"Why are the servants whispering about your having lunch sent to Captain Norrington today?"
Well. There went her plan to keep things secret. It had been little over twenty-four hours since those great strides were made in her…well, 'relationship' was much too strong a word, as was friendship. Her acquaintanceship with Captain James Norrington, and in a mark of thanks, Theo had flouted anachronism and put all of her culinary abilities into making and sending a sandwich down to his house so that he could actually have lunch. In doing so, she'd technically invented the sandwich, but she wasn't sure if that counted as plagiarism or not, so she resisted the urge to pat herself on the back.
With any luck, he wouldn't suspect that it was poisoned, would actually eat the damn thing, and she could go about the rest of her life feeling like she'd been able to establish something that vaguely resembled reciprocity for all that was being done for her around here.
"He was kind to me. In town – yesterday. Very kind. I was trying to show my thanks," Theo explained. "Please don't tell me this is the part where you say what I did was actually wildly inappropriate and equates to a marriage proposal around here."
Ever since Theo had proven herself able to remain conscious past eight at night, she and Elizabeth had slipped seamlessly into a routine that made her (for the first time, she had to admit) mournful that she'd never had a sister growing up. Each night after dinner and time spent milling around in the sitting room, they would retire to their rooms and change – Elizabeth with help, and Theo with as little assistance as possible. There were no two ways around needing assistance out of the outermost layers, with a quite frankly stupid number of laces and ties and clasps in every unreachable direction, but once those were dealt with she'd be left to change into a nightgown on her own.
Last she heard, the general consensus among the servants was that she had terrible scars that she was much too embarrassed of to allow to be seen. That suited her just fine.
Once they were settled and the house had grown quiet, either she or Elizabeth would creep out of their respective bedrooms – they tended to alternate, for the sake of novelty – and make the short journey down the hall, padding barefoot to the room of the other, where they'd sit and whisper and giggle to an hour so stupidly late that often they were still talking when the sky threatened to grow light outside, and the return journey seemed an arduous task indeed. It reminded her of days from her high school years – having all of her pals around her, packed into somebody's living room in sleeping bags on the floor, talking about anything and everything into the wee small hours until someone inevitably groaned from a pile of blankets in the corner that everybody should just shut the fuck up and sleep.
At first, Theo feared Governor Swann would be annoyed by it – that he'd find his daughter's association with her to be inappropriate or something – but one morning over breakfast, he'd joked lightly that it might be easier for all involved if they just shared a chamber, and that was that. Although she couldn't pretend not to be relieved that it hadn't been a serious suggestion. Her friendship with Elizabeth was proving a boon here, and it grew fast, but she still needed space to process just how ridiculous her current circumstances were.
Now, though, she was glad to have her new friend with her, cross-legged on her bed, regarding her with curious brown eyes as she slowly brushed her long golden locks out.
"Not inappropriate, no. Unconventional, perhaps," she allowed.
"Well, that seems to be my trademark here," Theo snorted.
"What happened? In town?"
"It was nothing."
"Good, it should take you no time at all to tell me, then."
Theo groaned, and Elizabeth smirked.
"Some women were, uh, a bit impolite…"
As novel as Elizabeth found Theo's modernity, she doubted she'd approve if she referred to the ladies of Port Royal as utter raging bitches.
"…and he – Captain Norrington, I mean – witnessed it and went out of his way to nip it in the bud. I don't know if I'd have expected that sort of thing from a vaguely warm acquaintance, never mind someone who barely likes me at all. It was good of him. It…it deserved proper thanks."
Elizabeth, thank god, seemed much more preoccupied with the direction her explanation had taken rather than focusing on the inciting incident itself. Which, Theo had to admit, had been her intention.
"I'm glad to hear you see that he's not all bad," she mused quietly.
"Oh, I never thought he was even half bad. Or a quarter- well, I mean, you get the point. I knew he was only doing his job, or his duty or whatever, with how he was when we met. It was understandable. I just didn't really enjoy the end result from a personal standpoint. That wasn't his fault, though. It wasn't anybody's fault. He's a good man, and he was doing what he had to do. I'm mostly just relieved that Governor Swann managed to work some real verbal wizardry to make up for me lodging my foot into my mouth during that first meeting. I wasn't expecting it to have done the trick, but it looks like it did."
Or maybe her own apology had made some sort of difference. Watching his reaction at the time, she didn't think that it had, but he was basically the posterchild for the English stereotype of the stiff upper lip, wasn't he? It wasn't wild stretch of the imagination to think he just wouldn't show what he was truly thinking.
In any case, her mood was even more improved because his advice had proven utterly sound. She'd returned to town that very morning, and caught Will long before his employer had even deigned to turn up from wherever it was he was likely passed out. That had been her intention, of course, but she also knew she'd be able to avoid Port Royal's finest critics at such an hour, too.
When Will Turner crossed her path for the first time, he gave her little more than a polite nod as he met her gaze while walking by. There was a second glance, but Theo knew that was because she was staring at him like…well, the way one stared at a person when one had spent far more time than was healthy watching said person prance about dressed like an elf. Recovering quickly, she stepped after him as he strode by towards the smithy, calling to his back.
"Hello? Excuse me – sorry…"
He'd slowed as if not entirely certain it was indeed him she was calling after. And that would've been a fair assessment to make. She was dressed as someone of Elizabeth's station, given it was one of Elizabeth's dresses she wore, and he was still firmly rooted in the phase of believing himself to be far beneath that station. How many of the ladies here ever afforded him a second glance? Other than Elizabeth herself.
"May I help you, miss?" he blinked owlishly at her.
To Theo's eye, he seemed a far cry from the man who would one day captain the Flying Dutchman. Although she supposed that journey was what the eight hour long trilogy was all about.
"I hope you can," she smiled sheepishly, fidgeting with her skirts and trying to add an air of damsel in distress to her general demeanour. "My name is Theodora – Theodora Byrne, I'm staying with-"
"You're the one Miss Swann found on the beach," he saved her the explanation, watching her with a newfound level of interest. "The Governor's guest."
Ah. Of course. Norrington wouldn't be the only one keen to make sure she meant no harm.
"Yes," she said with an attempt at an embarrassed smile. "I see my reputation precedes me. That's…that's sort of why I'm here."
From there, she dove into much of the same story she'd told Norrington the day before – but, as he'd advised, with added misty eyes and a wobbly lip thrown in for good effect at the end.
"I can give you these," she added at the end, showing him her handful of euros. "All of them. You can't exactly spend them here, but I'm sure if you melt them down they'll be worth something."
It was a bit of a risky move – given that they had years stamped on them and all, but what would his mind jump straight to? That she got them from a few centuries from now, or that they were just some sort of strange serial number?
Will hesitated, openly taking measure of her, which she endured with as much patience and grace as she could muster all while knowing she was essentially begging a stranger for a favour. Then, finally, he'd sighed and asked to see the necklace. Theodora watched with bated breath as he examined it closely, holding it up to narrowed brown eyes and scrutinising every part of the necklace - from every possible angle, no less. Then he sighed again.
"I believe I could replicate it," he said, and then hastened to add, "well – replicate isn't quite the right word. It wouldn't be an exact copy. But I could make something that's…"
"In-keeping with the spirit of the original thing?" she offered.
"Yes. Yes, exactly. I cannot promise miracles – and I cannot promise it will be done swiftly – but I can do it."
"Really? You can? I mean, you will?"
"I will."
Theo beamed, immediately going to rifle through the coins in her hand before he stopped her.
"Keep them. If it's for- well. Consider it a gesture. From one castaway to another."
"Thank you," she said. "Really. You've no idea how much this means."
"I think I have some idea," he said, and she felt herself flush at just how giddy she'd become.
She just really needed a damn win around here. Norrington's change in attitude towards her had certainly counted as one, but this? This was the cherry on top. She'd need to send him an entire foot-long sub at this point just to really thank him.
"May I ask…"Will interrupted her as she began to take her leave. "You sought me out. Not my employer. Why?"
Norrington, she knew, would never forgive her if she blabbed. Nor would she, even if she thought he wouldn't mind. It'd feel skeevy, somehow. Plus, she knew he and Elizabeth would end up together anyway. What would it hurt to give him a little hope?
"Elizabeth told me about you," she admitted.
God, he looked like she'd just handed him the world on a platter.
"She did?"
"Given our similar histories, I think my arrival brought up some memories."
"Yes," he nodded, collecting himself but still failing to hide the beginnings of a smile on his face. "Yes, I imagine it did. Good day, Miss Byrne. I'll send word when it's ready."
With Elizabeth sitting here before her now, it was difficult for Theo to keep a lid on her triumph – feeling very much like a kid who was bursting at the seams with a secret they were just dying to tell. Controlling herself would be worth it, though, so that was precisely what she did.
"These women – these impolite women," Elizabeth said. "Did you happen to catch their names."
Yes. Some.
"No," she shrugged.
"What did they look like, then? I've already some notion of who it might've been, Theo, so it's pointless your protecting them."
"Protecting them?" Theo echoed with a laugh. "Why? What are you going to do to them?"
"Lots of very terrible things. To you, too, if you make my work more difficult by leaving me to figure everything out the hard way."
"Elizabeth."
"Theodora."
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
"My, this really is a very sophisticated technique for debate, do they teach it to everybody where you're from or are you just terribly gifted?"
God, the joke about being a master debater just wrote itself. But she held back that particular joke, knowing she was permanently walking a bit of a tightrope here of what was charming and what was just shocking. Well, at least until Jack turned up. Then she could be her real, utterly classless self.
"I don't want trouble," she said simply. "It was nothing."
"It was enough for Captain Norrington to feel like he needed to step in."
"And he very gallantly did so, which means it's all handled. It's fine. I'm not going to be the stranger who turns up and starts sowing discontent because some daft bints wanted to get a rise out of her."
"But then what am I to do with all of this energy I have for concocting cruel and unusual punishments for them?" Elizabeth asked.
"I hear embroidery is all the rage here. Channel it into that."
Elizabeth gave a laugh that sounded more like a scoff – and Theo began to suspect all of that cruel and unusual energy would soon be sent her way. But before she could worry too much, the blonde sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed, contemplating the canopy above her.
"Well, it's the dinner party tomorrow – during which you'll be launched into our fine society."
"Like a bomb?"
"Perhaps – depending on what you say and do."
"Great."
Elizabeth smiled a little. "I devised this carefully, you know. As guest of honour, you'll be seated to my right, so I'll be able to help should you run into difficulty. It's not a ball, so there'll be no dancing – although I will have to teach you that eventually. The most you'll have to worry about concerns the after-dinner entertainment – cards, chess, and such. But given that you've said you're familiar with those, I expect it should all go swimmingly."
"You know what they say about expectations."
Arching a dark eyebrow at her, Elizabeth waited patiently. Theo smirked. "They lead to disappointment."
"Good God, have you never heard of optimism?" she snorted.
"What's that? A card game in these parts?"
That earned her little more than an eyeroll, but the small smile remained on Elizabeth's face as she remarked ruefully.
"I must confess, though, I've no wish for it to go too well. Lest you end up betrothed before the year is through."
Theo snorted. "Can't imagine much worse than that."
All Elizabeth gave in response was a soft hum, and then she murmured quietly.
"It depends on the groom, I suppose."
A/N: Tumblr - esta-elavaris
IG - miotasach