Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction ❯ Mirror, Mirror ❯ Evening Air ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

 

It wasn't until dark when Ayse returned, and upon entering her room, she closed the door behind her and sat down at the edge of her bed. James noticed that she seemed rather pensive at the moment, and her mood seemed rather sullen compared to her amicable mood earlier.

“Is…something wrong, Ayse?” James offered.

She looked over at him and forced a smile. “Oh, ah, nothing, James. Everything's fine.”

He put on a suspicious look. “Are you…sure? You seem rather ill at ease.”

Ayse waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh, it's nothing, my friend. I'm just a bit tired is all.”

James had sense enough to know when someone wasn't being entirely truthful with him. Though he barely knew Ayse, she'd always carried a cheerful demeanor and spoke in a kind and merry manner. He wondered if perhaps her cousin was being obstinate again, but James also had the propriety enough to know not to press personal issues. So, he simply let it go.

“Well, it is good to have your company once more, Ayse,” he told her pleasantly.

She nodded, this time offering a more sincere smile. “Yes, same here. I think I could get used to seeing you each evening before I go to bed.”

Truth be told, there had been something bothering Ayse. Over dinner downstairs, her Uncle Edmund had announced that he was bringing over a guest the following evening to dine with them, and he wanted this guest to have tea with Ayse. The caller in question was a gentleman who was a very prominent and wealthy citizen of Port Royal. Ayse wasn't sure what to expect from this man, but she didn't like the idea of having to take her evening tea with this perfect stranger without having it discussed with her first. Even so, she decided that she ought to be fair and give the man his meeting with her, though she doubted that she would have to take anything farther with him. It still didn't change the fact that Ayse had to spend her evening with a perfect stranger, no matter how she looked at it.

Ayse decided that she needed some air. Even though it was dark, her home was safe and so was the beach nearby. She opened her clothes press and took out a shawl.

“Where are you going now?” James asked.

She sighed. “I'm going for a bit of a walk,” she responded with a slight, false smile. “I could use the fresh air.”

James nodded. “Do be careful. I hope you're staying near your home.”

She nodded. “Of course! I don't want a repeat of earlier!”

James watched her leave, and Ayse made her way downstairs. The house was completely quiet, aside from her soft footsteps, as her aunt, uncle, and cousin appeared to have turned in for the night. Quietly, Ayse opened the French doors that led out to the garden and carefully sneaked out, taking care to gently close the door behind her. She made her way down a stone path before coming to a wall of bushes near the back of the patch. A small sand footpath led through the middle of the bushes, and Ayse followed it until she came to the beach.

The tide was rising under a full moon, and she could hear the waves crashing against the shore as the mist and cool air from the Caribbean Sea sprayed her face. She closed her eyes, thinking of how good it felt to feel the sea caressing her face as she meandered down the beach, taking care not to get too close to the water. A walk on a clear night such as this always helped clear her head and put her in a far better mood. Ayse felt badly for leaving James behind in the room after he'd waited all day to enjoy her company, but even she needed time to herself once in a while.

She kicked a small piece of driftwood before turning back toward the property and following a different path that would come out near the stables. She smiled a little, deciding to go inside and pet her uncle's horses before retiring to her room for the rest of the night. She smiled a little at the prospect of getting to spend time with James.

She carefully pushed open the barn door and quietly stepped inside. The barn should have been completely dark, but much to her surprise, Ayse found that there was a soft glow emanating from an empty stall that was used for hay storage as well as very hushed voices coming from within. She frowned, thinking that it could be some horse thieves. Ayse quietly and carefully picked up a pitchfork, squinted her eyes in the very dim light of the lantern, and crept toward the stall.

As she neared the stall, Ayse noticed two sets of legs sticking out from the open door, and the hushed voices had turned to low grunts and moans. The sounds gave every indication that some couple was fornicating in that very stall, and she could only surmise that the male had to be Benjamin, the family's stable hand. As Ayse peered around the corner of the stall, she found she was right about it being Benjamin, however, the woman with whom he was philandering with was…Mary! Her very own cousin! Ayse's mouth fell, and in her attempt to turn and walk away, she accidentally kicked over a bucket.

Benjamin's head shot up. “What was that?”

Mary quickly turned her blonde head over, startled as well. “I…I don't know! Did something fall?”

Ayse was ducked down and held the bucket as well as her breath. Benjamin stood up, naked, and he held his breeches to his front to cover himself. The man looked about him for a moment before returning to the safety of the stall.

“I didn't see anyone, dear.”

Ayse could hear Mary let out a staggered sigh. “I do hope it wasn't anyone and that one of the horses simply knocked over something. You know we will be forbidden to see one another if my father discovers us.”

Ben shook his head. “What we are doing is indeed risky business. I'm still unsure about how comfortable I am with this. I would no doubt be punished harshly enough for taking your virginity from you.”

“But, Ben, don't you love me as I love you? `Tis worth it to me, Darling.”

He smiled endearingly at her. “But of course I do, Mary. You are everything to me.” He leaned down to kiss her, and soon enough they were back to their previous activity.

Ayse could not be more surprised. Not only was Mary not a virgin, but she was carrying on a very clandestine relationship with their stable hand that could render her unweddable if she were to be caught! She wondered just how long this forbidden affair was going on and just what on earth it was that Benjamin saw in Mary anyway.

She slowly stood up and put the bucket down before creeping out of the barn. Once outside the door, Ayse lifted her skirts and made a run for the house. She quietly entered through the garden and sneaked back upstairs to her room. She closed the door behind her and then leaned with her back against the hard wood for a moment.

“How was your walk?” James chimed in.

Ayse shook her head. “Interesting…to say the least.”

“Interesting? How so?”

Ayse shook her head before coming fully into his view. “I'd rather not repeat it. Let's just say that I saw something that virgin eyes should never see until they are wed.”

James looked confused. “What do you mean…?” Then it dawned on him. “Oh my good God in Heaven! Are you serious?! Who?! And where?!”

Ayse suddenly grinned and put her hands on her hips. “Why? Do you want to watch or something?”

James's jaw dropped, and could he feel anything, he was sure he would have felt his face grow hot. “Ayse Thomas! How inappropriate! Of course not!”

She giggled in a low voice so as not to disturb her aunt and uncle. “I apologize, James. That was incredibly unladylike, but I couldn't help but take an opportunity. It won't happen again.” She looked up at the discomfited expression on his face and giggled again. “The look on your face was priceless, though.” She paused to let him simmer down a little. “And if you really must know, it was my cousin and our stable hand that I witnessed, though not for long. I wanted out of there as soon as humanly possible and without getting caught.”

“Why were you in the barn to begin with?” he asked.

“I wanted to pet the horses before I came in for the night,” she told him. “It really was a lovely night, though. I went down to the beach, and there is a beautiful full moon out tonight.”

“Ah, so I take it the tide is coming in?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yes, and the waves crashing upon the shore were really quite refreshing.” She moved behind her screen and began taking off her clothes. “I rather enjoy walks out on the beach on evenings like that. It helps to clear my head and relax me.”

James smiled nostalgically. “Yes, I remember I used to do the same. There is a certain aesthetic appeal to it, honestly.”

She came out in her gown, cap, and robe. “Indeed.” Ayse sat down at her dressing table and began to brush her hair before taking out the looking glass that belonged to James. She studied it a moment. “I do hope this will work, James.”

“As do I,” he told her sadly.

“I plan to make a trip early in the morning to the bookshop and get a few books containing stories about Calypso, and if I am fortunate enough, perhaps some on death and the occult.”

James looked concerned upon hearing her choices for reading materials. “Ayse, you are treading dangerous waters there. Books like that are forbidden. Do you know what will happen if someone discovers that you have books about the unknown?”

“I am well aware, but don't worry - I have a secret hiding place in this room where I can put them. Besides, considering that I am dealing with a very supernatural situation, I need a supernatural book. It isn't every day that a lost spirit shows up in one's looking glass you know.”

James sighed. “You know that I will worry anyway, regardless of what you say. I cannot help but to look out for your well-being, Ayse. I cannot afford to have you caught, especially if it is for my sake.”

She smiled. “Everything will work out, James. I know it will. I am always one step ahead.” She lifted the hem of her shift and pulled out her cousin's hand glass and placed it on her dressing table with a proud smile. “I swiped this while I was changing Mary's bedclothes earlier.”

James laughed. “Ha ha…you certainly are a step ahead, aren't you? Now, what will you do with it?”

Ayse thought for a moment. “Well, I was going to see if I could play a prank on my dear obnoxious cousin, but now that I've had a chance to get to your house, I say that we should try out your glass first.”

James scratched his head. “You know, I didn't think of this before, but…how do you intend to get me out of here so that I can get to that mirror?”

Ayse's face suddenly fell. “Oh dear. I hadn't thought of that.” She sighed. “Well…it looks like I just took a step back rather than ahead.”

“We do that sometimes, Ayse. I'm sure we'll figure it out and then we will be right back where we were. We have all tomorrow evening.”

“About that…” she trailed. She frowned. “We have company joining us for dinner, and my uncle wishes for me to have tea with him afterwards.”

Her friend tilted his head. “You don't sound entirely excited about that, Ayse.”

“I'm not!” she barked. “He's a complete stranger and Uncle Edmund didn't even bother to discuss the meeting with me first!”

James watched her cross her arms indignantly over her chest as a scowl crossed her lovely features. “Ayse, I'm sure he isn't an unkind man. What exactly have you been told of this man?”

She huffed. “He's some wealthy gentleman who is well-known in Port Royal society. I've been told that he's been married two other times before, but both ladies have passed on, sadly.”

“Oh,” James began, trying to think of whom it was that he would know that was a widower twice. “Well, it's only a meeting, Ayse. I wouldn't be alarmed.”

“Well, he better not be looking to make me his third wife because I'll have no part of it,” Ayse told him sternly. “My father gave me the right to choose who I wanted to be with, and he specifically told Uncle Edmund that he wanted me to retain that right.”

James chuckled. “My you are quite an obstinate woman.”

As he watched Ayse sit down and comb her long, black hair, he noticed that there were so many things about Ayse that reminded him of Elizabeth. The most obvious traits that both women shared were their pertinacious dispositions and their cleverness. At least Ayse, however, didn't seem to display much of an interest in pirates as Elizabeth always had, but like Elizabeth, she wanted the right to choose whom she loved.

James had always admired Elizabeth because of her strong sense of independence, and he was finding that he was beginning to admire Ayse in much the same way, which could prove to be problematic if his feelings ran away with him like they did with Elizabeth. However, he'd learned the hard way about love once already, and that was enough to deter James from doing or saying anything he knew he'd ultimately regret. Regret was something that he had enough of anyway.

Ayse put down her brush and turned to him. “I really wish it weren't so late, James. I know you probably look forward to the interaction that you get from me since you have no one else to talk with in your current state. I promise after tomorrow night, we'll spend a lot more time together.”

He blinked at her. “Ayse…you have a life to live, and it would be highly inappropriate of me to expect you to spend nearly all of your free time attending to my needs, or lack thereof. I'm content with seeing you whenever I can.”

“That may be so, James, but I want to see you, and whether you say so or not, I know that even a spirit in a looking glass prison needs companionship as much as a living person does.” She sat down on the cedar chest in front of James and stared down at her lap. “Truth be told, I haven't been in Port Royal for but a handful of months, so I haven't any friends. I cannot spend time with Mary because I can't stand her, and the feeling is quite mutual on her part. I'm…not really even a part of the family, as she says.”

James sighed, feeling rather badly for the poor girl. “I see. So you seek my company because I know how it feels. Would that be a correct assumption?”

Ayse nodded her affirmation.

He ventured a comforting smile. “Then I shall always gladly offer my company to you, Ayse. Honestly, I've never encountered someone as understanding as you, and I truly believe that we can be good friends. I had a thought today that perhaps fate has placed me in your hands for that very purpose.”

Ayse looked up at him. “Do you really think it so, James?”

“I know it to be so,” he responded pleasantly. “But you mustn't forget or take for granted the life you have. I should like for you to eventually make other friends so that you won't continue to be companionless. You're too kind and caring of a person to not have shared what you have to offer with others besides me.”

Ayse offered a touched smile and blushed. “Oh, you flatterer. You made me blush again.”

James chuckled lightly. “Once more, it wasn't my intent. You embarrass too easily, but I rather think it's amusing.”

She flung a petticoat at James's mirror, and instinctively he put his arms up, though he was guarded by the glass. It fell to the floor as she crossed her arms with an amused smirk. “I'm glad one of us is amused!”

Ayse turned and crawled into her bed as James continued to laugh amusedly. Before she lay back on her pillow, Ayse glanced up at her companion. “James?”

“Yes?”

She smiled. “Um…good night.”

“Good night, Ayse. Sleep well.”