~~*~~
"Have you kept an eye on Miss Kent as I asked?" Will softly requested, taking the offer of water from Stout who stood there passing the ladle to the young captain, both trying to look as if just speaking of weather.
"Aye, sir, just as you ordered us to this past week. Me and the other boys never let her leave our sight as best we can," he informed, taking back the empty ladle, watching as the other man went back to the ship's wheel.
"Good, I don't want her out of any of our sight for no major amount of time, Stout. Something is going on, especially with that one called Ark," he explained, sparing a fleeting glance to the man in question as he cleaned the deck with scrub brush and bucket.
"Captain Will, it does seem that the lady in question senses something is...amiss and not with those shifty eyed buggers, but with us," Stout informed with a loud snort of amusement.
"Probably as well she should be." Will surveyed the deck and hoped to see the woman in question but she was nowhere in sight. "Speaking of which, where is Miss Kent now?"
"The lady wasn't feeling too well this morning and chose to stay in her cabin," he explained, noting the odd look upon the other man's face.
"Has anyone gone to check on her?"
"Red Roof did earlier, said she looked a might piqued but was well enough. Figured just too much sun yesterday."
The only reply the rotund man received was a mumbled 'hmm' which made his face nearly split open in a grin.
"And here they say you don't care 'bout nothin' no more," Stout remarked, knowing it would dig a little deep, but he'd take the chance.
Will cut his eyes upon the man and glared. "Worry about yourself and Miss Kent, not me. I'm fine," he retorted sounding irritated.
"Aye, easier said than done not to include you in the worry...especially since most of us hadn't seen the likes of you in nearly six months or more," the gray haired, gray bearded older man replied before turning to leave, making his way down below and to the galley where he was normally the cook.
Usually, Will Turner found he could shake off remarks such as that, but for some reason, over the past week it was becoming more and more difficult.
~~*~~
"Miss Kent, what are you doing top side?" Will asked, making his way to his own cabin. He'd given up the Captain's quarters for her, after all, she still owned the boat. Though he'd never admit, the move was more chivalrous than anything, since she'd offered to stay in the same small cabin she'd resided in on her journey to Port Royal.
Smoothing the bodice of her gown, Catherine took a deep breath. "I thought maybe some fresh air tonight would do me some good...and please, call me Catherine."
Eyeing her critically, the captain could tell the woman still was not feeling well, but all in all she didn't look too bad, just slightly pale. "Well then, Miss Catherine..."
"Catherine...no Miss, no Madame...just Catherine," she sighed loudly, giving him a faint smile before slowly walking past. "Please, Captain, don't let me hold you from your retiring for the night."
"Call me Will," he corrected, making her grin slightly. "You're not keeping me from anything, I could do with a breath of fresh air myself."
Turning, he now walked beside the blonde-haired woman, his hands resting upon ropes and wood and anything as they strolled the length of the ship. All the while in the back of his mind, he wondered who was supposed to be looking out for her since obviously, she'd slipped topside alone. "You do realize that you've breathed fresh sea air all day, do you not?" Catherine smirked.
"Ah...you noticed."
"I notice more than you probably give me credit for," she replied back, the hint of annoyance wavering in her voice.
Nodding his head, his hair free of its leather confines, Will darted his gaze to the deck for a brief instant. "Do you truly?"
"Yes I do. I've noticed how you and your crew watch my every step. Just why is that, Mr. Turner? Are you planning to toss me overboard? Feed me to the sharks? Or is it something else? Something that I brought with me to Port Royal?"
"Tell me something, Catherine, what was your husband like?"
The question was not the one she quite expected and it surely registered on her face by the way she furrowed her brows. "He was a man who loved the sea. He enjoyed the danger, the thrill..."
"Was he scoundrel by nature? By birth? Or just a man who plundered your family's wealth on fleeting schemes that only ended up coming back to haunt you?"
Catherine stopped suddenly, turning to face the man at her side as he did the same. "What do you think you know?"
"I know well enough that your husband couldn't give a bloody damn about you or he would not have left you in such dire straights to have to finish his last scheme."
"He had no idea this would happen," she spoke up.
"Did he now? Just how did your husband die? Flogging? Hanging by noose?"
The subtle flinch that echoed through her body told the determined man exactly when he'd guessed correctly. "They were trumped up charges. Charles was not capable of such a thing they were accusing him of...he'd never do such. I couldn't stop the hanging..." she softly trailed off.
"What were his charges?" Will pushed, watching as her brilliant green gaze narrowed on him.
"If you must know, thievery and..."
"...Piracy," he finished for her. "But I don't see your husband as the normal pirate. I see him more the upper class thief, using the guise of the sea as an excuse. He was nothing but a man who schemed and scammed money from others, was he not?"
"How dare you say anything about Charles, you have never even met him..."
Leaning forward so that his breath was warm against her cheek, he continued to keep eye contact. "Are you so sure?"
This startled Catherine so much that she took an unconscious step backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. "You lie," she gasped.
"Many know of your husband. Mad Charles as he was so lovingly called by some. Did you not think I would do some checking of my own upon acceptance of your offer to captain this ship...own this ship?"
"Yes...no...what are you saying?"
Will ignored the near pleading look in the woman's eyes for him to stop, and he continued. "I'm saying your husband ruined many a good man with schemes that would never come to fruition, promises that were lies. All for the power of gold."
"He wouldn't do such..."
"He did and then some. You do not know the half of it. I'd dare say there is more to this shipment of rum and wine than you realize. What man in his right mind would leave the woman he professed to love to brave the seas with a crew of cut throats and make her deliver his cargo through pirate infested waters? Not to mention the high possibility of seizure and forfeit by the Royal Navy if they truly boarded this ship."
Catherine was suddenly not fuming as Will had fully expected. Instead of anger, there in its place was sadness, a sadness that startled him.
"If you're through berating me of my pitiful marriage, I'll bid you good night," she stated in an even tone that sent a chill through his body.
~~*~~
"Have you kept an eye on Miss Kent as I asked?" Will softly requested, taking the offer of water from Stout who stood there passing the ladle to the young captain, both trying to look as if just speaking of weather.
"Aye, sir, just as you ordered us to this past week. Me and the other boys never let her leave our sight as best we can," he informed, taking back the empty ladle, watching as the other man went back to the ship's wheel.
"Good, I don't want her out of any of our sight for no major amount of time, Stout. Something is going on, especially with that one called Ark," he explained, sparing a fleeting glance to the man in question as he cleaned the deck with scrub brush and bucket.
"Captain Will, it does seem that the lady in question senses something is...amiss and not with those shifty eyed buggers, but with us," Stout informed with a loud snort of amusement.
"Probably as well she should be." Will surveyed the deck and hoped to see the woman in question but she was nowhere in sight. "Speaking of which, where is Miss Kent now?"
"The lady wasn't feeling too well this morning and chose to stay in her cabin," he explained, noting the odd look upon the other man's face.
"Has anyone gone to check on her?"
"Red Roof did earlier, said she looked a might piqued but was well enough. Figured just too much sun yesterday."
The only reply the rotund man received was a mumbled 'hmm' which made his face nearly split open in a grin.
"And here they say you don't care 'bout nothin' no more," Stout remarked, knowing it would dig a little deep, but he'd take the chance.
Will cut his eyes upon the man and glared. "Worry about yourself and Miss Kent, not me. I'm fine," he retorted sounding irritated.
"Aye, easier said than done not to include you in the worry...especially since most of us hadn't seen the likes of you in nearly six months or more," the gray haired, gray bearded older man replied before turning to leave, making his way down below and to the galley where he was normally the cook.
Usually, Will Turner found he could shake off remarks such as that, but for some reason, over the past week it was becoming more and more difficult.
~~*~~
"Miss Kent, what are you doing top side?" Will asked, making his way to his own cabin. He'd given up the Captain's quarters for her, after all, she still owned the boat. Though he'd never admit, the move was more chivalrous than anything, since she'd offered to stay in the same small cabin she'd resided in on her journey to Port Royal.
Smoothing the bodice of her gown, Catherine took a deep breath. "I thought maybe some fresh air tonight would do me some good...and please, call me Catherine."
Eyeing her critically, the captain could tell the woman still was not feeling well, but all in all she didn't look too bad, just slightly pale. "Well then, Miss Catherine..."
"Catherine...no Miss, no Madame...just Catherine," she sighed loudly, giving him a faint smile before slowly walking past. "Please, Captain, don't let me hold you from your retiring for the night."
"Call me Will," he corrected, making her grin slightly. "You're not keeping me from anything, I could do with a breath of fresh air myself."
Turning, he now walked beside the blonde-haired woman, his hands resting upon ropes and wood and anything as they strolled the length of the ship. All the while in the back of his mind, he wondered who was supposed to be looking out for her since obviously, she'd slipped topside alone. "You do realize that you've breathed fresh sea air all day, do you not?" Catherine smirked.
"Ah...you noticed."
"I notice more than you probably give me credit for," she replied back, the hint of annoyance wavering in her voice.
Nodding his head, his hair free of its leather confines, Will darted his gaze to the deck for a brief instant. "Do you truly?"
"Yes I do. I've noticed how you and your crew watch my every step. Just why is that, Mr. Turner? Are you planning to toss me overboard? Feed me to the sharks? Or is it something else? Something that I brought with me to Port Royal?"
"Tell me something, Catherine, what was your husband like?"
The question was not the one she quite expected and it surely registered on her face by the way she furrowed her brows. "He was a man who loved the sea. He enjoyed the danger, the thrill..."
"Was he scoundrel by nature? By birth? Or just a man who plundered your family's wealth on fleeting schemes that only ended up coming back to haunt you?"
Catherine stopped suddenly, turning to face the man at her side as he did the same. "What do you think you know?"
"I know well enough that your husband couldn't give a bloody damn about you or he would not have left you in such dire straights to have to finish his last scheme."
"He had no idea this would happen," she spoke up.
"Did he now? Just how did your husband die? Flogging? Hanging by noose?"
The subtle flinch that echoed through her body told the determined man exactly when he'd guessed correctly. "They were trumped up charges. Charles was not capable of such a thing they were accusing him of...he'd never do such. I couldn't stop the hanging..." she softly trailed off.
"What were his charges?" Will pushed, watching as her brilliant green gaze narrowed on him.
"If you must know, thievery and..."
"...Piracy," he finished for her. "But I don't see your husband as the normal pirate. I see him more the upper class thief, using the guise of the sea as an excuse. He was nothing but a man who schemed and scammed money from others, was he not?"
"How dare you say anything about Charles, you have never even met him..."
Leaning forward so that his breath was warm against her cheek, he continued to keep eye contact. "Are you so sure?"
This startled Catherine so much that she took an unconscious step backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. "You lie," she gasped.
"Many know of your husband. Mad Charles as he was so lovingly called by some. Did you not think I would do some checking of my own upon acceptance of your offer to captain this ship...own this ship?"
"Yes...no...what are you saying?"
Will ignored the near pleading look in the woman's eyes for him to stop, and he continued. "I'm saying your husband ruined many a good man with schemes that would never come to fruition, promises that were lies. All for the power of gold."
"He wouldn't do such..."
"He did and then some. You do not know the half of it. I'd dare say there is more to this shipment of rum and wine than you realize. What man in his right mind would leave the woman he professed to love to brave the seas with a crew of cut throats and make her deliver his cargo through pirate infested waters? Not to mention the high possibility of seizure and forfeit by the Royal Navy if they truly boarded this ship."
Catherine was suddenly not fuming as Will had fully expected. Instead of anger, there in its place was sadness, a sadness that startled him.
"If you're through berating me of my pitiful marriage, I'll bid you good night," she stated in an even tone that sent a chill through his body.
~~*~~