Chapter Five
Kea entered her own room and almost tripped on an upturned corner of the rug. When she knelt down to fix it, she found a white envelope. It was addressed to her in neat, yet definitely male hand. She furrowed her brow.
The hand writing was unknown to her and the quality of the paper was indeed better than the kind she or even Norrington used. Straightening the rug corner she stood and went to her desk, where she grabbed a gold and emerald hilted dragger to open it.
Lady Arthington,
My dear girl, I have located you at last. I must say, you have led me in a merry dance these past months. But I remember that promise I made, if you do not, that I would always find you.
I hear you have something that belongs to me. I would like it back. In exchange, I shall give you documents about your father that if word got out, your precious Commodore would have nothing to do with you. Yes, I know what you are thinking. How am I able to know what you do? I have spies everywhere.
In three days time, a courier will meet up with you in the marketplace, and you will be there. There he will give you something about the size of a jewelry box wrapped in a green ribbon. Under no circumstances are you to open it in public, unless you want treason and the Commodore upon your head. Surely he knows nothing about your 'pirating' connections. I look forward to seeing you again.
C. D. S.
What the-. Who would know about my past besides Ria? Kea thought, puzzled. Documents about my father and I have something he wants? Looks forward to seeing me again? How can that be so if I don't remember meeting anyone with the initials C. D. S. Unless, it could be-- but there is no probable way it could be him.
Kea sank onto the bed. Of course it couldn't be him. She hadn't heard from him since she was seventeen. Kea started to crumple the letter in her fist but something compelled her to read it again. Straightening it out Kea did reread it.
I look forward to seeing you again.
The line stuck out in her mind. As do I, she thought with vengeance, for no one black mails me.
She glanced at the clock on the mantle. Ten minutes to twelve. They would be cutting it a bit close for arriving at the luncheon.
When Kea and Ria arrived at Governor Swann's, the butler took them into the parlor. Will and Elizabeth rose to great them as they were showed into where they waited.
"Sorry we're late. Mrs. Ferguson called while we were getting ready so we couldn't quite dismiss her because Norrington had just left with his sister, and Gillette," Ria apologized to Liz.
"Ah, do not worry about it, it's good of you to come," Elizabeth commented as they all took seats, nodding to the other guests as they did so.
"We missed you at the ball last night." Kea said.
"We were there, but left early because Elizabeth wasn't feeling well," Will said as he put his arm around Liz, who blushed faintly.
"Ah," Kea murmured, sitting back on the settee and taking a sip of her drink that a maid had poured. At that moment a plump lady in a ghastly green colored dress entered the room followed by her daughter who was just the opposite. The surprisingly interesting sight almost made Kea choke on her drink.
You younger of the two women had a on a lovely blue and white dress. Her raven black hair was curled neatly and piled on her head. By London standards she was considered an Original. But they were not in London, so Miss Dianna Callingford would just have to take second place to Calandria and Kea.
In fact, even when the three had first met, Miss Callingford had declared a personal vendetta on the two. For even though the local women didn't care for Kea and Ria, their husbands and sons did. And Miss Callingford was jealous of the attention the men gave the friends. Rumor even had it that she had tried to win Will away from Elizabeth after they had gotten back from their pirate adventure. They also couldn't help it if Dianna's father had lost his holdings in London forcing her and her mother to move here to Port Royal.
Lunch was soon served consisting of dishes such as crown roast of lamb with leek and rosemary stuffing and mint sauce, herb roasted potatoes, and small fishcakes with lemon and sorrel sauce. For dessert there was deep-filled apple pie, baked with large slices of apples and a hint of nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon. To go on top was crème anglaise.
When lunch was over they adjourned to the drawing room. After some more conversing, several of the guests said their thanks and departed. Left there still where Kea, Ria, the Turners, and the Callingford's.
"Did you hear about the attack on the fort last night?" Lady Callingford asked.
"Word is you and Ria have something to do with it," Dianna addressed Kea.
"Oh, really? That is good to know," Kea countered, standing by the window.
Suddenly the conversation was broken when a little boy ran into the room.
"Mama! Mama!" Jeremy, Ria's son, yelled as he ran to her, arms outstretched. She smiled and pulled him into her lap.
"What is it, darling?" She asked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Walk wif Kate," he said still a little verbally challenged, as he was only a little more than two years old.
"Sure, luv," She replied and looked up as Kate, his nurse, walked in the room. "Kate, could you take this handsome boy for a walk?" Ria asked, tickling Jeremy who erupted in giggles.
"Sure Miss Morgan. Come along, Mr. Jeremy, let's go for a walk," Kate held out her hand to him and he took it. She led him out of the room for the adventure. Ria smiled after her son, he was such a darling.
Just then she heard a loud snort and looked over to see Dianna rolling her eyes.
"Is there a problem, Miss Callingford?" Ria asked, eyebrow arched.
Dianna gave her an 'Are you serious' look, "Oh no, just that it's bad enough I must hear about your disgusting pirating, but now you bring your bastard son into my presence."
Ria glared at her, "Really? What do you mean by bastard?"
Dianna scoffed, "Do you actually expect me to believe like everyone else, that you were married and then widowed? I know it's what they say here in Port Royal, but back in England, the things I heard about you never mentioned a marriage that had taken place, or you being widowed for that matter. So, it makes me believe that you were a whore and now have a bastard son. Who was in my presence, ugh!"
Ria, extremely mad now, chose to keep her mouth shut for the moment; somehow managing to control her violent temper that was threatening to erupt on Dianna.
"A wedding could have been held somewhere else. I have heard that certain young ladies run away to Grenada Green to get married. Some get caught, some do not," Kea defended, tired of the twit's condescending tone, and recalling the business if Miss Callingford's older sister, Laura, who had done just that a few years ago. Dianna had the decency to blush at Kea's comment and dropped the subject, though she still wanted to bug her or Ria.
"Where did you get that dress?' Dianna now asked, shortly after regaining her composure from Kea's set down.
"I designed it myself," Ria stated with newfound pride.
Dianna gave her a sneering once over, "Really? Because it reminds me of a tapestry I once saw."
"Is that so? Well then, perhaps you should rethink your dress also because I believe I saw it on a local whore just the other day. And since I'm supposedly a whore, may I say that it is a faux pas to be looking like one?" Ria ground out, her hands fisted at her side, and her eyes glaring daggers at the audacious chit.
With that comment, even Lady Callingford was scandalized, though she should have been more so with the comments made by her horrible daughter. She instantly came to her feet, "Well, I never."
She turned to Elizabeth. "I knew they were not well brought up. This incident even proves it. Good day."
With that she exited the room. Dianna went to follow, but was stopped by none other that Captain Jack Sparrow, who had just arrived and hadn't seen the little boy who had his features and mannerisms.
"You are stepping on my dress, you ignorant wretch," She snapped thinking he was a servant. But then, she thought everyone was.
"Oh, most terribly sorry, I thought it was the rug," Jack said airily while waving his hands sporadically around in the air.
Kea, Ria and the Turners, who where trying to stifle their mirth but didn't succeed, started laughing. Dianna, infuriated more, raised her hand to slap him for his supposed impertinence.
Jack caught her wrist, "That's not very nice." He pointed a ringed finger in her face. At that Elizabeth smiled, remembering when Jack used that line with her.
Dianna stared at the finger and for a moment thought of biting it, but was stopped when her mother caught her arm and dragged her out of the house.
"Was it something I said?" Jack looked after them, with a pouty face.
"The damage was already done well before you arrived, Captain," Kea said with a double meaning which caused them to laugh even more.
Jack looked them over in mild confusion. His eyes roamed over them, but stopped at a certain face. It was Calandria.
He hadn't seen her in three years until that morning, but that didn't mean that she hadn't occupied his thoughts. Jack watched as she started laughing again, her face becoming even more attractive to him.
Suddenly, as if sensing he was watching her, she looked towards him and caught him staring. For a moment it was as if nobody else was in the room. Memories of their past flowed strongly between their heated gazes.
Walking up to him, Ria smiled slightly, "Hello again, Jack. It's been a while."
Jack smiled, "Aye, it has been a while, dear Ria. What three years now?"
Ria nodded, "That it has."
Jack took her hand in his and kissed it lightly just like the very first time they'd met. She blushed slightly, but stared back at him. The two of them stood there staring into each other's eyes as if the others were not there.
The other three finally stopped laughing and realized that Ria had stopped joining them and was now standing face to face with Jack. They glanced at the two who were standing enraptured with each other. Will frowned at Jack's apparent out of character behavior, but then saw the dreamy look he was giving Ria and realized something was going on between them.
He put his arms around Liz's waist and she leaned back into his body. She smiled, knowing what Ria and Jack were feeling. She and Will had been the same way, still were at times.
Kea, on the other hand, having stopped laughing, had started to stare out the window. Sighing, she quietly slipped away out onto the terrace while the two couples were lost themselves in the moment, and headed back home.
Well, Ria had definitely gotten her back for all the teasing about her and Jack. She let out a mirthless chuckled at the hand that fate had dealt her this round. One reason why she hated going over to the Turner's was their love for each other. Love, she thought scoffing at the emotion.
Meeting you was chance, becoming your friend was a choice, falling in love with you was beyond my control. Someone close to her had uttered that one day. Then the next afternoon she had encountered him with another girl. Now, after six years she had heard from him. Only it wasn't the kind of letter she had been expecting.
Oh, grow up, Kea. You knew he would leave. You are of the land, and he of the sea.
But I never had the chance to say good bye. That was your choice her inner voice said back, he came to explain.
Yes, he had come to explain, she hadn't gone downstairs to see him, Calandria hadn't even been there to persuade her to go down, and her mother had acted as intermediary.
Love, they say if you love something let it go and if it comes back to you, it's yours. That's how you know you both are truly meant to be. Her mother had spoken that thought as she stood by her daughter those six years ago with her watching as he walked down the drive.
Scoffing again, she put such thoughts out of her head.
