Welcome to Port Royal
Commodore Norrington was sitting as his desk, pouring over supply lists for the Port Royale fleet when a soft knock fell upon his door. "Commodore, the Hambleton and the Carlton are docking now, sir." Norrington paused and looked up from the hoard of papers and placed his quill pen into its holder. A smile pulled at the sides of his mouth has he rose from the desk and gathered his hat and sword.
Today was the day his dear sister, Katherine, arrived in Port Royale. Norrington glanced at his clock as he exited his office – half past noon. The HMS Hambleton and the transport vessel Carlton were on schedule and had no doubt chosen a glorious day to dock.
Norrington's spirit lifted as he stepped outside the fort and made his way toward the harbor. He had not seen his sister for well over eight years and he was growing restless to see her once more. The two had corresponded often since his move to the Caribbean, and began to speak of Katherine visiting about two years ago. James knew she was a terribly bold girl who would do well in the New World, even though he only intended for her to stay briefly. She natuarally protested, though he could not fault her for that. Any chance Katherine had to spend time away from their stuffy home was time well spent in James's eyes. He was well aware that she did not fit well in a society where women were often regarded as ornaments. And, judging from her correspondences of late, that was exactly what father had regarded her as.
Edward Norrington was perhaps one of the more successful London merchants, largely thanks to his strict demeanor. He never settled for second best and was constantly seeking improvement. He had started out as a surgeon's assistant and became skilled in the medical profession before eventually purchasing his own schooner and starting his own mercantile. Though a well-meaning and good-natured man by heart, Edward Norrington's unwavering style affected his family to many degrees. Thomas, the eldest son, came to expect nothing but the best from those around him, though he held no ambition to assist himself. He naturally would inherit his fortune. James however, would have to make his own fortune being the second son. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17 and started what would be a promising career. But he, too, came to accept nothing less than the best, but mostly from himself. In order to keep up with his father's expectations, James's style became strict and meticulous, which afforded little room for error.
Katherine, however, was an entirely different story. Where James submitted and went about his duties to please their father, Katherine rebelled. She was not about to be regarded as a prize for some suitor to claim. No, someone would have to win her, and the only person to determine that victor would be none other than Katherine herself. She was always somewhat unorthodox, James noted, and her character was fresh as the sea breeze. Katherine became increasingly difficult as she aged and became more aware of the strict standards society meant to place upon her. Whenever father expected her to behave a certain way, Katherine often chose the opposite. When he wanted her to learn needlework, Katherine took up swordplay instead. Whatever was the least proper for her to engage in, while still remaining respectable, of course, chances are she engaged in it. Her antics gave James a good chuckle on more than one occasion, and now was no exception.
Stubborn as a mule, James thought with a smile as he continued toward the docks. Above him, the sun shone brightly as polished gold, and the sky was the brightest shade of blue he had ever seen. The soft breeze filled the air with the sweet smell of salt water. The Commodore walked through the crowd with great purpose as he drew closer to the busy docks.
In the harbor, onboard the Carlton, Katherine looked down onto the bustling docks of Port Royale. She smiled at the dozens of small crafts and their crews. Her eyes then drifted to the shore and scanned the gathering crowd for her brother, James. There was a mass of navy uniforms – some red, some blue. Katherine bounded forward to the ship's prow, hoping to find a better vantage point.
Meanwhile, on shore, Norrington found Lievtenant Gillette standing motionless, obviously staring at something on the British frigate. The Commodore smiled to himself as he discovered the reason for Gillette's unchecked stare. There stood Katherine at the Carlton's prow, eagerly searching through the crowd. Her long, dark hair swayed in the gentle sea breeze and her face was beaming with excitement. Norrington carefully stepped up behind the preoccupied Gillette.
"Beautiful, is she not?" he asked. Gillette jumped slightly with surprise, and turned to find his commander standing smugly over him. Gillette regained his composure and turned back to the lovely woman and allowed a small smile to invade his expression.
"Whoever she is sir, she is positively stunning," said Gillette, trying to remain proper.
"I was referring to the Hambleton, Lievtenant," stated Norrington, gesturing to the dock just off to their left were the new Navy ship was moored. The Commodore did enjoy mocking his first officer from time to time, and seeing it was such a glorious day, he saw no reason to refrain. He smirked as he saw the tension in Gillette's stance.
"Of course sir! The Hambleton is a lovely vessel, sir," blurted Gillette nervously, trying to cover his blunder. He was not sure if the Commodore had caught on or not.
But the Commodore certainly had. Norrington smiled once more as he looked back up to Katherine. "Though I certainly agree about the young lady, Lievtenant. She is a fine young woman. Then again, I suppose I should know – she is my sister, after all." Norrington's smile grew wider as he waved his right arm to catch Katherine's attention. It appeared to have worked, as she immediately waved back and disappeared from sight as she made her way to the gangway. The Commodore stepped forward to meet her, but not before looking back to Lievtenant Gillette, who was now utterly red with embarrassment. For some reason it became very difficult for the young Gillette to swallow.
"I…I apologize, Commodore. I did not know sir!" he stammered.
Norrington simply chuckled and turned back toward the dock in time to see Katherine running toward him. She made no attempt to hide her excitement as she approached. Typical, Norrington thought. His sister was never one to mask her emotions.
"James!" Katherine shouted with glee as she ran up and wrapped her arms around the Commodore, practically toppling him over. Gillette looked on with curiosity, only feet from the reunited siblings. Never before had he seen his commander so jovial. The Commodore's usual expressionless manner had been completely replaced by smiles and candor. He could not help but wonder how this rather open and daring woman was related to the conservative, meticulous Commodore. No matter, Gillette thought, Katherine was extravagant. However, she was still the Commodore's sister. Gillette knew that he was walking on dangerous ground. He must keep his growing attraction to Katherine to himself - he did not want to fall under the Commodore's scrutiny.
Katherine finally felt compelled to let go of Norrington. He stood back from and studied her for a moment. It had been eight years since he had last seen her. "My God, how you've changed Katherine. You look wonderful," he said, still smiling.
Katherine, in turn, stepped back and studied James. She ran a finger down one of the gold-trimmed lapels of his uniform. "As do you, Commodore," she said, being careful to emphasize his title. She gazed up at his faced and shook her head, still smiling. "I should have known you'd never change." Katherine paused, mockingly. "Except for the wig…" she said, her eyes narrowing comically.
Norrington flashed a smile. It was evident she had not lost her sense of humor. The two were silent for a moment before Norrington suddenly remembered Gillette standing off to the side. He turned and took a step toward Gillette, bidding Katherine to follow.
"Katherine, may I present Lievtenant Matthieu Rhodes Gillette of His Majesty's Royal Navy. Lievtenant, this is Miss Katherine Norrington." The Commodore stepped back to allow the two to exchange pleasantries.
Gillette stood dumbfounded, lost in Katherine's beauty. He then felt the Commodore's steady stare and snapped to. "Welcome to Port Royale, Miss Norrington. It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance," started Gillette carefully, trying not to stumble over his words. "I must say I have never served with a finer officer than your brother. He must make your family quite proud."
Katherine's smile never faded from her face as she glanced from Gillette over to James. "Yes, he has indeed. It is my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gillette. I do hope that I will be able to spend more time in your company," she said, holding her hand out.
Gillette bowed and took her hand, gently kissing it. He looked back up to her and seemed to forget all the activity happening around him. "As do I. I must say, you are stunning, Miss."
"Too bold, Lievtenant," Norrington said. His smile was gone, and his stern glare now rested squarely on Gillette. The young officer quickly turned back to his commander in alarm.
"I, I apologize profusely sir. I did not mean to seem forward."
Katherine immediately stepped between the two. "It is quite alright James," she assured him, looping her right arm in his left. She turned and smiled at Gillette. "Besides, I have a present for you from England." Katherine turned back toward the ship, urging James to do the same. The three turned back to the Carlton in time to see a magnificent dapple grey gelding being led down the gangway. Norrington's eyes narrowed in disbelief at the sight of the horse. Though it was a rarely known fact, the Commodore had a great love for horses and fox hunting. It had been years since he had sat on an animal remotely as stunning as the grey parading toward him. The smile slowly returned to his face as he looked down to Katherine.
"He's from the finest bloodlines in all of Northern Ireland," she started proudly. "Mother thought it would be an excellent gift, seeing that there are no fine Irish horses in this area."
"Yes, the horseflesh here is seriously lacking," stated Norrington, his gaze returning to the horse.
"I took the liberty of naming him Darby, though you may change it if you so desire," Katherine said, looking up at James. She then looked back at the approaching grey. His head was carried proudly and the whites of his eyes showed as he pranced on the dock, eager to stretch his legs after the near two-month voyage. The two soldiers handling him, Privates Murtogg and Mullroy, were nearly knocked off the dock from Darby's exuberance as he tried to trot off. They finally regained control and looked over to the Commodore.
"He's a spitfire sir, that's to be certain!" exclaimed an exasperated Mullroy.
Norrington chuckled. "See that he's settled in my stables, Mr. Mullroy, perhaps let him in the paddock for a run. Now," paused Norrington, turning back to Katherine, "let us off to my house for some lunch. I'm sure you are exhausted from the voyage."
"Quite," said Katherine as she looked up at James. The Commodore and Katherine bid Gillette a good day, and headed off to catch up on eight years of lost time.
