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dwgmAnother fill-in ficlet for Blood and Treasure, exactly 500 words for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sharklady35 who wanted to know what gifts the Sparrows brought for the Norringtons on the Black Pearl's return from the far east. As always, my thanks to hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.
~ Wedding Gifts ~
An intricately carved whale’s tooth from Madagascar; a paper-wrapped butterfly, its vivid colors and exquisite shape protected by a teak box; six silver bracelets from Bombay; a cloth bag full of beads from Calcutta; a Javanese puppet dressed in bright silk; sweet-smelling spices from Ceylon; batik cloth from Sumatra; a string of pearls from Japan (“Lifted off a Portugee trader – what a struggle that was!”); coral and shells and pretty stones from innumerable islands…
All presented to Anne on her wedding night, in the Great Cabin of the Christiana, each gift taken from the carved and painted chest that Tom had built with the help of the Pearl’s carpenter.
“I made it for you, when we were sailing south five years ago, after we left England. Would’ve set your name on the lid, but Gibbs told me it’d be bad luck. But I painted it in here, anyway, since it was made for treasures.”
Tom pointed to a corner on the inside of the lid, and there, in gold – a bit chipped but still clear against the dark grain of the wood – was written Anne in careful letters, with a heart about the word.
Anne stared, and then looked accusingly at her new husband, so nearly lost to her. “Why didn’t you tell me about this when we first met again? Tom, it’s clear proof that you were thinking of me the whole time you were gone!”
“Well, not the whole time. But whenever I’d come across something small and pretty…” His voice trailed off, his expression wry. “There was no chance to tell you. Not before Vauxhall, and after that you were more or less committed to Hartfield. It wouldn’t have done.”
Anne stared at her treasures, now scattered across the bed. Tom was right. The Sparrows had given all the Norringtons gifts, of course, that first night on the Black Pearl, when they were headed north to Lincolnshire. There had been an ivory chess set, and a brace of silver-mounted pistols for Anne’s father; painted fans, oriental robes, and bolts of lovely silk for Anne and her mother. But nothing like this. Nothing so… intimate.
She began to replace Tom’s gifts, one by one, laying them carefully in the chest.
He sat silent, watching her, until she closed the lid. Then he asked quietly, “Do you like your gift, sweetheart?”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to him. “I have nothing so wonderful to give you. Only myself.”
She was gathered against him then, and held close for a time, his dear voice murmuring her name, his hands gentle. But after a while, he kissed her wet cheek and one of those gentle hands began to undo the buttons on the back of her gown. She looked up. “Do you like your gift, then?”
“You know I do.” He kissed her lips, and handed her a handkerchief. “Blow your nose, love, while I unwrap my gift.”
“Yes, Tom,” she replied meekly, but smiled.
~.~
sharklady35 who wanted to know what gifts the Sparrows brought for the Norringtons on the Black Pearl's return from the far east. As always, my thanks to hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.~ Wedding Gifts ~
An intricately carved whale’s tooth from Madagascar; a paper-wrapped butterfly, its vivid colors and exquisite shape protected by a teak box; six silver bracelets from Bombay; a cloth bag full of beads from Calcutta; a Javanese puppet dressed in bright silk; sweet-smelling spices from Ceylon; batik cloth from Sumatra; a string of pearls from Japan (“Lifted off a Portugee trader – what a struggle that was!”); coral and shells and pretty stones from innumerable islands…
All presented to Anne on her wedding night, in the Great Cabin of the Christiana, each gift taken from the carved and painted chest that Tom had built with the help of the Pearl’s carpenter.
“I made it for you, when we were sailing south five years ago, after we left England. Would’ve set your name on the lid, but Gibbs told me it’d be bad luck. But I painted it in here, anyway, since it was made for treasures.”
Tom pointed to a corner on the inside of the lid, and there, in gold – a bit chipped but still clear against the dark grain of the wood – was written Anne in careful letters, with a heart about the word.
Anne stared, and then looked accusingly at her new husband, so nearly lost to her. “Why didn’t you tell me about this when we first met again? Tom, it’s clear proof that you were thinking of me the whole time you were gone!”
“Well, not the whole time. But whenever I’d come across something small and pretty…” His voice trailed off, his expression wry. “There was no chance to tell you. Not before Vauxhall, and after that you were more or less committed to Hartfield. It wouldn’t have done.”
Anne stared at her treasures, now scattered across the bed. Tom was right. The Sparrows had given all the Norringtons gifts, of course, that first night on the Black Pearl, when they were headed north to Lincolnshire. There had been an ivory chess set, and a brace of silver-mounted pistols for Anne’s father; painted fans, oriental robes, and bolts of lovely silk for Anne and her mother. But nothing like this. Nothing so… intimate.
She began to replace Tom’s gifts, one by one, laying them carefully in the chest.
He sat silent, watching her, until she closed the lid. Then he asked quietly, “Do you like your gift, sweetheart?”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to him. “I have nothing so wonderful to give you. Only myself.”
She was gathered against him then, and held close for a time, his dear voice murmuring her name, his hands gentle. But after a while, he kissed her wet cheek and one of those gentle hands began to undo the buttons on the back of her gown. She looked up. “Do you like your gift, then?”
“You know I do.” He kissed her lips, and handed her a handkerchief. “Blow your nose, love, while I unwrap my gift.”
“Yes, Tom,” she replied meekly, but smiled.
~.~
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2011-02-08 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 03:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-09 01:17 am (UTC)Felaine
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Date: 2011-02-10 03:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-09 01:44 am (UTC)“Blow your nose, love, while I unwrap my gift.” haven't a clue why this strikes me both funny and sexy at the same time.
Tom seems more Harry to me in this one, a man with a gentle heart, the soft side of Jack allowed to be foremost. Thank you for the one more treat--and that song the road goes on forever and the party never ends...Amen to that piratista, I'm loathe tp ever give up oh, what's next?
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Date: 2011-02-10 03:26 pm (UTC)I'm thinking about it, still have several interesting requests. ;)
*hugs*
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Date: 2011-02-09 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 03:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-13 07:42 pm (UTC)(Not to sound greedy, but I'm also curious what the Norringtons gave the Sparrows... particularly about James' present to Jack.)
Thank you so much!
no subject
Date: 2011-02-14 07:06 am (UTC)But for all the lovely and exotic gifts his new bride received, I'd wager that Tom still feels he got the better end of the deal, with Anne! ;-)
Beautiful story! A wonderful, early Valentine to all of us fans of this AU! :-)
-- Cat
no subject
Date: 2011-03-05 12:59 am (UTC)And the various treasures are so wonderfully exotic--and the ones from Tom, exquisite and so clearly chosen by a man in love.