Chapter Text
James was allotted a whole night and a day to himself before he had to report to the Admiralty once he arrived home in Port Royal. He went home and considered getting thoroughly drunk. But he found his home in an uproar, his housekeeper, Mrs Clark had her nose distinctly out of joint for reasons she would not raise and when he went to change and ring for a bath, he discovered the reason why. Asleep in his bed was Elizabeth Swann.
She looked uncomfortable even in sleep and he could see why – the swell of her belly was huge now. Elizabeth had kicked off all the covers and was wearing a night gown that left little to the imagination. Her darkened hair was fanned out across his pillows and he could see that the golden colour that haunted his dreams had grown in at the roots.
“Elizabeth,” he said quietly touching her arm and feeling a flare of panic. What was she doing here? She was bound to be recognised even with the darkened hair – everyone here knew her.
Elizabeth stirred and blinked up at James before bestowing a tired smile on him that made his heart clench. “You are finally home,” she said sitting up a little and struggling so that James immediately went to her aid. “I was starting to worry the Spanish got the better of you.” James was distracted from his concern by the ludicrous nature of that statement. The Spanish ship had been a third rate – to increase their chances of keeping up with pirates – as such it had been seriously outgunned and Elizabeth would, of course, have known that. But his distraction was only momentary. “Elizabeth, you cannot be here,” he said fiercely. “There is a price on your head.”
“I admit it is less than ideal,” Elizabeth said, stretching a little perfectly comfortable in his bed it seemed. “But the price is for Elizabeth Swann and while I cannot claim Isabel has attracted no attention it is not quite the same kind. I have had to drop Cisne as a surname of course but that was more for you than anything. But Isabel Rey has a nice ring to it.”
James could not be amused by her alias’s now. Not when she was putting herself in such danger. “You cannot expect that to last,” James said desperately. “While you are confined perhaps – but people know you here.”
“Nonsense,” Elizabeth said briskly. “Since Admiral Bellamy had that apoplexy last year the new port Admiral – Knowles, is it? He doesn’t know me from Adam.” She paused. “Or Eve as it were.”
Elizabeth left unsaid that there had been an unusual turnover of officers in the Caribbean thanks to Cutler Beckett’s machinations – the man had no grasp of military strategy. He had not thought he needed to when he had controlled the Dutchman. “And I shall hardly be in polite society – ever if I were not in this condition I do not believe being your mistress would attract invites.” James flushed and she suddenly seemed to soften. “I am sorry,” she said. “I promised I have not been too incriminating in my declarations.”
“What?” James said blankly suddenly confused.
“I have been questioned twice during my confinement,” Elizabeth said in a matter of fact tone. “The usual niceties do not apply to suspected Spanish intelligencers. I have assured them I am merely a helpless woman who threw myself on your mercy – they are not entirely convinced. But my condition seems to help – they seem to think while the Spanish would not hesitate to use seduction as a technique they might quibble at employing – what was the term they used? A mare so close to foaling.”
James swallowed. He would be having words with Admiral Knowles. “What have you told them?”
“Much the same as I said in Nassau,” Elizabeth said. “That I was ill used by Captain González and I appealed to you for help. That I gave you that log book in exchange. As well as used my own personal method of persuasion. Half of them had the cheek to blush – when they were the ones questioning me. And of course, I could now add that I feared for the health of my child – Captain González it turns out has a very poor reputation indeed. His father in law is governor of Puerto Rico and his mistresses have a habit of vanishing when his wife gets wind of them.”
James only felt a chill of fear that that was the man she had chosen to be so close to and then make an enemy of. And he could not say so because she would no doubt laugh – the man resented Isabel who did not even exist and he was forced to push that thought aside and cut back to the heart of the matter. “But why come here at all?” He could not understand why she would take the risk – now of all times.
“The midwife,” Elizabeth said. “Rose, she was called, we lost her to Yellow Jack. There was an outbreak in Nassau not long after we left. She must have already been exposed. I had left her to settle in and then when I took the Empress went back to Shipwreck Cove because it was close to my time she was already gone.” There was a regretful note there in her voice and James could not help but comfort her.
“She may have fared no better in Nassau,” he said quietly.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “I suppose not. But the closest the cove has to a midwife now is Mistress Ching and she was halfway back to Canton and so I was forced to return to civilisation. Again.” She sounded most displeased about this. “And I am so ready for the baby to be here,” she said sounding tired. “The little madam never gives me a minute’s peace.” James did not understand at first but then Elizabeth took his hand and placed it against the swell of her belly where it seemed all variety of activity was taking place. At first just a slow steady push against his hand and then a more firm jolt – a kick he realised and then a rapid series of shifts before there was a pause.
“She seems strong,” James said taking Elizabeth’s cue, “though quite restless. Traits I can only say she comes by honestly.” He paused. “Are you quite sure it’s a girl?” There was as far as he knew no way of being certain but many women claimed to know and he was hardly in a position to dispute such feminine knowledge.
Elizabeth gave him a tired smile. “Rose and Mrs Miller in town have both told me all the movement means it more likely it is a boy,” she said. “They are apparently more troublesome to carry. But I do not see why a girl could not be just as determined to make her presence felt.”
“Indeed,” James said. Then he dared to brush a kiss to her forehead. He could at least be relieved she had seen the midwife here rather than waiting for her travails to start. “You should rest,” he said. “I will deal with Admiral Knowles.”
It disturbed him more than he could say when she did not so much as argue and did, in fact, curl up and fall into a dead sleep despite the activity of the child within her.
James now knew why Mrs Clark was so outraged and wondered what Elizabeth had said to convince her – he did not wonder long. The letter Elizabeth had used had been left rather pointedly on his desk in the study. If he had not known better he would have sworn it was in his own hand. Right down to the signature. It even sounded like a letter he would write. The right mix of instruction and request that he would use to keep Mrs Clark onside. He put the note down and was about to go out to have words with Admiral Knowles when a cry from upstairs had him rush to Elizabeth’s side taking the stairs two or three at a time.
Elizabeth was curled up his bed clutching her belly her face taught with pain. “I changed my mind,” she said when she saw him. “I am not ready.” James stood there feeling utterly useless – which of course he was.
“You have always been ready for anything,” he offered tentatively which did not, in fact, help as Elizabeth turned her temper on him.
“Oh, what would you know,” Elizabeth said and then pressed her face into her hands and let out a series of oaths that James found impressively creative. And then she turned to glare at him. “Christ James, what are you fucking waiting for – send someone for the midwife. Unless you plan to deliver this baby yourself.”
James did as he was told sending the youngest housemaid for Mrs Miller at once. He wondered then if he should leave Elizabeth be – he could do nothing to help her but he could not do it. He could not leave her alone and in pain – if it comforted her to chastise him then he would offer her that comfort.
When he went back in the room Elizabeth was out of bed and pacing – that could not be healthy now could it. She looked a little wild around the eyes and he helped her back to bed which only made her more ill-tempered and generated what he was sure was further abuse but as his Spanish was poor and his Chinese none existent it was not as if he could swear to it.
“James, can I ask you something?” she said suddenly – James had been certain she was going to swear at him again let alone ask his permission for anything.
“I am quite certain I could not stop you,” he said, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face.
“There are no guarantees with childbirth,” Elizabeth said and James had been trying desperately not to think of that. “If I do not make it – will you look after her?” Elizabeth said. “I know it sounds morbid but I am not unaware of the dangers. I’ve written a will naming you guardian – just in case.”
“You will be fine,” James said because he could not conceive of a world where she was not.
“James please,” Elizabeth said suddenly – staring at him her eyes wide and suddenly vulnerable with pain and worry and he could not bear that.
“You will be fine,” James said again. “But I would be honoured to be guardian to your child.”
And then the midwife arrived and James was firmly banished from his own bedroom to spend the night pacing and listening to Elizabeth cry and curse and howl in pain that only made him hate Turner more for leaving her to do this alone.
The house went quiet just before dawn and James felt like he was holding his breath until he heard the cry of a child.
His relief was short lived as the maids passed him with blood soaked sheets and downcast faces and no-one told him anything. Eventually, the midwife came to him holding a small stirring bundle. “A healthy boy,” she said cautiously. James wondered for a moment what Elizabeth had told the midwife about his relation to the child. He peered down at the baby – he was red and squished and resembled neither Elizabeth or Mr Turner.
“And his mother?” James asked taking a step back – he did not dare touch such a new infant – he looked extraordinarily fragile. The midwife looked sombre then and James felt ill.
“Senora Rey is very weak,” she said. “But she managed to nurse him. That’s a good sign. And she does not want a wet nurse so she is well enough to make a rod for her own back.”
James exhaled, flooded with relief and a little amused at the midwife’s tone. “Perhaps you should take the child back to her.” He said. He wasn’t sure Elizabeth would want him out of her sight.
It was hours more before James was admitted to see mother and child. Elizabeth looked pale and more tired than he could imagine. Yet he also thought happier than he had ever seen her.
“Thank god that is over,” she said with feeling. “And it was a troublesome boy after all!” This was accompanied by the brightest smile James had ever seen from her and for a moment he was as dazzled as if he had looked straight into the sun.
“Well,” he said carefully, “he is yours after all.” Elizabeth laughed and then looked down at the child.
“Thank you for your help,” she said. “I told the Admiralty you had said you would set me up in the Colonies in exchange for the log book I stole. We will be out of your hair soon enough.”
James tried not to let her see how hard that news hit him, she had made it clear that she had only come back to have access to a midwife and of course the longer she stayed the more danger she was in. But it hit him – he did not want her to leave and he counted himself fortunate she was entirely enamoured with the baby in her arms. If she had looked at him, she would have read it in his face in an instant. “You must not go to sea before you are recovered,” James said. “I will deal with the Admiralty. There is no rush.” As if him saying it could make it true.