Usual disclaimers... blah!
Big hugs for Linnie and four chapters to shut Omala up! {wink}
My segment dividers are suddenly not showing so these four chapters will have some strange characters in whilst I try out different things in the hope they work. Bear with me.
###
Jeremiah Hallam arrived by mid-afternoon, eager to see the prisoner aboard the Black Pearl. He had been initially angry when Isaac had told him that it had been decided amongst those involved that Louis would hang in Port Royal. He still intended to give Jack Sparrow a piece of his mind, and James Norrington too given half a chance. He understood why they were doing this - he would do the same in their position - but he wanted his pound of flesh, his vengeance for the death of his son Neithan. He smiled on seeing a ships boat being sent from the Black Pearl as soon as he was spotted... Jack Sparrow kept a tidy ship and he realised it was in no small part due to his wife. Jeremiah dismounted, handing the reins of his horse to one of his guards as he waited for his sons, Joshua and Isaac to do the same. By the time they reached the waters edge, the boat beached in front of them.
"Mister Hallam, Captain Hallam, Isaac... the Captain's expecting you," Thomas Cardew nodded, gesturing for Jeremiah to climb into the boat whilst three more crew held it steady before pushing off again. They did not speak whilst they rowed, maintaining their silence until they reached the Black Pearl, throwing a line up to Tobias Pale to secure the boat. "After you Mister Hallam," Thomas gestured, waiting whilst the two younger men followed their father. "Captain's in his cabin...." he called after them.
"Thank you," Jeremiah said distractedly, climbing eagerly aboard the ship, heading towards the cabin in the stern instead of the direction he truly wished to go. As he had expected, Catherine had prepared some food and cool drinks.
"Jeremiah," she smiled warmly as he kissed her hand.
"Mistress Sparrow." He frowned, noticing how cautiously she walked. "You've been injured?"
"Nothing Ned couldn't patch," she smiled, carefully watching his gaze as he looked around the cabin. For a moment she bit he lip, before deciding to brazen it out. "I don't believe you have met our guest aboard before, have you? Jeremiah, may introduce James Norrington." She turned to the Commodore. "James, this is Jeremiah Hallam and his elder son Joshua..."
"I suppose I should shake your hand," Jeremiah said suspiciously, "else be bested by this whippersnapper!" He glared at Isaac who was closely inspecting the food on the table. Catherine slapped his hand, her eyes barely leaving the scene before her as possibly the two most powerful men in the Caribbean, excluding the Governor, shook hands.
"Mister Hallam," James nodded, his hand shake as cautious as Jeremiah's.
Jeremiah turned to Jack. "Well," he said, his tone business-like but his expression grim. "Where is he?"
"Jean Claude will bring him shortly," Jack explained, nodding to the Frenchman who was leaning unobtrusively against the side of the cabin. "I trust that Isaac has explained what had been decided..."
"Aye," Joshua interrupted. "Nothing that won't heal!" he spat bitterly. "You've a nerve Sparrow considering what he's done!"
Jack shrugged, refusing to let Joshua antagonise him. "He'll die... dead is dead after all." He nodded to the Commodore. "But by givin' him t' James here means that we get th' added bonus of possibly bringing th' Governor down as well!"
"Satisfy your petty feud with Spense with another corpse you mean!" Joshua argued. "Give him to us!"
Jeremiah held up his hand, bidding him be silent. "Although I agree with you Joshua, Louis Lact is not our prisoner." He looked around the cabin. "There are others here with equal claim," he reminded his son as he turned to Jack. "Will you give him to me for a week?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "I'll not have him leave this ship," he explained. "Yer can question him t' yer heart's content here, however yer want until we leave, but he stays in th' brig!"
"Nothing that won't heal?" Jeremiah asked disappointedly.
"Nor any noises that would upset those in th' bay," Jack said. "But gags are wonderful things..." he grinned, his expression at odds with the tone of his voice.
"Plus," Catherine said softly, "he doesn't know you won't kill him... he knows nothing of his fate and we can use that to our advantage..."
Joshua looked stunned at a woman suggesting this but Jeremiah started to chuckle. "You are the most devious woman I know Mistress Sparrow!"
"Why thank you Jeremiah," she smiled, reaching for the large teapot in the centre of the table. "Tea?"
###
Only when they had taken refreshment did Jack ask Jean Claude to bring his brother. Louis Lact entered the cabin, manacled and under the armed guard of William Hawker and Lonan Kree. Jack was taking no chances with Louis for he knew that the Frenchman was the only possible key to bringing down the Governor.
He watched Louis' face as he entered, realising that he was barely containing his fear. He knew he was way out of his depth.
"So nice of yer t' join us Louis..." Jack drawled. "I take it yer know most of th' people here... th' Commodore, m' wife, yer brother, yer woman's husband... an' have yer met th' Hallams?" He nodded to where the three men stood together in the corner. "Didn't Spense warn yer about th' Hallams? No?" Jack tutted. "Very remiss of him considerin' what happened t' th' last man he sent here..."
"What do you mean?" Louis asked cautiously.
"Well Jeremiah here took it kinda personally when he heard yer'd killed his son, an' nearly his grandson..." Jack explained.
"I didn't!" Louis protested.
"Ah, but you did brother," Jean Claude interrupted. "The ship we attacked on the day of the mutiny... the pregnant woman and the man that stood before her..." He nodded as the memory suddenly dawned on Louis. "Oui... the man was Neithan Hallam,,,"
"Unfortunately yer've placed us in a quandary here Louis," Jack said, waving his hands to encompass all within the room. "A quandary b'cause we can't decide on who gets t' kill yer..."
"If you were to tell us the truth about your dealings with the Governor it could persuade some of us to go easier on you," Catherine tempted.
"Why should I?" Louis demanded, finding his courage. "I know I am dead already!"
"True," she shrugged. "But there are so many ways to die... as the Governor's last man discovered when Jeremiah had him fed to the sharks... whilst still alive..."
Louis paled. He was enough of a realist to understand that he had no way out, but the thought of being fed alive to the sharks was too much for him. He had watched when he was Captain of the Catalyntie as the men threw corpses overboard, watching with morbid fascination as the sleek beasts tore into the flesh. He knew well what kind of a death that would be. "If I have your word of no sharks, I will talk," he offered.
"And what of my wife?" Theodore asked quietly.
"You'll never get her!" Louis said, a flash of defiance in his eyes.
"Why?" Theodore responded in French. "Do you think I do not have the courage to sail to New Orleans to recover Mary?" He smiled as Louis gasped.
"How did you..." he stuttered.
"I know a lot of things," Theodore smiled, letting Louis stew and delighting in his panicked attitude. "Including how she is with child... is it not due soon?" Louis gaped, unable even to talk as Theodore turned to Jack, winking to him. "I still vote for the sharks," he said, striding out onto the deck. Only when he knew he could not be overheard did he start to chuckle - Louis' expression had been priceless.
###
Big hugs for Linnie and four chapters to shut Omala up! {wink}
My segment dividers are suddenly not showing so these four chapters will have some strange characters in whilst I try out different things in the hope they work. Bear with me.
###
Jeremiah Hallam arrived by mid-afternoon, eager to see the prisoner aboard the Black Pearl. He had been initially angry when Isaac had told him that it had been decided amongst those involved that Louis would hang in Port Royal. He still intended to give Jack Sparrow a piece of his mind, and James Norrington too given half a chance. He understood why they were doing this - he would do the same in their position - but he wanted his pound of flesh, his vengeance for the death of his son Neithan. He smiled on seeing a ships boat being sent from the Black Pearl as soon as he was spotted... Jack Sparrow kept a tidy ship and he realised it was in no small part due to his wife. Jeremiah dismounted, handing the reins of his horse to one of his guards as he waited for his sons, Joshua and Isaac to do the same. By the time they reached the waters edge, the boat beached in front of them.
"Mister Hallam, Captain Hallam, Isaac... the Captain's expecting you," Thomas Cardew nodded, gesturing for Jeremiah to climb into the boat whilst three more crew held it steady before pushing off again. They did not speak whilst they rowed, maintaining their silence until they reached the Black Pearl, throwing a line up to Tobias Pale to secure the boat. "After you Mister Hallam," Thomas gestured, waiting whilst the two younger men followed their father. "Captain's in his cabin...." he called after them.
"Thank you," Jeremiah said distractedly, climbing eagerly aboard the ship, heading towards the cabin in the stern instead of the direction he truly wished to go. As he had expected, Catherine had prepared some food and cool drinks.
"Jeremiah," she smiled warmly as he kissed her hand.
"Mistress Sparrow." He frowned, noticing how cautiously she walked. "You've been injured?"
"Nothing Ned couldn't patch," she smiled, carefully watching his gaze as he looked around the cabin. For a moment she bit he lip, before deciding to brazen it out. "I don't believe you have met our guest aboard before, have you? Jeremiah, may introduce James Norrington." She turned to the Commodore. "James, this is Jeremiah Hallam and his elder son Joshua..."
"I suppose I should shake your hand," Jeremiah said suspiciously, "else be bested by this whippersnapper!" He glared at Isaac who was closely inspecting the food on the table. Catherine slapped his hand, her eyes barely leaving the scene before her as possibly the two most powerful men in the Caribbean, excluding the Governor, shook hands.
"Mister Hallam," James nodded, his hand shake as cautious as Jeremiah's.
Jeremiah turned to Jack. "Well," he said, his tone business-like but his expression grim. "Where is he?"
"Jean Claude will bring him shortly," Jack explained, nodding to the Frenchman who was leaning unobtrusively against the side of the cabin. "I trust that Isaac has explained what had been decided..."
"Aye," Joshua interrupted. "Nothing that won't heal!" he spat bitterly. "You've a nerve Sparrow considering what he's done!"
Jack shrugged, refusing to let Joshua antagonise him. "He'll die... dead is dead after all." He nodded to the Commodore. "But by givin' him t' James here means that we get th' added bonus of possibly bringing th' Governor down as well!"
"Satisfy your petty feud with Spense with another corpse you mean!" Joshua argued. "Give him to us!"
Jeremiah held up his hand, bidding him be silent. "Although I agree with you Joshua, Louis Lact is not our prisoner." He looked around the cabin. "There are others here with equal claim," he reminded his son as he turned to Jack. "Will you give him to me for a week?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "I'll not have him leave this ship," he explained. "Yer can question him t' yer heart's content here, however yer want until we leave, but he stays in th' brig!"
"Nothing that won't heal?" Jeremiah asked disappointedly.
"Nor any noises that would upset those in th' bay," Jack said. "But gags are wonderful things..." he grinned, his expression at odds with the tone of his voice.
"Plus," Catherine said softly, "he doesn't know you won't kill him... he knows nothing of his fate and we can use that to our advantage..."
Joshua looked stunned at a woman suggesting this but Jeremiah started to chuckle. "You are the most devious woman I know Mistress Sparrow!"
"Why thank you Jeremiah," she smiled, reaching for the large teapot in the centre of the table. "Tea?"
###
Only when they had taken refreshment did Jack ask Jean Claude to bring his brother. Louis Lact entered the cabin, manacled and under the armed guard of William Hawker and Lonan Kree. Jack was taking no chances with Louis for he knew that the Frenchman was the only possible key to bringing down the Governor.
He watched Louis' face as he entered, realising that he was barely containing his fear. He knew he was way out of his depth.
"So nice of yer t' join us Louis..." Jack drawled. "I take it yer know most of th' people here... th' Commodore, m' wife, yer brother, yer woman's husband... an' have yer met th' Hallams?" He nodded to where the three men stood together in the corner. "Didn't Spense warn yer about th' Hallams? No?" Jack tutted. "Very remiss of him considerin' what happened t' th' last man he sent here..."
"What do you mean?" Louis asked cautiously.
"Well Jeremiah here took it kinda personally when he heard yer'd killed his son, an' nearly his grandson..." Jack explained.
"I didn't!" Louis protested.
"Ah, but you did brother," Jean Claude interrupted. "The ship we attacked on the day of the mutiny... the pregnant woman and the man that stood before her..." He nodded as the memory suddenly dawned on Louis. "Oui... the man was Neithan Hallam,,,"
"Unfortunately yer've placed us in a quandary here Louis," Jack said, waving his hands to encompass all within the room. "A quandary b'cause we can't decide on who gets t' kill yer..."
"If you were to tell us the truth about your dealings with the Governor it could persuade some of us to go easier on you," Catherine tempted.
"Why should I?" Louis demanded, finding his courage. "I know I am dead already!"
"True," she shrugged. "But there are so many ways to die... as the Governor's last man discovered when Jeremiah had him fed to the sharks... whilst still alive..."
Louis paled. He was enough of a realist to understand that he had no way out, but the thought of being fed alive to the sharks was too much for him. He had watched when he was Captain of the Catalyntie as the men threw corpses overboard, watching with morbid fascination as the sleek beasts tore into the flesh. He knew well what kind of a death that would be. "If I have your word of no sharks, I will talk," he offered.
"And what of my wife?" Theodore asked quietly.
"You'll never get her!" Louis said, a flash of defiance in his eyes.
"Why?" Theodore responded in French. "Do you think I do not have the courage to sail to New Orleans to recover Mary?" He smiled as Louis gasped.
"How did you..." he stuttered.
"I know a lot of things," Theodore smiled, letting Louis stew and delighting in his panicked attitude. "Including how she is with child... is it not due soon?" Louis gaped, unable even to talk as Theodore turned to Jack, winking to him. "I still vote for the sharks," he said, striding out onto the deck. Only when he knew he could not be overheard did he start to chuckle - Louis' expression had been priceless.
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