This chapter is for you, ElizabethSoph. Merry Christmas to you also, from the USA.

47.

Frederick, having made arrangements to hire the merchant ship, wished to talk to Anne immediately about his plans, but it was not to be, for he had a meeting scheduled with his officers a mere twenty minutes after he returned aboard his ship, and it was likely to last until the Admiral's barge retrieved him for dinner at Mr. Weevelforth's plantation. Frederick was adding to the agenda of his meeting that he would be absent from the ship for a day or two, and working out what would happen while he was gone. Therefore, Frederick determined in his few remaining minutes at liberty, to put pen to paper and write of his plans to Anne, and send this message to her aboard the Hibernia via his jolly ship. Hopefully then, she would have time to consider the matter, secure the agreement of the women who would accompany her, and give him an affirmative answer when he saw her next. There was no time for revision, so he simply wrote the whole letter out straight away, and sent it to Anne.

Frederick arrived for his meeting a few minutes early, and as expected Lieutenant Benwick was already awaiting him. Frederick could not contain his excitement and exclaimed, "Do you recall how I told you of the difficulties in getting married on Antigua?"

Benwick nodded, "Do you have good news on that front, Captain?"

"Yes, Benwick," said Frederick, trying and failing to maintain a serious mien, his face alive with heartfelt delight. "If you are up for the task, I shall leave you as acting captain on the Laconia, as tomorrow, God and Anne be willing, we shall take a little trip upon a merchant ship to St. Kitts to be married."

"Oh, I am ever so pleased for you, Captain," Benwick replied. "Of course I shall gladly take on such duties."

Meanwhile, Anne, Sophia, and Mirabella were in the former ladies' cabin, sitting together on the bed and discussing the upcoming meal with the Weevelforths, and how best to gain Mirabella the time she needed to speak with the slaves after dinner so that she might, perhaps find a means of contacting Mary. Anne, frustrated about the delay in getting to marry Frederick, had just suggested (half in jest but half sincerely), "Perhaps I ought to hint to Mrs. Weevelforth that we have anticipated our vows and must certainly be married straight away, so that a new little Wentworth shall have a right to his proper name."

"Oh Anne!" Mirabella exclaimed, scandalized at the thought. "I doubt you have had more than five minutes alone with the man."

Sophia thought to herself, Sometimes that is all it takes. She had a particular memory in mind, her reunification with Captain Croft after he finally returned to her after leaving her at Deal. The door had barely shut behind them before they were removing each other's clothing and seeking that comfort in renewing those relations that firmly bound them together. But as discretion was the better part of valor, Sophia said nothing.

"Of course it is not true," Anne replied. "But if Mrs. Weevelforth thinks it is, well then do you not think that would prompt her husband to act?"

"Yes, perhaps," said Sophia, "but I rather think that after such a disclosure, our social invitations with the Weevelforths will cease, as will Mirabella's opportunities to seek Mary out."

"Please Anne," Mirabella added in a soft, meek voice, "I understand your frustrations at the delay, but I cannot imagine it will be easy to find Mary or her kin, and I may need several opportunities to seek her out."

"Do not worry dear Bella," Anne rubbed at her friend's shoulder reassuringly, "I love you too well, you and your tender heart, to do anything that could risk your self-appointed mission. But if I find a way to marry Frederick that does not bring dishonor and our probable banishment from their company, I shall take it."

Just then, a knock came at the door, Anne answered, and found a missive being placed in her hand with the sailor uttering the words, "From Captain Wentworth to Miss Elliot." Anne had of course not been expecting to receive any discourse from Captain Wentworth, but without any thought of the other ladies, sat herself down, burst the wax seal, and read it to herself right away.

Dearest Anne,

Being reunited with you has made me so happy, yet simultaneously I have been in such torment, seeing you each day and yet not being able to keep you with me, in being denied by Mr. Weevelforth in taking you to wife, and having no date certain when this torture will end. I could have borne it better, had we not already been separated for far too many years. Wise Admiral Croft has suggested, and I think it a good suggestion, certainly, that I commission a merchant ship to take us to another island to see if we can prevail on someone else to marry us forthwith. I would have tried another priest on Antigua, but upon inquiries learned Mr. Weevelforth is the only one who conducts marriages, and of course there is no church on Barbuda.

I hope you will not think me presumptuous, but I have hired a small ship by the name of the Song, for the morrow, to sail with first tide. The captain, a Mr. Smithe, a former navy man, has suggested that we try Saint Kitts and Nevis, as they are the nearest British possessions. We would of course ask my sister and Mrs. Holmes to accompany us so that all proprieties are observed and they can be our witnesses (and if you are agreeable to this plan, please see if you can secure their company for the journey). Captain Smithe is willing to take us farther, however, should we not find anyone receptive there. We should be gone no more than two days if luck is with us, for Mr. Smithe says he has reached St. Kitts from Antigua in about ten hours of sailing if the wind is favorable, has often sailed at a speed of six knots per hour before as measured by his chip log. Of course, it is generally faster to sail from east to west due to the tradewinds and current, so the return trip may be slower, depending on the crew's skill at tacking.

It is likely we would have to bed down on the top deck of the ship overnight, for he seeks to fill the hull with goods for trade, so bringing blankets would be advisable as we will be open to the air. I hope that neither you nor Mrs. Holmes is prone to seasickness as even in fine weather smaller ships do not sail as smoothly as the warship you have been on, and the tacking results in more disorder for those prone to it. I know that sailing in such conditions is an imposition on all of you, but I truly think this is the best solution to our current difficulties.

Anne, will you agree to be my Mrs. Wentworth on the morrow? I am on tenderhooks awaiting your positive answer.

All my love,

Frederick

The letter and her beloved's thoughts of adoration were too precious to be shared with anyone, even her soon-to-be sister and the sister of her heart. Anne did of course, without delay, disclose the plan and enlist their cooperation. Anne, kind to the last, made sure Mirabella was willing to brook the possible further delay in meeting with Mary (for no invitations could be accepted while they were away), but Mirabella proved more sanguine than Anne would have expected: "Mary and her family have no idea that any aid is coming, so what difference will a few days of delay make?"

When the Admiral's barge retrieved Captain Wentworth and he joined those already within, a single "Yes," from Anne was enough for Frederick to know that tomorrow would see them on the cusp of the new phase in their relationship, that she had consented to the journey and soon they would be tenants for life.

The dinner was very much as the nuncheon had been. Excellent food, Mr. James Weevelforth monopolizing Anne's attention, and conversation that was not of Anne's choosing. Anne was everything polite but not particularly encouraging to her would-be suitor, but Mr. James was not astute enough to recognize the difference. She did her best to focus on her dining companion, but her eyes kept returning to Captain Wentworth, and her thoughts were ever with him.

Anne imagined standing beside Frederick on the merchant ship, contemplating the ocean (in her imaginings she was not the least bit disordered), being married in a simple church by an agreeable priest of the Church of England, watching the sunset aboard the ship with her beloved holding her hand, falling asleep against the side of the ship with Frederick's arms about her, returning to the Laconia and immediately seeking his room, and then, then there would be kissing, and kissing, and so much more. Anne had a dreamy expression on her face as these thoughts played out, her eyes half-focused on Captain Wentworth and half on her musings.

"Miss Elliot?" Anne roused to her surroundings at Mr. James's voice. "You have not given me an answer."

Anne had the sudden horrid thought that Mr. James Weevelforth had proposed as casually as one might ask for some more wine.

"I am sorry, Mr. Weevelforth, I am afraid I was distracted just now." Anne quested about for an appropriate white lie. "I was just thinking how much my godmother, Lady Russell, would have enjoyed the fresh seafood at your table. She is very fond of such things and I miss her so."

While Anne had a stray thought of Lady Russell every one in a while (usually about how she would react when Anne wrote to explain that she had married Captain Wentworth and would not be returning to England for the foreseeable future), she certainly had not captured Anne's thoughts in such a manner. But the white lie worked and Mr. James did not take offense and merely repeated himself.

"I was asking, my dear Miss Elliot, if I will have the pleasure of hearing you perform after dinner? Mrs. Weevelforth usually performs for us, but I should dearly like to hear what you can offer. I am sure you have the voice of an angel. We have a harp which my mother was very fond of playing, or we have a guitar and a lyre; would any of those suit?"

Anne felt no little satisfaction in replying with full honesty, "I cannot sing and cannot play those instruments; I only know how to play the pianoforte and the harpsicord." She was glad to deny Mr. James Weevelforth as had no desire to be the object of his particular attention, or to have other people focused upon her performance.

Mr. Weevelforth said, somewhat apologetically, "I am sorry that there is neither of those here."

Mrs. Weevelforth explained, "It is of course a challenge to transport such a large instrument to the islands without damage to it, and difficult to keep them in tune, also, or so I have been told. The wives of Antigua have therefore learned to play the smaller instruments. I was much like you, Miss Elliot and only learned the harp after marrying Mr. Weevelforth. It is not too hard to adapt to the harp with the training you have had."

"I understand," replied Anne. She had the sense that Mrs. Weevelforth was suggesting that Anne could follow a similar path, something that Anne lacked any desire to do.

Far more kindly than felt like doing, Anne addressed Mr. James, "I would oblige you if I could."

"I should very much like to hear you play, Mrs. Weevelforth," said Mrs. Croft.

"And so I shall if all desire it," Mrs. Weevelforth replied, but then asked "Mrs. Croft, can you favor us with a song later on one of the instruments we have?"

"I am afraid not," said she. "The sea air is hard on wooden instruments, our space is at a premium, and I had no particular talent for any when I dwelt upon land, either. But if you should like it, I suppose the Admiral and I could sing you a sea chanty."

Mrs. Weevelforth seemed intrigued by the idea, but her husband said "Certainly not!" as if offended by even the idea of it. Anne got the sense once again that the priest did not approve of sailors and their practices at all. Anne was almost certain that Mrs. Croft's offer had been partially said in jest, but that she would have followed through if the idea had been agreeable to them all.

"I suppose Mrs. Weevelforth shall just have to play for us all as she usually does," Mr. James said in a more conciliatory tone than his uncle. "Perhaps after that we might have some games."

It occurred to Anne then, that her days of playing the pianoforte, an activity she had well enjoyed, more for the personal satisfaction it gave her than for being lauded by anyone for her talents, were likely at an end. Frederick had only heard her play once, and likely would never hear her play for many a year, and when they eventually returned to England, Anne would be woefully out of practice. The pianoforte had long been her friend, a form of comfort, a steady presence in her life. But Anne was sanguine about the exchange; losing a chance to play when her talents were mostly used so that others could dance, well that was nothing compared to getting to travel the seas with her love. Anne well recalled that when she visited the Muskgroves at the big house that they much preferred to hear their less talented daughters play, as it should be, for parents loved anything their own children did best, and had not her own dear mother loved to hear Anne even when she the tunes she could play were simple ones? Perhaps there was a smaller instrument that she could learn to play; she resolved to ask Frederick what he might suggest.

Mrs. Weevelforth rose and Anne realized then that the meal was at an end and it was time for the separation. To Anne surprise and chagrin, Mrs. Weevelforth led the women to a room with several necessaries built into a bench, hitched up her skirts and promptly relieved herself. Anne of course turned away but could not escape more notice of the woman's activity than she would have liked. To the right (where Mrs. Weevelforth was occupied) there was not merely the sound of liquid hitting the porcelain, but the smell of an even more private activity.

While so occupied, Mrs. Weevelforth continued to talk and said, "It is so nice to not have to visit here all alone. I do not like to think that the slaves may try to spy on me here." Evidently they were to all use the facilities at once, which removed Mrs. Holmes easy excuse to be about the house on her own. With more care, the other ladies perched themselves, careful to not expose themselves, and the rest of them all went, as if they were at a ball. They then washed their hands and retired to a music room, where Mrs. Weevelforth asked the women to help her select a piece to perform on the harp that night.

However, not five minutes after that, while they were still perusing the sheet music, Mirabella clutched at her stomach and proclaimed, "Oh dear, I feel ill!" proving out her acting skills, for it did not occur to Anne right away that this was subterfuge.

"Mirabella, is there ought that we can do for your relief?"

Mirabella looked straight at Anne and told her, "I believe I need the necessary again!" It was then that Anne understood. The excuse was playing out.

"I shall go with her," Anne resolved, explaining "I remember where it is and can help her if she needs it. You stay here and help Mrs. Weevelforth select her music, Mrs. Croft."

"Very well," said Mrs. Croft. "While they are gone, would you perhaps like to hear a sea chanty? I warn you, that they are perhaps not entirely proper, for seafaring men have their own ways to pass the time and . . . "

Whatever else Mrs. Croft might have said was cut off by the closing of the door behind them. Mirabella and Anne hurried down the hall, toward the necessary room and hopefully away from wherever the men were gathered. Just as they had almost reached the necessary room, a young girl emerged, bearing the white covered pot that likely contained Mrs. Weevelforth's leavings, for the stink lingered even with the lid in place.

"Excuse me, Miss," Mirabella addressed the girl, who paused, eyes downcast, looking uncomfortable to be made to stand there with such a burden.

"Would you know of a slave by the name of Mary?"

The girl looked up and Anne estimated that she was no more than thirteen. She was not as light as the children that yet again had fanned them during the meal, but even by the light of the lanterns it was evident that her eyes were not brown, but some lighter shade. Their appearance confirmed for Anne that her father was certainly white.

"There are three Marys in this house, and more in the fields," she replied, looking down again. "I do not know the ones in the fields."

"I am looking for an older woman of perhaps sixty years, who would have been a house servant."

"We do not mark our ages here," the girl replied in a quiet voice.

"Well, a woman old enough to be my mother," Mirabella tried again. "Perhaps forty-five years ago she served a cabinet maker, a Mr. Holmes, who lived in the guest house for many years as he plied his trade to equip this house."

The girl twisted her lips as she thought. "I do not know nothing about things so long ago, but you might want oldest Mary. We buried her last year."

Mirabella sighed.

"Has she any children we might talk to?" Anne asked her own question when it seemed Mirabella would not go on.

"I do not know who her children be," said the girl, "if she had any, they might have been sold off."

"Can you find out?" asked Anne.

"Maybe," the girl's eyes darted about, "but I need to do my duties. I will ask old Frank tonight if he knows. But should you not be with the Missus now?"

"Yes," Mirabella replied. "When can you find out, and when can we meet you again?"

The girl shrugged. "You coming to dinner again?"

"I hope so," said Anne.

"I must go now," the girl responded.

"Alright, but please, what is your name," Mirabella asked.

"Amy," the girl replied as she dashed off.

"She is right, we ought to be getting back," Anne hinted.

Mirabella nodded and they turned about. The trudged through the hall, which was done up with overly fancy wallpaper with vivid greens that usually were the product of arsenic, together in silence, the only sound the slight squeak of the wooden floors.

"Is your stomach better now?" Anne asked with a lopsided grin.

"Not really," Mirabella replied, "I am not sick to my stomach of course, but I am heart sick. I wanted to hear about what Edgar was like as a little boy. But that chance is gone."

"Perhaps someone else remembers him," Anne replied.

Mirabella was quieter than usual the rest of the night; to Anne she seemed thoughtful, but Mrs. Weevelforth thought it simply the product of an upset stomach. They returned to find that Mrs. Weevelforth and Mrs. Croft were still busy talking. Not long after that, the men came and escorted them to the same parlor in which they had assembled prior to the meal. Mrs. Weevelforth opened up a large cabinet and withdrew a guitar. She regaled them with perhaps five songs, before Mr. James suggested games. Mrs. Weevelforth's performance on the guitar was only adequate, but her voice was fine. The games were no different than what might have been played in any parlor in England.

Anne was grateful that they did not chose to play the sort of game where there might be kisses as forfeits, and that instead cards were the order of the day. Anne would have had more enjoyment of the games if she had been paired with Frederick or anyone else of their party, but instead Mr. James insisted that she play with him, Mrs. Weevelforth and Mr. Weevelforth make up a table. Anne thought it decidedly odd that the other members of their party were left on their own to play, but it seemed that in monopolizing her, they were trying to impress her with Mr. James's merits and the pleasantness of their whole company. Anne was polite and kind, but her attention was not on whist (she was instead thinking that by this time tomorrow she might be married). Anne lost quite badly. Fortunately, it was not a betting game and she had no desire to impress anyone with her skill.

When it was time for them to depart, Mr. James insisted on escorting her out and held her back as the others were climbing aboard the carriage he had lent them to take them to the landing. She keenly felt the awkwardness of the situation and feared an awkward declaration.

Unfortunately, her fears were born out. "Miss Elliot," said Mr. James Weevelforth with all sincerity, rubbing at his turgid belly with one hand while he held her hand with his other trembling one, "it cannot escape your attention that I can offer you far more than your sailor. Will you not break off your engagement with him and give me the privilege of your hand?"

As she knew they needed to be invited to at least one more dinner, if not more, Anne was put in an awkward position and had to exercise her best acting skills. "Oh, Mr. Weevelforth, I barely know you, but I am not adverse to knowing you better. My engagement with Captain Wentworth has been of such a long duration, that it would not be honorable to end it, not without a great deal of consideration. Yet . . . oh I do not know what to do!"

She lowered her head and did her best not to laugh at her play acting.

"Your modesty and concern for your obligations speaks well of your character. I require no answer now, if you will but give me hope." He placed his free hand on his heart. Mr. James words and actions were far better than Anne would have expected of him. "When can I see you next?"

"I need time," Anne responded, "time to think and consider."

"And so you shall have it," said he.

Mr. James then escorted her to the carriage and discussed with Admiral Croft whether a small party with just him, his wife and Miss Elliot, might be able to join them for a more intimate dinner on Saturday.

Anne added, "And Mrs. Holmes."

Mr. James responded, with a smile, "Yes, and Mrs. Holmes. Your dear friend shall always be welcome in my home."

Once they were being born away on the Admiral's barge, the others inquired of Anne about what had occurred. Anne explained how he had asked her to break her engagement with Frederick.

Frederick growled in anger, "Why did you to place that twit in his place?"

Then Anne and Mirabella were obliged to reveal the plan to help some of Captain Holmes's kin. That helped sooth Captain Wentworth's righteous anger, but from the look in his eyes, Anne felt the intensity of his desire to make her his wife. This made her shiver in fear, in anticipation, in something else? Anne was uncertain, but welcomed it all. To be the object of Frederick's desire, to soon be his wife, was all she could want.

Back in their shared chamber, Anne told Mirabella about Mr. Weevelforth's exact words. Mirabella laughed and said, "Do you know why he spoke so well? He was quoting from a novel I once read. The buffoon must have no romantic words of his own if he had to borrow from another." The women laughed together and then spoke of the hope that Anne and Frederick would be married the next day.

"I feel a bit bad for leading Mr. James on," Anne replied, "but will not delay my marriage for anything. Instead, I shall play the maiden when I am with him. Mr. James shall not hear of my marriage until you have accomplished your ends."

"Do not feel bad for the younger Mr. Weevelforth. He does not deserve such consideration!" Mirabella responded forcefully. "He visits cruelty on others every day and it is time he receives some for himself. Why should that slaveowner think he is entitled to another man's bride? Does he not understand that you cannot be bought? Perhaps not, as he buys and sells other souls with impunity. Never forget who he is, or what he does to others who must endure his attentions. He eats, drinks and is merry, but all of it is done at the expense of others, who have no choice but to serve him or die. While they may reach a more advanced age in his house, those working sugar cane die young."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I already have much of the next chapter worked out in my head, and hope to put it down, soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing.