Title: Pearl of the Sea chapter 3
Author: sheraiah
Rating: R
Warnings: Sex and Violence
Spoilers: POTC
Dedication:
Beta:
Peg awoke to unfamiliar noises. Lifting her head, she took in her surroundings, sighing when she remembered her current circumstances. She greatly appreciated the governor's kindness, but was well aware that this was only a temporary respite from her fate. The ship would be repaired and she would be on her way to England all too soon. Irritably, she shook off her melancholy. She would enjoy herself while she could and make as many memories as possible before she had to resign herself to the role of dutiful English wife. Elizabeth had invited her to tour the marketplace today and she had no intention of missing that.
She rose and dressed, using the water left for her in the pitcher to wash her face and tame her curls enough to wind them into respectability. Peering out the window, she was gratified to see that it was early yet. She tidied her room, unused to servants and not wanting to be a burden. As she was finishing, a knock came at her door.
"Please come in," she called, smoothing the coverlet on her bed. A maid entered with a curtsey to her.
"Begging your pardon, miss, but Miss Elizabeth asks that you join her in her parlor for breakfast." The maid's eyes quickly took in Peg's state of dress and the tidiness of the room. "Well, miss, you're an early riser." She flushed, remembering her station. "Begging your pardon again, miss!"
"Oh, no, don't trouble yourself! I am an early riser, and not very used to being waited upon, I'm afraid. I won't tell if you won't." Peg winked conspiratorially and the maid giggled, nodding. "Good. Are we to go now? Then lead the way, please."
"Good morning, Peg," Elizabeth greeted her warmly as she entered the parlor. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well, thank you." Peg smiled sweetly at her new friend as she seated herself at the small table. "I hope you did as well." Elizabeth's grin held a hint of mischief in it, but her reply was nothing but proper.
"Quite well, thank you for asking. I thought perhaps that we should have a good breakfast before we set out. The hot weather here sometimes affects the appetite and it's best to eat before it gets too hot." Elizabeth smoothed her skirt and laid her napkin in her lap.
As if that was their cue, a maid and a manservant entered the room, the maid carrying a tray laden with a teapot and two delicate china cups. The tray the manservant carried held a bowl of sliced fresh fruit, a plate of scones, and cream. The two ladies ate, chatting amiably with each other. After breaking their fast, they started out in the carriage to the marketplace, accompanied by Elizabeth's maid.
Peg was fascinated. Her travels with her father had never included trips to marketplaces. He had not wished her to be exposed to the common folk of the seafaring towns that they visited and so she had rarely been allowed ashore, except in the more civilized ports and only then in her father's company. Elizabeth insisted on making a gift of a brightly colored scarf that Peg admired, waving aside her protests that she was in mourning.
"Yes, but you won't always be, Peg. A woman should have some pretty things of her own." The governor's daughter smiled and Peg relented, accepting the brilliant blue and green scarf.
They had a bite of lunch at a little stall in the center of the market. The food was like nothing that Peg had ever sampled. Elizabeth explained that it was a local dish made from a kind of shellfish, chopped tomatoes, spices, and onions. Peg pronounced it delicious, to the delight of her new friend. They neared the end of the marketplace just after midday and Elizabeth turned to Peg with a sheepish look on her face.
"I have a bit of a confession to make, Peg." She hesitated, and Peg urged her to continue. "The marketplace is not my only destination today. I would like to pay a visit to Will. Do you mind terribly?" Peg giggled.
"Of course I don't mind! Silly, you could have just said as much and I would have agreed to it." She grinned at her friend and Elizabeth returned the smile gratefully.
"Well, I don't want you to think ill of me, but Will and I don't get to see each other as often as we would like to. Besides, he's teaching me to use a sword and I can't always get away long enough for a proper lesson." She said it with such a casual air that Peg almost missed it.
"He's what?" She couldn't quite believe she had heard Elizabeth correctly.
'Will is teaching me to use a sword," Elizabeth repeated patiently. "He said he never wants me to be unable to defend myself again." She grinned again at Peg's expression. "He's quite good with a sword, you know. He'd have gotten the better of Jack the day they met if Jack hadn't cheated."
"I believe I'd like to hear that story," Peg commented, nonplussed.
They approached the port's blacksmith shop and Peg realized that this was their destination. Elizabeth opened the door, peering in cautiously before motioning for Peg and the maid to follow her.
Will stood at the anvil next to the forge, clad in breeches and a rough linen shirt under his heavy leather apron. His hair was tied back, stray strands curling damply around his face. One dark smudge decorated his brow and another, his high cheekbone. He was wet with perspiration, and his shirt clung to his lean, but well muscled form. His expression was one of intense concentration as he repeatedly pounded the metal wheel rim he was forming with his hammer, expertly forcing it to take the proper shape. Finally satisfied with the rim's shape, he plunged it into a vat of water, sending a cloud of steam into the sweltering air of the shop. Only then did he realize that he had an audience. He whirled, almost knocking the water vat over. He steadied it automatically, his face flushing with embarrassment rather than heat.
Peg stifled a smile and noticed her companions doing the same. Will recovered his composure and greeted them politely, ushering them through the shop to the yard behind. Once outside, the oppressive heat lessened. The yard was pleasantly shaded and private, surrounded by the shop, a high fence, and the blacksmith's residence. Will removed his apron and the strip of leather holding his hair back, and then ducked his head into the rain barrel at the corner where the fence met the wall of the shop. He scrubbed his face, removing the smudges and the sweat, then squeezed the water from his hair, pulled it back again, and tied the leather around it.
"Presentable again?" he asked, arching a dark eyebrow at his fiancée, humor heavily lacing his tone.
"As much as you need to be," she replied cheekily. "Do you have time for a lesson today?" He smiled, his dimple appearing again and Peg was struck by how striking a couple her new friends were. Elizabeth was one of the loveliest women Peg had ever seen, and Will was, well, beautiful, if a man could be called such. Their children would be breathtaking indeed.
"Yes, actually, I do. That wheel rim was my last job for the day. Let me go put the sign on the door and I'll be right back." He disappeared through the door of the smithy. Elizabeth grinned at Peg.
"I need to change. I'll be right back, too." She passed through the door to the blacksmith's living quarters.
Will reappeared a few minutes later, carrying two swords. Peg could see that the edges were dull. He rested the swords against the wall and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and then smiled a bit shyly at Peg.
"I hope you're not too shocked, Peg. I just don't want Elizabeth not to be able to defend herself if she has to. The Caribbean can be dangerous sometimes." A slight shadow crossed his expressive face then, and Peg wondered what Elizabeth had left out of her tale last night.
"Not at all, Will. In fact, I think I'm a bit jealous," Peg replied with a laugh. His mood lightened and he smiled again before taking up one of the swords and running through a few practice moves. Watching him, Peg realized that he was indeed as good with a sword as Elizabeth claimed.
The maid had drifted unobtrusively to the opposite end of the yard and settled onto a bench, pulling out a bit of sewing from her bag. The governor's daughter reappeared then, wearing a rather shocking combination of a soldier's uniform breeches and a homespun shirt that had likely once belonged to Will. The blacksmith looked her over appreciatively, flushing when he remembered that they had an audience. He tossed Elizabeth her sword and without preamble, the lesson began.
Elizabeth was no beginner, that much was obvious even to Peg, but neither was she particularly skilled. She would likely never be anything more than competent, and evidently, Will was well aware of that, because he seemed to be teaching her every dirty trick he could think of. Peg was intrigued enough to question Will about it and received a very surprising answer.
"Anyone Elizabeth crosses blades with is likely to be a pirate, or worse. They don't fight fair, so it doesn't make sense to fight fair against them. You'd end up dead that way." Will swiped his arm across his forehead. "Besides, she's smaller and lighter than most of her opponents would be. She has to use that to her advantage." Peg nodded thoughtfully. He had really put a lot of thought into this and everything that he said made sense.
"I'm a bit surprised to see you teaching her. Most men wouldn't bother to teach a woman anything." She didn't mean to sound bitter, but the words came out that way and she winced.
"Peg, I have ample cause to know that I can't protect Elizabeth every minute of the day even if she would let me. Besides, Elizabeth isn't most women," he stated, gazing at his beloved with a half smile. "She's already quite good at taking care of herself."
"And others," Elizabeth added, grinning at Will.
"And others," he agreed, his eyes softening even further. His smile turned into an impish grin and he added, "Even if you do burn all the rum."
"Oh, you're going to pay for that one!" Elizabeth lunged at him, forcing him to retreat. A moment later, he had disarmed her and she scowled at him. "You don't drink rum, anyway."
"No," he replied, his nose wrinkling in distaste, "but I had to listen to the full story on that little incident. In detail. Repeatedly. All the way back to Port Royal." Elizabeth struggled to maintain a straight face, and failing miserably, broke into peals of laughter.
"I'll just bet you did! He wasn't happy with me at all about that." She and Will grinned at each other, both chuckling.
"He was even less happy with Norrington for making him drink grog all the way back here," Will declared, causing them to break up with laughter again. "I can't even repeat what he calls it."
'Please don't; I think I can imagine," Elizabeth gasped, holding her sides.
Peg watched them, an amused look on her face. She assumed that they were talking about Captain Sparrow, but was not entirely certain. She resolved to ask Elizabeth at the next opportunity. Suddenly, they seemed to remember her presence. Both had the grace to look embarrassed and she grinned at them to show that she was not upset. Will ended the lesson shortly thereafter and Peg and Elizabeth said their farewells to him and headed back to the governor's house after Elizabeth had changed back into her dress.
Peg's life fell into a comfortable routine over the next couple of weeks. She came to cherish both Elizabeth and Will, who was even more fun to be around once he got used to her and relaxed a bit more. He had even begun teaching her the basics of swordplay and to both their surprise, she proved to be an apt pupil. To her credit, Elizabeth displayed no jealousy over that fact and encouraged Peg in her lessons. Peg had almost forgotten that her stay was only temporary when she learned that the ship had been repaired. She retreated to her room, not wishing for anyone to see her tears.