In Search of Paradise
Chapter Eight
It was a beautiful day in the small Jamaican city of Port Royal. The sun was shining brightly and there was a fresh sea breeze sweeping the land. Will breathed in deeply indulging in memories of his childhood at sea. He loved the feel of the salty fresh air on his face. Glancing around he felt a hint of regret, the Port itself was a shadow of its former self. He knew from his research of the Flying Dutchman that an earthquake in the early nineteen hundreds had devastated the area destroying or submerging most of the port. When he had been avidly studying the area he had often been haunted by dreams of him lost in the amazing bustling port that it had once been. It was mainly a tourist town now and the streets bustled with tourists from the three cruise liners that were docked. It was the towns expanding tourist trade that had helped Will convince the ancient ports council to support the project.
Will waited patiently while Elizabeth hailed a Taxi. She had taken charge as soon as their feet were firmly on the tarmac. He watched with envy as she breezed through the crowds and then argued mercilessly with the Taxi driver about the fare. He had always wished that there was one town or city in the world where he could be that at peace, where he could be home. Smiling sadly he looked out at the crystal water, the ocean was his home, and he was keen to get back to it.
Will watched through the window as the sights slipped by. The driver was undoubtedly speeding. He shifted in his seat, slightly apprehensive of what the outcome of this trip would be. He glanced over at Elizabeth. The young woman looked dazzling. She was wearing a white dress that was simple but elegant and appropriate for the heat of the day. She was lost in her thoughts, a small frown upon her lips. Yet her stature suggested she was ready for whatever was to come and there was a sparkle of determination in her brown eyes. "You are so beautiful" Will whispered and her eyes met his and a slight blush spread across her cheeks.
"Thank you" She said softly, rewarding him with a stunning smile. He grinned back using every single ounce of will power to stop himself from wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her passionately. The last thing he needed was to pull up at her Father's house with his lips crushed against her. Not exactly the best of first impressions. Besides for all his misgivings Jack had managed to bring him up as a gentleman. The old pirate had led by example, in a manner of speaking, "Don't do anything I do" was a common phrase used in his childhood. The advantage had been that Will had also seen the consequences of stupidity and with the guidance of some of the amazing people he had met along the way he had managed to survive his childhood.
Will was pulled out of his thoughts by the screech of the breaks. He looked out at the grand building, took a deep breath and got out to remove their luggage. Once the luggage was out and the driver was paid the couple walked slowly towards the door.
"Did you hate it here?" Will asked Elizabeth trying to get his head around why she would have left the grandeur of the stunning mansion in front of him for an old flat in London.
"I never hated it here, I just…" She stopped
"ELIZABETH!" A young woman's voice called from their left. Will blinked, surprised as a blur of blonde rushed past him and hugged Elizabeth.
"Hello Ella!" Elizabeth exclaimed with a grin.
"You look lovely as always miss" Ella doted "and who is this?" She said nodding her head towards Will while winking at Elizabeth.
She smiled, "This is Will, Will this is Estrella"
"It is nice to meet you" Will said nodding politely.
"Estrella and her mother have worked for my father since my mother died. They are employed to keep the house." She said delicately looking slightly ashamed.
"In other words we're maids" Estrella said with a grin, obviously not at all ashamed of her job.
"We grew up together, she is a very dear friend" Elizabeth said warmly.
"Well then it is an honour to meet you" Will said, "I'm sure you have some fabulous stories of Elizabeth here… I look forward to hearing them."
Estrella laughed. She had a warm and honest laugh, he could see why Elizabeth had befriended her. Elizabeth appreciated honesty – perhaps that was why she left. He frowned, after a chat with his friend James he had a better understanding of high society and its inner workings. From that he had gathered - honesty was not one of the aristocracies strong points.
"Are you coming?" Elizabeth called and he blinked. She and Estrella were about 5 paces in front of him. Their arms linked and smiles on their faces.
Will grinned and nodded. He picked up the bags and walked inside the house.
"Father" Elizabeth whispered as she slowly opened Weatherby Swann's bedroom door and peeked in. Her father was sitting in bed reading a book. He looked quite pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. He seemed to be having trouble breathing and looked as though he was shivering slightly.
"Elizabeth" He questioned obviously surprised to see his daughter only two days after she had told him to stay out of her life altogether.
"Hello Father, how are you feeling?" She asked as she entered the room and sat at his bedside.
"I have been better. " He replied before giving her an inquiring look, "I am quite surprised to see you here, Lord Beckett said that you turned down his offer…"
"Father" She cautioned looking irritated. "Lord Beckett informed me that you were ill. I am hardly going to ignore that information am I" She stated, "You are unbelievably frustrating but I do understand, however misguided you are, that you only want the best for me. And however upset I may be with you, I do love you."
A hint of a smile appeared on the governor's face. "Well I am glad you have come…" He stopped and began coughing violently.
"Father!" Elizabeth cried, "Are you alright?" She asked again handing him a glass of water.
"It's alright," He reassured her, "The doctors tell me its pneumonia but it seems to come in spells. Lots of rest, water and a course of antibiotics and they tell me I'll be fine."
"Shouldn't you be in hospital?" Elizabeth asked,
"I have been to the hospital, they sent me home; it is not that bad Elizabeth" He said gently as he placed a hand on hers. "As long as I don't get worse I am able to stay here. The doctor comes to see me every day."
Elizabeth nodded her eyes now focused on the ground as she wondered how long he had been this sick. She began to think that her antics had perhaps been as immature as he had implied.
"I am glad you are home" He said as he settled back into the pillows. "Perhaps you will tell me how you got here."
"Will, Will brought me here, to you" She whispered hoping that he would not over-react. She was worried it might be hazardous to his health.
"He is here?" He asked rather quickly. He looked surprised.
"He wants to meet you" Elizabeth exclaimed, "To hopefully oust some of the rumours that seem to be floating around."
Silence was her answer. It frustrated her, how could he expect her to ignore rumours about Lord Beckett and her Father if he himself could not ignore those about others. 'Just because he did not belong to the house of Lords… seriously' she thought.
"Go get him then" Weatherby said finally. "I will chat to him alone though, you can wait"
"Father" Elizabeth said dangerously
"No, you have faith in this boy, then you will let me talk to him." Weatherby instructed.
"Fine, I will play by the rules, but you should know that I love him, I love him Father, so please, please don't be unfair" She told him, her eyes meeting his.
Will was not surprised when Elizabeth informed him that Weatherby had wanted to speak to him alone. In actual fact he had been expecting it. James had warned him that this would occur. Unfortunately all the advice he could give was that he shouldn't mess it up because he wouldn't have another chance. James had suggested that he ask Jack what to say and after that the two of them had been in fits of laughter discussing the responses that Will might get from his scoundrel of a guardian.
He took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. "Sir" He questioned.
"Come in boy" Weatherby said with a sigh.
The governor did not look well and Will wondered whether they should postpone this to a time when he was in better health. But the older man ushered to the chair at his bedside and so Will moved carefully to it, feeling the eyes of the protective father on him.
As Will sat down, Weatherby erupted into a coughing fit. Will poured him some more water and gave it to him. "Sir, if you want to wait, if you want to do this when you are well" He said his dark eyes filled with concern.
"I will be alright, Will, is it? Short for William perhaps?"
"Yes sir, my name is William, but I have always been called Will, for as long as I remember" Will explained carefully. He wasn't sure exactly why it mattered but Weatherby seemed interested.
"Well William, how have you got yourself wrapped up in this mess?" He asked with a small chuckle.
Will smiled gently, "It's not exactly a mess sir, just a bit of confusion. I met your daughter completely by chance at a bus stop in a place where you usually don't find lovely young women…"
Weatherby, to his credit, had listened to everything that Will told him. He had asked Will a number of questions about his childhood, what he did, and even the Flying Dutchman replica. He talked to Will about Lord Beckett and explained what had happened, from his point of view, before Elizabeth had left for London. It was not nearly as daunting as Will had expected, at least it hadn't been until as he was getting up to leave.
"She loves you" Weatherby stated. "She told me she loves you,"
Will sat back down and smiled, "And I love her sir, I love her more than anything in this world"
"More than 'The Flying Dutchman'? More than your ship?" Weatherby asked, watching him carefully.
The younger man thought for a moment. His heart clenched at the thought of losing the replica but imagining a life without Elizabeth hurt, hurt more than he could hardly believe. He closed his eyes for a minute before making a decision, "Yes sir, more than the Dutchman." He replied, and he honestly meant it.
"So if you were to choose? If you were to choose between the ship and my daughter? The ship you have been working on for years and years and my daughter whom you have known for a month or so?" Weatherby said, looking at Will with disbelief.
"Sir, I don't know why, I understand what you are saying, yes I have dedicated my life to that boat, but there is no point sailing away on The Flying Dutchman in search of paradise if I am not with Elizabeth as I will never find it." He chuckled, "Just like the ghost story… I would be lost at sea without my heart – I would never land at port, I would never find paradise."
Will shook his head, "I can't explain how this has happened and I realise that it sounds totally ridiculous but it's as if… I don't know… I love her sir, and I will make sure that she is loved and looked after, if you will let me…"
The older man looked pensive as he looked at Will. "I need to rest, I will think this over. Thank you for coming to speak to me, you are a good lad."
Will nodded in respect and left the old man to his thoughts. On the way he let out a breath in relief, a breath that he wasn't aware that he was holding.