Usual disclaimers... pfft!
Last chapter for today girls... play nice and review and I'll try to get another load up by Monday!
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It took Jack two days to sober up enough to be able to stand, and even then he wobbled alarmingly when he did. He grunted when Jean Claude told him about the decisions reached about his mother and James Schott. "Has she written anythin' yet?" he slurred.
"I believe she is waiting for your assurance that you will not kill your brother..." Jean Claude reminded him.
"I'll promise her th' bloody moon if it'll get me Kitty back quicker!" Jack retorted.
"Well, I've taken on all the supplies we need these last few days," Jean Claude smiled. "As soon as she gives us a list we can sail..."
"Best go an' see her then," Jack said, blinking at the light as he stumbled out of the cabin.
"I will row Captain," Jean Claude offered. "At least that way you might reach shore safely..." Jack glowered at him but accepted the teasing with good grace, realising he would probably row in circles the way his head was spinning at the time. "You'd better get somebody to clean up your cabin though," Jean Claude smiled.
Jack looked back, through the open doors, to the chaos within. "I'll do it later," he mumbled, realising Catherine would explode at him for the mess, squashing the dark thoughts of 'if ever she returns' that echoed in his mind. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Let's sort out m' mother first..."
He climbed down into the waiting ship's boat, grateful for Jean Claude's assistance, watching the shore come closer. The boat beached and he helped his quartermaster pull it further up the shore. "Do you wish me to come with you Captain?" Jean Claude asked.
"If yer want," he shrugged, "but I doubt I'll need yer."
"Whatever," Jean Claude smiled, walking companionably beside Jack towards the house. "But mothers can be fearsome creatures... you never know!"
Jack smiled wryly as he walked up the steps and into the kitchen where Richael was baking with Claire. She looked up as they entered. "I believe Elizabeth and Rose are in the parlour," she said, smiling at Jean Claude.
Jack headed for the parlour, smiling to himself as Jean Claude loitered in the kitchen. "Will you help me Jean Claude," Richael sighed. "I can't get this right!"
Jean Claude looked at the pastry that she was effectively murdering, shaking his head. "No Richael," he laughed. "Like this..." He reached across the table to show her.
Jack left the three of them in the kitchen, heading towards the parlour. Claire had been correct, Rose was sitting at the writing desk, a list of names before her. "Elizabeth," he smiled warmly before turning to Rose. "Mother," he said stiffly.
"Jack!" Elizabeth rose from where she had been sitting and embraced him warmly. He smiled, grateful of her silent understanding. "Rose was just writing that list..."
"I'll take it an' be gone then," he replied, reaching for the sheet only to find it moved out of range of his grasp.
"I want your word first," Rose insisted. "Your word that you will not kill Stephen!"
Jack glared at his mother. "I will not kill Stephen, yer have m' word!" He reached forwards, snatching the sheet from her. "Thank you."
Elizabeth noted he did not give his word that others would not kill Stephen – and if Catherine had been hurt she doubted even his promise to his mother would stay his hand. From Jean Claude down to Moses, none of the crew would think twice about avenging what Stephen had done. But she held her tongue, realising that it was not something that Rose needed to worry about. Stephen had signed his own death warrant in her eyes as soon as he had taken Catherine and it was not a matter of if but when he would die. Her time spent with pirates had assured her of that – families were not to be touched and to cross that line would turn every pirate in the region against the perpetrator.
"You sail immediately?" Elizabeth asked, watching as he scanned the list of names of ships.
"Aye. We'll drop Jimmy off safely near Port Royal an' then head north..." Jack replied distractedly as he read. "I'd best go an' find him..."
"I think he was with Will in the smithy," Elizabeth said, reaching across to hug Jack and kiss him gently on the cheek. "Come back safe..."
Jack smiled at her before nodding to Rose. "Mother," he acknowledged, turning to leave without further comment, collecting his floury quartermaster from the kitchen en-route. He did not ask how Jean Claude had managed to get flour on his lips.
James had been expecting to leave and the three of them walked quickly back to the beached boat. "Will I be allowed to return here some day?" James asked cautiously. Once he had realised that pirates were not the evil that he had been taught by the Governor and the Roseridge family, he had gotten on well with those at the bay and had enjoyed his time there.
"That depends on you," Jack shrugged, pushing off the boat from the beach. He jumped in. "Now, are yer sure yer know what t' say t' Theo?"
"I am to explain what happened in London, to tell Theodore and my Uncle that Catherine has been taken by Stephen Waike again and that you have gone north in an attempt to hit his ships... and that you wish my Uncle to tell Theodore everything that he knows," James replied. "But as far as any one else is concerned, I escaped and worked my way back on a fishing dory..." His time helping Claire these past few weeks would be helpful towards the lie. He looked intently at Jack. "You will get her back, won't you?" he worried.
"Or die tryin'," Jack said darkly, patting his pocket where his mother's list was safely held.
"We will find her, do not worry," Jean Claude assured James, seeing that Jack's words had unsettled the boy. "But before we can do that we must return you to Jamaica..." He paused, throwing the rope up to waiting hands above. Jack climbed agilely up. "So we had best make sail..."
James nodded, following Jack up onto deck. He looked around, remembering how he had departed the ship before. So much of what he had been told had been proven false, the pirates true... he wondered what else he would discover on his return.
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Okay... review now girls... you know that you want to. And more than a single review for all this work would be really, really nice – savvy?
Last chapter for today girls... play nice and review and I'll try to get another load up by Monday!
###
It took Jack two days to sober up enough to be able to stand, and even then he wobbled alarmingly when he did. He grunted when Jean Claude told him about the decisions reached about his mother and James Schott. "Has she written anythin' yet?" he slurred.
"I believe she is waiting for your assurance that you will not kill your brother..." Jean Claude reminded him.
"I'll promise her th' bloody moon if it'll get me Kitty back quicker!" Jack retorted.
"Well, I've taken on all the supplies we need these last few days," Jean Claude smiled. "As soon as she gives us a list we can sail..."
"Best go an' see her then," Jack said, blinking at the light as he stumbled out of the cabin.
"I will row Captain," Jean Claude offered. "At least that way you might reach shore safely..." Jack glowered at him but accepted the teasing with good grace, realising he would probably row in circles the way his head was spinning at the time. "You'd better get somebody to clean up your cabin though," Jean Claude smiled.
Jack looked back, through the open doors, to the chaos within. "I'll do it later," he mumbled, realising Catherine would explode at him for the mess, squashing the dark thoughts of 'if ever she returns' that echoed in his mind. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Let's sort out m' mother first..."
He climbed down into the waiting ship's boat, grateful for Jean Claude's assistance, watching the shore come closer. The boat beached and he helped his quartermaster pull it further up the shore. "Do you wish me to come with you Captain?" Jean Claude asked.
"If yer want," he shrugged, "but I doubt I'll need yer."
"Whatever," Jean Claude smiled, walking companionably beside Jack towards the house. "But mothers can be fearsome creatures... you never know!"
Jack smiled wryly as he walked up the steps and into the kitchen where Richael was baking with Claire. She looked up as they entered. "I believe Elizabeth and Rose are in the parlour," she said, smiling at Jean Claude.
Jack headed for the parlour, smiling to himself as Jean Claude loitered in the kitchen. "Will you help me Jean Claude," Richael sighed. "I can't get this right!"
Jean Claude looked at the pastry that she was effectively murdering, shaking his head. "No Richael," he laughed. "Like this..." He reached across the table to show her.
Jack left the three of them in the kitchen, heading towards the parlour. Claire had been correct, Rose was sitting at the writing desk, a list of names before her. "Elizabeth," he smiled warmly before turning to Rose. "Mother," he said stiffly.
"Jack!" Elizabeth rose from where she had been sitting and embraced him warmly. He smiled, grateful of her silent understanding. "Rose was just writing that list..."
"I'll take it an' be gone then," he replied, reaching for the sheet only to find it moved out of range of his grasp.
"I want your word first," Rose insisted. "Your word that you will not kill Stephen!"
Jack glared at his mother. "I will not kill Stephen, yer have m' word!" He reached forwards, snatching the sheet from her. "Thank you."
Elizabeth noted he did not give his word that others would not kill Stephen – and if Catherine had been hurt she doubted even his promise to his mother would stay his hand. From Jean Claude down to Moses, none of the crew would think twice about avenging what Stephen had done. But she held her tongue, realising that it was not something that Rose needed to worry about. Stephen had signed his own death warrant in her eyes as soon as he had taken Catherine and it was not a matter of if but when he would die. Her time spent with pirates had assured her of that – families were not to be touched and to cross that line would turn every pirate in the region against the perpetrator.
"You sail immediately?" Elizabeth asked, watching as he scanned the list of names of ships.
"Aye. We'll drop Jimmy off safely near Port Royal an' then head north..." Jack replied distractedly as he read. "I'd best go an' find him..."
"I think he was with Will in the smithy," Elizabeth said, reaching across to hug Jack and kiss him gently on the cheek. "Come back safe..."
Jack smiled at her before nodding to Rose. "Mother," he acknowledged, turning to leave without further comment, collecting his floury quartermaster from the kitchen en-route. He did not ask how Jean Claude had managed to get flour on his lips.
James had been expecting to leave and the three of them walked quickly back to the beached boat. "Will I be allowed to return here some day?" James asked cautiously. Once he had realised that pirates were not the evil that he had been taught by the Governor and the Roseridge family, he had gotten on well with those at the bay and had enjoyed his time there.
"That depends on you," Jack shrugged, pushing off the boat from the beach. He jumped in. "Now, are yer sure yer know what t' say t' Theo?"
"I am to explain what happened in London, to tell Theodore and my Uncle that Catherine has been taken by Stephen Waike again and that you have gone north in an attempt to hit his ships... and that you wish my Uncle to tell Theodore everything that he knows," James replied. "But as far as any one else is concerned, I escaped and worked my way back on a fishing dory..." His time helping Claire these past few weeks would be helpful towards the lie. He looked intently at Jack. "You will get her back, won't you?" he worried.
"Or die tryin'," Jack said darkly, patting his pocket where his mother's list was safely held.
"We will find her, do not worry," Jean Claude assured James, seeing that Jack's words had unsettled the boy. "But before we can do that we must return you to Jamaica..." He paused, throwing the rope up to waiting hands above. Jack climbed agilely up. "So we had best make sail..."
James nodded, following Jack up onto deck. He looked around, remembering how he had departed the ship before. So much of what he had been told had been proven false, the pirates true... he wondered what else he would discover on his return.
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Okay... review now girls... you know that you want to. And more than a single review for all this work would be really, really nice – savvy?