You Forget One Very Important Thing Mate – (8)
A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers, and an extra special thank you to my good friend Candice for helping me so much over the past month!
The servants did not whisper to one another. Carefully they nodded to each other in a silent greeting. However quiet they were, the swish of their robes made a kind of wordless murmur beneath the steady clang of the church bells. Slowly the sky began to lighten. By the ocean, the seagulls shook out their feathers: The animals in the area awoke also, quietly grunting. Sunlight crept through Ashley's bedroom window and onto her face. She wriggled her toes in the narrow strip of warmth under her bed covers, calculating the last possible moment she could wait before Elizabeth noticed her absence. Would it really matter if she were late for whatever the blasted governors daughter had in stall for her?
Probably etiquette lessons! Ashley thought.
As the last echoes of the church bells died away to silence, Ashley threw back the covers and leapt out of bed, pulling on a red dress that had been left for her by one of the maids the night before. Her bedroom door had been opened by Will as he walked downstairs for breakfast, she had heard him, she could well have made an escape attempt, but everyone was awake and would surely catch her. There was no chance of escaping in the night either, as her door was locked. Ashley stood in front of a dresser and braided her long dark hair into two plaits. If she was lucky, she could slip downstairs without Will or Elizabeth seeing her. She felt as if she was safe with any of the servants, she thought they felt sorry for her.
And they should bloody do, to! Making me do all of this! Ashley thought.
Down the steps and into the hallway she ran, with her new lady-like boots unlaced. She stumbled, tripped and cannoned into the tall upright figure of the Governor himself, Elizabeth's father.
He turned around, Ashley bent to her shoes, glad to hide herself from that forbidding stare, and was relieved when Will came into the room. After she had done her boots up, Will ushered her into the dining room. Perhaps by the time Ashley saw the Governor again, he would forget to be angry, and she would escape another lecture from a member of the Swann family. She had received more than enough from Elizabeth.
"Ah so you've decided to join us?" Elizabeth was already sat at the dining table.
"Not by choice," Ashley replied as Will practically pushed her onto a chair.
You know, for people of high class, they don't have good manners...
Then again, Will's not of high-class! He's a blacksmith, the son of a pirate; basically pirate himself after all that he did with my father…so he's just marrying into the high-class society! Poor fool, he will regret marrying Elizabeth. Just like Elizabeth is going to regret trying to turn me into a lady.
Ashley had a cup of tea placed in front of her, and on purpose knowing full well the outcome; she stretched her arms forwards across the table, knocking the tea over. It flowed straight into Miss Swann's lap.
"It's hot! Help!" Elizabeth screeched, standing up and lifting up the hem of her dress so that the hot water it has soaked up didn't touch her legs. A few seconds later she realized how indecent she must have looked, and towards the stairs followed by two very flustered maids. Ashely was in hysterics.
"Somethin' funny love?" A certain voice echoed from the corridor.
"Jack!" Will went to greet him.
Ashley went to join them but one of the maids stopped her.
"It isn't proper to interrupt two gentlemen as they talk business Miss Sparton,"
"I don't care!" Ashley said, she stood up and abruptly left the room.
"Miss Sparton?...Miss Swann says you are to practice your grammar with her in the library today," The maid followed her out of the dining room.
"Well you may tell Miss bloody Swann that I am disinclined to do so," Ashley replied.
"But Miss I-?" The maid began but was interrupted.
"Curse bloody Elizabeth to the blackened depths of Davy Jones locker!" Ashley said "I'm not going to do what she wants!" Swiftly she ran towards the front door and out of it. Swerving past Jack as she did so.
"ASHLEY!" Will and Jack shouted after her simultaneously.
The young girl ran quickly, ignoring the peculiar looks she was receiving from the crowds of Port Royal. She ran straight to the docks, noting that the Pearl was in the harbour, and that she couldn't go there, if she did she would surely be caught by Jack and returned to Elizabeth. What Ashley really wanted to know is why hadn't Jack saved her? He had no reason to want her to become a some high-society lady. She just didn't understand it. His mysterious ways were waring thin on her demonstrably limited patience.
"What do you think your doing?"
Ashley heard voice behind her, she turned only to see her Father stood next to another man who was wearing a uniform of some kind.
"I am leaving!" Ashley said, answering the question the man had asked.
"ASHLEY!"
Elizabeth and Will had somehow found their way to the scene. Blast them.
(JACKS POV)
Damn that bloody daughter of mine. Now I'm probably headed straight for the gallows!
"Commodore Norrington, and who might you be?" He held his hand out to Ashley.
She of course had no idea who this man was, I never thought she'd ever cross paths with him and so had never taught her about his little handshake trick.
"Ashley..Sparton," Ashley replied, she gave me a nasty glare and took his hand.
Big mistake I thought as he swiped back the sleeve of her dress.
Everyone could see them, plain as the day, that horrid burnt-in pirate brand, and a tattoo. My tattoo. The Sparrow tattoo.
"Well, well, well I didn't know Jack Sparrow had himself a pirate relation," Norrington grinned.
"Captain" I muttered under my breath. "And don't say you can't see me ship again cause its righ' there," I pointed to my beloved Pearl, which was floating in the harbour.
"Please, we're helping her, Elizabeth is going to turn her into a lady and rescue her from a life of sin and wrong doing," Will broke the silence, sounding pathetic whilst doing so.
The bloody whelp! Always trying to be the hero!
"Yes, James, we're just taking Ashley back to my home, and Jack to," Elizabeth said.
"Sparrow is wanted by the law, do you really think I'm going to let him go this easily," Norrington replied, not taking his eyes off of me as he spoke.
"Please James, do this for me" Elizabeth said, batting her eyelashes.
I grinned as Ashley made stupid faces and rolled her eyes behind Norrington's back. He had no idea.
"Very well, but if I here that anything has happened, if there is any kind of disturbance, I'm coming straight to you Sparrow," Norrington frowned. "Jack," He added, realizing that there were two of us now and nobody quite new which Sparrow he meant.
"Come on young lady, when we arrive home you will go straight back to your room," Elizabeth scolded as we all made our way back to the house.
"What else did you expect me to do? Trot around with you and Will sipping tea and making small talk!? I think not!" Ashley retorted, crossing her arms and walking quickly ahead of us.