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Chapter 12

It doesn't change a thing

            Will slowly put the letter down on the table. Reading the letter made him want to smile and cry both at the same time. So Elizabeth had always loved him back. He had often wondered whether she felt the same way, or whether her feelings were just temporary infatuation or a way out of marrying Commodore Norrington. Elizabeth had rarely even told him she loved him. After the last conversation they had had, Will had decided that she could not love him that much if she was preparing to let go without a fight. The letter was a complete surprise, and he was not prepared for it. He was touched, of course, and flattered at the compliments, but was he happy? It was good to know that she really did love him, but it wasn't enough. It didn't erase the facts. She was still having a baby that wasn't his. Elizabeth's always been well spoken, thought Will, she's good with words. And all that poetry she reads. Must make her romantic.

            The letter doesn't change a thing.

            Will folded the two sheets neatly and replaced them in the envelope, leaving it face down on the table. Going back to his sword, he worked without thinking, just concentrating on hammering the red hot sheaf of metal. He pounded and pounded, harder and harder, until the metal became too thin and the sword broke in the middle. Then he angrily knocked the ruined weapon off the surface with the hammer and sat in the corner to wallow in self pity.

*****

            Meanwhile, the Governor was visiting the house of the Commodore, not, as he

had told Elizabeth, having a meeting with the magistrate. Chances would be a fine thing,

he thought, bitterly. Magistrate Draven had become a strange fellow of late; work seemed to have become a foreign word for him, and he had all but retired. The purpose of Governor Swann's visit to the Commodore was, of course, the renewal of an engagement to his daughter. The Governor walked the short distance to the other man's house, while trying to phrase his request in his head. It's almost as if I'm the one proposing, he thought with some amusement. Stopping outside the Norrington's house, he looked up to admire the building. It was one of the finest in the town, due to Norrington's authoritative position, Governor Swann's favour of him, and the assumption that the Commodore would marry Elizabeth. Knocking three times on the impressive-looking front door, he stood back to look at the imposing house once again. Made of limestone bricks, it was very large, although some of the brick work had been eroded by the weather, contorting the stone into ripples and strange shapes.

            "Good day, sir." Norrington's butler answered the door quickly. The Commodore lived alone, and yet had seven staff; therefore they were instantly ready at his command.

            "Good day. I wish to speak to the Commodore."

            "Please come in, Governor Swann. I will inform the Commodore of your presence immediately."

            "Thank you," Governor Swann replied courteously. Butlers always intimidated him. His own and those of people he had visited were so well spoken that they made him feel inadequate and uneducated, as though he should be serving them. Subconsciously, he had always harboured a suspicion that they were mocking him.

            "Governor Swann!" Norrington's voice disturbed Swann from his idle musings. "What a pleasant surprise. I hope nothing is the matter?"

            "No, everything is in order, Commodore. It is a personal matter- I have a request to make of you, if I could take up a moment of your time?"

            "Certainly. Please come through. Would you like a beverage?" The Commodore was extremely curious about the Governor's strange manner. He seemed almost nervous. Swann declined his need for refreshment, and the Commodore led him through to the drawing room. Sitting down, he prepared to hear what the Governor had to say. "You have my full attention, Governor."

            "Yes. Well, the nature of my visit concerns my daughter," Swann began.

            "Elizabeth?" blurted out Norrington in surprise. Then he felt foolish. How many daughters did the Governor have?

            "Urm- yes, Elizabeth," agreed Governor Swann, looking at Norrington oddly. "Circumstances with herself and William Turner have changed." The Commodore sat up in interest. "And I was hoping that perhaps… perhaps you would be willing to consider..?"

            "Proposing to her again?"

            "Yes, that's right."

            "Well…" the Commodore was shocked, but could not hide his interest. He didn't love Elizabeth by any stretch of the imagination, but she was a pretty, pleasant young girl who would be bound impress… those who needed impressing. Not to mention her wealthy and noble background. On the other hand, she had rejected him in favour of a blacksmith. That had been a dreadful blow to his pride, no matter how hard he tried to mask it by wishing them luck. The decision was difficult, although his desire for a wife was greater than his pride. Still, it would do not harm to have the Governor hanging on for a while.

            "What do you say?" The Commodore's silence was making the Governor uneasy.

            "I will certainly consider it, Governor Swann. However, you may know that I have started to court Reverend Twyman's daughter, Stephanie, whom I find a very charming and delightful girl. The Constable himself is a very generous man, who has made it clear that my marrying Stephanie would be a very profitable action."

            Although Governor Swann was taken aback by the Commodore's blatant blackmail proposition, he was by no means disappointed. He admired men who knew how to make the best of any situation. "I see. Well, you know how generous I myself can be. For example, take a look at this fine house."

            "This house was a result of my dedication to the Royal Navy, Governor Swann. If I were to marry Elizabeth, I doubt my income would be enough to maintain this large house as well as our family."

            "I understand your concern. Would a generous dowry help this problem?"

            "It may at first, but there will be other problems." The Commodore rose from his chair, and paced around the room, pretending to casually ponder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Governor hanging on his every word. He was enjoying this!

*****

            Elizabeth was reading a book in the drawing room, anxiously waiting for her father to come home. She was uncomfortable about lying to him, but there was no way she could let him try to marry her to somebody she didn't love again. Turning the pages of the novel, she could barely concentrate on the words. They were long and complicated, the sentences complex, which Elizabeth would have found difficult to understand anyway. With her concentration what it was currently, the book seemed to be written in a foreign language which made no sense to her. Annoyed, she threw it down. Just at that moment, Elizabeth heard the front door open and ran into the hall. Sure enough, it was her father, looking rather haggard but pleased with himself. He gave her a strange look when he saw her, which was perhaps something between pride and fury. She watched curiously as he tried to speak. Gradually, his face began to relax, and he greeted her normally.

            "Good day, Elizabeth."

            "Good day, father. I have something to say."

            "Oh yes?" her father inquired, looking very wary. "I also have something to say, young lady."

            "Why don't we go into the drawing room?" Elizabeth invited, and they entered it silently and both sat on the settle. "What I was going to say was that-"

            "Elizabeth!" he interrupted. "I have made a decision about your future which I expect you to abide by. Now, the Commodore has told me that he would still be prepared to make you his wife, and I have told him that you will marry him."

            Elizabeth thought about it. She was bubbling with rage at her father's interference, but decided it would be easier to humour him now, and then escape the next day as planned. "Father, how dare you interfere in my affairs?" she shouted, so as not to arouse his suspicions.

            "Elizabeth, I am your father, and I am responsible for you. You will marry Commodore Norrington, because I say so!"

            "Well… he is a good man. It could have been worse. You're right, I will marry him." Elizabeth had not meant to give in so easily, she knew it looked suspicious, but she couldn't resist seeing the look on her father's face. It was worth it: he looked as if he had been physically hit. He was in complete shock, and Elizabeth inwardly laughed. What a terrible daughter I must be, she thought, amused, if he is this shocked when I agree with him!

            Elizabeth got up and left the room, and the Governor tried to comprehend what had just happened. Had Elizabeth… had Elizabeth listened to him? Pleased with himself, he sat back. He finally seemed to have his daughter under control, after nineteen long years, and she was going to fulfil what had been his ambition for her for about seven of them. It had come at a price, though. He shuddered to think about what he had had to promise the Commodore before he would agree to the marriage. Fifty acres of land for farming after he left the Navy. Management of a sugar plantation on the west side of Jamaica. Ownership of two other residential properties in Port Royal. The Commodore had known what he was doing, and Governor Swann cursed himself for letting Norrington know how keen he was for the marriage straight away. He should have simply told him Elizabeth wanted to consider an offer; he didn't believe Norrington's story about Stephanie Twyman at all. Come to think of it, he had never even seen them together before, although there was a rumour. The Commodore had probably just taken advantage of this rumour. What a fool he must think of the Governor!

*****

Elizabeth was sitting in her chamber, feeling guilty about the Commodore. Even though she would never see him again after the next day, she did feel sorry that she would be rejecting him twice. Mind you, she did always think he was too pompous and stubborn. He could do with being taken down a level. Angry with herself for thinking such things, Elizabeth kicked the foot of the bed, stumping her toe hard and transferring the emotional pain and anger into physical. Feeling better, she rubbed her foot, and begun to think about Will. She didn't want to. She wanted to let go of him, seeing as he did not seem to be interested in her anymore, but she couldn't stop. She would be occupied with something else, when the image of him would fly into her mind. She sied, awkwardly trying to lie down on her bed without the corset getting in the way. You never know what you have until you lose it, she thought. It was true. She didn't use to think about Will this often. She just missed him so much, and hated not being able to go and see him. Looking at the mantel clock on her dressing table, she tried to think what Will would be doing at that time. It was half past three, so he would still be working. He liked Sundays; they were quiet, as many of the residents of the town were good Christians who refused to work on the Sabbath. Or else, they were just too lazy to work on the Sabbath. Either way, Will liked to work all day long on Sunday, resting only at eleven o' clock and four o' clock, and work shorter days during the week, because there were more people around.

            Walking around her room, Elizabeth tried to remember everything about Will. It was strange the way you recalled such small details as the smell of a person without thinking about it. She could remember he smelled, but there were no words to describe it. It was completely individual. Sitting back down on the bed, she felt depressed again. She had lost the most precious person to her because of her own mistakes. Feeling her stomach, she wondered what Will would think if he found out she was running away with Jack. For a second, she harboured a fantasy of him running down to her house, crying "Elizabeth!" up to her window, then declaring his love for her in the middle of the stone drive, in front of everybody outside. It was something she had fantasized about before they had got together, but never as strongly as this.

*****

            Will wasn't letting himself think about Elizabeth. He was too scared about what he would do if he allowed himself to. Instead, he focused on his hate of Jack. He couldn't believe that the man who helped him save Elizabeth's life had ruined it for both of them. He and Elizabeth loved each other, why did external forces have to tear them apart? He knew it was Elizabeth's fault as much as Jack's, but he just didn't understand why it had had to happen to them? Couldn't Jack just be alone with a woman for one night without having to have his way with her? Will took an angry swig of the brandy he had found in Mr Brown's cupboard, trying to dilute the pain with alcohol. However, he swallowed too much at once, and it sent him into a coughing fit and burning his throat at the same time. Furious, he flung the glass bottle onto the floor, where it rolled some way across the room before hitting the leg of a table, the drink flowing out of it until only a little remained. Will watched its passage, wondering how this had happened to him. He wasn't a drinker. If Elizabeth saw him now, she would pity him, and he didn't want pity. Standing up, he decided to do something to make Elizabeth jealous. He snatched his leather waistcoat from the back of a chair, opened the door of the shop and strode out.

*****

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