The Second Swann ---///--------

Chapter 10 (WIP)

Charlotte closed the door of the bathroom behind her, sighing in relief. Silence, and solitude at last. The maids had insisted to come with her to hep but she certainly did not need it. Nor did she want anyone around her for that matter. 

Besides, she had something waiting for her that would undeniably have them question her and she was not in the mood to answer. 

Charlotte approached the tub in her undergown and her night robe and leaned over the faucet to push the window open further. A warm breeze greeted her instantly and she inhaled it gratefully. She switched on the taps and undressed as she waited for her bath to be full. 

She crossed the tile floor to the laundry chute and opened the little closet. She slid open the back wall of it with her fingertips. Folded clothing sat in there, composed of a white cotton blouse, a leather vest and a pair of trousers. 

The drawer of her bedroom wasn't the only place that kept secrets. 

Charlotte grabbed the clothing and slid the wall shut and closed the closet. She turned back towards her tub and dropped her things onto a chair next to it. She turned the taps. 

The hot water bit into her skin as she lowered in. No matter how hot the weather was, she always preferred a hot bath. Cold water was far too close to the sea. 

Her heart picked up in pace when she realized that, and suddenly the events from earlier flooded in. Not only had she fallen into the sea today, but she had also nearly drowned. 

She was right to avoid it. It was never to be trusted. 

The water in her tub sloshed back and forth as she adjusted herself. The fresh, sweet breeze of the island fluttered in to comfort her. At least the bath water was under her control. 

She looked out the window to see the island. She could see her dress singing on the balcony just outside the window. It was still dark with dampness. 

It was beyond her how the pirate had even stepped a foot on the island, today of all days. The promotion ceremony was the only time when several of James Norrington's men would surround the island, crawling around the corners to ensure no one would disrupt it. Though, Port Royal always had been quite a peaceful place. Perhaps that was why his soldiers let the pirate slip past them.

Charlotte shook her head then reached down for the medallion and played it between her fingers. 

"All seems to have lead to you," she mused quietly, rubbing its ridged side, "perhaps you're cursed." 

Or, perhaps she was the one that was cursed specifically today, she wondered. 

Being mistaken for the other's sister wasn't exactly new for her and Elizabeth. However, the case with James Norrington making that same mistake before making the proposal was more humiliating than amusing to her. 

She frowned at that. Was she jealous? She couldn't say.

James Norrington was a fine young man. He had a good head on his shoulders, had a charming and respectful personality, and her father adored him. What more could a daughter ask for? 

William, however, was something more forbidden, more mysterious, more intriguing. He, too, was respectful and kind, and genuine. However, there was always that strange gleam in his eye that Charlotte could never read and it always thrilled her. 

She glanced back at the clothing waiting for her on the chair and bit her lip, rubbing the medallion between her fingers. 

She knew her father wouldn't be home all night, as he had left to the Fort to a conference with the Commodore and the Navy about the security measures of the island. Elizabeth stayed with Charlotte most of the day. She listened eagerly and with utmost compassion as Charlotte described every last detail she could remember. 

After spending the afternoon together, Elizabeth went in for her arithmetic class downstairs while Charlotte went up to bathe. 

Unlike their father, Elizabeth knew about Charlotte's nightly trips around Port Royal. She never joined as horseback was never her hobby. Frankly, the creatures terrified her. She was already prepared to tell their father where Charlotte was (asleep in her own bed and wished for no visits) should he ask. 

Technically Charlotte didn't lie to her sister, after all, she did need some way to get to the smithy.