Hot winds of the Caribbean 2

Chapter 3

I spent the rest of the day in my room lying on my bed and walking in circle. The approaching wedding made me feel restless. I thought desperately what I could do to avoid it. Running away seemed the only reasonable solution, but I had no place where to go. If I stayed in Port Royal, they would find me in no time. And elsewhere I wasn't able to go from here.

I ate dinner again Mr. Smith and Phillip. Men discussed about coming merchant trips and I wasn't interested in their talk after a while. I bit my food bored and concentrated mainly to remember past. Pictures went as a string past my eyes. I remembered the moment when I had woken up from the Pearl and had seen Jack for the first time. I remembered the fencing lessons and drinking rum. But above all I remembered our first kiss and the events at the waterfall. Those moments had left an everlasting mark on me and I still felt burning on my lower stomach when I remembered our passionate moments.

Immediately after dinner I withdrew back in my room. Maria helped me again to undress and put a white nightgown on me, although I could have done it myself.

"Soon it is an important day, Miss", Maria said. "I am very happy for Mr. Spear and you. Your union will be definitely successful."

I snorted at the girl and asked her to leave. I crawled under the covers depressed because of the wedding day came closer all the time. I rolled in the bed for a long until finally I sank in to a restless sleep.

o

A cold breeze made me to wake up. I turned my head and I saw the window was open. Weird, I didn't recall opening it. Had someone been in my room after I had fallen asleep?

Shivering I rose from bed and walked to the window. I put my head out and stayed to stare the sea for a moment. There had been no changes in the view since I last time saw it. I sighed disappointed and shut the window. When I turned around I saw a dark figure standing in the room. I breathed in horrified. The house had been burgled! That's why the window had been open. And now the burglar was standing in front of me.

I thought quickly what I could do. I could shout for help, but the intruder maybe had a gun. He could kill me before anyone would arrive in time. On the other hand I had a sword and a pistol in my wardrobe. If I just somehow could get near enough…

The intruder walked slowly towards me. I took a step back until I collided with the edge of window. I fumbled something from next to me to my hand, but I couldn't find anything. After a moment the intruder stood right in front of me and I could smell rum. I sighed deeply and observed the man in dark. I distinguished his shape but not details. Still I was quite sure who had come to visit me.

"Jack?" I asked quietly.

Intruder grasped me and pulled me near him. I pressed myself against him, I was totally sure now. I reached out higher and pressed my lips on his. He kissed me back passionately.

"What are you doing here?" I asked after a long time.

"Ye wouldn't've wanted me to come, luv?" Jack asked.

"Of course I wanted!" I shouted quietly. "I understood you didn't want to see me again. And it is dangerous for you to be here."

"Nothing's too dangerous for Captain Jack Sparrow", Jack answered.

I laughed lightly. Jack was truly himself. I raised my hand and touched his face. I wanted to be sure he really was there. Jack took my hand and kissed my wrist. I sighed delighted. Slowly he moved his lips across my arm. When he had made his way to my neck I downright panted. How I had missed his touch!

At the same I heard a knock on the door. Terrified I pulled myself away from Jack and looked at him. When he did nothing to move, I told him to hide somewhere. Right when the door was opened and candlelight lit the room, Jack sneaked under the bed.

"Dear, is everything all right? Why are you up at this hour?" Mrs. Roach asked.

"I just got up to take a look at beautiful night view", I said quickly and smiled. Jack's fingers played with my toes and it was difficult me to be normally.

"I heard talking", old housekeeper said.

"I must have muttered something to myself. It is so beautiful out there at this time of the night", I explained while Jack was stroking lightly my ankle and my leg.

"Well, perhaps it is better for you to go back to sleep", Mrs. Roach said and moved over next to bed. "Come, dear, and I will tuck you in."

I slipped in bed and let the woman to put the covers on me. She smiled to me once again and left then taking candles with her. Jack moved from under bed to on it in a second.

"What all that was about? You could have caught!" I hissed as quietly as I could and rose to sit.

"Couldn't resist", Jack answered.

I gave a fake-angry look at him in dark, but pressed myself back in to his arms. I would have wanted to make love with him right there, but I knew it was impossible thought.

"Did you get your Pearl back?" I whispered at last.

"Not yet. Anamaria hasn't been in Tortuga at least a month. I came here on another ship. I joined its crew temporarily", Jack answered. "I think Pearl's in Isla de Muerta right now."

I felt a bit sorry for Jack. I knew how dear Pearl was to him. And on the other hand the ship was my home also.

"So now we have to go in Isla de Muerta, right?" I asked.

"Aye, if ye wanna come with me", Jack answered.

"Of course I want, stupid", I whispered. How could Jack even imagine anything else? "But how we can get there?"

Jack was quiet for a moment and just looked at me. Then he told he had promised quite a lot of money to captain Garter if she agreed to sail to Isla de Muerta.

"Don't say…" I muttered and I saw Jack nodding.

"I know ye don't like her very much, but she's a good person and a good captain", he said to me.

I nodded. We had no time to argue about it now. I rose from bed and quickly took off the nightgown. I saw Jack watching me, but it didn't bother me at all. I liked the way he let his eyes to slide across my body.

I grabbed my pirate clothes from the wardrobe and quickly put them on. Then I went to window and pushed it open again. For some reason I came to think about Mrs. Roach. She would definitely guess I had run away once again. Perhaps I should explain it to her somehow.

Quickly I lit a candle and took an inkbottle, a pen and a piece of paper. I dipped the pen in the ink and started to write.

"Love maybe doesn't bring the food on table or guarantee a secure life, but truth is there is no life without love. Please, explain Mr. Smith something that he won't come after me again. And apologize to Phillip for me.

Love,

Ann"

Jack peeped over my shoulder what I had written. He moved my hair aside and kissed my neck. I quivered from his touch and sighed deeply.

"Beautiful words, luv", he whispered. I glanced him amazed. How many pirate could read? Obviously there were quite a lot which I didn't know about Jack.

"We better go then", I said and left the note on my bed.

Jack nodded at me and walked to window. I wondered how he had been able to climb in without a rope but on the other hand he was a pirate after all. He landed down first and then told me to follow. Carefully I swung my leg out from window and tried to get sort of foothold. Slowly I started to get down. Suddenly I lost my grip and I felt falling. However, Jack got me. I smiled for relief and pressed a light kiss on his lips.

After letting me down Jack grasped my hand and pulled me over the yard. Soon we were on Port Royal's streets heading to the dock. When we arrived there I saw Stardust was anchored at the pier. I wondered greatly captain Garter's intelligence. Wasn't it quite rash to anchor in Port Royal?

We got on ship and met its crew's staring at once. Captain Garter walked to us and glanced at me oddly.

"Is this the 'treasure' ye went to get? I must say I'm very surprised, Sparrow", she said to Jack. He only satisfied to grin. However, I did everything that my smile wouldn't reach the ears. Had Jack called me a treasure?

"I recommend we'd leave here as soon as possible, captain", old man came to say Mary Garter.

"Ye're completely right, Easton. Tell the men to hoist the sails. We'll gonna towards Isla de Muerta", captain Garter answered.

She took the helm herself. Jack followed her and I followed Jack.

"Ye know Isla de Muerta cannot be found expect by those who already know where it is?" Jack said to Garter.

"I know. That's why I'll let ye take the helm first thing in the morning, Sparrow", she answered. "As far as I know ye, ye've somethin' else to do right now", she added and looked at me scornfully while talking.

I blushed lightly and felt anger towards that woman. The way she looked at me, was infuriating. However, she was the captain now, and I didn't think it was very good idea to argue with her. The plank didn't really tempt me. So simply I satisfied to follow Jack below deck to crew's premises.