So, please enjoy!
-Romen
PS- Please forgive me if Elizabeth calls Gov. Swann 'Ada', but I'm also working on something for LOTR.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. I do own Margaret, the mentioned Madame Herrington and Mr. Henry.
3. In the Governor's House
Will clutched his small package of clothing and other essentials tightly in his hands. The sound of the horses' hoof beats on the cobblestone streets of Port Royal echoed in his ears. He could Elizabeth chattering excitedly with her father.
"Oh, yes, we've redecorated the parlor while we were away, haven't we, Father?" she was saying, barely being able to keep still. "What color is it now?" She turned to look at Will. "It used to have an olive and cream accent, didn't it, Father? Now it is..."
"It's still olive and cream," the governor admitted, slightly shrugging. "However, the molding is a bit different and the cream has a slight olive accent."
"I can't wait to see it!" Elizabeth softly clapped her hands together in anticipation. "Father's friend Mr. Henry designed it for his. That's what he does professionally, isn't it, Father?" She looked at her father again, blinking.
"Yes, that is Mr. Henry's job, dear."
"I want to do that when I become an adult. Oh father, do you think that I could?" Elizabeth smiled hopefully.
Governor Swann sighed. "Elizabeth, you are a young lady, and that is hardly a profession for a young lady to pursue."
"Oh." Elizabeth's face fell, but it soon shone with inquisitiveness. "Then what is a profession that a young lady like me should pursue?"
"Dear, why don't we go over this later..."
"But, Father, I want to discuss it now..."
"We can talk about this another time, Elizabeth." The governor pointed out the carriage window. "Right now, we're here."
Elizabeth jumped about an inch in her seat, poking her head out of the window. She turned back around to face Will.
"He's right, Will; we are here!" She grinned. "You'll like it so much here. There are a lot of horses..."
"Not that you will be riding any of them," Governor Swann quickly intercepted.
"Yes, well," Elizabeth began again (a bit sheepishly?), "it is very lovely inside, and there are many books in the library, if you care to read them."
Will could feel the carriage stop. He swallowed, his throat suddenly quite dry. The door opened. The governor stepped out first, then took Elizabeth's hand to assist her. Will followed, feeling very small and unimportant. The sight of the mansion only increased this.
"Here it is," Elizabeth said, pointing towards it. "It's a bit...smaller than our chateau in England, but I feel much more comfortable here, as if this is my real home." She smiled, clasping her hands behind her. "I can't imagine ever living outside of Port Royal."
Will could only manage to say, "Smaller?"
Elizabeth laughed, grabbing his hand and running towards the entrance. "Come on, let me show you around!"
"Be careful," Will could hear the governor say somewhere behind them. This just caused more giggles to erupt from Elizabeth.
"Where are we going?" Will asked when he found his voice again. Elizabeth just turned around to glance at him, and then laughed again. Will wondered if she was making fun of him, but then decided that this was part of his odd nature. He had noticed such behavior from Elizabeth quite frequently when they were on the ship. He supposed that she must act this way here as well.
"Here we are." Elizabeth stopped in front of a door and crossed her arms, smiling. She turned back to look at Will, observing his face.
"What is it?" he asked softly, glancing back and forth between Elizabeth and the door.
"This," Elizabeth said, turning the doorknob and opening the door, "is the schoolroom."
Will frowned, stepping inside. "That's it?"
"That's it! Will, don't you understand?" She sat down in one of the chairs, expecting an answer from him, her eyes wide.
"Uh, it means we'll have school...in here?"
Elizabeth frowned. "Well, yes, but it also means that my father won't be sending me to Finishing School any time soon." She paused. "You know what Finish School is, don't you?"
"Yes, I know what Finishing School is." He glanced over at some of the books nervously. "But, he hasn't said anything about sending you to Finishing School, has he?"
"Well, he has a few times. 'Elizabeth'", she began, mimicking her father's voice, "'maybe if you went through Finishing School you might have already known not to put her elbows on the table.' 'Perhaps you would embroider an N that looked less like an R if you'd gone through Finishing School.' You know, just small hints like that. I found out about the schoolroom right before we arrived from Captain Norrington."
Will tried to imagine Elizabeth in Finishing School. The vision was not very pleasant.
"Aren't you a bit young to be sent to Finishing School?" Will asked cautiously.
"Madam Herrington says that no one is too young to learn some manners," Elizabeth quoted, crossing her arms.
"Who's Madame Herrington?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "She's the woman who has been trying for years - since I was five, I believe - to have my father admit me to Finishing School. Truly, I have to agree with her."
That was something that he hadn't expected to hear out of her! "You agree with her?"
"Well, not that I want to go or anything, it's just that there are a lot of girls even younger than me who are already enrolled," she admitted, unfolding her arms to shrug. "Some of them are even seven years old."
"If there are many girls who are younger than you in the school, then perhaps your father won't enroll you at all."
Elizabeth sighed. "We can only hope."
A maid appeared in the doorway. "Good day, Miss Swann."
Elizabeth sat up straight. "Good day, Margaret. What brings you here?"
"Gov. Swann has asked me to escort Mr. Turner to his sleeping quarters," Margaret replied, smiling down fondly at Will.
"Go along, Will," Elizabeth said sadly. "I suppose I shall go and observe the parlor."
Here's the responses:
radcliffe18 : I'm glad that you like it so far. Sorry for the slow update!
TrudiRose: Thanks! I hope that you liked this chapter as well.
williz: Yes, I have enjoyed writing this one so far. I'm glad that you like it!
BelleChat: Thanks! Yes, I have always wanted more from the movie when Elizabeth and Will first meet.
RoXySuRfEr12: Ha ha I'm glad that you're interested; so am I.
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