Just Like Him
Author: Rose Noire du Mort
Chapter 2: Shouldn't she be scrubbing floors?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Summary: Maria, the daughter of the late Captain Sparrow and his First Mate Anamaria, is having a difficult time with her adopted parents (The Turners). She hates English society life and the feeling is mutual.
"You look beautiful Maria," he said giving her a hug.
"Thank you Will," creating a smile that did not reach her eyes. It did not go unnoticed to Will although he said nothing.
"Johnathan, I trust you'll take care of my daughter tonight?"
The young boy at the door replied. "Of course sir." He was one of the rich boys of Port Royal. Very attractive he was, with shoulder length brown hair almost like Will's, green eyes, tanned skin and a tall, medium build. "Shall we?" Maria nodded.
"Have a good time," Will said closing the door behind them as they left.
"What's wrong with her Elizabeth?" he asked as he heard her descend down the stairs.
"I don't rightfully know."
"Why did you agree to go to the debut with me?"
"Agree? I didn't agree to anything?" Maria was shocked and terribly disappointed at his words.
"Then why? Why did you come?"
"What I meant when I said I didn't agree Maria, is that it was my idea to have you as my date."
"Your idea?"
"Do you think you go unnoticed by all of Port Royal?" In all honesty she did. So she nodded. "You do not go unnoticed by me."
"You shouldn't do this though Johnathan," proclaimed Maria.
He was perplexed by this. "What do you mean?"
"You'll be ridiculed by all of proper English society for taking the mulatto to Josephine Clarkston's debut."
"That doesn't much matter to me Maria. I really like you." He had a gorgeous smile, she thought, while he thought the same about her.
"What would your parents say if you were courting a mulatto?" she asked with all curiosity.
"Let's find out!" she laughed.
"Really Johnathan, what do you think they'd say?"
"Well," he began thoughtfully, "My stepmother doesn't really matter much. Who gives a bloody hell what she thinks? My father," he sighed, "well, he'd be mad enough I'd reckon but he'd have to deal with it."
"What if he didn't deal with it?"
"Don't worry about that Maria. We'll worry about it when the time comes."
"And who says it will?" she said. Her voice held a bit of a cross between perplexion, confusion, teasing, and curiosity.
"Trust me Maria it will." She looked at her fumbling hands and then back up at him with a nervous smile.
"What would your mother say if she were alive?"
"I have naught the slightest clue really, she died when I was only four. What would your mother say?" She only looked at him blankly.
"Oh, foolish of me really! That's how you became a mulatto isn't it? I suppose she'd be a hypocrite if she disapproved."
"Very much so."
All was silent for a few moments before he began to speak again. "Will you tell me that story of your father? I've read stories but I reckon the only place I could get a true account is from you, Mr. or Mrs. Turner."
"They're the only ones with the true accounts really. I wasn't even born." She paused. "Besides, what is a young rich noble like yourself doing with an interest in pirates?"
"You. The fact that both of your parents were pirates, and incredibly captain and first mate on the most legendary pirate vessel of all time."
"The Black Pearl." He nodded.
"Noble society has never interested me much. I'd much rather be a rogue, a swashbuckling pirate like your father Jack Sparrow."
"I believe that pirating is much in my blood. I spend more time at the dock than I do at home (or rather the Turners'). When I was there I met a few of the sailors who were captained by my father. He left the ship to his quarter master Gibbs and when Gibbs retired he left it to his son Joshamee Jr. But they've only been here once in the last 4 years. I-" she was interrupted as the carriage came to a halt.
"I guess we're here." He waited for the driver to come open the door before stepping out and giving her his hand for assistance as though she would need it. Of course she was of some sort graceful enough and did not need his hand but found herself taking it anyway. They carefully walked up the stairs as not to ruin her new soft blue dress with black lace around the hem. Two wide straps of the same colors made their way past her shoulders and it showed just enough of her brown chest…
He watched her as she took a deep breath. Here went nothing…
"Look ather! Hanging on to Tratchenburg's arm like a whore."
"What is she doing here anyway? Shouldn't she be somewhere scrubbing floors?"
"Word has it he volunteered to bring her."
"He probably feels sorry for her."
"Posh! When I feel sorry for one of my servants they get a warm bath or a glass of cold water not an invitation to a high English society function. Foolishness if I do say so myself," so said a girl of 14 with long blonde hair and ivory skin.
"Nigger lover!" one of them exclaimed.
"She's the Turner's 'daughter'!" said a young boy. He looked to be about 13 with short curly honey-blonde hair and a short build.
"What kind of rubbish is that? She's a nigger," replied Desiree. She was only here for the summer as Josephine's cousin.
"A mulatto, mind you, Desiree. Poor mixed dog doesn't know where to go!" Josephine, a girl with long black hair and amber eyes, said making the whole group laugh.
"So, what do the Turners go around taking in all stray animals?"
"Of course not, she's the daughter of Jack Sparrow supposedly," Josephine responded again. 'Captain Jack Sparrow,' Maria thought to herself as she listened to them.
"And what's it to the Turners?"
She whispered softly into his ear: "I can hear them talking about my father. I feel like everyone's watching me." He only smiled.
"Of course they are, because you're so beautiful." Maria blushed.
"I beg to differ. They're watching me because they think I'm not worthy to be here, like I'm a dog they should be spitting on."
"Don't worry about them. They're not important." And just then the music began to play. "A dance?"
"I'd love to."
"Have you not heard the stories Desiree?"
"Things don't much reach Cambridge England."
"Well the story goes like this: There was a cursed treasure and the pirates who took them also became cursed. That was Barbossa and his crew who marooned their captain, Jack Sparrow. William Turner's father Bootstrap Bill sent a piece of the cursed treasure with young William seeing as he wanted to torture them as they needed that piece to rid themselves of the curse. Elizabeth found young William at sea and had them bring him aboard. She took the gold for herself and it stayed with her secretly for 8 years. Coincidentally one day Jack Sparrow came to Port Royal" Desiree yawned, bored at the longevity of the story. "Well to make a long story short Jack Sparrow, William Turner and Anamaria spent some time on a boat together trying to save Elizabeth from cursed pirates. Jack and Elizabeth spent a day marooned on a god forsaken island together where who knows what went on and Jack saved both of their lives."
"And who exactly is Anamaria?"
"Well if you'd have let me tell the story we wouldn't have this problem. She's Maria's mother!" exclaimed the story teller.
"Well that's very bold of Jack Sparrow, letting a slave woman on his boat."
"Sure, very bold to have your slave-whore on your ship so you don't have to wait until you make birth again. But then again they say he was a rather bold man." Finally Maria had heard enough and marched up to the lot of them.
"I'll have you know my mother was no whore, she was a pirate and a damned good one at that. And if you bloody well must know she wasn't only a sailor on his ship she was first mate until my birth!"
"Jack Sparrow was a womanizer. He charmed women into his bed. I wouldn't be surprised if he charmed your 'mother' Elizabeth to bed while they were on that island Barbossa left them on," the girl said causing an uproar of laughter once more.
"How dare you talk about my parents that way!"
"Who? Elizabeth? Or the pirate captain and the slave-whore?" Enough was enough she figured as she slapped her. She looked about at the halted crowd angrily first before picking up her skirts and walking out while her date followed. Imagine that, being slapped at her own debut…
A/N: Anyone who reads my crap knows that I make it a point to never make my chapters this long but this one got out of control. It's a great chapter really. Though I had never anticipated a romance between Maria and Johnathan but I began not to write the story but to have it write me as cliché as that sounds. I hope no one is bloody well confused of anything—ages are: Will(33) Elizabeth(33) Maria(13) Johnathan(15). It is the year 1712, August. I hope you at least like it. Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review!