Chapter 9
A couple of hours later, Jack found himself taking a plate of bread, cheese and strawberries to Emma's room. The bread wasn't dry, and the cheese wasn't stale, and the strawberries were deliciously fresh. Jack and his crew lived lavishly, indulging in all the good things in life, seeming to have unending riches. Jack didn't know why he was even doing this; he could have sent someone else to take food to Emma.
Emma woke up when the door opened, and she yawned, stretching one arm sleepily. She didn't wake from Jack's disturbance, but from Anna Maria's shouts to the crew outside of her cabin. She heard a tsking noise and opened her eyes reluctantly as she heard Jack say, "Still sleeping? Shiver me timbers, love, do you do nothing but sleep?"
She laughed and then yawned before saying, "Captain Sparrow, I'd like to see you stay up all night, go through lavish wedding activities, get kidnapped, rescued, have a nightmare, watch the sunrise, all in a corset mind you, and find sleep uninviting, especially when I don't have anything else to keep me busy."
"Well, I suppose I'll allow it this time," Jack smirked. Emma was so interesting, smart, funny...what was he thinking? "I brought you some brunch." He set the plate down on the bedside table.
"Oh, thank you! I'm starving," she said, taking a strawberry off the plate. Jack sat down on the chair he'd placed by her bed earlier. "These are absolutely delicious. Now, Jack, how many ladies have you rescued?"
"Well, all by me onesies, just you," he said, averting his gaze to the plate of food.
"Really?" Emma quirked an eyebrow. "That's fascinating..." she started to say something else, but Jack cut her off.
"However, I said by me onesies, savvy? The other time I was helping a mate to get back his kidnapped bonnie lass," he finished defensively.
"Alright, alright. You know, Jack, it's not very comforting to know that you're still new at the rescuing of damsels in distress, I mean..."
He cut her off again, angrily, "well, I can always just..."
"Jack," she said, grabbing his arm as he stood up, forcing him to sit down on the edge of her bed. "Let me continue. I was going to say that however inexperienced you may be, you're doing an excellent job of it," she smiled sweetly.
"Oh, well, thank you, love," he tipped his hat. Emma's stomach filled with butterflies as he flashed a smile at her.
They spoke for another moment or two, and then he left to attend to things on deck. Emma sighed and fell back on to the pillow. Captain Jack Sparrow was so handsome, in appearance and demeanor. Even though he was a pirate, she couldn't help the feeling in her stomach when he smiled at her. Why was she torturing herself over him? Captain Jack Sparrow was, and ever would be, an infamous pirate.
Besides, Henry Thomas was at home in New Derbyshire waiting for her, and she knew he'd be a good husband and companion. If she was home right at this moment, she'd be getting ready to accompany Henry for their walk.
Emma finished her meal, checked her appearance in the mirror, and emerged on deck to see a few crew members doing things here and there. She didn't see Jack anywhere, but Mr. Gibbs sat over on the starboard side of the ship, talking to a man a little older than Jack, who was adjusting some ropes. When Gibbs saw Emma, he smiled and beckoned her over.
"Did ye sleep well Emma?" he asked.
"For the most part," she didn't tell him about her nightmare. They talked for a few minutes and then Jack walked up behind them and cleared his throat.
"Hope yer not tellin' about me again Gibbs," the captain said.
"Yar, o' course I wasn't, o' course I wasn't," he replied to Jack. Emma laughed, for Gibbs had just begun to tell her a story of one of Jack's narrow escapes.
"Is that so?" Jack smiled. "Get back to work, ye scurvy dogs. Emma, can I borrow you a moment?"
"Anna Maria told me this morning about how you 'borrowed' her ship a few years ago, and she hasn't seen it since."
"Aye, but did she tell you that I also got her a better ship?"
"The ship that you commandeered from the Royal Navy, which ended up getting blown to pieces?"
"Sink me! When did she have time to even tell you about that?"
"This morning after I talked to you," she smiled.
Emma followed him across the deck of the Pearl and into what she assumed to be the captain's suite. There was a huge desk covered with maps in one corner of the room and a large round table with candlesticks on the other side; one wall was lined with shelves and shelves of books, which highly surprised her. She walked toward them with awe. "Read much?" Jack asked her.
"I'm addicted to the written word," Emma said passionately. "Do you?" she asked, still scanning the titles in front of her.
"Not as much as I'd like, but I've read all of them at least once, some more than once," Emma turned her head and stared at him, jaw dropped. "What?" he asked.
"I just didn't expect...because...well, you're a pirate."
He laughed, "Ah, but I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, love." She smiled and looked back to the hundreds of books in front of her. "Do you mind if I take a look at the map?"
"Oh, of course," she said, handing the map over to him. "I'd actually been looking for you before I started talking with Mr. Gibbs and Mr., oh, I didn't find out his name," Emma looked very embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it, love. No need to be proper on this ship, savvy? His name's Lyle Patrick, good pirate, good sailor." Jack studied the map carefully, then walked over to the desk, and opened one of the drawers and pulled out a bottle of ink and a quill. Emma joined him over by the desk and saw the huge map of the Caribbean which had been rolled out over the desktop. After a few more moments of contemplating the smaller maps contents, Jack dipped the quill into the ink and began to plot out the location of the Isle of Clandestine onto the large map.
Emma saw another book lying face down and open on the desk, keeping track of Jack's place. "May I?" she asked Jack. He looked up from the map and nodded. Jack jumped in his chair when Emma nearly screamed in delight, "Robinson Crusoe?! I've wanted to read this for over a year now! My uncle ordered it from France, but the ship was ransacked by pirates before it reached New Derbyshire."
"Well, then, you may have it," Jack said.
"But, you're in the middle of reading it, and it's your book. Are you sure?" she asked
"First," Jack laughed, "I've read it more than four times; second, I stole it from a merchant ship headed to New Derbyshire about a year ago." Emma and Jack both laughed at this. "So, yes, you may take it, and any of the other books you may want to read for that matter."
"Thank you," Emma said truly touched by his kindness.
Jack finished mapping Clandestine and then said, "You know, Robinson Crusoe and I have something in common."
"Really?"
"I'm not quick to admit it, but I've been the governor of my own small uninhabited island."
"You have?"
"Twice," Jack smiled as Emma tried not to laugh.
"I'm sorry," she said smiling.
"Well, it is rather an amusing tale. I'll tell you tonight, if you'd care to dine with me."
"I'd be quite delighted to accept your invitation, Captain Sparrow." They both smiled at each other for a moment. Then realizing what was going on, Emma looked at the map and Jack cleared his throat. Then Emma gasped, "Jack, didn't you just draw the Isle of Clandestine on this map?"
"Yes, blow right here," he said, pointing at a spot on the map. She did and her eyes widened as after she drew back, the markings he'd made reappeared. "The ink is from Singapore, and you see for yourself how useful it is for secrecy."
"It's amazing. Are there other places that you've marked like this on here?" she asked, thoroughly intrigued.
"Do you think I'd really tell ye if there were?"
"So there are..." she said and began blowing all across the map.
"Hey! Hey!" Jack tried to roll up the map.
"Jack, really, you can trust me." He looked at her questioningly. "Do I even have a ship that I could use to sail to these places?"
"Aye, that's true." He rolled out the map again, and Emma continued making new discoveries.
"This is fascinating, Jack. Have you actually been all of these places?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. I've been to all of the places you see that I've added to the original plottings on the map. Now, for our journey, we're going to make a quick stop at Port Royal to pick up a few useful things. I expect that Jess will take his crew to Tortuga."
"Jack, I don't mean to question your plans, since you are much more experienced with sailing, but it looks like he's taking the shorter route."
"Aye, he is, but not the smarter one. Tortuga is a pirate's home, and his crew will stay there overnight for sure, fulfilling their needs for drink and gambling and pleasurable company, and we'll be in Port Royal for merely a day at most. Besides, the Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. We also need to get something very important in Port Royal."
"Why must we get it from Port Royal?"
"First, Port Royal has an impeccable blacksmith, and second, Tortuga is no place for a lady."
A couple of hours later, Jack found himself taking a plate of bread, cheese and strawberries to Emma's room. The bread wasn't dry, and the cheese wasn't stale, and the strawberries were deliciously fresh. Jack and his crew lived lavishly, indulging in all the good things in life, seeming to have unending riches. Jack didn't know why he was even doing this; he could have sent someone else to take food to Emma.
Emma woke up when the door opened, and she yawned, stretching one arm sleepily. She didn't wake from Jack's disturbance, but from Anna Maria's shouts to the crew outside of her cabin. She heard a tsking noise and opened her eyes reluctantly as she heard Jack say, "Still sleeping? Shiver me timbers, love, do you do nothing but sleep?"
She laughed and then yawned before saying, "Captain Sparrow, I'd like to see you stay up all night, go through lavish wedding activities, get kidnapped, rescued, have a nightmare, watch the sunrise, all in a corset mind you, and find sleep uninviting, especially when I don't have anything else to keep me busy."
"Well, I suppose I'll allow it this time," Jack smirked. Emma was so interesting, smart, funny...what was he thinking? "I brought you some brunch." He set the plate down on the bedside table.
"Oh, thank you! I'm starving," she said, taking a strawberry off the plate. Jack sat down on the chair he'd placed by her bed earlier. "These are absolutely delicious. Now, Jack, how many ladies have you rescued?"
"Well, all by me onesies, just you," he said, averting his gaze to the plate of food.
"Really?" Emma quirked an eyebrow. "That's fascinating..." she started to say something else, but Jack cut her off.
"However, I said by me onesies, savvy? The other time I was helping a mate to get back his kidnapped bonnie lass," he finished defensively.
"Alright, alright. You know, Jack, it's not very comforting to know that you're still new at the rescuing of damsels in distress, I mean..."
He cut her off again, angrily, "well, I can always just..."
"Jack," she said, grabbing his arm as he stood up, forcing him to sit down on the edge of her bed. "Let me continue. I was going to say that however inexperienced you may be, you're doing an excellent job of it," she smiled sweetly.
"Oh, well, thank you, love," he tipped his hat. Emma's stomach filled with butterflies as he flashed a smile at her.
They spoke for another moment or two, and then he left to attend to things on deck. Emma sighed and fell back on to the pillow. Captain Jack Sparrow was so handsome, in appearance and demeanor. Even though he was a pirate, she couldn't help the feeling in her stomach when he smiled at her. Why was she torturing herself over him? Captain Jack Sparrow was, and ever would be, an infamous pirate.
Besides, Henry Thomas was at home in New Derbyshire waiting for her, and she knew he'd be a good husband and companion. If she was home right at this moment, she'd be getting ready to accompany Henry for their walk.
Emma finished her meal, checked her appearance in the mirror, and emerged on deck to see a few crew members doing things here and there. She didn't see Jack anywhere, but Mr. Gibbs sat over on the starboard side of the ship, talking to a man a little older than Jack, who was adjusting some ropes. When Gibbs saw Emma, he smiled and beckoned her over.
"Did ye sleep well Emma?" he asked.
"For the most part," she didn't tell him about her nightmare. They talked for a few minutes and then Jack walked up behind them and cleared his throat.
"Hope yer not tellin' about me again Gibbs," the captain said.
"Yar, o' course I wasn't, o' course I wasn't," he replied to Jack. Emma laughed, for Gibbs had just begun to tell her a story of one of Jack's narrow escapes.
"Is that so?" Jack smiled. "Get back to work, ye scurvy dogs. Emma, can I borrow you a moment?"
"Anna Maria told me this morning about how you 'borrowed' her ship a few years ago, and she hasn't seen it since."
"Aye, but did she tell you that I also got her a better ship?"
"The ship that you commandeered from the Royal Navy, which ended up getting blown to pieces?"
"Sink me! When did she have time to even tell you about that?"
"This morning after I talked to you," she smiled.
Emma followed him across the deck of the Pearl and into what she assumed to be the captain's suite. There was a huge desk covered with maps in one corner of the room and a large round table with candlesticks on the other side; one wall was lined with shelves and shelves of books, which highly surprised her. She walked toward them with awe. "Read much?" Jack asked her.
"I'm addicted to the written word," Emma said passionately. "Do you?" she asked, still scanning the titles in front of her.
"Not as much as I'd like, but I've read all of them at least once, some more than once," Emma turned her head and stared at him, jaw dropped. "What?" he asked.
"I just didn't expect...because...well, you're a pirate."
He laughed, "Ah, but I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, love." She smiled and looked back to the hundreds of books in front of her. "Do you mind if I take a look at the map?"
"Oh, of course," she said, handing the map over to him. "I'd actually been looking for you before I started talking with Mr. Gibbs and Mr., oh, I didn't find out his name," Emma looked very embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it, love. No need to be proper on this ship, savvy? His name's Lyle Patrick, good pirate, good sailor." Jack studied the map carefully, then walked over to the desk, and opened one of the drawers and pulled out a bottle of ink and a quill. Emma joined him over by the desk and saw the huge map of the Caribbean which had been rolled out over the desktop. After a few more moments of contemplating the smaller maps contents, Jack dipped the quill into the ink and began to plot out the location of the Isle of Clandestine onto the large map.
Emma saw another book lying face down and open on the desk, keeping track of Jack's place. "May I?" she asked Jack. He looked up from the map and nodded. Jack jumped in his chair when Emma nearly screamed in delight, "Robinson Crusoe?! I've wanted to read this for over a year now! My uncle ordered it from France, but the ship was ransacked by pirates before it reached New Derbyshire."
"Well, then, you may have it," Jack said.
"But, you're in the middle of reading it, and it's your book. Are you sure?" she asked
"First," Jack laughed, "I've read it more than four times; second, I stole it from a merchant ship headed to New Derbyshire about a year ago." Emma and Jack both laughed at this. "So, yes, you may take it, and any of the other books you may want to read for that matter."
"Thank you," Emma said truly touched by his kindness.
Jack finished mapping Clandestine and then said, "You know, Robinson Crusoe and I have something in common."
"Really?"
"I'm not quick to admit it, but I've been the governor of my own small uninhabited island."
"You have?"
"Twice," Jack smiled as Emma tried not to laugh.
"I'm sorry," she said smiling.
"Well, it is rather an amusing tale. I'll tell you tonight, if you'd care to dine with me."
"I'd be quite delighted to accept your invitation, Captain Sparrow." They both smiled at each other for a moment. Then realizing what was going on, Emma looked at the map and Jack cleared his throat. Then Emma gasped, "Jack, didn't you just draw the Isle of Clandestine on this map?"
"Yes, blow right here," he said, pointing at a spot on the map. She did and her eyes widened as after she drew back, the markings he'd made reappeared. "The ink is from Singapore, and you see for yourself how useful it is for secrecy."
"It's amazing. Are there other places that you've marked like this on here?" she asked, thoroughly intrigued.
"Do you think I'd really tell ye if there were?"
"So there are..." she said and began blowing all across the map.
"Hey! Hey!" Jack tried to roll up the map.
"Jack, really, you can trust me." He looked at her questioningly. "Do I even have a ship that I could use to sail to these places?"
"Aye, that's true." He rolled out the map again, and Emma continued making new discoveries.
"This is fascinating, Jack. Have you actually been all of these places?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. I've been to all of the places you see that I've added to the original plottings on the map. Now, for our journey, we're going to make a quick stop at Port Royal to pick up a few useful things. I expect that Jess will take his crew to Tortuga."
"Jack, I don't mean to question your plans, since you are much more experienced with sailing, but it looks like he's taking the shorter route."
"Aye, he is, but not the smarter one. Tortuga is a pirate's home, and his crew will stay there overnight for sure, fulfilling their needs for drink and gambling and pleasurable company, and we'll be in Port Royal for merely a day at most. Besides, the Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. We also need to get something very important in Port Royal."
"Why must we get it from Port Royal?"
"First, Port Royal has an impeccable blacksmith, and second, Tortuga is no place for a lady."