AN: Sorry if it's been kinda slow…it will get more exciting! Promise!

And thanks to Xewioso for the encouragement!

We arrived early the next morning, as expected. The sky was hazy with clouds, and a small wind was picking up, preceding a storm that was sure to come. Getting our belongs and a carriage was not a problem, and soon the girls and I were on our way to Miss Elizabeth Swann.

As I had set foot on the dock, I heard the rumors flying among the sailors. Apparently she had had some run in with pirates not long ago, only to come back and announce her engagement to the town's blacksmith. If that wasn't scandalous enough, she and her fiancé were arrested for treason, but both escaped and were rumored to have more dealings with pirates. Only Elizabeth returned, declaring that she was now a Mrs. William Turner. No one believed her.

The rumors made me a little uneasy, especially the part about pirates. If this was the type of women we were going to live with, then I wasn't so sure this was much better than Mrs. Pecking. She may have been careless and flighty, but at least we weren't living in danger. And if this lady could attract criminals, it didn't say much for her character.

The house was large, showing she was used to high society. Apparently her father used to be the governor of Port Royal, until his death at sea, which was also somewhat shrouded in mystery. The new governor was a short portly fellow who cared more about what he was going to have for supper than the safety of the settlement. The citizens were not particularly pleased with the replacement, but a new Commodore Belmont had just arrived, who apparently was quite famous and well respected. In all aspects, he was the one running Port Royal, and no one objected.

I stepped out slowly, thanked the coach driver and approached the door with Isabella and Arielle. The first thing that came to my head as I got a better look at the mansion was 'White House'. It was sparkling, clean, and perfect. I gulped nervously. Good grief, I hope she's not a clean freak.

A butler answered the door and showed us into the parlor. It was spotless, just as I had been afraid of. I sat down gingerly, realizing a new chapter had just started in my life. What was going to happen? I never really thought about starting a new life here, in this time period, but I knew that if I wanted to survive, I needed to. The first step would be living here with the Mrs. Elizabeth Turner.

And that's when she stepped in. I was surprised at what I saw. When I had heard people talking about her, I had formed the image of her as one of those anorexic models who married some really old guy for their money, but 18th C style.

Instead, she was around my age, with dirty blonde hair that came down in large ringlets. She wore a dark blue dress, that, for her station in society, was rather plain. While her welcoming smile was warm and friendly, her eyes showed a lingering sadness. Whatever rumors concerning her personality I had heard were horridly off the mark. This lady was not a criminal, let alone a whore that some of the sailors had made her out to be.

"You must be Miss Winifred. I'm afraid my aunt didn't supply me with a surname."

I opened my mouth to answer, but paused. For the past few years, I had supplied Lewis as my surname in place of my real one, but if I wanted to start my life over instead of hiding… "Delaney. Winifred Delaney. But please just call me Winnie."

"Of course. And these are Isabella and Arielle, I assume?"

Isabella nodded excitedly then ran up to Elizabeth. "Do you have dolls?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Yes, I do. They are upstairs. I'm sure Robert can show you where they are."

Isabella jumped up and down spinning around happily. "Come on Arielle! Let's go look at the dolls!" Arielle sighed, but got up and followed the butler and Isabella out of the room. Arielle, unlike Isabella, was quiet and shy, and preferred to be with those she knew, much like I had been, or still was.

"I'm so glad you came, Winnie," said Elizabeth. "I've been so lonely for the past few months."

I smiled. I could tell she meant every word. "Of course. I'm just glad to be away from your aunt. We never hit off the way I wished we had."

She looked at me peculiarly. "Hit off?"

Mentally, I slapped myself. Even after four years, the slang kept coming back. "Got along, I mean. So, tell me what it's like here?"

Elizabeth proceeded to explain Port Royal, it's history, and how she felt about it. I listened, but only half-way. Honestly,

I was bored about two minutes into her talking. So I just nodded and smiled in all the right places. "You don't really care, do you?" she finished. I blushed, realizing she had seen through my blank expression. "Oh, goodness, we are both being so formal. It's ridiculous. Tell me about your self."

From the way you people talk, I can't help but feel formal, I thought to myself. "Well, I'm not sure where to begin. I'm not a particularly good conversationalist."

"You're doing it again," interrupted Elizabeth.

"What?"

"Being formal."

I smiled shyly. "Sorry. I'm just so used to it from having to be around Mrs. Pecking all the time. She always insisted that I use proper speech, even in informal conversation. I don't like her very much. Well, let's see…I'm…almost twenty two years old…I can teach…"

"Why are you faking your accent?"

I blinked. "You can tell I'm doing that?" People usually weren't that observant. Then again, I made a point never to

speak much in public lately.

"Yes, I've never heard your accent before. Where are you from?"

"America," I blurted out.

"The colonies, you mean?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth stared hard at me, making me squirm slightly. "You're hiding things…but if you don't want to tell me, that's

okay." She gave a small smile. "I'm hiding things too."

I smiled back, relieved, and at the same time, terribly curious. What was she hiding?

"Listen, I know we've just met, but you seem like an honest person," she said. "Let's not worry about these secrets until

we're ready to tell each other." She smiled warmly, and I smiled wider. "But I do want to know, do you like lobster?"

"Yes. Why?"

"That's what we're having for dinner." She stood up, fully grinning. Some of the sadness that had been there was diminishing, and something in my head told me that my life here was going to be wonderful.

Life went by smoothly for the next two months. Elizabeth and I became close friends, almost like Ella and I had been. I had never been so comfortable before in my life here. For once, I could talk like I always had, act like I wanted, and not feel like someone was there with a video-camera trying to catch me messing up.

It wasn't long until Elizabeth and I exchanged stories. I was scared to death of what she might think, but all she said was "I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had extraordinary experiences." Frankly, her story seemed much stranger than mine, and I felt like an idiot for thinking she might take me for a lunatic. At least I didn't have to deal with un-dead pirates and a husband that can only return every ten years. At any rate, it was nice to have someone believe my story, and I think she felt the same about me.

And then I met Clarissa Atherton, the governor's daughter. It was a sunny day, so I had woken up the girls and insisted that we go take a walk. After much complaining on there part and much bribing on mine, Elizabeth, them, and I were strolling peacefully along the town streets, laughing and looking at what was for sale.

"Oh, Elizabeth! I haven't seen you for so long!" exclaimed a young lady who was barreling her way through the crowd. I had to stop from laughing at the sight; she resembled a bull-dozer driving thru a pile of dirt.

"Clarissa! How nice to see you!" greeted Elizabeth stiffly. "How was your, ah, vacation in the colonies?"

"Absolutely horrid. Those people have no sense of aristocracy! The women there are so terribly outspoken and bull-headed, no charm whatsoever!" I looked Clarissa over, pursing my lips together. She was a bit larger than average, with pale skin that made her appear to be a living pastry (okay, that maybe that was a little harsh. She wasn't that large.). Her hair was a rich brown, much like mine, and she was actually rather tall for the average women. Had it not been for all her makeup, she would have been a very beautiful girl. Her dress was exquisite, if not a little tight, and pearls adorned her neck.

"Well, thank heavens I'm back in Port Royal, though I wouldn't mind being London instead. Who is this?"

"Miss Winnie Delaney," I said. "We are here to live with Elizabeth. Relatives."

Clarissa smiled widely. "Oh how wonderful! I love having visitors!"

"Actually we're here to stay."

"Even better! You make sure to bring Elizabeth to that ball this week. I daresay I haven't seen you at a social event ever since those pirates were here," she continued, pointing at Elizabeth. "I have so much to tell you! You would never believe who I met in Boston though--"

"Clarissa, I think your father is waving at you," interrupted Elizabeth, who was smiling slightly. "We'll try and drop by sometime tomorrow though."

Clarissa beamed and kissed us both on the cheek for a goodbye before running off to her father. "So, what do you think?" asked Elizabeth when she had left.

"She's very…lively. And straightforward."

"And excessively talkative?" Our eyes met and we both burst out laughing. "She's really very kind, though," continued Elizabeth. "She has always been very sweet to me, even with all these rumors circling. Granted, she probably never allowed enough time for anyone to say otherwise…but she has a good heart."

I smiled. Clarissa reminded me of a friend back home. She was never quiet, always moving, having to nose her way into everyone's business. But she was a good person, though a little annoying sometime. I figured that Clarissa and I would get along well enough.