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Chapter 5

Edward Norrington, hearing the loud racket as the boys noisily ran down the back stairs, let out a loud huff and stomped out of his study fully intent on admonishing the boys once again, with a cuff to their ears this time since the tone of his words hadn't done the trick the first time, but they were well out the kitchen door and three quarters of the way across the back lawn before he could intercept them. With another huff he turned around and headed back to his work with the thought in his mind, 'They will be back, and the cuffing he would administer to the three of them would be just as satisfying then.'

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James managed, at a dead run, to stay well ahead of his two friends all the way into town. As he entered the town he did a fine job of dodging the various customers traversing up and down the street, as well as the small scattered clusters of people standing around talking, only having to slow his pace a bit, and would have kept the distance between himself and his friends if not for the unfortunate timing of a shopkeeper who chose the exact moment James was passing his entryway to make an ill timed exit to sweep around his store front. The shopkeeper, being a rather good sized man, was only rocked back on his heels a bit by the impact. James, however, was not so lucky, receiving the worst end of the encounter as he went flying head over heels tangled up with the broom.

Theo and Andrew arrived on the scene to see James trying to untangle himself from the broom and scramble to his feet while deflecting the swats the angry swearing storekeeper was raining down on him with another broom that in James' estimation the man had come into possession of much more quickly than he would have liked. Theo and Andrew, being the good friends they were, immediately went into action to save their companion. They grabbed James by the arms, jerked him to his feet and made a fast get a way to the calls of the irate shopkeeper that he knew who they were and he would be contacting their parents.

The three only stopped after they had passed the main docks and reached the mostly abandoned piers on the far side of town. Falling down breathless from the exertion of their escape they lay there for some time trying to recover.

When he had mostly succeeded in catching his breath Theo sat up and nudged James with his foot as he chuckled and said, "You do know you looked quite foolish back there James, what with being sprawled out and swatted with that broom."

James groaned and replied, "That will no doubt fade in comparison to the birching Father will give me with when he hears about it."

Andrew sat up then as the full impact of what had happened and how much trouble he could be in with his own father hit him. With a hopeful tone he said, "Maybe Mr. Bruckheimer won't tell our parents."

"Oh I am most sure he is going to tell." James replied.

"Maybe he won't though James, you don't know for sure he's going to." Andrew said clinging to the hope he wouldn't have a birching of his own to look forward to.

James raised his head and gave Andrew a look, "He is going to tell Andrew, and I shall receive a birching for it." After a short pause James continued in a defeated tone, "Because Andrew, in case you hadn't noticed in the years you've known me, that is the way things always work out in my life."

"Well I do know I don't intend to sit around and be maudlin over the matter. Either he'll tell or he won't. Either we'll be punished or we won't. Either way there's no use in letting it ruin the rest of our evening lads." Theo said. He got to his feet and brushed the sand from his clothes then made 'get up' gestures at James and Andrew as he added, "Come on then the two of you, more to be doing than moping around here."

Andrew got to his feet, James finally followed suit a few moments later.

"And just what did you have in mind Theo?" James asked suspiciously.

Theo had a twinkle in his eye as he replied, "Might as well be hung for a lamb as a sheep James old boy. I hear there's a fine view through the back window of the Brass Tankard this time of evening."

"You can't be serious." James said disbelievingly.

"Serious as serious can be." Theo said happily. Then with a wink he leaned toward James and added, "Besides you might just see something that would assist you in your dealings with one Miss Victoria Stemple, show you exactly how the deed is done so to speak."

With a blush rapidly starting to color his face James replied huffily, "There are no dealings between myself and Miss Stemple."

"You mean not yet." Theo retorted, then with a wide grin he added, "There will be if that look she gave you as she was leaving the hill was any indication, and you can't tell me you don't want to be prepared if the situation presents its self James."

"I am prepared." James snapped back.

"You are?" Andrew asked with a bit of awe in his tone. "You mean you've done it……before….with a girl?"

James, totally embarrassed now with Theo snarkily grinning at him and Andrew looking at him with almost worshipful awe in his expression, snapped out, "That is not what I'm saying……I'm just saying….that is…..I mean…." he sputtered to a stop for a few moments then totally flustered he continued, "Blast! I'm not some kind of dolt; I do have a reasonably good idea of how acts of that nature are performed!"

Theo, nodding his head, and still with that snarky grin on his face, took a hold of James' arm, James still being a bit too flustered to resist, and began walking back toward town with Andrew bringing up the rear.

In a conspiratorial tone Theo leaned into James' ear and whispered, "Ah James, as well and good as that may be, I know there has got to be a bit of curiosity in you, perhaps in your case buried deep down, but there none the less, about the deed. I know I have some, or a lot even, and wouldn't it be much more informative to actually see the deed done, in the flesh, so to speak?"

To Be Continued

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