Usual disclaimers... pfft!
Thanks to all the new reviewers... and those that have been with me a while... it means so much.
And Linnie... do try to keep up! :p
***
James Norrington looked around him with interest. He was clearly still within the Caribbean but where exactly he had no idea. Knowing Jack's devious nature he wondered if he was still on Jamaica - he would not have put it past him. He glanced towards the shore, surprised to see a house and forge sitting snugly beneath the trees, children playing on the beach. "Where..." he muttered in surprise, suddenly recognising Elizabeth. "This is..." he stuttered in shock.
"This is where a lot of refugees have sought sanctuary," Catherine said quietly as she came to stand next to him. "If you won't believe us, perhaps you will believe others, for we were here when the attack happened - well, Jack and the Pearl were at any rate. You are welcome to go ashore..."
"That would be nice," he replied, wincing as she shouted to some nearby crew. James Schott did not reply and stared moodily out to sea over the port rail.
"Oran! Charles! The Commodore and I are going ashore," she smiled. "And you've just volunteered to row..."
"Aye Kitty," Oran laughed, knowing how she hated having to row herself. The two of them held the boat steady whilst she climbed down, closely followed by the Commodore, rowing her ashore. Elizabeth saw them and waited on the shore.
"So you did it then," she sighed. "I was just about to make some tea - would the two of you like to join me..."
They followed her into the house, Catherine leading the way to the parlour whilst Elizabeth went towards the kitchen. "Groves!" he gasped in surprise on seeing his one-time Captain feeding his daughter. "Is there anyone who is not a refugee here?"
Catherine shoved the Commodore sharply, causing him to stumble against the doorframe. "What the..." he exclaimed, blinking as a small red haired child sped past giggling.
"Sorry," she smiled. "You have to watch out for Eilis attacks in this house." She turned, looking back through the kitchen door at the retreating, giggling figure of Eilis. "Eilis Désun!" she shouted loudly. "Get back here now and apologise!"
James Norrington looked at the child in astonishment as Eilis skidded to a halt and turned, wide-eyed to look at Catherine. She slowly, meekly walked back to the house. "Yes Kitty?" she asked innocently.
"You apologise to the Commodore now!" Catherine ordered. "He is our guest here and you will not attack him!"
"Jack says pirates don't apologise!" Eilis reasoned.
"They do when they are wrong," Catherine warned. "Even Jack has... once..." she conceded.
"But he's the enemy!" she protested.
Catherine was trying hard not to laugh, but was determined that Eilis would apologise to James. "Okay - so you are a pirate, I am a pirate - I rank you as first mate. You will say sorry or you will sit in the brig on the Black Pearl for the rest of the day!"
Eilis looked up at her, debating for a moment whether Catherine meant her threat. "I am sorry," she apologised before looking to Catherine. "Can I go play now?" she asked quietly.
Catherine smiled, unable to keep the laughter from her voice. "Yes, go play you little hurricane! Go on... shoo!" She waited until Eilis was half-way down the beach stalking Oran before turning back to the Commodore.
"Is she always like that?" he frowned.
"No, sometimes she is worse..." Eizabeth said as she returned carrying a tray with a pot of tea, a milk jug, a sugar bowl and a number of cups. She looked to Theodore who burst out laughing.
"But we should get to more serious matters - the false Black Pearl." Catherine reminded them.
"The false Black Pearl..." James queried as Elizabeth started to pour the tea.
Catherine sighed heavily. "Yes, the false Black Pearl. You will have to bear with me, for the tale is rather long and convoluted." The Commodore nodded for her to continue. "Recently I got separated from the ship in Cape Town and had to make my own way home. Things did not go to plan and I ended up travelling to London, then Le Havre and finally New Orleans. It was there that I saw her. She is very similar to us, and has our name painted on her stern. You can see that our ship has no such adornment. She has the same number of gun ports as us and is rigged the same, but I was unable to see her figurehead. From the timing I guess that she had just returned from Port au Prince. A friend in New Orleans told me that she had been recently built - and with English gold. I can only assume that whoever had her built did so with the sole purpose of sullying our name and turning all against us."
"And who would want to do that?" James Norrington frowned, worrying that what she was saying actually made sense.
"If I were to tell you that her Captain is Louis Lact and that Mary is still his woman..." she ventured.
"Are you implying that the Governor has a connection to this?" James Norrington gasped. "And they are alive?"
"Building a ship from scratch takes money. To make it look like us means that it must be somebody with a grudge. Yes, they are alive and when you add Mary into this then there can be no other answer," she reasoned.
"But surely he would not deal with a pirate - and a French pirate at that!" he frowned.
"What you also do not know is that he has twice tried to snatch Charlotte," Theodore interrupted. "And his man was Davit Lucon..."
"The same Davit Lucon that gave false witness against us before..." Catherine reminded him.
"Can you prove any of this?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Jack and Jean Claude watched his confession although unfortunately you will not be able to speak to him..." Catherine admitted.
"Why not?" James asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.
"I seem to remember him being fed to some sharks - although I did not witness it..." She shrugged. "Jack could tell you more..."
"Alright... if what you have just said is true then it proves there is another ship, but the attack still could have been carried out by you," he reasoned.
Theodore shook his head. "The Black Pearl was sitting in that bay for nearly three weeks," he said. "Jack wouldn't sail without Cat!"
"Do I have your word on that?" he pressed.
"Our word too," Elizabeth interrupted. "Both Will and I will vouch that the Black Pearl never left the bay."
"Even our own kind would not believe us at first," Catherine sighed. "Which is why you are here as our guest. Once the ship next attacks you will be released... I am sorry, but it was the only way we could think of to prove to you that it was not us..."
James Norrington nodded slowly, realising that he would probably have done the same in their position. He drained his cup of tea. "I'd like to think on this," he said quietly. "Am I allowed to walk the beach?"
"As long as I walk with you," Catherine smiled, rising with him. He politely offered her his arm and they walked out of the house.
Elizabeth sighed, looking through the open door after them. "That went better than I thought it would..." she smiled.
"The Commodore is an honest man," Theodore said. "He will judge the facts fairly and without prejudice..."
"Who is that with Catherine?" Rose asked, having returned from a walk with Richael who had been showing her the wild flowers that grew nearby.
"Oh, the Commodore," Elizabeth replied distractedly, her mind already deciding what to cook for dinner that night. "James Norrington..."
"Norrington?" Rose paled, looking closely at the tall man standing quietly with Catherine.
Elizabeth looked at her with concern. "Are you alright Rose?" she asked.
"Fine, fine," Rose evaded. "I think that the heat must be getting to me a little. I think I'll go and lie down for a while if that is alright..."
"Of course," Elizabeth frowned, puzzled by her reaction, but then Billy and Eilis sped through the house and out again and all thoughts of Rose fled her mind as she chased after the children.
***
Catherine walked slowly with the Commodore, her hand resting on his arm. "When I was in England I also went to Portsmouth," she said quietly. "To Southsea actually..."
"Did you..." James began.
Catherine nodded, stopping as she reached inside her purse. She handed him a small pebble, a piece flint common in the local chalk cliffs of Portsdown Hill. "I picked this up from beside Ester's grave," she said quietly, handing it to him. "I thought of you, but never imagined I would get a chance to give this to you..."
He looked at the small piece of flint, closing his fist around it. "Thank you," he whispered, surprised by her unlooked for kindness.
"I know you are not at liberty to return yourself," she smiled, "although it was a bit bigger when I picked it up. There was some chalk around it, but it crumbled off when it got wet... sorry."
"Even this is more than I could have asked for," he smiled, looking up as he saw Jack wandering towards them across the sand. "Jack," he nodded.
Jack blinked at his return to first name status - no longer just Sparrow. "James," he acknowledged, before turning to Catherine. "Jean Claude is begging for you in th' galley," he apologised. "I've come t' row yer back."
Catherine took her hand from the Commodore's arm and slipped it into Jack's outstretched hand, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "Am I to presume then that our guests are joining us for dinner," she smiled, realising that Jean Claude would be trying to cook something special.
"Aye," Jack confirmed, leading her back to the ship. "Yer comin'?" he asked James Norrington, wondering why he was staring at a pebble.
"Pardon?" He looked up dazed. "Yes, of course," he muttered and followed them back to the boat. His mind was whirling with all that he had heard and the gift of the pebble had sealed his judgement... he believed them.
***
Thanks to all the new reviewers... and those that have been with me a while... it means so much.
And Linnie... do try to keep up! :p
***
James Norrington looked around him with interest. He was clearly still within the Caribbean but where exactly he had no idea. Knowing Jack's devious nature he wondered if he was still on Jamaica - he would not have put it past him. He glanced towards the shore, surprised to see a house and forge sitting snugly beneath the trees, children playing on the beach. "Where..." he muttered in surprise, suddenly recognising Elizabeth. "This is..." he stuttered in shock.
"This is where a lot of refugees have sought sanctuary," Catherine said quietly as she came to stand next to him. "If you won't believe us, perhaps you will believe others, for we were here when the attack happened - well, Jack and the Pearl were at any rate. You are welcome to go ashore..."
"That would be nice," he replied, wincing as she shouted to some nearby crew. James Schott did not reply and stared moodily out to sea over the port rail.
"Oran! Charles! The Commodore and I are going ashore," she smiled. "And you've just volunteered to row..."
"Aye Kitty," Oran laughed, knowing how she hated having to row herself. The two of them held the boat steady whilst she climbed down, closely followed by the Commodore, rowing her ashore. Elizabeth saw them and waited on the shore.
"So you did it then," she sighed. "I was just about to make some tea - would the two of you like to join me..."
They followed her into the house, Catherine leading the way to the parlour whilst Elizabeth went towards the kitchen. "Groves!" he gasped in surprise on seeing his one-time Captain feeding his daughter. "Is there anyone who is not a refugee here?"
Catherine shoved the Commodore sharply, causing him to stumble against the doorframe. "What the..." he exclaimed, blinking as a small red haired child sped past giggling.
"Sorry," she smiled. "You have to watch out for Eilis attacks in this house." She turned, looking back through the kitchen door at the retreating, giggling figure of Eilis. "Eilis Désun!" she shouted loudly. "Get back here now and apologise!"
James Norrington looked at the child in astonishment as Eilis skidded to a halt and turned, wide-eyed to look at Catherine. She slowly, meekly walked back to the house. "Yes Kitty?" she asked innocently.
"You apologise to the Commodore now!" Catherine ordered. "He is our guest here and you will not attack him!"
"Jack says pirates don't apologise!" Eilis reasoned.
"They do when they are wrong," Catherine warned. "Even Jack has... once..." she conceded.
"But he's the enemy!" she protested.
Catherine was trying hard not to laugh, but was determined that Eilis would apologise to James. "Okay - so you are a pirate, I am a pirate - I rank you as first mate. You will say sorry or you will sit in the brig on the Black Pearl for the rest of the day!"
Eilis looked up at her, debating for a moment whether Catherine meant her threat. "I am sorry," she apologised before looking to Catherine. "Can I go play now?" she asked quietly.
Catherine smiled, unable to keep the laughter from her voice. "Yes, go play you little hurricane! Go on... shoo!" She waited until Eilis was half-way down the beach stalking Oran before turning back to the Commodore.
"Is she always like that?" he frowned.
"No, sometimes she is worse..." Eizabeth said as she returned carrying a tray with a pot of tea, a milk jug, a sugar bowl and a number of cups. She looked to Theodore who burst out laughing.
"But we should get to more serious matters - the false Black Pearl." Catherine reminded them.
"The false Black Pearl..." James queried as Elizabeth started to pour the tea.
Catherine sighed heavily. "Yes, the false Black Pearl. You will have to bear with me, for the tale is rather long and convoluted." The Commodore nodded for her to continue. "Recently I got separated from the ship in Cape Town and had to make my own way home. Things did not go to plan and I ended up travelling to London, then Le Havre and finally New Orleans. It was there that I saw her. She is very similar to us, and has our name painted on her stern. You can see that our ship has no such adornment. She has the same number of gun ports as us and is rigged the same, but I was unable to see her figurehead. From the timing I guess that she had just returned from Port au Prince. A friend in New Orleans told me that she had been recently built - and with English gold. I can only assume that whoever had her built did so with the sole purpose of sullying our name and turning all against us."
"And who would want to do that?" James Norrington frowned, worrying that what she was saying actually made sense.
"If I were to tell you that her Captain is Louis Lact and that Mary is still his woman..." she ventured.
"Are you implying that the Governor has a connection to this?" James Norrington gasped. "And they are alive?"
"Building a ship from scratch takes money. To make it look like us means that it must be somebody with a grudge. Yes, they are alive and when you add Mary into this then there can be no other answer," she reasoned.
"But surely he would not deal with a pirate - and a French pirate at that!" he frowned.
"What you also do not know is that he has twice tried to snatch Charlotte," Theodore interrupted. "And his man was Davit Lucon..."
"The same Davit Lucon that gave false witness against us before..." Catherine reminded him.
"Can you prove any of this?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Jack and Jean Claude watched his confession although unfortunately you will not be able to speak to him..." Catherine admitted.
"Why not?" James asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.
"I seem to remember him being fed to some sharks - although I did not witness it..." She shrugged. "Jack could tell you more..."
"Alright... if what you have just said is true then it proves there is another ship, but the attack still could have been carried out by you," he reasoned.
Theodore shook his head. "The Black Pearl was sitting in that bay for nearly three weeks," he said. "Jack wouldn't sail without Cat!"
"Do I have your word on that?" he pressed.
"Our word too," Elizabeth interrupted. "Both Will and I will vouch that the Black Pearl never left the bay."
"Even our own kind would not believe us at first," Catherine sighed. "Which is why you are here as our guest. Once the ship next attacks you will be released... I am sorry, but it was the only way we could think of to prove to you that it was not us..."
James Norrington nodded slowly, realising that he would probably have done the same in their position. He drained his cup of tea. "I'd like to think on this," he said quietly. "Am I allowed to walk the beach?"
"As long as I walk with you," Catherine smiled, rising with him. He politely offered her his arm and they walked out of the house.
Elizabeth sighed, looking through the open door after them. "That went better than I thought it would..." she smiled.
"The Commodore is an honest man," Theodore said. "He will judge the facts fairly and without prejudice..."
"Who is that with Catherine?" Rose asked, having returned from a walk with Richael who had been showing her the wild flowers that grew nearby.
"Oh, the Commodore," Elizabeth replied distractedly, her mind already deciding what to cook for dinner that night. "James Norrington..."
"Norrington?" Rose paled, looking closely at the tall man standing quietly with Catherine.
Elizabeth looked at her with concern. "Are you alright Rose?" she asked.
"Fine, fine," Rose evaded. "I think that the heat must be getting to me a little. I think I'll go and lie down for a while if that is alright..."
"Of course," Elizabeth frowned, puzzled by her reaction, but then Billy and Eilis sped through the house and out again and all thoughts of Rose fled her mind as she chased after the children.
***
Catherine walked slowly with the Commodore, her hand resting on his arm. "When I was in England I also went to Portsmouth," she said quietly. "To Southsea actually..."
"Did you..." James began.
Catherine nodded, stopping as she reached inside her purse. She handed him a small pebble, a piece flint common in the local chalk cliffs of Portsdown Hill. "I picked this up from beside Ester's grave," she said quietly, handing it to him. "I thought of you, but never imagined I would get a chance to give this to you..."
He looked at the small piece of flint, closing his fist around it. "Thank you," he whispered, surprised by her unlooked for kindness.
"I know you are not at liberty to return yourself," she smiled, "although it was a bit bigger when I picked it up. There was some chalk around it, but it crumbled off when it got wet... sorry."
"Even this is more than I could have asked for," he smiled, looking up as he saw Jack wandering towards them across the sand. "Jack," he nodded.
Jack blinked at his return to first name status - no longer just Sparrow. "James," he acknowledged, before turning to Catherine. "Jean Claude is begging for you in th' galley," he apologised. "I've come t' row yer back."
Catherine took her hand from the Commodore's arm and slipped it into Jack's outstretched hand, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "Am I to presume then that our guests are joining us for dinner," she smiled, realising that Jean Claude would be trying to cook something special.
"Aye," Jack confirmed, leading her back to the ship. "Yer comin'?" he asked James Norrington, wondering why he was staring at a pebble.
"Pardon?" He looked up dazed. "Yes, of course," he muttered and followed them back to the boat. His mind was whirling with all that he had heard and the gift of the pebble had sealed his judgement... he believed them.
***