A Pirate's Love

Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Madeline slowly shut the door behind her and sat down at the chair in front of the desk. She watched as Jack continued to write. She was about to speak, but held her tongue. He seemed angry and she didn't want to anger him yet again.

Jack finished his thought on paper then blew on the page until he felt the ink was dry. He slowly closed the book. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," he said. He watched her and waited for a reaction.

Madeline folded her hands in her lap as she looked at him. What was he writing? What was he thinking? It was unsettleing to her the way he was watching her. She began to wring her hands.

"I'm trying to come up with a good reason to not throw ye off me ship and leave ye in Singapore until I've gotten my son back," Jack said narrowing his eyes as if daring her to correct him.

Madeline felt her world begin to crumble beneath her. She blinked, trying to keep her tears in check. She knew Jack was angry, but she didn't realize how much. "Ye must do what ye feel is best Captain." she said in a whisper. Her voice trembling.

"I mean how can I trust someone who defies me at every opportunity," Jack asked.

Madeline looked away. "I understand Captain." she said in a choked breath

"No love ye don't, that is where the real problem lies... do ye have any idea what ye did to me on deck yesterday? The scope of what ye did could mean to me," Jack asked.

Her eyes snapped back to him. "I interferred with what truly wasn't mine." She stood up. "Ye are captain of this ship and I broke a carnal rule. Never interfere with the ship's captain's business. I made the whole situation worse by doing what I did in front of the crew

"And yer doing it again by daring to stand now ye sit and ye keep yer arse in that seat until I have told ye to do otherwise," Jack hissed.

Madeline slowly sat down. She wiped her tears away and looked back at him. "Aye Captain."

"If any of my men had done what ye did on deck yesterday they would expect nothing less then being marooned or worse. Now my men have seen ye do it, a woman, and what was yer fate? Ye see that sort of thing makes my men thing, perhaps he's soft, perhaps I could take his ship. Now I have two men on this ship other then meself that trust, Gibbs and Cotton, both of whom were with me when I got the Pearl back from Barbossa. Now they see me allow ye to do what ye did and I think they're thinking why did we help him? He's willing to risk looking bad and therefore possibly getting his arse marooned again and his ship taken? Do ye see what I mean when I tell you ye have no idea the possiblitites ye opened up," Jack said he waited for a response.

"I do Captain. I understand." she said quietly. She truly did. She had put Jack's life in danger and she regretted it. "I've put your life in danger, and I"m sorry." She wrung her hands again. "What punishment do ye seek for me?" she asked. Even if it meant never seeing her son again

"Perhaps what ye did was yer way of getting back for what I did to ye," Jack said ignoring the question for the time being.

"No Jack." she said hurridley. "I mean Captain. I"ve already told you I hold no ill will against you for that night." She wanted to leave. She needed to get away from the glare of his eyes.

Jack was not done, "I made ye stay here in me cabin for one reason Maddy... to protect ye, so do ye see what ye did could mean to ye," he asked.

"Aye Captain." she said quietly. "I"m sorry."

"Not only do ye not think of these things, but ye repay my trying to protect ye by going into my personal things then go to Gibbs and question him about what ye read? Maddy, when have ye ever asked me anything and I've not answered ye truthfully," Jack asked. His eyes now were filled with his pain and disappointment in her. And his need for an explanation and understanding.

Madeline's head snapped up. "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to read your journal. I knocked it off your desk and it fell open." she said in a hurried voice. "I didn't mean to Jack." she said covering her face with ehr hands. "Ye've always been honest with me Jack. I"m so sorry for hurting you." she cried

"All of this would make perfect sense to me if I'd been the one who left ye, but you left me," Jack said bewildered.

"I know." she said in a whisper as she rose and walked towards the window. "It was wrong of me to leave you Jack. It was wrong of me to hide from you. It was wrong of me to keep your child from you."

"Then it would seem more natural for ye to do everything in yer power to prove to me what ye keep saying to me but yer words are empty to me, it's yer actions that speak to me. Do ye really think me that stupid? Or do you just find it impossible to trust me because yer scared of me taking my son," Jack asked.

"No Jack, ye aren't stupid. And I trust you." She said not looking at him. "I've already told you that you could take JJ with you when we find him. He's your son Jack." Madeline sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I defied you Captain. I was as anxious as you to find anything out about our son. Is that so wrong?"

"I never said yer motivations were not pure... but ye must think before ye act, why is it that women find it so impossible to think before they act," Jack snapped. The question was really not one he expected her to answer.

Madeline whirled around. "Because sometimes men spend too much damn time contemplating about things." she snapped back. "I"m sorry Captain. I'm out of line." she turned back to the window. "Will we find him Jack?" she asked quietly.