Title: Pearl of the Sea
Disclaimer: It's not stealing, it's borrowing without permission! No profit being made.
Rating: R
Warnings: Sex and Violence
Spoilers: POTC
Beta:
Dedication:
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Commodore Norrington stood watching the crew of the merchant ship that had limped into Port Royal that morning remove the debris left by the pirate attack from the wounded ship. Like all practical men of the sea, they had discarded nothing in the hopes that some of it might be useful for repairs. The story of their misfortune had already reached his ears. In an odd way, he was relieved that it had been Sparrow that they had come up against. It was doubtful that any of them would have lived to tell the tale had it been anyone else. Sparrow was a thief, but not a murderer. Not that that would save his neck if Norrington managed to apprehend him again. Norrington glanced to his left, noting the Governor's arrival.
"Another pirate attack, Commodore?" Governor Swann moved to stand next to Norrington.
"Sparrow again, to be precise." Norrington did not mince words. He noted that the Governor's attention had focused on the female figure that stood on the dock observing the merchant crew's labor. "They lost their captain to a fever a few hours before the attack. The lady is his daughter. They had changed course for England to deliver her to a relative when the attack came."
"Oh, the poor girl! Has anyone seen to her?" Norrington smiled at the Governor's paternal concern. It was his opinion that the lady in question was of the same mettle as the Governor's own daughter and in need of little help, but he refrained from saying so.
"I have not had the opportunity to speak to the lady in person as yet. I had intended to go speak with her, and with the first mate. It is fortuitous that you arrived, Governor Swann. Your presence will make the task easier." He inclined his head to the older man with a slight smile which Swann returned. Despite the broken engagement between himself and Swann's headstrong daughter, they maintained a good working relationship.
"Well, shall we then?" Swann motioned for Norrington to precede him down to the dock.
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Peg had long since ceased being shocked at the turns her life was taking. Since her father's death, her world had shifted in ways she could not have anticipated. First that, then the pirate attack and her encounter with the very strange Captain Sparrow, then the grueling journey to Port Royal, and now she was in a carriage on her way to the Governor's house as a guest of the Governor for the duration of her stay in Port Royal. Governor Swann had insisted that she would be no trouble, and indeed would be welcome company for his daughter who was of an age with Peg. She tried to muster gratitude for the Governor's kindness, but in truth she felt only apprehension. What could the daughter of a merchant captain possibly have in common with the daughter of a governor? The nearer the carriage drew to the house, the more awkward Peg felt.
Her nervousness peaked when the carriage stopped at the front of the grand house. She drew a shaky breath and schooled her features into what she hoped was a pleasantly bland expression as the carriage door was opened. She was escorted in to the house by a serene looking butler, her belongings carried up the staircase before her by a servant of the house. A maid appeared at her elbow and guided her to an airy and pleasantly appointed bed chamber.
Peg's eyebrows rose at the sight of a steaming tub of water. Evidently the Governor had sent word of her arrival. Forgetting her apprehension momentarily at the prospect of a hot bath in fresh water for the first time in well over a month, Peg allowed the maid to assist her out of her clothing and slipped into the tub with a grateful sigh.
Half an hour later, she sat by the window drying her hair. It was remarkable what a hot bath and clean clothing did for a person's level of confidence. At least the black of her mourning attire made her look a bit older than she actually was, even if the color did not particularly flatter her auburn curls and fair complexion. A knock at her door startled her and she automatically bade the visitor enter. A maid stepped through the door and bobbed a quick curtsey.
"Beggin' your pardon, miss, but Miss Elizabeth has come home and we need the tub." Peg nodded absently.
"Of course, please take it." Peg's uncertain smile was met with a brief grin as the maid curtseyed again. She watched as two of the male servants took several buckets of water out of the tub and disappeared with them before they returned and carried the tub out between them. She was left on her own then and used the time to finish drying her hair and attempting to tame the riot of curls into a respectable chignon. Another knock at her door startled her as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair.
"Please come in," she called expecting another servant.
The young lady that stepped through the door was certainly no servant. She was fashionably dressed; her light brown hair done in a lovely style that left several long curls trailing over one shoulder. The lady smiled at Peg, her pretty face wearing a pleasantly welcoming expression.
"Hello, I am Elizabeth Swann. How are you feeling?" Peg swallowed her earlier nervousness coming back full force.
"I am well, Miss Swann, thank you." Her chuckle was not the response Peg was expecting.
"Please, call me Elizabeth," she said with a warm smile. Peg found herself smiling back.
"Elizabeth, my name is Margaret Surrency but please call me Peg."
"Peg it is, then. I would say that it is a pleasure to meet you if it was not for the circumstances. I was sorry to hear about your father." A look of deep sympathy graced Elizabeth's lovely face and Peg was startled to feel tears in her eyes. She only nodded looking away for a moment as she composed herself. Elizabeth waited patiently until Peg met her eyes again before she spoke. "Dinner is in about an hour. Don't worry, it will be informal. Just the two of us, my father, and my fiancé, Will, are going to be present." Peg nodded, reassured. If Elizabeth's father and fiancé were like her, it would be a pleasant dinner.
"Have you lived on the island long?" Peg found that she was suddenly very curious about her new acquaintance. Elizabeth settled down on the settee and the two found over the course of the next hour that they did indeed have quite a bit in common. They had completely lost track of time when a servant knocked on the door to announce the arrival of Elizabeth's fiancé. Elizabeth shot Peg a quicksilver grin and moved swiftly out the door. Peg followed at a more sedate pace. She hung back at the top of the staircase as Elizabeth continued down the stairs at a less than ladylike pace.
The young man in the foyer was not what Peg had been expecting. He was no military man or politician, his tall, lean frame suggesting that he worked for his living. He greeted Elizabeth as decorum dictated, but his beautifully sculpted face light up at the sight of her, a dimple peeping out of his cheek as he smiled. Peg found herself relaxing even more than she had in Elizabeth's presence. She was a bit startled to find herself thinking that it was encouraging to see that her new friend was marrying a man that obviously adored her. Elizabeth's expression echoed that of her fiancé's as he took the hand she held out to him. The spell was abruptly broken as Elizabeth looked up at Peg and called out for her to join them.
"Peg, this is my fiancé, Will Turner. Will, this is Margaret Surrency." Elizabeth made the introductions as soon as Peg had descended the stairs. Peg found that she could not help but return the warm smile that the young man turned on her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Turner," Peg said softly, making a slight curtsey. His smile widened a bit.
"Will, please, and it's a pleasure to meet you, too. I just wish it had been because of happier circumstances. I'm sorry about what happened, Miss Surrency. I hope you weren't hurt." His smile had vanished the moment he referred to her misfortune and the look of concern in his eyes was plain. She smiled a bit shakily and hastened to assure him, liking him as immediately as she had Elizabeth.
"No, not a bit and please, if I am to call you Will, then you must call me Peg as Elizabeth does. No, we were very fortunate in that the pirates were only interested in our cargo." His expression eased a bit at that but Peg noted a brief, significant look passing between her companions.
"Let's go into the parlor. Father will be awhile yet, and dinner won't be served until he gets home." Elizabeth gestured in the direction of the parlor as she poke, effectively forestalling any question that Peg might have voiced.
Conversation was pleasant for the remainder of the evening, both Will and the Governor studiously avoiding any mention of pirates during or after dinner. Peg was very pleased to discover that her apprehension earlier had been totally unnecessary. The Governor was a very pleasant, if distracted, man and Elizabeth and Will were delightful and quite different than she would have assumed them to be. Will excused himself rather early, citing the need to rise with the sun. The Governor left shortly after to see to some paperwork before he took to his bed for the night. Shortly after he left, Peg voiced the question that had been in her mind all night.
"Elizabeth, when Will asked if I had been hurt he wasn't only asking to be polite, was he?" Peg met Elizabeth's startled gaze steadily. "I saw the look that passed between the two of you when I answered." Elizabeth appeared to be thinking furiously for a moment before she spoke.
"Peg, Will was genuinely concerned but no, it wasn't just that. Before I explain, I need to tell you about something that went on about a year ago." Elizabeth proceeded to tell her a tale that she would have sworn had come from an adventure novel if it was not abundantly clear that Elizabeth was deadly serious. After she finished her story, she explained, "And so you see why Will asked. Jack really isn't a bad sort, for a pirate, and we owe him a great deal. Even if the main reason he got involved in the first place was to get his ship back. We both know that he'll hang if he's caught and the only reason he's not pursued more diligently is that he let's the crews of the ships he takes live. Jack's no fool, as much as he likes to let everyone think he is."
"Well, for what it's worth, he treated me fairly well. Elizabeth, I've heard most of the tales in this part of the world. Why haven't I heard this one?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"Because my father wanted it kept quiet. It wouldn't do for everyone to know that his daughter spent several days unchaperoned in the company of bloodthirsty pirates, even though I wasn't harmed. I think it's the only time my father, Commodore Norrington, and Will have ever agreed on anything." She rose from the settee they had been sharing. "Peg, would you like to accompany me to the market tomorrow? Port Royal isn't London, I know, but there are some things of interest here." Peg agreed readily and the two women bade each other goodnight.
As she lay in her bed that night, Peg thought back on all she had experienced over the last week. She came to the conclusion as she drifted into sleep that having had one adventure before she was forced to settle into domestic boredom was no bad thing. She merely wished that her father could have shared it.
TBC
A/N: Ok, I know that had a lot of fairly mundane stuff in it, but I'm laying the groundwork for more action, I promise. I'm not nearly done with Jack, either.