IV

The Cat and the Mouse

Anna's Flashback

Little Anna loved going to work with her father. She loved to watch ships through the big window. She loved to play with her father's pen and ink. Mostly, she loved to talk to the people who came to see her father or his boss, Lord Beckett.

Anna sat on the floor playing with her doll, Lucie, when the door creaked open. Two men in blue coats marched past her. One of them was short and squat with a white powdered wig. The other was tall and thin and wore his light brown hair in a low ponytail. One mumbled something to Mercer, the new desk clerk. Mercer slunk out of the room, and Anna rose to greet the two guests. "Hello," she said, giving each of them a deep curtsy.

The older of the two men chuckled. " well, what might your name be, lassie?" he asked her in a thick Scottish accent.

"Anna Claire Regina Bannerley," she informed him proudly. "What's yours?"

"Big name for such a wee thing!" he boomed. "I'm Commodore McAllister, and this is my associate, Lieutenant Norrington."

The young man inclined his head to acknowledge Anna's presence. His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion, but they were not unkind. He adjusted his hat and proceeded to drum his fingers impatiently on Mercer's desk.

Anna had never seen a hat like that before. It was brilliant blue to match his coat with gold trimming around the edges and a white feather that stuck up in the back. She admired the hat for several minutes but then remembered it was rude to stare and looked away. "I like your hat, sir," she said politely.

Lieutenant Norrington cleared his throat rather loudly. "Well, I-" he stammered. Commodore McAllister elbowed him in the ribs. "Thank you."

"Might I try it on?" Anna ventured.

What was she thinking! She had once asked to wear Lord Beckett's wig, which could only end in disaster. Lieutenant Norrington started to protest but looked to his superior for help. Commodore McAllister laughed. "Let her wear it, Norrington," he instructed.

Norrington carefully placed the hat atop Anna's white-blonde ringlets. It was too big for her and fell in her eyes. He gently pushed it up so she could see. "How does it look?" Anna asked.

"It looks better on you than it does on him!" Commodore McAllister joked.

At that very moment, Mercer returned with Lord Beckett and Mr. Bannerley at his heels. Beckett gave Anna a poisonous look. There was one thing that Cutler Beckett hated more than pirates, and that was children, little girls especially. He whispered something to Mr. Bannerley an then turned to the two sailors. "Anna, give the hat back to Lieutenant Norrington," said Mr. Bannerley, exasperated.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Norrington," Anna said sweetly as she handed the hat back to its owner. She curtsied to him again and then left to play with Lucie while the men argued about pirates.

It was a known fact that Beckett and Bannerley disagreed about what should be done with pirates. As far as Lord Beckett was concerned, they should hang all the prates and be done with it. Mr. Bannerley, however, had a different idea. He thought pirates should be detained and offered freedom in exchange for the whereabouts of others like them. Anna tended to agree with her father. She didn't like the thought of dying. When she was still in England, she'd had a little gray cat. She remembered how sad she'd felt when it died and couldn't imagine how she'd feel if it was a person, even a pirate.

The focus of the men's conversation had shifted, and Anna heard her name mentioned. Lord Beckett put on a shrill high-pitched voice and imitated her girlish giggle. "Would you like some tea, Lord Beckett?" he mimicked. "Here's a pretty flower for your office, Lord Beckett. May I wear your wig, Lord Beckett?"

"Anna just tries to e kind," Mr. Bannerley interjected.

"Kind! Children are not supposed to be kind!" Beckett raged. "Children are supposed to be quiet and obedient! It appears you, of all people, would know that, Bannerley!"

"What is it, Commodore!" he snapped at Mcallister, who had been waving his arms like a chicken's during the long angry tirade.

"In Heaven's name, keep your voice down!" the commodore exclaimed.

Anna heard no more. Her skirts brushed against one of the men as she ran for the door, but she never looked back to see which one it was. Shr pushed her way through the crowds in the street and ducked into a dark alley between two shops. Why did Lord Beckett hate her so? Why did her father do so little to defend her? Why did he allow Beckett to turn him into a mouse? The Scottish commodore did not, and neither, Anna was sure, would the young lieutenant.Hot , angry tears streamed down her face at the thought of her father's betrayal. She buried her face in her arms and sobbed.

"I believe this belongs to you," a distinctive authoritative voice said..

Anna lifted her eyes to meet those of Lieutenant Norrington. He reached into his coat pocket, and there was Lucie! Anna realized that in her retreat, she must've left Lucie behind. "Lucie!" she cried, snatching her dol without even saying thank you.

"It was very imprudent of you to run away, Miss Bannerley," Lieutenant Norrington scolded her .as he helped her up. "Your father will be worried." Anna's anger toward her father mounted. If he had been worried about her, he would've gone after her himself. He would be worried, certainly, but his main concern was for his standing with Lord Beckett, not for her.