'P' IS FOR PIRATE
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala

CHAPTER 8

"Uh, are you sure we should...?"

"Ah, they'll never miss it." Jenny said, coming back to her seat after picking out a pair of small green bottles from the surrounding shelves in the room they had settled themselves in. "First things first," As she gave Charity one, she held out her other hand.

Vigorously, Charity's own was shaken and she realized the woman's manner had made a drastic change. Her deep brown eyes never left the curious sight in front of her, as she pulled out the cork and took a swig of her red wine.

"Name's 'Madd' Jenny Kidd, but not a soul in this town knows; to them I'm just Jenny Easton, my mother's name."

"Nice to meet you, Jenny, the name's 'Iron' Charity Roberts and of course to them, I'm just Charity Roberts."

"Iron?" She nodded in understanding. Her characteristics had changed as much as hers always did when alone; no longer were their accents proper sounding. This one was also 'undercover'. "I knew it, ye are a pirate; just like me."

"Was, for maybe eight or nine years, if I was even ever really considered one. But I've started a new life now, as you can see. There's a bit of a long story involved."

"Same here. But believe me," She leaned forward to whisper. "Once a pirate, always a pirate."

Meanwhile, a short stout woman in her thirties made her nightly rounds as the last one to see everything in order before bed. It was close to 10:00 PM and usually everyone was in their rooms by now, but her sharp hearing could pick up voices still downstairs, as she was nearing a hall off the kitchen.

They grew louder, seeming to come from the back storage room, and she didn't hesitate to go in when she had reached it. Two people were on the other side of the door, sitting across from one another on barrels and boxes. "What are you two doing in here?"

Slightly startled, Jenny stood. "Uh, just...having a bit of a talk with the new girl."

The maid looked down at their bottles and raised a brow.

"And perhaps a little drink." She smiled innocently, ushering the older woman out.

Shaking her head with a slight smile, she turned to take leave with a warning. "Don't get caught by the Governor...or the guards."

"We won't, Rose." After the woman left, Jenny turned back on her company. "Come on,"

Finishing their wine they threw out the evidence, careful to hide the bottles under other trash where they hopefully would stay and not be found by anyone. Up in her guestroom, Jenny lit a few candles and showed Charity a place under her pallet where the floorboards came up and she stashed her gun, sword and new clothes that she'd saved up for.

Charity picked up the black pistol and checked it over. It was much like the one she owned, but older, though not by much. She looked back down in the box it had been in, seeing only three bullets sitting on the bottom. "Three? Are they of any significance?"

Jenny shrugged. "Well, I put three in with it to use right when I need'im, I hid the other three somewhere else for safe keepin', but now I forgot where I put'im."

"Oh." A slight awkward silence settled over them, then Charity rested the gun back in its box and reached for the silver cutlass. "This is a beautiful sword." She commented, running a hand over the short curved blade. It too was like hers, only the hilt was quite different. This one seemed to have come straight from England, where hers came from an origin unknown to her, for she had obtained the weapon while on the Black Pearl.

"Thanks. It was my father's."

Charity nodded sadly, only assuming Jenny's parents were dead. Then she thought about her own belongings she had to keep secret. "Can I...possibly keep my stuff in here too? Will has it all, but I could sneak it in..." She expressed her thoughts.

"Sure can!"

"Great, thanks. Uh, so exactly how did you come by a job here anyway?"

While Jenny put her things back together, she replied. "Well, long story I'll warn ye, but I'll try to keep it short. I never knew my mother, just that she was Irish; she died giving birth to me. So, I grew on a ship called the Nemisis with my father, who was sailing to these waters from England. But our captain was a fool of a man and one day in February, when I was fifteen..." She paused, as if seeing the day replay through her eyes. Hearing the sounds in her head of creaking and splintering wood, the waves crashing on the rocks, the shouts of the crewmen and captain eight years before.

Charity waited silently for her to continue, biting a little on her bottom lip in concentration of the interesting story.

"I tried to take up some canvas, I tried tell the captain we were going too fast...but it was too late, we hit a reef and the ship was torn apart. I found my father and helped him to a nearby shore of some small island. But he died from wounds soon after, and for a very long time it seemed...I really don't know how long it was, I lived off washed up supplies from the wreckage. And the fires I built each night eventually alerted a passing ship. It was the Royal Navy that brought me to this port, and I met Governor Swann, which is how I came as a maid. Oddly enough, it was the same year I was caught stealing in Kingston." She commented when she was finished with the actual tale. "They didn't care how old I was, and branded me a pirate on my back. I never told my father, and I was afraid they'd find out here, but as ye can see they never have."

Charity knew well of the 'P' pirates were given when caught in their criminal acts. She remembered Jack had one on his wrist. Fortunately, she never did much to receive such a branding.

"Now, what about you?"

"There really isn't much to tell, just that I was working in Lively doing some trading, but I made friends with Will and Elizabeth and she offered me a job in the house here. Well," She stood, hoping the girl was satisfied with such a short reason. "Goodnight, Jenny. It was nice meeting you. And...by the way," She put a hand in the doorway to stop herself from continuing down the hall. "I really like your hair."

Jenny only nodded at her with a smile and her new friend disappeared.

The next morning everyone was up early as usual, the maids cleaning away, Will was visiting Elizabeth, and Governor Swann announced that he was leaving town for the week while the mansion was still being renovated.

As Jenny grabbed a rag out of a hall closet, she watched as the newest addition to the household crew came down to begin the morning and when the woman stopped near her, she spoke. "Mornin'. Hold out yer hand."

Hesitantly, Charity complied to the sudden request and as she did so, something light dropped into her palm. She glanced at the object, then at Jenny. "Did you..." She looked down again and back up. "Cut your hair...?"

"Ye said ye liked it, didncha?"

Charity was beginning to see exactly why her nickname was 'Madd'. She grinned, folding her hand around the soft red lock. "I did, didn't I? Thanks...I think."

Jenny merely smiled and went about actually dusting the main hall instead of getting someone else to do it for a change.

How this woman could ever act normal to save her life was beyond Charity, but she had more than enough in common with her and couldn't help but like her. At least she wasn't alone. She still couldn't believe that someone else in the house had to keep others from knowing they weren't truly what they seemed. But without a doubt they were the only two.

"Oh, and I found my other three bullets!" Jenny came closer again to whisper. "They were in the pocket of my new shirt!"

Grinning again, Charity hurried back up to her room to tie the lock together with one of the material strips used to put her own hair up and put it away with the other belongings she had brought back with her from Lively.

TBC ...

mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Hope everyone had a Happy New Years!
"Ye said ye liked it, didncha?" haha! That was that line Thala and I were talking about in her review and my author's note when I writing on 'A Conspiracy Unmasked'.