Chapter 16
Jonas held his arm out for Cordelia to take it and led the group into the courtyard. They fanned out, each going to a table to pick out a masquerade mask. Many girls picked ones that matched their dresses, but a few, namely Robin, Lara, and Florence, just grabbed the closest plain black mask.
The pirates accompanying the ladies stuck close by. The masks let the women blend in which meant that the pirates didn't take their eyes off of them, each following within a few feet. An unofficial order was picked up by the pirates to pick one woman in particular and make sure she didn't get into trouble.
Slowly but steadily, the members of the Jewel of Hades entered the estate's main hall. The ceilings towered above them and thick velvet red curtains hung from the long windows every few feet. The crowd thickened as a large number of guests entered the narrow hallway, and Cordelia's large white wig blended in with the socialites of St. Martin. The hall led up an expansive staircase that opened into a laughably big ballroom. You could fit every island resident into this room, with a generous amount of space to spare. At the far end of the room, a landing with three empty chairs overlooked the room, most likely for the governor's family.
"Well, well, Clarkson's been busy. This room looks less like it belongs to the governor and more like it belongs to the king of France," Jonas remarked to Cordelia.
"Hmph," she gave an unamused chuckle and pursed her painted lips. "I think he may end up owing us a little more than a treaty. Perhaps a few luxuries as well?"
You could hear the governor's laugh from every corner of the ballroom. His deep bellied whooping was so distinctive, especially when followed by the soft cacophony of numerous other polite chuckles in response. In the center of the room, a large frosted cake with multiple tiers was the centerpiece of the occasion, with the governor's daughter's name in cursive icing.
Jonas quickly surveyed the room for his crew. Several women were clustered into circles, uncomfortable in such a social setting, while Joyce, Celandine, and Victoria were already socializing with other women, pretending that they belonged.
"Is it Maxine's birthday?" Cordelia asked Jonas.
"I don't think so," Jonas said, "There's no age on the cake, no celebratory decorations, nothing to suggest that. It's definitely a ball for Maxine, but I'm not sure why."
A servant walked by with a tray of wine, and Cordelia grabbed one for herself. She daintily sipped it, which garnered a laugh from Jonas, watching this wild woman feign sophistication. As they walked, they found Nell, appraising the large centerpiece cake, identifiable by the orange dress that Cordelia loaned her. She hadn't seen Cordelia and Jonas approaching, and took her finger across the frosting and then into her mouth.
Cordelia was about to confront her to scold her for such childish behavior, but Jonas tightened his arm, keeping her in place. "Let her be. She's enjoying herself."
Cordelia didn't respond but did guide the two of them away from the cake, leaving Nell to the frosting. Slowly, Cordelia began to identify her own wardrobe among the crowd, spotting the masked ladies mingling with every guest. Several ladies were close to Nell, eyeing the cake with a deprived hunger in their eyes. Zephora was the most visible, charming multiple men with her seductive aura and immodest red dress. She would laugh at every remark the surrounding men told her, letting her fingers graze her exposed decolletage. She worked the individuals around her, and the pirate shadowing her stood outside of the convergence of men, and his arms were crossed impatiently.
Joyce wasn't close, she was interacting with the socialites, pretending that she was back in England and that she had never been kidnapped. For this brief snapshot in time, she was able to forget the stress she was under. She was approaching the governor's socially elite friends. The wine flowed more freely the deeper into the crowd she went. Victoria and Celandine trailed her- Joyce was clearly the most experienced in society despite the fact that they had all been members of English high society.
A young woman who looked quite bored was standing at the outskirts of a large group of older men and women. She angrily swiped at a tray of wine, and was quickly chugging alcohol. None of the other people around her seemed to mind or even notice. Joyce and Celandine noticed but their upbringing prevented them from saying anything, but Victoria could not hold her tongue. She approached the young woman and was completely ignored by the elders around them. "If you're going to drink like that, at least have a friend to join you." Victoria also took a glass of wine from a passing tray and chugged it as well. The girl's eyes widened slightly but maintained her bored affect.
"Do I know you?" She spat.
Victoria dabbed the corner of her mouth after finishing the glass. "No. Lady Victoria Kesselbrooke, pleasure."
Her cool confidence surprised the woman, who responded, "Lady Maxine Schreave, daughter to the governor of St. Martin.
Victoria hid her shock well, giving a soft smile. Joyce, who was standing behind her, gently grazed Victoria's wrist, as if to say 'We shouldn't be talking to her'. They were too close to the fire, and if Jonas saw them speaking with the governor's family he might think they were interfering with them.
Victoria didn't care though. Maxine wasn't her the governor and Victoria could possibly gain some insight from a naive girl.
"What's the celebration for? I'm sorry I came with my father, and he never tells me much at all," Victoria claimed, trailing off at the end.
"Oh," Maxine seemed surprised at Victoria's ignorance, but it touched a subject Victoria was sure that Maxine would relate to, given her apathy before she introduced herself. "My father is presenting me to society officially. He has invited the most influential suitors of the Carribean to stay, as I'm expected to find a husband soon."
Victoria nodded, and noted the presence of older people around them, most likely the parents of the suitors who were mingling with the governor some several feet away. In the same manner, as her own marriage, her parents co-ordinated most of the details, leaving the young people in the background as pawns to advance themselves in society.
"Have you met any yet?"
"No," she pouted. "They're going to be introduced in a little while at the party."
Victoria knew that this information could be useful to Jonas. Over her time with the pirates, one thing stuck with her. Pirates made everything up as they went along, and it drove her insane.
"Fantastic. Until then, you should have some fun as a bachelorette. Join us for some cake?" Victoria hooked her arm with Maxine and motioned for Joyce and Celandine to follow.
"Mother says cake goes straight to my hips."
"What your mother doesn't know won't hurt. Party cake doesn't count," Celandine interjected with a girlish giggle.
"Uhm," Joyce paused. "I'll catch up with you all. I need to find the ladies room." She split from her friends, eyeing Florence, who was staring her down between guests in the crowd. Florence walked away, meaning for Joyce to follow her through the crowd. They met by the wall, where Florence started pulling at the bodice of her gown, irritated by its impractical nature.
"This worked better than anticipated. We can sneak out now while everyone is distracted."
"But-" Joyce started.
"But nothing. Let's go."
Florence began walking towards the exit, grabbing Joyce by the forearm. The music stopped, and the crowd stopped mingling, leaving an expectant silence. Florence stopped in her tracks, her instinct kicking in to hide against the wall and stay still, and Joyce followed suit.
The governor was by the throne-like chairs, and his wife stood next to him. "I'd like to welcome everybody to my humble home. We are gathered here, my wife Amberly and I, to celebrate my daughter Maxine. I'd like to introduce the young men that have offered their hand in marriage to her."
The governor was a portly man, with a white wig on top of his head. He swung his arm to the left, the gold jewelry on his wrist jingling. A footman announced each man one by one. As he said each name, Florence nudged Joyce. "Everyone's distracted by this. We must go now." Light clapping and murmurs among the crowd muffled their movement.
Joyce bowed her head, slightly ashamed by her abandonment of her friends. Meeting Maxine a moment ago reminded Joyce of the life she was meant to have. She was the Jamaican governor's daughter. Not a pirate.
The footman's voice seemed to resonate louder and filled the room. "Adrian McLean of Jamaica." Joyce stopped in her tracks. She whipped her head toward the front of the room and saw him. The love of her life. He descended the stairs slowly, his face blank and stern. His full cheeks supported dark circles under his eyes, and his normally radiant, ever-present smile was gone. Joyce was unsure if her heart was going to leap out of her chest at the sight of him or break. He was Maxine's suitor. Why was he Maxine's suitor?
Joyce ripped her arm out of Florence's grasp. "Joyce!" Florence growled at her, her nails raking along Joyce's skin. It was useless though. Joyce stumbled into the crowd, tripping on her skirt to get to the front of the room. She pushed past lords and ladies who gasped at her rudeness, but she didn't pay them any mind. At the front of the crowd, she stopped. Adrian approached the line of suitors on the stage but stopped in his tracks. His eyes fixed on Joyce and he turned white as a ghost. Joyce stood expectantly. Her heart hoped he would break away from the line and run to her.
Instead, his wide eyes shot to the ground. His pallor verged on green and he looked like he might be sick. He stood in line, avoiding her gaze.
Tears welled in Joyce's eyes, emotion overcoming her. She turned to run back, her mind foggy with confusion, but Cordelia stood directly behind her.
"What's all this about?" Cordelia asked quietly. Her brows were furrowed but the worry was evident in her eyes. She cared for the girls, despite her harsh demeanor.
Joyce couldn't speak. If she opened her mouth, a sob would escape. She put her head down, trying to keep a low profile and headed for the nearest doorway away from the ballroom. Cordelia attempted to follow, but the presentation of the suitors was over. As the crowd began moving again, Cordelia lost her sightline on Joyce. "Damn," Cordelia berated herself. She scanned the crowd one more time before giving up and going back to Jonas. "Joyce ran off," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"She was crying, I'm not sure why, and I lost her in the crowd." Jonas furrowed his brows and began to walk off like he was going to find her, but Cordelia stepped in his way. "You need to stay here. I'll go. We need to come up with a plan to corner the governor. Focus on that."
As Cordelia ran off in search of Joyce, Jonas continued to scan the room. The governor had quickly disappeared after the presentation of the suitors, while Maxine stood on stage, looking like she was going to vomit as a couple of suitors talked over each other at her.
"Considering this is a ball, would you like to dance?" a voice said behind him.
Jonas turned to see Maia and smiled. She wore a gorgeous two-piece ball gown, looking quite exotic and out of place among the powdered ladies of the court, but gorgeous nonetheless. "Of course, love." He held out his hand, which she took and wrapped his other arm around her exposed midriff. He guided her to the main dance floor and turned her to face him, his fingers gliding over her skin giving her goosebumps. With refined grace, he danced with her, following the same routine as the surrounding dance partners and leading her. She was not as practiced but caught on quickly.
"You seem quite elegant- for a pirate," she remarked with a smirk.
He jokingly hushed her. "I'm not a pirate here, love. Not yet. The night's still young." Maia felt her cheeks warm, unsure if the wine she'd sipped earlier was starting to affect her or if she was reading into his words too much.
"I think that is what concerns me the most about you, Captain Jonas. You are not like the pirates I've heard about, and you definitely don't remind me of the legends of the Pirate King of the Jewel of Hades. Were any stories I heard true?"
Jonas smiled as if recalling an inside joke. "I guess it depends on the stories you heard."
Maia, frustrated by his aloofness, but also entertained with the banter gave him a playful smack on the forearm, barely hard enough to feel beneath his suit jacket. The song finished, and Jonas led Maia without a word toward the open courtyard. There were only a handful of guests in the doorway, and none in the late summer night air, as the candles were starting to burn down outside and the servants providing the free wine were among the ballroom crowd. She was about to tease him again, about how improper it was to be alone with a man, but the sound of giggles came from behind a bush.
Jonas and Maia looked at each other in shared surprise, and Maia held a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Jonas held a finger to his lips and led the two of them to the side of the bush. Maia gave some resistance, the British upbringing in her offended that Jonas would want to intrude on someone like that, but reminded herself that she was with Jonas. He was a literal pirate and she was certain that the lovers behind the bush would not see them from the angle Jonas approached at.
Jonas crept forward, but at the sight of the couple in partial disarray, he stood straight and let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Amberly?" he said, clear as day.
The couple stopped immediately, and the man quickly pushed himself off the ground and ran off in the dark.
The woman stood, quickly tying the strings on her bodice to their original tightness, bowing her head to hide her face. "Amberly, is that you?" Jonas laughed incredulously.
The governess's head look up and fixated on Jonas. Her painted makeup was smeared and her hair was unravelling within her elaborate braid. She froze like one of the garden statues, unsure of what to do. Her words escaped like she'd seen death. "How are you here?"
Jonas laughed like he'd just won a hand of poker. Jonas pulled Maia in by the waist grinning widely. Amberly's breath quickened and like a scared mouse, she tried to run, getting caught on her petticoat. It wouldn't have mattered though, because as soon as she turned, Jonas had his pistol out and aimed at her. "Ah ah ah. Amberly, have some class. What kind of hostess doesn't offer to give her guests a tour?" Jonas let go of Maia's waist and approached Amberly who clutched her petticoat in her fists. "Where's your husband?"
Thanks for reading!
I was going to make this chapter much longer but I was already nearing my normal limit and there was so much more to the ball scene that I decided to split it into two.
Let me know what you think! Part of me is so excited to get this story on paper that I worry it seems unorganized.
But I appreciate all the feedback! It helps me improve! Until next time!