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Chapter Quote: "Wedding jitters?"

Chapter Seven

Consequences

I stood numb with shock as I stared out over the waters. I had forgotten my ship. Damn you Tom! I wanted to hit someone...where's a British marine when you need one? But my anger ebbed away quickly, I couldn't stay here. And that's when I realized something else, where exactly was 'here'? I slowly backed off the balcony and again glanced around the room. There was a closet and a chest of drawers. It was certainly not a lady's room ... or at least as far as I could tell. I had some experience with these kind of things, I mean, the houses I sacked over the last few years...

Not to think on that now though. I walked hurriedly over to the closet and found well...suits. Moving then to the chest of drawers, I searched for something...plainer. My eyes glinted with satisfaction as I found what I sought for. With deft movements I slipped on a pair of trousers, a loose white blouse, a dark brown vest, and I pulled my hair back. I found a back of black shoes under the bed, but I still had a scarcity of stockings. My hip felt achingly empty without my scabbard and pistol. I searched the room, but found no article of any sort of weaponry. The trousers I donned came halfway down my calf, leaving my legs bare.

Though I was still curious to find out where exactly I was, I needed to get out of here! I looked around again...still no stockings. In a crowd I would stick out like bleeding horse. Damn. I rummaged through the chest of drawers, but this time I only found a thick envelope. It was brittle and colored with age. I hurriedly tucked it inside my shirt, a habit of years of plunder, then I tiptoed to the door. The shoes were clenched in my hand, I found walking barefoot an asset in such cases as these, times that silence is desirable.

I turned the door knob silently as I could. What I opened the door to nearly made me pass out.

It was Commodore Norringotn.

Tom was drenched in sweat by late morning. His celebration the previous night had slowed his work and now he had to catch up. He rolled his sleeves up for the hundredth time, they refused to remain there for some unknown and infuriating reason. He slammed the sledge hammer down hard upon the metal. He felt remarkably irritated and he didn't know why. He couldn't erase the horrified face of that young woman from his mind. It pinched and prodded him, refusing to disappear. He slammed the hammer down again, sending sparks flying in all directions.

"Whoa!" Someone said in surprise from the front door. Tom stopped, looking up at the familiar figure in the door. "So why don't you just burn this place down now instead of sparking it slowly?"

Tom smiled half-heartedly and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Hey Will."

Will stepped into the shop, pausing and studying a horse-shoe that Tom had finished earlier. "Well, you were hard at it. Something on your mind?"

Tom shook his head. "No, I well...I'm not sure really."

"Wedding jitters?" Will asked with a smile.

"You might say that."

"It's coming up soon isn't it?"

"Less then two months." Tom answered, he shook his head, ridding himself of the image of the girl's face.

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you-"

Will didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, for suddenly there was a loud commotion in the street. The two men filed onto the side of the road, looking at the people hurrying past to the harbor.

"What's going on?" Tom asked, trying to looked ahead over the heads of the people to see the cause of the excitement. Will stopped a middle-aged man asking him,

"What's happened?"

"Didn't you hear?" The man asked impatiently. "The Lydia was attached fifteen miles off shore."

"Attacked? By whom?" Asked Tom, his eyes widening.

"Have you no ears? Where have you been! The Lydia just docked, she was attacked by pirates!"

Yes, it was Commodore Norrington...but after a few minutes I realized it was only a portrait. A damn good likeness too. So either I was in the fortress...unlikey...this place was too highly decorated to be a spare bedroom in there. Or I was in the Commodore's house. That made me shudder, the last person I wanted to see was Norrington. I wasn't going to be able to get out through the front door. I backed into the room, closing the door behind once more. This wasn't exactly going as well as I had hoped. The rest of the place would be waking up soon and I was sure someone would be by to do...something with me.

I couldn't let that happen. No. I had to get out of here! I looked around the room rapidly, the wheels in my mind turning as they tried to formulate a plan. After about five minutes, my gaze fell upon the balcony. Could I even consider it? I walked hurriedly over to it and glanced over the edge. It was a fifteen foot drop at least, but there was a wicket gate that ran up the length of the wall for flowers to grow upon. I smiled, patted the thick packet in my shirt, slipped on my shoes, then swung my legs over the stone railing.

Believe it or now, but it was actually quite easy. Despite the fact that at times the flowers cut my hands, I was all right. It was like climbing the rigging back on my ship. Now I was getting along well with this excursion and I was halfway down. Unfortunately, I had overlooked one small detail. The fact that my descent landed me right in a garden, and the fact that there were people in it.

"The Lydia" Tom exclaimed in surprise. "She wasn't suppose to dock for another couple of months."

"They came to port early." The man was swaying now, eager to leave but not to insult the men who detained him.

"Thank you." Said Will, issuing a polite and abrupt dismissal. The man needed no further word, he merges with the crowd until he had disappeared from their sight.

"How do you know about the Lydia?" Asked Will, turning to Tom. "It's not often you find a blacksmith with a knowledge of the merchant schedules."

"I was waiting for a package from an old friend." Tom replied. "He said in his last letter he'd contact me when she docked. I wasn't expecting him for a couple of months though."

"Oh? Do I know this friend?"

Tom nodded, "Yes, the old sailor, Jim. He was a friend of..." Tom broke off, shook his head and continued. "He said he had found something that might be of value to me. He and..." Now tom hesitated, his brows knitting.

"Well?" Asked Will curiously.

"Will, he and my brother are on that ship."

"I say!"

Was all I heard five feet away from good, solid earth. This exclamation so startled me that I lost my grip, falling the rest of the way to the ground and landing painfully on my rear. While I fought a black out, I heard a string of curses being muttered in what sounded like French and hurrying footsteps approaching me. I was mostly glad I couldn't understand the curses, the speaker sounded extremely angry. A strong hand forcefully gripped my arm, hoisting me abruptly (and painfully) to my feet. Then suddenly the curses stopped and my captor froze.

I looked up at him, blinking a few times before I recognized the face. "Miss Summers!"

Dear God, it was Edmond. I smiled sheepishly at his bewildered expression. "What on earth-" He began, but was cut off by a shout from the house.

"What's all that racket out there Edmond?"

My face paled, that voice belonged to Norrington. I'd know it anywhere.

"Is everything all right?"

I looked pleadingly up at him, shaking my head and mouthing "Please."

Edmond eyes me for a moment before replying in his calm, bubbly manner. "Everything is fine Uncle. I was just...reading."

"With all that noise?"

He looked down at me again, and again I silently pleaded with him. "Uh...aloud. I was reading aloud."

"Oh...well...very good. Will you be in for breakfast?"

Edmond glanced at me again. "No Uncle, I already ate. I'm uh...just on my way out."

"Very good. All right then." I did not hear the Commodore's voice again after that.

"Thank you." I said, embracing him tightly with pleasure.

He said something that sounded like, "Upmh." Followed by a constricted, "Your welcome."

I released him and he was now smiling. "I don't know what the devil is going on. But I'm truly sorry I startled you...and that you fell." He glanced at the wicket gate on the wall while I gently rubbed my smarting rear.

"What were you doing up there anyway?" He was still casting a curious eye on it and then turned back to me.

"Well...I sort of didn't want to be confronted by any...personal questions."

"Apparently." He said.

I looked back up at it, now startled to see someone standing there (a someone who looked like a maid) and who was searching the ground with peeled eyes. Edmond followed my gaze to see what exactly I was looking at.

"Could we finish this somewhere else?" I hissed to him.

"Yes." He hissed in reply, he took my hand and pulled me towards a hedge. "Follow me."

I didn't argue and he quickly pulled me away from the garden and into the surrounding forest. Most of Port Royal had such lengths of untamed woods consuming her. The house of the Commodore was no different. After a while Edmond stopped in a clearing which bore a large tree in its center and a sort of table and chair that was carved straight into it. This place was assuredly beautiful, quiet...peaceful. Few places in Port Royal would ever be as nice as this.

"Where are we?" I asked in amazement.

"I came to Port Royal as a boy once." He said, leading me over to the tree. "I couldn't speak any English and I liked to rest here away from the house and the chatter of people I couldn't understand."

We sat down. "Few people realize it, but the English tongue sounds so very harsh compared to that of the French. It used to hurt my ears.

I smiled at him. "I don't know any French."

"Shame." He changed the conversation quickly. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on and why you are avoiding my uncle?"

I frowned for a moment, glancing up at the leafy canopy above us. I thought about a proper (and safe) reply. "My conduct with the Commodore concerning my past life is something I'd prefer to stay forgotten."

"Ahh." He smiled. "I know the feeling."

We were silent. "Aren't you going to ask me why?" I asked in surprise.

"I don't see why not." He replied in a non-committal way.

"What if I'm a murderer or something?"

"Are you?"

I paused, looking at him closely. He...he was teasing me! "No." I said slowly. Is piracy close to that?

"Then your not a murderer, thus far you have proved yourself not to be a thief. So there, I prefer to think the best of people until proven otherwise."

I thought of all the ships I had plundered, the men I killed. How could Edmond be so sure about me?

"I have to admit." He continued. "I have never seen a women don man's clothing and climb down a fifteen foot wicket gate either. Even in France we do not so such things. You must have led an interesting life."

I smiled. "You could say that."

Interesting...that was putting it lightly I suppose. So what was I going to do now? I was ship-less, homeless, friend-less... well, that's how it seemed anyway. Will hadn't exactly been chummy with me and Tom...frankly...he was getting married. But there was Edmond now too. I broke my chain of thought and glanced up at him. He was watching me with innocent curiosity.

"What are your plans from here then?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." I glanced down at my trousers and my bare calves. "I think I'll visit some old friends, try and get back on my feet and figure out where to go from here."

He nodded. "So...do you want to tell me what happened last night? I'd like to help in any way I can."

Last night? What happened last night? Oh...Tom. I didn't meet Edmond's gaze. "I'd rather not talk about it." I replied softly. "Thank you though, for all your help Edmond. The last person I wanted to see was the Commodore."

He grinned boyishly with a knowing expression. I was silent for a few minutes after that, then I stood and he did the same. "Thank you for everything Edmond. I should go." I held out my hand and he hesitantly took it, where upon I shook it firmly. He continued to smile and I had to admit, he was growing on me.

"You are truly unlike any woman I have ever met Miss Summers."

"Jacqueline." I said as our clasp was broken. "Call me Jacqueline."

"Shall I be seeing you again soon?"

I thought of Natalie, following my orders and probably miles away from here right now. I thought of my present situation, my ally-less social existence. Frankly, I was stranded here whether I liked it our not. I looked up at Edmond, and I grinned.

"There is a chance of that Edmond. Definitely a good chance."

TO BE CONTINUED...