NEW CHAPTER
A/N: Wow, sort of shocked some of you still follow this story! Thanks for the support folks! Hope that what I write delivers something to your day!
(Btw, is there anybody else also shipping Raquel Murillo and El Profesor? Gah, love these love/hate relationships. But Jack and Angelica will forever be my OTP!)
Chapter XIX
So This is What Makes Life Divine?
MARRIED
"Did you inherit the islands?"
Thinking pros and cons of this, Jack lingers on his answer. What was now written in the journals? "No, I retrieved them myself."
"Impressive. I'd love to hear about it."
It is a spring day in London. Air is fresh and they are sitting outside in a group of couches. Quite chilly but thick woven blankets of wool keep them warm from any colder breeze. A servant will in between stay around to offer more tea or even more rum. To a point where Rothley even notifies Jack's unusual avoidance of rum, or any alcohol that is, he would nod in the direction of Armando Salazar's window upstairs.
It is such a risky move of Jack, but Rothley, somewhat alike Jack, would totally buy it once again as this common battle among relatives from the same family. Who has the best house? Who has the best wife? Who owns the most.?Who will inherit the most? Who is the best man?
Further away beside a working gardener stands Angelica. She holds a wary eye of Frances that unsteadily runs around among bushes and smiles widely. In between, she exclaims something out of worry, in Spanish, and grabs ahold of the tiny girl. While baby Teague is up to any mischief she can manage, the missus tries to politely change a few words with the gardener. Everything from advice from the rosebushes to the landscape of the garden in general.
Whenever she likes, a servant will also hurry up to her with the balancing tray in his hand. Gently offer her a cup of tea which she will sip on and maybe tear her attention for the slightest moment from Frances and the gardener, over to Jack and Rothley.
For a cautious forenoon, Jack keeps up with a rather enjoyable lunch together with Rothley. When the guest manages, he even grabs Angelica's hand upon her passage nearby. He kisses it gently, respectful to both her and Jack and winks to her.
"I'd prefer having you over for dinner," he urges when she has left again. She is back together with Frances to return to the conversation with the gardener.
This makes Jack raise his glass and salute with Rothley, accepting the proposal.
Fortunately it is about the hour when Rothley decides to leave that Armando Salazar has woken up after a tiresome sleep. While he wears a look of mysterious pride, his nobility seems rather rotten beneath.
When he enters the garden he must refrain from being around Angelica. He gets to greet her, by a rather warm proximity of kissing her hand before adjoining Rothley and Jack. Both watching him intently under their stare.
"Your cousin's awake."
"Appears so."
He only quite greets them both, but is too fast to excuse himself again and retreat to Angelica. Rothley only smiles at this and shakes his head.
"If I had a cousin that intent on my wife," he reflects. "I'd have him killed."
Jack chuckles at this but straightens the line of his lips when noticing Hans standing in a window, watching them. His stare is severe as if he is silently warning Jack. Discreetly Jack shrugs to Hans. What did the mister mean now? He surely chose to be on terms with Baron Peter Rothley rather than betting against it by openly accept his wife having a supposedly affair with his very own cousin.
My god what drama of book he could write out of this scenario.
He leans by the carriage as Rothley jumps into it, a waring eye in the corner of his eyes to keep track of 'Gelica and the moron.
"We'll talk more about it tonight. I have to reconsider my assets and where I keep my focus. Wealth must grow, isn't that right?"
And Jack agrees to this. With a nod, he motions to the servant handling the reins and off Rothley goes.
It is a fortunate the gardener is around, or else their true colors would have appeared by now. With Hans, maids and servants left inside, the fate is left for Jack, Angelica and Armando outside to handle. And Frances.
But the gardener, a civilian to all of this, forces them to not go by nature and aim to hit each other. Furthermore, they are pushed to keep up with their little play-house act.
"Armando," Jack speaks, his smile completely false. Angelica has to roll her eyes at his bad acting. "Dear cousin," his bitterness is inevitable and now Angelica raises an eyebrow in warning.
"Cousin," Armando replies.
Cutting the two of them off before Jack will start to bark, she somewhat places herself in between them.
"We were talking," she intervenes. "Armando would give me advice on how to handle the rosebushes, without cutting them. You see, it would make a fool out of me, and it would make all effort I have done to plant these roses, make them grow - to no avail. That's why I think it would do us all well, for me to have this... talk with him."
"So it would seem," Jack peers to them. "Maybe my opinion has changed into thinking planting those from the start was a bad idea!"
Armando chuckles. "If you can't handle rosebushes, Jack. Then just let the right man do so."
With Frances pulling in Jack's leg, he picks her up but not at all done with the conversation.
"Forgive me for intervening, my lord," the gardener apologetically pops his head into the discussion. "My advice is that all which has to be done, is simply to eliminate the vermin."
It is as if he knocks air out of them all.
"Naturally," Jack agrees and turns to Angelica. "Why don't you listen to the gardener?"
She shoots a glare back to him. The metaphor went just back on her like a reflection of a wall of ice.
"Querida," Salazar speaks, ignoring Jack at all cost. "I'd love to discuss..," he bites his tongue. "The plants... on a private walk. If my cousin approves."
He absolutely does NOT approve.
Here, Jack interrupts and puts a stop at once.
It is evident he is using his husband title against them all. How he as the head of the house can lawfully correctly do pretty much whatever he pleases and anyone else must just follow his any wink. Lately he has really grown into learning the benefits of this. Also how he must use it. It is not just a matter of enjoying ticking off Angelica any chance he gets. Since Salazar entered this pretty little image, he figured it embarked into a necessity.
So he hands Angelica the child, who becomes absolutely numb, speechless and insane over the fact that she cannot rage over how he cannot behave like this towards her.
She is forced to accept the gesture of the child into her arms, very aware of the gardener still being around them. Thus she presses her lips to form a most forced smile.
"No, why don't you play with Franny-girl," Jack not so much suggests. He smirks towards them. "It appears as if she'd like to be read a story or something."
Angelica's glare remains and she has to swallow to not just explode and spit Spanish curses at this demon of a husband. She cannot believe he just did that. Using Frances against her as if it has become standard basis. But her embrace around the girl is as always as genuine as it can be. Softly she hugs her tighter and shoots Jack a last glare before heading inside.
He understands he will have to pay for this later. But for now his best shot seems to be to just postpone everything he possibly can. Just until he has Rothley on the hook. And he is near. The damn baron had even for lord's sake brought up the topic himself this lunch.
Salazar stands there still, not dumbfounded but a clenched jaw as if he tries to figure out Jack. Something he probably knows is not the easiest of tasks. He has never quite succeeded before and by winning over Jack now, one needs to simply grasp his favor of improvisational life. The long moment of staring each other down will first end when the gardener begins to turn around.
Then there is Hans in the window who shows his dismissal, and Jack understands he must follow this order. So he eyes Salazar skeptically for a last time before he also retreats inside.
Angelica may want to strangle him for this, but in the end - he just tries to look out for her.
Which also leads him to never utter a word to her about tonight's plans. Or else he would have risked her not accepting being quite locked by Frances' side all afternoon. Really something she likes, but nobody cannot get around the fact that it was also a great obstacle to keep Angelica away from others. Others like Salazar. So when she has finished reading for Frances a fourth book and the nursemaid is ready to put the child to bed, Jack can see her taking a deep breath and realize it is now time.
A servant assists him into a coat and another one hands one for Angelica. At first she just looks at it confused before turning to eye Jack. Clearly she was about to go upstairs, obviously busy with handling her own businesses - that did not involve Jack in that aspect.
"What for?"
"Rothleys. We're invited for dinner, love."
Finding no more urge to argue against him and also with the realization of the fact that she cannot in front of others - she gives up sooner than later this time. She has to accept the wool coat and have it wrapped around her. And just as they are about to leave, Salazar comes running.
"Cousin!" He shouts, causing the two of them to pause outside on the porch. "He invited me too!"
"Oh, I don't think so…," Jack starts and get cut off.
"He did!" And Salazar pulls his coat from the hanger nearby to join them.
"This is an intimate dinner, Salaz- Cousin. Not a celebration of any sorts, aye."
Salazar just walks past them towards the carriage. "Por supuesto, I'm included in this." As Jack is about to go after him, Angelica aims to grab his wrist and catch Jack's attention. He cannot tell off others like he wants to. But as Hans, standing like the grim reaper hiding in the shadows of the grand bushes, she halters and is at the risk of getting caught mid air by him. Jack however never notices a thing but simply marches towards the carriage.
For this moment, even if she cannot actually see Hans' face, she knows he stands there - watching her. Before servants and other entourage people get the chance of joining them outside and witness her absolute numbness of not knowing what to do, she just pulls herself together and hurries up to the carriage.
As soon as she enters it with the help of a butler that also closes the door, she can see both men viewing her with this silent demand of her sitting down beside each.
"Will there be a servant joining us?" She must ask and let a bit of anger flicker in her eye.
When Jack shakes his head and she in combination still catches this glimpse of Hans viewing her, she sits down beside Salazar.
"Angelica?" Jack demands.
"Don't be ridiculous," Salazar intervenes. "The servants can't see us."
Again Angelica opens her mouth as if she wants to communicate to Jack, but he completely loses that over his fury of Salazar.
"While this perhaps goes on behind closed doors," Jack keeps his bitter words as an act. "I shall not risk anything to the cause of the sake. Not now. Savvy?"
Salazar just smirks and harshly pushes the top of Angelica's hand to his lips. With her free hand, she moves the curtains aside to get another quick glance as if reassuring herself. Very well. It certainly is Mister Hans' watchful gaze viewing her every detailed motion.
But then the garden gets out of sight by their neighbor's large hedge and she gathers some strength to speak with firm words.
"Neither will I, Jack," she agrees. "When this is over with," and she strokes Salazar's hand graciously. "I will marry Armando and you and I will never have to do with each other again."
"I can't wait for that moment," Jack mutters and again motions to Salazar. "But infernal Salamander reptile here won't have ye reach that far regardless."
"Oh, for the love of..," Salazar rolls his eyes at this.
"You may act like a husband in front of others," Angelica spits to Jack. "But like this, when nobody sees - let me handle this myself."
"Very well then," and Jack leans back, like a minor that lost a battle but not truly surrendering to the core. His eye is still wary of them and he fumbles up a bottle of rum. He uncorks it with his teeth, very ungraciously and views them. When Salazar's apparent smirk grows into eyes filled with smugness once looking over Angelica, Jack must roll his eyes.
Angelica have got to be blind.
What is she up to? Why in the world does she believe this to be a great thing?
He still cannot let go of what Salazar-moron wants and it is clearly to get to Angelica just to get to Jack. Perhaps all he needs to do is to appear more careless of her and Salazar will let go of her and find her no longer interesting. At least that way she will not be a target in the ways of getting to Jack himself.
He can see them talking, something in Spanish and he does not understand anything. It seems as if nothing of importance is being said though as she seems to refer to the diamond in her necklace, sharing a bit of a chuckle with Salazar. Maybe it is this that Jack reacts to. The laughter.
Because it does not appear to be genuine.
He decides to try this road. Hopefully nobody can detect his true self hidden somewhere behind in there.
"For all I care," he announces to gain their attention. "You may invite me for this wedding. It must be spectacular, aye? Have heard lots 'bout these Spanish, fancy weddings. Red wine, imported rum and too many warm-blooded women."
He winks confidently to Salazar who again seems to be found puzzled. Angelica however has her nose twitched as if she covers up her genuine expression.
"So my suggestion be... why don't ye two lovebirds just send me invitation. If I have time, that is to say... having to depart from me beloved Pearl, which... for that matter," he thinks aloud. "Will seem highly unlikely." He sits straight and smirks to them. "Invite me, savvy? I'd use a celebration once retrieved the Pearl."
Salazar peers to Jack, not believing a word of what comes out of the pirate's mouth. "We got your blessing."
"Completely!"
As he brings this bottle of rum towards his lips, he even smiles. Salazar seems to slowly buy this. Buy the idea of Jack having something else, the Black Pearl, as the most precious thing he holds.
And not Angelica.
If only the salamander's focus could go elsewhere. Anywhere but on Angelica. On letting her being this target of reaching Jack.
As he understands he just used his beloved, favorable, precious, great love, THE BLACK PEARL, as a target, a prey?! - To distract the predator from Angelica..?! He shoots to sit straight again and almost chokes on the rum. Did he just... did he just put the Pearl second best?!
The two Spaniards look at him wonderingly and he smiles nervously and pretends brushing pretend-dust from his sleeves.
"A fly."
If the carriage had not stopped by then and a servant had swung the door open, Jack surely would have had a long inner debate on what the actual hell went on in his mind. How he had come to such a conclusion in the first place.
But he never gets there, because they have arrived.
A/N: Okay, that was chapter 19! Until next time! I hope this gave you something. :)