Emerald Seas

Chapter 31

'Of what?' Kate was smiling weakly. Jack started grinning and lowered his face to the floor for a slight moment before his dark brown eyes met the green of hers again.

'You sure you want to marry him?' Jack spoke in his thick accent whispering as if he was telling her a secret. Kate watched Jack almost in shock.

'I'm teasing you' Jack spoke, his face betrayed him as it felt like he had meant it. He took her hands between his while he gazed at her as the seamstress was lifting the veil in front of her face to see if it was placed correctly. After a silence they watched the seamstress walk away toward her small table and Jack took the veil in between his fingers, he lifted it away from her face as if he practiced what Cutler was supposed to do later, Jack noticed her cheeks had adopted the color red slightly.

'He's a lucky man to have you' Jack spoke underneath his breath, almost pressing the words from his lips. Kate felt the corners of her mouth rise and opened it to respond.

'What are you doing?!' Madam Beauchamp had returned and was slapping Jack's hand away from the veil. Jack quickly lowered them but mid air she took his right hand and watched it in frustration.

'Look at your filthy hand's Captain!' Madam Beauchamp was almost screaming, her strong English accent, as she had come all the way from London for Kate's wedding dress, echoed across the room. Kate was biting her lower lip, trying not to burst out in laughter watching Jack, looking like a child who was corrected by his mother.

After a while, after Jack pacing up and down with his hands behind his back had opened his mouth to speak several times but kept on changing his mind, he finally dared to do so.

'Actually.. there's a reason I am here to see you' Jack's almost quiet voice was heard from his almost closed lips. Kate quickly lifted her eyes back from the seamstress. Her asking eyes in his direction wondering what it was that brought him here.

'Madam Beauchamp, could you leave us for just a moment?' Kate spoke politely as Jack had crooked his head into the seamstresses direction several times. The large dark red powered wig moved down as the woman lowered into a curtsey and she strolled out of the room, her high heels clicking on the floor loudly.

A silence entered the room, with only the sounds of outside and the fluttering noises of the beige curtains in the open windows, Jack spoke.

'I'm afraid my departure will be early this afternoon' Jack's voice was soft, like he tried to keep belong the soaring wind of the warm breeze entering the large room every now and then. Kate had to swallow and tried to hide her surprised expression, but she failed.

'So soon.. But you will miss the wedding?!' Kate stumbled upon her words and her eyes asked for an explanation.

'Orders..' Jack whispered, it was clear he wasn't going to tell her how he had tried everything in his power to be able to attend the wedding, she was sure he had at least tried. For a moment Kate felt worried. Was Cutler doing this on purpose, letting Jack leave with the excuse of delivering the "cargo" on time? It felt like Cutler didn't want him at the wedding, but she couldn't figure out why.

Also there was this feeling, it was a mixture of worry, fear but also one of losing a friend. It seemed the plan of freeing the cargo of slaves was set in by Cutler already and preparations were secretly made, but Kate couldn't shake off the feeling that it will bring something bad, something really bad. It was obvious Jack tried not to speak much more about the subject, as he seemed to know how much it hurt her. But of course, Jack never knew the truth, the real truth, and even though it was tearing her apart that she couldn't tell him it'll be alright, it was better this way.

Jack's behavior was very much different than earlier this week when he and Cutler had been in the heated discussion about "the job". He seemed comfortable now even though they both knew what was going to happen. It felt like Jack was so comfortable because he had already planned out the escape of the slaves. One of Cutler's spies must have had a chat with Jack already, convincing him to indeed set them free, that he'd be able to get away with it. So the plan might actually work. By that thought, Kate felt alright letting Jack leave.