Saints and Sinners

Nope, he still ain’t mine!

Many thanks for your reviews –I’m glad I made you
all laugh over that chapter.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I thoroughly enjoyed typing it!style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I’d also like to thank those of you who have
been reading (and reviewing) Another Time, Another Place – it’s still a great
thrill when I get a review alert for that.
Lastly, many thanks to Kat for offering to be my beta.

…

Chapter Six

“Celia, luv,” Jack crooned, leaning over the sleeping
woman. “Time ter wake up…”

“Wha…? Oh,
goodness me!” she gasped as her eyes sprung open.

“Mornin’ darlin’,” Jack grinned.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Sleep well, eventually?”

“Y-yes,” Celia replied, rubbing sleep from her eyes then
gasping as she realised that Jack was shirtless. “Get out!” she exclaimed.
“How dare you!”

“Oops, sorry luv, I never thought,” he quipped, giving
her a broad wink as he turned on his heel and padded out of the side cabin.

“Of course you didn’t,” she snapped sarcastically,
trying hard to drag her eyes from his lean, muscular back.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “What time is it?”

“Th’two bells of th’mornin’ watch have just sounded,” he
informed her from the main cabin.

“And just what time is that?”

“Sorry,” he chuckled.
“Five o’clock. Plenty of time
ter have a wash an’ somethin’ ter eat before you go.”

“No, thank you anyway.
I would prefer to go home now, please.”

“Can’t spare th’men yet.”

“Why ever not?” Celia demanded, swinging her legs over
the side of the bunk and hoisting herself down from it.

“We’re sailin’ this afternoon. Th’men need ter make everythin’ shipshape, savvy?”style="mso-spacerun: yes">

“So, they can do it when I’m ashore, surely?”

“Nah, luv. I’ll
be takin’ you ashore – I have business ter attend.”

“I see,” she sighed.
“In that case, you promised that I could wash?”

“I did indeed,” Jack agreed. “An’ it so happens Toby brought some hot water up just before you
woke. It’s in th’head.”

Celia peered into the even smaller side cabin, taking in
the hole cut into the planking, which served as a toilet, and a pitcher and
bowl to the side of it. “Thank you,”
she called, pulling the drapes across lest he attempt to spy on her, and she
stripped out of her undershift, picking up a rag and tablet of grey soap which
had also been provided, and started to wash herself, luxuriating in the feel of
hot water for the first time in years.

“Breakfast is here,” came Jack’s voice, breaking Celia
from her revere.

“I’m coming,” she replied, drying herself with another
piece of rag and pulling on her clothes hastily, her grumbling stomach
reminding her that it had been a number of hours since she had eaten anything.

“Better?” Jack smiled as Celia appeared in the main
cabin, looking cleaner and more refreshed than the previous night.

“Much,” she replied with a hesitant smile.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “You are very kind – why?”

“Can a man not be kind?” he enquired, throwing his arms
up theatrically.

“Not a pirate, no.”

“Ah, you have a lot ter learn, young Miss Hammond,” Jack
chuckled. “There are many sides ter
people – not just one.”

“I have learned one thing,” she replied icily.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Never trust anyone in this town.”

“So why do you take such risks, eh?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Why do these services an’ walk home
alone? It won’t take even th’most rum
addled brain long ter work out how vulnerable you are.”

“I have managed well enough for the past two months,”
Celia shrugged, although inside she felt uneasy at his words.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She knew she had been lucky thus far and
prayed that her luck would hold a while longer.

“Only because th’girls carry more weight in this town
than people realise. Not ter mention
few would dare hurt a member of Penhallick’s staff.”

“Mister Penhallick doesn’t care that much about our
welfare,” Celia snorted.

“Maybe not, but it still doesn’t do ter cross him.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Jack sat at the table and indicated for
Celia to do the same. “Tuck in.”

Celia sat and took a mouthful of porridge, looking
around the cabin as she ate, surprised at the contents of it.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Not the rubbish strewn hovel that she had
imagined, but, apart from the odd discarded bottle or two, it would not have
looked out of place in a country house, with ornately carved panelling around
the cabin, expensive drapery hanging from the stern windows and side cabin,
porcelin minatures hanging on the bulwarks, and a couple of books resting on
the edge of the table at which they ate.
She looked up, suddenly aware of Jack watching her closely.

“I-I’m sorry,” Celia apologised.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Not what you expected, eh?” he smiled as he scooped up
the last of the porridge from his pewter bowl.

“No,” she admitted ruefully. “You’re something of an enigma, Captain Sparrow.”

“Thank you,” Jack grinned, toasting her with his beaker
of ale. “That’s th’nicest thing you’ve
said to me.”

“I wasn’t aware it was a compliment,” Celia
retorted. “Or is it that you are so
desperate to be liked that you snatch at even the flimsiest of praise, Captain?”

“Celia, luv, don’t you know – I’m Captain Jack Sparrow,”
he drawled, a cocksure look on his face.

“And that means…?”

“Ask Aggie or Giselle when you return – no, best just
ask Aggie.”

“Are you not Giselle’s favourite man?” Celia asked
acidly with a sweet expression on her face.

“Is any man Giselle’s favourite?” Jack sniped.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “You live with her, you know what’s she
like.”

Inwardly, Celia agreed with him, but outwardly her face
remained unreadable. “When will I be
able to go ashore? I mustn’t be late
for work.”

“I’ll take you just now,” Jack promised.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Come,” he called as a knock sounded on the
door.

“Everything’s coming along nicely, Cap’n.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The men are looking forward to this raid.”

“Ah, Gibbs.
Allow me ter introduce…”

“Celia?” the quartermaster gasped.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Whatever are you doing here?”

“Joshamee!” Celia beamed, then immediately realised that
he would take the wrong end of the stick.
“This isn’t how it looks,” she said quickly, looking to Jack to back her
up. “I-I couldn’t go home…”

“You two know each other?” Jack enquired, looking from
one to the other with a bewildered frown.

“Yes, Joshamee attends some of my services,” the young
woman explained. “Please tell him it
isn’t how it looks,” she begged.

“How do you know Jack?” Gibbs asked.

“Ahem… Jack?” his captain enquired acerbically.

“Sorry - Captain Sparrow,” the older man corrected.

“I… we’ve bumped into one another from time to
time. Captain Sparrow very kindly
offered me his bunk as I was very tired last night,” Celia gabbled.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “It isn’t as it seems, I promise.”

“Did he, indeed?” Gibbs replied, arching an eyebrow at
his captain.

“For goodness sake!
Tell him!” Celia demanded, belatedly realising that there was no
sign of the hammock in the cabin.

“She slept in my bunk an’ I slept in a hammock,” Jack
finally conceded, an impish grin on his face.

“You are impossible!” Celia exploded, jumping to her
feet. “I want to go home, now!”

“An’ I said that I’d take you, now,” Jack replied
evenly. “Come along,” he chivied,
shooing Celia with his hands.

“Goodbye, Joshamee,” Celia smiled as she found herself
ushered from the cabin. “I’ll see you
soon…”

“You will, pet,” Josamee called to her departing figure,
shaking his head slowly as he pondered what his captain’s ulterior motives could
be, although he suspected he knew what his captain’s ulterior motives
were.

“Oh, must I go in that thing?” she groaned as she saw
the bosun’s chair had been rigged.

“You can’t exactly climb in a dress, eh?” Jack
reasoned. “You won’t fall, I promise.”

Celia took a deep breath and climbed into the seat,
holding onto the ropes for dear life as some crewmen swung her over the side of
the Black Pearl and started to lower her as Jack climbed down the
Jacob’s ladder. “A-are we there yet?”
she stammered, not daring to open her eyes.

“Nearly,” Jack told her as he reached the boat and
steadied it then grabbed the ropes of the chair as it arrived.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I’ve got you,” he smiled, wrapping an arm
around her waist as he helped Celia into the boat.

“T-thank you, oh!” she gasped as she pitched forward and
into his arms.

“Steady as she goes!” Jack chuckled, righting the boat
with his weight as he held her.

Celia opened her eyes and found Jack’s face mere inches
away from her own. She gulped, trying
to drag her gaze from his, but found his eyes hypnotic.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I think you can let me go now,” she
squeaked, pulling gently away from him, her heart thumping like she had never
known, even with Robert, her fiancée.

“Pity,” Jack replied huskily. “I was just enjoyin’ myself…” He helped her down on the bench
then sat opposite and picked up the oars, his eyes never leaving her face.

“Yes well,” she blustered. “You know very well I’m not that sort of woman, Captain
Sparrow.” Celia stared into the water,
wishing her face was not growing redder by the second the more he stared at
her. “Did your mother not teach you
it’s rude to stare?” she retorted eventually.

“Aye, but she also taught me ter appreciate things of
beauty,” he grinned lasciviously.

“Really, Captain!” Celia sighed.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “You are the most incorrigible, lewd rogue I
have ever met!”

“Incorrigible I agree with, but lewd?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Surely yer’ve met men worse than me?”

“Not much worse,” she argued.

“Have I ever made any untoward advances on you?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Have I ever been suggestive or coarse?”

“Not unless you count that little incident last
night when you made me think you were about to attack me.”

“I was merely pointin’ out what could happen ter you,”
Jack reasoned. “It’s a fair walk from
th’church ter Aggie’s – anythin’ could happen.”

“Why do you care?” Celia demanded as they approached the
quayside. “What am I to you?”

Jack didn’t reply immediately, throwing the mooring line
to a stevedor and he climbed from the boat, reaching down to help the young
woman out, before speaking again.
“What’s wrong with carin’ about what happens ter you?” he asked once
they were on their way towards the house she shared with the two whores.

“You think that by pretending to care about me, that I
will give myself to you, is that it?”

“Well, if that’s what you think, Istyle='mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>‘ll bid you good day, Miss Hammond,” Jack
snapped, turning on his heel and storming back along the street towards the
docks.

“Oh dear,” Celia sighed as
she watched him go. “I seem to have a
knack for upsetting people…” She went to carry on her way, but changed her
mind, hoping that he would be going to her employer’s mansion and that she
might bump into him to apologise, so she turned and headed for the mansion,
reasoning that she would have to be in work soon anyway.

…

Jack strode up the hill
towards the mansion of Ethan Penhallick, the look on his face enough to keep
people out of his way as he passed them.
‘Ungrateful little madamstyle='font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>,’ he thought crossly. ‘style='font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode"'>Think’s
her God will keep her safe from th’bastards that roam this townstyle='font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>She’ll have another thing comin’ one of these daysstyle='font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>…’ He frowned at the thought, wishing there was
something he could do and ignoring the voice in his head asking style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>why he
actually cared what happened to her.

“Cap’n!”

Jack whirled round, beads and
braids flying and in danger of hitting him in the face.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He arched an eyebrow on seeing two of his
crewmen hurrying towards him. “What are
you two doin’ in town?” he enquired, ready to tear them off a strip or two if
they were shirking their duties on board the ship.

“We need some more oakum,”
Oliver Fernan informed him in his broad Irish brogue. “Mister Gibbs sent us.”

“Ah,” Jack nodded.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “On yer way then… no!style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Wait.”

“Yes, Cap’n?” Gabriel
Jennings asked.

“I have a little job fer
you,” Jack grinned. “It won’t take
long…”

…

“Are yer comin’?” Judith
Pinkney asked as Celia emerged from a back room where she had changed from her
uniform. It had been a busy day, even
though the master of the house had left mid morning to sail with Jack Sparrow.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Why, Celia could only guess at and she was
not sure she wanted to. She had not
seen the pirate captain since their parting of ways early that morning and she
vowed that she would apologise for her rudeness as soon as he returned to the
town.

“Yes, I’m ready,” she sighed,
linking her arm through her friend’s as they walked out of the kitchen
door. “I can’t wait to get to bed
tonight.”

“Yeah, yer do look bushed,”
Judith sympathised. “Hey, ain’t that
Aggie?” she said as she spied the whore hovering by the main gates.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Wonder what she wants?”

“Hello, Aggie,” Celia smiled,
the smile fading as she saw her friend’s face.
“What has happened?” she enquired, her stomach churning with unease.

“Th’church,” Aggie
gulped. “It’s been destroyed.”

“Whatstyle='font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>?” Celia gasped, her hand flying to her chest in
horror. “How? When?”

“Fire - this mornin’,” her
friend informed her. “Sorry, Cee,” she
shrugged, placing a sympathetic hand on Celia’s shoulder.

“Is there anything left?”
Celia whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

“No,” Aggie shook her
head. “It’s just a shell.”

“Oh, no,” Judith
commiserated. “What yer goin’ t’do
now?”

“I have no idea,” Celia
sighed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.
“I think I’ll go and see it for myself.”

“I’ll come with yer,” Judith
offered as Aggie nodded in agreement and the three women set off towards the
church with arms linked.

…

“Who on earth would have done
such a wicked thing?” Celia wondered aloud as she surveyed the ruin of the
building. She had been hoping the
damage would not be too bad and that she would be able to renovate it, but
whoever had destroyed it certainly knew what they were doing as it was not only
un-repairable, but in danger of collapsing completely.

“Take yer pick,” Aggie
retorted. “There’s enough in this
bleedin’ place.”

“Maybe you can hold the
services somewhere else,” Judith suggested.
“There’s bound ter be someone who’d rent yer a room.”

“I can’t afford to pay rent
on a room,” Celia shrugged ruefully.
“I’ll think of something, I suppose.
They do say that necessity is the mother of invention.”

“That’s th’spirit,” Aggie
grinned. “Come on, let’s go home an’
have some grub, eh?”

“All right,” Celia sighed and
with a last look at the wrecked building, turned and walked back down the hill
with her friends.

…