Part 7
The lower levels of the Governor's Mansion were a far cry from the opulence, grandeur and comfort of the main house. Away from prying eyes, lying under enough concrete so that no one could hear the cries of the inmates, a dungeon prison had been constructed by the order of the first Governor of Tortuga, Isabelle's great grandfather.
It was definitely worse than almost any prison Jack had been in before, and he was coming from rather extensive experience. The conditions were no poorer than most and they weren't having hot pokers dug into their flesh or anything, but they were underground and that meant no windows. And no windows meant no fresh air to remind him of the freedom he knew he would escape into once more. Down here the air was dank and feted, reeking of the many pirates who had wasted away in here over the years.
Jack always found it oppressive to be away from the sight, smell or sound of the ocean for too long. It darkened his spirits in an unmistakable way, leaving him feeling trapped, exposed and almost vulnerable. He was out his haven. Away from his sanctuary. However hard he tried he couldn't relax, as though the very fabric of his being was disturbed and was itching for him to head back to the ocean and relieve it.
No chance of that right now though.
The cell that he and Will had been thrown into was in almost total darkness bar the light which crept in from a single burning lantern down the hall. It was probably a blessing really - considering the revolting dampness Jack could feel on the floor he thought it best that he didn't know what he was sitting in. He wasn't exactly a fastidious man in regards his appearance, but even he had his limits.
Will sat propped against the opposite wall, his knees held up to his chest and his chin resting on his arms, which like Jack's were now held in irons at the wrist. He was giving the pirate an expectant look, as if he believed this was all part of his plan. Or in the least that he thought Jack might have accounted for this turn of events.
Of course, it wasn't and he hadn't. What should have happened was that he told Isabelle about the letter, she immediately forgave him all his sins, released his crew and they all set sail the next day in search of Bootstrap. He hadn't even considered that she would still be so angry at him that she would simply ignore information that she would have cheerfully killed any man for just a few short years earlier. She'd changed a lot more than he had ever expected.
"The Governor was very angry with you," Will stated rather redundantly, clearly trying to find out more without being too obvious about it. The lad's patience had its limits it seemed - they'd been sitting in silence for at least an hour.
But Jack wasn't exactly in the mood to share the darkest secrets of his soul just now. Perhaps it was being told by a woman he had once shared an affinity with that she was planning to have him hung. If the cold, gnawing feeling he felt inside was showing on his face, it would have certainly explained Will's prolonged silence.
Or perhaps it was just the smallest amount of shame that made him want to avoid the subject - his dealings with Isabelle hadn't exactly been his finest hour. Her anger at him still pressed home just how badly he must have done by her. After all, he had left her to die and that was low even by his standards.
"That'd be the gypsy blood in 'er," he explained in a terse, evasive voice, "'Er mother was one. Well into their revenge are gypsies."
"Revenge?" Will pressed, catching the interesting word.
"That's none of yours," Jack warned darkly as he picked himself up and walked to the front of the cell, suddenly finding the small space even more oppressive.
Thankfully, Will knew when to leave things be.
"Well what do we do now?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I'll think of something," Jack promised, unnaturally quiet.
"Before she has you hung?" Will said, pondering aloud what he really meant to only think.
Jack turned his dark kohl eyes on the younger man, a thoughtful expression firmly in place.
"Aye," he said, even quieter, "I 'ope so."
There was silence for a long moment.
"I don't think she'll really go through with it," Will reassured, feeling awkward, as though he was intruding on a part of Jack's life that he had no right to witness.
Jack snorted a bitter laugh, "Then you don't know her very well."
Another hour passed in silence. Every now and then Jack saw Will cast a glance over at him to see if he had the look of someone who was planning a daring escape. He was trying to of course, but his last flight from here had been a product of luck rather than judgment and what with the Governor's warning to her men he didn't think they'd slip up again any time soon.
He smiled wryly to himself. Why did he keep thinking of her as 'the Governor'? She'd been just plain 'Isabelle Marley' to him once. When had it changed?
But he already knew the answer to that - when she'd become Governor.
That had been a bad year for him, all in all. It was the same year he'd lost the Pearl to Barbossa's mutiny. Then to finally make it back here and have to face the new Governor's anger, as if she believed what had happened to her family was all his fault, when all he wanted was to drown his troubles in the company of someone he could count as a friend. He'd grown angry at her - first for her silent accusations, and then for not being who he wanted her to be. For daring to change to something and someone he didn't like. That didn't excuse what he'd done though. When they had finally become something akin to friends again, when he'd at last managed to persuade her to get out, to leave her duty behind and to have an adventure with him like they used to, he had ruined everything. He had left her to die, favouring instead to save his own skin. And now she was quite gladly contemplating having him killed in return. What a fine pair they made.
His unhappy reverie was cut short as a guard appeared at their door from out of the darkness. Much to Jack and Will's surprise he began to unlock the door and they both stood apprehensively.
Was this it? Had she grown tired of the thought of him being locked in a cell this quickly and had now decided to proceed to the main event? He wouldn't put it passed her. Jack had already had a noose around his neck once this last year though. He hadn't liked it much.
Two other men followed the first in.
"The Governor wants a word with you," the first said, in means of an explanation as they were lead to an uncertain fate.
---
Governor Marley's office was a large, impressive room. No candles burned, but the huge round topped window let in plenty of icy moonlight to lighten the place sufficiently, even if it was in a cold, menacing glow.
The Governor herself sat behind a large oak desk, the leather seated chair clearly made for a much larger person than she. While physically she didn't fill it, she had an undeniable presence that made up for her small stature.
Will and Jack were brought to stand on the rug in front of her. It annoyed Jack immensely to be treated like this. A captain wasn't used to be demeaned and made to appear inferior. The very essence of a pirate's life was to buck authority and rules, except those necessary for survival and to maintain a running ship. But the Governor's family had always been clever and rich, and they had turned this into power by giving the pirates a haven, even if it did cost them some control.
"Ye rang, Milady?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
One of the men who had escorted them here kicked him hard in the back of the knees, making Jack's legs buckle so he half fell to the floor.
"You'll show some respect to the lady," the man spat in his ear as he dragged Jack back up.
"Well, I would," Jack replied tersely, as usual not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, "If there were one here. Unless yer referring to yer good self, of course."
He was kicked again, harder this time, falling fully to his hands and knees.
"If you're going to act the child, we can do this in a few days when perhaps you're feeling more obliging," Governor Marley warned scornfully, clearly taking Jack's subsequent silence as an indication that he wished to continue. She motioned swiftly for the accompanying men to leave, "Go. I can handle these lads."
Jack knew that was meant as a slight against him, but not wanting to get his burning knees kicked at again he bit his lip and stayed silent.
"I know how much you like to procrastinate Sparrow but for once let's cut to the chase," Governor Marley said when the three of them were alone, "You know where Bootstrap is and I want to know, so you're going to tell me."
"Really?" Jack asked, with mock surprise, "And why would I want to go and do a daft thing like that, eh?"
"Because it may just persuade me not to stretch you by the neck until you're dead," she explained in a coldly matter of fact way.
Jack nodded. She had him there; that certainly was reason enough.
"Very well, luv-"
"'Governor'," she corrected, stonily.
"Very well, Governor," he said with emphasis, bowing overdramatically, "You set me and the boy 'ere free and we'll go and find ol' Bootstrap, bring 'im back 'ere and you can ask him all the questions you want, 'ow about that?"
She gave him a highly skeptical look.
"Okay, 'ow about just setting me free then?" Jack suggested, "You keep the boy. If I don't come back, you can do whatever you want with him. 'e's young and not entirely wet behind the ears. I'm sure you could 'ave a grand ol' time."
"Jack!" Will protested angrily. He certainly wasn't going to be left behind as a prisoner and entrust Jack to do everything he could to rescue his father.
"Don't worry mate," Jack reassured, "Under that mean and scowling exterior, I'm sure she's still a decent lass at heart. She'll leave you intact. Mostly."
"Jack," Isabelle warned sharply, clearly meaning to protest too, but he held up his hand to stop her.
"And before you start going on about how you ain't releasing us, you ought to know I 'ave no or inclination nor intention of telling you where Bootstrap is until we've set sail on the Black Pearl with my crew, and Tortuga is a league behind us," he stated with more assurance than was due a man who was seemingly in no position to barter, "I can send you a letter or something. Or a parrot. We've got a good parrot. Limited vocabulary but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it. "
"Do you think I'm a fool?" she responded sharply.
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jack questioned with a mild grimace.
"I'm not just going to let you go and rely on your good faith," she said firmly, ignoring his taunting, "You'll walk out this house and I'll never see you again!"
"Well, then," Jack said throwing his arms up in disgust at her stubbornness, "We are in a predicament, aren't we? I, surprisingly, don't trust a woman who's threatened to 'ave me killed. You don't trust me because yer still irate at me. Which leads to a whole barrel of mistrust, which means we'll never get anything done so we might as well just sit 'ere and talk about the weather."
With that, he audaciously threw himself down in a chair and clonked his feet up onto the desk.
She glared at him but declined to comment on it, instead pausing as she considered him carefully for a long moment, as if weighing something up, trying to come to some kind of a decision. Finally she leant over the desk so they were at eye level with one another.
"Fine. I'll release you to follow your clue to Bootstrap - but I'm coming with you."
This struck Will as a little odd. She clearly didn't like Jack in the slightest yet she trusted him not to kill or maroon her once she was on his own ship?
Jack looked ponderous for a moment then he nodded.
"Right you are then. But it's my ship, my mission, I'm Captain and I'm in charge, savvy? You can be our 'onored guest of course. Thems my terms and you can take 'em or leave 'em."
She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Very well," she finally agreed with a nod, "But heaven help you if you cross me again."
He rolled his eyes, "It's always the dramatics with you, isn't it?"
"And once this is over", she said, ignoring his comments, "If I ever see you again I will shoot you, no questions asked, understood?"
"Unequivocally," he replied with a bored sigh.
"Good," she shoved his feet off the desk, almost causing him to fall out of the chair as he lost his balance.
"So then," she said looking between the pair of them, for the first time properly acknowledging Will's presence, "What do you know?"
Jack looked at her as though she was mad.
"I did you the courtesy of trusting you," she reasoned, seeing his expression, "You can at very least do the same."
"Alright then," Jack said after a moment's consideration, taking on a surprisingly off handed air manner, as though what he was about to relay was the most ordinary thing in the world, "It's rather straight forward really. The boy 'ere received a little note. Told 'im that Bootstrap pays with his soul for all 'e did and so on and so on, and that his only 'ope is finding the Sea King's daughter asking 'er nicely to do something about it."
He'd tried to rush through it, as though if he said it fast enough she wouldn't notice or realise. That if he tried to make it sound commonplace and simple then she wouldn't question it. It was clear by the look on her face however that she was not best pleased by what she had heard. Her expression was hard to read; part disgusted, part disappointed, part sad.
"Is that it?" she asked, her voice suddenly unsteady, her anger this time more hurt than anything, "Is that all you have? Stupid stories and childish fairytales? You were out in the sun too long Jack if you believe that nonsense."
She stood up sharply, turning away from them as if suddenly uncomfortable.
"Your father believed in that nonsense," he reasoned quietly, "That's why he went after his property in the first place."
Will frowned, barely following the conversation. How did the Governor's father fit into this? And what was this property Jack spoke about and what did it have to do with anything?
"I don't have time to go around chasing ghosts," she insisted softly, her voice tense.
Jack got up from his chair and walked up close behind her, the irons on his wrists clanking as he moved.
"Why, you busy, luv?" he challenged, unable to hide the slight scorn of disapproval in his tone even though he was trying to be persuasive, "Got a heavy week of governing and spending other people's money ahead of you? Got some more taxes to collect or something? This could be it, you know - your last chance to find out what happened. Can you really pass that up?"
He placed his hand gingerly on her shoulder his long fingers curling around in a delicate grip, careful and cautious as one might handle any dangerous creature.
She stared out of the window for a moment, lost to world, before suddenly shrugging him away.
"We'll leave in the morning," she eventually said, deftly side stepping Jack and crossing towards the door to call back her men, "You two spend the night in the cells."
Jack rolled his eyes and gave a mildly irritated huff.
"Governor Marley," Will said, stepping forward to intercept her as he finally saw his opportunity to ask what he couldn't get from Jack, "What do you want with my father?"
She studied him carefully for a moment before she answered.
"You do look like him, you know," she said, in a kinder tone than she had used on Jack so far, "You may not know it, Mr Turner but we share a bond, you and I. You see I lost my father too. But whilst you have a clue to the fate of yours, my clue may be found in testimony of Bootstrap Bill."
Will looked surprised, but could question her no further as a man entered, bursting through the large double doors. Jack knew him as Mr Logan the First Mate of the Governor's ship, the Buccaneer's Rose. From what he knew, he was a loyal sort who had worked under the Marley family since he was a boy.
"Sorry to barge in on ye meeting Governor but this can't wait." He looked harried and was out of breath.
"Why?" she asked, mildly alarmed, "What's wrong?"
"Tortuga, ma'am. We're under attack."
