Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Walking back to the mansion with Will was at the same time incredibly pleasant and unpleasant at the same time, which left me as usual, utterly confused. I held the basket and Will held my hand in one of his. His free hand was under my hair, gently stroking the back of my neck. I was surprised I still had the ability to walk.
Which is why I was not completely surprised when I tripped over absolutely nothing and twisted my ankle. Bad thing number one. Will, stooping over slightly, helped me up and asked me if I was alright. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's walk, shall we?" I stammered, mortified. And how much do you want to bet that Elizabeth is going to be the very personification of grace when we get back to the mansion?
Anyway, the sun was shining, the gulls weren't quite singing, and people were bustling about as usual, down the hill where the town was. But from where Will and I stood, looking over the busy little port, everything was serene. I sighed.
"What's wrong?" Will asked, ever the perceptive one. I shrugged. "We were having such a nice day, and now I have to go back to the mansion, and I really don't want to because Elizabeth and I certainly aren't on speaking terms as of late. In fact, we aren't even on breathing terms with each other," I said. Will said nothing, only smiled slightly and kept walking.
"You shouldn't worry so much about her, you know," he suggested calmly. I nodded but didn't trust myself to speak. Because if I did, the only thing that would fly out of my mouth would be accusations and that would get me nowhere except in a bigger pot of trouble than I'm already in.
Considering I wasn't speaking, Will let the matter drop, and I didn't know how to feel about that either. However, I still am a bit brain dead from the wine, so that might be the cause of the lack of conversation. And if I did say something, it might be "You look beautiful too, Will." Sheer genius on my part, that was.
I bit my lip as we came up on the mansion, and I found myself taking smaller steps and walking slower. Did I really have to see Elizabeth prancing around in the dress that I bought for Mary? No, I certainly didn't. And neither did Will.
"Don't be such a baby," Will chided, smiling at me and taking the basket. I was going to say something sharp, but once again I found my lips sealed against his, speech once again inhibited. It's not really a nice thing to do, to make a woman seen and not heard by kissing her.
And then perhaps the worst thing that would happen today took place. As Will stepped back, his face just inches from mine, Elizabeth's stupid flowers kicked in and I sneezed. Bad thing number two.
And it wasn't a lady like little sneeze, it was a full fledged allergy induced explosion from my nose.
Will closed his eyes, and that was it for me, I started laughing. "I am so sorry, Will," I said, pulling a handkerchief out of the front of my dress (don't ask, don't tell, okay?) and offered it to him. His eyes were still closed, however, so I wiped his face for him, still laughing. I bit my lip and willed myself to not laugh, and really when you think about it I had absolutely nothing to laugh about because how embarrassing is it to blow snot all over your fiancé's face, right? Will opened his eyes to look at me, and the look on his face sent me over again, and I just laughed louder. He looked like he was struggling to figure out whether or not I'd completely gone insane, a notion that I myself wouldn't even know the answer too.
"I'm sorry," I said again, folding up the handkerchief and sticking it in my pocket. Will, however, was not looking at my face this time, but at my chest.
"Hey," I said sharply, "I'm up here."
Will grinned slyly at me and said, "I'm willing to forgive being spewed with the contents of your nose, if you tell me exactly why you have a handkerchief stuffed down your -"
"Will!" I yelped, blushing furiously and smacking his arm. "Need I remind you that I am a lady -"
"Who routinely sneezes on her suitors, I presume?"
"First of all, I haven't been unlucky enough to have done that before -"
"Well, thank you for allowing me to be the first."
"Second of all, you are not just some suitor you are my fiancé."
"Oh, so I should just accept being sneezed upon then?" Will asked. I groaned and walked forward resolutely up the steps to the mansion, a smile tugging furiously on my lips. For once it seemed like Will and I were back to normal, the way we usually acted before all this strange stuff started happening, before I became the future Mrs. Turner…the realization of that made me stop short. In a few months time, hopefully, I would be a Mrs. I would be Mrs. Will Turner…Will stumbled into me as we reached the door -like I said, the only thing that he isn't an oaf with would be a sword.
"What's wrong?" he asked again. I smiled and turned around to face him, feeling brave for once and wrapping my arms around him. He was standing a step below me, so he was eye level. I grinned. "Do you realize that in a few months, maybe sooner, I will be Mrs. Turner? And you will be the son-in-law of the Governor of Port Royal?" I asked, pressing my forehead against his.
He smiled back at me, "Well, yes, that's usually what happens when two people get married," he said.
"As opposed to three or four people?" I said sarcastically. He glared at me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.
"You are far to spirited, I think, my lady. Someone should tame you," he said.
"Oh, and I suppose you think you can 'tame me,' Mr. Turner?" I asked, tilting my head back and looking up at the sky (believe me I knew what such an action did to the top of my dress, and it left my wondering where I had gotten such nerve from.) I heard Will swallow hard, and pull me back up from where I was tilted back. I grinned wickedly at him.
"What's wrong, Master Blacksmith, cat got your tongue?" I asked.
"No," he said hoarsely, pulling me close and kissing me on the mouth. And this time, I didn't pause to wonder if he still fancied Elizabeth, or regretted his decision in proposing to me. I let him kiss him, and thought only of him and the wonderful day we just shared.
"I was never one much for propriety anyway, Miss Swann," he said, and I just sighed, his lips still inches from mine. I leaned forward to kiss him, when the door opened and my sister's squeaky voice said,
"Christina, dear God, do you want to shame yourself in front of the entire town?" Elizabeth gasped.
"Where, Elizabeth, do you see the entire town? There is nobody here but Will and I, and now, unfortunately, you," I snapped, picking up the basket and walking into the house.
"Oh, and Will, the reason I keep a handkerchief down the front of my dress is because you never know when someone will need it," I added, fluttering my lashes at him.
Elizabeth looked scandalized.
"Christina, as useful as that information was, I would appreciate it very much if you didn't impart information like that to Mr. Turner until after you are married," my father said, walking downstairs most likely from the study, with the Commodore, of all people, behind him. And the Commodore, it seems, has taken the time to relax after our grand adventure, and was having no trouble at all not keeping his smile hidden.
Will shifted uneasily on his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. I felt my face light itself on fire. "Of course, Father," I said, sweeping a curtsy to him and the Commodore. How incredibly humiliating, my family has the best way of showing up at exactly the wrong point in time, honestly!
"Good afternoon, Mr. Turner. I'm so glad that you could join us today," my father said, holding out his hand. Will shook his hand hesitantly and it occurred to me that this was the first time that he didn't have to bow to portray his greetings, and my father was treating him as an equal and not lower class citizen, as he would…blacksmith, for example. I smiled widely, happy at this revelation. My father smiled back at me indulgently.
"It is good to see you smile, again, Christina. It seemed to me that you haven't quite happy as of late, and if young William here is the cause of your delight, well, then I am in debt to him," he said grandly, walking to the dining room. Will offered my his arm, which I gladly took , walking with my head held high. Elizabeth sighed slightly and offered a weak smile to Commodore Norrington, who once again was holding his arm out expectantly. She took it, and with an icy glare at me, we followed my father.
My father sat at the head of the table, I sat at his right, seeing as how I was the betrothed daughter, and Elizabeth at his left. Will was next to me, and Norrington next to Elizabeth.
"It is such a nice day that I had hoped we would take our tea outside, but the maids inform me that it gets a bit uncomfortable out in the sun on a day like this, with no wind from the sea," my father said, quickly making conversation.
"Oh, father, do you think Will and the Commodore could stay for dinner? I haven't had the chance to talk to either of them for the longest time, and I quite miss it, I must say," Elizabeth said in her perfect way, delicately unfolding her napkin and aiming a shy smile at Will while she placed in on her lap. For politeness sake, she turned to the Commodore and nodded at him. I said nothing, only arranged my napkin rather quickly on my lap, thinking of the picnic beneath the tree to try and calm myself. Will, perhaps sensing my distress, took my hand.
"Well, Elizabeth, that is up to Mr. Turner and the Commodore if they would like to stay. But we'll talk about that after tea, alright sweeting? Now, Christina, I suppose the real topic at hand would be your wedding, would it not? Have you two any idea of when you would want it to take place?" he asked. I was so very glad that I wasn't drinking tea at the moment, because I surely would have spit it all out over Elizabeth…which, actually, when you think about it, wouldn't be a bad thing after all. And it wouldn't cause too much embarrassment on my part, because once you sneeze all over your significant other, you can't get much worse than that, can you?
"We haven't thought about that, Father, after all its only been a couple of weeks since we've been engaged…" I said. Elizabeth smiled nastily at me.
"Oh, but don't you think it would be better if it were sooner, Christina? I mean, you are no young chicken anymore. You're twenty, most women are married with two children at that age," she said.
She, in all her infinite wisdom, must have forgotten that we are twins. "Elizabeth, dear, you do remember that you are only a minute and a half younger than me? Somehow, I don't think that makes you any less aged in respect to marriage and child bearing," I said, smiling through my teeth. My father laughed, leaning back in his chair so that Eleanor could place a tea cup and saucer in front of him.
"Girls; always bickering. You'd best hope that young William here doesn't give you twin daughters, Christina, you'd have your hands full," he said. I was in the middle of swallowing and began to choke on hot tea and crumpets. Attractive, I know. I started coughing, and Will look worriedly at me, but under his gaze I could see he was trying very hard not to laugh.
"I'm sure we have a while yet before Christina is bearing twins, Governor Swann," he said, patting me gently on the back. I shot him a glare through watery eyes, seeing the smile tug on his lips.
"Yes, you certainly do, Mr. Turner, seeing as how you haven't even bought her a ring yet," the Commodore said idly, looking at my fingers as I grasped the tea cup. I bit my tongue and looked worriedly at Will, who seemed abashed. I squeezed his hand gently, and looked the Commodore straight in the eyes, it seemed he was still quite bitter toward Will for Elizabeth having chosen him over the Commodore's own self.
"Will has given me other things that hold more value than a silly ring might," I said stiffly.
"Such as?" the Commodore prodded.
"Well, he doesn't prance around in that sodding uniform, for one. And if I happened to take a tumble off yonder cliff, where Elizabeth fell so many weeks ago, I am quite sure he would have jumped in to rescue, instead of leaving it up to a pirate. But I suppose I can't blame someone of your station for being bitter, after having been so blatantly rejected by such a fine woman as my sister," I said coldly, glaring at the Commodore, who looked quite shocked. I rather like being the Governor's daughter, I think. It gives me the leeway to be a wretch to important people, such as our esteemed Commodore, and not have to worry about being hanged. Although I do expect to be getting the third degree from my father in about half a second.
"Christina, I demand that you apologize to the Commodore right this instant! What an awful thing to say, after he was hospitable enough to restrain from reprimanding Mr. Turner as was necessary after that little ordeal with that Sparrow character," my father said.
"With all due respect, father, I believe it was you who granted Will clemency," I said. I was righteously angry, how dare that old windbag berate Will for not having given me a ring yet. Who said I even wanted a ruddy ring?
Well…I did, but that's besides the point.
But as my father opened his mouth, his face flushing beet red as it usually did when he was about to up his blood pressure to a boiling point to admonish me, Elizabeth took a sip of her tea and coughed horribly, spewing it all over my father, Will, and I.