The Map

An intelligent fool

Chapter 3 – An Intelligent Fool

It was pitch black in the room and Nell could hear snoring. She closed her eyes again; Sister Able was always snoring. She turned over and settled into the softness of the pillows. She frowned slightly; her pillows weren't usually this soft. In fact she only had one pillow and it was flat and filled with straw. With a gasp, she remembered she was no longer in the convent and she was no longer on the Rose either.

She listened carefully as fear settled over her. She struggled to remember how she had got here; she didn't remember much past falling asleep at the captain's table. He must have taken her to her cabin. She blushed at the thought of him picking her up. She was at least still clothed; she could feel that.

Another snore brought her head up again. Lady Clarence could snore like a man she thought and lay back down, tiredness washing over her. She settled her head into the pillows a sigh escaping her lips. She was just on the border of sleep when an arm was thrown over her waist.

It startled her to think she'd been lying with the woman but she was too tired to get out of bed and climb up into her own bed and it did feel comforting. Being this close to her, she felt safe and secure. She closed her eyes again and fell asleep quickly.

When Nell opened her eyes again sunlight was just beginning to peep through the window, casting the cabin in an eerie glow. Nell was aware she was tucked back against someone, and then she remembered waking up in the night beside Lady Clarence. She closed her eyes; there was an arm around her waist and she was pillowing her head on Lady's Clarence's other arm. Nell was certain she would not be amused when she woke to find her so close. And then it hit her: the smell.

The smell was not Lady Clarence, who was rose water, sweat and salt. No, this smell was rum, sweat and salt.

Her eyes widened impossibly as she looked down at the arm draped across her stomach. It was bare to the elbow and a very dark tanned colour with streaks of dirt ingrained into the skin. A leather bracelet was wrapped around the wrist; someone had branded what looked like a 'P' into the flesh above the thong and then above that there was a tattoo. It was a sparrow in flight, the same image that was on the ship's flag. Her eyes traveled up the arm to the rolled up off white shirt and up to his shoulder. She was lying on and with Captain Jack Sparrow. Horror filled every pore as she realised where she was. She went rigid and turned her head ever so slowly to see his head lying on the pillow next to her. His eyes were closed and his mouth was partly open. She tried to raise her head and almost cried out when her hair was caught on something. She rested her head back and turned it the other way. She saw her braid had come loose and his hand was fisted into her hair, strands of her hair wrapped around his fingers.

She tried to loosen her hair and was aware of his grip on her stomach tightening.

"Scarlet?" he mumbled in his sleep and the hand in her hair unclenched; however, the hand on her stomach flattened out over her hip and traveled upwards.

"Scarlet," he mumbled again and Nell held her breath. Her hair was loose but his hand was creeping higher and higher. She could feel his breath stirring her face and when his hands stilled just under her ribcage, she breathed out in relief. She inched her hand down and lifted his wrist, his hand hanging limply.

"Ah, Scarlet... just let me..." he grumbled and he turned over onto his back, his wrist wrenching from her hand and flying out over his head. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough bed left for him to lie on and he fell off and onto the floor with a loud crash.

Nell sat up quickly and looked down at him sprawled on the floor.

He was awake and looking extremely mystified about being on the floor until he saw Nell peering down at him with nothing short of horror on her face, horror and fear. He frowned, trying to remember why she was in his bed and then he remembered coming back to go sleep. He had expected her to wake up and go rushing to her own cabin but she'd been so fast asleep that even when he shook her, she'd merely mumbled and snuggled down. He remembered shrugging and climbing in with her. He wasn't about to sleep on the floor, or his chair for that matter, and he was far too tired to carry her back to his room. Plus, he really didn't think he could cope with what her ladyship would have said had he gone waltzing in carrying a sleeping nun in his arms. Besides, he remembered with a grin, she'd felt good to hold and she had kept him warm.

"Now really, luv, there is no need to throw me out like that. You weren't complaining last night."

Nell heard his words and blinked as they sank in. She looked down at herself but she was still completely dressed and she would know if he'd tried something, wouldn't she?

"I beg your pardon?" she decided to hide behind sharpness.

"You... all snuggled in my bed when I got here." His voice was slurred slightly with sleep still. "Just as well I'm an honourable man; otherwise, no end of Hail Marys would be paving your way back into the convent." He nodded and got to his feet trying to straighten out his crumpled clothes. He'd taken off his waistcoat and his straps but his shirt and britches were crumpled from lying in them. He gave up and crossed to slip his waistcoat back on.

"Honourable?" she squeaked. "You could have woken me up."

She got off the bed and shook out her habit which was by now a real mess. Her hair tumbled free from the last parts of its braid. She ignored it as it fell around her shoulders in a tangled mess. She knuckled her eyes to get rid of the last remnants of sleep.

"That I tried," he stated and gestured to his cabinet. "Look in there and you might find something a bit more cleaner... I think," he frowned and shook his head strapping his sword and its sheath round his waist.

Nell was grateful she could change the habit, and without wasting any time, crossed to the chest of drawers that was built into the far wall. She opened the top drawer gingerly, not certain what she was going to find.

"You were so fast asleep a hurricane wouldn't have woken you. I gave up, pushed you over a bit and got in with you." He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Nell glared at him, relieved that at least he hadn't taken advantage of her. Perhaps he wasn't quite as bad as he made out. Then she remembered the name he'd muttered. He must have a woman in a port somewhere that he loved. Scarlet, he'd called her. In his sleep he'd thought she was Scarlet, hence the wandering hand.

She turned away from him and began sorting through the clothes and drew out a pair of black britches and an off white shirt. She didn't know what to say to him so she turned holding the clothes in front of her defensively.

He looked at her and, shaking his head in laughter, he walked towards the door.

"Get yourself changed and go down to the galley; one of the crew will show you how to prepare the grub so that it can actually be eaten."

He went out and then came straight back in, crossing to the table to pick up his hat. He plopped it on his head and walked back to the door.