Two days later found James with his thoughts once again on Miss Thompson. Yesterday she had been on deck before dawn wearing one of the mud colored dresses; only she had somehow contrived to alter it so that it was divided between her legs, giving her freedom of movement. Try as he might, he could find no sense of impropriety about the garment, and so he had merely acknowledged her with a lift of his eyebrow and turned away.
She really had worked extraordinarily hard and without complaint. To his surprise, the men had accepted her as one of their own and joked and bantered easily with her. At first they had respectfully and formally referred to her as Miss Thompson, but by the end of the first day they were calling her Miss Katherine. Today, some even were bold enough to address her as just plain Katherine. James had almost put a stop to this familiarity, but it was evident that it was based on respect and comradeship rather than any intent to be lewd and disrespectful, so he let it be.
As he watched her tie off a knot, he wondered which was the real Miss Thompson; the shy spinster, the sparkling flirt, or the cheerful hardworking competent woman. Why had she tried to deceive him and what was the purpose of her relocating to Port Royal? He had thought it was an effort to capture a husband, but that was evidently incorrect. The woman from the other night would have no trouble securing marriage proposals. James would even wager that Lieutenant Blackwirth would request her hand not long after the journey's end. The young whelp was clearly enamored and his eyes followed her every move. James did not like to think about why this bothered him so much. Miss Thompson's future was none of his concern. Once they arrived at their destination she would no longer be under his protection and his duty would be fulfilled.
He told himself that he was glad that he would soon be relieved of his obligation. Soon, the only interactions that he would be forced to have with her would be on a limited basis at social events. Considering the way that she managed to upset his equilibrium, it would certainly be for the best. Twice, within a twenty-four hour period, she had driven him to act in a thoroughly disreputable manner. First, he had insulted her and then, he had assaulted her. Both acts were unbecoming a gentleman and both had seemed beyond his control. Yes, even without the threat of pirates, they could not reach Port Royal soon enough for his peace of mind.
Katherine, with the exception of one minor annoyance, was having a wonderful time. She had never sailed such a large ship and found that it was exhilarating. The crew had been flatteringly accepting and respectful of her abilities. They treated her as one of their own. Well, maybe not completely as one of their own, Katherine wryly acknowledged to herself. She was not so naïve as to be unaware that they censored their language and topic of discourse when she was about. Still, many now used her given name and they included her in their conversations. A few had even taken the opportunity to teach her more about the workings of such a large ship, she was grateful for their kindness.
The only blot on the horizon was the man that she was currently furtively observing. Commodore James Norrington was busy securing one of the mainsail's lines. Katherine had been taken aback by his appearance yesterday morning. Gone was the wig and formal attire and its place was the simple garb that the merchant sailors wore. Today, the hot sun had caused him to roll up the sleeves of his shirt and she could see the muscles working in his forearms. She had thought him one of those bureaucrats who simply issued orders, with no real capabilities of his own, but she had been wrong. He was a competent sailor, who led by example rather than intimidation. The Commodore worked as hard, if not harder, than any of the crew.
Katherine found that she resented this about him. She did not want him to posses any admirable traits. He was an arrogant pompous man who had humiliated her on three occasions and she would not concede that he had any finer points. She would not forget the insults he had delivered. She still wanted her revenge, though it would have to wait until they were out of this danger and safely in Port Royal. He would pay; it was just a matter of the right time and place. As for the ridiculous awareness of him, that would pass, and in fact had already begun to do so. Katherine ignored the small voice in her head that questioned, "If it has begun to pass then why are you unable to keep your eyes from him? Why are you always aware of where he is?" Soon, they would arrive at their destination and after taking the opportunity to repay him for his slights, she would no longer have anything to with him. That day could not come quickly enough for her.
The sun was setting when the worst happened. James was pulled out of his thoughts, which had yet again strayed to Katherine Thompson, to hear the news.
"Commodore, there's a ship off port side. It's not flying standard colors."
James looked through the spyglass. Sure enough, there was ship on the horizon. Although it was clearly a Navy ship, it was neither flying the British flag nor the flag of any other country. This could not be good. James tried in vain to think of a solution to their dilemma. Unfortunately, they were at a clear disadvantage; they were sailing severely under crewed, the other ship was built for speed, and the worst of it was that the other vessel had the advantage of the wind. There was no way that that they could outrun them, to try to fight would be absurd. Their best hope was to peacefully offer the goods that they carried in exchange for their freedom. It was a long shot, but there had been times in the past when pirates simply took their plunder and left crew and ship unscathed. He turned to the Lieutenant and ordered, "Lieutenant, inform the men to that they are not to raise any weapons or in any way antagonize the crew of that ship until you give the word. I shall attempt to negotiate a settlement. If I am unsuccessful, I suggest that you fight with all that you have in you."
Katherine rushed forward and demanded, "Are you insane? Settle with pirates? We should arm ourselves now."
"Miss Thompson, you are neither in command of this ship nor do you have any idea of what you are proposing. In a fight ,we shall surely be the loser. Negotiation our only option," he rapped out at her and then ordered, "You will go below deck and barricade yourself in your room." Seeing that she was about to protest, he added, "That is an order, Miss Thompson."
Sensing the futility of argument, Katherine left and went below. James hoped that she would stay there but had little real faith that she would do so. However he did not have the time to ensure her cooperation. As the men tensely awaited the other ship to catch up to them, James considered changing back into his uniform. It would definitely give him more authority, but it might also cause him to be recognized and that would not help their cause. He had been responsible for the hanging of more than one pirate. No, he was better off remaining incognito.
After what seemed an eternity, the other ship pulled along port side. Grappling lines were thrown and planks lowered. James awaited the appearance of the ship's captain. It would be folly and a show of weakness to attempt settlement with anyone less than the captain.
Suddenly from across the divide, a familiar voice rang out, "Well, if it isn't my old friend, Commodore Norrington. And how has life been treating you, mate?"
James closed his eyes and let out a long suffering sigh, for the voice belonged to none other than Captain Jack Sparrow.