Yet again, usual disclaimers apply throughout this tale. If you recognise it, it probably belongs to the Mouse – else it is mine!
Chapter 14 – The Roseridge Ransom
Jacoby Roseridge fumed before the Commodore and a number of his officers, his florid face redder than usual with rage. "The gall of the animal! He has sunk the Gallian and taken my son hostage! The very nerve of it! The crew that survived tell me that there was a woman with a small boy on board and that she was grievously injured! He's gone too far this time Commodore! I insist you catch him and hang him immediately!" he demanded.
James Norrington sighed. Jack Sparrow and his crew had been getting bolder of late, true, but this was far from their usual style. He often would take a ship without a shot being fired, purely on his reputation. The reputation of Damian Roseridge was another matter – a womanising wastrel who spent his money as if it were water. "Firstly," he held his hand up to fend off another outburst, "firstly we have no idea where the Black Pearl currently is. I can send orders to any ships in the region, but the Caribbean is a large sea, Mister Roseridge. The ransom note may say to meet at Tortuga, but they shall no doubt make use of an intermediary – I can assure you, the Black Pearl will most certainly not be there. Secondly, if we do find the ship and attack he might threaten to kill your son in order to escape. Thirdly, the Black Pearl, although I am loath to admit it, is a faster ship than anything that the Navy has. I suggest you gather the money and pay the ransom."
"But..." Jacoby Roseridge spluttered indignantly.
The Commodore sighed heavily, wishing that Jacoby Roseridge would just accept the inevitable. "Did any of the crew name the woman?" he asked dryly when the man paused for breath. "She may have family concerned about her also."
"I believe the chef addressed her as Mistress Cattarina Rays or something... he is Italian and his English is not perfect," he shrugged, not interested in anything other than the return of his son.
"Commodore! A word please!" Lieutenant Theodore Groves urgently beckoned him, speaking quietly. "Commodore, I received a letter from my sister Catherine a number of weeks ago – Catherine Reyes! She said she had been asked to travel here with your niece and nephew... she is way overdue!"
"Are you sure?" James Norrington asked, his voice low so that Jacoby Roseridge would not overhear. "I have had no letter other than the one from the solicitor informing me of Ester's death," he frowned, "but post from England is often haphazard at best."
"Catherine was Ester's nursemaid and companion. It would have made sense for her to travel with the children as they know her..." Theodore explained.
The Commodore nodded, turning to Jacoby Roseridge. "Mister Roseridge, you mentioned a boy. How old was he? Was there another child?"
Jacoby Roseridge frowned, momentarily confused by the turn of the conversation. "I don't know, about four or five, but there was only one child." He realised there was something that the naval officers were not telling him, and that they were apparently unwilling to tell him. "But whoever she is, that pirate has my son!" he protested.
The Commodore made his decision, fearful that his lieutenant's guess was correct. If the child truly was his nephew then what had happened to his niece? "Mister Roseridge, Lieutenant Groves here and HMS Resolute will deliver the ransom as soon as you can gather the money," James Norrington advised him.
"It will take about a week to raise that amount – will that be all right?" The Commodore nodded and Jacoby Roseridge stomped angrily out of the office, cursing the officers as much as Jack Sparrow.
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Year 1 - Mid November
Theodore Groves sat in the dingy Tortuga bar quietly supping the positively revolting ale and hoping to avoid the third bar fight in as many minutes. The second message had said to meet here at the Faithful Bride and he had been waiting, out of uniform, for longer than he liked. He was anxious to return to his ship which was anchored several bays westwards. He wondered if the Black Pearl was even there, the night too dark to identify any ship in the harbour. He looked up as a shadow filled his view.
"Lieutenant Groves, how nice t' meet yer again." The voice was quiet, but assured. "D' yer have it?"
Theodore slowly raised his eyes, unsurprised to find the voice was that of Jack Sparrow. "I have it, Sparrow..."
"It's Captain Sparrow, matey. I thought yer'd be remembering that." A lazy smile spread across the pirate captain's face. "Let's take a walk..."
Theodore cautiously followed Jack from the bar into the dimly lit streets and down towards the docks. Although he had met Jack once before, when the pirate had inadvertently saved his life in New York, he was uncertain how to react when now in the pirate's home territory. He cleared his throat. "I believe you also have a woman and child on board... a Mistress Reyes and her charge Master James Schott? I would like to see them."
Jack looked at Theodore in shock, braids flying as he glanced around behind them. "How did you…" he began, startled from his normal drawl. "All right, we can row out to th' Pearl as yer are family, like," he said cautiously, staring into the shadows, "but yer goons stay behind." He nodded to the two men who were following the lieutenant, who had thought them to be quite invisible.
"Burns, Archer, stay here," Theodore ordered. "I am rowing out to the Black Pearl with Sparrow and will return shortly."
"Captain," Jack muttered sourly to himself. "It's Captain Sparrow!" Why did people have such difficulty in remembering that he wondered. Catherine had always remembered, until he had insisted she start calling him Jack.
"Sir?" Matthew Burns queried in disbelief at the lieutenant's command.
"Follow orders Burns. Await my return." He turned and climbed into the small ship's boat with Jack.
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