Chapter Twenty Five

They both turned at the voice. Two men approached them. The taller of the two had dark hair, strong features and a sensible, benevolent countenance. The other was significantly younger than the other and Wentworth, he was slight and willowy but had a pleasing face.

Anne looked around her guiltily and tried to ensure there was a proper amount of distance between her and Frederick. As she moved away, Frederick reached out to take her arm and pull her back to him, desperate to finish their conversation. He seethed at the appearance of his two comrades. He only managed to grasp her pelisse at her elbow. She turned at the contact and looked at him worrying her bottom lip. He held fast and faced his ship mates. "Harville, Benwick. Good to see you lads."

Anne looked from him to the men and back again. What was he about? Standing so close to her, his hand on her elbow. Surely he must know how it would appear to them; they were his men. They would think he and she… she was flummoxed and unsure what to do next for the best. She dearly wanted to finish their conversation, but she must return to the Inn before she was missed and now she had two strangers to contend with, one of whom currently knew a great deal more about her then she did about him. The men were already staring at her as she lowered her eyes.

Frederick finally cleared his throat. "Miss Elliot, these are my first and second lieutenants." He motioned to the first man; the taller of the two. "Lieutenant Harville."

The man stepped forward and bowed his head. "Miss Elliot, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Was it just her imagination, or did he say her name with recognition?

Frederick said nothing only motioned to the other gentleman who was smiling brightly. "This is Benwick. Benwick, Miss Elliot."

"Elliot? As in..?" Benwick looked at Wentworth raising his eye brow but Frederick only looked away.

Harville glared at Benwick. "As in Miss Elliot." He turned to Anne. "You will forgive Lieutenant Benwick miss, he has not had to good fortune to have been in the company of many young ladies of your status."

Anne only smiled attempting to hide her own discomfort at the fact more than one of the men knew who she was. "It is quite alright." She looked at Frederick who had the hint of a blush on his cheeks and she wondered how much Benwick knew. Was he aware she was the woman who broke their Captain's heart?

"I was just going to walk Miss Elliot back to the Inn where the rest of her party are staying and then we shall all be coming down to inspect the Laconia." He drew himself to his full height and set his face in a stern expression Anne could imagine him sporting on board his ship. "Is she ready?"

"Aye Captain, she's ready." Harville looked as proud of their prize as Frederick had been.

"I am looking forward to seeing her." commented Anne. Leading all three men to offer her a smile in thanks of her compliment. She looked up at Frederick who seemed close to her than ever. "I should really be getting back now."

"Yes of course."

He placed her hand in the crook of his arm while the other men averted their eyes pretending not to have noticed his action or her reaction. They said good day to the gentleman with promises of seeing them in due course of the day aboard the Laconia, and set off back to the Inn.

They were outside the doors when Frederick stopped and turned to her. "I did not finish saying what I begun earlier. I wanted to tell you when I spoke of feelings having gone away, I was referring to your own. I believed you to be engaged to Charles at the time. I thought it was you who no longer held a care for me." He paused, altering his stance and moving closer to her. "Anne," he whispered, "I have never-"

They were interrupted once again, this time by the arrival of the Musgroves in the lobby. Frederick bit back a curse and even Anne had to stifle a giggle. Whatever it was he was on the way to saying would have to wait once more until they could find a moment alone. She hoped they would, she had a speech of her own to say and she was determined it all be out in the open before they returned home.

It transpired the Musgroves' were that excited at the prospect of seeing the Laconia and being aboard a Frigate they didn't even to think to ask how it was Anne was in the company of the Captain. Mrs Musgrove accosted Anne as soon as she was through the door and dragged her off so that they could ready themselves for the visit.

A short luncheon later, throughout which, Charles made several thinly veiled hints about how convenient it was Anne should have met the Captain out on her stroll. Anne spent most of the meal trying to control her blush and not look at Frederick more often than was appropriate.

After they had eaten, Anne slipped upstairs to put away her gift and change out of her travelling clothes. Once she had freshened up, she returned downstairs to find they already had a carriage waiting. Frederick, Charles and Richard were to walk down, and as Anne believed, give Richard some sound advice about his future prospects, while she travelled with the Musgroves once more.

"Captain Wentworth is a good man." said Mrs Musgrove suddenly.

"Oh yes, yes a fine man." Her husband agreed.

"I do wonder how it is he remains unmarried, as handsome as he is."

"And with a few thousand pounds in his possession, from what he was telling Charles." commented Mr Musgrove.

Anne blanched. She hadn't even thought about his financial circumstance. She knew he had been fortunate with the Asp and the Laconia, but she never imagined he could now be in the position she had always wished he had been back then. Not for her own sake; she would have married him as penniless as he was then, and he had been. Any money he had earned, he had spent freely. It was not until he met her, that he confessed he regretted his hasty immature actions. Now she didn't know what his plans were and why indeed he wasn't already attached to some young Admirals daughter.

"Has he not tempted you Miss Anne?" Mrs Musgrove was teasing smiling at her, but Anne still felt herself go scarlet.

"Now my dear, leave our poor Miss Anne alone, she will no doubt have plenty of admirers." Mr Musgrove said, smiling at Anne.

Anne only smiled back at the flattery and wished they would be at the Laconia soon.

When they eventually got to the dock and met up with the others, Anne could not look Frederick in the eye and he was left wondering if it was his declaration outside the inn that had her unable to meet his gaze. Their moment of awkwardness was soon forgotten as they took in the majestic sight which was the Laconia.

Anne smiled as once more Lieutenant Harville came towards them. She stood back while Captain Wentworth introduced him to the rest of their party. No one seemed to notice she hadn't been introduced or maybe they did and were too polite to say anything. In any case Anne kept her head down. Harville led the party up the gangplank on to the Laconia. It was busily bustling with men as they went about their tasks readying the ship and storing provisions. Frederick explained to them they worked in shifts, allowing some to spend precious time with their families and rest before they would set sail. The men would report for fulltime duties one week before they left. She learned that Harville was lately married, and they would meet his young bride that evening at dinner which was to be served aboard the Laconia.

The Musgroves and Anne, were surprised at the superiority of the living quarters. From all Frederick had told her in the past, Anne was expecting little more than a galley serving food and a few chairs. There was in fact ample space and as he explained.

As Frederick moved around the ship pointing out different shipmen and what their role was. He continuously tried to involve Richard in the conversation to no avail and Anne was beginning to think the trip had been a waste of time – for him at least. For her it could not be further from the truth. Regardless of how she tried to avoid it, Frederick's gaze repeatedly fell on her, he would discreetly offer her a wink or a smile when there was something he believed would amuse her. More than once he moved past her so close their arms brushed against each other and she felt that familiar tingle in her skin from when she was nineteen.

Eager for a little time and space to herself, she sought a moment when Frederick was explaining the masts to Mrs Musgrove, to slip away to the side of the ship and retrieving her battered copy of the navy listings, looked at the numerous ships anchored in the Sound hoping to find details of some of them.

"Can I be of any assistance Miss Elliot?"

Anne turned startled to find Captain Harville stood beside her.

"No. That is, no thank you Captain, I am only trying to discover if my somewhat dated listing has any relevant information."

Captain Harville looked down at the Navy listing and then quickly across at Frederick who was paying them rapid attention despite simultaneously talking to the Musgroves. "That Navy Listing is a little dated, about two years ago I'd say. It's strange, I thought those particular kinds of listing were only available to men in the Navy. It is not the same as the ones made for the general public. Anne looked down at her keepsake, one of the only mementos she had kept from their time together and held it against her only making the situation worse by showing what it meant to her. She felt the blush creep up her cheeks. Harville did not wish to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she obviously already did, so he hastily changed the subject pointing out ships he believed may be found in her listing. Her reprieve did not last long before Mrs Musgrove voice pulled her back to the group.

"And tell me Captain Wentworth, may I be as bold as to ask to see the Captains quarters while we are here?" Mrs Musgrove asked with a girlish laugh. Anne felt herself blushing in the place of the woman who had asked such a brazen question, and also because of the fact she dearly wanted to see for herself.

Captain Wentworth chuckled lightly. "Seen as though I am yet to move in and make it my own, I suppose you may Mrs Musgrove, you may. Who knows maybe one day Richard will be calling the Captain quarters his own."

He said it with a feigned conviction Anne and Charles saw through immediately. It had occurred to each of them a while ago that the Navy was no place for a lazy selfish boy like Richard. They shared an inconspicuous glance as they followed Frederick towards his private rooms. Mrs Musgrove was still giggling uncontrollably and had linked her arm with Anne instead of her husband, while frequently whispering to Anne about how she had never set foot in another mans bed chambers before. Anne could only hold her tongue and keep her blushes under control while she prayed to escape the inappropriateness and of the whole situation.

Frederick led them through a door which opened on to a small sitting room containing a large desk. "This is where I study the charts and make course and update the captains log each night." he explained. Anne's eyes darted to every corner of the room committing it all to memory so that after he sailed, she would be able to imagine him in the space. A second door led to the actual bed chamber, Anne averted her eyes from the bed as much as possible and chose to look out of the small windows at the sea as it bobbed up and down. She tried to black out the Musgroves' as they commented on the quality of the furniture and ample space. She didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to listen to people talk with delight about a space that - had the situation been different- she would have been frequenting and what she once hoped to call her own home from home.

"And sir where does this door lead?"

Anne glanced back over her shoulder to face the party, keen for a change of surrounding.

It was Frederick's turn to blush, although only slight, as he faced them all. "It leads to the mistress' chambers Mrs Musgrove. That is, the rooms which should belong to my wife." He could not help but glance in Anne's direction. "Should I have be fortunate enough to have one."

Mrs Musgrove looked at his colour but thank fully did not notice the person on whom he was intently staring, and smiled. "I'd wager that will soon change sir, I have a feeling you have your eye on someone special already."

She was teasing again but Frederick was not of the mind to charm or play. Noticing Anne purposely trying to avert her eyes from his, he sighed. "I had hoped so yes Mrs Musgrove, but sadly it appears I am too late." he answered cryptically.

The atmosphere in the room became stifled with tension that even though the Musgroves did not know the origins of, they felt just the same. Anne quickly looked away desperate for a way out, and in her haste to find exit from the confines of the room, she dropped her listing. Frederick desperate for a reason to be near her and away from the prying eyes of the rest of their party who were all staring at him, bent to retrieve her property.

"Miss Anne, you dropped this." He looked down at the scrap of paper in his hand and realised it was the tatty Navy listing she had carried around with her, it was then that's he noted it was the same navy listing he had given her when they were betrothed in the year six. His eyes widened with the realisation she had kept it for so long, and treasured it by the looks if it and how she had held it to her throughout the morning. He swallowed down the words he longed to say and passed her belonging back.

"Thank you." she murmured, her voice hoarse from the unspoken questions. Before he could say more she turned and fled from the room.

"I think we may have embarrassed our young friend with all this talk of gentleman's chambers' and matrimony." Mr Musgrove said sheepishly.

"Aye, I should have thought better of it, I am sure her Lady Russel would not approve." his wife added.

Frederick sighed to himself. "No, I am almost certain she would not approve."