Withstanding The Gale

That evening as the sun set black storm clouds gathered in the east.  With a seaman's eye Kennedy noted the shift in the wind, as well as its increased force.  The smell of rain was in the air.  It looked like it would be a rough night.  The approaching storm certainly paralleled what was about to happen in his family, and for a moment Kennedy let his mind dwell on the philosophical implications of that.

But practicality eventually won out, and his mind turned to the question of Annie's marriage.  Emma Chamberlain's surprise and confusion had certainly been genuine.  It was possible that Edward Kennedy had every intention of marrying his daughter to Chamberlain.  But even if that was so, it seemed the question had never been raised.  Which made the certainty of everyone at Rosefield all the more puzzling.  And also had him wondering about his brother.

The evening meal had passed uneventfully, and Kennedy was resting in his bedroom when a knock sounded at the door.  He opened it and his friend quickly brushed past him and sat in the chair by the fireplace.

Hornblower seemed disconcerted; nervously fidgeting in his chair and clasping and unclasping his hands together.  Kennedy studied him closely, wondering what was bothering his friend.  One minute stretched into two, but still neither spoke.  Kennedy felt his thoughts begin to drift more pleasantly toward Emma when Hornblower finally spoke.  His words were so sudden and vehement that it almost seemed as if someone else had spoken them.

"Archie, what the devil is wrong with me?"

For a moment Kennedy was too stunned to reply.  His eyebrows went up, and he looked at his friend as if seeking to know exactly what was in his mind.  He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came to mind.

"Well?"  Hornblower practically shouted the word.

Kennedy jumped as if jabbed in the ribs.  To buy himself a little more time he bent to stoke the fire.  His mind was frantically trying to come up with a reason why Hornblower would ask such a question.  Especially now, of all times.

"Why...." he cleared his throat.  "Why do you ask, Horatio?"

Hornblower sighed and leaned back in the chair.  His head fell back and he stared at the ceiling as he spoke.  "I was just thinking that there must be something wrong with me.  How else can you explain what happened with your sister?"

"My sister?"  There was a slight hint of menace in Kennedy's voice.

Hornblower had the grace to blush at his friend's tone.  "Yes, Archie.  Your sister.  I..." He brought his head back down to meet Kennedy's eyes.  "I am very attracted to her, Archie.  And I kissed her this afternoon."

"So that's why she was blushing when I rode up." Kennedy commented under his breath.

"Pardon?"

Kennedy shook his head.  "Nothing, Horatio.  I was just wondering why being attracted to, and kissing, my sister bothers you so much."

"You know why!  After what happened in Muziallc..."

"You mean Mar..."  Kennedy snapped his mouth shut.  He couldn't hurt his friend by mentioning her name.  But at least now he understood what was bothering Hornblower.  He sat on the bed, resting his hands on his knees.

"So, you've decided there must be something wrong with you because of how you react to beautiful women?"  Kennedy laughed outright.  "Horatio, I would think there was something wrong with you if you didn't react!"

Hornblower looked scathingly at his friend.  "I hardly think this is a laughing matter."  He stood and moved closer to the window, where he could stare out at the gathering storm clouds.

Kennedy tried to stifle his laughter, but he was only moderately successful.  The whole situation had struck him as enormously funny, but he could see that Hornblower was completely serious.  He honestly thought that he had some sort of problem, simply because a pretty face could make him forget his ordinarily prudent manner.

"Horatio, do you believe in love at first sight?"

"What?!"  Hornblower turned his back to the window.  "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kennedy was suddenly serious, his mind focused on his encounter with Emma Chamberlain earlier in the day.  "I think it has everything to do with what we're talking about.  That is what's bothering you, isn't it?  Your eminently logical mind recoils from the idea of so much emotion, so you have to invent excuses for it.  You perceive it as a weakness."

Hornblower took a moment to absorb his friend's words.  He was dumbfounded, and somewhat offended, by Kennedy's frank assessment of his character.  "Is that truly what you think of me?  That I am incapable of loving anyone?"

Kennedy sighed deeply and struggled to put his thoughts into words.  Heaven knew, Hornblower was not always the easiest man to get along with, but he trusted his friend implicitly.  And, indeed, he loved Hornblower as he had never loved either of his brothers.  But such an honest discussion about matters of the heart was a first for them, and Kennedy was wary of exposing too much of himself, while at the same time he was determined not to let his friend hide behind his mask of indifference.

"No, Horatio.  That is not what I think.  I know that you are capable of loving someone.  God knows it was a tremendous act of love when you dragged me back from the edge while we were in prison.  But loving a woman? That is an entirely different thing, and I don't think you truly understand that."  Kennedy thought for a moment before continuing.  "Its not surprising.  I don't believe that any man can truly understand a woman.  How can we?"

"Do you understand women, Archie?"

"Me?  Good God, no!"  He laughed at the thought.  "I understand Annie, yes. But beyond that.....  I am as lost as every other man on this earth!"

Hornblower looked carefully at his friend and suddenly realized that there was more to the conversation than he had originally thought.  Unbidden into his mind came the memory of Kennedy telling him that there was a daughter in the Chamberlain family, and he spoke before he had time to think about his words.

"Archie, what happened when you went to Marsden Hall this afternoon?"

Kennedy blushed bright red.  Inwardly he damned his friend's perception.  Outwardly, his hand strayed to the ribbon that bound his queue and he began to play with one of the loose ends.  It was a sure sign of nervousness, and Hornblower did not fail to notice it.

"Well?  I'm waiting for an answer, Mr. Kennedy!"

Kennedy started at the sound of his friend's voice, and the ribbon in his hand snapped.  "Damn!" he said.  He pulled what was left of it free from his hair, and the blonde waves fell over his shoulders.  He looked at Hornblower with his familiar cheeky grin.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?"

Hornblower grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and hurled it across the room at Kennedy.  When he had stooped to pick it up and was preparing to throw it back, Kennedy saw that Hornblower had fortified himself with another missile.  For a few minutes the battle waged fast and furious.  By the time they wound down, the two young men were all but helpless and gasping for breath.  Their faces were flushed with exertion and laughter.  Kennedy's hair was completely disheveled, and Hornblower's was coming loose from its tight binding.

"I wonder...."  Hornblower was struggling for breath; laughter still threatening to bubble over.  "I wonder what Captain Pellew would think if he saw us right now!"

Kennedy laughed all the harder at the thought of Captain Pellew at his sternest coming upon his two junior officers having a pillow fight.  "He'd probably think we were both mentally unhinged, and have us confined to our quarters!"  The laughter had died down, but they both still had silly grins on their faces as they sat opposite each other by the fire.

"You still haven't answered my question, Archie."

"What?  Oh, this afternoon at Marsden Hall!"  Kennedy thought for a moment, and the expression on his face became wistful.  "I met the woman that I'm going to marry!"

"You met the...."  A knock at the door interrupted what Hornblower was saying.

Kennedy stood and walked to the door.  "I met the woman I am going to marry!"  He grinned and rested his hand on the doorknob.  "It was love at first sight, Horatio!  Love at first sight!"  He swung the door open.

Annie was standing there, her hand raised to knock again.  Kennedy grasped her hand and pulled her into the room, caught her up in his arms and swung her around once.  "It was love at first sight!" he shouted again.

Annie beat against her brother's back.  "Put me down, you big oaf!"  She was smiling when he did.  "What was 'love at first sight'?  And what the devil is going on in here?  I heard a commotion, and then the two of you laughing like maniacs!"  She looked from her brother to Hornblower.  "Well?"

Kennedy resumed his seat, and sat his sister on his lap.  "Nothing is going on."

Annie's gaze took in the pillows scattered about the room and the physical disarray of both young men.  She twisted on his lap to look Kennedy squarely in the eye.  "Nothing?"  Her disbelief was as obvious as her sarcasm.

Hornblower laughed.  "We may as well admit it, Archie.  We've been caught out!"

Kennedy's smile widened and he pressed a quick kiss to Annie's cheek.  "All right!" he admitted.  "You caught us.  You caught two officers in His Majesty's Navy behaving like a couple of infants and having a pillow fight!  Satisfied?"

"Not quite."  Annie's grin was mischievous as she bent and picked two pillows off of the floor.  She threw one at Hornblower and hit her brother squarely in the chest with the other.  "Now I'm satisfied!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night the storm struck.  The wind howled and the rain lashed at the windows.  Kennedy lay in his bed, listening to nature's fury, and feeling immensely thankful he was not at sea during such a gale.  In his mind's eye he saw the Indefatigable, riding at anchor outside Portsmouth and no doubt tossing in the violent water and struggling against her anchor cables.  I've always had a blessedly strong stomach, he thought, but even I might feel a little seasick in these conditions.

It was just after 3 in the morning when the sound of shattering glass jolted Kennedy out of the half-sleep he had fallen into.  For a moment he was confused and unsure of where he was.  Then reason returned in a rush.  He threw back the covers and quickly made his way to the hallway.

Lights were visible on the lower floor, and voices could be heard.  The loudest among them was Edward Kennedy.  He was shouting incoherently at the servants.

Kennedy went to the end of the hallway and picked up one of the candles kept there.  As he came back to the stairway two other doors opened up.  Hornblower and Annie both came out of their rooms.  Annie looked worried; Hornblower as calm as he always did in a crisis.  They both recognized the voice that was shouting down below, and Annie went pale.

Kennedy could not spare a moment for his sister.  He needed to get downstairs and defuse the situation before his father lost all control.  He instinctively turned to his friend.  "Keep an eye on her, would you, Horatio?"  He indicated Annie with a nod.

"Of course.  Do you have any idea what happened?"

"No."  Kennedy's face was grimly determined.  He had not failed to notice his brother's absence.  "But I have every intention of finding out!"

Annie watched her brother descend the stairs, visibly nervous.  Her face looked even paler in the half-light of the hallway.  Lightning crashed somewhere close by, and she jumped, startled.  Hornblower moved closer and put an arm around her shoulders.

"It'll be all right.  Whatever happened, I'm sure Archie can take care of it."  He gave her a gentle smile.  "Remember, he's proved your father wrong about everything else!"

Annie smiled weakly in return.  She too was abundantly aware of Reg's absence.  She stood quietly in the circle of Hornblower's arm until the shouting had died away.  Then she stepped forward and peered over the edge of the banister.

Hornblower reached out and took her hand.  "Come on.  I think its safe for us to go down now."

Edward Kennedy's study was the center of the turmoil.  When the pair walked through the door they stopped in shock.  There was broken glass and part of a large tree limb on the floor.  The window behind the desk was completely destroyed.  Even as Hornblower watched one of the last bits of glass in the frame quivered and fell to the floor with a soft clink.

Amidst the chaos Kennedy and his father stood face to face, surrounded by most of the indoor staff.  Edward Kennedy was still fully dressed, his face was flushed bright red, and he swayed on his feet.  His eyes blazed with rage, however, and his fists were clenched at his sides.  Jenkins stood off to one side, his eyes never leaving Archie's face.  Hornblower sensed that the storm raging outside was nothing compared to the one about to break in the study.  He gently tugged on Annie's hand to take her from the room, but she resisted the pull and stepped closer to her father.

Finally Edward spoke and all his anger was directed at Archie.  "Just who the hell do you think you are, you ineffectual pissant?!  You're not on board that pathetic frigate you're so damned proud of!  I give the orders in this house!  ME!  No one else!  Certainly not a lowly acting-lieutenant in the Royal Navy!"  He laughed derisively.  "You've gotten quite an inflated view of yourself since they hung that fancy title on your worthless hide!"

Archie remained calm in the face of both his father's rage and his venom.  When Edward had run out of words to hurl at his younger son, Archie directed his attention to the staff.

"Jenkins." he spoke quietly.  "Gather together the men and find something to put over that hole.  We'll worry about disposing of that limb in the morning.  Mrs. Keller, please have two of the maids clean up the glass as best they can.  Everyone will just have to stay out of this room until repairs can be made."

The staff departed with alacrity.  Archie turned back to face his father.  "Is there anything else you would like done, Father?  Or can we all get back to our beds and try to sleep for what's left of the night?"

In the face of his son's composure Edward lost the last shreds of his control.  "How dare you?!"  he shouted.  "How dare you think you can come into this house and install yourself as the master?  That is my place, and my right!"  He was fairly shaking with rage.

Annie couldn't stop herself; she took a pace forward and reached out to her father.  "Please, Father.  Archie just wants to help."

Edward rounded on his daughter so suddenly that she took a shocked step back.  "Did I give you permission to speak, girl?!  My God, I'll show all of you who is the master of this house!"  And he slapped Annie across the face so hard that she staggered.  Her bare foot came down on a shard of glass, and she cried out.

Her anguished cry galvanized Hornblower into action.  He rushed forward, scooped Annie up in his arms and held her against his chest.  He turned back to where the others stood in time to see Kennedy lay his father out with one punch.

There was a gasp from one of the maids, then stunned silence.  Kennedy stood over his father's crumpled form for a moment, his chest heaving.  Then he stepped over his legs and made his way to where Hornblower stood with Annie held close.  She had her face turned into his chest and her shoulders heaved with her sobs.  Blood was visible on the sole of her foot.  Kennedy gently touched her hair before meeting his friend's eyes.

"Take her back to her room.  Can you take care of her foot?"

Hornblower was still in a state of shock, but he was able to answer.  "Yes, Archie.  Of course I'll take care of her."  And with a last measuring glance at his friend he left the room, still cradling Annie in his arms.

Jenkins came forward and coughed softly.  "What should I do about......"  He gestured to where Edward lay unconscious on the floor.

Kennedy sighed and rubbed his hands across his face.  "Take him to his room and put him to bed.  With luck he won't remember anything of what happened tonight."  He looked at Jenkins with a face twisted by doubt.  "But luck hasn't been kind to the Kennedys lately, has it?"

Upstairs Hornblower gently laid Annie on her bed.  She was still crying, but quietly now, not the great wracking sobs of a few minutes before.  A red welt the size of a man's hand had appeared on her left cheek.  Hornblower felt a boiling rage whenever he looked at it.  He knew that some men considered it perfectly acceptable to beat their wives or their daughters, but such an attitude was anathema to him.

"Annie?"  His voice was soft and gentle.

Annie hiccoughed once.  "Yes, Horatio?"

He smiled slightly and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.  "I have to see if there is any glass in your wound.  It might hurt some.  Do you trust me?"

Mesmerized by his quiet voice and the gentleness in his eyes, Annie had stopped crying.  "Yes.  I trust you."

Hornblower moved the candle closer and peered at Annie's foot.  He could clearly see the glass poking out of the wound, and as gently as he could he extracted it.  Annie inhaled sharply at the pain but otherwise showed no reaction.  He quickly tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his nightshirt and used it to bind the wound.  He remembered his father once saying that sometimes brandy or whiskey could be poured on such an injury, but he decided to do that tomorrow.

When he was finished he looked up and met Annie's eyes.  She looked so stricken with the welt rising on her cheek that he felt his anger approach the boiling point.  She must have seen it because she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Stay." she pleaded.  "Stay with me tonight.  I don't want to be alone!"

"Annie....." he exclaimed, shocked.

She shook her head.  "Not like that.  Just hold me."  She started to cry again.  "Please, Horatio.  Just hold me."

Without another thought he moved to sit beside her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her.  He gently kissed her temple and then leaned back against the headboard.  Annie moved closer and placed one arm across his chest.  Her tears subsided and they slept like that until dawn.