High Tide

Regrettably, I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean, its characters, events, ships, etc. Please pardon any historical errors as I’m penning this in a mad attempt to extract the tale from its home inside my head. My apologies to those who are waiting on the next installment of my Harry Potter fic, “When It Rains”. I’ve hit a wall, prayers to the muse that it may be removed should she decide to descend once more.

Chapter 1


London, Eng


“Jason!” an outraged, female voice exclaimed. “Jason! Oh, where is he? I’m going to murder him for this. See if I don’t. I’ll wind up in Newgate for certain but be damned if I care.”

Lady Jocelyn Sommerford stormed through her family’s London town house in search of her meddlesome uncle. She was muttering and mumbling to herself all the evil and torturous things she planned to do to the man when she finally found him, lounging in the downstairs library. He was reclining in a leather wing chair, long legs stretched out as he read the morning paper.

“I don’t believe you did this!” she shouted as she approached him with angry, determined strides. “Jason, how could you?”

“Do lower your voice, darling,” Lord Jason, Viscount Sommerford replied. “Screeching like a fishwife is hardly becoming of a young woman with your breeding.” Elegant, manicured fingers folded the Times and set it on a marble topped table before being laced behind a raven-haired head. Looking up at his niece, Jason continued, “Now if you’d be so kind as to tell me what has you in such dire straits this morning?”

Jocelyn’s sea-green eyes rolled towards the ceiling before fastening on her uncle’s emerald orbs. “I am talking about this,” she answered through clenched teeth. “Would you care to explain this?” A crumpled piece of stationery was shoved beneath his nose with such force that for a moment, Jason thought she meant to injure him.

One dark brow shot up in question. “And what pray tell is that?” he drawled.

Resisting the urge to stomp her foot in a childish display of frustration, Jocelyn chose instead to fling herself in the chair opposite her uncle. Her dark brown curls bounced around her ears as she sat down, threatening to spill from their carefully constructed arrangement atop her head. Tossing a stray lock over her shoulder, she pinned Jason with a withering look.

“This,” she said, waving the letter once more, “Is a letter from my fiancé. My fiancé! Imagine my surprise to receive a letter from the dratted man, especially since I was unaware that I was betrothed in the first pla

“Oh, yes. Well, I can understand how that might have come as a bit of a shock to you.”

“A shock, Jason? A shock? This is a bloody catastrophe!”

“Language, darling. Not very proper of you.”

“Oh, stuff propriety, Jason. How could you?” Jocelyn’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she buried her face in her hands. The letter she’d been waving about fluttered soundlessly to the floor where the older man scooped it up.

“Darling, is it really so bad?” Jason asked quietly, taking one slender hand in his own.

“Yes! No! Oh, I don’t know. This is all so sudden, Jason.”

“I know, love, and I’m sorry the idea of marriage upsets you so.”

Snatching her hand back, she replied, “It’s not the idea of marriage that upsets me, uncle. It’s the idea of marrying a man I don’t know and by proxy no less!”

“You do know him, love. James and I were schoolmates. As for the marrying by proxy bit, it isn’t exactly necessary.”

“Meeting a man once when I was a little girl does not mean that I know him. And yes, I realize you were chummy back in your younger days. Bully for you. That doesn’t mean I should have to marry him!”

“You’re shouting again, Josie,” he admonished, a sly smile tilting up the corner of his lips as he waited for the eruption.

“Don’t call me that, you ass! I hate it!” she raged. “You insufferable, arrogant, pig-headed man! How my father could have ever seen fit to leave you in charge of my affairs, I’ll never know.”

“My brother, God rest him, trusted me. And so should you, Jocelyn. I have your best interests at heart. You should be married with little lordlings running about your skirts before all your child bearing years have passed you by.”

Coming to her feet, Jocelyn shouted, “That is it! I absolutely will not tolerate your interference in my life a moment longer. Get out! Get out of my house!”

A sharp, loud bark of laughter greeted her outburst. “And how do you propose to make me? I am after all your guardian and I do own the very house your attempting to toss me out of.”

“I don’t care. You’ve no right to do this to me, Jason and you know it.”

“I have every right, Jocelyn. You’re nearly twenty-four years old. You should have married years ago but I selfishly indulged you, choosing instead to keep all that remained of my family close to me,” Jason said, standing and drawing her into his embrace.

Burying her face in her uncle’s shoulder, Jocelyn replied, “Please, Jason, do not force me to do this. I don’t want to leave you. You are all that I have left.”

“Ah, love, you have to let go eventually and so do I. James is a fine man and he’ll make you a good husband. You’ll see. Besides, you won’t be leaving me, darling.”

Confused, Jocelyn pulled back and looked up into her uncle’s face. “What do you mean, I won’t be leaving you? According to his letter, he’ll be expecting me to arrive in Port Royal before summer.”

“And so you shall. But you don’t really think I’d let you travel all that way alone, do you? With all those pirates on the loose?”

Laughing joyfully, Jocelyn hugged her uncle. “Oh, Jason, do you mean it?”

Jason cupped her chin with one hand then leaned forward to place a kiss on her brow. “Oh course, I mean it, love. You’re all I have left. I love you, Jocelyn and I want you to be happy. I meant what I said about you not having to marry by proxy. We can wait until we reach Port Royal. Give you a little time to get to know James.”

“Will you give me tonight to think about it?” she asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

“Anything for you, love. You know that. Best be quick about it though. The vicar and James’ second will be here for tea tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Jason. I will think about it. I never intended to marry. Ever. But if I’m to make up my mind, I’d like to know a little about the man I’m betrothed to.”

Offering his arm, Jason led Jocelyn out of the library and into the gar garden as he regaled her with tales of his and James’ boyhood misadventures. Much later in the privacy of her bedchamber, Jocelyn sat curled up on her bed, staring lovingly at a miniature painting of her brother. Tears slid silently down her cheeks as she held the small likeness of the dark-haired young man.

“Johnny,” she whispered brokenly. “Why did you and Papa have to leave me?” With a ragged sob, she clutched the small portrait to her chest and cried until she fell asleep, exhausted by her tears and her sorrow.

The next afternoon, with bloodshot eyes and more cheer than she felt, Lady JoceGeneGenevieve Sommerford became the wife of a man she’d not seen in more than ten years. She became Mrs. James Norrington.