They stood there for a long moment, completely still, not uttering a sound. It felt like they were bracing for that man´s next move.
Surely after causing all this turmoil, he would not simply choose to leave quietly. Elizabeth was convinced he would charge back into the office with a trail of soldiers following behind. He was too weak to do it by himself, even when going against her, he had kept that lapdog of his in the room -watching over her- scared she would hurt him, she thought with some degree of satisfaction.
Still, she couldn't calm down. It felt like something else was bound to happen.
But as the seconds passed… everything remained quiet.
After staring at the door that nightmare of a man had disappeared from -for longer than necessary,- she eventually concluded that he was indeed gone.
Which allowed her body to finally relax and turn away from the door.
"I hate that man" was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
She was looking at the James now and with a smile she greeted him with enthusiasm "You're finally home"
"But it appears that my return was belated" he answered remorsefully, keeping his eyes fixated on the door with an unsettled look.
He really was a foolish man sometimes.
"That was not your fault" she declared while pointing to the exit "You shouldn't always take responsibility for everything" she warned him.
Letting his eyes stray from where they had been locked, James looked down at her and gave her a short unconvinced smile, "Nevertheless, I apologize for not being here to stop him from mistreating you"
Pulling firmly on his arm she finally shifted his attention completely to her. When his eyes met hers, Elizabeth thanked him sincerely "I´m truly grateful for what you just did for me, Commodore"
His smile this time was much more genuine "Of course"
Her body chose that moment to let out a small sneeze, shivering slightly.
"Miss Swann, are you truly alright?" James asked her with concern as his hands grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled them more securely around her body.
"I am" she promised, giving his hand a comforting squeeze "Just tired, I swear"
He was about to say something, but she got distracted when her eye caught significant movement outside on the docks.
Walking through the glass doors of his office and into the balcony that faced the docks of Port Royal, she could see dozens of red coats starting to mobilize towards the bay, getting into yawls.
"Seems like they found somewhere else to be" she commented with thinly veiled resentment. Then her eyes narrowed as they landed on an absurd image Was that…? "Is that man seriously mounting a horse while on top a boat?" she asked out loud, incredulous at the sight, and maybe a little amused too.
James came to stand next to her, looking at the spot she had been looking at with squinted eyes.
When she turned her eyes up to look at him, a smirk plastered on her face. She could tell how confused he was by the sight, but he was trying to hide it.
But as he stared at Beckett and his men, his mind seemed to think about something else. She was about to ask him what was wrong, before he turned in her direction and spoke.
"He never actually put you under arrest'' he said but it sounded more like a question.
"Well, I'm sure he would have tried to execute me if he could have" she grumbled as her arms crossed in front of her chest "But he had no evidence against me" she concluded with satisfaction.
James frown only deepened "Then why did he detained you in a cell?"
"Because he is a petty man!" she complained with annoyance.
"I know, but… Could you tell me what happened, from the beginning?" he asked with insistence.
She didn't want to talk about that man anymore, in fact, she didn't want to see him ever again if at all possible. So she hastily explained "He came here, pulled me from the Mansion under the pouring rain and dragged me all the way here, then he behaved rudely towards me"
He looked at her with a bit of scepticism "And?"
Her eyebrows went up. "And I just answered his questions! when he decided my answers were not good enough he imprisoned me and wouldn't even let me see my father!" Elizabeth couldn´t help but sulk while remembering that particular offence.
But James wasn't convinced by her explanation "Was that allthat happened?"
Her crossed arms tightened a little, stubbornness setting on her chin "I might have deliberately antagonized him a bit" she admitted reluctantly.
James sighed "Is that when he decided to imprison you without evidence?" she nodded just once, not really looking at him now.
Closing his eyes for a moment and bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck, he commented "That wasn't very prudent, was it?"
Her eyes went back to his, but his expression wasn´t one of reproach. Nonetheless, she argued indignantly "You just did the same thing!"
"He threw you in prison" he offered as his only explanation.
"And he had no right to!"
"No, he did not" he agreed, showing the same anger she felt towards the bastard.
Elizabeth felt herself relax as she realized he really wasn't trying to imply it had been her fault.
But even as she watched that man leave Port Royal, her mood was still sour. Remembering the way he had manhandled her and arbitrarily insulted her without suffering any consequences for it, caused her outrage.
James stared at Elizabeth instead. It was clear she was still upset by what had happened: her eyebrows were drawn together, eyes narrowed as she looked towards the ocean, and she was biting the inside of her cheek with a frown in her mouth.
He had never been good with his words, especially when it came to her. He ended up saying things wrong more often than not, but he wanted to take that unhappy expression off of her face.
So he attempted to lift her mood "I could always order The Dauntless to fire upon their ship" he offered.
Her eyes snapped back to him in surprise.
One side of his mouth pulled up.
For a moment she considered the seriousness of his offer, before realizing he was just trying to distract her. She felt herself smile happily before asking with curiosity "Would you really?"
"If you wanted me to" and he almost sounded serious about it.
Her face relaxed as her eyes softened "I appreciate your kind offer Commodore, but I believe Port Royal has seen enough canon fire for the time being. Besides, you would probably lose your commission" she reminded him.
"More than likely" he agreed with a smile, but his tone was strangely melancholic.
Suddenly, he asked "What exactly did you do that made him so angry?" and his voice was light with curiosity now "Did you insult his height?"
Looking at him now, she could tell he wasn't looking to scold her, in fact, his eyes were flashing with humour.
She smiled at him, but shook her head "I really did behave" his eyebrow raised slightly at her "...for the most part"
His body leaned on the balustrade and his arms crossed, he was still looking at her with interest.
"I didn't even hurt him, even though I really wanted to!" she continued grouching with disappointment "But my poor father would have had a fit if I had" she lamented.
He smiled at the candour of her words, not doubting for a moment that she would have. Which made her smile grow conspiratory as she stared back at him.
She sighed tiredly. "Hopefully I won't have to suffer the pleasure of his company ever again"
"The man does know how to make a memorable impression on others" James added with sarcasm.
She turned one last time to look at the bay, the yawls had disappeared and Beckett´s galleon was starting to drift away from the bay. Now she could see that his ship was comparable in size to The Dauntless.
"Who is he anyway?" She asked disgruntled, not really expecting him to know.
"The East India Trading Company is a powerful and wealthy organization, you know that"
Well, of course she knew about the Company, but she had never paid enough attention beyond knowing they were a very profitable enterprise for England.
"If Beckett is the director of one of their branches, he ought to have significant influence in England" he mused.
That caught her attention "So you knew him already?"
James shook his head "Fortunately, I hadn't had the pleasure. Although he displayed all that" he said, referring to his control over armed soldiers "He moves around the same circles as your father, not mine. We had never crossed paths before today " he denied.
And not again after today, she prayed silently.
His eyebrows met as he added pensively "I do remember him being mentioned in passing on a few occasions by your Father´s acquaintances in England, most of them praised him but…his reputation is ill at best."
"Doesn't surprise me" she commented offhandedly.
He looked at her with sympathy "Yes, but it's not just because of his charming personality. From what I understand he's quite the ambitious man, dangerous as well"
"Meaning?" she asked with a frown
His expression turned into one of unrest "The Company is famously know for having a history of dealing with varied kinds of cargo, some which are… human in nature"
"Slavery you mean" she glowered, finally understanding what he was saying. Her disdain for that man only grew stronger. "That's a barbaric practice"
"It's a profitable one, Miss Swann"
"Do you support it!?" she asked him with incredulity, not really able to believe he would.
"Absolutely not," he answered immediately and with severity.
She let out the breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.
"I doubt my opinion would be of relevance them. But I assure you that while I would never allow such business to be conducted on my ships, the Company is a completely different matter"
Now that she realized she really didn´t know much about his obligations, she found herself wishing she had paid more attention to her father´s long lectures.
"So they are not a part of the Navy?" she asked with curiosity.
He scoffed "Hardly. Although the Company does like to boast of a strong military force, they are just that, a business. Devoted only to make a profit" James added with disdain
"You don´t like them" she pointed rather obviously.
His shoulder dropped a little "Doesn´t matter what I like or don´t like. It´s the job of the Navy to protect our citizens"
"You don't have to follow his orders then?" she pointed towards the sea.
He looked almost offended by her question "Of course not. He has no rank to pull on me, he´s just a civilian"
"Thankfully, otherwise you could have been arrested for insubordination, certainly demoted" she jested, making his mouth pull up.
"He put you in prison" he repeated.
She snickered at him "You keep saying that as if it was a proper explanation"
"It is"
And his answer pleased her immensely.
His head moved closer to her before he added with a little smugness "Even your father can´t actually give me orders, you know?"
She drew close to him at that, she could not imagine her meek father even attempting to command James. Even as a Lieutenant he had already been very imposing.
"Has he ever tried to?" she asked with interested.
James smirked "Not that I can recall"
"I can´t imagine he would try now then" she laughed.
Elizabeth had started to feel a lot better, unfortunately she realized something that renewed her anger "Then why did he come here, parading around and giving orders like he had the right to!?"
His expression fell serious once again "Do not misunderstand, Miss Swann. As I've already told you, they are as powerful as they are dangerous. If you meddle with their affairs, they become ruthless" he warned her.
"I don't know what he wants from him, but Beckett had arrest warrants and a letter personally signed by His Majesty, which gives him full authority over Sparrow´s fate. Whatever the reason, he has enough power to get his way."
How could such a miserable man wield that much power? But if he wasn't an officer of the law, then why would he be looking for Jack…?
Her thoughts were interrupted when James´ spoke again, bringing up a completely different topic this time.
"You look exhausted, Elizabeth" he noted gently but with concern.
And that's when her body´s fatigue truly hit her. He was right; she had barely slept and eaten in the last few days and the confrontation had only made her even more tired. The floor was starting to sway a little as well.
"I think you've had enough for today. You need to rest" he suggested "I will escort you home" he assured her with an even tone, as he placed his hand on the small of her back, softly encouraging her towards the door.
As they made their way towards the gates of the fort, she noticed all the unfamiliar soldiers Beckett had brought along had completely disappeared from the fort.
"I apologize but I was in a haste" James said, claiming back her attention. Looking his way to see what he was talking about, she noticed that the only transportation in front of them was a single horse.
"We'll just have to share" she declared playfully as she walked to him.
His eyes brightened at her words "Indeed" he answered in much the same tone.
James helped her get on the horse's back -that for some reason had no saddle- then he propped himself up behind her.
She was tired and grimy and probably smelled. But she was beyond caring about propriety, so the solid wall of warmth that was his body behind her, soon put her to sleep.
...
When she came to again, it was to the call of her name "Miss Swann" he whispered near her ear. James was still at her back, her head now rested in the divot between his neck and shoulder.
She tried moving, but she felt more asleep than awake and her body was not responding properly. Her eyes managed to peek open for long enough to realize where she was. The sight of the Mansion´s main gates was quite a welcomed change.
"Elizabeth" he tried again, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
But it was no use, her eyes closed back and she barely stayed conscious.
After a moment, he felt him dismount while keeping his hands firmly on her waist, steadying her. The pulled her down as well, she was back in his arms, but this time she was being carried.
It was only a few steps later when her Father´s concerned call rang in her ears "Elizabeth!"
She wanted to assure him she was alright, but she could not muster the strength to talk.
"She's alright Governor, just tired" James told her father in her stead "I´ll bring up to her to her rooms, and then I´ll take my leave" he promised her father.
A moment later her father spoke again, his voice full of gratitude "Very well, I´m truly in your debt Commodore"
"There is nothing you need to thank me for, Sir" James replied kindly.
Could they not be quiet? She was trying to sleep. She grunted in complaint at the noise, burrowing further into the warmth around her.
Then, she was moving again.
She felt herself being lowered on a soft and comfortable surface. But it wasn't as warm or as cozy as where she had been a moment ago, so she held onto it as tightly as she could.
"It's alright now. You are home" she heard him whisper.
Elizabeth tried to protest "Ngh" but she was too tired to hold for long and the warmth was lost.
Shortly after, everything went quiet and she fell back into unconsciousness.