Revenge of the Fox Chapter 11

When footsteps sounded outside the locked door, Annamaria and Antonia exchanged a quick look. The lock clicked as it was released, and the door opened. The captain of the smuggler's ship stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He carried a basket with some bread and a leather flask, which he handed to Antonia.

"So," he said quietly. "Why might a crewmember of a privateer ship be brought under guard onto my boat?"

Annamaria gestured toward Antonia. "This is Miss Antonia Swann. She is the fiancée of Commodore Norrington of Fort Charles. She, myself and two other women were kidnapped from Miss Swann wedding. The other two women are Mrs. Turner, the Governor's daughter, and Mrs. Jack Sparrow, wife of Captain Sparrow of the Black Pearl. As yet, we do not know why we were kidnapped." The captain merely gazed at her, face impassive. Annamaria went on. "Can you tell us where we are going?"

"A small cove a few miles this side of Port Antonio. We are to rendezvous with a ship called the Vixen. I expect to be there later tonight."

"Please, sir," said Antonia, "can you help us? Between my uncle the Governor, my fiancé and Captain Sparrow, any reward you ask for will be yours."

Annamaria spoke up. "Can you tell me your name, Captain?"

"Hale," he said shortly.

"Captain Hale, I beg of you," Annamaria said. "Help us."

Captain Hale looked at them for a moment and slowly shook his head. "I cannot betray the Fox beneath his very nose."

Antonia moved closer and put her hand on his arm. "Would you do it if you were not beneath his nose?" Hale said nothing, merely looking down at her. She tried again. "After you have delivered us to the Vixen, would you be willing to go to Port Royal and tell them there where we are?" After another pause, she continued. "The friendship of the Governor, Commodore Norrington and Captain Jack Sparrow is worth a good deal, Captain, is it not?"

"Captain Sparrow remembers his friends, Captain Hale," said Annamaria quietly.

Hale looked at both women, then turned abruptly and left, locking the door behind him. Antonia took a hunk of bread out of the basket and handed it to Annamaria. "Do you think he might help us?"

Annamaria took the bread. "It's hard to say. I hope so."

--

Gwen looked at the bundle of black velvet in her hands. "Well," she said, "Not only did he send down wash water and a comb, but he sent down a dress too."

Elizabeth grinned at her. "So get to it, girl! You're going to let me use the water too, right?"

Gwen smiled at her friend. "Certainly!" The water was pleasantly warm. Even if it was only a sponge bath, it felt good to be clean. When she was done, she pushed the small bucket against the bars of Elizabeth's cell and handed her the damp cloth. "There you go, enjoy yourself." While Elizabeth made use of the rest of the water, Gwen shook out the dress and slipped it over her head. She frowned at the gaping laces in the front. "I think it's too small."

Elizabeth dropped the cloth back into the bucket. "No, it's just made to be worn with a corset, which you don't have."

Gwen sighed. "I never thought I'd mourn the loss of a corset." She tightened the laces.

"Here, let me," said Elizabeth, reaching through the bars. "Put your shoulders back and head up," she instructed, yanking ruthlessly on the laces. "Hold your breath." With her expert assistance, the gown was soon in place. Elizabeth knotted the laces and tucked the ends into the bodice. "There. You look stunning, Gwen. Black suits you."

Gwen frowned again and smoothed the velvet of the skirt. "The neckline is far too low. I feel if I take a deep breath I'm going to come right out of it."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Then don't take a deep breath."

"You're a lot of help." Gwen sat down on the cot and began to comb her hair. "I don't know what in the world I'm doing, Elizabeth. Reynard is probably going to try to seduce me, and I don't know what to do about it."

"You're not planning on letting him, surely?"

Gwen shuddered. "Heaven forbid! That is, assuming I have the option of saying 'no'."

Elizabeth folded her arms and leaned against the bars. "So the issue is, how can you keep him at arms length, yet still keep him thinking that you might give in, so that he'll talk to you about his plans."

"That's right." Gwen sighed. "And also thinking that if I do give in, it will be worth the wait. Elizabeth, I'm not a seductress. I don't know how to go about this sort of thing."

Elizabeth laughed. "Gwen, you've been living with Jack Sparrow for two years now. You must know something about it."

Gwen wasn't amused. "Elizabeth, I'm serious. Reynard is expecting something extraordinary, and I'm just an ordinary woman."

"Hmmmm. Tell me about your relationship with Jack. There must be something there you can use."

"I don't know. With Jack it's not so much what we do, it's where."

"What do you mean by that?"

Gwen smiled. "You know him, Elizabeth. He's a creature of the wind and the sea. He likes nothing better than making love under the stars or in the sunshine. I think he knows a deserted beach on every island in the Caribbean! Not to mention aboard ship. The night he proposed to me, we made love right on the deck. And since then, well, let's just say he knows the watch schedule well enough to know when there'll be an opportune moment."

Elizabeth was grinning from ear to ear. "My goodness! Sounds wonderful!"

"So you see, Elizabeth, I don't have to do much of anything for Jack to feel, well, amorous. The wind does it for me."

"The wind?"

"Oh yes, the wind. The harder it blows the more he's interested. Whenever there's a storm, as soon as it's safe to leave the helm and come below, he's ready. I swear that he'd secretly like to make love on deck during a hurricane."

Elizabeth was laughing. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. I'm not making fun of you, I swear. It's just that it's so, so Jack! I can just picture him trying to work out how to do it without being washed overboard!"

Despite herself, Gwen was laughing too. "Just don't suggest it to him! The last thing I need is for him to get it figured out! I'd as soon wait until the hurricane is over, thank you!"

Bringing her laughter under control, Elizabeth said. "But seriously, what you need to do is convince Reynard that you're Anne Boleyn."

"Anne Boleyn?"

"Yes, do you remember your English history? She was the second wife of King Henry VIII. She refused to sleep with him without marriage, and she had him convinced that if he gave in to her demands it would be heaven on earth. So he dismantled the entire religious system of his kingdom, broke away from the Catholic church in Rome, divorced his first wife who was the aunt of one of the most powerful men in Europe, and married her."

Gwen said dryly, "You do remember what happened to her, don't you?"

"Yes, well, she kept him at arms length for seven years. Seven years, Gwen!"

"And once they were married, it took him less than three years to trump up charges against her. They accused her of infidelity, treason and witchcraft - accusations that were obviously fabricated, and he had her executed. So you see, Elizabeth, she couldn't hold on to the illusion once he had her."

"So don't let him have you."

"That isn't particularly helpful." Gwen paced restlessly around the cell. "I did tell him that if he took me against my will, he'd have nothing but an unwilling woman."

Elizabeth said, "See? That's just what you need to say. Keep him thinking that he's going to need to have your complete cooperation, or it's no good. You don't have to keep this up for seven years, Gwen. You can do it."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Reynard's first mate came into view. "Well," murmured Gwen. "We're about to find out."

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