Chapter 10 - Lies
"I'll go from here" said Mr Turner softly.
The young man was sitting in the stern of one of the Pearl's boats, clad only in shirt and breeches. He leaned forward and kissed his wife softly on the cheek, then slipped easily over the side into the warm dark water. Clouds had covered the waning moon, so Norrington could barely see him as he struck out for Port Royal, heading for the narrow ledge of rock at the base of the cliff where the fort guarded the harbour.
"Are you sure you can manage?" Norrington asked Elizabeth. As an officer he was used to being in a boat that was rowed by others, but not alone at night, when the only rower was another man's wife.
"Of course" Luckily she seemed amused by the question; after a few weeks spent with the touchy Anamaria he belatedly realised that she might have been offended at his doubting her skill.
She was skilled - the oars kept up a smooth steady rhythm, entering and leaving the water with hardly a splash. He fingered the pistol on his lap, straining his eyes in an attempt to penetrate the surrounding darkness.
He saw no one, either on their silent journey to the quay or in the deserted streets of Port Royal itself as they walked to the Fort, Elizabeth staying one pace ahead of him with his pistol pointed steadily at the small of her back. He felt as though thousands of concealed observers were spying from every corner and alley, watching as he violated one of the most sacred points of honour he possessed. To threaten a lady (for he would never allow himself to believe that Elizabeth could be anything else), to demean her in public, was a shame he could barely endure.
They reached a fork in the road - to the left lay their destination the fort, while the street to the right led to the finer part of town and ultimately to the Governor's mansion. Elizabeth to his surprise headed immediately for the right. He supposed she must have forgotten their mission in the excitement of seeing her home. Poor girl - how she must miss the bright lights and refined society of Port Royal, when she was confined in that pestilential hole of a town she was forced to call home.
"Miss Mrs Turner, the other way, if you please" he said softly.
She swung round so quickly that he jumped back in shock. For a moment he let the pistol drop, but she glared at him fiercely until he levelled it again. "When my father hears of this, you will lose your command!" she said loudly.
She was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He cast about frantically for words. Talking to women had never come easily to him, and the current situation was well beyond his very limited repertoire of polite small talk.
"Just because I am your hostage you seem to think I can be treated without respect" Elizabeth was now looking at him despairingly. He belatedly realised that this was all part of the show, designed to mislead any observers. And he'd ruined it. The 'hostage' had now done practically everything except take the pistol and hold herself mercilessly at gunpoint. He tried desperately to collect his scattered wits. He was an officer of the King's Royal Navy curse it - not an actor, a swindler or one of her damned pirates. Lying was supposed to be something he despised, not a useful skill he was hopelessly inept at.
"The fort madam, now" he managed at last, gesturing firmly to the left. Perhaps no one had seen them at all, and all Sparrow's claims about spies on the streets were as laughable as they sounded.
When they arrived at the fort the stout front gate was firmly shut. He gestured with the pistol and Elizabeth knocked. He noted with approval that it was only a few seconds before the observation hatch was opened to allow the guard to inspect the visitors.
The guard was a new man, posted to Port Royal after Elizabeth had left for Tortuga. He squinted through the hatch at the unexpected caller, looking her up and down and grinning in what Norrington considered a highly inappropriate manner. Norrington coughed, in the most intimidating way he could manage. The next moment he heard a loud clatter from behind the door and the face at the hatch turned deathly white. As though he's seen a ghost - fancy that.
The face disappeared and there followed a brief interlude of clattering and cursing as the guard first retrieved his dropped musket, then struggled with the bolts. Norrington marched into the fort without giving him a second glance, keeping Elizabeth ahead of him, the pistol pointed firmly at her back. Now he was on his home ground he felt far more comfortable with their pretence. Lying was a despicable vice, but to be economical with the truth when called for was a perfectly respectable weapon in any officer's armoury. It was like the difference between cheating at a sport and the application of strategy in battle.
He forced Elizabeth through the passageways to the duty officer's room. As they reached it he saw that the door was open, a golden wedge of lamplight spilling into the dimly lit corridor. He glanced quickly behind him to check that they were unobserved, then leaned forward to tap her briefly on the shoulder. She turned to look at him.
"Who is it?" he mouthed silently, nodding towards the open door. She nodded in response and moved to look. After a moment she returned and stood right beside him, a stray wisp of her hair tickling his cheek as he bent down so that she could whisper to him.
"Gillette" she breathed softly, then stepped back in front of him, so that he could use the pistol again.
Gillette. Norrington considered him for a moment. A fine officer and a good friend. If he could not be trusted, then everything was surely lost. On the other hand, he was a painfully honest soul, every thought and feeling shown to the world. The Commodore had had to speak to the other officers about the unfairness of playing cards with Gillette before they took every penny the poor man had. A man to be trusted, but not perhaps with the truth just yet.
Elizabeth was looking at him again, wondering at the delay probably. He nodded to her in warning, cocked the pistol as quietly as he could and then stepped up behind her and pushed her violently into the room.