Broken Faith

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except the roadblock in the relationship of Jack and Elizabeth (aka Henri d'Alphonse, odious villain). Also, the song that Elizabeth sings is called "Nightingale." It's an old sea shanty from about 1680 from London.

OC/E, J/E, W/E, N/E

A/N: Yes, this will end in J/E. Well, maybe. I haven't decided. But the final pairing is not Elizabeth and Henri. As much as I love J/E, I don't know if I'd like it as much if they ended up together. After all, Jack's first loves are the Pearl and the sea. Let's just say the song "Brandy" by looking glass is worming its way into my head and inspiring later chapters. Overall, I'm not so happy with this chapter, but it had to happen. So here it is, for good or ill. Got the lyrics to Nightingale from Contemplator dot com.

Chapter 5: Nightingale

Henri had been in port for a week when Jack landed. He, of course, had no knowledge of Henri's presence. Had he, it is likely that he would not have returned, but left Elizabeth to her unfortunate lover. He did return though, and found himself hopelessly entangled in the affair.

Jack came without sending word, as was his want. He did not believe a pirate should announce himself. He was slightly wary, worried that Elizabeth would send him away in favor of some dandy not unlike Will. As he walked up the lane to her cottage, he heard a laugh resonating in the garden. He stopped dead in his tracks. It sounded like Elizabeth. But it couldn't be Elizabeth. In the four years since Will's death she had not done much laughing, and she certainly hadn't laughed for just anyone. Jack peered around the corner and was shocked at the sight that greeted him.

Elizabeth was indeed laughing, head back, rosy cheeked, whole heartedly laughing. Next to her stood a man, a dandy really. He wore a trimmed jacket in the latest fashion, breeches of what appeared to be high quality linen, and no wig. Jack figured that the mysterious creature was from the continent, and not long removed at that. And there he stood in front of Elizabeth instead of Jack. At first, he seemed a total stranger, but Jack had the uncomfortable feeling that he had seen this man somewhere before.

"Honestly, Henri." Elizabeth giggled.

"Honestly, what?" he teased. "I am not wrong. You are beautiful and I love your singing voice. For me, Lisette?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Elizabeth protested lightly as she sat at the piano. "What shall I play?"

Henri contemplated this. "Something about the sea." he said finally. "Something that reminds me why I love her."

"Men with their love affairs with the sea." Elizabeth sighed. "I still don't forgive him for running off to sea and caring more about her then me."

"You've said yourself: she's a cruel mistress." Henri moved toward Elizabeth. "Though any man would be foolish to choose her over you."

"Oh honestly." Elizabeth said as though she did not believe him, but she was blushing anyway. She thought for a moment, then began to play a haunting sea melody. She did not sing.

"Lisette, I know this song. Sing it for me. Please." Henri asked quietly. Elizabeth obliged:

One morning, one morning, one morning in May

I spied a young couple all on the highway

And one was a lady, so fair and so bright

And the other was a soldier, a brave volunteer

Good morning, good morning, good morning to thee,
Now where are you going my pretty lady?
I'm going to travel to the banks of the sea
To see the waters gliding, hear the nightingales sing.

They hadn't been there but an hour or two
Till out of his knapsack a fiddle he drew
The tune that he played caused the vallies to ring.
O harken, says the lady, how the nightingales sing.

Pretty lady, pretty lady, 'tis time to give o're.
O no, pretty soldier, please play one tune more.
I'd rather hear your fiddle at the touch of one string
Than to see the waters gliding, hear the nightingales sing.

Pretty soldier, pretty soldier, will you marry me?
O no, pretty lady that never can be.
I've a wife back in London and children twice three.
Two wives in the army is too many for me.

The last note hung in the air, and for a short while neither one talked. "It's rather a sad song, is it not?" Elizabeth said by and by.

"Only at the end." Henri agreed. He glanced at the clock, which read five. "I must take my leave of you, Lisette." He reached for her hand and kissed it gently. "Until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." she said, a faint pink stealing across her cheeks. Henri tipped an imaginary cap at her, then walked out the door and down the lane. Both Jack and Elizabeth watched him go. Elizabeth turned back to the house, smiling to herself. Jack looked between her happy face and the retreating figure. Perhaps he had made a mistake in coming back here. Perhaps he had been foolish to think that Elizabeth held any feeling toward him, except maybe animosity. Jack turned as if to go, then paused. He had come this far, risking the hangman's noose to see her. He would not leave without at least that.

Jack slipped in through the side kitchen door, as he had so many times before. Elizabeth had her back to him. She stood over a basin, rinsing several plates and cups. The ruins of the tea meal sat on the table. Jack picked quietly at the remains of dainty sandwiches and fruit tarts. He certainly wasn't going to let any of it go to waste. He hadn't seen cucumber sandwiches in...well, he hadn't ever actually seen cucumber sandwiches, which meant it would be especially tragic to let them be tossed out. Elizabeth was humming that shanty to herself.

"These are rather good, love. Did you make them yourself?" Jack asked. Elizabeth dropped the plate she was scrubbing. It broke against the side of the basin, but she took no notice of it.

"Jack?"

"Aye. The sandwiches, love. Did you make them? They're rather good." Jack eased out a chair and dropped onto it with careless grace.

"I did." Elizabeth stammered. "I can cook you know."

Jack laughed cordially. "Well, I wouldn't have thought you could. Not very filling though, are they?" he flicked away a scrap of bread and reached for a tart.

"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked when she had regained enough composure to string five words together coherently.

"I was in the area, thought I'd drop by and see how you were getting on." he glanced around himself. "Don't seem to be too badly off."

"No, I'm not." Elizabeth said frankly. "I suppose you expected me to be wasting away?"

"Now I didn't say that." Jack held up both hands. "I merely didn't think you'd be this well off. Gentlemen callers and such."

"Gent-? Oh." Elizabeth blushed. "You mean Henri."

"Yes. Henri." Jack made a face as he uttered the name. "Frenchman, love? Surely you could do better then that. There are quite a few upstanding Englishman who could keep you company. Even more not upstanding gentlemen." he flashed a grin at her.

"Henri is not French."

"If he wasn't, his name would be Henry."

"Oh, well, he's French by birth, yes. But I grew up with him. He was raised English."

"Can't take the French out of him, dear."

"Is there something wrong with the French, Mr. Sparrow?" Elizabeth said frostily.

"Captain, love, you know better then that. And personally, I couldn't care one way or 'tother, but there's no love lost between the English and the French."

"Henri d'Alphonse is an upstanding gentleman, and far better then you." Elizabeth said loftily, retreating to what she considered the 'moral high ground.'

"Your Henri is-" Jack began angrily. "Wait, what was his name love?"

"Henri d'Alphonse of Lyon and London. Why?"

Jack bounded out of his chair, knocking it over in his eagerness to get out the door.

"Jack?" Elizabeth asked, her anger momentarily forgotten."

"Business, love." Jack said, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I shall return." And he gave her an over exaggerated court bow, and ran out the door as she threw her dishtowel after him.