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Bittersweet Homecomings	By : JennyPugh Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 3442 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Nope, still
don’t have him!

…

Chapter four:
‘I see you learned a few things aboard Sparrow’s ship.’

Jenny stared
sullenly at Hall, whose turn it was to keep watch over her. She had tried for the
first few days of the voyage to create a fuss, trying to bring attention to her
plight. But all it brought her was beatings from both men until she learned her
lesson and kept quiet. Her days were filled with trying to get comfortable and
ignoring the hunger pangs that gnawed at her stomach. The men gave her food but
it was only when they thought about it and tended to be stale and largely
inedible. Her nights were filled with dreams of Jack, which in a way was worse
to bear than the day time was.

‘Stop soddin’
starin’ at me, ya filthy pirate whore.’

Jenny snapped
from her reverie and looked away from Hall, feeling a hatred burn inside her
that she never thought could exist.

‘We’re here,’
Nicholas Boothe announced as he entered the cabin. ‘Better get her untied.’ He
pulled Jenny up by her hair. ‘But you try anything Mistress, an’ yer might not
live to regret it, understand?’

Jenny nodded
then gasped in pain as Hall untied her hands and feeling flooded along her arms
to her hands. She resisted the urge to kick him as he untied her feet and bent
to rub her ankles instead. ‘Where are we?’ she asked, hesitantly.

‘None of yer
business,’ Boothe informed her, walking over to the side window and looking out
on the harbour of Port Royal for the first time and feeling slightly
disappointed with it. After hearing all the tales of the infamous pirate town,
he had been expecting something along the lines of Tortuga. But thanks largely
to James Norrington, Port Royal was gaining some degree of respectability.

‘Port Royal?
What are we doing in Port Royal, I thought we were going to Grand Turk.’ Jenny
looked out of the window, shocked to see the familiar harbour stretching out
before her.

‘Ah Mistress
Samuels, you really are far too trusting,’ Nicholas Boothe mocked,
leaning down so his face was level with hers and she could smell the rancid ale
on his breath. ‘Make sure she stays quiet, I have someone I have to meet.’

…

‘This way
gentlemen. I apologise for her appearance, but we found it necessary to bind
her for much of the journey as she is a tad hard to control,’ came Boothe’s
voice from outside the door.

Jenny looked
around, her stomach lurching with fear. ‘Who has he brought with him? Are
they selling me as a slave?’ The door opened and she felt her knees give
way and clutched the edge of the table for support.

‘Father!’ Jenny
looked at the man standing before her with a mixture of astonishment and
horror. ‘What…?’ She looked from her father to James Norrington and back again,
her mind racing.

‘I hired these
men to track you down. You are to come home with me before you bring further
disgrace to the family name,’ he spat, looking his daughter up and down with
distaste, aghast that she was dressed as a man.

‘How did…?
James!’ She looked agast at the Governor who was standing impassively by the
cabin door, his hands clasped behind his back.

‘I am sorry
Jenny, but you left me with little choice. I had to let your father know what
had happened to you.’ The Governor looked at Jenny with sorrow in his eyes,
wishing with all his heart things had turned out differently.

‘Nothing
happened to me,’ she shrieked, taking a step towards him before being checked
by Thomas Hall.

‘You were living
your life as a pirate’s whore and you say nothing had happened to you?’ Henry
Marston shook his head incredulously as he regarded the stranger before him. ‘I
should never have sent you over here. I should have married you off to Roger
Crompton when he asked me for your hand.’

‘Edward had not
been in his grave two months before that bastard tried his luck.’

‘Jenny! I
have never heard such language.’

‘Oh come, come
father. I have heard you use stronger words than that when dealing with your
men, your serfs,’ she sneered comptemptuously, turning her back on him.

‘If I may have a
little privacy with my daughter?’ Henry Marston enquired of Governor
Norrington, smiling a charming smile as James nodded. ‘You two as well,’ he
jerked his head towards the door, falling silent as Boothe and Hall also left
the cabin.

‘How dare you
disgrace me like this. Have you so little shame?’

‘No Father,’
Jenny smiled sweetly, her eyes as cold as ice. ‘I have no shame whatsoever. I
am also not coming with you, you cannot force me to.’

‘I can and I
will. I will arrange the passage back to England as soon as I can and will have
you locked in the brig if necessary.’

‘You bastard!
What pray, do you have planned for me what we get back to England? Do you
intend keeping me prisoner in your house? Bar all the doors and windows until such
a time I might become complient? Well you might as well turn the house into a
fortress for I will never be complient to you again. Never!’ She
gasped as her father’s hand struck her across the face, causing her to fall to
the floor.

…

James Norrington
tried not to listen to the altercation in the cabin but with both of them now
shouting, it was hard not to. He wondered, not for the first time, if he had
done the right thing in informing Henry Marston of his daughter’s situtation.
He had known there was not much feeling between father and daughter from
conversations he and Jenny had when she was in his employment. ‘What is
done, is done,’ he thought to himself resignedly, casting a glance at the
closed door as it suddenly fell silent within.

…

‘That is your
answer to everything is it not, father?’ Jenny’s voice dripped with sarcasm as
she rubbed her cheek gingerly. ‘This little venture must have cost you well.
Come into some money have we?’

‘I have ways and
means, you need worry about that,’ Henry Marston replied contemptuously with a
look in his eyes that made Jenny feel even more uneasy. ‘You will be placed
under house arrest at the Governor’s mansion.’ He reached out for his daughter,
frowning with anger as she snatched her arm from his grasp and marched to the
door. ‘Dear Lord, what has happened to you?’

‘I got away from
you,’ she hissed, glaring at James Norrington as she yanked the door open and
strode past him, up to the deck. She glanced about surreptitiously to see if
there were any means of escape but the Governor had taken the liberty of
bringing some marines on board and Boothe and Hall were watching her closely,
so Jenny decided to leave it until a more opportune moment. She looked
distainfully at the bosuns chair being rigging up for her and stole a march on
the men by shinning down the rope to the waiting boat, smiling to herself at
the splutters of shock from those still on the deck.

James Norrington
clambered down with the ease of many years of practise and sat next to Jenny,
unsure whether to try and be friendly or not. ‘I see you learned a few things
aboard Sparrow’s ship.’ He grimaced as he was met with stoney silence then
glanced up as Henry Marston joined them in the boat, nearly upsetting it by
getting clumsily in.

Jenny watched
Port Royal draw ever nearer as the marines rowed them ashore and she bit her
lip wondering where Jack was and whether she would ever see him again. She
pressed her hand against her hip, feeling the lump of the heart Jack had made
still in its hiding place. She ignored all offers of help from the boat and
stood tapping her foot impatiently as her father alighted as ineptly as he
boarded, her hatred of him growing stronger each time she looked at him and she
idly wondered if she would be able to kill him before making her escape.

… … … …

‘Port ho!’

The Black
Pearl limped slowly towards the port of Sao Luis, the makeshift repairs to
the main mast barely holding together. What should have taken a fast ship such
as The Pearl less than a day to sail had taken four days and that was
after the day and a half spent rigging up a temporary mast then sailing out to
the open ocean to bury their dead at sea which meant Jenny had been gone nearly
a week. Jack cursed their luck for having lost valuable crewmen such as Paul
Rochester, the helmsman and Will Higgins, the carpenter. But there was nothing
that could be done for now. His priorities were getting his ship seaworthy
again and going after Jenny.

‘Eh?’ He looked
around at Gibbs who had clearly been standing there talking to him for some
moments.

‘I said, it
should not take too long to make repairs. I’ve been here before and it is a
good port, plenty o’tradesmen and sailors.’ Joshamee Gibbs sighed to himself.
He had seen Jack a little crazed at times but this had made him quite unlike
anything he had known before and it worried him. Jack was pushing himself far
too hard, not allowing anybody to take the helm from him, even though he was
clearly exhausted and in a lot of pain. He barely ate, he did not even drink
that much which really had the quartermaster worried.

‘Why Port Royal,
Gibbs? D’ya reckon Norrington has anything ter do wi’this?’

‘I don’t think
so Jack, it is not his style. Maybe it is just coincidence that the ship was
going to Port Royal.

‘Then why did
they lie to her, eh? Why say it was goin’ ter Grand Turk?’

Gibbs shrugged,
at a loss for words and he clapped his captain on the shoulder, apologising
profusely as his captain winced in pain. ‘Sorry Jack,’ he smiled,
half-heartedly before making a hasty exit.

‘Why didn’t
they want her ter know they were goin’ ter Port Royal?’ Jack mused, shaking
his head to try and dislodge the thought that had been going round and round
for the past few days. ‘It has ter be Norrington, but why? An’ why
spin her a tale about her brother?’ He was so deep in thought that he never
even noticed the ship drop anchor and come to a halt until the wheel stopped
responding in his hands. ‘Get as many
carpenters, caulkers and smiths here as soon as yer can,’ he ordered Joshamee
Gibbs, not wishing to go ashore himself. ‘I don’t care how much they cost.’

‘Aye Cap’n,’
Gibbs deferred, setting off to get a group of men together to go ashore and get
the craftsmen they needed.

…

The Black
Pearl soon reverberated with the sound of many men working hard on repairing
her. The deck was awash with carpenters and smiths, their mates, and assorted
tools. Wood shavings, iron pilings were strewn far and wide and the smell of
tar pervaded everywhere on board. But progress was slow, far too slow for
Jack’s liking and he urged and pushed and yelled but it still did not get done
as quickly as he had hoped.

John Williams
approached his captain with some trepidation. He had just come from below where
various cannon shots were being repaired. But now there was a new problem. Some
of the wales were badly damaged and would need to be completely replaced which
would be a long, hard job.

‘What?!’
Jack glared at the big man, the anger that was always bubbling under the
surface, threatened to spill over.

‘I’m just off
ter town wi’some o’the chips ter find some timber. Sorry Jack,’ John shrugged
ruefully then climbed over the side of the ship to the waiting boat and headed
for town with some of the carpenters in tow.

Jack looked
across the harbour at a couple of the other ships anchored and gave serious
thought to comandeering one of them and sailing to Port Royal. But just then The
Pearl lurched in the water and he smiled in spite of himself. ‘Don’t worry
luv, I ain’t about ter give ya up,’ he reassured, his anger starting to
disappate. ‘I just wish ter God I could go an’ get Jenny back.’ He glanced
again at the ships.

… … … …

Jenny held her
head high as she walked in the middle of an escort of marines through the town and
up towards the Governor’s mansion, ignoring the whispers and fingers pointing
at her. Her father and James Norrington were ahead of the group and she
concentrated on looking daggers at both their backs, hoping they could feel her
gaze burning a hole in them. She gulped as they reached the heavy iron gates
and took a deep breath as she cross over the threshold, starting to dread
facing the staff once more.

The door of the
mansion opened and Rowlands, the butler, stood impassively as his master and
guest strode into the hallway but his gaze shifted as Jenny went past and she
fought the urge to make a snarky comment. ‘Lord, I’ve been in Jack’s company
too long,’ she thought, smiling to herself, secure in the knowledge that
she would soon make her escape in much the same way she had previously.

As if he had
read her mind, James Norrington turned and regarded Jenny for long moments
before clearing his throat. ‘If you have any ideas as to leaving the way you
did before, I intend having marines posted outside your door and outside the
windows.’ He stepped back, fearing she would leap forward and strike him, the
anger flared so brightly in her eyes but she looked away quickly to hide the
tears and trudged up the stairs, her shoulders dropping dejectedly.

… … … …

‘Gibbs, crew
meeting, my cabin.’ Jack went on to his quarters and paced the cabin until all
the senior members of The Black Pearl were gathered there.
‘I’m leavin’ a
skeleton crew here t’oversee repairs an’ I’m commandeering one o’the ships in
th’harbour wi’the rest o’them.’

‘Jack! Ya can’t
do that,’ protested John Williams, looking agast at the idea. ‘The
authorities’d be all over the rest o’us like a plague. You’d lose th’Pearl.’

‘He’s right
Jack,’ agreed Joshamee Gibbs. ‘It’s far too risky.’

‘I’ve got ter do
something,’ Jack exploded, banging his fist on the table. ‘I can’t just
sit here an’ wait. What if he hangs her, eh?’

‘Even if it is
Norrington, which as I’ve said before, I doubt it is, he’s not going to hang
her. She hasn’t been tried as a pirate, she hasn’t been caught in the act of
piracy, so there is nothing Norrington can do.’ The older man laid a placating
hand on his captain’s arm and squeezed sympathetically. ‘The repairs should be
finished in a couple of days, the winds look favourable and I reackon we’ll
make Port Royal within eight or nine days.’

‘That’s too
bloody long Gibbs.’

‘It will
probably still be quicker than trying ter get there in one o’those,’ Gibbs
nodded out to the two ships in the harbour.

‘Th’way I see
it,’ interjected Pete Symmonds, who had been standing quietly by the door,
‘Norrington had taken a shine ter Jenny, right? Maybe he just wanted her back.
He ain’t goin’ ter hurt her, Cap’n, I’d stake me life on that.’

Jack sighed and
leaned on the edge of the table looking defeated then leapt up again and
hurried from the cabin leaving bemused looks behind him before the men went to
go after him at the same time and caused a jam in the doorway.

‘Cap’n? Jack!’
Gibbs called to the retreating figure as he sped down to the hold.

They found their
captain grabbing an armful of leather pouches from a heavy oak chest then
straightening and thrusting the load into the nearest man, which happened to be
the cook, John Williams. ‘I want every craftsman in th’town workin’ on
th’ship.’

‘But... Jack…
It’s nearly dusk,’ reasoned Joshamee Gibbs. ‘Would it not be better to wait
until morning?’

‘We work by
torchlight, I want ter be away by this time tomorrow. Go. Now.’ Jack shooed his
hands and his senior crewmen disappeared back up the ship leaving him sitting
on the now closed lid of the chest, feeling drained.

… … … …

James Norrington
had been true to his word and had indeed posted marines outside the door of
Jenny’s room and in the yard below her window. Even during her meals, which she
took in stoney silence with James and her father in the dining room, there
would be guards at the doors and windows. The Governor was clearly taking no
chances. Jenny wished she could talk to him privately, wanting to try and
reason with him, but he was either avoiding her like a plague or else was
busier than she remembered from her time in his employment. She suspected the
former and it saddened her to think how close they had once been. She looked
about the walls of her room which had become her prison and tried desperately
to think of a way of escaping for she was to leave in the morning on HMS Sutherland,
captained by Charles Gillette who had been promoted from Lieutenant since she
had last made his aquintantance.

‘The only
chance I have will be when I leave this house,’ she reasoned, fingering the
small heart Jack had made for her. ‘If I make a dash for it when we get to
the harbour, there are enough places for me to hide…’ Jenny smiled to
herself, glad to finally be able to make plans after five days of being trapped
in the Governors’ house. She changed into her nightgown and climbed into the
soft bed, falling alseep quickly, still clutching the wooden heart.
…

Authors
notes:
A caulker is
someone who filled in cracks and seams on a ship using tar or oakum.
Wales is a belt
of thick planking going around the ship, giving added strength to the hull.
Chips was/is a
nickname for a carpenter.

…
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Bittersweet Homecomings