Obligatory disclaimer: The Mouse owns all, save my own original characters.
When Julia awoke from her nap that afternoon, she felt more restless than rested. Normally, opening the window to her cabin to smell the salty crispness of the sea and listen to roar of the waves as they crashed against the hull of the ship was enough to settle her nerves. Never one to suffer from seasickness, Julia took to the water like the namesake of the ship – Amphitrite.
From what Julia could remember of her Greek mythology, Amphitrite was an ancient Greek sea-goddess and consort of Poseidon. Furrowing her brow in thought, Julia tried to recall what her tutor indoctrinated into her head. Amphitrite was mother of Triton, messenger of the deep, of that Julia was sure. Amphitrite rarely appeared with her husband in works of art or during worship – and thus was not as well known – but she was quite important at time of the creation of her myth, having appeared at the birth of Apollo. Julia remembered several images of the goddess being drawn in a chariot pulled by seahorses with Poseidon beside her and one with crab pinchers at her forehead and nets draped in her tresses.
So, so beautiful. No wonder Norrington has a bust of her on the bow of his ship. But her beauty is not going to make me any less tired. Or distressed. You have got to find something to do rather than sit around and brood. What was it that Mother always said – idle hands are the Devil's playthings? Well, the walls are only getting closer.
When Julia awoke, she felt the unbearable urge to run pell-mell through the maze of passages in the bowels of the ship, just to blow off her pent up energy. Unsure of where such fortitude stemmed from, Julia pushed herself upright and made two decisions: to find something, anything, to occupy her time and to have that something, anything, not involve Mister Cobb. With a brow wrinkled in frustration, Julia swung herself out of bed and decided to explore the labyrinth of hallways below deck.
Julia slowly crept through the bowels of the ship, her tread on the boards light and her senses sharp as she tried to find diversions. She smiled down at her feline companion as the cat followed Julia with blind devotion, purring its contentment. The galley offered no respite from her tedium through either cooking or cleaning, nor did any of the men having any sewing for her to mend. Biting her lip in contemplation, Julia realized that either she went above deck to be entertained or back to her cabin. Neither choice was desirable. Mister Cobb seemed to be above deck, as Julia had yet to run into him. But, so seemed Captain Norrington.
Julia was unwilling to admit, even to herself, that after the enjoyable morning having breakfast with Captain Norrington, she was doing her damnedest to avoid the captain at all costs. Her simple reason was based entirely on the great time they had spent together; something was going to spoil the fragile camaraderie between the two of them. And that something was more than likely Captain Norrington's caustic attitude.
But as Julia climbed the steps to go above deck, she ruminated that maybe Captain Norrington realized his mistake in branding her a soiled dove. After all, he made no advances on her in the inn's common room. In hindsight, his lack of pursuit almost disappointed Julia, a fact she could barely admit even to herself, but only because she considered herself somewhat more appealing to some of the girls she had seen men coaxing back to their rooms.
But Captain Norrington acted as a gentlemanly escort as they explored the streets of Nassau, looking for an openpatisserie. Both of them revealed little about themselves that morning, their conversations mainly restricted to comments on their surroundings, but occasionally wandering into current events. After spending several hours with the captain, Julia hoped that despite traveling without a chaperone, she had impressed upon him what kind of woman she was. That he would realize she was a woman of virtue and should be treated as such.
Or at least a woman who will not lie down for a few coins. I hope.
Reaching the deck, Julia looked up at the bowsprit to see who manned the wheel and noticed that Mister Cobb was at the helm; his hands relaxed on the wheel, looking no worse for wear. 'Tis as if he slept like a babe last night. His gaze, focused on the horizon, shifted when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Julia was bestowed with a flash of white teeth as Mister Cobb smiled at her, followed with a wink. Neither of which she knew how to respond, so, with a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement, Julia headed in the opposite direction and strolled towards the bow of the ship.
The few men she passed barely glanced in her direction, their heads hanging quite low, pathetically trying to fight the effects of gravity and looking quite haggard. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, she nonetheless was unable to suppress her mirth and bestowed each with a beaming smile. None of the men showed any malice towards her; rather, Julia's amusement made a few of the men crack smiles of their own, as if they realized how inane their situations truly were. If having fun caused this kind of effect, Julia mused, then she would rather be bored.
As her steps took her to the fore of the vessel, Julia mused over the events of her life and how, through several strange twists of fate, some her own fault but mostly just random coincidences, they brought her to the deck of theAmphitrite. How, too many years ago to recount, she was a child living the most comfortable life in Cheshire that a girl could ever imagine, then suddenly forced into an arranged marriage to a man that she had never met, and then was forced moved a half a world away.
Best not think about that now, as there is very little you can do but keep going forward with your life. No use crying over spilt milk.
So entwined in her own thoughts, Julia realized too late to retreat without raising questions when she noticed the captain at the bow. His attention was caught by something in the water; he was leaning slightly forward with his waist against the railing, his hands clasping the balustrade. Man overboard? Surely not as he would be more frantic than inquisitive if that were the case. Intrigued, Julia continued her journey to the front of the ship, trying to make a bit of noise so as to not startle the captain and send him tumbling over the side of his vessel.
Stepping up beside him, Julia turned so that the hollow of her back planted against the rail and her elbows propped on the railing, not caring how improper her attitude was. Turning her head to the side, she let her gaze travel across the horizon before turning to the captain and asking, "Searching for an elusive mermaid or pondering the repercussions of tossing me overboard?"
Julia was relieved to see a smile grace his lips as Captain Norrington turned to face her. His green eyes gleamed with amusement as the wind whipped tendrils of hair loose from his queue. With the sun beating down on him, his brown hair burnished nearly golden in the sun, the captain looked every inch a sea god rising from the foam.
With a raised brow, he replied dryly, "No mermaids in these waters, but now that you are on to my plans, I suppose I might have to change my tactics." When his response elicited a bemused smile in return, Norrington continued. "Actually, your dolphins are back and, I swear, they keep looking up here. Come. Take a peek. It must be you they are seeking. For they have no interest in the conversation I have been hurling down at them. And blessed be, " the captain motioned Julia closer to his side. "I think that they heard you!"
Shyly, Julia slid closer to the captain and leaned forward. A smile curved her lips and a laugh escaped from her throat as she watched the dolphins ride the surf. As if on cue, the pod of dolphins all looked up and began to chatter amongst each other.
"See? I told you so!" Norrington felt a sense of rapture that had been absent in his heart for too long. His life had become somewhat of a charade over the past several years, with Norrington just going through the motions set forth by others, but with the presence of one Miss Ramage on his boat, Captain Norrington found himself experiencing emotions he thought were long since forgotten. And while the feelings made him feel rather heady, as if having one pint too many, he was not entirely sure if he liked surrendering his ironclad control over his emotions.
Feeling a blush tinge her cheeks, Julia floundered for something else to talk about, something to deflect the attention away from her. After their breakfast, and now this interaction, the two of them were now in very unfamiliar territory. Did something happen that she did not recall that caused this truce between them or was the conviviality only fleeting?
"They are magnificent. I just wish I could interact with them somehow. Like with birds, where you can throw them a few crumbs? Thank you for pointing them out; seeing them fills my heart with such joy it makes breathing difficult." Seeing the captain smiling indulgently at her, Julia ducked her head to hide the pink tingeing her cheeks. Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Julia decided to change topics. "It has turned out to be a fine afternoon. With clear skies and this wind, which seems to be with us rather than against us, how long shall it take before we reach port? A few days?" Julia tried to find a neutral topic of conversation. Until she knew for certain that their accord was not precarious, at best, Julia felt it safest to keep discourse to topics of certitude; attempting conversation of a personal vein might prove disastrous and hurtful – to herself.
Of course she wants to get back to her life in Charles Towne. Of course she is not interested in the dolphins at her feet. Of course she is not interested in life on the ship. And of course she is certainly not interested in… me.
Realizing that Julia was expecting an answer, and that his thoughts had gotten away from him, Norrington shook his head emphatically – desperately trying to rid his mind of the thoughts in his head. Especially the last contemplation. Such thinking would not do at all. And where on earth did that… pang come from?
"Well, save for the possible storm we might encounter between here and Charles Towne, I would say that your presumption is correct. However, there is a lot of ocean to cover over the next several days. Anything could happen. Best not to go looking for trouble by considering what might delay us." He paused, allowing his thoughts to drift. "Why do you ask? Are you in a rush to get back home?"
The tone of his words became cold. Distant. A fact that was not lost on Julia.
Putting her hand up in a deferential gesture, Julia tried to appease the volatile captain. "Well, not a rush, but is not everyone anxious to return home after being away? Especially after leaving rather unexpectedly? Now please, Captain Norrington, do not think I am looking for trouble of any kind. I only ask, because my journey to the Caribbean was smooth and uneventful. But now that we are moving away from the islands and towards the mainland, I must admit that I cannot help but to fear the worst. I have found, in my albeit limited experiences, that with the good times comes the bad."
Norrington peered at Julia down the length of his nose, a barbed comment on the tip of his tongue. Not only did she want to be as far away from him in as short amount of time as possible, but Miss Ramage was now openly courting disaster. Could she be any more exasperating?
"I see," was his only reply.
Knowing she was stumbling over her own tongue, Julia tried to salvage the conversation. "I did not mean to speak so freely. I apologize for overstepping my boundaries. I have always been pessimistic; I must confess that it is one of my most grievous flaws." She paused a moment, closing her eyes and willing her pounding heart to slow, before trying to make one last attempt at smoothing things over. "It has to be a brave man to navigate these waters on a regular basis…"
Norrington knew she was baiting, but curiosity got the better him. "What a curious thing to say. What makes you think that?" His inflection was snide.
He was angry and Julia had no idea as to what precipitated the reason. "Well, with cutthroat pirates roaming the waters, looking for cargo to plunder…" Julia's voice dropped away, as if unsure if she should continue.
Captain Norrington pushed himself away from the rail and took a step towards his passenger, menace lacing his every movement. Who did she think she was? To be so presumptuous as to think she knew what the waters held? "Pirates? What do you know of pirates?" He hated the fact that his animated arm movement punctuated his words, but felt helpless to stop them.
Julia took an involuntary step backwards and raised her hand to her throat in a defensive gesture. "Well, my husband–."
"Husband?" The word was spoken with such a spasm of venom that it surprised even himself. Color formed high on his cheeks while the rest of his pallor went pasty white. Pain shot through his hands as they balled into fists, his fingernails cutting into his flesh. The shock was so great that he felt himself start to shake in rage.
The anger in his voice surprised Julia. Why would Captain Norrington be upset that she was married? If anything, her rectitude should have suddenly improved with such news. Being married meant that she was no longer a wanton woman, did it not? What is wrong with this man?
Julia cocked her head in confusion, her brow furrowed in perplexity. "Yes. He… uhm… he once mentioned tha–."
She has a husband. Instead of everything suddenly making sense, Norrington felt the world around him start to swim. It was all he could to keep from reaching out and grabbing a hold of the handrail to keep his balance. Looking at Miss Ramage, or rather Missus Ramage, he saw that her lips were moving in speech but heard none of the words that she spoke. She has a husband.
"I apologize," Norrington interrupted, his voice suddenly silk. "But I just remembered that I have pressing matters that I must attend to. Good evening, Missus Ramage." There was unmistakable emphasis on her title. Once again, Julia watched his retreating back as scurried away from her with as great haste as possible.
A/N: OH. MY. GOODNESS. Thank you so very much for your kind words and encouragement. I will try to update often, but not so often that I can't leave you in suspense from time to time. ;)
