Disclaimer: Disney owns POTC and for some unknown reason they refuse to return my calls regarding what the third movie should be like.

AN: Back on my writing schedule. Building up the tension. Next chapter should have a lemony explosion.

Val was too keyed up to sit comfortably but she made the attempt by perching on the edge of a chair. "Katherine, you know that I never discuss my personal life but I find a need to confide in someone."

Val now had Katherine's avid attention. "What is it Val? Are you in some sort of trouble? Is that why you left England?"

"Katherine do you promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you? Not even James?"

Katherine hesitated for a moment. She did not like keeping things from James. Well that was not strictly accurate. Personally she had no problems with the philosophy of what he did not know could not hurt him but on one notable occasion when James had found out a bit of important withheld information he had made his objections forcefully known.

However, it was obvious that Val was sorely in need of a confidant. "I promise. What is it? You have me dying of curiosity."

"I … I … this is so difficult to tell." Val jumped up and began pacing again. "I… that is Mr. Sparrow and I… well Jonathon …" Val did not know how to break the news. Finally she sat down and just blurted it out, "Jack Sparrow and I are married." Silence met her confession.

Katherine was certain that she must have heard incorrectly. Did Val just announce that she and Jack were man and wife? That simply could not be true. Shaking her head she laughed and said, "This is what happens when you drag me from bed at so early an hour. I must be hearing things. I could swear that you said that you were married to Jack." She waited for Val to join in the laughter. After a few moments with no merriment from Val, she groaned, "I did not mishear, did I?" Then the questions came, "When? Where? Why?"

"Dear Lord, this is such a muddle. Let me start from the beginning." and so Val told the story to Katherine. The telling took close to an hour because of Katherine's continuous interjection of wry and sometimes disbelieving comments.

"So he simply disappeared in the middle of the night? I find that difficult to believe of Jack. If nothing else I would have thought that he would at least pause to enjoy the pleasures of the marital bed."

Val shrugged helplessly, "I did not understand it either. All I know is that I woke up and he was gone. He left no note or word with the innkeeper. I waited the better part of the morning before hiring a carriage back to town."

"Surely he contacted you in the following days and weeks?"

Val could feel the flush tinge her cheeks. She did not enjoy admitting to what in hindsight she now viewed as cowardly actions. "I arrived home to find my mother and aunt besides themselves with worry for me. When midday had passed and I had not joined them for tea, they were concerned that I was ill and had entered my room only to find my bed undisturbed. My mother, bless her foolishly romantic soul, had already more than half convinced herself that I had eloped in a fit of grand passion."

"Well she was not that far off the mark was she?' Katherine wryly commented.

"I guess not. She just managed to get the particulars all wrong. Any other mother would have thrown a blue fit but she was so ridiculously happy for me that I could not tell her the whole truth. There was no way for me to deny the entire episode so I merely patched together a more acceptable story. I told her that I had carried a secret tendre for an navy captain for the past few months. I wove a fable of how he was being sent off to fight in the war and that we had impulsively decided to marry before he left."

Katherine could not hide her scorn, "And she believed that?"

Val laughed, "My mother was a lovely but rather silly woman. England was not even at war at the time but she did not question my story. My aunt however was more astute. I could tell right away that she did not believe me but she was such a freethinker that she placed very little value on either chastity or marriage. It was obvious to her that I was in some sort of trouble and rather than scold me she offered salvation. Two days later I joined her in a journey to the continent. We traveled for several months and by the time we returned Jona… Jack was rumored to have left for the Americas. I never saw him again until the other evening."

The two women sat quietly for several minutes as Katherine slowly sorted through her now tangled thoughts. "You said that you and Jack are still married. That means you never had the union annulled. Did your husband know this when you married him?"

Wincing over what she now had to confess, Val admitted, "There never was a Mr. Smith. He was the fictional captain that I created for my mother's benefit."

A few moments of stunned silence followed. Suddenly the humor of the story struck her and Katherine could not resist teasing her friend, "You create a fictional husband only to kill him off and the best name you can come up with is Smith? I am surprised that your mother and aunt swallowed that fiction. The least you could have done is given him more impressive moniker."

Relief over at last having completely unburdened herself to another swept through her and Val joined in the laughter. "Well I was operating under pressure. During the ceremony we realized that we had no ring. Jo… damn it I have a hard time using his new name. Jack had a signet ring that he always wore and he used that as a temporary measure. During the turmoil of the morning I had completely forgotten that I was wearing it and of course my mother's eagle eyes immediately seized on it. I had less than a moment to come up with a name starting with s."

"But, Smith? Why not Swinbourne or Smelting or Swidzinski?"

"If it's any consolation I doubt that my aunt believed the name any more than the rest of my tale. Actually I think that she suspected more of truth than she ever admitted. I remember that when she looked at the ring she gave me an odd look and soon after suggested that I accompany her on her journey. Never once did she inquire about my lack of correspondence with my husband or even how I learned of his death. With my mother the lack of inquiry was to be expected but my aunt was far more shrewd. I am still this day grateful at how she simply stood by my side and supported my every decision without asking interfering questions. She was a wonderful woman."

A sobering thought occurred to Katherine, "Val, what are you going to do about Jack's upcoming wedding. Does he think that you had your marriage annulled?"

"No. He believes that I committed bigamy. I daresay he will try to hold it over my head for awhile. However, since he planned on getting married himself without first dissolving our union; he does not have much room to speak."

"Will you tell him the truth?"

"What would be the point? It would accomplish nothing except to postpone his and Millicent's marriage while the legal technicalities were dealt with. All of this took place so long ago that it can scarcely matter now."

Katherine leveled her friend with an assessing and far too perceptive gaze, "You do not wish for Jack to know that you never remarried. Why?"

For the first time since Katherine had met her, Val looked less than completely self assured. Softly she whispered, "I don't know Katherine. I don't know."

A few days passed with no word from Jack and Val found herself growing edgier and edgier while awaiting his appearance. She just wanted the matter resolved between them so that she could put it firmly in the past where it belonged. With each passing hour she could feel her tension grow and expand. Val had never been one to sit about idly and wait for others to act. She knew that Jack was likely deliberately prolonging his absence to torture her with worries about what he planned. Briefly she considered bearding the dragon at home but immediately dismissed that idea as it would play directly his hands. So she waited.

When the invitation arrived to join Katherine for tea, Val saw an opportiunity to blow off some pent up steam in more ways than one. Conversation with Katherine would be entertaining and she would take the opportunity to ride Diablo. Her groom had reported that the horse had at last regained his land legs after his long sea voyage on the freight ship. It had been a wrench leaving him behind in England to follow later along with her furnishings and the bulk of her possessions. She'd had the stallion since he was a foal and never had been separated so long from him. Yes, she would ride him over to Katherine's and use the journey to allow Diablo to run his paces. Of course that would require her riding astride but Val doubted that Katherine would be censorious of such a small infraction of society's rules. Heck, she'd bet that Katherine would insist upon joining in her next outing.

Several hours later, after allowing the horse to have his head and as a result having jumped many a hedge and small stream, Val arrived at the Norrington household. She was sweaty and more than little disheveled but felt more exhilarated than she had in weeks. She was just handing the reins to Katherine's stable boy when the door opened and Katherine along with Millicent and Jack appeared on the threshold. All three took in her unconventional appearance. Katherine looked a trifle dismayed but all the same amused. Millicent turned her nose up in distaste. Jack, well Jack's expression was impossible to read. His eyes narrowed and his face grew shuttered. Katherine was the first to break the awkward silence that had descended.

"What an unexpected timing Val. Millicent, Jack, and I were just discussing some of the last minute wedding details. I'm afraid we lost track of the time." Katherine offered and apologetically shrugged at unintentionally placing Val in a situation that she would rather have avoided.

Ignoring Katherine's attempt to keep the conversation on a pleasant path, Millicent sniffed disdainfully and then observed with derision, "Surely you did not ride that great beast here yourself? My goodness are you actually wearing breeches?"

Jack sauntered over to the horse, circled it, and then patted its neck. "Prime bit of horseflesh you've got here Mrs. Smith." He made a show of inspecting the horse. Not that he gave a damn about livestock but it was the only way that he could stop himself from ogling the erotic picture that his wife presented. One look at her in the tight breeches with the linen shirt molded to her sweaty torso and he had instantly grown rock hard. Half a year ago he would have pointed this out to Valentine or any other woman who had caused such a reaction but now he was trying to play by at least some of the rules of polite society. He was finding it damned difficult.

Millicent who was rather slow on the uptake finally put two and two together and then practically shrieked, "My goodness you didn't ride side saddle!"

Jack could not help himself. The situation was too ripe with opportunity for ribald commentary. "Now now my delicate flower there is no need to be so outraged. Mrs. Smith is a widow and being as such is allowed certain liberties. Many a lady prefers the astride position. I'd wager Mrs. Smith has quite enjoyed such a long hard sweaty ride on more than one occasion."

Katherine blinked rapidly as if it indicate that she could not possibly have heard what she had just heard. Val's chin angled up in anger. The sexual innuendo passed over Millicent's naïve head.

Just as Val opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort, Jack added, "Of course like most women of breeding she'd only ever do so with a specimen of purest blood lines. The direct heir to the throne if you will."

For the first time in her life Val knew what was meant by the expression 'seeing red'. She was livid. Not only had he accused her of being wanton but he had just implied that she was mercenary and calculating. Forcing herself to adopt a nonchalant tone, she dismissively eyed him up and down and then drawled in the most insulting tone she could conjure, "Oh I wouldn't say that Mr. Sparrow. I find that it's not so much bloodlines that matter. I'll take a wild stallion of uncertain heritage any day over a pure blooded but tame gelding."

This time Katherine could not contain her gasp of shock. Jack's lips tightened and he looked like he was barely restraining himself from striking Valentine. His hands were clenched so tightly that the knuckles grew white. For a moment Val was puzzled by their dramatic reactions. After all she had only voiced her opinion that affairs should only be conducted with men who were unmarried or otherwise unspoken for. Well maybe she had delighted in indicating that as a soon to be married man, or in this case remarried, Jack was not even worthy of her consideration. Surely that should not have angered him that much? Then an unintended secondary meaning to her words occurred to her. Dear Lord, both he and Katherine had thought she was insulting his… well his manly attributes. No wonder he was so irate. Val felt a knot of anxiety settle in her stomach. There was no way that he would let such an insult pass without some retribution.