Chapter 31. Almost finished now sniffs. Though I do have plans for a
sequel.
The day turned cloudy, dark and cold. Tara found warmth in Jack's arms; they sat curled up together in the crow's nest.
"Will can be yer best man," Tara smiled, fiddling with his hair again. "And I guess Elizabeth can be my flower girl."
Jack looked at her, deciding not to interrupt her happy planning.
"I must have a beautiful dress. Oh, it'll be perfect. White, or maybe cream, long floating job, pearls and frills, net sleeves, made of silk. Do you think?" she asked.
He jerked at being asked his opinion. "Luv, I don't think I'm a good 'un to ask about fashion. Ye could come dressed in a potato sack and yer'd still be gorgeous."
She wrinkled her nose. "I would not get married in a potato sack."
He pecked her cheek.
"I wonder if my father will give me away?" she asked. Suddenly she was sad. "I wonder if he'll even come..."
Jack held her tighter as tears spilled down her face like tiny diamonds.
"Don't cry, luv," he whispered.
"I can't help it," she sniffed. "I don't mean to. It's just that Father wants me to marry Gillette, and I know my mother would have hated it..."
She paused as Jack stiffened. She looked slowly up at him, his features contorted in sadness, his eyes deep in remembrance.
"Jack?" she asked, her voice low and serious.
He was still silent, his eyes glazed over.
"Jack... my mother..." she whispered, trying to establish a connection, yet finding none.
Jack let go of her abruptly, and stood up, facing away from her. She looked up at his back.
"What do ye know about yer ma?" asked Jack suddenly.
Tara pouted thoughtfully. "She was a sweet, yet rebellious spirit. She was very beautiful. Very beautiful."
He nodded. "Aye."
She stood up, and leaned against the side opposite him, staring at his form. "She died when I was two. A boating accident."
She stared as he shook his head slowly.
"A boating accident," she repeated hollowly, suddenly nervous.
Dark clouds gathered overhead. Large raindrops hit Tara's forehead, making her lose hairs stick. Thunder crashed and lightning illuminated Jack's back.
"A boating accident," Jack said suddenly. "I might've known that Sir Waller would've come up with something like that."
"What are you... trying to say?" asked Tara, her mouth dry.
"When ye were two, yer ma was fed up of yer pa's manipulative ways. She was a rebel, ye said that, and one day she decided that she couldn't take no more. So she grabbed ye and a few possessions and headed for the docks."
Tara listened, confused. How did he know this? What difference did it make?
"She never made it there," Jack said sadly.
Tara's eyebrows rose. Was he implying that her mother had been murdered by her father?
"W-what do you mean?" she asked weakly.
"Yer father got there first, with a couple o' cronies. Ye were removed from her... and she was beaten to a pulp below the bridge."
Tears poured silently down Tara's face. She might have spoken, if Jack had not continued his narrative.
"She escaped- a miracle, as they probably planned ter kill 'er. Anyway, she managed to barter passage across ter Tortuga... and she spent three days and three nights there before she died."
"How do you know this?" breathed Tara.
He didn't turn around. "Because it was me that pulled her beaten, bloody form off of that ship on the first morning. She was so beautiful, all blonde curls and blue eyes..."
Tara had a feeling that she was not going to like the next part at all.
"I took her to the inn where I was staying. Washed her, cleaned her... she told me her story. Told me of a little girl she had left behind. She loved ye so much. She told me her name was Laurie... that was all I ever knew her as. We spent the day together, mainly talking. I felt like I could open up to 'er completely. She was so pretty, so free.... That night, I left her with a kiss..."
Tara gasped painfully. So Jack had courted her mother? She could think of no words to describe the pain.
"The next day, she found me with me crew. Seems she had worked out that I was a pirate, though not me proper identity, so to speak. She thought of me as Jack, just as I thought of her as Laurie. Anyway, we spent the whole day together again. The chemistry... was overwhelming. Everything about her was perfect. When you looked into her eyes... you could become lost. That night we... got together... you could call it that. The next day, the third and last day... I woke up next to her... and I felt... just happy. We went up onto the cliffs... did the usual stuff... pledged to love each other forever. I promised to help her find ye.... Anyway... we spent another night together... and then I woke up the next day... and she was gone."
Jack's shoulders trembled a little bit. Tara was angry. How dare he keep this information from her? And how could she ever marry a man who had been with her mother?
"Did you love her?" blurted out Tara coldly.
He nodded.
"Why are you crying?" snapped Tara bitterly. "You saw her alive... alive..."
He took a shuddering breath. "I haven't finished yet. I saw her later that day..."
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Uh-oh. That's bad, right? Please review!
The day turned cloudy, dark and cold. Tara found warmth in Jack's arms; they sat curled up together in the crow's nest.
"Will can be yer best man," Tara smiled, fiddling with his hair again. "And I guess Elizabeth can be my flower girl."
Jack looked at her, deciding not to interrupt her happy planning.
"I must have a beautiful dress. Oh, it'll be perfect. White, or maybe cream, long floating job, pearls and frills, net sleeves, made of silk. Do you think?" she asked.
He jerked at being asked his opinion. "Luv, I don't think I'm a good 'un to ask about fashion. Ye could come dressed in a potato sack and yer'd still be gorgeous."
She wrinkled her nose. "I would not get married in a potato sack."
He pecked her cheek.
"I wonder if my father will give me away?" she asked. Suddenly she was sad. "I wonder if he'll even come..."
Jack held her tighter as tears spilled down her face like tiny diamonds.
"Don't cry, luv," he whispered.
"I can't help it," she sniffed. "I don't mean to. It's just that Father wants me to marry Gillette, and I know my mother would have hated it..."
She paused as Jack stiffened. She looked slowly up at him, his features contorted in sadness, his eyes deep in remembrance.
"Jack?" she asked, her voice low and serious.
He was still silent, his eyes glazed over.
"Jack... my mother..." she whispered, trying to establish a connection, yet finding none.
Jack let go of her abruptly, and stood up, facing away from her. She looked up at his back.
"What do ye know about yer ma?" asked Jack suddenly.
Tara pouted thoughtfully. "She was a sweet, yet rebellious spirit. She was very beautiful. Very beautiful."
He nodded. "Aye."
She stood up, and leaned against the side opposite him, staring at his form. "She died when I was two. A boating accident."
She stared as he shook his head slowly.
"A boating accident," she repeated hollowly, suddenly nervous.
Dark clouds gathered overhead. Large raindrops hit Tara's forehead, making her lose hairs stick. Thunder crashed and lightning illuminated Jack's back.
"A boating accident," Jack said suddenly. "I might've known that Sir Waller would've come up with something like that."
"What are you... trying to say?" asked Tara, her mouth dry.
"When ye were two, yer ma was fed up of yer pa's manipulative ways. She was a rebel, ye said that, and one day she decided that she couldn't take no more. So she grabbed ye and a few possessions and headed for the docks."
Tara listened, confused. How did he know this? What difference did it make?
"She never made it there," Jack said sadly.
Tara's eyebrows rose. Was he implying that her mother had been murdered by her father?
"W-what do you mean?" she asked weakly.
"Yer father got there first, with a couple o' cronies. Ye were removed from her... and she was beaten to a pulp below the bridge."
Tears poured silently down Tara's face. She might have spoken, if Jack had not continued his narrative.
"She escaped- a miracle, as they probably planned ter kill 'er. Anyway, she managed to barter passage across ter Tortuga... and she spent three days and three nights there before she died."
"How do you know this?" breathed Tara.
He didn't turn around. "Because it was me that pulled her beaten, bloody form off of that ship on the first morning. She was so beautiful, all blonde curls and blue eyes..."
Tara had a feeling that she was not going to like the next part at all.
"I took her to the inn where I was staying. Washed her, cleaned her... she told me her story. Told me of a little girl she had left behind. She loved ye so much. She told me her name was Laurie... that was all I ever knew her as. We spent the day together, mainly talking. I felt like I could open up to 'er completely. She was so pretty, so free.... That night, I left her with a kiss..."
Tara gasped painfully. So Jack had courted her mother? She could think of no words to describe the pain.
"The next day, she found me with me crew. Seems she had worked out that I was a pirate, though not me proper identity, so to speak. She thought of me as Jack, just as I thought of her as Laurie. Anyway, we spent the whole day together again. The chemistry... was overwhelming. Everything about her was perfect. When you looked into her eyes... you could become lost. That night we... got together... you could call it that. The next day, the third and last day... I woke up next to her... and I felt... just happy. We went up onto the cliffs... did the usual stuff... pledged to love each other forever. I promised to help her find ye.... Anyway... we spent another night together... and then I woke up the next day... and she was gone."
Jack's shoulders trembled a little bit. Tara was angry. How dare he keep this information from her? And how could she ever marry a man who had been with her mother?
"Did you love her?" blurted out Tara coldly.
He nodded.
"Why are you crying?" snapped Tara bitterly. "You saw her alive... alive..."
He took a shuddering breath. "I haven't finished yet. I saw her later that day..."
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Uh-oh. That's bad, right? Please review!