A Commodore

Announcements

           
Heather found herself even more uneasy as the evening began. Young men
flocked about her like vultures on freshly found meat and she tried her best to
make polite conversation and mind her manners. It was difficult with so many,
and she felt completely out of place. Her fan was a great alley at making the
young men keep their distance about her and shielding her chest which she told
her mother was far to exposed but her mother didn’t seem to listen.

           
At last, the Commodore seemed to appear from somewhere and the young men
scattered like pigeons away from them. This was turning out to be an even worse
experience then she imagined. “Was there not supposed to be some sort of
dancing at this affair?” Heather asked feeling somewhat warm after all this
time of standing about fending off young single men.

           
“Be careful what you wish for.” He said as he escorted her back to
the steps. Heather arched a brow and gave him a look. Walking to the top of the
steps, attention was called by the room again and the floor was given to
Norrington. Once more, Heather found herself the uncomfortable subject of every
eye in the entire place and wished that the ground would open up and swallow
her.

           
That’s when James made the announcement of their engagement and
produced a ring that he presented to her. Heather starred at him wide eyed not
having been informed of this by anyone. Not by her mother, the Commodore, or
anyone that he had been planning to do this here at the ball tonight. The crowd
all sighed in awe of approval and began to applaud as Norrington took
Heather’s hand and placed his engagement ring on her finger.

           
Drawing her closer he kissed her cheek, all very formal in procedure
before taking her hand and wrapping her arm around his looking at the crowd once
more. Heather looked at them too feeling slightly confused and a little in
shock. Then a Waltz began to play and Norrington escorted her to the dance
floor. Taking their positions, they began to waltz around the room together and
once more the crowd applauded the newly engaged couple.

           
James looked at Heather whose eyes were squarely fixed over his arm in
some direction where she didn’t have to look at him. “Have you nothing to
say?” He questioned, looking off in a different direction so he would not look
at her either.

           
“I’m being well behaved, James Norrington. It’s taking great
concentration and a remarkable amount of self-control. Don’t ruin it.” She
said through tightness in her throat as she continued to move gracefully around
the room not missing a step as others started to join them and fill in the open
spaces around them on the dance floor.

 

After The Ball Is Over

           
Heather walked in silence down the steps of the house and began on the
path down the road. She didn’t even wait for the coach this time, she didn’t
think she could honestly bare to try and sit down again. What she felt like
doing was ripping this horrible torture device from her body and running the
streets naked at this point praising the lord for her freedom.

           
“Heather!” A voice called out for her. Yet she kept her same steady
pace not slowing down or stopping, nor even turning back to look. After another
few moments, the Commodore caught up with her and stood in front of her.
“Where are you going?”

           
She looked at him quietly, “I’m going home. The ball is over.” She
said simply before she stepped around him and started to walk again. James
walked hastily and stepped in front of her again.

           
“Obviously the coach will take you home. It’s much to far for you to
walk in the middle of the night. You’re just being foolish.” Heather looked
at him and sighed.

           
“I like to walk. I can breathe when I walk, which is something I
can’t do when I try to sit down. I don’t care that it’s not lady like to
confess that, It was lady like enough to simply wear this God awful thing for 8
hours without a fuss and without succumbing to asphyxiation!” She sighed.
“Simply . . . let me walk. I’m not hurting you by walking. This is a rather
petty battle don’t you think?”

           
“Why can you not simply be honest with me about this of all things?”
He questioned. “You told me that you can give me honesty. That was what you
had and what you would give me.” Crossing his arms he looked at her, “Your
angry with me about my announcing our engagement and that is why you do not wish
my coach to take you home.”

           
Heather closed her eyes and her head dropped as she shook her head.
“Commodore. If you wish you are more then welcome to fit into this dress and
have them tie it on you as tightly as it is tied on me and we shall see how long
you last in it before you are screaming for mercy.” She said looking up at him
again. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about the engagement . . . I suppose I
should be grateful that you . . . sort of proposed to me at all. It wasn’t
really necessary nor was the engagement ring. But I suppose that appearances
must be kept.”

           
Stepping around him again, “Now if you don’t mind, I would really
like to get home before dawn.” She said starting on her way once more.

           
James shook his head getting more frustrated by the minute and simply
walked up behind her and swept her up into his arms. “You can be quite the
bothersome woman sometimes Heather. So instead of arguing with you, lets just
cut through the chase shall we?” He said bluntly carrying her back up the path
to where his coach was waiting setting her inside before following and closing
the door behind them.

           
The ride home was a rather quiet one as Heather sat with her arms crossed
over her chest starring out the window. James looked out his own window feeling
an icy atmosphere having developed and not sure how to thaw it.

           
“Now that we are officially engaged in the eyes of the community, do
you think perhaps that you can relax and try to enjoy the few traditions that
will follow?” He questioned.

           
“No.” She said bluntly. James rolled his eyes. Now she wasn’t even
trying to be witty.

           
“Why are you being so difficult? There is no rational reason for it
Heather!” He said looking at her frustrated beyond words. “At least give me
one good rational reason for your not wanting to find something good about
marriage before you grow bitter about the whole affair.”

           
“Perhaps because I didn’t choose it?” She said in a taunting tone
that he forgot such a major issue. James rolled his eyes and shook his head.

           
 “It’s a little early in our coupling for my swearing at you,
dear. Can you please not encourage it at every possible turn.” He said glaring
at her.

           
“Swear away. It will give me leave to swear back.” She said sliding
off the seat onto the floor stretching her legs out before her straightening her
dress so she wasn’t uncovered in anyway but she was trying to make it so she
could get her breath again. James raised his eye brows as he could now clearly
see down the front of her dress and his face flushed red in embarrassment as his
eyes turned away and upwards and anywhere else in the coach.

           
“What in heavens name are you doing now!” He exclaimed. “Will you
regain your seat!” He demanded.

           
“I told you that I wanted to walk home, but you and my mother don’t
seem to understand that when I say I cannot breathe it is because I am a quarter
inch from death!” She exclaimed.

           
“There is nothing wrong with your dress, you looked absolutely stunning
this evening. I was the envy of every man in attendance, and you sparked the
jealousy of every woman there.” He said with a satisfied smirk.

           
“My mother will be pleased to know of it.” She said shifting about
again. “Oh, STOP!” She cried. “STOP THE COACH!” She shouted out the
window. The coach came to an abrupt stop and she quickly opened the door and
stepped out. James followed her as she stood outside fanning herself a few
moments. She did look awfully pale.

           
“We can’t stop here, it’s in the middle of nowhere and only halfway
to your home.” James said. Heather leaned on the coach and looked at him in
distress. “You can even lay down if you wish on the other seat if you truly
feel you must.”

           
“Why do men think that this is such an attractive look?” She
questioned. “To have women bound until they have no room to breathe?”
Shaking her head she tried to get another breath. “Do men really . . . .”
she stopped in mid-sentence as the color began to drain from her face. James
recognized the way she was starting to sway and saw that her knees started to
buckle and quickly reached out catching her before she fell to the ground.

           
“Heather?” He questioned looking down at her. Shaking her a little he
found that he got no response whatsoever. Not even a cough. “Heather.” He
said again. Still nothing. “Damn.”

           
“Are you in need of assistance sir?” The footmen asked coming around
the coach. Norrington shook his head.

           
“No. Back to your place.” He looked up at the coachmen. “You too.
Eyes forward.” He commanded. Both men did as they were told and Norrington
hoisted Heather into his arms taking her back into the coach and closing the
door. “Drive on!” He called out the door.

           
Laying Heather on her stomach on the floor, James started to untie the
laces on her dress to loosen them but started to get frustrated with just how
complicated they were and the fact that she didn’t seem to be breathing only
complicated the matter further. Reaching into his dress uniform coat, he took
the knife from his hip and cut the knot from the dress, then the knot from her
bodice.

           
Instantly the dress and bodice unraveled themselves giving her plenty of
breathing room and she took a deep breath even though still unconscious and let
it out. The six inches of bare skin across her back let him know that she
wasn’t joking or exaggerating in her complaints about not being able to draw
breath.

           
“Well, I suppose I would be in a testy manner myself.” He said
reaching over taking her cloak and covering her up with it.

 

Wedding Plans

           
Heather sat quietly poking at her lunch with a fork as her mother and a
wedding coordinator went over the details of the impending ceremony, picking out
flowers, fabrics, and other things. When the clock struck one, Heather instantly
put her fork and napkin on the table and left without a word from the table.

           
Walking through the foyer she made her way into the library and closed
the doors moving to the large window seat and sitting down. There didn’t seem
to be a whole lot to do right now. Her mother never left the house, she
couldn’t get out of the house if she bribed every one of the servants, and she
felt like she was suffocating.

           
Meanwhile, James had cornered the woman he had found with Heather the day
he had called unannounced when her mother wasn’t home finding her dressed like
a man preparing to go out it seemed. She was so afraid of being discharged that
she anxiously answered all of his questions and told him anything and everything
that he wanted to know.

           
Apparently, whenever she got the chance, Heather went riding by herself
in such clothing since she could not ride the way she wanted in a dress. There
were a lot of things she could do in a mans clothing that she couldn’t in a
dress and get away with it at the same time, so she snuck out when her mother
was out and wouldn’t know about it and did just that. She had been getting
away with it since her father died and had had every intention of going on with
it as well.

           
Norrington wasn’t to terribly surprised at this news. Not coupled with
what her mother had told her about Heather’s father. The old man certainly
couldn’t let go of wanting a son. Perhaps he didn’t have one, but he
certainly made himself one interesting partner in crime.

           
As Heather was looking out the glass watching the butterflies flit about
in the garden she sighed, “I suppose I should thank you for bringing me home
in good taste, Commodore.” She said not turning around, but knowing that he
had come in.

           
James arched a brow that she had known it was him without even being
announced or his having said a word. “Did you really think I was going to have
you exposed to all the world?” He said. “On that same subject, I suppose I
should apologize for not taking you more seriously until that point.”

           
The room grew silent as Heather continued to stare out the window.
“What have you come for now.” She said in a defeated tone as he was
obviously not going to grant her wish that he not come back until the wedding
itself and leave her be.

           
“Your mother is concerned about the way I brought you home the other
night. I’ve come to put her mind at rest.” He replied.

           
Heather paused a moment, “Thinks you took advantage of me on the ride
home does she?” She questioned. The Commodore didn’t answer her question
right away and seemed to be searching for an answer. Heather could hardly
believe it, “She thinks I tried to take advantage of you.” She said shaking
her head.

           
“As I said, I came to put her mind at rest.” Heather stood feeling as
though she didn’t have anything left in the world, wishing more then ever that
her father was alive.

           
“Why bother. Her mind won’t be at rest until I’m properly married
off and out of her house.” She said turning and starting to leave. However
James caught her by the arm not letting her retreat.

           
“It’s an irrational passing thought she had, Heather. She’s not
accusing you of anything. She doesn’t believe that you are that sort of woman
in any way. I don’t believe your that sort of woman, you know she is still
afraid I’ll break the contract.” The Commodore said, “She’s your mother,
she only wants what is best for you.”

           
“She put me in a dress that left bruises on my body and nearly
suffocated me outright for the sake of looking pleasing to the eye, and your
coming to her aid with the defense that ‘she loves me’?” Rolling her eyes
she pulled her arm away, “Do me a solace James, when the day comes for my
trial, don’t bother being my defense. You’ll only speed my execution.”

           
Heather started for the door but stopped, “You know, I almost wish an
advantage had been taken in your coach.” She said glaring at him, “I look
dreadful in pure white. Eggshell is much more flattering anyway.” Then she
slammed the door behind her. 

           
James sighed and turned heading into the next room to find Lady Margaret.