Chapter 14
"What am I going to do?"
Thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far. Sorry I haven't updated for ages, I've bitten off more than I can chew starting other new fics while school work is still pretty heavy! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Stephanie had returned to her father's house alone, after leaving Jack very drunk and very upset on the pavement outside. As his alcohol intake had increased, he had become more and more obnoxious and forward with her, and Stephanie was not used to his sort, being a respectable citizen. When she protested against one of his advances, Jack had called her stubborn and careless of his feelings, and had told her he was tired of being rejected by her type. He had also revealed that he was a pirate when her uncle was not listening, but after several more drinks, had made the mistake of telling her all about the last raid he had made on a town. She was shocked at the amount of violence he described, and her opinion of him was lowered beyond redemption. Especially after he inadvertently revealed that the story about his brother was a complete lie.
As Jack sat down heavily on the street, he exhaled deeply and wished he had another ten drinks to wipe away the memory of the girl's face, frightened and disliking. He knew it was only out of anger at Elizabeth- and of course the rum- which had made him want to hurt her, and now he regretted it. Rum had a way of making you do things that you would later regret. Jack pondered whether to apologise to Stephanie, but even as he thought about it, he knew he would not be able to. It would cause embarrassment to both of them, and Jack detested such situations. Instead, he knew he had to find out what the matter was between him and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth had not moved from her spot in the drawing room, and was admiring the engagement ring that Commodore Norrington had given her. It was very large and well cut, and generally far more impressive than the one Will had given her, but for her it held no beauty. She wanted a ring that was to be taken and received with love, not one in token of an arrangement between two houses. Nevertheless, she replaced the ring on her third finger and held out her hand to see how it looked. Pretty, she thought, if only Will had been the one to put it there. Just then, her idle thoughts were disturbed by the butler arguing with a guest who was very insistent on entering the house. Leaving the room, she walked into the hall to see what the commotion was about. She saw the door wide open and Stubbs, the butler, manually preventing Jack from coming in. The slightest of smiles passed across her lips as she took in the scene.
"Stubbs- it's in order, let him in!" she told the butler, who immediately let go of the pirate and straightened his livery.
"If you're sure, Miss Swann," he answered obediently, snatching off Jack's hat and thrusting it into his hands. "May I point out, sir, that it is customary to remove one's hat when entering a household other than one's own."
"Mr Stubbs, that will do!" Elizabeth cut in, sharply. "Mr Sparrow is a guest, and he is to be treated as an honoured one, despite his… unusual… attire."
"Very good, Miss Swann," replied the butler, standing as straight as a poker.
Laughing, Jack handed his hat to Stubbs. "I' is also custom-mry for the bu'ler to take care of a guest's 'at, is it not?"
Stubbs took the proferred hat without a change of expression, although Jack was sure he knew what the butler would like to do with the hat. "Quite, sir."
When the butler had been dismissed, Jack gestured questioningly to the part of the house with which he had become most familiar; the drawing room. However, Elizabeth shook her head and pointed to the staircase.
"My bedroom. We must not be disturbed by my father; he doesn't want you to be here."
"Your bed- droom, eh?" asked Jack with difficulty, trying his best not to sound drunk as he gripped the handrail of the staircase tightly, so that he didn't stagger.
"Don't get any ideas!" Elizabeth warned as she led the way, even though she knew he was not being serious.
On reaching the bedroom, Jack stumbled inside after Elizabeth and almost fell onto a stool in the corner. Trying to regain his composure- and focus his eyesight- he looked at her sternly. "What's sis about you an' the Comm-dorr then, eh?"
Confused, Elizabeth tried to work out what Jack had just tried to say through his slurring. "What's what about..?"
"Girl comes in the inn… says Comm-dorr… 's got enga- eng- marryin' you." Although sitting down, Jack was gesturing wildly with his arms.
Realization dawned on Elizabeth, and she laughed. "Oh, that! My father asked him to propose. I had to say yes to humour him, but it's of not matter. After all, are we not leaving tomorrow?" After a pause, she added "Jack, how drunk are you?"
Jack muttered a curse, then tried to stand. "Not vair'. See?" he demonstrated walking, just managing it without crashing into any furniture. To surprise of both, Elizabeth burst out laughing, in spite of herself. Grinning, Jack reseated himself.
"Oh, Jack, what am I going to do?" cried Elizabeth, sitting on her bed and burying her face in her hands. Jack frowned, not understanding the question.
"Do abou' wha'?"
She shook her head. "Oh, nothing."
*****
Will Turner was wondering exactly the same thing. What was he going to do? It was a question he had thought about many times before, of course. He knew he didn't want to bring up Jack's child, but he also knew that he did not want to lose Elizabeth- especially to him, thought Will. He had caught sight of Jack heading up to the Manor earlier, and felt sick. He had had to hide, as a meeting with the pirate captain would have turned his stomach. He hated him so much it was hard to believe. Will had never hated anyone before. But Jack… Jack he hated with a passion.
Lost in thought while trying to find his way back to the smithy, Will collided with somebody hurrying in the opposite direction. Unable to make out who it was in the dark, but seeing that they had fallen, he rushed over to help the unfortunate person.
"Goodness… I'm so sorry… here, let me help you…" Will could see that it was a woman, and he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He bent down to pick up whatever it was that she had dropped- a fabric bag containing some apples- and handed it back to her with another apology. She thanked him, then squinted at his face.
"Will?"
"Yes?"
"It's me, Estrella!"
Will laughed. "Oh, hello Estrella! Sorry again about knocking you there."
"Don't worry about it! Where are you going?"
"Back to the shop. And what are you doing walking around here at-" he tried to make out the time on the church clock, but failed. "Half past seven?" he guessed.
She laughed. "Well, it was eight o' clock when I left, so I think we've passed half past seven!" Will swore again, realizing he must have been walking aimlessly for over an hour. "But I was taking these apples to me sister's 'ouse-" she faltered. "Please don't tell Governor Swann!"
It was Will's turn to laugh. "I'll try not to. I'd better be heading back, then. Arr! An empty blacksmith's shop. What more could a man want?"
"Actually- actually, if you want, I could come and keep you company for a little while?" Estrella offered, timidly.
Will thought about it, and decided some company was what he needed. "That would be lovely. Come by as soon as you've been to see your sister."
"I shouldn't be long," she said, and suddenly both of them were acting shy, until they parted.
Will hurried back to the blacksmith's to clear up. He picked up the bits and pieces on the floor of the shop and hid them in a corner, before checking the back room and kitchen. The back room was reasonably tidy, as he didn't use it often, but the kitchen was a mess. He picked up a large pot which had been draining, cursing at its weight, and looked around for a place to put it. He never had time to clean the kitchen, and he didn't know how long the pot had been standing out for. After placing it on the floor, he pushed some plates into the sink and covered it, before taking out another pan to boil water. He lit an oil lamp in the back room, before making two mugs of cocoa with the boiled water. He was proud; cocoa was difficult for the villagers to come by as the merchants preferred to ship it to the larger colonies, and therefore it was costly in Port Royal despite being grown nearby. He soon heard a faint knock coming from the shop's front door, signalling Estrella's arrival.
"Hello again!" she greeted as he opened the door, and entered to the shop. He gestured to the back sitting room and followed her, bringing in the cocoa as she sat down at the dusty table.
"Well… how are you?" Will began, not knowing what to say now that she was there.
Estrella, however, was more keen to get to the underlying matter. "Elizabeth."
Will swallowed. "What about her?"
"You're just dyin' to ask me about her. I don't mind, honestly. What d'you want to know?"
"Well, urm… how is she?"
"She's copin' in fron' of her family. You understand tha' this goes no further, yes?"
"Of course. But… is Jack there?"
"You mean now, or always?"
"Both."
"I don' know 'bout now, but quite a lot."
Will rubbed his head in disappointment. What was Elizabeth doing, did she really love him or was she playing games with his mind? "I see."
Estrella saw the desperation in his expression, and began to feel the same herself. She had never interfered in her masters' business before now, but seeing these two people, both helpless and so obviously in love, made her want to help both of them. "Come on, Will! Any blind fool can tell she loves you! An' I know you love 'er too."
Will sighed. "It's not that simple though, is it? I mean, what about the baby? I can't… I can't, I just can't."
It was Estrella's turn to sigh. She could not believe how complicated Will was making it. To her it seemed like a perfectly simple decision. "Will, if you really love 'er as much as I think you do, you'd be able to see past that. Come on, this is the woman who you asked to marry you! I know there's somefing between you, bu' it's just a baby. In innocent baby. Elizabeth doesn' love its father, she loves you."
"But she's going away with him. She does love him."
This was news to Estrella, but she covered it well and carried on trying to make Will see her point. "That's 'cause she's scared o' bein' alone, Will. She wants a father for the poor child, whether it's the real one or you, the man she actually wants. And I know it's tearin' you apart not bein' wiv 'er too. I just saw you walkin' around at night with no idea of where you was goin' or when it was. Do what's right by 'er, and by yourself. I'm tellin' you this as a friend, understand? It goes no further."
"Of course," Will replied as she stood up. They bade goodbye to each other, and Estrella left the shop, leaving Will alone with his thoughts.
*****
Before long, Jack had fallen asleep, sprawled across Elizabeth's bedspread. He was muttering gently, but not loud enough for anybody outside the room to hear, so she decided to let him lie in his drink induced sleep for a while. Her heart sinking, she realized this would complicate things the next day, when they were due to leave. Jack was not inclined to be in the best of moods after drinking, and was bound to be in bad humour during the journey. She was nervous about their passage from Port Royal- as far as she knew, the Captain had not made any arrangements with the local boat owners, and the by a miracle the sailors of the Navy still weren't aware of his presence on the island. She was nervous that they would be taking one of the ships without permission, and she wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with such rule braking against her own people. And although Jack was the cleverest man she had ever met and she knew this would not be compromised by alcohol, she was worried about how he would manage it.
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