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Chapter Six: "Upside Down"

"She looks different. Doesn't she?" Elizabeth asked in a hushed voice, as she stood with James outside the parlor watching their guest worriedly.

Anamaria sat on the davenport, gazing absently out the window. If she were aware of the couple's scrutiny, she made no move to show it. Elizabeth was right. Annie had looked in a daze during the whole carriage ride. She had not spoken a word since James had led her from the cell at Fort Arthur. She not only looked different, she was different, older somehow. James shook his head, sighing. Maybe the life of a pirate had kept her young, just as it had kept her happy. Maybe Sparrow had kept her young.

"The Black Pearl is gone," Norrington said, turning to his wife. "Not captured, or boarded. Gone."

"And Jack …"

"Gone with her," James finished.

Elizabeth bowed her head. "Funny, isn't it," she started quietly. "You can go through life knowing that everyone has to die someday and still be so shocked when in actually happens."

James regarded his wife. Even without her saying so, he knew she was thinking about Will. The young blacksmith had been her first love, and, James knew, Will would be her last love. James had never known his wife's reasons for saying goodbye to Mr. Turner. Elizabeth never spoke of it, and he never asked. All he knew was that whenever Will was mentioned her eyes clouded with memory.

Elizabeth Swann had married James Norrington in the most lavish wedding ceremony Port Royal had ever seen. When he had been promoted to Admiral, she happily moved with him to Kingston and took on the duties of an Admiral's wife. She bore him a beautiful daughter and a strong son, who she named John, no doubt after a certain pirate. She was the very model of a perfect wife, and she had indeed grown to love her husband. But, she had never needed to grow to love Will. That had just happened. And, when news of his death reached their door, her conflicted heart had broken. She probably knew what Annie was feeling. Maybe they could help each other.

"You've known her a long time, haven't you?" Elizabeth asked.

James nodded, remembering the first time he'd ever seen Anamaria Tarret, decked out in a spectacular blue dress at Admiral Fornin's annual Christmas ball. Her golden brown eyes had glowed and her perfectly improper laughter lit up a room. From that night on, their paths crossed often, due to the fact that her older brother was also in the King's Navy. Though James never admitted it at the time, he always looked forward to running into Captain Tarret's vivacious sister. Four years after meeting her, James had attended her wedding.

"She used to be very wealthy didn't she?"

"Her family was always comfortable," Norrington answered. "She married Christopher Laffley, then became very comfortable." Another thing James never admitted to was the inexplicable sadness he felt sitting in that church watching Annie marry another. She would have been a most improper match for him, being only half English and half native Jamaican. But Anamaria had always been a dreamer. She challenged James and his traditional way of thinking. Long before he let Jack Sparrow escape a hanging in Port Royal, Annie had tried to convince him that a man could not be judged only by his occupation. When he finally did give Sparrow his day's head start, James knew he did it in part because Annie would have killed him if he stood by and watched Sparrow's execution.

"What was she like back then?"

Norrington smiled sadly. "Not all that different, actually. She was a pirate ages before she sailed off with Sparrow." James' eyes narrowed as he watched Annie just sitting in the parlor. Elizabeth had given the lady pirate one of her old gowns and, with a little imagination, she almost looked like she had all those years ago, before she had run away with Jack Sparrow.

"Is that why you loved her?"

"Elizabeth!" So shocked was he by his wife's question, James completely forgot to whisper. In the parlor, Ana turned to see the couple standing in the hallway. Rising from her seat, she came to greet Elizabeth. James could not have been more thankful. He was so appalled by Elizabeth's question, and so grateful that he would not be required to answer it.

"Hello, Mrs. Norrington," Ana said, nodding her head politely.

"Ana," Elizabeth replied. "I was so happy to hear you'd be staying with us. I'm only sorry your stay couldn't have been under more pleasant circumstances."

One side of Ana's mouth turned up into a smile that did not reach her eyes. A knock at the door interrupted any further conversation. James excused himself to see who their guest could be, and he was more than a little relieved to be away from the prying eyes of his wife and the sad, empty eyes of Annie Tarret. He loved Elizabeth, but sometimes that woman filled her head with the most absurd ideas. Him, in love with Annie. That was preposterous, he told himself trying to forget that only moments earlier he had been thinking on what kind of a wife Annie would have made.

"Admiral," a man wearing a Captain's uniform greeted with professional courtesy.

"Captain Gillette," Norrington answered. "What brings you out to my home?"

"May I come in?"

"Of course," James stepped aside, wondering how exactly he was going to explain Annie to Gillette. He doubted his subordinate would understand the Admiral of the West Indies inviting a pirate into his home.

Gillette, walking in front of James, stopped abruptly and removed his hat. "My apologies," he said, seeing Annie. "I was unaware that you were already entertaining. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" he asked, looking back to Norrington as though he suspected something was amiss about the Admiral's female guest.

James cleared his throat. "May I introduce Anamaria … Laffley," he said, using the name of Annie's late husband.

Annie shot James a glare, and he got the feeling he would soon pay for this one. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she looked at James, obviously wondering what he was up to. Gillette's mouth dropped open slightly. Eyes wide, he turned back to the lady. "Captain Christopher Laffley's widow?" he stammered. "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you." He took Annie's hand, planting a kiss on her wrist. "Your husband did his country proud," he added.

Pulling her hand away from Gillette, Annie's eyes flashed with their former fire. "Did you know my husband?" she said, her voice steely.

"No, ma'am. He died very soon after I entered the King's service."

"Then how would you know how well he served his country?"

Gillette's eyes went wide for a second time. James allowed himself to smile. To say the least, Gillette was very unaccustomed to hearing a woman speak the way Annie spoke. "Um … well, everyone knows who Captain Laffley was, ma'am."

"Oh, I doubt that," Annie said, raising her eyebrow.

"Surely the two of you have business to discuss," Elizabeth broke in. "We'll leave you to it," she said, taking Annie gently by the arm and leading her away, no doubt in an effort to prevent her from smacking Captain Gillette upside the head.

"Yes, Captain," Norrington said, as the ladies left. "What was it you wanted?"

"I was under the impression that one of the pirates from the Black Pearl was being held at Fort Arthur, but when I visited the fort, they said there were no prisoners in the hold," Gillette crossed his arms in front of his chest, wearing a self-satisfied grin.

Norrington rolled his eyes. Ever since he had let Sparrow escape the noose, Gillette had been after his job. When Norrington had been promoted, Gillette was beside himself. He could not understand why a man who "let pirates just walk in and out of Port Royal" could possible deserve to be in charge of the whole fleet. James had responded to Gillette's opposition by sending him the worst assignments in the Caribbean. "A woman was pulled from the wreck," he said, in his best condescending aristocratic voice. "A hostage, most likely."

"Likely, but did you question her?"

"Captain Gillette, if you want to harass women, that is your business. I prefer to act the part of a gentleman."

Gillette nodded curtly, knowing full well that Norrington had just dismissed him. James watched as he walked out, doubtless biting down on his tongue, and found himself thinking that if Gillette wanted this job so badly, he could just go ahead and take it. Shaking his head, James went to find the ladies. Never before had he even imagined himself not wearing the uniform and serving in the Royal Navy. Anamaria certainly had a habit of turning his life completely upside down.

TBC

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