"Mr. Cotton, would you have a moment?" Elizabeth soft voice startled him, in turn startling the parrot who had been dozing in the sun. He recovered quickly and nodded. Poor Miss Elizabeth looked positively pained.
"Have I offended Jack in some way?"
Cotton's eyebrows shot up. He shook his head back and forth rapidly, vehemently.
"Oh," her lower lip jutted out. "He's been avoiding me these last few days, which is impressive, considering we're on a ship." She paused. "I thought we were friends."
Mr. Cotton nodded, momentarily cursing his lack of tongue. Such a naïve child... It wasn't dislike that made the captain avoid her.
She turned out to face the sea, so much like Jack had done the night before. "I didn't mean for any of this. It's just... ever since I was a girl, he's all I've wanted.." Her hand flew to her mouth. "I mean what he has! What he has is all I've ever wanted!"
Mr. Cotton raised his eye brow in disbelief.
"You're correct in calling me a liar," she sighed. "I should be happy. I've had my adventure, I'm marrying a good man, I have a life ahead of me. Yet, I can't help but wonder if it's what I want. Will I ever be content to lie about a house and darn socks and cook meals while Will gets child upon child on me, taking me further and further from myself with each birth?"
Mr. Cotton shrugged, a little uncomfortable. This wasn't usually the kind of talk he was privy to, especially from a lady young enough to be his child.
"Jack... Jack is different. I don't feel as though I have to pretend to be Miss Elizabeth Swann, daughter of the governor. He doesn't want me in prissy dresses and tight corsets," she giggled. "I daresay he'd want me in nothing at all!"
Mr. Cotton's jaw dropped. It was rare to hear a lass who spoke so plainly. He imagined Master Will blushing furiously if he'd heard those words straight from Miss Elizabeth's pretty lips.
"I don't mean to be so forward, Mr. Cotton, but it's the truth. Jack wants me for who I am, without pretenses. He's in my blood as much as the sea is, now. I'll be branded by his touch forever, even if I do go home to lead a boring, ordinary life."
Mr. Cotton's hand hovered over her back, but somehow that didn't seem the right gesture. Instead, he dropped his hand on her hair, and petted her like he would a daughter. Tears welled up in her eyes as he did.
"Oh, bugger! I want the life less ordinary! I want to stay here, the wind on my face, and I want Jack, not Will. I know it's wrong, but I can't help where my heart lies."
It was no small feat that the parrot, watching intently and still being in full possession of its tongue, had managed to keep to keep its beak shut. It loved a good bit of gossip more than the next man. Still, it kept quiet till the end to see where this lot would be cast.
"And he'll never know. I'll be stuck, home, in a pretty little house like a caged bird, pining away for him because I can't fathom hurting Will in such a way. I'm a terrible, wicked woman, Mr. Cotton, for doing such a terrible deed."
The bird fairly danced on his shoulder and Mr. Cotton gave it a stern look. This should be between the captain and the lady, not some gossipy parrot.
"Perhaps, though..." she said slowly, a smile playing on her lips. "I think I should talk to Jack before I make any rash decisions. I need to know where his heart lies before I go and make any... hasty... choices."
Mr. Cotton nodded resolutely and patted her on the head fondly. Had he been blessed with a daughter, he'd want her to be just like Miss Elizabeth. She was a good child, with a good head on her shoulders; her constance would do Jack a world of good.
Elizabeth pressed a quick kiss to his dirty cheek. "Thank you for listening, Mr. Cotton. You've done me a world of good!" She headed off towards the helm, where Jack was pretending not to watch her while pretending to steer the ship.
Mr. Cotton nodded as she retreated. A good girl, she was, and a smart one at that. He was confident that things would work out right, in the end. He felt a little twinge of pity for Master Turner, but it was not for men to meddle in the matters of fate. And between Cap'n Jack and Miss Elizabeth, that's just what it was: a matter of fate. Trying to stop their progress was akin to trying to sail through a hurricane. It was a fool's errand that would be a ruin to all in its wake. Yes, Mr. Cotton nodded resolutely to himself, it was best to let this storm run its course. They'd weathered worse on the Pearl.
The parrot, for its part, fluttered off to find the ship's other creature. That monkey just had to know this latest development!