Home on Leave

Chapter 6

The three companions, or at least two of them, stood grasping onto the sill of the window and peering through the smoke hazed dirty panes into one of the private rooms at the rear of the Brass Tankard. James, after a brief look through said window and deciding this was not really a sight, no matter how hazy or distorted it was by the filth blocking a clear view, that he wanted burned into his brain forever, occupied himself by trying to ignore the fact that there was a window, or a room, or even a tavern there. Or that there were sounds coming from the room and assailing his ears that made the activities going on in the room that much more obvious, sounds the filthy state of the window did nothing to damper.

A short time later as the lads left the rear of the tavern and slowly walked down the alley in the near dusk on their way to the town's main street James was rather silent, his mind too busy with what he had heard and thought he'd seen, and trying to decide if and when, at some future date, the occasion should arrive that he was to marry, if that future bride would be expecting him to act in a similar manner, and not at all sure he would ever, or ever even want to act in that manner, his own perspective of the intimacies between two people being a bit more modified than what he had just witnessed, and sincerely hoping that his own perspective was a bit closer to the norm than the overly bawdy and extremely vocal performance he had just witnessed a bit of . Teddy and Andrew on the other hand were discussing in minute detail what several past experiences of their own told them was going on, although they had quickly come to the conclusion their own past experiences were definitely not nearly as rumbustious as what had been going on in that room.

As they started to step out on the street James was shoved back into the alley and up against the side of the building. As he tried to disengage himself from Theo and Andrew's restraining arms he snapped out, "Blast! What are you doing? Let loose immediately, the both of you!"

Theo clamped his hand over James' mouth as he motioned with his head toward the other side of the street, "Hush James, unless you want your Mother to see you coming out from one of the less desirable sections of town."

Sure enough, as James looked in the direction Teddy was indicating he could see his Mother and Sarah standing in front of the shop across the street talking to someone. James could tell by her body language Sarah was more than a bit perturbed, and he was sure it was not someone she had chosen to stop and converse with, and would just as soon be on her way. As his Mother moved a bit to the side and Victoria Stemple became visible he could see why. Although there was an almost endless list of people Sarah made it more than apparent she did not like for one reason or another, Miss Victoria Stemple had to be at the top of that list. James had never been quite able to fathom why Sarah felt that way about Victoria. As far as James knew Victoria had never done anything to illicit that response. In fact for three or four years, although Victoria was a couple of years Sarah's senior, in fact just a few months younger than James, they had been the best of friends and Victoria had spent almost more time at the Norrington home than her own. But somewhere along the line there had been a falling out and Sarah had banished Victoria to her 'you are not worthy to be in my presence' list.

As James watched Sarah had evidently reached the end of her patience with standing around chatting to someone she considered so unworthy of her attention and began tugging at their Mother's arm making it clear without a bit of subtlety about it, it was time to go. Katherine Norrington, never having been one to deny Sarah anything or hardly ever discipline her in any way, allowed herself to be pulled off down the street, casting back over her shoulder a hurried wish for Victoria to give her best to her parents from the Norringtons, and not to make herself a stranger at the Norrington home.

Victoria stood for a few moments watching the departing mother and daughter, then with a smile turned and looked directly at James and headed across the street in his direction.

As she stepped up to them she gave Theo and Andrew a smile, "You two wouldn't mind excusing James and me for a bit would you?" Not waiting for an answer she took James' arm and said, "Walk with me James." Just before she started to lead him away down the street Theo leaned over and whispered in his ear, "We will expect a full accounting when you get back James!"

As they walked off, Victoria holding his arm and leaning against him a bit more than was necessary James tried to tell himself over and over that he would not allow himself to react in the same unpropitious way he had the last time he had been this close to her, but somehow he had the distinct feeling he wasn't listening to a word he was thinking.

A light slap on his arm and a playful, "You haven't been listening to a word I'm saying." brought him out of his thoughts.

"Nor a word I'm saying either evidently." James replied.

She peered at him questioningly, "What?"

James shook his head, "Nothing, it's of no import."

She continued to look at him questioningly for another moment or two before softly clearing her throat and starting to speak once again, "James, I'm afraid I've been a bit forward and I hope you don't hold that against me."

Now it was James' turn to look at her questioningly, but before he could say anything she went on in a rushed tone, "It's just that I have been trying to get your attention for ever so long, and then you went and joined the Navy, and I wasn't sure I would ever even see you again, so when I heard you were home on leave I knew I had to act quickly to get your attention or loose any opportunity I had."

"Opportunity?" James asked with a bewildered expression.

"Oh James, you really are such an innocent. I used to think it was some sort of act. No one could possibly be so unaware, but as I spent more time around you I realized that is the real you and it made you even more endearing."

"Spent time around me?" James asked sounding even more bewildered, and then almost as an afterthought but every bit as bewildered, "Endearing?"

With a smirk she looked up at him, "You seriously don't think I befriended your egotistical, bratty, and impossible to tolerate little sister for her sparkling personality and winning way with people do you? It was for the times I could be in your company that I suffered hers."

James looked at her a bit blankly at first, as her words began to sink in he said a bit disbelievingly, "You wished to be around me? Why would you want to do that?"

She laughed a bit at his expression, "You do yourself a disservice by thinking you are not a most attractive young man, not only in looks but personality as well James. I am very attracted to you."

"You are?" James replied nonplussed.

Her voice was soft as she looked up at him, her eyes telling him her words were straight from her heart, "Very much so James."

For a moment he stood there mulling over her words and the feelings they conveyed. Then with a bit of a boyish smile appearing on his face and a happiness in his tone he was unable to totally subdue he nodded and said, "Very well then…..yes very well then indeed….Oh yes very very well indeed….."

The End

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