Usual disclaimers... I hate disclaimers!
***
When Catherine descended to dinner with Rose she found that Stephen's family had arrived and that it was to be a very formal affair. She was pleased to be clean and presentable - the servants had done and incredible job on her dress and it felt like new. A plump, rather plain woman with mousey hair stood next to Stephen - his wife she assumed - and three children. The eldest was a boy, tall and dark like his father and on the brink of manhood. The others were both girls, she guessed in their early teens, one dark like her father, the other mousey like her mother. They all turned at her approach.
"Everyone," Rose smiled. "May I introduce Mistress Catherine Waike to you all - she is John's wife."
"The pirate," Stephen sneered.
"Don't worry, I'm not too thrilled with the family connections either," Catherine sniped back.
"Rose!" George frowned angrily. "I thought you were going to instruct our guest on proper behaviour whilst in this house!"
"I..." Rose began, unsure what to say.
"Or did you spend all your time talking about that good for nothing wastrel of a son of ours?" he demanded.
"I..." Rose protested.
"I will not have Jack bad-mouthed," Catherine interjected. "And I am no guest when I am here against my will!"
"Would you rather I hand you over to the authorities then?" George Waike raged.
"One cells much the same as another," she shrugged.
He glowered, realising she was unafraid of his threat. Stephen's family looked at her in shock, amazed at her defiance of him.
"Perhaps we should start dinner?" Rose suggested, trying to diffuse the situation by ushering Catherine and the children towards the dining table.
They sat quietly whilst the servants brought the first course. Catherine bit her lip, observing the people around her. It became clear that women in this family were expected to be demure and silent... only the men spoke and then it was about shipping matters. She was aware of eyes on her, studying her as she ate, but she had dined in far better company than theirs and she knew how to handle her cutlery. She might have been caught brawling by his mother before they could be introduced, but at least she would not embarrass Jack tonight.
Her ears pricked up at the mention of an attack on one of their ships off the coast of the Americas. "Bloody pirates took them just short of Yorktown!" George Waike complained. "Those that escaped in the boats claimed it was The Margarite... whoever that was?" He noticed Catherine smiling to herself. "And what do you find so amusing?" he demanded.
"I was merely wondering what she was doing so far out of her home waters," Catherine shrugged.
"You know this ship?" His eyes bored into her. "This pirate?"
"I do," she smiled.
"Tell me!" he ordered.
A teasing smile crept onto her face. "The Margarite is Hallam's ship..."
"Hallam? That is a pirate name I haven't heard for a few years!" George frowned. "I thought he was dead?"
"Jeremiah is not dead, but this won't have been him. His son Joshua captains the ship now..." she explained quietly.
"And how do you know so much about Hallam?" he demanded, eyes narrowing.
Catherine laughed. "Not an hour ago Stephen names me pirate... and you ask how I know the Old Man?" She shook her head in amusement. "I've had the pleasure of attending one of his parties at his house..." Her lips twitched. "And his youngest son serves on our ship..."
George Waike nearly choked on his wine. Stephen rushed to him, pounding his back until he stopped coughing. "You go to far!" he accused as his father regained his breath.
"I merely answered his question Stephen," she smiled innocently. "After all, the Black Pearl is one of the most feared ships in the Caribbean... so why should we not mix in pirate society?"
"The Black Pearl?" Stephen's son sneered. "I read that was Captain Barbossa's ship!"
Stephen frowned at his son. "I though I told you not to read that rubbish Peter!"
"Barbossa led a mutiny and took the Pearl from Jack, but your Uncle regained it and shot the traitorous bas... pirate through his heart!" Catherine smiled. "But that was before I met him... the Black Pearl is, and always was, Jack's."
"I think that is quite enough talk of pirates!" George Waike ordered.
"Yes Grandfather," Peter apologised.
"Perhaps we had better retire to the conservatory," Rose suggested, "and leave the men to their discussions... Francesca, Catherine..."
The two women and the girls obediently followed Rose from the dining room, leaving Peter with his father and grandfather. "I don't do roses," Catherine muttered sourly under her breath. Rose looked at her sharply, but only when they were free of the men did Rose speak.
"You should not taunt George," she warned.
"What's he going to do - hit me like Stephen?" she hissed, aware of Francesca's proximity.
"We will talk of this later," Rose warned.
Catherine sighed heavily, sitting on one of the chairs amongst the foliage. "I don't do sweet feminine talk Rose. I live on a ship with nearly sixty men and I can count on one hand with fingers to spare the number of female friends I have..."
"Surely your mother..." Francesca began.
"My mother died when I was young. I was raised in a naval household by my father and brother..." she smiled, remembering. "I spent a lot of time on my grandfather's fishing boat too - so it was not surprising I ended up at sea."
"Will you tell us about Uncle John?" the dark haired girl asked.
"Elizabeth!" Francesca scolded. "You know your father discourages such talk!"
"How about I tell you about an Elizabeth I know... she was the daughter of the Governor of Jamaica and very pretty..."
"No pirates?" Francesca frowned.
"Not too many," she winked. "Well, maybe just a few."
***
***
When Catherine descended to dinner with Rose she found that Stephen's family had arrived and that it was to be a very formal affair. She was pleased to be clean and presentable - the servants had done and incredible job on her dress and it felt like new. A plump, rather plain woman with mousey hair stood next to Stephen - his wife she assumed - and three children. The eldest was a boy, tall and dark like his father and on the brink of manhood. The others were both girls, she guessed in their early teens, one dark like her father, the other mousey like her mother. They all turned at her approach.
"Everyone," Rose smiled. "May I introduce Mistress Catherine Waike to you all - she is John's wife."
"The pirate," Stephen sneered.
"Don't worry, I'm not too thrilled with the family connections either," Catherine sniped back.
"Rose!" George frowned angrily. "I thought you were going to instruct our guest on proper behaviour whilst in this house!"
"I..." Rose began, unsure what to say.
"Or did you spend all your time talking about that good for nothing wastrel of a son of ours?" he demanded.
"I..." Rose protested.
"I will not have Jack bad-mouthed," Catherine interjected. "And I am no guest when I am here against my will!"
"Would you rather I hand you over to the authorities then?" George Waike raged.
"One cells much the same as another," she shrugged.
He glowered, realising she was unafraid of his threat. Stephen's family looked at her in shock, amazed at her defiance of him.
"Perhaps we should start dinner?" Rose suggested, trying to diffuse the situation by ushering Catherine and the children towards the dining table.
They sat quietly whilst the servants brought the first course. Catherine bit her lip, observing the people around her. It became clear that women in this family were expected to be demure and silent... only the men spoke and then it was about shipping matters. She was aware of eyes on her, studying her as she ate, but she had dined in far better company than theirs and she knew how to handle her cutlery. She might have been caught brawling by his mother before they could be introduced, but at least she would not embarrass Jack tonight.
Her ears pricked up at the mention of an attack on one of their ships off the coast of the Americas. "Bloody pirates took them just short of Yorktown!" George Waike complained. "Those that escaped in the boats claimed it was The Margarite... whoever that was?" He noticed Catherine smiling to herself. "And what do you find so amusing?" he demanded.
"I was merely wondering what she was doing so far out of her home waters," Catherine shrugged.
"You know this ship?" His eyes bored into her. "This pirate?"
"I do," she smiled.
"Tell me!" he ordered.
A teasing smile crept onto her face. "The Margarite is Hallam's ship..."
"Hallam? That is a pirate name I haven't heard for a few years!" George frowned. "I thought he was dead?"
"Jeremiah is not dead, but this won't have been him. His son Joshua captains the ship now..." she explained quietly.
"And how do you know so much about Hallam?" he demanded, eyes narrowing.
Catherine laughed. "Not an hour ago Stephen names me pirate... and you ask how I know the Old Man?" She shook her head in amusement. "I've had the pleasure of attending one of his parties at his house..." Her lips twitched. "And his youngest son serves on our ship..."
George Waike nearly choked on his wine. Stephen rushed to him, pounding his back until he stopped coughing. "You go to far!" he accused as his father regained his breath.
"I merely answered his question Stephen," she smiled innocently. "After all, the Black Pearl is one of the most feared ships in the Caribbean... so why should we not mix in pirate society?"
"The Black Pearl?" Stephen's son sneered. "I read that was Captain Barbossa's ship!"
Stephen frowned at his son. "I though I told you not to read that rubbish Peter!"
"Barbossa led a mutiny and took the Pearl from Jack, but your Uncle regained it and shot the traitorous bas... pirate through his heart!" Catherine smiled. "But that was before I met him... the Black Pearl is, and always was, Jack's."
"I think that is quite enough talk of pirates!" George Waike ordered.
"Yes Grandfather," Peter apologised.
"Perhaps we had better retire to the conservatory," Rose suggested, "and leave the men to their discussions... Francesca, Catherine..."
The two women and the girls obediently followed Rose from the dining room, leaving Peter with his father and grandfather. "I don't do roses," Catherine muttered sourly under her breath. Rose looked at her sharply, but only when they were free of the men did Rose speak.
"You should not taunt George," she warned.
"What's he going to do - hit me like Stephen?" she hissed, aware of Francesca's proximity.
"We will talk of this later," Rose warned.
Catherine sighed heavily, sitting on one of the chairs amongst the foliage. "I don't do sweet feminine talk Rose. I live on a ship with nearly sixty men and I can count on one hand with fingers to spare the number of female friends I have..."
"Surely your mother..." Francesca began.
"My mother died when I was young. I was raised in a naval household by my father and brother..." she smiled, remembering. "I spent a lot of time on my grandfather's fishing boat too - so it was not surprising I ended up at sea."
"Will you tell us about Uncle John?" the dark haired girl asked.
"Elizabeth!" Francesca scolded. "You know your father discourages such talk!"
"How about I tell you about an Elizabeth I know... she was the daughter of the Governor of Jamaica and very pretty..."
"No pirates?" Francesca frowned.
"Not too many," she winked. "Well, maybe just a few."
***