…
Chapter Six
"See, I told you it wouldn't take long ter get here," Jack beamed as they looked down on the small cove in which he had hidden the dory.
"No," Celia agreed thankfully. After the amount of walking they had done to reach the farm, she was not sure she could walk too much further. "Jack…?" she mused as a thought suddenly came to her. "Why didn't you see the cottage when you found the way to this cove before?"
"Because I've never actually walked ter th'cove," he admitted with a rueful shrug, grinning sheepishly at her frown. "We sailed it round an' sailed back again in th'Pearl.
"Now you tell me," she remarked. "Come on, there's no point standing here and looking at it…"
"Are we going home?" Milly asked excitedly, clutching both her parent's hands. "Will Con be there?"
"Our home has gone," Celia told her gently. "The fire burned it down, but Connor will be waiting for us when we meet up with Papa's ship.
"When will we meet Papa's ship?"
Celia looked at Jack for an answer, finding only a shrug, and she pulled a face as she considered her answer. She had never knowingly lied to her children and she was not about to start now. "Hopefully soon, but the Navy scared them off so it might be some time before they dare to return."
"I thought pirates were tough!" the child pouted, folding her arms crossly. "They can't be that tough if two measly Navy ships frighten them all away!"
"No, luv," Jack chuckled, squatting down to her level. "Th'ships are made of wood an' burn all too easily, savvy, an th'fire chased them all away."
"Including your ship?" Milly asked, her lower lip jutting out.
"I hope my ship!" Jack declared theatrically. "Or I'll have Gibbs' guts fer garters!"
"That's silly!" his daughter giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. "But we will meet up with them, won't we?"
"We will," he promised, holding her tightly. "Now come on, I have food stored in th'dory."
"Proper food…?"
"Aye, proper food," he laughed, taking her hand and leading the way down the steep path. "Includin' hardtack!"
Celia watched from a perch on a large rock once they reached the bottom, as Jack, aided by Milly, uncovered the dory, marvelling at the use of a tree, which had fallen down the cliff in a landslide to disguise the boat. "Do you need any help?" she called.
"I might ter get her upright," he replied, taking his shirt off as the heat of the day started to get to him. "See that cave? There's some rope lengths in there, can you bring one out for me?"
"How long?"
"Long!" Jack watched as Celia wearily made her way to the cave, wishing that he had not had to drag them both across land to safety. He smiled to himself as she noticed him looking and bobbed a curtsy in her petticoat, her dress long since discarded in to her rucksack as being too hot to walk in.
Celia started as she reached the mouth of the cave, gasping at the sight of it crammed full with chests, ropes, sackcloth and various other bits and pieces. She selected a large coiled rope and tried to pick it up, realising the folly of it as it was far too heavy and so dragged it across the ground, making a trail in the sand as she went.
"Here," Jack murmured in her ear as he came to assist. "I'll give you a hand…"
"Behave," she scolded lightly as his hand pressed against her bottom. "We have work to do."
"Damn!" he cursed with a wink as he lifted the coil of rope and slung it over his shoulder.
Celia watched him walk back to the dory, musing how his wiry frame belied the strength of the man, and slowly followed him, standing with Milly as Jack tied the rope on to the bow. "Come on, Milly," she urged her daughter, doubting that he would not be able to drag the boat on his own.
"You're not pullin'," Jack warned as they approached. "I can manage." He picked his shirt up off the sand and put it back on, not wanting the rope to chafe his skin.
"You'll never get it to the tideline!" Celia exclaimed, glaring at him for his stubbornness as he began to heave on the rope.
Jack ignored her and continued pulling, every muscle in his body taut with the effort but finally the dory began to move, and he dug his heels deep into the sand as he strained some more.
"I'll help you, Papa," Milly declared, running over to the boat and pushing on the stern. "Is it moving now?" she called as she heaved with all of her six year old strength.
"Aye, luv, it is," Jack smiled, trying to keep the momentum going. To his relief, he soon felt the water lapping around his ankles and he let the rope go slack and sat heavily in the shallows, grateful for the cooling effort of the sea. "You can stop pushin' now," he told his daughter and grinned as her head appeared around the stern of the boat. "Th'water'll float her once it's deep enough."
"We did it!" she squealed, throwing herself into Jack's arms and overbalancing them both.
"Whoa!" Jack cried as he ended up on his back in the water, with a giggling Milly on top. "Now look what you've done!" he growled playfully, pushing her off into the water and splashing her.
"No!" she shrieked, splashing back and Celia watched from the shore, smiling and shaking her head as father and daughter played in the shallows.
"Come on, lass," Jack smiled eventually. "We have ter get th'boat stocked so we can sail back ter th'town."
"What if the Navy are still there?" Celia enquired, giving Jack a hand up and gasping with surprise as he caught her in an embrace.
"I couldn't see them when I looked yesterday," he murmured, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. "We should be all right…" 'Please believe me….'
"You always kissing!" Milly sighed with great exaggeration as she watched her parents' clinch. "Tommy Farrier says that's how you make babies by kissing."
"Tommy Farrier doesn't know everythin'," Jack smiled as he broke away. "Who is Tommy Farrier, anyway?"
"He lives down th'street from us – lived. I hope he's all right," the girl frowned as she thought of her friend and sometime foe with whom she fought a few battles with during her time in the house by the docks.
"I thought we had a boat to stock," Celia put in, not wanting her daughter upset by the fate of those they knew. She was having a hard time trying not to worry about Aggie and the other girls, let alone her toddler son, and the last thing she wanted was for Milly to start fretting as well.
"Aye, that we do," Jack lamented, kissing the tip of her nose before letting her go.
"Not you!" Celia stated firmly. "You can rest, Milly and I will manage quite well enough."
"But…"
"No! Sit down and rest – you look about ready to keel over."
"Aye aye, Cap'n," Jack replied with a grin and a smart salute, plopping back down on the sand and watching as Celia and Milly walked hand in hand to the cave. 'You're a lucky bastard, Sparrow,' he mused. 'Just don't bugger it up, eh?' He stared at Celia's bump as they returned laden with food and jars, wondering if he'd be able to love Oliver's child as Oliver had obviously loved his, reasoning that he probably would as he was already fond of Connor, and the unborn child would know no other father than himself. 'Father…?' he thought, smiling wryly to himself. 'Jack Sparrow, infamous pirate, an' father…'
"What are you grinning like a fool, for?" Celia enquired as she laid down her load on the sand, well away from the water's edge, indicating for Milly to do the same.
"Just contemplatin' life's little foibles," he replied, leaning his arms on bent knees and resting his chin on them. "An' how utterly ravishin' you look…"
"Jack Sparrow…" Celia warned teasingly. "I have work to do!"
"Alas," he sighed theatrically, pulling a face for good measure. He turned so that he was facing the sea, the worry that he had not sighted a ship of any description since they had fled Tortuga, returning with a vengeance and he had the horrible feeling that Stockton was laying waste to the town, either making sure that Jack could not get it up and running again, or wanting to take it over himself. 'Looks like I'll be based elsewhere from now on,' he sighed, tugging at his beard braids. 'An' I know just th'place…'
…
"Damned bastards!" Joshamee Gibbs spat in a rare display of temper. "Why can't they be done with and go!"
"Ain't got a clue," Gabriel Jennings sighed, leaning on the helm and looking in the general direction of Tortuga. "I hope th'Cap'n is all right, an' Miss Celia…"
"Aye, fer th'nipper's sake," Gibbs frowned, thinking of the small boy who had been wailing for his mother, despite Aggie taking care of him.
"Should we…?"
"Make fer th'cove? You reckon they'd have made it there – with Celia's condition, and all?"
"Might as well look," Gabriel shrugged. Better than sittin' here waitin' fer th'fuckin' bastard ter go!"
"Aye," the acting captain agreed. "Ready the guns though, just in case…"
"Aye, an' I'll double th'watch from the masts," Gabriel replied in his capacity as second in command.
"All hands ter deck!" Gibbs bellowed. "We're going to the cove!"
"'Bout bloody time, too," Elliot muttered. "Dunno why we didn't just stay near th'cove in th'first place…"
"Because th'wind blew us off course, yer daft eejit!" John Orchard mocked, rolling his eyes at Matthias Swain.
"We could've used th'sweeps," the younger man argued. "That would've worked."
"I tell yer what, why don't yer piss off an' find yer own command an' see if you can do any better, eh?" John snapped, the shock of the fire and then the pirate ships turning up, setting most of the crew's tempers on edge.
"All right, all right, calm down," Elliot retorted, starting to climb to rigging. "I'll just bugger off up here until yer in a fairer mood, shall I?"
"An' see if yer can start talkin' some sense while yer there, an' all!" came the carpenter's response.
"He'll only have himself ter talk to so of course he'll make sense," Matthias chuckled, winking broadly at his friend who grinned in spite of himself.
"Aye, reckon yer right," John chuckled ruefully, looking up at the figure of Elliot climbing ever higher. "Daft bugger…"
…
"In yer get," Jack urged, picking Milly up and putting her inside the upright dory. "You are goin' ter be a little more difficult," he mused, looking at Celia. "This couldn't've happened after yer'd had th'baby, eh?"
"Sorry," Celia apologised ruefully, hitching her skirts up and yelping with alarm as Jack scooped her up and put her, none too gently, into the boat, before climbing aboard himself.
"Take th'helm an' keep her steady," he ordered, busying himself unfurling the sail. "Milly, go an' sit with yer mother."
"Yes, Papa," the child obeyed, dodging beneath his legs and sitting on the bench next to Celia, placing her hand over her mother's on the helm. "I'll help her steer it."
"Good girl," Jack muttered, his mind otherwise occupied. "Celia, steer the helm to th'east."
"Which way is east?"
"Ter your left," he informed her, tying the sail securely and stopping to check the wind direction, pulling a face when he realised it was behind them. "Bugger," he muttered beneath his breath. 'We'll never make Tortuga at this rate,' Jack thought darkly. 'We'll end up on Haiti…' he pondered, looking across the Strait of Tortuga at the much larger island beyond.
"Problem?" Celia enquired, a worried frown creasing her brow. "You haven't seen a ship, have you?"
"As a matter of fact, I have…" Jack grinned, relief flooding over him as the bow of the Black Pearl appeared around the headland. "About bloody time you lot showed up!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Oh!" Celia exclaimed, hugging Milly to her in delight. "Oh, thank the Lord!"
"Nah, just Gibbs," Jack quipped, winking at her.
"Ahoy there, Cap'n!" came John Orchards' voice across the divide between them. "Glad ter see yer safe an' sound."
"Here, I'll take th'helm," Jack said, waiting for Celia to move so he could sit on the bench. "I'll tack away until she comes ter a stop then we can go an' meet them."
"Celia!" a woman's voice yelled and she strained to see who it was, relief flooding through her when she spotted Aggie's red hair flaming in the sunshine.
"Gawd, I hope we haven't got a load of whores on board," Jack worried. "Th'men'll never work!"
They sailed a short distance from the large pirate ship, waiting until she came to a halt and then Jack took them towards the black hull, hurling the mooring line up when they bumped against it.
"I'll take Milly up an' you come up in th'chair, eh? Yer haven't forgotten how ter sit in it, have you?"
"I'm sure it will come back to me," Celia smiled, kissing her daughter before Jack picked her up and put her on his back then climbed the Jacob's ladder to the deck.
"Milly!" Aggie shrieked, grabbing the girl into a bear hug. "Aw, gawd, we've been so worried."
"Come on then, luv," Jack smiled as he climbed back down to assist Celia into the chair.
"I thought I said I could manage…" she remarked, arching an eyebrow.
"Aye, but I've got ter be seen ter treat you right in front of th'crew!" he joked, yelping as she hit his bottom. "That bloody hurt!"
"It was meant to!" Celia grinned, leaning over and kissing him before the chair slowly started to rise.
"Mama, Mama!" Milly cried. "Connor is here!"
"Told you," Jack smiled as Celia closed her eyes in relief. "Now ter take you somewhere safe."
"Where?"
"I have an idea but want ter run it with the crew's council first, all right?"
"All right," she nodded, starting as she reached the top and begun to swing around to face into the deck of the Pearl. "Connor!" she gasped, flying out of the chair and snatching her son from Aggie's arms. "Oh, Connor!" she sobbed, tears of joy and relief pouring down her face.
"Make fer Port-de-Paix," Jack ordered. "An' keep th'watch goin'. Th'last thing we need if fer th'Navy ter take us by surprise."
"Navy? Port-de-Paix, Captain?" Joshamee enquired, wondering why Jack seemed to think it was the Navy who were in Tortuga.
"Aye," Jack responded, stressing the word and glaring at Gibbs to say anything to the contrary. "We need ter drop our guests off. I don't run a passenger ship."
"Fair enough," the quartermaster agreed. "Erm… you didn't mind me taking charge again, did you? Gabriel said he'd rather I did as he felt he hadn't been in my shoes for long enough…"
"Sensible lad," Jack nodded. "Now I know why I chose him as your successor. Celia, ter my cabin, luv – you as well, young lady," he ordered, ushering Milly towards his cabin. "You both need ter rest."
"I'm not going to argue, Jack," Celia replied. "But if you're going to be leaving my friends at Port-de-Paix, I'd like some time with them, please."
"All right, they can join yer in th'cabin," he conceded, nodding at Aggie who disappeared below to get the rest of the girls.
"Thank you," she smiled, reaching to peck his cheek and gasping with surprise as Jack turned his head and kissed her properly, much to the delight and amusement of his catcalling crew.
"A pleasure, luv," Jack smiled, indulging his crew their fun this once. "You go an' catch up with yer son an' friends, an' I'll go an' be captain."
"All right," Celia nodded, opening the door to the cabin and stopping as so many memories came flooding back to her.
"Still a mess, eh?" he chuckled, holding her waist and nuzzling her neck, crossing his eyes and making a watching Connor laugh.
"More of a mess, if you ask me!" she teased, moving away from his attentions. "I can see I'm going to be busy…"
"Aye," Jack grinned, his smile fading as some of the whores started streaming into his cabin. "I'll leave yer to it…"
"I take it Celia doesn't know who arrived," Gibbs stated once his captain re-joined him on the quarterdeck.
"No… do th'girls know?"
"Aye," the older man winced. "They all reckon they had a lucky escape."
"Bugger!" Jack swore, a frown creasing his brow. "I can't very well walk in there an' ask ter speak ter all th'girls, can I?"
"No, Celia will know something is up straight away and you wouldn't get a moments peace until you told her…"
"Bugger!" he repeated, turning his head and glaring in the direction of his former town. "So let's deal with him…"
"Eh?"
"You'll see, Gibbs. But first we drop this lot off, Celia included."
…
"Jack?" Celia enquired as she made her way up the steps to where he was standing. "What are you going to do?"
"Leave you at Port-de-Paix for a day or so an' deal with Davy bloody Stockton," he declared.
"But he has two ships – you can't!" she cried, staring at him in disbelief. "Is Tortuga really worth that much to you? So much that you'd put your life at risk and leave Milly without a father yet again?"
"This isn't about Tortuga!" Jack snapped, rounding on her. "It's about you worryin' yourself silly that Stockton will come after you, because I know that you will! It's about makin' sure he doesn't hurt other women th'way he hurt you, savvy?"
"But why is it so important now and not five years ago?"
"Because I didn't know that I loved you five years ago," he hissed quietly. "An' because I didn't know I had a daughter five years ago, a daughter that will grow up an' be in danger from th'likes of him, that's why!"
"Oh…"
"Aye, oh! Now go back an' get some rest. I'll call you when we're there."
"All right," Celia agreed softly, tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Jack sighed as he watched her climb back down the steps and disappear into his cabin, chastising himself for being so harsh with her, but also angry that she still automatically thought the worst of him.
"Almost there, Cap'n," Myles informed him, having heard all of the conversation from his position at the helm.
"I can see that!" Jack barked, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Thank you, Mister Burford," he added in a gentler tone. "I'm leavin' some of th'men ashore ter look after Celia an' th'nippers."
"Aye, good idea. D'yer want me ter be one of them?"
"No, I need you at th'helm. Good though Gabriel is, you're th'better helmsman."
"Thanks, Cap'n," he grinned. "So who d'yer have in mind?"
"Josia Phelps, Matty an' Gibbs," Jack pondered, musing out loud. "You reckon that'd be enough?"
"Don't see why not – it'll only be fer a day or so, an' Port-de-Paix ain't a trouble spot."
"That's what I was thinkin'," Jack agreed. "Gibbs! Rouse th'men," he ordered as they neared the port. "An' tell th'women ter be ready."
…
Haiti was the name of the whole island in those days.