Harry & the Pirate: Norrington's Choice

[geekmama]

Chapter Ten: Troubled Waters


"Gone! What d'ye mean, they're gone?"

This in response to Maria's dramatic announcement, made when she was halfway up the gangplank, accompanied by Suzanna Holliday and Lilian Lightfoot. The ladies were followed by two Naval officers, the insufferable Lieutenant Gillette, and the more likeable Lieutenant Groves, both of whom Jack remembered from his various involuntary sojourns aboard H.M.S. Dauntless. All of them had been waiting when the Black Pearl drew up to the dock on its return to Port Royal, and those aboard the ship had suspected that their grim-faced presence, along with the very noticeable absence of Lady Harry, Lady Margaret, Elizabeth, and the boys, boded ill.

Maria said, "My mistress, Mrs. Turner, and your wife are gone after the boys!"

"Captain, Charles and Owens have been taken!" exclaimed Suzanna, her voice breaking. "There were two men. Lilian and I saw them!"

"Taken!" exclaimed Norrington. He demanded of his Lieutenants, "What does she mean?"

"Where's the note?" Jack demanded, resigned, holding out his hand to Maria. She promptly removed a missive from her pocket and handed it to him. He unfolded the rather thick, expensive pink paper, and began to swear softly and vehemently as he swiftly deciphered his wife's agitated handwriting. Toward the end of it he gave a bark of derisive laughter. "God's teeth! I must not worry, she says! Not worry!"

Governor Swann took the letter from Jack's slackened grasp and read it aloud to the others.

My love, you will not credit it but the boys-Owens and Charles, that is-have been kidnapped! Suzanna and Lilian saw two men take them and load them into a small boat and head out toward where a sloop was waiting. The girls said they'd overheard the ruffians mention meeting a Frenchman in Tortuga. We asked (no, demanded!) that the Navy take a hand and give chase, but that dreadful little man James left in charge, Gillette I believe his name is, refused! I wish you will hit him when you see him, for he is the most odiously officious, pompous, sarcastic and unhelpful person I have ever encountered! He claims the British Navy has no jurisdiction in Tortuga (and if that is so, how is it that James brought the Dauntless to fetch you back to Port Royal before we were married?) and that we should wait for the Commodore's return! A whole twenty-four hours! If not more, for there is no saying but what you may decide to stay an extra day, or even two. Indeed, I hope you all have had a lovely visit with Mr. Greene, even though your absence just at this time is most inconvenient, not to say distressing. However, we are taking action: Maggie wished to hire a boat to take us to Tortuga, but Davis Lightfoot has offered to sail us on the Bonny Lass! You must not worry: we have gone heavily armed, for I borrowed some weapons from Weatherby (I picked the lock on the cabinet quite easily, and if you do not mention it to him I daresay he will not even notice they are gone) and Elizabeth, of course was able to obtain all manner of beautiful swords and knives from Will's works. But please follow along after us as quickly as possible, for I will be much more at ease when you are there to take charge. I am, as ever, your loving wife, Harry.

"Picked the lock!" said Weatherby, outraged. He looked at Jack accusingly. "Did you teach her that?"

"No, I bloody did not!" snapped Jack. "She's your sister! You know what she is!"

"Unscrupulous, hot-at-hand, and utterly foolish! Why, she is to give birth in another month! She should be at home, knitting!"

Maria put in, "Lady Margaret tried to persuade her to stay here, but she would have none!"

"I'll wager she wouldn't," agreed Jack, grimly. "Owens and Charles taken! Bloody hell. Anatole!"

The chef, who, along with Alphonse and many of the rest of the crew, had been on deck taking in the fact that calamity had again reared its ugly head, stepped forward. "Oui, Capitaine!"

"Take as many men as ye need and get provisions to last two or three weeks. We leave in two hours, so you'd best move!" As Anatole and the crew did so, Jack turned to the guests, saying, "I'll ask you to step down to me cabin, ladies and gents. There are a few questions I'd like answered."

Giles Lightfoot gave his daughter's hand a comforting squeeze, while Gillette said, huffily, "We have come only to report to Commodore Norrington!"

But Norrington told him, "And you will report, Gillette, to me and to Captain Sparrow, and if you've insufficient reason for letting those women go haring off to rescue those boys I just may let the Captain grant his wife's wish before taking more official action."

In the event, however, Gillette was spared any physical expression of the Captain's wrath, for it appeared that the ladies had not informed the Lieutenant that they were not only disinclined to heed his advice but were taking matters into their own hands.

"Indeed, sir," said Gillette to Norrington, pink-faced and sweating under the combined glare of icy green and fiery dark eyes, "If I had known, I would have done my utmost to dissuade them from so foolish a course of action!"

"Foolish, is it?" growled Jack. "Seems to me you're the fool! Why the devil didn't you take that little ship of yours and go after 'em yourself! You could've caught 'em before they'd even come in sight o' Tortuga!"

"Endeavor, you mean?" said Norrington, referring to the ship that had been sent from England to replace the Interceptor. He shook his head. "It's still in the midst of repairs. Broken mizzenmast, not two days out of Port Royal."

Jack swore, then remembered the presence of the Nurse and two girls. "My apologies, ladies. I'm a bit put out by all this."

The Nurse nodded gravely. Suzanna said, worriedly, "Captain, you will be able to find them? The boys, I mean."

"Or I'll die tryin'" said Jack, then, seeing her horrified expression, added, "But it won't come to that! Don't you worry, Missy, we'll bring 'em all back safe an' sound. Now you an' Lily tell me exactly how it was, and what those men said an' just what they looked like."

But Suzanna and Lilian brought no comfort to Jack. In fact, the more he heard the more serious was his expression. Finally, he got up and walked over to the bank of windows and looked out at the harbor. Norrington joined him.

"Do you think you know who took them?" the Commodore asked quietly.

"Maybe. Couple o' nasty buggers, if I guess right. But it's this Frenchman I don't know about. Settin' toughs to kidnappin' a pair o' schoolboys in order to get me is the work of a right blackguard. For that's what it is." Jack looked briefly at the Commodore, then out the window again.

Norrington frowned. "It wasn't your doing, Jack."

Jack gave a short, humorless laugh. "Might just as well have been." He took a deep breath. "Well, as I told little Suzanna there, I'll set it right or die tryin'. You'd best get your things together, including those two Lieutenants of yours, an' take your leave. We'll be gettin' ready to weigh anchor soon."

"The Lieutenants can see themselves off. I'm coming with you, of course." He lifted a brow at Jack's look of surprise. "With your permission, of course, Captain."

Jack's mouth quirked slightly. "Maggie, eh?"

Norrington nodded. "And Charles. And Owens, and Elizabeth, and your Harry. And you, for that matter."

Jack stared at him. Then said slowly, "Thanks, but my safety ain't your concern."

Norrington was almost successful in masking effect of this statement, but he said only, "It is, when you are dealing with the French, which appears to be the case in this instance."

"So it is." Jack eyed him narrowly. "Daresay you're a good man to have at one's back in a fight. But I ain't givin' up command o' this ship for anyone."

"No one is asking you to do so, Captain."

"All right, then. Commodore."

A rather wry look of amusement lit Norrington's eyes. "And to think it was 'Jim-me-lad' two hours back. How changeable life is."

Jack couldn't help smiling. "It is that." He looked back at the table. "Will? Giles? Are you both coming? Norrington's to join us."

The Governor, pretending to be indignant, said, "What, am I not invited as well?"

Jack said, "No, for someone must stay an' watch the kittens, eh?" and laughed at the Governor's grimace of displeasure.

o-o-o

"This place is a travesty of civilization," Mrs. Henrietta Sparrow proclaimed, annoyed and weary, wrinkling her little nose in disgust as another very dirty, drunken citizen staggered past. "I cannot conceive of anyone choosing to live in this manner."

"Jack told Will it's a sad life that's never breathed deep Tortuga's sweet, proliferous bouquet!" Elizabeth chuckled, keeping a firm hold of her sword hilt.

"Men are idiots," said Lady Margaret, succinctly.

Harry laughed, hearing such words coming from the lips of her mild-mannered friend, and Davis Lightfoot, who was following them, cleared his throat.

"Not you, of course, Davis," Maggie said contritely. "But really! This town appears to be an absolute cesspit of depravity. If I had realized, I would never have let my Charles near the place, in spite of Jack's assurances of his safety."

Davis said soothingly, "There are nicer areas to the town, and the Widow McGee and her family are fine people. It's just down here that it seems like an unrelieved den of corruption."

Harry said, "I hope we find one or the other of the villains soon. We've looked in at least a dozen taverns, and only heard one rumor of 'Ace' leaving town! And nothing of the other! Do you think there are many yellow-haired men with snub noses here?"

"Not many. Certainly not many that chum about with fellows called 'Ace'.

The four started across the square before them, toward another tavern, attracting the usual gaping looks of interest from the local citizenry: it was not every day one saw three beautiful, elegantly dressed, heavily armed ladies, the shorter of whom was very obviously near her time, accompanied by an open-faced, raw-boned young man with a useful-looking blunderbuss. One onlooker in particular, a tall, heavily painted woman with red hair and a redder dress turned away from the sailor she was chatting up and stared, her lips curving contemptuously.

"Well, ain't this a sight? A little mum and 'er lady's maids! Davis, 'oo are these? Yer bodyguards, then?"

"Now then, Miss Scarlet, don't be baitin' these ladies," said Davis. "They ain't in a good mood."

Harry stopped, looking the woman up and down. "Davis, you know this person?"

Davis looked rather embarrassed. "Why, near everyone knows Miss Scarlet, ma'am."

Harry's brows lifted and she said, with thinly veiled contempt, "I'll wager they do."

Miss Scarlet's eyes flashed and she frowned. "Well, yer know my name. What's yours, Mistress High an' Mighty? Or is it Miss after all?"

Harry tilted her chin. "Not that it is any of your concern, but it is Mrs. Henrietta Sparrow, wife of Captain Jack Sparrow."

Scarlet gobbled briefly. Then, trying for disdainful derision and achieving only a harsh gasp, she said, "Wife! Of Jack Sparrow! That bloody eunuch!"

Harry gave a little bark of angry laughter. "Obviously not!"

The sailor snickered. "Gave ye the go-by, did 'e, Scarlet?"

"Bastard. Shoulda slapped 'is pretty face twice as 'ard."

"You slapped him?" exclaimed Harry, and her companions looked a little alarmed at her tone.

"I did. An' I'd do it again this instant, if 'e were 'ere. Married! Ha!"

But her laughter was cut short by Harry's fist connecting with her rouged cheekbone, which caused her to stagger back, catch her ankles on the edge of the boardwalk, and thump ungracefully down.

"Aunt Harry!"

"Harry, no!"

"Ma'am, you mustn't! See here, Scarlet," said Davis to that outraged female as she struggled to her feet, a murderous look in her eye. The young man quickly grabbed the belligerent Mrs. Sparrow by the arm and thrust her behind him where she was held firmly by her niece and her friend. "I warned you she was in a bad mood. You can't go fightin' with a woman that's carryin', for the Lord's sake!"

The sailor, giving a gap-toothed laugh, grabbed onto Scarlet, who shrieked, "She's bloody given me a black eye! I'll bloody kill 'er! Let me go!"

Harry bared her teeth in what was a decidedly nasty grin and began feeling for the hilt of her knife, when a deep voice sounded sharply, "Here, what's this then!" and a big red-haired man in an elegant suit strode up, accompanied by two lesser minions. Scarlet subsided, with obvious resentment, and Harry drew herself up to her full height (which came approximately to the middle of the newcomer's chest) and assumed the practiced hauteur of a former dowager duchess.

The red-haired man looked down with some amusement and snapped, "Davis, ye'll introduce me?"

Davis complied. "Lady Harry, this is Phineas McCollough, mayor of Tortuga. Mayor, Mrs. Henrietta Sparrow."

Harry nodded to the mayor with great condescension, and said, "How do you do?" and he, in turn, chuckled and looked her over appreciatively. "So you're Jack Sparrow's better half, eh? A lucky man, the ol' devil is. And didn't waste any time, either, I see. But, I can't be havin' ye startin' a fight here, ma'am. It ain't fittin'."

"My apologies, Mayor McCollough. I am unused to being accosted by unmannerly persons who claim to rejoice in having assaulted my husband with little to no provocation."

A shaggy red brow rose, and the Mayor eyed the indignant Scarlet briefly. "Did she, now? Well, sure, you may think that's reason enough to give 'er a shiner, but there's probably a good many that could say the same an' ye can't be claimin' vengeance on 'em all! He's quite the ladies' man, y'know-or was at any rate. Liked 'is fun, but a bit particular about who 'e ultimately favored, if ye get me drift. At least since I've known 'im. Caused a bit of turmoil now an' then."

Scarlet shook off the sailor's restraining hand at this point and straightened. "I'll be off now, with your permission, Mayor, since you 'ave this termagant under control."

Phineas had turned toward Scarlet, so Harry pulled a face at the doxy, then erased it swiftly as the Mayor turned back, his suspicions aroused by Scarlet's sudden look of outrage. He gave Harry a warning glare, then said to Scarlet, "Aye, then, perhaps ye'd better." He was silent as Scarlet flounced off across the square, but then he shook a large finger at Harry and said, "And you, ma'am, had best behave yerself, or I'll be tellin' yer husband of ye."

"Well, he can hardly do more than give me a scold at this point," said Harry, patting 'Young Sparrow', her eyes bright with mischief.

Phineas shook his head, disapprovingly, not quite subduing the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I'd heard 'e'd got himself a pretty handful, an' I see it's no more'n the truth. Where is 'e, by the by? And who's yer lovely escort, here, if ye don't mind me askin'?"

"This is Lady Margaret Holliday, an old friend of mine, and this is Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, my niece." The ladies curtsied, and Phineas bowed with great elegance. Harry went on, "We hope my husband will be joining us soon, but he was from home and we have had to come without him on a most urgent errand: Mrs. Holliday's son Charles, and our own cabin boy, Michael Owens, have been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped! Little Owens, and Charlie? For of course I know 'em, ma'am," said Phineas to Lady Margaret. "Fine little lads, both, an' pluck to the backbone." Phineas chuckled. "Gave Captain Sparrow a bit o' grief when they came with ‘im that last time, but 'e soon had 'em straightened out." Seeing Lady Margaret's horrified look, the Mayor cleared his throat and abandoned this line of conversation. "But kidnapped, ye say?"

"Yes," said Harry. "We have good reason to suspect they were brought here to Tortuga where the villains were to hand them over to an unknown Frenchman! We were less than twelve hours behind them, I think, although that little storm delayed us somewhat, but we have been looking for them for hours and have had no luck at all in finding them. Perhaps you could help us! There is a big, dark man named Ace, and another with yellow hair and a snub nose."

Phineas's brows shot up. "Ace Blackstone and Ned Shaffer! Never heard that they were kidnappin' coves, but there you go: no tellin' what bas… bug… blackguards like those'll be up to!"

"You know them!" said Lady Margaret, hopefully. "Have you seen them, then?"

"Saw Ned not an hour since. Down at the Cat 'n' Whistle, in the old part o' town. Didn't have the boys with 'im, though. Hmmm." Phineas fingered his beard thoughtfully.

"What is it? Do you know something?" demanded Harry.

Phineas looked at her, frowning. "Nothin' fer sure, though…the thing is, I saw some strange goin's on out in the harbor this mornin'-I'm an early riser, an' like to take me mornin' tea lookin' out on the sea. Anyroad, looked like some cargo bein' loaded onto that ship from Martinique-what was it called?"

"Fleur de Mer, Mayor," said one of the minions.

"That's right! One o' Emile Tussaud's ships. 'E's a merchant-rich as Croesus-has a home on Martinique. An' it was after that I saw Ace an' Ned. Don't know where Ace got to after that, but like I said, Ned's at the Cat 'n' Whistle. Saw 'im chattin' up another o' yer husband's acquaintances: one Giselle Bontemps." Harry rolled her eyes a bit, and Phineas narrowed his, saying, "Now don't you even think of goin' after that one. She an' Scarlet're just the tip o' the iceberg, I'm afraid. Ye can't go after 'em all! Ye must've known what 'e was when ye married 'im!"

"Yes, of course. I daresay you are perfectly correct," Harry agreed, but sounded considerably annoyed. "My deepest thanks, Mayor McCollough. You have been most helpful and I promise I will try to refrain from causing you more distress."

"It ain't me I'm worried about, Mrs. Sparrow," said Phineas, pointedly, "it's you, and what yer husband'll have to say if yer hurt! You'll extend my congratulations to 'im, when you see 'im, and my sympathies as well, eh?"

Harry chuckled, and said, "You may be sure of it, sir!"

o-o-o

The Cat 'n' Whistle was one of the seedier looking establishments, located in the older part of the town, as the Mayor had indicated. It was quite a long way, and by the time they got there Harry was feeling even more tired and irritable.

"Giselle had better have made herself scarce," observed Elizabeth, eyeing her Aunt's flushed countenance worriedly.

Lady Margaret shook her head. "Your husband will be ready to murder the lot of us if you come to harm, Harry. You should have stayed on the Bonny Lass and let the rest of us do this!"

"Nonsense!" said Harry, briskly. "Hopefully this will be our last stop, and we can get the information we need and proceed after the boys. If the Mayor is correct and that Emile Tussaud has something to do with it, we can leave for Martinique tonight!"

"Good God," said Davis, "I hope it won't come to that! Martinique is a long way off, eight or ten days in the Bonny Lass, over open water. If that's the case, I say we wait for the Pearl: it's safer in a big ship, and her speed'll cut days off the journey. But maybe the boys're here in town, somewhere."

"We'll find out!" Harry said.

The party entered, and the ladies had to endure some impertinent stares while Davis bribed the barkeep to give over the whereabouts of Ned Shaffer. The man was perfectly willing to do this, for the right price, however, and Davis presently motioned to the ladies. The party proceeded up the rickety staircase to the second floor, where rooms were let by the hour as well as by the night.

"This is it," Davis said, when they reached a room marked with the number 3. "Stand back, ladies."

Davis gained them entrance by the simple expedient of kicking the door in. There was a harsh scream and a startled oath as the four piled in, and then they were confronting a couple lying naked in bed, a sheet drawn up to their chins. The woman was thin, blond, and heavily painted as 'Scarlet' had been; the man had long, dirty yellow hair and a snub nose, as promised. Davis trained his blunderbuss on their quarry from one side, and Maggie and Elizabeth ranged themselves and their swords on the other. Harry took the center, drew the pistol from her pocket, and took dead aim.

"What the devil? What do you want?" demanded the man, his voice shrill.

"My son," said Maggie in icy accents.

Harry said, "You have made a great mistake if you thought you would succeed in kidnapping those boys with impunity, you despicable brute! Tell us where they are this minute or I will not be answerable for the consequences."

"Don't know what yer talkin' about!" barked the man.

"You're mad! 'oo are you?" demanded the wench.

Harry fixed a smoldering eye on her. "Are you Giselle?" she asked in deceptively dulcet tones.

"What if I am? What's it to you?"

"Just this," said Harry, and quite deliberately cocked the pistol. "I am Henrietta Sparrow, wife of Captain Jack Sparrow, and although I have promised the Mayor I would not harm you, in spite of your dealings with my husband, I have not been taught the use of firearms and cannot vouch for my aim should this pistol discharge. I suggest you take your bony arse and leave immediately. Savvy?"

Giselle did not need to be told twice. Wailing a little, she scurried naked from the bed and, grabbing up her discarded skirt, ran from the room, her wail increasing in volume as she gained the hall, and then the stairs.

Harry, smiling at the heavy thump of footsteps on the staircase, trained the pistol on Ned Shaffer. "Now!" she said, her voice cold and hard as ice, "We will discuss the exact whereabouts of Michael Owens and Charles Holliday, and…"

"Harry!"
Jack's voice! With a glad cry, Harry swung 'round. There was a deafening report as the pistol fired, and Jack staggered back.

On to Chapter Eleven