Usual disclaimers... pout!

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Chapter 20 - The Truth Will Out

The following morning Jack was surprised to be woken by the unusual sensation of somebody actually knocking on the cabin doors. At first he was confused, but on waking further, remembered that he had locked them. He slipped from the bed, trying not to wake Bessie and, pushing aside the heavy drapes, unlocked the cabin doors. He blinked. Jacob Bone, one of his senior crew, stood there shuffling his feet awkwardly. "What?" Jack asked blearily, wondering if he could get away with shutting the door and returning to his bunk.

"The crew want to know if Miss Bessie will be joining us for breakfast Captain?" he said.

Jack frowned at the unusual request. For the crew to ask for Bessie to join them meant that they had taken her to their hearts and that surprised him. Perhaps he would not have to conceal the truth from the men after all - perhaps they would accept that Bessie truly was his woman and not just an act he was doing to get the map. He thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "Aye," he said, "we'll be there shortly..."

"Captain," Jacob acknowledged and turned away, returning to the gun deck where the majority of the crew were about to eat.

Jack returned to the side cabin, smiling as he found Bessie still asleep. "Bessie," he called quietly. "Bessie..." He leaned across, shaking her gently. She woke with a start and a frightened squeak, only relaxing slowly when she saw it was him. "Yer hungry? Th' crew want yer t' join them fer breakfast..."

Bessie looked up at him uncertainly but slowly slid out of bed, reaching for her dress. "I'd rather..." she began.

Jack smiled reassuringly. "It would be rude not t' go Bessie - they asked specially..." He watched as she dressed, smoothing her skirts as she stood before him. "I'll be there, an' Gibbs too," he assured her. "Yer'll be fine."

"Alright - if I have to." Bessie took his offered hand and he led her out onto the main deck and down the stairs to the gun deck where the crew sat at trestles already eating. Apart from an occasional 'Captain' or 'Miss Bessie', no comments were made, although there were more than a few sly glances at the Captain's woman. Ned Cotton smiled, handing them both a bowl of breakfast as they sat with the senior crew. Despite her presence, talk soon turned to business.

"So what are your plans Captain?" Joshamee asked. "Do we go after Hughes now?"

"We'll need t' see Bessie safely back t' Port Royal first," Jack reminded them. "Can't have a woman onboard when we're gonna be flyin' a red."

"But one thing that puzzles me," Jacob frowned, "was why Hughes went after Miss Bessie in the first place. He can't have known she was your woman Captain - even we didn't!"

Bessie looked at Jack warily, watching as he pondered his answer. "Well..." he began.

"Tell them," she said resignedly. "The truth will out eventually..."

Jack's eyes widened with shock whilst Gibbs nearly choked on his ale. "Are yer sure Bessie?" he asked.

She sighed heavily. "They deserve to know since you are asking them to possibly die because of me..." She looked at Jack, but he could see she was worried by her identity becoming more widely known.

"Deserve to know what?" Jacob puzzled.

"Bessie isn't Bessie Smith," Jack explained. "Her real name is Bessie Masters..."

"Masters!" Paul Barker hissed in shock, the deck suddenly silent. "As in Horace Masters?"

Bessie nodded slowly. "And before you ask, I don't know where the treasure is..."

"So that is why Hughes snatched you - nothing to do with the Captain?" Jacob reasoned.

"If he'd known Bessie was carrying m' babies then it would have been worse," Jack explained. "He'd have thought we'd already got th' map an' her life would have been worthless t' him..."

"Captain!" a voice shouted from above. It was Gethin Jones who was on look-out. "Captain! The Dauntless three points off the starboard bow, and she's sailing straight for us!"

"Damn," Jack cursed, jumping up and sending the trestle flying. "Bessie - m' cabin now!" he ordered before turning to the crew. "Get th' gun deck cleared an' ready th' guns!"

Taking Bessie's hand Jack quickly led her back to his cabin. "Stay 'ere unless I call fer yer!" he said. "An' if I do then come quick!" He grinned at her as she nodded, kissing her quickly before dashing out the door. Clambering up the stairs to the quarterdeck two at a time, he peered through his spyglass, easily spotting the HMS Dauntless. As Gethin had warned, she was heading straight for them.

"She's between us an' Port Royal!" he cursed, taking the wheel and wildly changing course - westwards towards Cuba. If need be they could lose the naval ship in the darkness that night and sneak back to Port Royal - but they had to keep away from them first. Jack smiled to himself as he saw the HMS Dauntless alter her course to intercept them. "So yer want t' play do yer?" he grinned.