Such Great Heights Chapter 14

I am so sorry for the long delay in the making if this chapter. I thought I was going to be able to pump out a heap of chapters, but it has taken me six long weeks to get this up. I apologise from the bottom of my heart and I cannot say that this is my best chapter, but I have tried as hard as possible to have it up to my usual standard. Things will start moving in the next few chapters and hopefully I'll have those chapters up soon with lots of reviews. Speaking of reviews, I love you people and you make my day, but I only got 2 reviews on the last chapter that was one of my longest chapters ever. So I hope that you guys are beautiful people and send me heaps of reviews for this chapter. Also if there are any mistakes, I apologise, most of this was written on my ipad and there may be some stupid words or mistakes. So enjoy the next chapter lovelies and I'll see you at the next update... don't forget those precious reviews! X libellus

Edit 27/10/12: I have edited the chapter after deciding that the ending was not right to James' personality and would have no legitimate way to explain it in the coming chapters. I apologise to all of those fans I may have upset with that part of the story, I hope that you will continue to read. On another note, I have decided to put this story on hopefully temporary hiatus. This chapter will be the last until at least mid-December as school for me is coming to a close for the year and I need to focus more on my studies rather than on this fanfiction. I will be back soon and writing, but you will have to be patient with the updates.

Edith lay in her bed, but not in the one she shared with her husband earlier in the evening. It had been so very uncomfortable, the whole experience of having ones virginity taken, and the gentle throbbing between her legs was an unneeded reminder of what had happened. She had moved from her husband's quarters, after he had rolled over, sated from the strenuous activity and dressed again in her shift and dressing gown before rushing back to her bedroom. There she had pulled the covers down from the bed, throwing the decorative cushions on the floor before jumping onto the soft mattress and trying not to cry.

She had watched her husband as he interacted with the guests at the reception. When he spoke with most people, the iron mask that he wore was firmly set on his face, barely showing any emotion and being the emotionless Commodore of Port Royal. But when Elizabeth Swann and her father had approached them, the mask drifted off and was replaced with a half heartbroken, half loving look. Edith continued to watch him talk with her while also talking with the governor and she noted the way Norrington behaved differently and analysed everything she saw. Edith saw that his emerald green eyes lit up and he smiled more than he had all day. She did not know what history he and Elizabeth had, but it seemed that at least once in the past, Norrington had loved her. Her stomach twisted and knotted but Edith ignored it in favour of continuing her conversation with the Governor. Edith continued to watch him for the rest of the night, not in a obsessive sort of way, but in a more in sort of analysing way. She just wanted to see how he acted around others and then compared it to the way he spoke with Miss Swann.

By the end of the night Edith was able to confirm that undoubtedly her husband had loved Elizabeth Swann at one point in his life.

The scariest part of the whole wedding ordeal came next. The guests had left and the house was nearly empty, save the servants and the Norringtons. On the stairs on the way up to their respective bedrooms, her husband had asked her if she was going to be joining him. Behind him just below them on the staircase stood Mrs. Norrington, who despite several bottles of wine was looking incredibly sober and had her trademark scowl resting on her face. Out of fear of being punished by her mother in law, Edith agreed without thinking before turning around and quickly walking to her quarters.

Relieved to see Emma waiting in the corner of her room, Edith made her way over to her and began to take off her heavy dress. Once the heavy material had been lifted from her body, a knock sounded at the door and Edith barely managed to throw a bed jacket over her corset before Mrs. Norrington opened the door.

"You are getting ready to spend the night with my son tonight?" she asked as she haughtily took in the features of Edith's room. The blue walls were now a deep blue, unlike the sea green blue they were earlier in the day, and the cream cast a whole calming effect on the room.

"Yes ma'am" Edith whispered back as she wound her arms around her body.

"And I trust that you are going to fulfill your marital duties tonight?" Mrs. Norrington asked harshly.

Knowing that marital duties meant giving herself to her husband, Edith nodded meekly, before blushing heavily.

"Well, I hope to hear that you have fulfilled your duties in the morning." And with that, Mrs. Norrington swept from the room.

Once the door slammed shut, Edith's panic began to rise and her heart began thumping loudly in her chest. Emma removed the bed jacket from her shoulders and started to undo the corset which was finally releasing its pressure on her ribs. Taking a deep breath, Edith then turned and watched out the window as the rain came in heavy, beating the glass doors repeatedly.

"Your mother included this among your possessions before we boarded for the voyage. There was a note from her that this was to be worn on the night of your marriage." Edith turned on her heel to see Emma holding a box in her hands. Edith gently lifted the lid and placed it on the bed before pulling the white garment from the box. The chemise was incredibly short and would fall just short of the tops of her knees when she wore it. Delicate lace was used on the sleeves as well as making up much of the short skirt; it also adorned the front which gave a generous view of ones cleavage. It was very scandalous as well as being a present that any mother would have given her daughter to spend her wedding night in. Sighing in resignation, Edith pulled the ordinary shift she was wearing over her head and placing the more scandalous one on. Examining herself in the mirror, Edith cast a doubtful look over her small frame before seating herself and twisting the two rings that sat upon her fourth finger. Emma gently began pulling the pins from the style in Edith's hair, along with the remaining flowers that had stayed there.

Edith watched as her hair feel from its prison of pins and fell past her shoulders to where it brushed against hips. It was what expected of her, to only have her hair pinned up when amongst the public and then having her hair down for when she was alone or with her husband. Emma then began to brush it methodically before letting the strands go and placing what looked to be a wreath of flowers upon her head. She allowed Emma to gently remove the face paint she wore with a hot towel and then place the gown she usually wore over her sleeping clothes on her shoulders.

Standing up from the seat, Edith wrapped her arms around her maid and friend, gently squeezing before pulling back. "Thank-you" she breathed quietly before hugging her again.

"Are you scared, mistress?" Emma asked after a long period of silence.

Taking in a slightly rattled breath, Edith replied with a small amount of courage "quite so."

"Don't worry, everything will be alright. Your mother did tell you about what happens on a wedding night, did she not?"

"No" Edith squeaked, the fear now more evident in her voice than anything else. The only thing that Edith knew about the wedding night was that she was going to join her husband in his bed for the night. The ladies who Edith knew had husbands did not talk about what happened in their house apart from their newest embroidery they completed or their knitting.

"Oh Edith, I'm sure Commodore will be kind to you. He seems like such a gentle man." Emma whispered in an assuring voice, but it did nothing. "I believe that you may want to begin making your way to his quarters." She suggested gently before placing the robe on Edith's shoulders and then giving her a fond look as she walked away.

The house was completely quiet, everything had been cleared and the servants had gone to bed, with the only noise being the grandfather clock which ticked from somewhere far down the hall. Silver light filtered in through the lines in the curtains, casting ominous shadows and making the halls look narrow and cold. Edith made her way silently to the door which her husband had directed her to earlier in the day and then knocked on one of the heavy wooden doors.

Ghosting through the doors, Edith looked at her husband for a moment before turning her head to the paintings that hung proudly on the walls, showing beautiful scenery that could have come from any island in the Caribbean. She stood still and continued to focus her gaze on the paintings when she noticed that Norrington was looking at her rather intensely. He let her examine her before he spoke, his deep baritone filling the room.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he caught her gaze.

Knowing that it was her duty as a wife, no matter how little she knew, she would have to answer the affirmative and fulfill what was expected of her. "Yes" she whispered back, dropping his gaze and focusing on the wooden floors. There were a few tense moments before Norrington reached out and pushed the gown from her shoulders and arms, his roughened fingers brushing against Edith's skin. Those fingers ran down her arm and then enveloped her small hand in his larger one and then gently pulled her towards the bed. Edith let herself be pulled and watched with large eyes as her husband removed the wreath of flowers from her hair and then dropped it on the ground beside the bed as he pulled her down.

~Quasso~

He had been gentle but that did nothing to stop the pain from leaving. The whole motion of being touched and entered where she had never considered before was disconcerting and as she tried to find some sleep, she could not stop thinking about it. But probably the most disconcerting event of the night was the name her husband called just before he rolled off her and into sleep.

Edith was not dull or an idiot, she knew that no one would call a strangers name at the end of an activity like the one they had just… well, Edith did not know how to describe it, but she did not think it was the norm. But the name he called rang a bell within Edith's mind. According to Charlotte, who knew the name of nearly every person in Port Royal, there was only one with the name Elizabeth who would be the appropriate age for Norrington. And that was Elizabeth Swann.

Hurt blossomed in her chest as Edith rolled onto her other side and stared through the small gap in the curtains. She did not know much about her husband, he was a guarded and closed man whose secrets and passions he would only reveal to those closest to him. But what she did know, and this was only through implication by Mrs. Norrington of all people, that her son had quite the history with Elizabeth Swann. That night at the dinner that they had shared at the governor's residence was when Mrs. Norrington made a comment about Miss Swann marrying a blacksmith. No woman would be so bitter, or rude, over something like that which had absolutely nothing to do with her. She had also noticed how the commodore looked a bit uncomfortable and the dinner that had resumed not long after was awkward. Edith remembered that night clearly, because it was when Mrs. Norrington had embarrassed her for the first time in public when she berated her habits of reading books and enjoying gardening. She had been mortified, but the kindly words of the governor and Norrington afterwards who had apologised for his mother's behaviour, had calmed her down a bit and made her feel better.

But as she lay on the bed, gentle blue moonlight and the sound over the waves gently lapping the beach, Edith desperately wanted to know why her husband had called her name, a burning curiosity began to burn and there was no way she was going to put out that fire until she learnt what had happened between the governor's daughter and her husband. Feeling her eyelids finally get heavy, Edith wrapped the large duvet around her body and snuggled deeper into the sheets, her last thoughts being of the mess she would possibly face in the morning for not spending the night with her husband and maybe failing in her duties. But she brushed those aside when her eyelids finally closed and she departed the land of those awake to the land of where people dreamed.

~Quasso~

That night Edith woke up twice before dawn and both times she spent the small amount of time conscious trying to assure herself that the dream was not real. The dreams that Edith dreamt were vivid, her drowning in crystalline Caribbean waters. She could not pull herself up to the surface, a long dark blue dress pulling her down every time and stopping any progress she made. After her vision had gone black, Edith would then find herself standing in the parlour at Norrington's house. There was no one else in the room apart from her and there was an eerie silence that hung in the air, the wind rattled the house making the exquisite glass windows shake. Glancing out the window, Edith saw that winds shook the house and thunder rumbled across the sky, causing her to jump. A window then shattered and Edith immediately ran to the other side of the room where her legs collapsed under herself. But before she could hit the floor, a strong set of arms had gripped her arms before pulling her up. When Edith turned to look at the man who had caught her, she caught a flash of emerald before she turned the other way and tried to escape the room. None of the doors would open, stuck stubbornly in their frames. Edith turned to her husband, whose eyes were cold and dark, before she tried to run again.

"You can't escape. You're here forever." He said cold eyes flashing as his hand gripped her upper arm, tightening threateningly. "No matter what you try you will never be able to leave. Tied to me forever, never able to escape, little bird."

Edith lowered herself to the ground, raising her arms in front of her face as her husband raised his hand. Before she could feel the force of the blow, Norrington pulled his hand away and turning to another woman who had ghosted in through the doors. He pulled the woman close before bending his head down and kissing her passionately. For a strange reason, hurt blossomed in her chest but before she could try to figure out why it hurt, a strong wind blew through the house, reminding her that the windows had a large hole through them. Edith turned away, bunching her dress up in her fists, heading towards the broken window where she could jump out of and escape. But as she ran, she found that her feet were not cooperating with her movements as Edith made no progress in her running. It was then that she came face to face with the one person who she would not want in her nightmares. Mrs Norrington stood over her, standing at a height that made Edith feel like one of the lady beetles that she found in her garden. "Why do you run? Can you not see that it makes no difference? People do not want to help you, I'm sure they would much rather watch you suffer in an oppressing household where you husband would much rather spend his time with other women, even lowly whores, than watch you try to flourish in a world where no one will love you." Mrs Norrington then completely covered Edith in darkness, leaving her silently screaming.

~Quasso~

Edith woke in a cold sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead and gasping for breath. She lay for a few seconds, staring up at the canopy above her and calming her mind that was running rampant all over, reminding her that she was safely away from the demons that haunted her dreams. A small sideways glance out the windows suggested that the sun was about to rise and small rays were breaking over the horizon. She pushed the cover of her bed back before running a hand through her hair and moving off her bed and to the desk where a few of her favourite books on gardening had been placed. Running her fingers gently over the spines of her precious books, Edith gently smiled and pulled it out, pulling open the pages and letting the pressed flowers and leaves she had collected fall from the book. Edith picked them up from the small desktop and run her fingers over them, familiarising herself once again with the flowers that she and her father had collected from all over England. Her father, being a successful merchant who owned many shops all over the world did not spend much time with her and then most of the time he did, which wasn't much, he would join his daughter in the garden showing her flowers from all around the world and the showing her how to press them in books. That was what brought her into gardening in her teenage years and often she and her father would take walks in their gardens and just talk.

"Oh. Mistress Edith, what are you doing in here?" Emma asked when she came into the room, clasping her hand to her chest. When Edith gave no reply, Emma quietly spoke up again "is something wrong."

"No. Yes. I honestly don't know Emma. I just don't know." Smiling softly, Emma pulled one of Edith's dresses from the cupboard and placed it on the bed.

"I was just going to go get you so we could get you ready. I understand that you'll be seeing Commodore Norrington off at the docks this morning?"

"Yes, I suppose I shall be." Edith sighed in reply before stripping off the obscenely short shift and placing a cleaner, more appropriate one on. She then helped Emma place the dress over her body and then sit down so that she could style her hair for the day. Watching as Emma twisted her hair up quickly not bothering with an elaborate style, Edith thought of the consequences that she would suffer for not remaining with her husband for the night. Hopefully Mrs Norrington would not catch wind of it and that she would be able to send her husband off in peace and spend the five months of quiet she had trying to adjust to the life of being a wife. She noted the dark shadows that sat under her eyes and then dismissed them quickly, finding that there were more important things to worry about.

Once Emma deemed that Edith was presentable to be seen and she was satisfied, Edith gathered her hat and wrapped the ribbons around her arms. She placed the pressed flowers back in book and slipped on her shoes and gloves before leaving the room and heading towards the dining room. She could hear feet pacing the floor, too light to be Norrington's, heels tapped and Edith's eyes widened when she heard the voice.

"The audacity of that girl! Why did I see her as someone who would be suitable for someone of your stature and standing, it is not like we can do anything now that the paperwork is done. You'll just have to bear with her James, she could not be that hard to ignore, especially if she leaves you in the middle of the night." Mrs Norrington was saying as she continued to pace. "The only thing you'll have to do is make sure you produce an heir, but that shan't be too hard, she seems very eager to please, despite some of her actions. Children do not take much to rai-"Mrs Norrington cut herself off, looking up at the stairs as Edith descended. "Oh good morning." She said in a falsely sweet voice.

Edith smiled back, trying to hide the apprehension that she felt when Mrs Norrington looked at her, her green eyes burning into her skin. "Good Morning Madam." She said, twisting the two rings on her fingers and turning her gaze to her husband who was waiting by the door. He looked indifferent, his face a cold mask that showed no emotion while he stood with a straight back and his hands folded behind his back. She knew she would have no help from her husband dealing with his mother and then replied to her next query.

"Did you have a restful sleep?" she asked smirking.

"Quite, thank-you" Edith replied politely as possible, trying not to clench her hands to stop the sweat from soaking her silk gloves.

"It is quite curious though…" Mrs Norrington said pausing for a moment before continuing. "That you come from the opposite side of the house instead of where your room that you share with your husband is. Don't you think so?"

"I had to retrieve my gloves and hat from my room." Edith replied in a small voice, dropping her gaze. There was a tense moment of silence that filled the room as Mrs Norrington loomed over her in a similar way that reminded her of the dream. "Emma forgot to place them in our suite and I just remembered so I went and fetched them." She added quickly, beginning to place her hat on the top of her head and tying the silk ribbons.

"Oh is that so?" Edith nodded quickly as she noticed the change in Mrs Norrington's voice. "I actually know for a fact that you did not fail to fulfill your marital duties, but you did not spend the night with your husband."

"But I did do my duties as a wife." Edith cried weakly, fear once again taking hold. She trembled, her hands coming up to her chest as she tried to calm herself and better the situation.

"That is no excuse for running off in the middle of the night to your own bed when you should be spending the night with your husband!" Mrs Norrington nearly roared in return.

"Mother-" Norrington tried to make his voice heard in the argument.

"Be quiet James!" Mrs Norrington interrupted her son. " I came all the way to this little port in the middle of nowhere so I could organise a wedding, which you" she spun around and turned her glare on Edith again " have taken completely for granted. You should be paying for the whole occasion but my family and I have instead. You have taken the whole process completely for granted and given me nothing in return, not even loyalty to your new husband."

"I'm-" Edith tried to explain.

"I do not care if you're the queen! Your disloyalty towards me and your new husband has been atrocious. Running off a few days before your wedding with some middle class housewife to gallivant around town and spend the night at her house. It is beyond disappointing that you think you can get away with anything and not get caught. I only chose you in England because the ladies of higher class were not willing to go and your lovely parents decided to send you with us. I should have done more research and looked into other ladies, because so far all you have proved is a dishonest, disloyal and very much from lady like. A lady who lived in the slums of London would be better than you!

"I simply cannot understand how your parents were proud enough of you to see you fit to marry one of the most recognised Commodores on the sea. You are undermining and are unfit to be married to such a man. What type of woman enjoys reading and gardening? Surely not one who is to be married into such society, you are abnormal for enjoying those activities as most normal ladies enjoy embroidery and music. You are not to let the public know that you do these activities as it could tarnish the shining reputation of the Norrington family and maybe I would have to do something I may regret in the future. I can assure you that if you fail to fulfill your duties and fail to become pregnant with a healthy male heir, that you will be cut from the family and bring such disgrace on your maiden name that the rest of your family will go into hiding. And if I ever hear of you doing anything that emphasises the fact that you are a whore, I will personally make sure that you wish you were never born.

"To be honest, I cannot wait until I leave this island! There is nothing here apart from you and your petty problems that you have. The people here are dull and those who lead the town, especially that governor, are completely incompetent! I care about my son and if I ever hear anything that is not good coming from this island, I will make it my mission to pull him from service in these islands and bring him home to England, leaving you here." She snapped before turning to her son.

"The ship leaves in an hour and a half, correct? Well, I'll meet you there then… as well as you Edith." Mrs Norrington departed with a swirl of her skirts and the slamming of the front door leaving Norrington and Edith standing awkwardly.

"Do you need anything? Would you like a cup of tea?" Norrington asked as he stood next to her.

"Cup of tea, please." Edith whispered before smiling at her husband and making her way into the barely used parlour.

As Edith took a seat delicately on the chaise lounge and reflected on hopefully the last time she and Mrs Norrington were at odds with each other. The remark hurt Edith. She could not count how many times Mrs Norrington had insulted her and called her a whore when she ranted and raved. Pain ran through her chest as she thought of all of the hurtful remarks that Mrs Norrington made about how she acted and the way she conducted herself. Despite the outer bravery that she showed, sometimes it honestly hurt and made her feel like one of the loneliest people in the new world. But she thought that it would do no use to be a wife who complained about every insignificant problem. Though there was still an incessant niggling in the back of her head reminding her of what her husband had yelled in the darkness of the night.

The man in question came through the open door with two cups of tea and placed the one in his right hand on the table top near Edith's knees. She gave him a look of gratitude before turning to her tea, taking a gentle sip. The tea was exactly the way she liked it, a dash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar, and she savoured the hot liquid before letting it run down her throat. She looked over the lip of her cup and at her husband who had seated himself in the armchair across from the chaise lounge. The room was tense and quiet, the silence deafening in a strange way.

Finally the niggling in the back of Edith's head become too much and she had to let it out. "What is your connection to Elizabeth Swann?" she asked in a rushed whisper, feeling better once the words were out.

"I don't think that is nothing of your business." He replied warningly, something Edith missed.

"It's just that I have heard people talking about the fact that you were engaged to her. Many people asked me if I knew about it." Edith replied quietly.

"That is true." He replied evenly.

"And the whole story of the cursed pirates was true?" Edith once again asked quietly, her hand moving to her hair when she felt the tension rise.

"Yes that is also true." His voice was still deadly calm, the kind that implied that something worse was going to happen.

"And Elizabeth Swann turned down your engagement?" she asked again and once again he replied the affirmative again.

"Did you love her?" Edith whispered quietly, thinking about the dark night in bed that had caused her so much pain and the pain that was still somehow remaining in between her legs.

"That is none of your business and you should do well not to ask any more questions." He replied in a harsh voice that she had once heard the day when Charlotte and she were in the main street of town and he was supervising marines doing one banal task or another.

In a fit of teenage likeness, Edith replied to his statement without thinking about her words before letting them escape her mouth. "You cannot order me around like I'm one of your men. Despite what you may think, I am your wife."

"And as my wife, you are to obey everything I say, no matter how headstrong you are." He said with a poisonous sting in his voice before turning on the heel of his shoe and walking out of the parlour, the tea cups forgotten on the side table.