The day of the visit could not come sooner for Louisa. Her excitement was barely contained. All conversations were centred upon Lyme, and all things were related to it. Mr and Mrs Musgrove could not help but smile at the excitement of their youngest child. If such happiness was experienced at the prospect of just a chaperoned day out with Frederick, it begged the question as to how much more happiness was yet to be displayed at a more meaningful event.
As arranged, everyone had convened at the Great House for their breakfast on the day of their trip.
"Captain, tell us more about your friends," asked Louisa.
"I met Harry Harville on my first voyage. He took me under his wings and showed me the ropes. Since our first meeting, we have worked together until he sustained his injury. He hu/rt his leg in an accident a couple of years ago, but we have always kept in touch. It was because of Harry that I became friends with James. James was betrothed to Harry's sister, Fanny," said Frederick as he buttered another slice of toast for himself. "Unfortunately, whilst working on his last voyage, Fanny died."
"How awful," gasped Louisa.
"James was devastated by the loss, and still suffers," at this Frederick couldn't help but glance in Anne's direction, whose gaze was firmly fixed upon her plate. "He is currently living with Harry."
"The poor dear," commented Mrs Musgrove.
Not wanting to waste any time, everyone finished their breakfast quickly in order to leave promptly as planned. Louisa, Henrietta, Mary and Anne sat in Mr Musgrove's carriage, with Charles driving his curricle alongside Frederick. Despite leaving on time, their arrival at Lyme did not occur until after midday. Before they could explore their surroundings, they headed straight to the Inn that Frederick recommended to stay at, and ordered their suppers for the evening. Once their luggages had been deposited in their rooms, the group decided to make the most of the available sunlight by taking a walk towards the coast. As it was winter, the usual amusement provided by Lyme was gone. All that was left were the small handful of residents. With this in mind, they all headed to the Cobb, known for its beautiful line of cliffs stretching out to the town. It was the one place to boast no loss in its charms, whatever the weather.
When they reached the Cobb, Frederick split from his friends to call upon Captains Harville and Benwick. It was not long before he returned with them and Mrs Harville, who were all eager to meet Frederick's new friends.
As they approached each other, Frederick began the introductions. "Captain Harville, Mrs Harville and Captain Benwick, please meet Mr and Mrs Charles Musgrove, Miss Henrietta Musgrove, Miss Louisa Musgrove and Miss Elliot."
"Miss Anne Elliot?" asked Harry.
"Yes," replied Anne consciously. At this, Harry gave Frederick a quick sideways glance, before smiling back at Anne and saying "Capital."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," said Mrs Harville.
"We have heard so much about you from Frederick that we feel we are all already well acquainted!" laughed Harry.
Their warmth and open friendliness was quite infectious. It did not take long for the Musgroves to also feel comfortable amongst Frederick's close friends.
"You must all come to dine with us tonight," said Harry.
"Oh yes. We won't take no for an answer," cried Mrs Harville.
"Unfortunately, we have already made arrangements for our supper at the Inn. We did not want to impose upon you on such short notice," said Frederick.
"Impose? How could you think such a thing! You should know that it would have been expected that you all dine with us," said Harry, reprimanding Frederick with his looks alone.
"Well, at least come to our house on your way back," suggested Mrs Harville.
As the warmth of the day was rapidly disappearing, they all decided to accept the Harville's invitation. The Uppercross party were surprised to see how small the house actually was, but the generous hospitality of their hosts quickly overtook this thought. Captain Harville enjoyed the opportunity to display his hobbies to a willing audience, who showed no signs of feigned interest. Captain Benwick, on the otherhand, spent most of the time in subdued silence. They stayed at the house together until it was nearly time for their supper at the Inn. As the Uppercross party left, Captain Harville said, "James and I will come down to the Inn later on tonight."
Harry wanted to see how Frederick behaved around Anne. He was sure that Anne was the reason that Frederick had extended his stay at his sister's, but there was no outward acknowledgement shown by either party. Wherever they went as a group, Frederick would be positioned as far as practically possible from Anne. It seemed like Frederick was making too much of an effort to appear unaffected. Any other bystander would have been fooled. But Harry was no stranger. He had seen Frederick hide his feelings too many time to be fooled again. Before confronting Frederick about his feelings for Anne, he wanted to observe how they both behaved with each other. He always felt that Frederick judged Anne too harshly. It wasn't inconceivable why a girl of 18 would retract her acceptance if all her family were against the match. If anything, it showed how sensible Anne actually was, unlike most girls of her age. And she still seems the same, albeit a little on the timid side. Like Benwick, thought Harry to himself as he watched them walk away from his house. No my dear friend, she still loves you, as much as she did 8 years ago. If only you would look beyond your anger and hurt.