"Eleanore Amelia Norrington, what were you thinking...? Being compromised by that scoundrel?" Ella stood helplessly and ashamed beside the man who, only moments before, she had been locked in an embrace with. The mere thought of her carelessness mortified her and she could only cover her face with her hands.

"Oh James…forgive me…I lost myself…nothing happened really…" She said as her brother's eyes slipped to her abandoned shoes and stockings again. She sighed.

"It's not what it looks like, I promise you…" She looked at the pirate helplessly. He stood aside with his arms folded, amused.

"It's true mate, I'm good but not that good. It takes a bit more than a minute for me."

Ella found herself angry, but did nothing except stand aside quietly with her head bowed. James got into the man's face.

"Look Sparrow…"

"Captain…" The man corrected and Ella could see her brother clench his jaw.

"Captain…if you ever come near my sister again, I shall gladly see you swing from the gallows." The Captain's face went from an expression of slight amusement to a confident smirk.

"Oh this is your sister? Well, my apologies then…" He said winking at her, straightening his hat and to her surprise beginning to walk away while whistling the song she had sung.

"I am going to have my Lieutenant Anders be your escort for the days I am gone with Charlotte." James said once the Captain had disappeared into the night.

"James, I am so…"

"Eleanore." He hushed her. "I don't want to talk about it." He kissed her cheek and walked her back into the ballroom silently. She met Elizabeth's eyes across the room but couldn't bear the horror she felt at her own behavior so she disappeared through the double doors leading to the back staircase which her room was near.

"Oh dear. What happened James?" Elizabeth asked uncomfortably. The Admiral shook his head.

"Nothing. I have to go." He said touching her shoulder and immediately, he was gone as well. Elizabeth looked from her father to Will and sighed.

"That can't be good. I only hope Ella hasn't gotten herself into trouble." Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that her father had barely spoken a word to her since her return and was beginning to feel awful. The party dwindled soon after the departure of Norrington and Elizabeth followed her father and husband home for the first night of sleep in her own bed in months.

When they were home, Elizabeth left Will to get ready for bed to talk to her father. She felt as though she had failed him and desperately needed his approval. As she suspected, he was in his study going over the endless papers he had on his desk. Knocking on the open doorframe, she meekly called out to him.

"Daddy?" He looked up at her tiredly but smiled slightly.

"Lizzie…I half expected you to show up in my doorway tonight." He replied with a chuckle. She didn't smile.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked and he sighed, knowing this conversation had been coming.

"No darling, I am not angry…though I will not lie and say I am not disappointed. You are the only child I have and I was somewhat looking forward to giving you away at your wedding. However, if you felt that you had to elope with William then I will trust your judgment in the matter and you have my blessing as always. Just please, be careful." He said and she knew he meant, don't get yourself into something you can't get out of. Unable to bear anymore, she flew forward and wrapped her arms around him, apologizing.

"Lizzie." He said, pulling her away, though it pained him. "Go to your husband." He watched her walk down the hall and into married life with sad, yet hopeful eyes for undoubtedly, soon he would have a grandchild to spoil.

Ella cried into her pillow after she had dressed for bed and tied her hair into a braid. She'd only been in her brother's home for one day and she had already disappointed him. Why had she even let that filthy pirate near her? He probably wouldn't even remember the kiss in the morning…just another drunken encounter. She knew in her heart that the pirates in her books were not like the real pirates. In her books, the pirate met the maiden, fell in love with her and reformed his ways. She vowed that the next morning her pirate books would be stashed into storage. She wanted nothing to do with any of them, the filthy mongrels.

She awoke the next morning to the sun streaming into the room. The doors of her balcony had been opened by one of the maids and the gentle breeze from the sea was drifting in to slowly coax her awake. It amazed her that even in September, the weather could be beautiful and perfect. Remembering the events of the night before, her mood turned sour and she walked to the balcony, wrapping her dressing gown around her as she peered into the haze, straining to see if there was still a ship. She saw nothing but the open sea.

"Miss Eleanore, your bath is ready…" One of the maids said, coming into Ella's room. She sighed, turning away from the warmth of the sun and walking into her bathroom. As she sank into the soothing water, it surrounded her gloriously as she hadn't realized how sore her limbs were from the entire journey to Port Royal and the stress of the previous day.

"Ella, don't you love me?" He asked her, smiling reassuringly. She nodded, trembling.

"Of course…but…"

"Then you should trust me…" His chest gleamed with the rainwater from running into the empty house. Lying on the floor near the fireplace, he beckoned to her.

"I-I do…I do." She said, sitting beside him. She welcomed his arms around her even though she wore but a shift. It wasn't until she felt his hardness against her back that she felt uncomfortable. With a start she jumped away.

"What are you doing?" She asked and he smiled.

"I want you to give yourself to me…tonight." He said and she shook her head in horror.

"But we are to be married in a fortnight." She protested.

"If you loved me…you would…" He said holding his arms out to her again. Sighing, she went.

Ella's eyes snapped open as she tried to block out the past that always seemed to creep into her mind. Frustrated with herself and her life, she began to cry. She got out of the bath and was helped into her chemise and corset, pulling on her stockings and finally, her shoes. The maids helped her into a green dress that set off the rust tones in her brown hair beautifully. It was not Lieutenant Anders was waiting for her downstairs, but Lord Beckett.

"My lord?" Ella asked hesitantly as she reached the bottom of the stairs. He smiled up at her and though she smiled back, a chill ran down her spine. Not that Cutler Beckett was an unattractive man, there was just something foreboding about him.

"Eleanore…my dear…it is truly you." He said holding out his hand for her which she took in her own gloved hand.

"Where is Lieutenant Anders my Lord?" She asked softly and he smiled again at her.

"I offered to escort you today my dear…" Smiling she took his arm.

"How thoughtful of you…"

"How do you like Port Royal thus far Eleanore?" Lord Beckett asked as they rode through town. Ella thought a moment before saying,

"It is lovely. I love the smell of the ocean and the warm weather, but I cannot help but miss England." Beckett nodded.

"There is no place as fine as England...and I've been everywhere Eleanore." For some reason, his words made her terribly uncomfortable and she withdrew a bit. He went on.

"You have really grown up Eleanore...I would have expected you to have been settled by now." Smiling his eyes bore into her. She wanted to disappear because she suspected he was trying to woo her. Not that he was a bad man to her knowledge. He was successful and handsome and he seemed decent. Sure enough as he escorted her home after the tour of Port Royal, he asked her permission to court her. To her surprise she said yes before walking into the house. Once the door was shut, she leaned against it and began to cry again.

James and Charlotte returned that evening and found Ella reading in the library. She'd changed from her day clothes into a comfortable dress and put her hair into a braid as she liked to do.

"Hello Ella, how was your day?" James asked, kissing her cheek. She smiled, looking up at him.

"It was...nice. The funniest thing happened. Lord Becket escorted me around town and asked permission to court me." The smile left James's face as he turned to Charlotte.

"If you could, dear, give Ella and I a moment alone?" He asked and she nodded.

"Of course James."

"What did you say?" He asked, sitting beside her on the sofa and she closed her book, marking her place.

"I said yes. I hope that is alright with you." James looked, to her surprise, a bit uneasy with her decision but after thinking a moment, he forced himself to smile and nodded.

"If that is truly what you want Ella then of course." The truth was, though James knew Cutler Beckett to be a heartless and a bit power hungry, he was his employer and if Cutler Beckett wanted something, he got it. James only wished it weren't his sister.

"What say one of you lasses, or both of you if you so wish, makes a Captain's night, savvy?" Jack half grinned at the brunette twins who were both drunk and hardly able to stand.

"A Captain?" One said, giggling and turning to her sister. "We ain't never been with a Captain before..."

"There's a first time for everything lass..." He said, taking a swig of his rum. They'd stopped off in Tortuga for rum, after taking Will and Elizabeth back to Port Royal the night before. The second sister seemed to think on this concept as Jack stood waiting. Finally, they both turned to him and smiled.

"We'd be happy to accommodate you Captain..." The first one said with a hiccup. Jack just smiled drunkenly, putting an arm around each girl and following them to one of the rooms.

"Oh good."

As Jack lay with one girl on either side of him, he silently congratulated himself. He'd never had two at once before and now was just as good of a time as any. Of course he was still irritated that he'd kissed the innocent little chit the night before. Then again, he could barely remember why he had or what she looked like, so it really wasn't eating away at him. Beckett had branded him with a "P" for a reason and he intended to live it to the fullest. Indeed the pirate's life was not so bad if one didn't mind being alone. And Jack didn't mind at all, as long as he had his ship and his rum.