The Proposition: Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum

Jack Sparrow couldn’t help himself. Now he was curious, and once he got curious, there wasn’t much to do but follow it to some kind of conclusion. So he’d spent his afternoon at a local establishment where he could get himself a massage, a more particular kind of massage and a bath, and would now be arriving at the Turner’s relatively clean, relaxed, and more than a little curious.

Unlike most visitors to the Turner household, Jack Sparrow had never actually arrived at the front doorHe was usually weaving through the kitchen or sliding his way through an upper story window in the middle of the night hoping to avoid the lookouts he knew Norrington had posted for him when he knew Jack was around. This being his first day of the “new” Port Royal experience, Jack thought he would see how the other half lived and wound his way up to the front door.

A pretty young parlor maid, perhaps about 16 or so, opened the door, eyes wide as saucers as she took in Jack’s appearance.

“Mademoiselle,” Jack bowed, “if you would be so kind as to inform your mistress that...” but with this, Will swept up, greeted Jack, and noted his much-improved appearance this morning.

“Thank God,” Will thought to himself. “If for no other reason, then I won’t have to hear about it all evening.” He sighed to himself. He loved Elizabeth from the depths of his heart, but she wasn’t exactly...well easygoing wasn’t the first word that came to mind.

Elizabeth stood up from the sofa, just as a woman appeared at the top of the winding staircase. She was intent and purposeful and traveled, if not at a run, at a very fast glide. About halfway down, she spotted Jack, paused for a moment, and then moved determinedly toward the front door.

Elizabeth and Will made room, until she stood in front of Jack. “Captain Jack Sparrow? Suzanna Harcourt. I have a proposition for you.”

Even Jack Sparrow, a man not easily taken by surprise, was caught up short at this as an opening remark. But being Jack Sparrow, he recovered very quickly. “Well, that’s very flattering, luv, and I’m ready, willing, and as many can attest more than able,” he leered with that famous smile. “But I have a feeling they’ll be put out if we don’t stay for dinner first.”

Much to Jack’s surprise there was no blushing, fluster, outrage, or open palm. Instead, the woman’s expression went from small muse to large smile to an outright real laugh. Not what Jack would have expected.

“Excellent. It’s good to see you are living up to your reputation straight away.”

Elizabeth stepped in. “Jack, this is my cousin, Suzanna Harcourt. Suzanna, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.”

Jack reached and took her hand, and a spark went through them both as he looked straight into her eyes. “Well, I assume my reputation preceded me based on your intriguing greeting.” He leaned over and kissed her hand, then turned it over, palm up, but holding it in his the entire time. “And may I offer that if you’d like to start undoing your own, reputation that is, I am at your service, milady.” At which point he kissed the pulse point just where her wrist and palm met and gently let go.

Will could have sworn he heard thunder.

********************

At dinner, Jack found himself seated across from Suzanna, which gave him an opportunity for study. Normally, he would have put himself as close to an attractive woman as possible, with as many opportunities for “accidental,” or purposeful for that matter, physical contact as might present themselves. But this one was something different. Her brown hair was a mass of curls, held back by two combs that from here looked to Jack as though they were made of bronze in the Celtic manner. Despite her dress and her manners, it was impossible to look too respectable with that wild hair. She was gentle with the paint on her face, just a hint of brown defining her warm brown eyes. A relatively straight nose with just the slightest turn at the end, but not enough to pull the overall affect from woman down to girlishness. And a very intriguing mouth. Curlicue was how he’d have to describe her lips. Perpetually in motion. Not that she was always talking, but those lips were always moving—to purse at a question forming in her mind but not yet asked, to worry in confusion, to smile in amusement. He found himself wondering what those lips would feel like against his and slid his attention back up to her eyes at the very moment Suzanna’s gaze flickered across to him. She looked like she was trying to read him, and Jack gave her his best smirking pirate face. Those lips curled up every so slightly and she winked at him then turned back to focus on what Will was saying.

She’d winked at him! She’d bloody winked at him. He’d given her his best smirk that should have thrown her totally off guard and it hadn’t seemed to faze her. In fact, she’d bloody winked. And yet here she was, this obviously highborn lady in a dress of royal blue silk with the neckline cut to show a generous amount of cleavage, which now that he paid it attention, was rather generous indeed. Her skin had just a touch of color, no doubt garnered on the trip from England, and Jack though it looked delicious. How had he taken so long to notice those breasts? He must be losing his mind. On the other hand, there was just so much about this woman that commanded his attention...but he knew what he wanted a closer look at now, and it was time to get up from the table.

“Well, dear William, lovely ladies, while I do not wish to be rude, I do believe there was talk of a proposition earlier, and as pleasurable as this company is, I do have some business to attend to this evening...”

Elizabeth snorted, knowing full well what that business was likely to be.

“...and perhaps we should be getting to it.”

“Excellent,” Suzanna responded. “Elizabeth, would you please ask Missy to bring the gift I brought for Captain Sparrow into the library, and you and William can go do something...” and she swirled her hand though the air in a way that seemed to indicate “finish that sentence as you see fit.”

Jack called out, “Hey Will, enjoy your something!” and Will couldn’t help but respond with an ear-splitting grin, which to Jack’s surprise, earned him a smile and a wicked glance from his wife. “Good for you, William,” he thought to himself, “and good for you too, lass.”

Jack turned to Suzanna and offered his arm in what felt like both a swipe at and an homage to courtly manners in this situation. “Milady?”

Suzanna started a bit at his choice of words but recovered to offer a graceful and flamboyant curtsey and take his arm.

The library itself was hands down Suzanna’s favorite room in the house, with every wall solidly covered with books except where a large stone fireplace had been carved out and an imposing mantle holding various decorations including a stunning jade urn. Truth be told, there were only a few nights a year when it might actually be cold enough here in Port Royal to make a fire tolerable let alone desirable, and this cavern was currently filled with orange and red flowers rather than flames, but it was the done thing for this kind of “manor house” to have a fireplace and so this one did. The English had a hard time leaving England at home.

Suzanna sat on one of the sofas at the end closest to the fireplace. Had he been a gentleman of her acquaintance back in Britain, Jack would have taken the seat opposite her on the other side of the low table. But he was not. Motioning for her to move over just a bit, Jack slid himself into the other end of the divan, just far away enough that they weren’t quite touching, but very close indeed.

“I hope you don’t mind, luv. Seems too far away to have a proper conversation from way over there.” The fact is he had been unsettled by this woman too often this evening, and it was time to turn the tables a bit. Besides, she was quite lovely. Just as he leaned closer, the maid who had opened the door for him, Missy he now knew her name, struggled a bit with a wooden cask which she placed on the settee. A young boy of about 13 also stood by with two silver goblets, a brass tap, and a small hammer.

“Thank you very much, Missy and...”

“Peter, ma’am.”

“Peter. No need to fuss over us. You can take yourselves off to bed. Captain Sparrow and I may be talking rather late, and there’s no need for you to wait up and attend us. Good night.”

Jack couldn’t help noticing that her instructions to the staff had been polite, far more so than most of her class would have been in talking to servants, and yet also quite final and brooking no arguments. Clearly she did not wish to be interrupted and she had issued instructions accordingly.

Suzanna turned toward him. “Well Captain, how much did Elizabeth and William already tell you about me in their furtive and hasty trip to the harbor this morning?”

He grinned realizing that she didn’t miss much.

“Actually, very little. I think they only wanted to pique my curiosity, and they were quite successful at that. Though far less so than the lady herself who certainly seems to be full of surprises.”

She inclined her head with what she took as a compliment. “I think you may find this rather a nice surprise, Captain,” said Suzanna, picking up the hammer and tap, and with one sharp blow, deftly knocked the tap solidly into the barrel. “From what I imagine is your considerable professional experience, let me know what you think of this.”

And she filled two generous glasses, handing one to the captain. Touching glasses with his she made a toast, “To surprises” she offered.

Jack couldn’t suppress a smile. “To surprises,” he returned and took a long draught.

Jack’s eyes came near to rolling back in his head in ecstasy. “What ambrosia is this?” he asked, “and where did you get it?”

“Ah, so you’ve not come across it yet in your travels.” Suzanna was terribly pleased with herself but endeavored to speak lightly. “That is the white rum of Barbados. They’ve only started making it this year, but they anticipate great things.”

“This is a drink for the gods, milady, and apparently for a few very fortunate pirates, thank you. It is truly something out of the ordinary, as is the woman who brought it. And yet if you’ll forgive my suspicious pirate mind, you’ve invited me to dinner, hinted at a proposition, and brought me a gift of inestimable value.” He helped himself to another glass and refilled Suzanna’s, which was nearly empty as well rather to his surprise. “So unless you’re after my immortal soul, which thanks to the loathsome Mr. Barbossa I’ve already lost and found, what is it you’d be wanting of me? Granted, I am Captain Jack Sparrow. But surely, even given that reputation we spoke of earlier, there must be more that brings you here than that.”

Suzanna took rather a longer breath than usual and looked Jack in the eye. “Well Captain, in most ways, it is exactly your reputation that brings me here. Back in England, in addition to some rather tiresome family and social obligations, I’ve written quite a number of biographies and a few narrative tales. I am a writer, Captain Sparrow, and I wish to write your story, and that of the Black Pearl, for all the world to hear.”

As the rum disappeared and the room filled up with words, Suzann told Jack how, when she’d received Elizabeth’s first letter talking about her adventures and ordeals, she’d been in turn horrified, entertained, and in the end, utterly captivated. She realized she’d found her inspiration for the next book she wanted to write and one that would bring together her strengths as a writer—the ability to tell the story of one person and yet take the reader on a journey through unfamiliar territory.

Jack had a few questions. “So if our dear Elizabeth has told you the entire story, although undoubtedly with rather less color and accuracy than I would have meself, what is it you’re wanting from me?” He leaned toward her with a distinct leer that she couldn’t possibly miss, “Or were you just hoping I might spice things up a bit?”

Suzanna hoped he didn’t actually hear her swallow and that she sounded a lot cooler than she felt. “No Captain, as piquant as I’m sure that would be, just hearing the stories isn’t going to give it the sensational aspect I’m looking for. I want to sail with you on the Pearl.”

Jack’s eyes widened momentarily, and he looked at her for a long time before uttering his next sentence. “I would say you’re mad, but I’ve a feeling you’ve heard that before and it failed to deter you then, not to mention I’ve heard that a time or two myself. So tell me, what would be the profit in it for me and my crew?”

“Twenty more casks just like this one, plus 50 gold sovereigns when we sail, and 150 more per man when we return in 6 weeks or so. And of course, immortality for you, but the good kind this time, where you get to keep your skin. I’ll be asking questions of you and your crew, and they can chose how much of the story they want to be a part of by deciding how much to answer my questions. And from you, I just expect you to be your somewhat garrulous but undeniably charming self.”

He answered with that oh-so-dangerous Sparrow grin. “So I’m undeniably charming am I? Or are you, wanton woman that you secretly are, just plying me with rum and flattering me for your own nefarious purposes?”

“Yes you are undeniably charming. Don’t let it go to your head,” she replied, again hoping that her voice wasn’t giving her away as she strove to seem calm.

“It’s a bit late for that, luv.”

“And of course I am plying you with rum and compliments for my slightly less than nefarious purposes, but you being a pirate, I don’t see why that would offend you. After all, if I’m in France, I speak French. We might consider all this my attempt at speaking pirate. So how am I doing, Captain?”

“You are the damnedest woman,” he replied shaking his head slightly, but his eyes shone with appreciation.

“I’ve heard that before as well,” she replied, meeting his gaze.

“But I must say that with rum and gold you are speaking my language, savvy? Well, that would be French again, but never mind. Triple the amounts and we’ll do it, but it’s up to the crew how much they want to speak with you.”

“Double. And one more thing—Will and Elizabeth come along as well. It’s as much for your protection as anything, because with them along, the Commodore has to know that I went with you willingly.”

“Then we have an accord. And Elizabeth and Will are always welcome on the Black Pearl. But we sail day after tomorrow. Despite our little arrangement, I’d like us to be on our way before Mr. Stick-Up-His...before the Commodore returns from Nevis. And now I think we should have ourselves a last drink of this nectar to seal the deal, and then I’ll be off on me way. I look forward to more enjoyable evenings such as this one when we’ve an open sky overhead and naught but the horizon before us.”

Jack refilled both the goblets, they touched them together once, and he was again a bit taken aback as she drained hers in one gulp, just like he did.

When Jack took her hand to bid her a courtly farewell, she felt a shiver tear through her that she couldn’t totally conceal. Jack’s lips lingered on her skin for a moment and breathed in her incredible smell. What was it? Not lavender or rose—he’d smelled it before somewhere—wild jasmine. It was intoxicating.

He felt himself letting go with considerable regret. “Thanks for the rum, luv. I have a feeling that this is going to be...interesting. I think it’s going to be very interesting.”

“Enjoy your evening, Captain.”

When Jack Sparrow walked out onto the porch and shut the door behind him, Lady Suzanna Harcourt leaned against it and let out a long, slow breath. He’d said yes, and the rum and the promise of money had distracted him enough that he hadn’t asked any questions about her. So far so good and exactly according to plan.

What hadn’t been at all in her plans was the reaction she had to this man. She knew from Will and Elizabeth that Jack drank incessantly, whored around when he could, undoubtedly what his “business” that evening consisted of, stole, cheated, and even apparently used the truth as a kind of strategic maneuver. Well, what would one expect from a pirate? That was a kind of job description. But she’d never said anything about him being so...desirable. It was the only word. Those eyes that drew you in even against your will and nothing at all cruel or malevolent lurking there that she could see. And she could see a lot. She hadn’t survived at court as one of the richest and most sought-after women in England without developing some outstanding skills at reading people. Everything that she saw of Jack Sparrow so far said fascinating. Some people thought he was crazy...Ha! Like a fox, she thought. He’s intelligent and he’s crazy and funny and undeniable charming—had she actually told him that? Well they were both crazy, come to that then. Most insane of all, she felt a twinge of ire at the thought of him out with some two-bit whore after sitting here with her and drinking her rum and sharing her sofa and those touches...all right that was enough. Time to go to bed and stop this nonsense. Sshe had a lot to do in the morning. But she filled up her glass and carried it upstairs with her for a nightcap, and the taste of the rum and the feel of the pirate’s lips on her skin stayed with her long after she’d blown out the light.

********************

Jack found himself heading to The Green Dragon with a much busier and complicated mind than he was accustomed to having on his first night ashore after a month. Normally rum and a woman would have been the only two things on his mind. And oddly enough, they were the things on his mind tonight but utterly different and not at all simple. Who the hell was this bloody woman?

The sticky brown liquid at the tavern bit at Jack’s throat after what he’d been drinking earlier that evening, and he found himself scowling as if he had another mutiny on his hands. Was there nothing you could count on? Ah, he thought. Yes, yes there is. He caught Starlet’s eye at the bar and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. She smiled and with a bend of her head indicated a rather pretty girl of about 18, head ringed in blond curls with pretty blue eyes and a bit of rose in her cheeks. She smiled at him and felt fortunate for the girls all spoke well of the Captain. He loved women. It was just his nature. He was never rough or cruel and it seemed important to him that they actually enjoy it as well and, as a result, even the most jaded ones often did. He always watched them when they bedded, as if he was trying to memorize the image to hoard away when he was somewhere else. Jack was just different.

********************

The next morning when Melinda (that was her name) spoke to the other girls over the raucousness of the breakfast table, there was a buzz about how last night was different. For the first and only time that any of them could remember, Jack Sparrow had taken his pleasure with his eyes closed.