Usual disclaimers... sob!
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Catherine eagerly shed her dress and returned to her normal shirt and trousers shortly after coming onboard, throwing the offending garment overboard.. She burst into tears when Jack placed her pearl necklace gently over her neck, her fingers shaking as she put in her earrings, but she eventually managed it. Washed and changed you would not have known she had been away – except for her shortened hair and that she was thinner than before.
Jack did not get a chance to be alone with Catherine until the following evening when they had cleared the North Channel and were heading south- eastwards towards home for she had spent the majority of the day cooking and getting the women settled. Tobias had been delighted to discover he had a name-sake and took all of the women under his wing. Jean Claude, Oran and Ned gave up their cabins and, together with the sick bay and their small parlour, there was enough space for the women and their children. The six bunks were taken by the older women and those heavily pregnant. Catherine had assured them that none of the men would touch them but had warned them not to offer themselves to the men either. She knew it would take them time to get used to their new lives and the fact that they themselves were in control of it.
Jack turned the key in the lock, shutting the rest of the ship outside. "Well Mistress Sparrow," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "It may be a little late now, but how would yer like t' celebrate yer birthday?"
"I already have the only thing I wanted," she smiled, startling him as she started to cry. Jack hugged her, noting that she had done a lot of crying since she came onboard.
"What happened in London luv?" he asked, sitting with her by the stern windows. "Tell me..."
"They broke the door down," she said, shaking at the memory. "They were soldiers... proper troops, not street thugs. They wanted you, wanted to know where you were. They knew, they knew we were from the Caribbean..." Jack held his tongue, stroking her hair as she spoke. "They bound me, gagged me and hooded me, then took me to a jail. It was a real jail... I know the stench!"
"I believe yer luv," Jack said softly, regretfully acknowledging that this had not been the first time she had been jailed since she had married him.
"There were some guards. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. They were laughing, laughing about a man taken without a fight. They said he kept asking about his wife and joked he had come a long way to hang..."
Jack's face darkened, realising how Stephen had duped her and how distressed she would have been.
"Then in the morning he came. He had a sheet like they announce all the captures and hangings... it said you were dead... I read of your death!" She looked up at him in confusion. "How?"
"Anything is possible with money and a grudge," Jack guessed. "He could have paid the guards and had a false sheet printed..." He hugged her tightly. "Oh Kitty," he said. "I'm sorry!"
"He knocked me out and I came to on a ship. They had taken my pendant and earrings, but not my ring." She smiled tearfully up at him. "That's when I discovered..." Her hand reached to her shortened hair.
Jack looked at her, wondering how to phrase his question. "Did you..." he began, shutting his eyes in grief as she nodded.
"I tried not to eat but they forced me," she admitted. "Then when they allowed me onto deck I tried to jump overboard... but they were too quick."
"To m' eternal gratitude," he said, hugging her, pulling her onto his lap and rocking her as his tears mixed with hers as he realised how close he had come to truly losing her.
"When I got to the plantation I could do nothing," she said quietly. "If I earned a beating they threatened to beat Alice... if I hurt myself they said they would do the same to her..."
Jack cradled her to him. If he had known before what Stephen had done to her he would have killed him, promise to his Mother or not. "Well yer are here now," he said softly, "an' yer are safe!"
"What happened to you?" Catherine worried.
"Nothin' much," Jack evaded. "George was waitin' fer me when I got there... with troops too. I got th' letter, shot him, got shot and got out of there..."
"You were shot?" she gasped, instantly worried for him but uncaring to hear of George's death.
"It turned nasty," he admitted "an' I had t' stagger back to th' Pearl for help. I knew I couldn't get t' yer - I had no idea where yer were! An' I would have been little help t' yer if I were taken too." He tousled her hair. "So we came back an' started t' hit all his ships, hopin' t' force him t' give yer back..."
"How did you find me?" Catherine asked.
"Do yer remember Captain Verde? The Bojador?" She nodded. "Well it seems he remembered he owed yer a debt fer a bag of gold. He had business with Waltham an' spotted yer, although it took him two weeks t' remember yer name. He sailed t' Tortuga an' braved Jeremiah in order t' tell Will an' Elizabeth were yer were!" He kissed her on her forehead. "An' now I want nothing more than t' take yer t' that bunk an' t' show yer how much yer've been missed... yes?"
"Yes," Catherine nodded, smiling through her tears. "Please."
Jack grinned in delight, scooping her in his arms and carrying her across to the bunk... it was good to have her home!
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Right... get those reviews in girls and I'll see about posting the final few chapters up on Sunday.
###
Catherine eagerly shed her dress and returned to her normal shirt and trousers shortly after coming onboard, throwing the offending garment overboard.. She burst into tears when Jack placed her pearl necklace gently over her neck, her fingers shaking as she put in her earrings, but she eventually managed it. Washed and changed you would not have known she had been away – except for her shortened hair and that she was thinner than before.
Jack did not get a chance to be alone with Catherine until the following evening when they had cleared the North Channel and were heading south- eastwards towards home for she had spent the majority of the day cooking and getting the women settled. Tobias had been delighted to discover he had a name-sake and took all of the women under his wing. Jean Claude, Oran and Ned gave up their cabins and, together with the sick bay and their small parlour, there was enough space for the women and their children. The six bunks were taken by the older women and those heavily pregnant. Catherine had assured them that none of the men would touch them but had warned them not to offer themselves to the men either. She knew it would take them time to get used to their new lives and the fact that they themselves were in control of it.
Jack turned the key in the lock, shutting the rest of the ship outside. "Well Mistress Sparrow," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "It may be a little late now, but how would yer like t' celebrate yer birthday?"
"I already have the only thing I wanted," she smiled, startling him as she started to cry. Jack hugged her, noting that she had done a lot of crying since she came onboard.
"What happened in London luv?" he asked, sitting with her by the stern windows. "Tell me..."
"They broke the door down," she said, shaking at the memory. "They were soldiers... proper troops, not street thugs. They wanted you, wanted to know where you were. They knew, they knew we were from the Caribbean..." Jack held his tongue, stroking her hair as she spoke. "They bound me, gagged me and hooded me, then took me to a jail. It was a real jail... I know the stench!"
"I believe yer luv," Jack said softly, regretfully acknowledging that this had not been the first time she had been jailed since she had married him.
"There were some guards. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. They were laughing, laughing about a man taken without a fight. They said he kept asking about his wife and joked he had come a long way to hang..."
Jack's face darkened, realising how Stephen had duped her and how distressed she would have been.
"Then in the morning he came. He had a sheet like they announce all the captures and hangings... it said you were dead... I read of your death!" She looked up at him in confusion. "How?"
"Anything is possible with money and a grudge," Jack guessed. "He could have paid the guards and had a false sheet printed..." He hugged her tightly. "Oh Kitty," he said. "I'm sorry!"
"He knocked me out and I came to on a ship. They had taken my pendant and earrings, but not my ring." She smiled tearfully up at him. "That's when I discovered..." Her hand reached to her shortened hair.
Jack looked at her, wondering how to phrase his question. "Did you..." he began, shutting his eyes in grief as she nodded.
"I tried not to eat but they forced me," she admitted. "Then when they allowed me onto deck I tried to jump overboard... but they were too quick."
"To m' eternal gratitude," he said, hugging her, pulling her onto his lap and rocking her as his tears mixed with hers as he realised how close he had come to truly losing her.
"When I got to the plantation I could do nothing," she said quietly. "If I earned a beating they threatened to beat Alice... if I hurt myself they said they would do the same to her..."
Jack cradled her to him. If he had known before what Stephen had done to her he would have killed him, promise to his Mother or not. "Well yer are here now," he said softly, "an' yer are safe!"
"What happened to you?" Catherine worried.
"Nothin' much," Jack evaded. "George was waitin' fer me when I got there... with troops too. I got th' letter, shot him, got shot and got out of there..."
"You were shot?" she gasped, instantly worried for him but uncaring to hear of George's death.
"It turned nasty," he admitted "an' I had t' stagger back to th' Pearl for help. I knew I couldn't get t' yer - I had no idea where yer were! An' I would have been little help t' yer if I were taken too." He tousled her hair. "So we came back an' started t' hit all his ships, hopin' t' force him t' give yer back..."
"How did you find me?" Catherine asked.
"Do yer remember Captain Verde? The Bojador?" She nodded. "Well it seems he remembered he owed yer a debt fer a bag of gold. He had business with Waltham an' spotted yer, although it took him two weeks t' remember yer name. He sailed t' Tortuga an' braved Jeremiah in order t' tell Will an' Elizabeth were yer were!" He kissed her on her forehead. "An' now I want nothing more than t' take yer t' that bunk an' t' show yer how much yer've been missed... yes?"
"Yes," Catherine nodded, smiling through her tears. "Please."
Jack grinned in delight, scooping her in his arms and carrying her across to the bunk... it was good to have her home!
###
Right... get those reviews in girls and I'll see about posting the final few chapters up on Sunday.