“Jeffrey…”
The man didn’t hear Stede as he tugged the reins, and the cart started moving. Stede scampered along, hiding behind one of the wheels, and hissed louder.
“Jeffrey! Fettering!”
Jeffrey stiffened and glanced behind him, and as he spotted Stede, he stopped the cart and brightly grinned.
“Stede Bonnet?”
“Yes!” Stede smiled up at him. “Oh, Jeffrey, it’s so nice to see you!”
“It’s nice to see you, too,” Jeffrey beamed before arching a brow. “But I’m surprised to see you here. I heard you had become the lighthouse keeper!”
“Um, yes,” Stede muttered, dropping his smile. “Listen, Jeffrey–”
“Oh, I just caught up with some friends from elementary school!” Jeffrey gushed. “They’ll be thrilled to see you again–”
“Jeffrey!” Stede held a finger to his lips, and Jeffrey’s face fell.
“Are you alright, Stede?”
“Not quite,” Stede softly admitted, and then he glanced behind him. Ed had been hiding in some shadows, but he revealed himself once Stede beckoned him to come over.
“My friend and I… we’re in a spot of trouble,” Stede informed Jeffrey. “We need to get into Bridgetown without anyone seeing us. Could you help us?”
Jeffrey’s eyes flickered over to Ed, tightening his grip on the reins. “Hullo.”
Ed quirked his mouth and lifted a hand in truce. “Hey.”
Jeffrey then eyed the head of the snake tattoo on Ed’s hand. Stede gritted his teeth, but Jeffrey’s mouth split open into a much wider grin.
“Oooh, are you a pirate?”
“Um…” Ed shot a look at Stede, and Stede gave him a half-shrug. “Yeah. I s’pose.”
“Oh, how wonderful to meet you!” Jeffrey gushed. “I’d love to help!”
“Really?” Stede pinched his brows.
“Yes, it’ll be the most exciting thing I have ever done!” Jeffrey bubbled. “But not to worry: I’ll keep it hush-hush!”
“Oh, thank you, Jeffrey!” Stede breathed, and he helped Ed to his feet.
“Hello,” Stede said politely. “My friend would like to book a room for the night–”
“Stede Bonnet?” the auditor beamed at him. Stede winced and glanced apologetically at Ed. As he had mentioned earlier, he rarely got stopped in public, but when he did, Stede was often caught off guard. After all, one person whose voice he could hear terrified him more than a room full of cheering fans.
“Oh, erm, yes?” Stede said politely. Perhaps if the auditor wanted a photo, he could get a better deal for Ed.
“It’s me!” the auditor pointed to himself. “Jeffery! Fettering! We went to primary school together!”
“Oh, Jeffery!” Stede smiled genuinely, his shoulders slumping. “Of course! It’s nice to see you.”
“Likewise,” Jeffery grinned. “I saw you gave up being a lawyer to become a comedian?”
“Go ahead, laugh it up,” Stede sighed, waiting for the inevitable.
“Laugh?” Jeffery flummoxed. “I wish I had one-tenth of your guts! Starting stand-up? At our age? I just drive my stupid Mustang to the store now and again. Half the time, it leaks.”
“Oh…” Stede remarked with a side glance at Ed. “Well… that’s nice of you to say. Thank you, Jeffery.”
“Oh, sorry, where are my manners?” Jeffery said, sitting up in his chair. “Do you have a room with us, Stede?”
“I do, yes,” Stede said, “but my friend requires another room for the night.”
“Oh, aren’t you on the telly, too?” Jeffery said to Ed.
“Yeah, mate,” Ed said with a half grin.
“Well, any friend of Stede’s is a friend of mine!” Jeffery started happily typing on his computer, checking the existing bookings. But suddenly, the typing stopped, and Jeffery looked up with apologetic eyes.
“Oh dear,” he muttered. “This rarely ever happens, but it appears all of our rooms are booked out for tonight.”
“What? Really?” Stede exclaimed. “Not even anything on the lower floors?”
“I’m afraid not,” Jeffery emphasised, turning to Ed. “I’m so sorry, I wish there was more I could do.”
I don’t have anything new for Jeffrey! Fettering! Weekend, but please enjoy these snippets from Floating in Your Waves of Light and How the Turn Tables featuring #JeffreyFettering himself. 😁 #OFMD
FiYWoL Chapter 15: archiveofourown.org/works/670717...
HtTT: archiveofourown.org/works/64315066
