin' that I'm payin' between 450 an' 600 silvers." The auctioneer finally came to his senses - "G...goin' once at 150 gold pieces... goin' twice... goin' thrice.... Sold, to the lady." Isabelle smiled at her brother, and sent him up to pay for and collect her sword. "Ye know, I always wanted one o' these..." she said with a grin to Will, who laughed, "Can ye use one?" Isabelle feigned being insulted, "What? With my father bein' who he is, ye think I canna use a sword? Course I can! Mine's better than his, that's all!" Will laughed, and Jamie presented his sister with her new sword.
On their way out of the room, a man from near the front stopped them. "You folks ain't from 'round 'ere, are ye?" Isabelle shook her head, "No, sir, we're from Port Royal. My husband," she paused while she took Will's arm, "and I came to pick up my brother. His wife left him, you see, an' he came here wi' the intention o' turnin' pirate, but that would ne'er have worked out, considerin' that he gets awful seasick!" Jamie and Will exchanged glances, but said nothing. The man looked thoughtful for a minute, and finally nodded, accepting the story he'd been presented with. "It's not a good thing t' be goin' to the sea if ye get seasick, sonny. I think ye'd best thank yer sister fer comin' t' get ye, aye?" Jamie nodded, "That I have, sir. That I have - coming to this auction was my way of thanking her - she can't resist a sale, although I did make her wait through all of the fake trinkets passed through at the start, you understand."
The man laughed, "You've an eye for gold?" he asked, and Jamie looked away, "Well, not so much an eye, sir, but I find it easy t' tell how much a piece is worth afore I like it or no." Nodding, the man held out his hand; Jamie took it without hesitation, "My name is Walter Newman - I control most of the auctions in this town. Perhaps you'd be interested in the one we have running tonight?" Jamie glanced at Isabelle, who nodded excitedly. "I think my sister seems to have made up my mind for me, Mr. Newman," he said with a laugh. Walter smiled, "Please, call me Walter, Mr....?" Jamie looked embarrassed, "My apologies... Walter. My name is James... Swann. I am a cousin of the Governor of Port Royal. My sister, Isabella, and my brother-in-law, Billy McIntosh - his father was Irish." Isabelle curtsied, and Will shook Walter's hand.
Walter grinned like the cat with the keys to the canary cage, "Very nice to meet the three of you. Come to this room tonight, just after nightfall, and we'll see what we can find for ye. Good day, Miss Isabella," he added, tipping his hat. Isabelle nodded her head, praying she hadn't made any mistakes. Her mother had been right - lessons in how to be a lady paid off occasionally.
