It's My Life

Regardless of what the rest of the bedroom looked like, it did have a bed in it, and Anna was too tired to notice the rest of the room anyway. There was a window that let in just enough light for her to see where the bed was, and she fell on it and was asleep before she registered the fact that she’d fallen partly on the bed and partly on Jack. He noticed, though, and woke up with her draped half over him.

“Oof! That was my ribs, luv.” He dislodged her elbow from his side and und underneath her, and saw that she had literally fallen asleep, still clothed and all. “Well, I can’t let you sleep in that bodice, now can I? It’s a wonder you can sleep in it at all.” The bodice in question wasn’t as tight as a corset, but tight enough to make sleeping in it uncomfortable. Jack got it unlaced in something under five minutes, rolled Anna out of it and dropped it over the side of the bed. That left Anna in a long chemise and a skirt, and boots. The boots and the skirt went too, and she never even twitched. Jack was amazed, since he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept like that. Being the captain of a ship would do that for you. It did help to have somebody else to curl up with, though, so Jack curled himself around Anna and went back to sleep.

Anna woke up that morning and had no idea where she was. The bed didn’t feel like the one she was used to, and the room didn’t look like her tavern room, and…oh. Right. New home. New furniture. New furniture? Oh yeah. Jack. Who’s still here, even. Wonder of wonders.

“Morning, luv. How’d you make out last night?”

“Decently. Anamaria showed up, by the way.”

“Did she? I’d think what’s-his-name would be keeping her busy.”

“Josiah. And they’ve decided marriage wasn’t what they wanted after all. He’s on his way back to Nassau.”

“Ha. I told her so, but would she listen to me?”

“Look, don’t tell me. And don’t start with her, unless you want to get slapped again. I told her to, if you did.”

“That’s mutiny, y’know, luv.”

“No, it isn’t. I’m not one of your crew, so it can’t be mutiny. At most, it’s questionably good advice. And considering it’s you, it’s definitely good advice.”

“Well, that’s gratitude for you! After I went to all that trouble moving furniture yesterday, too…oof!” Anna had sat up and shoved Jack over the side of the bed and he’d landed on the floor in a sprawl. “Why did I deserve that one?”

“My front room looks like a bloody harem!”

“It’s not really that bad, is it?”

“Oh yes it is. Are you colorblind, or have you got gypsies or magpies or something in your family somewhere?” Privately, Anna made a bet with herself about the gypsies. He certainly looked like one.

“What’s that mean?”

“Well, for starters, whatever you covered that chair with is truly awful. If what’s under it is actually a chair in the first place. I can’t look at it long enough to decide.”

“I’ll have you know, I got that off a highly respectable Spanish galleon.”

“And the bookcase? If I keep that bloody thing here, I’ll have a parade of people through the place looking for other things to steal. This is Tortuga, not Port Royal.”

“All right, you might have a point there.”

“Honestly, Jack, what did you do? Go through the Pearl and find all the things you couldn’t think of anything else to do with, and put them here?” Anna was trying desperately not to grin, because she was more amused by the idea than annoyed at it. If she smiled, she’d be stuck with the stuff, though.

“Well, sort of. I thought you might like some more upscale furniture.” Touching, but impossible nevertheless.

“Jack, I’m a scullery maid-turned-tavern wench. Upscale makes me nervous. Get that stuff out of here, would you please? And bring me in some furniture I can use.”

“All right, luv. What about the bed?”

“What about the—ye gods.” The bed, now that she looked at it, was monumental, Chinese, made of carved rosewood, and possessed of a canopy. “No, Jack. It’s a nice piece of work, but no.”

“Plain furniture, plain house; you’re not much of a pirate’s mistress, are you? What sort of unnatural woman doesn’t want to be living in a mansion and dripping with jewels?”

“My sort, thank you. If you really think you have to spend money on me, go buy me some silk to make skirts out of. I’ve always wanted to wear silk.” Jack, who was still sitting on the floor, stared at her. “What?”

“You’re the most practical woman I’ve met in years, luv. No wonder I had to teach you to live a bit.” Jack hauled himself up off the floor, wincing slightly. As fit as he was, moving furniture was a form of exercise he wasn’t used to, and he hurt in a couple of very random places. “Silk, is it?”

“It is. And maybe a trunk to keep it in.”

“I think I can arrange that. Shall we?”

“I think getting dressed first might be a good idea, hm?”

“Depends on who you ask.” Jack grinned, and Anna glared at him. “Oh, well, if you insist. And then we’ll go down to the Pearl, and you can take it all off again while I drape you in silk and Gibbs replaces the furniture here.”

“Oh, I like that idea. As long as whatever you’ve got is in better taste than that chair cover. Speaking of which, do me a favor? Take it out of here. And drown it.”