Mornings and nights were quickly becoming Theo's favourite time of day. Back home they'd more or less just always been something to get through. Mornings were spent getting her mind right for the day ahead, and nights were spent recouping and reflecting on what she could do better the following day. And while she could probably sorely benefit from that here and now, she was often rather distracted by her shiny new husband. The mornings and the nights were the precious times when they didn't have to be Admiral and Mrs Norrington, and she took a great deal of pride in apparently having the superpower of making James loathe to leave his bed - for he didn't exactly seem the time who'd linger long after waking beforehand.
It wasn't even necessarily the sex. Okay, it wasn't just the sex. It was the closeness. Maybe all of the impediments and uncertainties they'd faced so far had been worth it if it meant that simply lying sprawled across one another in bed together felt like such a luxury. Then again, it was easy for her to say that now that she knew it had ended in them being together.
Lying curled up, her back to him and her eyes closed, she was aware of his forefinger gently tracing up and down over the spot where her implant sat just under the skin of her upper arm.
"Does it bother you?" She asked.
"I thought it might - but I confess it does not," he replied quietly "A child is just about the only way I can imagine that our circumstances may become even more complicated at present - and Beckett would only seek to use it as leverage against us in some way or another were you to conceive."
"Mmm," she hummed in agreement.
"Are you sure that it will work?"
"Despite our best efforts, yeah," she snorted - and earned a low chuckle and a kiss to the base of her neck in payment "I haven't, uh, bled since I got it put in, and I don't know anybody who's had it who ended up pregnant after. There's a time limit on it, though - in another year or so, it'll stop working. I'll probably have to cut it out at that point. Don't imagine it'll do much good hanging about in there afterwards."
Humming, he left the implant alone and wrapped a strong arm around her middle, sighing his contentment when her bare back pressed against his chest.
"Perhaps you are a witch," he murmured "I used to consider myself a man of action. Now here I am, loathe to leave my bed as the morning drags on."
Theo laughed quietly. Only James Norrington would consider himself to be lazing the day away at the unforgivably late hour of eight in the morning. But she understood his sentiment, because she was facing much of the same thing. She wasn't used to lingering in bed - she hadn't really done so at all since arriving here, since it wasn't as acceptable to while away the day in pyjamas with a book now as it would be in the centuries to come. Even back home, though, it was something she'd rarely indulged in. Usually only when she was hungover, really.
"If that makes me a witch, you are too," she pointed out "Because I'm facing the same dilemma."
"Another side-effect of my very dashing nose?" He asked drily.
"In this particular instance it's the voice."
"Is that so?" He murmured lowly into her ear, and she knew then that she'd created a monster.
But she couldn't much bring herself to care. Well, up until a knock at the front door downstairs dragged them off of whatever path they might've been about to wander down.
"Mmmf," she groaned, burying her face into the pillow "Can we ignore them?"
"It's early - nobody paying a mere social call would arrive at this hour," he replied "All the more reason for us to get a maid as quickly as possible."
Still, she took some small amount of pride in how reluctant he was to let go of her.
"To save us from the perils of door answering?"
Theo rolled onto her back as he pulled on his shirt and breeches from the day before, crumpled as they were from their hours spent on the floor. At least they weren't in short supply of clothes anymore.
"Precisely," he replied.
Her decision to remain sprawled on the bed, barely covered by the sheet was rewarded by a look that told her she'd have paid for her cruelty had they the time, before he stepped from the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Married life, Theo decided, suited her quite well. Now that she could no longer mercilessly tease her husband, she stretched out with a sigh and then rolled from the bed. Pulling on her nightgown and then her housecoat, she slowly clicked the bedroom door open and listened carefully.
A woman's voice drifted upstairs, speaking quietly in nervous tones - apologising? She couldn't make it out. James responded, his tone unreadable, and then the front door closed. Two sets of footsteps moved throughout the lower floor of the house - one going towards the sitting room, the other moving up the stairs. Theo remained where she was, tilting her head questioningly when James came into view.
"You have a visitor," he said "I must dress."
"Uh, should I…?"
"This particular visitor will forgive your current attire," he said, one corner of his lips curling slightly in amusement "I'll give the two of you some privacy."
Well. Wasn't that intriguing? A woman, then. It would never be appropriate for her to receive a man like this, still dressed for bed and her hair down in disarray. Considering Elizabeth wasn't here, there was only one candidate that it could be - for she very much doubted James would be cruel enough to send her into a chat with one of the ladies here who hated her while she was dressed like this. Nor, she hoped, would he invite them into their home before leaving them to poke around unattended.
Grinning, she descended the stairs at a pace that was definitely not lady-like before she strode into the living room. Hattie stood in the middle of the room, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. It was almost easy to forget just how long she'd been gone thanks to how much of a blur the whole thing had been, but it hit her when she saw the girl. A fair amount of the sort of rounded girlishness had fallen away from her features, replaced by a great deal of beauty. She'd always been pretty, but now she was probably at risk of breaking hearts on a simple walk to the town square.
"Miss Theo!" She breathed in greeting before cringing "That is, er, Mrs Norrington- I, I do apologise for the early hour but-"
Theo was pulling her into a hug before she could finish. Any nervousness drained from Hattie then and she hugged her back fiercely in return.
"I shouldn't even be hugging you with how annoyed I'm trying to be," she huffed, but did not let up her hold "Running away with Jack Sparrow? Again? Are you completely mad?"
"Worked out in the end, didn't it?" Theo gave a strained smile in response.
"You can't really mean that you planned all of this," she huffed as they let go and stepped back.
"No," Theo admitted "But it makes me sound very clever and wise if I did, doesn't it?"
"Clever, perhaps, but I wouldn't say wise," she huffed "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You would've tried to stop me."
"Maybe, but when it didn't work I would have helped you."
"I didn't want to put that on you," Theo replied "It wouldn't have been fair."
"You still put it on me anyway, and it still wasn't fair," Hattie frowned "You…You didn't even say goodbye. Not a hint of a goodbye. And I…well, I had thought us friends."
Guilt shot through her chest then, sharp and stabbing.
"I…we were…but…" she struggled and then sighed, raking a hand through her hair as she shook her head "But you were always more of a friend to me than I was to you."
"I wouldn't say that," Hattie replied quietly.
"I would," Theo said "And I'm sorry. I didn't think, but the fact that I didn't think to think was shite of me. I am sorry, Hattie. Really."
Hattie seemed entirely unsure as to what to do with that apology, frowning and shifting uncomfortable before she sighed.
"I didn't come here to demand an apology," she admitted "I heard the rumours, and I meant to come before now, but I didn't have any days off. This is my half-day, it's why I'm here so early, I wasn't sure I'd be able to come after…"
"You didn't demand one, Hattie, but you deserve one," Theo sighed "Please - sit with me."
The blonde complied, perching down on the sofa while Theo sat down on it and brought her feet beneath her, earning a stifled laugh at the lack of decorum. It wasn't a mean-natured one, though.
"I am sorry," she said again "I was so caught up with everything - with leaving and making sure that I did leave, and James and…well. My head was everywhere. But you didn't deserve that. I should've left a note or…or at least thanked you for being such a star before I left."
"I was only doing my job most of the time," she waved her off, shaking her head shyly.
"No," Theo said flatly "You weren't. In fact, we're having a hell of a time trying to find somebody to fill your shoes."
"Well, that's part of why I'm here," Hattie hesitated and then sighed "There's talk, of course, of how slow you are to take on new staff."
"Half of the candidates won't apply because they think I'm a witch," Theo said "The other half still think I'm a witch, but even I can see they're useless and I've never ran a house before in me life."
"You're left with the ones who can't afford to be picky about where they work, I'm afraid. Most of 'em wouldn't have half a chance at working in the household of an Admiral were it not for the rumours," Hattie made a face "But people see that. I think…I think that's why Lord Beckett had me see him in his office last week."
Theo went silent.
"He offered me a great sum of money if I managed to get myself back in your employ again, and reported back to him on anything I saw that might be of note," Hattie explained anxiously, glancing around the room as she did so as if expecting to find Mercer hiding behind the curtains.
"I'm guessing you don't mean to take him up on that offer, then," Theo said drily.
"As if I could," Hattie snorted "Even if I had a mind to, I'm no good at the dishonesty and the schemes. Some maids live for it - knowing what careful questions to ask, when to ask them, but I've no stomach for it. And…like I said, I thought us friends."
"We were," Theo said "We are, I hope."
"If we weren't I wouldn't be here," Hattie murmured "But it troubles me. I have the feeling that if I turn him down, he'll only come back with a better offer. Or perhaps a worse one."
"If the carrot doesn't work, he'll try the stick."
"Yes."
"I don't understand what he thinks we could possibly be up to," Theo sighed.
"It was you he was more interested in, not the Admiral. Though I imagine once Admiral Norrington takes up his duties, Beckett can keep an eye on him himself. With you it's not quite so simple. And…begging your pardon, ma'am, but there is reason to belief you've thrown in your lot with the pirates."
"And James would've married me if that was true?" She snorted.
"Well, they think-"
"Yeah, yeah, I bewitched him," she grumbled "I can barely bewitch my hair into a bun in the morning, what match would I be against the willpower of James Norrington?"
"I know that," Hattie replied "But it's what they wish to believe."
Theo wished she was quite so skilled at simply believing whatever she wished were true. Although she supposed that would make her an idiot. If she wasn't one already.
"All right. Well. Fuck. Hang on," she sighed.
Rising to her feet, she padded into the hallway and called up the stairs in a way that probably was beneath her supposed station "James! You should hear this."
Theo was seated again by the time James came downstairs and walked into the living room - this time dressed in clothing that wasn't pre-worn and crumpled…and a bright, shiny new white wig atop his head. The look he gave her when she saw it had her keeping her comments to herself. While he had no pressing official duties quite yet, it was important that he showed his face and established a presence among the men once again so that it would all go smoothly once he was properly instated. He couldn't very well do that in pyjamas - nor naked. Sadly.
"Beckett's trying to spy on us," she said flatly.
"Is he? My. He must be very bored."
Or a big ol' pervert. Given their present company, she kept that comment to herself. Instead, she sat as Hattie recounted her meeting with Beckett and James listened intently, brow furrowed as he listened intently with no reaction. That lack of reaction continued for a few moments after she was done speaking.
"You are currently in the employ of another household, are you not?" He asked finally.
"The Spencers, sir. As a maid-of-all-work."
Theo was unsure about the title, but based on Hattie's tone and James' responding grimace, it wasn't a good thing.
"Were you to work for us once more, you'd find yourself a step above your old station when you were last in our employ. You'd be personal maid to Mrs Norrington, with the wage to match," he said.
"And Lord Beckett…?" Hattie pressed.
"We can give you things to tell him, to keep him appeased," James replied carefully.
"He'd never be happy with the truth, it's so boring that he'd assume it was a lie," Theo added "Unless…he'd suspect us of doing something like that?"
"It would never occur to him that we might conspire with a maid - or that anybody might speak to a servant beyond telling them what to do," James shook his head "He'll consider himself terribly clever for having come up with this plan at all. The only reason he'll have chosen Hattie is that he knows her face is a familiar one in this household, and therefore it would take less time for us to drop our guard in her presence."
Theo nodded slowly as Hattie wrung her hands in her lap.
"You are free to say no if you wish," James added.
"In your view, sir. Not in Lord Beckett's."
The twist of his lips in response to that told her he quite agreed.
"Well…at least this way we're all on the same team," Theo said slowly "He thinks he'd throwing a spanner in the works, but really he's building a united front without even realising it."
"Suppose he knows I'm lying, though? He seems the sort who can tell - or if he can't, that man of his certainly would."
Theo didn't blame her for being scared of Mercer - she wasn't exactly thrilled by his presence, either.
"They won't be lies," James shook his head "We'll simply…select which truths to give him."
"Stuff that's just titillating enough for him to think he's getting something, but without consequence. Gossip. She hates Amelia Simmonds, they're in disagreements over something she said at a dinner party. He'll get bored quickly and leave us to it," Theo said - or so she hoped "And then you'll be left winning anyway, with a better job and wage."
"I…I shall have to think on it. And work out my notice with the Spencers," she said, rising slowly to her feet "Thank you, though. For discussing it with me. I feel better about it now."
"We're in this together," Theo squeezed her arm "We've been through too much for him to divide us, yeah?"
Hattie nodded slowly, but seemed unconvinced. Theo followed her to the front door and she slipped out only once she was certain Mercer wasn't hiding out in the street, spying. The door clicked shut behind her and she turned to James as he stepped into the hallway, a frown on his face.
"If not her, then he'll just pick somebody else. At least she's on our side," she murmured.
"Yes," he agreed slowly "However…Hattie is young. And she is scared. I should still be careful of what you say around her. Beckett knows how to play this game, and he plays it well. Even though her intentions are good, of that I must stress I have no doubt, he may - no, he will be able to pry information from her that she would have no wish to give."
"I don't blame her for being scared," Theo admitted, wrapping her arms around herself "He scares me, and I've seen him die."
James grimaced, nodding slowly.
"I had no wish to bring this up around her, but this will create more complications. It's considered poor manners to take another's maid. This won't help your standing among the women here."
"Even better," she shrugged.
He paused, as if trying to detect any sarcasm, and when he found none he stared at her oddly.
"You know, I'm beginning to think you and I speak two entirely different languages."
"You're beginning to think? Where have you been for the last year and a half?" She smiled and then shrugged "You want Beckett to think I'm too preoccupied with petty drama to be up to anything else? This way not only will he think that, he'll think he's just created petty drama for me to be preoccupied with. He'll be smug and unsuspicious all in one, with any luck. He'll take it as a victory."
James watched her for a few moments, a smile playing on his lips.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm not sure what to think."
"About?"
"About how easily it comes to you to conspire in such a manner, or…"
"Or?" She smiled.
"Or how strangely becoming I find it."
"Hey," she shrugged "You have your nose, I have my wits. And best of all - now we can stop interviewing maids."
A/N: Okay, I have to fess up to an anachronism here - the maid-of-all-work, as far as I can gather, is actually a Victorian era thing, and they were maids who (as the name suggests) did any and every job that needed doing, with an insane workload/working hours, while ranking lower and being paid less than those who fulfilled other roles in service. It's just easier to find information on roles like this from later periods than this one, so I'm playing with history a bit here. I apologise!