Evangeline McKenna has won Jack Sparrow's heart. Now, as she joins him again on his beloved Pearl, outside forces threaten to tear them-and everyone else-apart. The crew teams up with new and old forces to defeat a wealthy man in London who wants no...
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The stars were still out when she jolted awake, sucking in air as if she would never have another chance to do so. She hadn't had a nightmare and so she wasn't sure what had scared her. As she reached over to feel for Jack, her heart sank as she felt nothing but the starched blankets under her fingers.
"Jack?"
There was no answer from the dark, and she tossed the blankets off, scurrying to light a candle. The flame burst forth and brightened the room. There was no sign of him, and even his boots were absent from his side of the bed. A knock came from the door, and Evangeline rushed to answer it, poking only her head out to stay modest. She held the candle up and saw a sleepy-eyed Mr. Gibbs smiling at her.
"Miss Evangeline," he said with a nod. "G'mornin'." He took his hat off, respectfully acknowledging that she wasn't fully dressed and that he had caught her at a vulnerable moment.
"Jack's not here. Do you know where he's gone?
"Oh, aye. Don't fret lass. Jack got an early start. He didn't want to wake ye, what with the riotous evenin' ye both had. I've come to fetch ya. The Pearl sets off within the hour."
She sighed in relief and nodded.
"Thank you, Gibbs. I'll be ready shortly."
"I'll be waitin' just below at a table. Jack's already gathered his things, so you're not to worry about that," he stated, placing his hat back on top of his head.
He headed towards the stairs and Geline carefully shut the door so that if anyone were trying to spy, they wouldn't catch a glimpse of her in her undergarments. Gibbs had been right, Jack had taken all of his belongings, but he had also set her things together on the small table in the corner of the room. Her clothes were neatly folded, her valise set off to the side, and her boots against the wall.
Geline did not like where her thoughts had gone in the moments when she realized that Jack was not in the room with her. She had feared he had left her there in Tortuga, that perhaps he had been arrested for beating the man the night before. Or, with shame, she had thought that maybe he had left of his own volition. But, she knew now that he had things to attend to in the hours before setting sail and had not wished to take precious sleep from her.
She dressed quickly and grabbed her things, heading for the door. It was the reflection of her bandaged neck and bloodied collar in the small mirror that stopped her. She would have to change once she boarded, she realized, and Kippler would have to provide her with a new bandage. The image was a reminder of what had taken place; of her attack and Jack's outburst. She almost liked the way she looked just then; seasoned and battle-worn, like a true sailor. The sound of a cart crashing and someone swearing below her window brought her back, and she blew out the candle and left the room.
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Gibbs led her to the docks as the sky began to soften at the edges, dusk rising to meet them. The pair were quiet and content in that state, but others that were beginning to wake in town overtook their silence with morning rituals. The docks were even louder, men shouting out orders and replying to them, sounds of pulleys and sails in the breeze, and the groaning of ships that were headed out to open water. The Pearl was just as alive as the other ships as Gibbs and Geline set upon the deck from the gangplank.
