Youth Restored

Jack stood at the helm adjusting course slightly every so often. They were on month two of their voyage to England, they would have been there sooner, but he took the opportunity to find a God forsaken island to maroon the majority of his mutinous crew. He’d decided to keep a few of them, Mr. Gibbs of course, along with Marty and Mr. Cotton along with a few new crewmen they picked up in Tortuga. Jack had become fond of the old mute and his parrot, and he figured Marty was too small to be of any real trouble.

“Land ho!” Marty called down from the crow’s nest. Jack took out his spy glass and saw the outline of merry ol’ England and his heart leapt into his throat. Shaking his head to get his emotions back under control he gripped the wheel hard enough to make his knuckles white, willing the ship to go faster.

It was a good 5 hours before they finally docked at the port town of Cardiff, Jack knew she was here somewhere and he wasn’t leaving until he found her.

“Mr. Gibbs!”

“Aye, sir?”

“I need ye t’keep a very, very close eye on the rest o’the crew. I’m goin’ oh shore, yer in charge. No one is to leave, we may need to make a quick escape, savvy?”

“Aye sir,” Gibbs nodded and went below decks to talk to the crew.

Jack had been wandering around for the better half of an hour, following the point on his compass around the costal city.

She has to be around here somewhere.

Jack checked his compass and realized it was pointing at a large light yellow manor.

Ah, ‘course she’s back living in the lap of luxury, what else would she do? Would…would that mean she wouldn’t want to come back to the Pearl with my onesies?....Well. Only one way to find out.

At that thought he walked up the long walk way to the house, stepped up to the porch and knocked on the door. A man in about his early 50s answered the door.

“Can I help you,” he eyed Jack up and down with obvious distaste, “sir?”

“Ah, yes,” he cleared his throat, ”I’m looking for a Mrs. Elizabeth Turner?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but there is no one living or employed here by that name.”

“Oh…” Jack thought for a moment, “What about Swann?”

The older man glared at him and motioned him to come in to the foyer and wait.

Elizabeth was helping one of the younger girls, named Mary who just started working there a few days ago scrub the floor in the upstairs hall way. They had almost finished when there was a knock at the door. She heard the butler, Mr. Wick, talking to someone at the door and someone follow him into the foyer.
A few moments later Mr. Wick was calling up the stairs at her.

“Ms. Elizabeth, you have a visitor.”

“Who would visit me here..?” She got up and dried her hands on her apron and walked down the stairs.

She saw the young man standing in the foyer with his back turned to her. He was wearing brown breeches, brown boots, a long black coat with short dreadlocks tied back with a black ribbon.

She approached him and asked, “can I help you sir?”

He turned around and grinned at her, something extremely familiar about him she couldn’t place.

“Never thought ‘d see the day the Governor’s daughter would be reduced to a house maid.”

She stiffened and deeply frowned, “who are you to think you can talk to me that way?”

The young man took a large step forward bringing his face inches from hers.

“Ye tell me, Izzy.”

Elizabeth gasped, only one person had ever called her Izzy. She reached up and touched his face.

“Jack…?” She said, barely above a whisper.

“Aye, I found it love, I found the Fountain of Youth.”