Hi everyone,

How are you? It's a lovely time of the year. Although I have a lot to do, I'm very happy to have you with me, and I'll do my best to run regular updates because Christmas is coming. Here's to hope for inspiration. Cheers. =)

Hidden Truths

Groves:

"Have you located Jack Sparrow?"

James' hands, firmly clasped behind his back, is not an encouraging sign as he pins me and Phillip to the cerulean couch with the force of his gaze. The entire room dressed in light greens and blues is like a sea with the clouds on the horizon. Both of us press into the pillows, wondering when a lightening may strike.

"No," Phillip ventures since he was the one to lose the coin toss and thusly became responsible for debriefing James on our progress. "But, after a thorough and carefully marked investigation involving disguises we arrested a group of smugglers who arrived last week on the Eastern Maiden. Afterwards, the search stalled. General population reported no other strangers in town."

"Is that all?"

"There was also a parrot," Phillip adds hopefully.

"You have no idea how long it took Mr Klutz here to catch and arrest him," I put in helpfully, since James does not look overly impressed that it took us four days to confiscate several barrels of alcohol and arrest a few common scoundrels with a parrot.

"It has an advantage over me. It can fly!" Phillip exclaims indignantly.

"Allow me to summarise our position, gentlemen," James cuts in. "Meanwhile, a severely miffed Goddess may appear any moment and turn me into food fit for sea urchins, your most valiant efforts to find the means to appease her have resulted in an arrested parrot, after assuring me that I must put my trust into you two and not take part in the search. Instead, I've been coerced into dancing and sharing close quarters with a wild pack of obnoxious women."

"You're right," I interject. The moment is as good as any to introduce my new idea. "You should take matters into your own hands. I'm confident the women will be otherwise occupied today. They can do without your company while we investigate."

"Occupied?" James asks suspiciously and then sighs in resignation, realising he walked into another trap. "Be out with it, Teddy."

"Your suspicions are unwarranted." I wrinkle my nose at the nickname he purposely uses to annoy me. "Do you not trust Phillip to make accurate tactical decisions for you?"

"I would if you were talking about the Victory."

"Since you can trust him with your fine ship, I'm sure he can be trusted to give you a fair advice on women," I assure him. "I've given this matter a serious consideration. When a woman wishes to attract a man, her best qualities naturally come forward, which by no means guarantees an angel once you are a standing fool with a ring on your finger. You and I could be too close to see what lies beneath those pretty smiles; whereas, a fresh perspective may reveal the nature of each woman better. Today, Phillip will go into the mansion and share the beautiful company, talk to the lovely women, ask them questions. Then, he will be in a position to judge which one is ill suited for you. Of course, it will be merely a recommendation, but if you agree, she will pack her bags and go home at the end of the day."

"Another words, you two want a say in who I get to marry," James summarises.

I escape soft confines of the couch ready to proceed with the plan. "Inevitably."

Gillette:

When it comes to women, Heaven have mercy on anyone who happens to fall into the plotting clutches of one Theodore Groves and his extensive wishes to entangle you in twisted webs of amorous nature. With these thoughts, I take shelter behind a decorative vase that's filled with outrageously long, black and white feathers that belong to a creature unknown, which makes it a decent shelter from Tracy who happens to walk by.

My unenviable position is explained quite easily. Once the women found out that I'm here to decide which one of them is no match for James, they became obsessively kind, overseeing to my every need, suffocating me with pillows tucked all over my body for comfort and attempting to stuff me with tea, pastries and salty dishes all mixed together, which admittedly I was not against until I've been fed half-prepared clam chowder with hot pepper thrown into it by dire mistake of reason that one pinch of rare delicacy which adds a delightful taste to the food will taste even better if there is a barrel of it. Why add it into food that does not go with it at all, remains a mystery.

As a reminder to be more careful with the selection of what I put into my mouth in the future, my stomach makes a displeased growl, though all I've swallowed was a first spoon of the explosive concoction. Tracy stops in her tracks and returns to the vase as I freeze, still hoping to pass for part of a decorative ornament. This woman is the worst of them all. She decided that the best means to ensure that I don't send her home is to make me fall madly in love with her. Thus, I would do the bidding as her eternal servant who will do all in his power to ensure she marries James and lives with him happily ever after at my heroic self-sacrifice while I'd be mauling through the pain of letting her go. Her genius plan has a flaw – I do not steal women from friends, not that I would strive to attain the one who competes in intelligence with cooked papaya even if she was trice available. The nature has far too generously invested into her shoe and corset size, neglecting to leave much for the intelligence. Barely missing the trim of my hat, she shuffles through the feathers and plucks the fluffiest one from the bunch. I cannot believe my luck when she turns away and proceeds to the nearest mirror where she sticks the feather into her hair, twisting this way and that like a monkey on a branch to admire her own reflection. James must have never gotten a proper chance to speak with her; otherwise, she wouldn't be here. Currently, she earned a number one place on my recommendation list with all her hard work, although those women who poisoned me with the chowder are close. I won't be able to hold any food down for days!

And to think I was worried about making a wrong recommendation. Groves wasn't too helpful either. When I shared with him that I worry what will happen if I make a mistake and ask a wrong woman to leave, he informed me that James will banish me from his circle of friends forever and transfer me to another port under command of some Commodore evil who lives in a fort manned by rats and cockroaches. As dire as that situation would be, I don't see how my current position is any better. I am crammed into a narrow crack, which by logic I should not fit into. As every man locked in unmovable posture, an unreachable itch develops that grows proportionally worse the more I struggle to maintain my cover.

My suffering, however, doesn't end. Instead of judging that she looks marvellous and going away, Tracy is joined by another woman, this one most agreeable of the bunch. She is the only one who hadn't attempted to suffocate me with kindness, for which I'll be ever grateful.

Tracy turns around, seeing another reflection in the mirror. "Jade, are you also looking for Mr Gillette?" she asks, eager to hear a positive answer so she can renew the assault on my senses and honour.

"If I had, I'd be in his company," the other woman points out.

Tracy's hands fly onto her hips, in dire displeasure that her intelligence is mocked. There's a saying that any foolish person when they get angry suddenly become smart. "I bet you aren't even trying!" she exclaims, bearing down on her opponent. "Pretend to be all fancy and too important to try and please, but Heather is onto you. She said before leaving that you aren't trying because you don't care. You don't like Mr Norrington any!"

"I have all the respect he deserves, but it would be rash to say I'm in love after knowing him so little," Jade parries the blow evenly and her eyes, green as the emeralds, hold a cold glitter of jewels and dislike for the woman who hit something painful hidden within.

The threat lingering in the air only challenges Tracy to continue the accusation. "You won't be in love with him even if you knew him a lot!" she yells, uncaring whether someone may overhear them. "Can you truthfully say that you want to get married? Can you? Do it now! Tell me you're sure! You can't. I may not be as fancy as you, but I know that I want a family with all my heart, which you can't even put in words. Why don't you go away and let those who believe they can be in love and have a good family remain."

The echo of her words rebounds off the walls and flies out the window as both women glare at each other angrily. I'm nearly prepared to abandon my cover to break them apart should a fight to death break out, but then Tracy with a superior shrug spins on her hill and the feather rouses along with her. "There's nothing you want from Mr Norrington," she throws last remark over her shoulder. "Just leave."

They depart and I slowly abandon cover with a hollow chill at the bottom of my stomach. What am I going to tell James, knowing he holds Jade in high regard? Elizabeth is enough. I cannot let him fall in love with a woman who will not return the feeling. I open the window and abandon the mansion, having learned all I needed.

I locate my friends behind a mahogany desk in James' mansion, consulting a town map and composing a list of places where Jack Sparrow might be found. As always, James takes the meticulous approach of which Theodore, striving for action, grows tired. My news bring diversity to the dull search, but hardly contribute to cheering us up. James sinks into deep silence as I sink into an armchair, full of pity for my swirling and rumbling stomach. Theodore waits for resolution, idly observing a large blob of ink dangle off the tip of the abandoned quill and plop onto the table surface.

"I asked myself during the last rose ceremony whether it might be best to let Tracy go," James announces the verdict into the silence. "Allowing her to continue believing that we are a good match is unfair. I've learned all too well what it means to be led on. When it comes to Jade, we cannot assume that what Tracy said about her is truth. Jade hadn't confirmed it."

I shift in my seat uneasily. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words, but Theodore gestures for me to be quiet. "I know what you're thinking," he says. "You'd rather risk getting hurt yourself than sending someone home when she may not deserve it."

James tenses, expecting that we'll try to talk him out of this decision. "You know me too well," he acknowledges.

"Give yourself a chance to confirm or deny these suspicions," Theodore reasons. "This week, you will have a date with two women. At the end of the date you will decide which one of them is best to continue developing a relationship with and which one to let go. Choose Jade and one other woman you doubt. You will have your answer by the end of the day."

"I see." James folds his hands behind his back and faces the window. I follow him and clasp his shoulder hard. Jokes aside, it is not an enviable position to dash someone's hopes every week. But, no one said that road to love was easy. "I suppose there is Thelma," he tells us. "Taking care of younger siblings shaped her into a highly responsible young lady. She is more so mature than many other women at the mansion. Yet, she is barely sixteen. She may grow and change, so will her heart. I question whether she's ready to make a life long commitment."

"Well then, we have a message," says Theodore. He beacons for James to sit down behind his desk and shuffles through the drawers for a fresh parchment, which he folds like a note.

Together, they compose a message and James' neat writing adorns the page.

Aboard HSM Victory under the stars, there will be

One date and

One rose.

One stays and

One goes.

Thelma and Jade