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There wasn't enough room for all the people invited at Catherine Lindon's ball; the rooms were over-crowded for it was raining outside and everybody had gathered up inside.

Lawrence was very ill-at-ease in such an environment, there were mindless chatter and gossip everywhere, elegant dresses and uniforms of the Army and the Navy everywhere. She hated being trapped in that dress in which she could barely breathe, hated being shown around from that friend of Isabella to another.

'Ah, I've finally spotted Lizzie! Come, let's go see her' her cousin said, pulling her by the arm and elbowing her way through the crowd.

At the middle of the room, many men in uniform were gathered, talking about their recent expeditions, be it on land or on sea, and about prospective match. Among those men were Captain James Norrington, Lieutenant Theodore Groves, and Lieutenant Andrew Gillette. When they first got invited, Norrington was inclined to refuse, but Andrew was so eager to assist that he couldn't make this affront to his friend.

'And to that, James replied…' Theodore said, turning to his friend to let him say himself the end of the sentence, but Norrington wasn't listening. He was staring at an empty spot, his face slightly whiter than before and tighter.

Theodore gently shook him by the elbow to wake him out of his reverie.

'Sorry, yes… I-I believe I don't remember what I said to this man. If you would excuse me…' Norrington said, bowing and beckoning his friends to follow his to the window.

'James, what is it? Are you well?' Andrew asked him in a hushed voice.

'I saw her.'

'Who?' said Theodore, his eyebrow knitted.

'Lawrence…'

Groves and Gillette looked at each other, quite surprised, then at their friend.

'Who don't make any sense James. She can't be here, in this room, let alone in Port Royal' Gillette said, looking behind his back anyway.

'I never thought you'd miss her as much as to see her ghost' said Theodore, worried. 'But trust me, she can't be here. It must have been someone who reminded you of her, that the only plausible reason.'

Norrington nodded and straightened himself.

'Yes, you are both right. I'm sorry, I think the heat has troubled my senses for a moment.'

Groves gave a gentle smack on his back.

'It's alright. We miss her too you know.'

Norrington squeezed without even noticing the black bow he always carried with him, and which was at the moment in his pocket.

'Lizzie, may I present to you Miss Charlotte Reynolds. Charlotte, Miss Elizabeth Swann.' Isabella was beaming.

'I am very pleased to meet you at last, Miss Swann' Lawrence said with her best fake smile.

'Please, do call me Elizabeth! And… what do you mean at last?' Elizabeth was very charming and by far the handsomest lady present. Her elegance and natural charm were breath-taking, especially with the ivory and red dress she was wearing. 'Yes', Lawrence thought bitterly, 'Miss Swann and James Norrington will have the most beautiful children there ever were. Now I understand why he spoke so dreamily about her back on the Dauntless, she truly is gorgeous.'

'I… Well, Isabella kept talking about you, even in her letters when I was in Charleston' she half lied.

'Ah, you're that cousin! I am most glad to make your acquaintance.'

For a good part of the evening, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Lawrence were chatting together, about many things fashionable and commenting on some lady's dress or that gentleman passing by.

All in all, Lawrence ended up liking Elizabeth very much, especially since her company was much less boring than the other ladies they had been with at first, and also because she never spoke of a certain Captain Norrington, which in itself seemed rather strange to Lawrence, though she was most grateful.

The dances starting in the next room, Elizabeth followed some of her other friends.

'We must talk again, Charlotte. And please, do come and visit with Isabella, I'd be delighted to spend an afternoon with you both.'

'I look forward to it, Miss Sw- Elizabeth!' Lawrence said truthfully. She wasn't of the jealous type, so why should she be deprived of a good friendship for the sake of a stupid competition in the heart of a certain gentleman.

Isabella wished to wait another dance or two before joining Elizabeth and the other dancers in the next room, so she waited with her cousin where they were, the room being less crowded than before.

'I believe we haven't been presented' said a tall gentleman with blond hair and a slightly upturned nose. He looked fairly young, about thirty, and was wearing a white jacket with red cuffs. Judging by his accent, he must have been from Prussia. 'I am Captain Wilhelm Krupke.' He bowed.

'It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Krupke. I am Charlotte Reynolds, and her is my dear cousin Isabella Harrington.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you both.' He bowed again then looked his eyes on Lawrence's. 'May I have this dance, Miss Reynolds?' he said, offering her his hand.

'I'd be delighted, Captain Krupke.' Without thinking twice, she took his hand and followed him to the next room.

She had to admit, this man was handsome, with his accent and his nose that gave him a unique look. Why should she let this distraction pass over her? 'And anyway, I'm sure neither James, Theodore, or Andrew are here; I would have seen them by now.'

When the dance was over, Lawrence and Captain Krupke went to a quieter corner of the room to become more acquainted. Being in his company was very pleasant, and though they had not much in common, she rather enjoyed discussing with him.

'I hope to see you again soon, Miss Reynolds' Captain Krupke said when Lawrence told him she should join her cousin now.

'So do I. It was a pleasure to meet you, Captain Krupke.'

'And I, you' he said, bowing.

Isabella and Lawrence went home soon after, Isabella mostly gossiping about what she heard this evening, then she remembered and turned to her cousin, beaming.

'You didn't tell me! What do you think of that German officer? Isn't he handsome? Do you think he'll propose to you soon?'

'Isabella, no! I mean, it was just a dance… And yes, I think he isn't too bad indeed.'

'Oh, you are so picky dear Charlotte! I envy you so much, your first ball in Port Royal and already an officer is interested in you' she said, dreamily. 'He is staying for long? That would give him time to know you a bit more before proposing.'

'I-I don't really know' Lawrence said, her brow furrowed. 'Why do you keep talking about a wedding? Marrying him isn't in my intentions; I wouldn't dream of being married anytime soon.'

'Well, I think you're a fool then. It's not as if someone was already waiting for you somewhere. This could be a beautiful match, you know. I wouldn't hesitate if I were you' Isabella replied, still unbelieving how stubborn her cousin was.

Lawrence's jaw dropped. Captain Krupke merely had a dance with her, that didn't mean he was considering marrying her, and she wouldn't accept it anyway. But then again, her cousin had a point, maybe he was indeed a fine match, and if he proposed, she should accept him; after all, she would have a nice situation, and she wouldn't be a burden to her family for too long. Besides, nobody was waiting for her indeed.

She promised her cousin to think about it then they changed the subject.

The following days were spent as usual, between walking in the gardens when the weather was good enough, reading, doing some embroidery, playing the piano, and visiting friends.

Lawrence was growing restless; she hated being so inactive, she longed to be on sea again and to hold a sword, but instead, she had to talk about things she couldn't care less about.

On several occasions, she had the pleasure to be in Elizabeth's company. She was really glad to have changed her former opinion of her; there was something about Elizabeth that reminded her of a trapped cat, some kind of wildness that she could understand. But they weren't close enough, so Lawrence didn't know how far this wildness reached.

One day, Lawrence went with Isabella to Port Royal to buy some new ribbons. As they were chatting mindlessly, Lawrence stopped in the middle of what she was saying. There, with other officials of the city and Captain Krupke, was Lieutenant Gillette. Fortunately, his back was turned, so he couldn't see her.

'Andrew! Should I go see him? No, that wouldn't do, why would I know him? And besides, it would be very embarrassing for both of us. Oh but I missed him so, he's my friend… I should go. But then, what will he tell James? I don't want James to know that I'm here, not yet, it's too soon, he w-' she was cut in her train of thoughts by Wilhelm Krupke approaching her.

She hadn't thought much about him since the evening they met, and she had almost forgotten him when she had seen Andrew.

'What a pleasant surprise to see you here, Miss Reynolds! Miss Harrington, how do you do?' he smiled at them and bowed.

'I was just thinking about how unfortunate it was that we never got the occasion to see each other after the ball… Will I see you both tomorrow at Miss Juliet Bloomfield?'

'Of course you will! We wouldn't miss this' Isabella replied enthusiastically for Lawrence.

'I'm looking forward t-'

But Lawrence wasn't listening anymore, she kept thinking about Andrew and whether she should meet him or not.

'… Don't you agree, Miss Reynolds?'

Coming down to earth at the sound of her name, she shook her head.

'Yes, yes, absolutely.'

She didn't know to what she had replied, but she wasn't expecting to see him smile so brightly. Maybe she should have asked…

'I am overjoyed to hear you say so! Ladies, I apologize, but I believe I must leave you now. Men's boring business. Have a nice day.' He bowed and kissed Lawrence's hand before leaving.

When he was gone, Lawrence turned round and started walking the other way; her cousin sped up to join her.

'Oh Charlotte, look at you, you're blushing! I never thought you liked him that much. Trust my instincts, he will propose to you very soon, I'm sure of it!'

If Isabella was all joy and beautiful prospects of life, Lawrence was at the strict opposite of the spectrum of emotions; she felt so embarrassed, one minute she was thinking about Andrew, the other a man she barely knew kissed her hand and was beaming at her.

She spent the whole day thinking about what she might have agreed to, and why this German officer was so persistent. Part of her question was answered the next day at Miss Bloomfield's.

Not half an hour after their arrival, Lawrence found herself talking face to face with Captain Krupke. By the end of the afternoon, the two of them had discussed many trivial things, such as their hobbies and passions, Lawrence realized he was as shallow as she pretended to be, though to her defence, she was pretending to be that boring, whereas he wasn't. He had told her almost everything about his family, that he was the first son of a very wealthy family, and had planned to settle for a bit after many years on campaigns. She dreaded the conversation to end on the proposal her cousin had foreseen, but to her relief, it never came.

This chapter is pretty boring, but still necessary to keep things real.

Next week, we're stepping right into the Curse of the Black Pearl, be prepared!