Captain Wentworth's Persuasion (15 page)

Anne looked up from where she tended the child. She stood to offer the visitor a welcoming greeting and a curtsy. “How do you do?” she mumbled.“Will not you sit down?The others will be here presently.” She looked tentatively at Frederick.“I believe you know Captain Wentworth.” She gestured to where Frederick stood and then turned her attention once more to the child.

It did not take Frederick long to determine Charles Hayter was probably not at all better pleased by the sight of him, than Frederick was by the sight of Anne. However, Frederick forced himself away from the window and bowed. “How do you do, Sir? It is pleasant to see you again.”

Hayter bowed and responded coolly, “Captain Wentworth.” Turning to Anne, he inquired,“Miss Elliot, is Little Charles better?”

“I believe so,” she answered from her seated position.

Then Hayter strode to a wing chair next to a side table and picked up the newspaper lying there, ignoring everyone else in the room. Frederick could not decide whether he found Hayter’s actions offensive or amusing. Having lived for many years in close quarters with other men, he sometimes forgot how rude landlubbers could be. He shrugged his shoulders and returned to the window, wondering how much longer he would have to wait for
the Misses Musgrove. He suspected the ladies would make the gentlemen wait at least a quarter hour. It seemed to be the way of ladies, and secretly, Frederick enjoyed the ploy.

Deep in such thoughts, the arrival of the youngest Musgrove child took him by surprise. Evidently, someone opened the door for the boy. He scrambled to where Anne sat beside young Charles. “Aunt Anne,” he called as he ran toward the sofa,“I am hungry.”

“I am busy with your brother,” she explained in an even voice. “Please ask Jemima to prepare you something,Walter.”

The use of her father’s name for the child piqued Frederick’s curiosity, and he turned to take a look at the boy, Sir Walter’s name-sake. He was a remarkably stout, forward child of two years, and Frederick thought the boy would never be handsome.
How ironic that will be for Sir Walter!
he thought, chuckling with the idea.
The man will blame the mix of the Musgrove heritage for any inadequacies the boy possesses.

“But I want
you
to get it,Aunt Anne.”The child began to pull at her hands to try to get her to leave his brother.

She worked his chubby hands free from her sleeve. “You must wait, then,Walter, until I finish helping Little Charles.”

“I want to play,” the boy whined.“Come play with me.”Again, he latched onto her arm and pulled with all his might.Anne had to catch her weight with her hand or be pulled over.

“Walter, that is no way to get me to play with you. If you wait until your mother comes down with Aunt Henrietta and Aunt Louisa, I will happily take you outside to play, but I cannot leave your brother unattended.” She spoke close to the child’s face.

The boy stamped his feet, demanding that she do as he said. Frederick thought the child looked like Sir Walter after all.“I want to play now!” he ordered while hopping onto her back.

“Get down,Walter,” she insisted, pushing him successfully away.

Just as she turned back to the invalid, Little Walter had the great pleasure of getting upon her back again.“Get up, Horsey,” he called close to her ear as he kicked Anne in the side. His arms clutched about her neck.

“Walter,” she said more determinedly, “get down this moment. You are extremely troublesome. I am very angry with you.”

“Leave her alone,Walter,” Little Charles warned from his position. “Papa will be mad at you if you do not get down.”

“Walter,” cried Charles Hayter, “why do you not do as you are bid? Do you not hear your aunt speak? Come to me,Walter; come to cousin Charles.”

Frederick waited for Charles Hayter to take some sort of action; after all, he was family and could step in to discipline the child if necessary. The boy obviously hurt Anne, as he continued to kick her in the side, pretending she was a pony to be ridden. She pushed at the child, ordering him to let her go. Hayter watched her struggle for a few moments and then returned to the paper. Frederick wanted to throttle the man. He did not know who needed a thrashing more—the child or Charles Hayter.

Anne bowed with the boy’s weight upon her back and the strength of his grip about her neck. She struggled to remain upright, but the child’s continued high-spirited wrangling forced her to her hands and knees. Frederick could take no more; he would not watch her fight the humiliation of what life held for her.

Before he thought what he did, he caught the boy by the nape of the neck with one hand, while prying away his arms from Anne’s neck with the other. He spun around and forcibly placed the boy in a nearby chair. A warning stare told the child not to even consider moving. Then he advanced quietly to where Anne rested on her knees. Silently, he leaned down and offered his hand. Unsteadily, she placed her delicate fingers in his gloved hand and rose to her feet. She never raised her eyes to him nor did she thank him; it was not necessary between them. He had witnessed her mortification; Frederick would not amplify that with his words of concern. She nodded slightly and returned to her place by the boy on the sofa.A silence as thick as overstuffed upholstery hung between them.

Frederick moved a chair next to Little Walter. Using the tone he might use to demand obedience from his crew, he leaned down to look in the child’s face.“A gentleman
never
hurts a lady.”

Hayter lowered his paper and reprimanded the boy also. “You ought to have minded
me
, Walter; I told you not to tease your aunt.” With an obvious look of regret that Frederick did what he ought to have done himself, he buried his face behind the paper once more.

Frederick saw the boy’s face twist in a pretense of crying.Whispering to the child, he kept up his warning: “Do not cry, Boy, unless you are truly sorry for what you do.A man must protect the women in his house; they will love and protect him in return.” He gave a level, cautionary look to the boy. “I would be most displeased to know you hurt your Aunt Anne again. Do you understand me,Walter?”

“Yes, Sir,” the child’s lower lip trembled, and he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.

“Before you go to bed this evening, you will apologize to your aunt. Do I make myself clear, Child?” His words were spoken so softly anyone watching them would think he shared secrets to a buried treasure with the boy.

“Yes, Sir.”

Clearing his throat audibly, Frederick took the child’s hand. “Let us find your nurse,” he said loud enough for the room to hear. “She will find you something to eat while you wait for your mother to come downstairs.” He walked the child to the door and motioned for his nurse to take him.That done, Frederick returned to the silence of the window. Anne’s soft song to the child as she massaged his legs underlined the regret they all felt.

A few minutes later, Mary Musgrove and her husband’s sisters swept into the room.“Oh, Captain Wentworth,” Mary called as he bowed,“we did not realize you waited upon us, did we Henrietta?” Mary was discreetly maneuvering the girl toward Frederick when she spotted Charles Hayter rising from the chair in the far corner of the room.“Cousin Charles,” she said as she flicked a wrist in his direction,“you are here, too.” Hayter greeted them all while eyeing Henrietta. “Please have a seat, Captain. Let me send for tea.” Mary seated herself close to the hearth, where she could rule over the
room. Henrietta looked divided—she knew not to whom she should show her notice. “Henrietta, tell the Captain what we decided to do for the holiday wardrobes.”

Henrietta turned to speak to Frederick.As she did, Hayter moved forward to interrupt.“Henrietta, might I speak to you privately?”

“Of—Of course, Charles,” she stumbled through the words. Then she turned to leave the room, and he followed her toward the garden.

“Well,” Mary said with disgust.“I never saw such rudeness! But what is one to expect from those at Winthrop! He did not even pay proper due to those of us in the room.”

“Mary,” Anne interrupted Mary’s censure of Charles Hayter, “I will leave Little Charles in your care and check on Walter.” Without waiting for her sister’s agreement, she slipped from the room.

Frederick’s eyes followed her. Like a child picking at a sore place, he needed to know she did not suffer from her predicament. “I came to walk you back to the Great House, Miss Musgrove.” He forced a smile to his face as he finally turned to Louisa.

“Thank you, Captain.” Louisa stepped forward to take his proffered arm. She smiled up at him with anticipation. “You will join us for dinner, will you not?”

“It would be my honor, Miss Musgrove.”After the histrionics of the past few minutes, Frederick allowed his body to relax into his quickly developing familiarity with Louisa Musgrove’s flirtation. “If you are ready, we will set off.”

“Indeed, I am, Captain.”

“Should we let him stretch his legs?” Dr. Laraby asked as he swung into the cabin, making his morning call on Frederick Wentworth.

Anne Wentworth laughed lightly.“I am not sure the man appreciates our efforts.” While the doctor busied himself opening his bag, she turned her head and murmured to Frederick, “You spoke to Louisa in your dreams.” An amused smile flitted across her face. She watched distress creep into his demeanor.

“I never thought of Louisa like that,” he whispered so only she
could hear.Anne moved to sit on the edge of his bed, leaning close to him.“I love only you,Anne.”

“I know that, Frederick. I did not think you regretted our union. You allow me to be me—all my insecurities—all my strengths.You accept them all and love me for them. A man who gives such freedom to a woman does not dream of another.”

“I dreamed of finding
you
again; that is why I spoke to Louisa in the dream. But she and James were meant to be, as were you and I.”

Anne smiled and said more loudly,“I will leave you alone with the doctor.”

“Do not be gone long.” He grabbed at her hand as she started away.“I miss you when you are not near.”

“You cannot be rid of me that easily,” she teased again. “You may count on that, my Love.”

“I always count on your affections, Anne.” He leaned back heavily against the pillow.

“Then do what the doctor suggests. Come back to me; I need you as you need me.” She squeezed his hand before slipping out of the room.

Laraby took her place by Frederick’s bed. “Let me see this wound,” he murmured as he moved Frederick’s nightshirt aside.“I believe we might need to drain this one—the exit wound on the side. Infection seems to be a possibility.” He worked the bandage loose.“You must be rubbing it somehow as you sleep; it looks raw.” He pushed against the opening, forcing the skin together and squeezed the pus from around the stitches while Frederick gritted his teeth. “I will clean this with soap and water when we are finished. A tincture should heal it up soon enough. We will use leeches if we need to—if the circulation becomes a problem.”

“None of those nasty things if you please,” Frederick protested. “How uncivilized are you, Laraby?”

“You may think the use of some ancient ways uncivilized, Wentworth, where I see medicine from the ancient cultures the basis of civilization. I have seen the healing ways of leeches and snake venom and Chinese ginseng and many other folk remedies. I
will use any restorative that cures my patients without regard to what propriety says is proper.” Laraby began to rebind the wound, making sure the bandages were tighter than before.“I do not want you pulling this open when you walk today. I will call Avendale and Harwood.They are becoming quite adept at handling your bulk as you maneuver across this room.”

“When might I go up on deck? This room and this bunk seem to have shrunk since my men carried me in here.” Frederick pushed up on his forearms before pivoting his legs to hang off the edge of the bed.

“Not for a few more days,” Laraby cautioned him. “First you must get rid of the infection.”

“This room has become my prison, Laraby,” he said heavily. “But I will follow your orders.” Frederick planted his feet soundly on the floor and stood on his own.Yet, he waited for his crewmen before he attempted a step forward. He no longer clung to their shoulders or dragged his feet along the worn boards. Now, he used their arms for balance, and he lifted his feet gingerly.