She did not know why but Abigail was looking forward to Nassau. By all means, she should not, it was after all where she had been kept prisoner.
She spent the last day on board at the bow of the ship, not taking her eyes off the town and the fort she had left under much different circumstances earlier in the year. After they had finally anchored in the bay, the crew were busy preparing the boats to take them ashore. Charles joined Abigail who still could not look away from what waited ashore, and came to stand behind her.
"Welcome to Nassau," he said in a slightly sarcastic voice, bending down, his mouth coming to a stop next to her ear. Abigail twisted around and greeted him with a grin. When she spoke, it was in a slightly teasing tone, "Thank you, Captain." Her words were accompanied by an exaggerated curtsey and he could not help but laugh.
"The boats are ready," he spoke and led her to the ladder that would take her down into the boat. He went down first and she quickly scrambled after him. Soon the boat was full and they began rowing toward the jetty.
Abigail did not know where to look first. Of course, Nassau had all the dealings of a normal town, but its inhabitants were far more diverse than what Abigail was used to. Then there were the countless tents that lined the beach. Charles had told her that each crew had a camp on the beach. He and his crew had one, too before they took over the fort. The closer they got, the more sounds reached her ear. Animals squealing, the waves crashing on shore and so many different people talking in all sorts of languages.
Charles's eyes instead were drawn to two figures standing on the jetty, seemingly waiting for them. Seeing Jack and Anne waiting for them like that, could not bode well he figured. Abigail noticed his tension and twisted her head around until the spied what had gripped his attention. Two people, a man and a woman, were quite obviously waiting for them. The man garishly dressed, the woman with long, red hair and a hat drawn deep into her face.
As soon as they stepped foot on the jetty, the man spoke, "There have been… several developments. We need to talk, Charles." Jack started turning away from them, no doubt wanting to lead them somewhere private, but stopped dead when he saw Abigail coming to stand next to Charles. Jack looked from Abigail to Charles and back, a puzzled look on his face. "What is this now?", he asked, looking quizzically at Charles. Charles's only answer was to give him a light shove, growling out at low, "Not here, Jack."
Jack lead them towards the brothel, Charles following him closely. Anne however had fallen into step next to Abigail and was giving her frequent side glances. She did not say anything but Abigail was certain the red-headed woman next to her was watching her like a hawk.
They finally settled in one of the upstairs rooms in the brothel. Abigail's eyes had nearly fallen out when they had crossed the main room of the brothel. Drunken men groping half naked women, their breasts bared to the world. Men singing and stumbling about. She was shocked, never having seen such scandalous behaviour in the open before, but it also reignited that fire in her belly that Charles had been stoking in the past days.
Jack poured them all a drink and motioned for them to sit. Charles and Abigail sat down across from Jack, but Anne preferred to stay back and lean against the wall, carefully watching all of them. "Care to explain this", Jack asked, pointing at Abigail. Charles laughed under his breath and leaned back in his chair. He winked at Abigail briefly and introduced her, "Abigail Ashe meet Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny."
As soon as Jack heard her name spoken, he slammed his drink on the table and started pacing around the room. "Christ, Charles, have you gone insane? Why would you bring her back here? Surely her father will be looking for her." Before Charles could answer, Abigail spoke, "He won't." Both Jack's and Anne's eyes were suddenly looking at her, measuring her. "And do tell, why do you think that?", Jack spat back at her, clearly angered by the situation. Abigail sat up straighter and looked at him directly, her gaze furiously burning into his, "Because he's dead." "As is most of Charles Town," Charles interjected. "I take it Flint hasn't returned, yet?" Jack shook his head, "No, nobody has heard from him since he left in that man-o-war."
Wearily, Jack sat back down, "What exactly happened in Charles Town?" And so, Charles filled him in on everything. How Flint's truce had not worked out, how he captured the man-o-war and his men had lost it, and how he, Flint and Abigail had escaped the town. When he told them about what Abigail had done in Charles Town and why she was here, Jack only commented with a short, "I see." It was clear that he had many more questions but he would stay them for now. Anne however sent Abigail a brief smile and Abigail could not help but feel that she just made a new ally.
"So, what is going on here that has you so concerned," Charles asked after taking a deep drink from his ale. Jack looked at him with raised eyebrows, pointing once again at Abigail, "You sure you want to do this with her here?" Charles nodded, "She knows what I know." Jack's eyebrows could not possibly rise any higher on his face after hearing that statement and Abigail had to stifle a giggle at his dumbfounded look. Jack's eyes snapped back to her, the measuring look in his eyes returning.
"Several things have happened since you left," Jack started. "The Urca gold was lost. The Spanish came back before we returned. They had over 200 men on the beach and two ships guarding the bay. We were hopelessly outmatched." Charles raised on his eyebrows in response, "Please, tell me you didn't attempt to fight them." Jack shook his head once, "Of course not. We returned to Nassau, only to find out that Miss Guthrie had disappeared." Hearing that it was Charles's turn to raise his eyebrows, "Eleanor is gone? That does not seem like her." Jack nodded in agreement, "Indeed. That is what we thought. Hence, we did some investigating. Turns out it was Hornigold who took her. Gave her to the English in exchange for pardons for him and his men. Traitorous bastard that he is. She's on her way to England as we speak. She is furious at you, by the way. For the little stunt you pulled with her father." Jack paused briefly and drank some ale, "Max, of all people, has taken over Eleanor's affairs. We have taken residence in the fort, started clearing it but Flint really did a number on it. We need supplies and manpower to repair it and fast. The bay is vulnerable without it."
Charles nodded in agreement. The fort was sorely needed especially after what Billy had told him about the strike force waiting for them on Harbour Island. Jack and Charles spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out what to do. Anne and Abigail mostly silent. Anne because that's what she always did and Abigail did not have much to add to the conversation.
At one point, things between Jack and Charles almost came to a blowout. Jack had suggested using slaves to rebuild the fort faster and Charles was on him in a heartbeat. Charles left hand was around Jack's throat pushing him against the wall of the room, the other drawn back in a fist ready to strike, "Knowing what you know. Don't you ever, EVER suggest that again, Jack." Charles's fist struck Jack's face with a resounding crunch. He would have a black eye by tomorrow but having made his point, Charles let him go. Anne had gotten up when Charles had grabbed Jack but did not intervene.
At last though, a plan was formulated. Jack's crew would stay behind manning the fort, clearing it out while Charles's crew would go out and hunt down ships that had cargo they needed. Jack had explained that Max was doing a decent job of managing the merchants so at least for now, they saw no need to interfere. It was however important to secure their own position. Jack had drawn up a provisional list of supplies they needed and they would sail out hunting for ships carrying lumber to the English towns in the West Indies. They would need to careen the ship first but hopefully they would have their supplies within a few weeks.
With everything finally settled, Charles and Jack left the room, one to order some food and drink to be send up the other to relieve himself, leaving Abigail and Anne alone with each other.
Anne did not wait long to make her move and quickly settled into the chair that Charles had just abandoned, her eyes staring into Abigail's. Anne kept her stare up until Abigail had to look away, blinking rapidly, her eyes stinging.
Her dominance established, Anne started talking, "So, why are you 'ere? Wha' do you want?" Abigail started to recount her actions in Charles Town, but Anne interrupted her. "I know that, but you could've stayed. Nobody saw you." Hearing those words, Abigail realized what exactly Anne was asking her.
"I didn't want to stay. I didn't want to be at their mercy anymore. I wanted to be more than just a piece of furniture that men could do with as they pleased. That is what you asked, isn't it," Abigail asked. Anne gave her a sharp nod and vacated Charles's chair again, stepping closer to Abigail. Anne drew out her one of her many knifes and cocked her head, " 'as he taught you how to fight, yet?"
Jack intercepted Charles on the upstairs landing, blocking his way from proceeding towards the room they had occupied before. To the innocent onlooker Jack was casually leaning against the bannister waiting for him but Charles knew that he was trying to make sense of the situation.
Finally, with a shake of his head Jack started talking, "You know, I can't, for the life of me, think of how you and she ended up right here. I saw the way she was looking at you, and for that matter, the way you looked at her. What in the world happened between you two?"
Charles opted not to fight his old comrade on this. It would be tiresome and in the end, Jack would still get the information he desired. He had this way of being relentless in his pursuit for knowledge. Charles leaned against the bannister next to Jack. Several moments of silence passed before he spoke, "She killed for me and I owed her. Took her with me." Restless, he turned to look at the revelry below, gripping the bannister with his hands. "Then? I don't know what happened, but I know that if anything happens to her I'll burn this whole motherfucking town to the ground."
Jack clapped Charles on the shoulder, silently commiserating with him. Jack knew that this could spell trouble ahead for them depending on Miss Ashe's actions but at least, Charles was finally over the Guthrie bitch.
Meanwhile, Anne had begun Abigail's tutelage. The girl had immediately intrigued her. Not only because she had reminded her of herself when she was much younger. Abigail's admission had only cemented the respect Anne felt for her. A woman, choosing her own path and willing to use whatever measures to ensure she reached her goals, deserved respect and instruction. They were after all the underdogs in this society and they would do well in sticking together. Charles had done good work with the basics, Anne concluded when Abigail demonstrated what she knew.
When Jack and Charles approached the door to the room they immediately recognized the noises that were coming from inside: struggle, fight, danger. They shared one look and both drew their cutlasses. Giving Jack a little nod, Charles burst through the door and immediately stopped in his tracks, Jack stopping just a little behind him. Both trying to make sense of what was displayed before them: Abigail had Anne pinned on the table, dagger at Anne's throat.
Abigail's focus was drawn from Anne, when the door was slammed open. Charles and Jack stormed into the room, ready for a fight. Seeing them crash into the room, Abigail smiled at them, "Oh, you're back." She quickly took a step back from Anne, withdrawing her dagger at the same time. She looked back down at Anne and reached out. Anne grabbed her hand and Abigail pulled her back into a standing position and then in for a brief hug. A curt, "Thank you," left her lips, before she let go.
It was an incredulous, "What the fuck?" from Jack that finally broke the silence. Realizing that he was still holding his cutlass, Charles quickly sheathed it and came further into the room. She looked back at Jack and said, "Anne was just teaching me something." Jack shook his head and defeated, sank into a chair. With those two teaming up, he concluded, Charles and he wouldn't stand a chance.