Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. And I borrowed the name of Luca from Final Fantasy X-2.
SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT
Chapter 19: Cadence Turner
As he paid the vendor and turned around, he saw her with her hands on her hips. "Are you going to pay me back, Mr. Turner?" she demanded playfully.
He narrowed his eyes, recalling her face for a moment. Then they widened in realization. "Camille! I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you. To be fair though, you look quite different." He stepped towards her and kissed her hand. "It's lovely to see you again, Miss Quartermaine."
She smiled. "The feeling's mutual, dear William. What on earth are you doing all the way out in Port Luca? Off to see the world, are we?"
Will sort of smiled, and it was then that she noticed just how sickly pale his face looked. He had lost a good deal of weight, which made him look even worse since he'd been a fairly thin man to begin with. But she didn't want to pry right into his personal life in the middle of a town while she was being hunted. And sure enough as she looked around, she spotted the officials.
"Will, that reminds me. I'm sort of being…well, looked for. Is there any place around here where I could, uhm-" she began.
Will caught sight of the officers, and without a second thought grabbed Camille by the arm. "This way." He led her out of the marketplace, to a shabby-looking side of town. She wondered where he was taking her, but didn't ask. A favor was a favor, and she was most grateful to not be arrested yet.
They came to a small shop. The wooden sign had a faded anvil on it. "Ah!" she said, remembering that Will had been a blacksmith. "Your shop, I see."
"My home," he corrected as he opened the door. "And I promise that I will pay you back as soon as I get the money," he said, taking out the pouch that Camille had stolen.
They entered, and inside was one rocking chair by the fireplace. In it was a Spanish-looking woman with a small child. Will took the child and handed the pouch to the woman. "Gracias, Isabella," he said kindly. "Manana?"
She nodded as she exited. "Si, senor Turner."
Camille bit her lip. She still wasn't able to comprehend why he was living in this tiny shop and all the way out in Port Luca. And Elizabeth was not to be seen at all. Had they separated? It still wouldn't explain why Will was across the sea.
A small cry woke her from her daze. The child that Will was holding was smiling and clapping, eating small pieces of the strawberries he had bought for her. She looked like she was no more than a year old, sitting on the ground with her fuzzy brown hair in her little gown.
"Will, she's absolutely gorgeous. What's her name?" she asked, kneeling down next to the child and waving at her.
"This is my daughter, Cadence Turner. And she loves to eat fruit, as you can see. If you'll excuse me, I've got to find something to clean her off with," Will said, leaving for a moment. He reappeared with a cloth.
Camille sat down next to the baby. "Well, hello there," she said.
"Hello," Cadence said happily.
"Cadence, this is Camille," Will said slowly, enunciating his words clearly as he knelt down and started wiping the juice off her hands and face. "Can you say Camille?"
Cadence blinked, and looked at Camille. "Camy," she said.
"Very good!" Camille exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Cadence laughed and did the same. "What else can she say, Will?"
"She can say just about anything if you repeat it enough. Isn't that right, Cadence?" he said, picking her up and kissing her on the cheek. He looked at Camille. "I know you must have questions. Would you permit me to put Cadence to sleep first?"
"Of course, Will," she said. "Please."
"Thank you," he said, before leaving to another part of the shop.
She stared into the fire. No Elizabeth. That explained the sickly-looking Will. And he was obviously sacrificing his own health for the baby's. Cadence seemed perfectly healthy. She could just not understand what had happened. And what about that Jack Sparrow, where was he? She'd practically forgotten about him and their priority. Perhaps she should inform him of her finding Will.
Will reentered the room, looking exhausted. The glow of the fire against his skin made him look paler than ever. "She's asleep," he said, stating the obvious. "Well, where do I begin?" he said, pacing. "Please, have a seat," he said. There was a small table in the corner by some barrels and bales of hay. "I'm sorry I have no food, and this place isn't much, but you are welcome to stay as long as you need."
"Thank you, Will," she said, leaning against one of the barrels. It was then that she noticed all of the empty bottles that were surrounding her feet. "You've been drinking an awful lot, Will," she said cautiously.
"Yes I have, for the past month and a half. Elizabeth is dead," he said plainly. He wasn't facing her. He was staring into the fire, with his hands around his back.
"Dead? How?" Camille blurted out, shocked.
"Cancer. Cancer of the breast," Will said slowly.
She stepped forward. "Oh my God. Will, I'm so sorry, that's terrible news. So that's why you're no longer in Port Royale?"
He shook his head. "Governor Swann passed a couple of years ago. The house was in my name, but because of my drinking the government didn't want me to have custody of Cadence."
"Good lord, so you're here and you're poor? This is no way to raise a child," Camille said, raising her voice.
"Camille please, the last thing I need is a lecture on how to raise my daughter," he begged.
"Will, I'm not angry with you, you've done nothing wrong. I can't believe they would threaten to take away your child after losing your wife! Do they have any idea how hard it is for a single parent to raise a child? Bloody British society, of all the nerve…" she fumed.
"They were only looking out for the well-being of my child, Camille," Will said quietly.
"As are you. But you can't do this alone, you're sick."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
"William, I'm about the last person to believe a bluff like that. You're not eating, you probably aren't sleeping. You can't last like that forever, you're going to run out of energy soon."
"Well, it isn't like I have many options. I work fourteen hours a day just so that I can feed Cadence, I can't do much more than that."
She shook her head. "You're damn right you can't. That's more than anyone should ever have to do. And I have got a brilliant idea!" she exclaimed.
"Like what?"
"Her name is Annie, and she is my housekeeper. She's raising two children, and I'm sure that as long as she had your help she wouldn't mind raising a third. And you'll be in Port Celebros, so you won't have to worry about having Cadence taken away from you. Plus, my father would be delighted to have another daughter," she said animatedly.
"Camille, I can't live with you in that house. I could never impose like that."
"I don't live there anymore. The sea's my home now," she informed him.
"But I can't just walk into a house and expect people to take me in."
"Well, I suppose not. But it couldn't hurt to try, could it? I won't take no for an answer. Tomorrow the two of you are coming aboard the ship."
"Camille, I can't," he insisted.
"Oh please, Will? I guarantee that under my care the two of you will never run out of food, and you'll always have a place to sleep. And there will always be someone to watch Cadence when you need to rest, Will. Your health is just as important as hers, you know. The two of you depend on each other."
Will shook his head. "I have to build a life of my own here. Yes, it is a little rough now, but I can't just have people taking Cadence and me in all the time. She needs stability."
"And you'll both get that. I promise you the journey will not be dangerous at all. The ship is commanded by a very good, respectful man. He would never let anything happen to you."
"Camille, it's tempting. It really is. But how can you be so confident about all of this?"
"Just trust me. And in the morning, if you don't follow me I will knock some sense into you with one of those crowbars," she said, pointing to the tools hanging around the shop. "Now please, Will. Try and get some sleep."
He sighed. "I don't know what you're planning, but I suppose it wouldn't be in my best interest to refuse your invitation. Goodnight, Camille. There's a spare bed in the loft."
"Thank you, William. Good night."
