DISCLAIMER I do not own any original plots, characters, themes, ideas or anything from 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl'. All I own is everything in this story of my own creation.
Chapter two – Lady for a night
Diane was moving very slowly the whole day. She too had merited an invitation to the Governor's party, however she was becoming more and more reluctant to go. Rosemary had her evening gown laid out and all her accessories ready now all she needed was to get Diane into them.
"Please m'lady, it is imperative that you attend," Rosemary said placing the tea tray on the table out in the sunroom standing beside her mistress. Elizabeth sat opposite Diane and watched her tentatively as she sipped her tea. Diane didn't respond but poured herself some more tea with shaking hands. Rosemary rushed and took the tea cup out of Diane's hands and poured the tea for her, she could see a spill happening, "Please m'lady," she pleaded again. Diane just drank her tea and looked out over the ocean.
"That is where they lost my Philip, on that ocean," she said tears in her throat, Elizabeth watched her curiously, Rosemary stayed behind Diane's chair, "That is where I will find him," Elizabeth shook her head and placed her hand on Diane's arm.
"No you can't go you must stay here – you could be circling the ocean for years before you find him," she said placing her teacup on the table and moved both hand onto Diane's arm as if holding her down.
"Then I will circle the ocean's forever, I must find my husband," she said her voice shaking as she dropped her teacup on the floor standing up. Elizabeth rose too and held Diane's shoulders. She was trying to make her way to the door but Elizabeth was holding her back.
"Listen to me Diane you have to stay strong and stay here, you can't go chasing after him with no way of tracking him down. Think! Do you even know where he came up missing? No you don't, you will just be putting yourself in danger! We can think this through and work out a safe way to try and find your husband. Ok?" she said trying to calm Diane down, Rosemary just stood facing the two women with a worried look on her face. Slowly Diane nodded. Elizabeth embraced her and lead her to her dressing room, Rosemary close behind, "Now we must get you ready for the party tonight, ok?" she felt like she was talking to a child. Diane nodded.
The party was not for a few hours but it would take Diane that long to get ready. Rosemary was getting worried because it took at least three hours to get Diane completely ready and then another half and hour to get her up to the Governor's house. The party started and six o'clock and it was now three-thirty. Rosemary was rushing around making sure that everything was ready for a fast and efficient change whilst Diane was having a bath. Elizabeth stood behind the bath screen keeping Diane company; she was trying to distract Diane from the fact that her husband was missing so they talked about an all manner of things. Light small talk.
Rosemary raced back and pulled Diane out of the bath and began getting her ready. She was going to wear a lovely dark blue dress with a relatively low neckline, which was laced with well, lace. Rosemary called in the kitchen hand, Esmerelda to help with Diane's corset. Elizabeth looked on with amusement as she thought sorry for Diane. Elizabeth had given up on corsets as she would rather breath than look fashionable.
Rosemary pulled all of Diane's hair off her face and piled it on top of her head pinning it in place. Diane's cross was removed and replaced with pearls she also wore matching earrings and a matching bracelet. It took a good half and hour to do Diane's make-up. Her face was powdered and her lips reddened. Her eye's laden with colour and her cheeks brushed with blush.
Five thirty came around and Rosemary fell into a chair admiring her mistress who stood perfect – like a doll before her. 'I did it, I did it,' she thought to her self. She exhaled then pushed herself out of her chair and ran out of the room; Elizabeth followed her with her eyes. She soon darted back in puffing slightly.
"Your carriage will be ready momentarily m'lady," she said straightening up. Diane smiled weakly at Rosemary then walked over to her.
"Well hurry up, you must get ready," she said gently. A look of absolute confusion came across Rosemary's pretty little face.
"I am afraid I do not understand m'lady," she said shaking her head.
"The invitation takes two people, so a want you to accompany me in the place…" she drew a deep breath shaking, "my husband." Rosemary shook her head, "I will not take no for an answer Rosemary. Go put your best dress on and meet me in the hall. Go," she said shooing Rosemary out the door. She raced away to get herself ready. There was only one dress that she thought appropriate for an outing such as this.
Elizabeth had raced away to get ready for the party herself and Diane was left standing alone in the hall. She was thinking her plan over and over in her mind and the more she thought about it seemed more enticing. Suddenly her train of thought was broken when Rosemary made her way up from the servant's quarters below the house. She wore a pale pink dress with a very low neckline. The sleeves puffed out slightly and came down to her elbows and were tight at the bottom then flared out slightly with lace underneath. The bodice was tight and the middle breastplate had delicate embroidery covering it all. They were little lilies that were dense on the breastplate and under-fold of the dress and sparse over the skirt and rest of the bodice. She wore a pair of little white gloves and her small purse was attached to a sash around her waist. She wore a ridiculous pair of black servant shoes that were sooty but not obvious underneath her dress. Her hair was neatly pulled back off her face but half out and half up. She wore no make up and only a single silver cross around her neck. She looked very beautiful. Diane was quite jealous. Thankfully her husband wasn't there to see Rosemary. She was the same age as Diane and would have been very tempting.
"Oh Rosemary! You look divine!" Diane said happily – an emotion she hadn't expressed for a while. Rosemary went bright red and looked down as she stood at her mistress's feet. "Come now my dear we have a party to get too," she said extending her arm. Rosemary hesitantly accepted the invitation making Diane smile.
As the two drove up to the house in their carriage Diane turned to Rosemary, "Now I think is would be a good idea for you to go by a different name, just because people know my handmaid is Rosemary and perhaps it is better for you to pretend that you are my cousin or something, ok?" Rosemary nodded, "What name do you want?" Rosemary pondered this question then gave her mother's name, Sophie. "Alright then," Diane said as the carriage pulled up at the Governor's house. They gave their names to Trevor the doorman then walked in.
The party was a success. The women looked stunning and the men looked charming. Many young bachelors had asked Rosemary to dance, even some married men too much to the anger of their wives. Many of the women looked on her with intrigue; she wore such out of fashion clothing and had the attention of most of the men at the party. She also wore no make up at all. Rosemary was the talk between women throughout the party.
The whole atmosphere of the party mystified Rosemary; she had never been to one as a guest before. Only played her part as the dutiful servant at parties Diane held but she never imagined something so magical as this party. Hot and tired from all the dancing Diane retreated to the balcony and looked back inside trying to find her mistress. She was nowhere to be seen, obviously off somewhere with Elizabeth chatting or maybe someone else. She did not concern her self too greatly with it and decided to have a break and then go look for her.
She turned away from the party and out over the town. All the lights in streets had been lit and little fireflies lit up the area and the sounds of frogs and cicadas could be heard amidst the noise of the party. A slight breeze blew and caused Rosemary's hair to blow gently in the wind. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. She could very easily live this life. When she opened her eyes she looked below her. There was a group of men below her dressed in servant attire drinking what looked like rum or some other type of grog. A loud shout could be heard from somewhere below and the men left leaving one man. Rosemary couldn't quite see his face but he looked very handsome from where she was.
"Hello down there," she called out. The man looked up at her. She was right he was very handsome. He had curly black hair that was tied back into a very small ponytail at the bottom of his head. He had big cinnamon coloured eyes and a small moustache growing. He had a golden brown complexion and his thin mouth curled into a handsome smile.
"Hello up there," he said in a warm voice that made Rosemary tremble slightly.
"I very fine party, don't you agree?" she said sweetly trying to sound as proper as she could.
"A very fine one m'lady," she broke out into a big grin and her hazel eye's lighting up. "What are you doing talking to a servant like me? I am sure that there are many men in there that would love to speak to a beauty like you," she blushed violently.
"I needed some air, and wanted to speak to someone more – down to earth, than some of the young men in there," she said smiling then she began to head to the stairs that lead down to where the young man was, "Someone who will not talk about how much his horse went for in England because it is so very far away. A man who will not talk about how much money he made this week or how many pirate ships the navy killed insulting pirates in a way that I find very offending," what was she on about?
"You a fan of pirates?" the man said following her to the stairs.
"Not in their deeds, but in their friendliness and humour. I believe that they should be treated not as animals but as people, they should be forgiven for their sins and be retaught you could say so they behave appropriately," she said reaching the stairs.
"That would be very hard m'lady, you can't change a person's nature," he said as she proceeded down the stairs, "And who do you propose lead these once wicked men into a life of good?" he asked putting his hands behind is back in a very gentlemanly fashion.
Rosemary thought about it, "Me – I will do it! Of course I will get others to help me. I will set up a school to teach them," she said smiling coming face to face with the young man. He smiled and looked down at her gloved hands. He lifted one up and gently pulled the glove off. Rosemary suddenly gave a worried look on her face. Her hand was rough and her nails were dirty – they were servants hands. The man looked on them with interest.
"It looks to me, lady, that you are a handmaid," Rosemary nodded guiltly. He brough it up to his lips and kissed it gently smiling, "You are a very lucky handmaid to have a mistress who will take you to parties with her. My name is Robert. I am here with my master, Thomas Croswait –perhaps you danced with him?"
"I do remember dancing with a man called Thomas, he was giving me a look that made me very uncomfortable," she said as a shiver went up her spine.
"Yes he has that effect on women, be careful he is looking for a wife," he said with a hearty laugh, "I didn't catch your name,"
"Rosemary. I am here with Lady Diane Fairweather," she said curtsying.
"Well Rosemary it has been a pleasure to meet such a beautiful creature. But I fear that I must depart, perhaps our paths may cross again some time in the future," he bowed, and she curtsied, "Nice shoes by the way," mentally Rosemary slapped herself across the face. She blushed once again. He kissed her hand again and walked away watching her as he left. He spoke like such a gentlemen, he spoke better than some of the men inside. She walked slowly back inside thinking about Robert. She saw Elizabeth and Will out of the corner of her eye talking to the Governor and approached them.
"R-Sophie, you look lovely darling," Elizabeth exclaimed as Rosemary came over. Elizabeth lightly kissed both cheeks and smiled at her. "Rosemary, this is my father Governor Swann," she curtsied and he picked up her hand (glove replaced) and kissed her little white gloves lightly. She blushed slightly and was carefully not to draw her hand back too suddenly. "And this is Commodore Norrington and his wife Elaine," she said introducing Rosemary to the man that had sent her master away. She smiled kindly and curtsied at both of them then turned to Elizabeth.
"Have you seen lady Diane?" she asked trying to sound as polished as she could.
"No I am afraid I haven't, have you Will?" she asked looking up at her husband.
"No I haven't. As Trevor; the doorman," he added answering Rosemary's confused look, "may know so I suggest you ask him," Rosemary looked at Will and laughed inside. He looked very uncomfortable done up in his best attire and a party such as this. He felt like nothing more than a servant.
"Oh I do believe that I saw her leave that party, not long ago. She looked very tired. Oh the poor woman lost her husband you know. She seems so lost with out him. My remedy is to stay away from people from a while, learn to accept the fact that her husband has gone and then come back out into society. She just isn't in a fit state. And I believe she is a very young woman – only in her late twenties, twenty-five? Is that right? Not much older than you Elizabeth. You and Will are only twenty-three? Twenty-three, she is twenty-three. So she has plenty of life before her. She can find another husband; she is very pretty too so it wouldn't be too hard. Aren't there some men in your regiment who are looking for wives?" Elaine asked her husband. She was a woman in the late thirties. Close in age to the Commodore with wrinkles beginning to form around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. She had dimming grey eyes and chestnut brown hair with signs of greying. She wore a deep purple dress and emeralds in her ears and around her neck and wrists. She was a very critical woman who stood tall next to her husband and laughed at her own humour. She stood there sipping on her red wine careless of the fact that she was basically insulting a dead man's wife.
Elizabeth just smiled, a fake smile at her, "I am sure she is fine Sophie. We can take you home we will be leaving soon anyway," she said looking at Rosemary.
"Oh but why, the night is young! It isn't even nine o'clock yet," said Elaine looking at the couple.
"We have a child at home and things to do early in the morning," said Will cringing, he hated everything about upper-class society. Especially the Norrington's. Elaine didn't persist the subject further, she was quite cut in fact because James and she had been married for longer the Will and Elizabeth (they had been married for three years and Will and Elizabeth only for two) and they had a child.
"It is alright I shall make my own way home," said Rosemary curtly. She curtsied to everyone and made her way to the door. As Will suggested she check with Trevor the doorman to see if Diane had left. He assured her she had. Rosemary walked home thankfully she was wearing her comfortable work shoes, even if they did embarrass her. It took her a good forty-five minutes to get home from the Governor's house. When she arrived home she checked on Diane quickly who was sleeping in her bed. Tired and very worn out from playing Lady for the night Rosemary headed straight for bed and not a moment after she placed her head on her pillow she was asleep, thinking fondly of Robert. She didn't even notice someone creeping out of the house during the night.