Usual disclaimers... drat!

Apologies for the delay in posting these chapters. I have come to the conclusion that real life is very inconvenient and internet connections in Australia seem to be dodgy in the extreme!

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Chapter 55 - The Warning

Môle Saint Nicholas had never seen anything like it. Not two hours earlier Jack had stormed into the Constable's office demanding to know where his wife was. Failing to get any kind of suitable answer from the bewildered man, he had returned to his ship, and now the Black Pearl itself sat in the harbour whilst the majority of the crew searched through the town, questioning the townsfolk, forcing entry into homes in order to search. Although violence was threatened, none were killed and nothing was taken from the houses.

"My apologies Captain," the portly Constable begged, sweating profusely. He was terrified of what the pirate would do if his wife could not be found. "If I had of known who she was..."

"Yer what?" Jack sneered, his voice low and dangerous. "Yer'd of kept an eye on her?" He snorted. "That is exactly what she didn't want - she wanted a normal life!" He looked up hopefully as Paul Barker burst into the office. "Yer've found her?" he asked.

Paul shook his head. "Not exactly Captain, but we have a start... she was last seen shopping in the market about a month ago. After that - nothing."

"So what happened a month ago?" Jack puzzled, turning to the Constable. "Anything unusual?"

The man thought for a moment. "There was that ship..." he began.

"What ship?" Jack demanded.

"An English ship - naval. It put in for emergency repairs," he said.

Jack and Paul looked at each other in horror. "An' th' name?" he pressed.

"I cannot remember," he apologised. "I think it was Cor-something... I am sorry."

"The Coria!" Paul gasped.

"Gillette!" Jack flew from the chair towards the door. "Barker - gather th' crew!" He turned to the Constable. "If anythin' has happened t' m' wife..." he threatened.

For a moment Paul Barker thought the man would soil himself he looked so frightened. Few were foolish to cross Jack Sparrow, and when his threats were backed to a man by his crew... perhaps his terror was understandable. He followed Jack from the building, shouting to the men he saw as he walked... the Black Pearl would sail within the hour.

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Will sat drinking at the Ensign as he had for the previous three weeks, nodding his thanks as Laura brought him an ale. "Are you still prepared to help?" he asked quietly. Even though he and Elizabeth knew about the plot to trap Jack, they were both still being followed. Bessie had said that Jack had not been expected back for a month from when she had been snatched, and that month was fast running out.

"I am," she assured him.

"You are going to take up walking," he smiled. "Take the westward trail for an hour and a half, longer if you walk slower. You will find a bay with deep anchorage. Wait for as long as you can each day. Leave a note tied to one of the trees - somewhere obvious - if the Black Pearl is not there. Return every day that you can - he will appear soon."

She nodded. "Where is your shadow today?"

"Probably in the shade across the street," he smiled. "But I don't want to lose him - we cannot afford for them to get suspicious... not this close..." Nothing would have given him more pleasure than to give the man the slip, but it was vital to make them believe that the Turners were doing nothing out of the ordinary.

"I will go as soon as I finish work," she assured him before turning to wipe a nearby table, taking the empty tankards back to be washed. She did not look back, nor talk further, knowing that it was important to keep any contact with Will to a minimum to ensure that she did not come under suspicion too.

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Laura soon came to the conclusion that Will walked faster than she did. It took her two hours to reach the bay he spoke of, but no ship with black sails sat at anchor. Realising she would not have time to stay, she fixed her letter to a tree, tying her flimsy scarf above it. Resolutely she set off home again, hoping that the Black Pearl would soon arrive - it was not a walk she wanted to keep making, and it was awkward to find the time. She thought her father believed she was seeing a man and she had not discouraged the notion... it was best he never discover what she was really up to.

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The Black Pearl slipped quietly into the bay, unobserved by any but the birds. Jack was ashore almost before the anchor was fully lowered, but Jacob Bone put a hand on his shoulder, pointing up the beach. "Captain, wait!" he urged, heading towards the fluttering scarf he could see. Beneath it, tied firmly against the trunk was a note which he carried back to Jack. "I think we have a message..."

Jack carefully opened the letter. It was a woman's hand, the letters ill-formed but still readable. 'Trap. Wait. Will come.' "Set up a watch," he ordered, turning and returning to the Black Pearl. If somebody had gone to the trouble of trying to warn him, he would do them the courtesy of waiting... but he would not be caught unawares if this too was a trap.

"Captain?" Jacob puzzled, sighing in understanding as Jack handed him the note. "So we wait?"

"Aye, we wait," Jack confirmed. "But see that a watch is kept - sea an' shore!" They rowed back to the Black Pearl, Jack sitting quietly in his cabin. Distractedly he rubbed Daffodil behind her ears, taking comfort in the presence of the cat. "We'll get her back," he assured the animal. "Don't yer worry!"

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It was several hours later when Jem Harvey poked his head around the door. "Captain," he called. "Company - a woman! She's asking to come aboard..."

"Well, bring her then!" Jack ordered. "An' bring some water - if she's walked from Port Royal she'll be thirsty!"

"Aye Captain," Jem replied, dashing to obey.

Jack sat, worrying, his feet on the table and the cat on his lap. He took a swig of rum, watching through the open doors of his cabin as the woman was brought onboard. He recognised her immediately, and her smile of relief as she spotted him gave him more hope than he had dared for. She ignored his men, walking quickly towards his cabin. "Miss," he nodded, but did not rise.

"Captain Sparrow," she replied. "Thank heavens you waited. I've come from Will and Elizabeth..."

He indicated for her to sit. "Water?" he offered as Lucas Combe brought a fresh jug from the barrel.

"Thank you," Laura sighed. "It is a long walk... but I don't have much time, else I'll be missed."

Jack nodded. "Tell Gibbs, Cotton, Barker an' Bone t' get in here," he ordered as Lucas left, waiting impatiently for his senior crew to assemble as she drank gratefully. "Well Missy... speak."

"Elizabeth and Will could not come to warn you. They are being watched..." she began. Spotting her scarf on the table she reclaimed it, tying it back around her shoulders.

"Well, we are expected," Gibbs shrugged.

"And we hate to disappoint," Jacob Bone smiled, but his tone was dark.

"An' Bessie?" Jack pressed.

"Bessie is fine," Laura explained, thinking it sweet that his first thoughts were for his wife - not that she would ever say that to his face. "The Commodore released her, but he is holding your man as surety that she does not try to leave - or warn you of their trap..."

"An' why are yer helpin' Missy?" Jack puzzled. Although he had recognised her, he wanted to hear her reasons from her own lips.

Laura paused briefly before speaking quietly. "I owe you my life," she reasoned. "And what Captain Gillette did was wrong!"

Jack nodded. "So they are holdin' Holt - I presume in th' cells, yes?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Bessie is staying with Captain Groves..."

"What?" Four voices echoed in shock. Ned Cotton just looked stunned.

"He's been treating her well," Laura defended. "Elizabeth says that he was afraid that Captain Gillette would hurt Bessie... even though the Commodore declared her innocent..."

"Not innocent enough to release her fully," Paul Barker said sourly.

"The chance of hanging Captain Sparrow was too tempting even for him I believe," Laura explained. "But if you snatch Bessie before you rescue your man, then he will hang." She sighed heavily. "And knowing how close your wife is to giving birth, I don't think she will be going anywhere quickly... but I must or I will be in trouble."

Jack nodded, realising she was right and reasoning that Bessie could not have more than four weeks to go until she gave birth. "I'll walk yer back," he offered.

"But you'll be caught!" she gasped.

"Unlikely," he shrugged, nodding to the crew as he escorted her from the cabin. "I'll be back later," he slurred, climbing down to the boat and holding it steady as Jem helped her follow. Once she was settled he picked up the oars. "She is well?" he worried.

"The term is 'glowing'," she assured him, feeling that she could speak more freely of what she knew of Bessie now that his crew was not around. "Will says that Elizabeth is with her often and that she will be with her when the baby comes... she is not alone." She gratefully accepted his assistance from the boat as he beached it. "You should know some things though... before you go into town..."

"What?" Jack asked cautiously - something in her tone warning him that he did not want to hear it.

"I get my information from Victoria Chalk - she is seeing Captain Gillette. From what I have been able to gather, he kept your wife onboard in his jail..." she began.

"Brig," Jack corrected.

"Brig then," Laura amended. "He kept her there when they made repairs and she was really dirty when she came ashore at Port Royal." She took a deep breath. "He had her manacled..."

"He what?" Jack exploded.

"I get the impression that Elizabeth will be very disappointed if you leave him alive..." she ventured.

"I'd hate t' disappoint her..." Jack smiled darkly. "In fact, I promise not to!"