Disclaimer: I have no claim on POTC. I'd like to take Norrington, but Disney won't answer my calls.

Chapter 15: No Cads Need Apply

Morning came with Pru preparing for her inevitable interrogation by her cousin. Normally, Pru felt quite comfortable in confiding to Elizabeth. The trouble was, Pru absolutely did not want to talk of what happened last night. The whole nature of her relationship with James was unusual and quite frankly, Pru wasn't sure how she felt about it herself. That in itself made explaining it to her cousin extremely difficult.

Pru, being a far earlier riser than Elizabeth, managed a quiet breakfast. Munching on some toasted bread, Pru read the invitations and notes that gentlemen had sent her. There was a respectable pile just for her. She was quite proud of that. The one that held her interest for the longest was from a gentleman new to the area:

Dear Miss Martin,

I want to say again the pleasure I had in your company last night. You are truly a wonderful girl. I regretted that you left the party so early and hope that whatever had been plaguing you had left.

Enough with that, however. I want to confirm that I would be honored to escort you shopping on Wednesday morning. I'm quite sure you'll be able to get me well acquainted with the merchants. I know you're new here as well, but I hope we could get to know our new home better together.

Regards,

Alistair Leeds

Palm Plantation

Alistair Leeds was one of the few men in her circle last night that had intrigued Pru. He owned a rather large plantation about a day's ride from Port Royal. He was an impeccable gentleman at the party and fairly articulate. If she was still feeling that he lacked something, she told herself that their outing would surely be enjoyable nevertheless. With that idea in mind, she finished her breakfast. Just when she thought she could escape unnoticed, Elizabeth entered the dining room.

"Well, dear cousin, I do hope you had a wonderful evening last night." Elizabeth mischievously remarked.

Pru smiled politely. "The ball was wonderful and I do thank you for welcoming me to Port Royal."

"I know that you didn't mistake what I was asking."

"Well, you didn't ask. You stated…"

"Semantics, Pru. Now out with it. How is it that you claim to be mere 'acquaintances' with the Commodore and yet you appear with him at an entirely improper hour?"

"Sticks and Stones, Elizabeth. You were with Will…"

"I am engaged. You are not. Now what happened with you and Norrington?"

Pru conceded. She wasn't going to get out of it. She might as well explain. "He and I had fought earlier at the ball. He didn't seem to approve with the company I kept and how I conducted myself with them. He called me a flirt and I slapped him before escaping to my room."

Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth. "You SLAPPED him?"

Pru smiled self-depreciatingly. "Well, he made me angry. My nerves were a wreck. I was badly in need of rum and anonymity. As you saw, I donned men's clothing and went into one of the more respectable bars, The Vinter's Mark…"

"The one the officers frequent?"

"Yes. Of all the luck, Commodore Stick Up His Arse entered to have a drink with his lieutenant…" Pru paused while waiting for Elizabeth to stop choking on her drink, "The frustrating man is entirely too bloody perceptive. He caught on to who I was and made Gillette take me to his office."

"He must have been furious! Propriety and rules are his life!"

"Quite. An hour later he finally deigned to enter. We had another stunning row. I said something completely rash about his power to hurt me, which is something I completely regret admitting… he really should never know that…, and he apologized! He APOLOGIZED to me! I of course had to apologize back. I was partially at fault…even if I was still a bit put out by his behavior…We came to an accord that we would resume our friendship…"

"Friendship has many meanings Pru, what sort?"

"Stop interrupting! He arranged to give me a tour of the fort…and that was it." Pru said with certainty quickly, too quickly.

"That was it? You really expect me to believe that?"

"Well, I was hoping…," Pru faltered, "He blurted out that I needed a keeper without thinking first and in retaliation, I threw his wig across the room. He looks rather fetching without it, you know."

"His wig?" Elizabeth laughed, "Actually, I was beginning to think it remained on his head all the time. I thought he bathed in it, really. What happened next?"

Pru blushed. "I tripped us both and he managed to fall so I landed on him…and…and…we stared at each other for the longest moment…our faces came closer until I could feel his breath on my face…and…Gillette came in the door. I scrambled off Jam…the Commodore. He then escorted me home."

Elizabeth was completely disappointed. "You nearly kissed him?"

Pru fidgeted. "Aye. Jam…the Commodore…"

Elizabeth went from shock to amusement. "So it's James now is it?" she teased. "You liar. You do fancy him, don't you?"

"Of course not! I…He…We…We're just friends…albeit he is an extremely handsome one…"

"Well from what you've described to me, I wouldn't doubt that he is quite taken with you." Elizabeth stated matter-of-factly.

"No. He isn't" Pru looked down at the table.

"You can't be so sure."

"I can. He proposed to you! From what I've gathered of his character he didn't do that without a great deal of thought and feeling. He was in love with you…"

Elizabeth sighed in exasperation. "He did not love me. If he was in love at all, he was in love with the idea of me. I wasn't ugly after all and I was the Governor's daughter! He was in love with the suitability of the match. It dovetailed perfectly with his notion of duty and honor. I hope he's realized that fact by now…"

At that moment, the butler came into the room. "Miss Swann, there is a Mr. Turner here."

Elizabeth brightened instantly. "Tell him I'll only be a moment." She turned to Pru, "He's taking me on a drive and then we are to have a picnic. This conversation is not over…"

Pru shook her head as she made to leave the room. "No, it's over. The subject is a mute point as the Commodore is not courting me. Enjoy your picnic. I'll see you later in the day."

Pru parted with Elizabeth. Why is it that I'm the only one who sees things clearly about James? Elizabeth is probably only seeing things that way in hopes she won't feel as guilty about rejecting him. If anything, he'd only court me as a substitute to Elizabeth…

Wednesday morning came. The funny thing was Pru didn't feel the least bit nervous. She always felt nervous around certain other uniformed men of her acquaintance and it surprised her that it didn't apply to other gentlemen. There was no flustering about settling on what to wear and how to dress her hair. She simply looked at her dresses and picked to most comfortable one in her wardrobe. She had the maid put her hair in a simple bun that would keep the hair off her neck in the hot Caribbean sun. She was ready in record time.

Therefore, she was waiting in the drawing room when Mr. Leeds arrived. He was quite surprised to see her downstairs already as he expected to cool his heels for at least five minutes in waiting for her.

"I compliment you. Most ladies would make a man wait for her grand entrance." He teased.

"I am not most ladies…"

"Obviously not. You are far more unique. Shall we go then? You can't look that beautiful and not show it off to other people." he flirted.

"False compliments will get you nowhere, but thank you…" Pru said, taking his arm.

Mr. Leeds was an excellent shopping companion. He never complained of stopping in any shop. However, he seemed to have the unfortunate tendency to leer at women when he thought she wasn't noticing, attempted touching her in an improper way, and when he talked to her, he had the habit of trying to steal a peak down her dress. Pru didn't bother to advise him that there wasn't much to look at, she was far to annoyed at his behavior. Still, polite behavior, whether he deserved it or not, dictated that she was stuck with him until she finished her shopping and came up with a good excuse to part ways. She did, after all, have an appointment with James.

"Farthing for your thoughts?" Leeds asked her cleavage.

"I was merely woolgathering, Mr. Leeds." She said as they stepped out of the shop they'd been perusing.

He smiled. "Please, call me Alistair. I've the sense that we're going to get to know each other very well." he said as he caressed her elbow.

She drew back from him in indignation. "I believe that may be a bit over the line, sir!"

"Indeed. I agree as well."

Without even looking, Pru recognized the voice. James. Bloody hell, does he have some sixth sense where he knows when I'm in an embarrassing situation that I'd rather not have him see? She turned in his direction, which apparently had been directly behind her.

"Commodore," she greeted with relief, "How nice of you to find me for our appointment."

James wasn't paying attention to her, save for a perfunctory nod. He was looking at Mr. Leeds with a forbidding stern look on his face, much the same he would have faced a pirate with. Mr. Leeds looked a bit nervous…

"Good Day Mr. Leeds. How are you doing today?" James frostily asked.

"Commodore. I am extremely well. As you can see, I have one of the most beautiful ladies of Port Royal on my arm. We have been touring the merchants of the town."

"Indeed." Pru saw that the Commodore was angry. She wasn't quite sure at whom: her or Mr. Leeds.

"Yes, I myself have just picked up my new sword at Mr. Turner's." Mr. Leeds pulled it out. "It's beautiful, is it not? And quite long too."

James pulled his sword out. "Indeed, but I believe my sword is the best in Port Royal. Oh look! Mine is longer than yours." James said smugly. Pru rolled her eyes. "It looks to be stronger and larger as well. Of course, mine is built for stamina. I can't have it falling apart in a strenuous bout, can I?"

"No indeed." Mr. Leeds said stiffly "However, I think mine can be just as satisfying in getting the job done. What do you think Miss Martin?"

Pru had been ignored for the past few minutes in what she clearly saw to be a large show of male posturing, to what end she wasn't sure, and she was getting quite bored. "Yes? Well, I don't know…"

Mr. Leeds grinned. "Now I know you have an opinion."

"Well, your sword is quite nice. I'm sure it will be quite useful to you…but…I feel that the Commodore's is quite a bit nicer…"

James grinned and puffed out his chest. "Thank you Miss Martin. I see you have excellent taste in swords. Mr. Leeds…"

More male posturing followed and Pru was ignored yet again. Tired of the "My boat is bigger than yours" conversation, Pru decided to walk off on her own for awhile. She made her way to the docks where she could observe the bustle of ships coming in and out of port…

James had just dismissed Leeds with a subtle message that he wasn't needed around Pru, ever, when he realized that she hadn't spoken in several minutes. For Pru, who almost always had an opinion, this was quite unusual. Then he saw that she was not in sight.

"Miss Martin?" He gave another look about the market. No sign of her. He began to get worried. Very worried.

An apprentice who was cleaning his master's stoop looked up. James walked over to the boy. "Have you seen a young woman dressed in a blue gown? She has brown hair…was about this tall." James made a motion with his hands.

"Aye, Commodore. She was walking in the direction of the docks.

Just then, he heard a commotion and a woman's scream at the docks. Running with hands clenched white in fear, James made it down to the water quickly. A man turned and saw the Commodore. "A child fell into the water from one of the boats. A woman saw it, dived in, and tried to rescue her, but now is in danger of drowning herself!"

He didn't hear the whole sentence. He was already sprinting toward the docks. On the way, he threw his hat, coat and wig off in the dirt. He dove into the water.

Where is she? God, let me find her. Where? There! Suddenly he saw a bit of brown hair and blue fabric. Pru was struggling with her heavy petticoats and was barely managing to swim while holding the child above water. Struggling vainly, the wave continued to pull her down.

James sprang into action. He grabbed Pru and the child, but was drug down by their weight as well. Knowing Pru would never forgive him if he saved her first, he took the child and swam close enough to a floating barrel. Admonishing the child to sit on it or at least keep hold of it, James turned back to Pru.

Her strength was waning, he could see. He tore her dress off, hauled Pru into his arms and swam to shore. By this time, the child had been rescued by one of the men and the girl's mother had taken her away. He laid Pru on the docks. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. Please God, not her. James immediately started the maneuvers to get the water out of her lungs, frantic that he might not save her.

"Pru. Listen to me damn it! Wake up…Come on now…Pru! DAMN IT! WAKE UP!"

She coughed in spasms, water spilling out of her mouth. He sat her up and pressed her body against his in relief. It was then he noticed they were both soaked to the bone and Pru was only in her shift. What is it with the females of the Swann household that I constantly see them in states of undress, James mused, though Pru looks fetching this way…this wasn't quite what I'd dreamed last night when she 'took' her dress off…

He called for his coat and wrapped it around her. Pru smiled weakly. "I'm going to take you to the fort." He declared. "You can dry off there while we wait for suitable clothing to arrive. Then you can explain to me what happened. Can you walk?"

Pru nodded. "I got wet, I didn't hurt my legs"

James nodded grimly. "No, but you could have been hurt far worse. Your legs are too weak to walk. Hold on."

James bent to her knees and lifted her in his arms. The crowd clapped, for her or James Pru wasn't sure, as he carried her away.

"My hero! Your blatant show of strength amazes me! " Pru said sarcastically in a simpering voice.

"It's time you realized the trouble I go to for you." He said laughingly.

Pru settled into his arms. Might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts…I could get quite used to this, she mused as she turned her face to his shoulder.

In the warm Caribbean sun, Pru dried quickly as James showed her the fort. She could see that it was extremely well run and would only be to his credit as a superior officer. As they walked, Pru explained how it was she who ended up diving into the water. She was the closest and had been the first to notice the child in the water. She didn't have time to find someone else. No, she didn't think about what would happen. Perhaps is was quite foolish, but she couldn't have just stood there…The questions continued for quite a while before James stopped, but she could tell that he was holding something back…

"You look unwell. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, although I've decided that from now on, I will accompany you on your outings."

Pru scoffed. "You're far too busy. Besides, why would you need to? I've got plenty of other gentlemen who would be pleased to escort…"

"Yes, I can see how that Mr. Leeds fellow protected you."

"Don't bring him into this. It was your fault I even went down to the docks!"

James arched a brow. "My fault?"

"Yes, your fault. If you two hadn't been completely ignoring me while locked in some moronic battle for male supremacy…"

"I was doing nothing of the kind. You should have waited until I'd sent Mr. Leeds away."

"Oh, so you have the authority to send my companions away?"

"I believe it is my duty to send away the unsuitable ones, yes. Besides, I am your escort now."

Pru snorted. "Why?"

"Well, for one, it will be so much easier to rescue you if I don't have to continually search for you in a crowd! Cancel any other engagements you have…"

"Now you've decided who I can and cannot see?"

"They were all unsuitable." He gritted out.

"Which ones?"

"Their names escape me…"

"Really, perhaps I should make a list then. For starters, how about Mr. Leeds?"

"Pervert. Besides, his name is Alistair. Any Alistair I've ever met has been a complete weasel."

"Mr. Collins?"

"Man doesn't have two brains to rub together. You deserve more than that."

"Mr. Taylor?"

"Drunkard."

"Mr. Smythe?"

"Gambles."

"Mr…Styles?"

"A complete and utter dissolute cad."

Pru's eyebrow arched as she smiled evilly. "There is no Mr. Styles that I know of in Port Royal…you, sir, are deliberately making things up. What I want to know is why…"

James looked unsettled. He had been rightly duped by the clever lady and when James was unsettled… "Why?" he hoarsely asked as he got closer to her, "You said you didn't want to marry. Why now? Secondly…I…"

Just then, Governor Swann arrived, concerned for his niece's welfare. He inquired over what happened and thanked James profusely for saving her life. Conscious that another one of his girls didn't have a dress on in front of navy, he quickly piled her into a carriage. As the carriage began to take off, Pru yelled, "This isn't the end of our conversation…!"

James smiled. No, he thought, it wouldn't be. You and I are far too stubborn to surrender an argument so soon. However, I will prove far more stubborn in aspects of her safety from now on. I will not allow her to be in that much danger. She will receive the shock of a lifetime when she sneaks out of the mansion tonight…

AN: Reviews are welcome! Thanks for all of them so far. The story is far from finished, I think…so stay tuned. I loved the line in the movie "Ella Enchanted" where Char says "It will be so much easier rescuing you if I don't have to commute." so I adapted it. Artistic License!