Chapter Text
Edward Teach was twelve when his mother finally allowed him to join her as a servant in the estate of the Bonnet family. He had begged her incessantly for years, mostly because it would get him out of their tiny home, and more importantly, away from his father.
She had sat him down the day after his twelfth birthday and handed him a beautiful set of white clothing, finer than anything he had ever worn before. He even sat still as she took a brush through his long black hair until the tangles were tamed and it came away silky and soft in her hands.
The estate was a short walk from the town where they lived, and they were lucky enough that day to catch a ride from one of the carriage drivers. Eddie’s mother grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.
“God is with us today, Edward,” she murmured. “The Bonnets are good people. I’m sure you’ll like them as much as I have.”
Eddie had never seen any place as beautiful and lush as the estate before. The manor home was massive, and surrounded by greenery and trees the likes of which he’d never seen before. At the door, a man in a white suit similar to his waited for them, hands folded behind his back.
His mother continued to hold his hand as they stepped off of the carriage, but Eddie dropped it, straightening his back as much as it could go. He gave the man standing just to the right of the door a deep bow, before mimicking his position.
“Hello, sir. My name is Edward Teach.”
“What a well-spoken young man you are. Your mother has raised you well.” Eddie bloomed under the praise. The man turned to walk through the front doors. “Follow me, please.”
“I’ll be seeing you at the end of the day now, Ed.”
He gave a short bow to his mother, before giving her a toothy grin. “I’ll be seeing you.”
“Come now, boy.”
Eddie followed the man inside, though he could barely pay attention to what the man was saying as he’d become utterly entranced by the interior of the building. Never in his life had he seen this much care taken to a home. Besides that, there were servants like him everywhere. Some were tucked away in corners while others dusted window sills or watered plants.
“Now, you will be apprenticing under me for a period I will determine based on how quickly you pick up the art of servitude.” The man, who had at some point introduced himself as Mr. Gray, managed to recapture his attention, and Eddie made sure to nod along politely to the conversation.
Down the hall, he heard the sound of a piano being played, and it wasn’t until then that he realized how silent the home was. He was so used to his home being full of noise, from the drunkards outside, to his mother cooking on the stove and humming to herself, to the sound of his father’s midday snoring. The silence was soft, and at the same time, it was unnerving.
For any matter, whoever was playing the piano was terrible, practically smashing their hands on every key, but it at least filled the halls with something.
“You will most likely be serving one of the younger two Bonnet boys, as you are closer in age to both of them. The eldest, Loris, is 14, and he is currently at the winter home with his father in England, shooting ducks.” They drew closer to where the piano was being played and Mr. Gray stopped in front of the door for just a moment, holding up a hand to stop Eddie from entering. He knocked two times in quick succession, and the piano stopped abruptly.
A meek voice could be heard from the other side of the door. “C-come in.”
Mr. Gray pushed open the door to reveal a sunlit room larger than the entirety of the home Eddie lived in. A young boy in a white cotton shirt sat on a bench in front of a sleek grand piano. His hands were folded slightly on the keys, and for a moment, Eddie caught a nervous expression that eased almost immediately upon seeing Mr. Gray’s face.
“His Lordship Stede Bonnet.” Gray gave him a slight bow, which Eddie was quick to copy. “Younger brother to Loris, and 11 year old.”
“I’m almost 12,” Stede spoke up. Eddie could see that he was missing one of his teeth.
Mr. Gray nodded, bowing slightly. “That you are, sir.” He straightened and motioned for Eddie to enter the room with him.
This must have been one of those music rooms some of the servants of other estates that frequented the bar near his home talked about in their stories. There were several other instruments he recognized hung up on the wall or displayed in cases. The windows behind the young Lord Bonnet were framed with teal blue curtains and drew a buttery warm light into the room.
“May I ask, who is he?” His lordship craned his neck to get a better look at Eddie. Eddie made sure to stand as straight as possible, puffing out his chest.
“His name is Edward Teach. He is the newest servant of the house, as well as most likely becoming your new attendant.”
Stede’s eyes welled slightly. “It’s true then?” He began to pick at the skin of his knuckles. “Father has done away with Nurse Hattie?”
“As you said my Lord, you are almost 12. You no longer need a nursemaid.”
His voice trailed off as he spoke. “No one could tell stories like her. No one could quite get the voices right…”
“And for that, I’m very sorry, my Lord.”
Stede stood slowly from the piano. “So he will be my new attendant?”
“If you so wish, my Lord.”
Eddie spoke up. “My mother says I tell a good story. I can’t promise I’ll do the voices quite right though.”
Mr. Gray continued as if Eddie had said nothing at all, and Stede looked at him with a markedly curious expression. “He could be assigned to Loris as well, though it is your decision.”
“I want him,” Stede answered almost immediately. He cleared his throat and spoke again, “I mean to say…I will accept him as being my attendant.”
“Very good.” Mr. Gray nodded. “We will leave you to it, Lord Stede.”
“Right, right,” Stede returned to sit on the piano bench.
Mr. Gray drew the doors closed, and Eddie caught one final glimpse of Stede reaching up to place his hands on the keys of the piano.
“Now, Mr. Teach. We shall begin your training.”
* * *
The first week of work was hard but rewarding. He and his mother brought in more money than ever, and they were even allowed to bring home extra scraps left over from the kitchen. Even more than that, Eddie’s father had left to go off to sea again, so the house was warm and quiet, and he and his mother never had to worry about laughing too loud, or the food being half-rotten, or the fact that there never seemed to be any money around to buy anything nice.
Mr. Gray had told Eddie that he had picked up his duties faster than anyone else his age had before, and Eddie wore it as a point of pride. On his first day of doing his duties alone, he shadowed Stede the best he could, trying to be as quiet as possible, just as Mr. Gray had told him, but Stede did his best to make that impossible.
For a while, Stede played piano quietly, fingers flying over the keys in a way that turned the notes slightly sour. Eventually, he stopped and sighed, before turning back to look at Eddie. “Would you…come sit next to me?”
“Excuse me, sir?”
Stede’s face contorted into an expression Eddie was somewhat unfamiliar with. “Please, just call me Stede.” He turned back to the piano, and Eddie took a seat next to him. Stede lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ve always found it easier with someone sitting next to me, less to focus on. It’s like it was when it was just me and mother…”
He raised his hands, and Eddie watched him with a certain curiosity, while still trying to maintain his composure. Stede placed them on the keys, and slowly began to play. Eddie couldn’t read music, but it didn’t take him long to realize that Stede wasn’t playing the music on the sheet. He slowly managed to turn his head away from Stede’s fingers, small and pale, with the nails scrubbed perfectly clean, when he saw that Stede’s eyes were closed.
It was the first time he’d seen Stede smile in his entire time in the manor, and he took the second to take in his face. He had gentle features, and soft curls of honey blond hair that was a pale red in the light. Eddie watched as his mouth twitched slowly into a smile, and how, ever so quietly, the notes no longer were held for too long, or dipped into the wrong key, or ever seemed out of place at all.
The song came to a close, and Stede lifted his hands slowly from the keys. His eyes fluttered open not long after, and Eddie watched as he slumped his back from the straightened posture he’d been sitting in before.
“That was beautiful,” Eddie murmured.
Stede’s smile was cautious and slow. “You don’t have to lie.”
Eddie laughed, letting himself go of the persona he’d watched his mother take on for years. “I’m not! It’s the best piano playing I’ve heard in the house so far.”
He watched as Stede’s face scrunched up slightly, and for a second, Eddie’s heart skipped with worry. Stede crossed his arms in a pout, but his words had no anger behind them. “That’s very rude of you Mr. Teach.”
Eddie elbowed him gently in the side. “Well if I have to call you just Stede, then you shouldn’t have to call me Mr. Teach.” He reached out and pressed down a key with his finger. “Just makes me feel like my father.”
Stede sighed the sort of sigh that only an old man, an old soul, seemed to be able to make. “Fathers…” He looked up at Eddie. “What should I call you then…Edward?”
“Mmm. Still too formal.” He shrugged. “Just call me Eddie. Most people do, anyway.”
“Eddie then,” Stede gave him a small nod. “I like that.”
Eddie turned his head to look out the window, staring out into the courtyard. The lush greenery, the warmth of the sun, the room that smelled like paper and dust. He could be at home here.
“I think I like that too.”