In the Commodore's Hands Page 8

  Her whole body sagged. Why was this man constantly surprising her? He must have a disgust of her and yet he was so concerned for her father he would overlook that and continue to help them. If she accepted, she would be even more in his debt. And she would see even more of him. Did she want that, considering she was always embarrassing herself—and him?

  ‘I do not live at Highbeck,’ he said, as if he could read her thoughts, which disconcerted her even more. ‘My estate is a few miles distant. You will not be bothered by me.’

  ‘Bothered by you, sir? Why should you bother me?’ She spoke more sharply than she intended. ‘I fear I am more of a bother to you. You have exceeded all that could have been expected of you to rescue Papa from almost certain death and been wounded in doing so. We are alive and free because of you.’ She paused and gulped hard. ‘If my father were well, I would say that was more than enough, but as you are right and he needs to recuperate, I will be pleased to accept your offer to go to Highbeck for a short while, always providing your parents will have us.’

  ‘Good. I will give orders to Lieutenant Sandford to bypass Dover and sail round the coast to Lynn. The wind is favourable at the moment and we should make good time.’ He bowed and left her.

  She continued to stand at the rail, watching the sea glide past the hull. Behind her was France and the life she had known, where until recently she had lived in luxury, helping her father manage the estate, at peace with those around her. Before her was the land of her mother’s birth, a land she had never visited and knew nothing about. Would they be made welcome? Her father would never approach her mother’s family, she knew that. Could they make a new life for themselves? Where? That question had been occupying her ever since she came on board. They would have to husband their resources, because the gold and jewels she had brought out of France were all they had. Jay had taken that worry from her, at least for the time being.

  She would write to her brother and tell him what had happened and maybe he could arrange to sell some of the artefacts in the château and smuggle some money out to them. Perhaps she might even persuade him to join them. It would be good for them to be together again as a family and Michel could find a way of earning enough money to support them. She could find work, too. With so many French émigrés coming to England there would surely be a need for translators and teachers of English. They could live independently and not have to rely on the charity of people like Jay Drymore and his parents. It was one thing to be grateful for a favour—a huge one, it was true—and another to be dependent on him.

  She looked up to see the white cliffs of England on their port side and a harbour which must be Dover. There was more shipping in the straits than she had noticed before; it was a busy seaway being the only route, apart from going round the north of Scotland, to pass from the German Ocean to the Atlantic and places beyond. She watched as Lieutenant Sandford issued orders and the crew scrambled aloft to adjust the sails to take them past Dover and round the coast of Kent. She felt the turbulence under her feet as the helmsman altered course. The wind became much cooler and she shivered in her thin gown and wished she had thought to bring a shawl on deck.

  Jay rejoined her. ‘We shall soon be sailing northwards,’ he said. ‘And the air becomes cool as night approaches. Allow me to escort you back to your cabin.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  He preceded her down the companionway, then turned and held out his hand to steady her. Below decks it was considerably warmer, or was it simply his proximity that was making her feel hot? She rescued her hand from his. ‘You will find England several degrees colder than France and will need warm clothing,’ he said as they reached her cabin door.

  ‘Yes, I guessed it would be. I have packed for it.’

  ‘Good. It is almost supper time. It can be served to you in your cabin if you wish, but I hope you will join us in the mess.’

  It would have been churlish to refuse. ‘Thank you. I think my father would prefer to stay where he is, but I will join you when I have made sure he is comfortable.’

  He reached past her to open the door, then bowed and returned to the deck. She went into her cabin to find Hortense sorting clothes. ‘The evening air is cool,’ the maid said. ‘You should have come down earlier.’

  ‘I was talking to the Commodore. He has invited us to Blackfen Manor. He says his parents will welcome us and Papa can recover there. I have said we will go.’

  ‘He is a true gentleman, even if he is a little dour, but that is not to be wondered at. Mr Roker tells me he lost his wife some three years ago and has been bringing up his children alone.’

  ‘Yes, so he told me, but I think his parents help him. They are a very close family, I believe.’

  ‘Not close enough if they can banish a good man like Sir John and never want anything more to do with him.’

  ‘They are no worse than Mama’s kin, are they?’

  ‘It was her ladyship’s choice and she did have your father and you children to console her. Sir John had no one.’

  ‘True, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Sir John is going home and we are the ones to be exiled.’

  ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘I do not know. Once Papa is well, we shall have to find somewhere to live and I think I must earn a living.’

  ‘Earn a living!’ the old lady gasped. ‘What is the world coming to when ladies have to soil their hands with work?’

  Lisette smiled. ‘If I have to, I have to. Now I am going to join the Commodore, Sir John and Lieutenant Sandford for supper. I will wear the blue taffeta with the quilted stomacher and matching shawl.’

  She stripped and washed and donned the blue taffeta, then Hortense combed the knots out of her hair and tied it back with blue ribbon.

  ‘There,’ she said, fastening a string of pearls about her neck. ‘That will do. I feel civilised again. Will you make sure Papa has some supper?’

  ‘Of course. I will have mine with him and stay until he goes to sleep. You go and enjoy yourself. After what you have been through in the last two days, you deserve it.’

  Lisette found her way to the mess, smiling to herself at the thought of enjoying herself. She was not going to some grand ball, but a simple supper with a man whose presence unsettled her.

  He was already in the mess when she arrived, talking to Lieutenant Sandford and his grandfather. Sir John was dressed in a suit of amber-coloured silk and the lieutenant in dark blue, but although Jay had changed his shirt and breeches, he still wore no coat. They all turned to bow to her and Jay hurried forwards to show her to a seat at the refectory table. ‘I regret I cannot yet get into a coat, Miss Giradet,’ he said. ‘I pray you to excuse me.’

  ‘Of course.’

  The mess steward came in, carrying tureens of food which looked and smelled delicious. Lisette suddenly realised how hungry she was and set to with a hearty appetite. But they could not eat in silence; it behoved her to begin a conversation.

  ‘It is a lovely night,’ she said. ‘The stars are so clear. I had no trouble picking out some of the constellations.’

  ‘You know something of the stars, ma’am?’ the lieutenant asked.

  ‘A little. My father used to point them out to me when we went voyaging. I learned to recognise the Great Bear and Orion and the Pleiades. And of course the North Star.’ She paused, watching Jay struggling to cut up his food. ‘Let me help you,’ she said, taking his knife and fork from him. She cut up the meat and potatoes and handed the implements back to him.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said.

  She laughed. ‘It makes a change for you to say that to me. Until now the gratitude has all been on one side. I hope you will call on me again if you need help.’

  ‘His greatest need is to get into a coat,’ Sir John said, chuckling. ‘No one seems able to help him with that.’

  ‘I shall be able to do so tomorrow,’ Jay said stiffly. ‘If Sam had not bound me up so tight, I might have been able to dress properly this evening.
’

  ‘I expect it was necessary,’ Lisette said.

  ‘Of course it was,’ Sir John agreed. ‘He was bleeding like a stuck pig.’

  ‘Grandfather,’ Jay admonished him. ‘I do not think that is something the lady wants to hear. Shall we change the subject?’

  ‘Tell me about Highbeck,’ Lisette said quickly. She did not want to be the cause of dissension between the two men.

  ‘Highbeck is a small village on the borders of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk,’ Jay said. ‘It is only a few miles from Downham Market and not far from the city of Ely, which has a fine cathedral. In the other direction is the port of Lynn, which is where we shall dock in two days’ time, given fair weather.’

  ‘And Blackfen Manor?’

  ‘That is where my mother grew up and where she and my father have lived ever since their marriage. It is a substantial Tudor house with a moat and a drawbridge. The surrounding countryside is arable farmland and fen, hence its name. It is very lovely. I and my siblings grew up there and since we have had our own homes, visit often. I am sure you will like it.’

  ‘It sounds idyllic. How far from there do you live?’

  ‘Only five miles. I have a small estate and a house at Falsham. Until my wife died I was often at sea and it was managed by a steward, but since then I have stayed at home and looked after it myself. I felt the children needed me.’

  ‘Do you miss the sea?’

  ‘Sometimes I do. I come from a long line of sailors. My father was a sea captain before he married Mama and took to country living, and my grandfather was a vice-admiral. My younger brother is at present serving in the navy as a first lieutenant.’

  ‘No doubt this short voyage has brought it all back. Our little escapade has perhaps been unsettling.’

  ‘I shall soon settle down again.’

  She smiled. ‘From sailor to farmer.’

  ‘Yes.’ He had been perfectly open, but now his expression seemed to close up as if she had hit a nerve.

  ‘I look forward to learning more of the country,’ she said, then turned to Lieutenant Sandford. ‘What about you, Lieutenant, do you come from a long line of seafarers?’

  ‘No, Miss Giradet, I am the first.’

  She had narrowly managed to avoid annoying Jay again and the conversation became more general. At the end of the meal, she left them to their port and brandy and retired to her cabin. It had been an excessively long and tiring day, but all was well and tonight she thought she might sleep.

  The men did not stay drinking for long. Though he was loathe to admit it, Jay was exhausted and his injured arm was giving him hell. He went to his cabin and to bed.

  He could have done nothing else but invite the Count and his daughter to Highbeck. The old man was in no state to look after himself and though Lisette was bearing up well he knew she was feeling the strain of all that had happened in the last few weeks; he could not leave them to struggle on alone. His mother would be appalled at such callousness, even though she understood how the very name of Wentworth was burned in his brain. There was a wound there which would never heal. Thank goodness he could retire to Falsham, his duty done.

  Chapter Five

  Two days later they docked at Lynn, on the north coast of The Wash, and Lisette and her father set foot on English soil, Lisette for the first time, her father for the first time for many years. No one knew when they were arriving, so Jay arranged onward transport for them. Public coaches plied frequently between Lynn and Ely, but it was not a practical way when there were six of them and a fair amount of luggage. They could go post-chaise, but it would need two coaches to take them all. It was Sam who suggested going by river. Boats were as easily hired as coaches; it was the accepted means of transport in the fens. And so it was that Lisette and her father made their slow progress in a barge towed by a big black horse.

  While the Comte and Sir John rested below deck, Lisette sat on the roof of the tiny cabin and watched the landscape glide past. It was flat and watery and there were a great many seabirds and waterfowl flying in and feeding on the marshy ground before taking off again in great clouds. As the vessel made its way upstream, the marshes gave way to pasture grazed by cattle.

  ‘Until the draining of the fens over a hundred years ago, much of what you can see was frequently under water,’ Jay said, coming to sit beside her. His arm was only lightly bandaged now and no longer in a sling. He could wear his coat. ‘But now it is good fertile land.’

  ‘It is so flat. You can see for miles and there is so much sky. I had not realised there could be so many colours in the clouds: blue, white, pink, mauve, fiery red and orange, and all shades of grey from pale dove to nearly black.’

  ‘The black line is a rain cloud, but it is several miles away. The orange and red denote wind and that might very well blow the black cloud in this direction and we shall have squalls, but perhaps not before we arrive at the Manor.’ He smiled. ‘It is a landscape you either love or hate.’

  ‘And you love it.’

  ‘Yes, to me it is home. When I was away at sea, it was here I always dreamed of returning.’

  ‘But some of that must have been due to your family being here.’

  ‘Oh, undoubtedly.’

  ‘It must be lovely to have a family,’ she said a little wistfully. ‘I have only Papa and Michel.’

  ‘But you have an English family.’

  ‘I do not count them. They never counted us.’

  ‘So, you will not consider applying to them?’

  ‘No. There is no need. Papa and I can manage. I only agreed to come here with you in order for him to regain his strength. You need not worry that we will be a burden to your parents any longer than we can help.’

  ‘Nothing was further from my thoughts,’ he said. ‘Pray, do not be so touchy.’

  ‘I am sorry. It is not your fault.’ There she was, having to apologise to him again for the sharpness of her tongue. Whatever was the matter with her?

  ‘I know you will be welcome, my mother said so before I left for France and my grandfather looks on you as a granddaughter, he told me so.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘Does that make us cousins or something?’

  ‘You are very forgiving.’

  ‘There is nothing to forgive. You have been through a terrible time in the last few weeks and especially recently, it is a wonder you are as calm as you are. Some young ladies would have become gibbering idiots. I am full of admiration for your courage and resourcefulness.’

  ‘Thank you. I could say the same of you.’

  He chuckled. ‘You are not going to start thanking me again, are you?’

  Oh, dear, he had not forgotten that impulsive kiss. Would he go on reminding her of it as long as they lived? ‘It goes without saying,’ she said.

  They fell silent for a few moments and when he spoke again it was to talk about England and the fens and to ask what she would like to do to pass the time while she was at Highbeck. ‘There are riding horses and boats to use for exploring the countryside and fen,’ he said. ‘And you could go sightseeing in Ely. I am sure Sam would drive you in.’

  It was then she remembered he had his own home a few miles distant and would not be at Highbeck to keep reminding her of her indiscretion. She should have been glad of that, but somehow the realisation left her feeling flat. ‘Perhaps when Papa is better and can come too.’

  The barge took them all the way to the staithe in Highbeck village, which was within easy walking distance of Blackfen Manor, but Jay sent Sam ahead to fetch the gig to convey the Comte who was still too weak to walk far. In that way those at the Manor were warned of their imminent arrival and Lord and Lady Drymore were waiting at the door as the little cavalcade crossed the drawbridge over the moat and into the enclosed courtyard.

  Lisette helped her father from the gig and they stood to one side as Jay was embraced by Lady Drymore. ‘Oh, I am so thankful you are safely back,’ she said. ‘We have been on tenterhooks the whole time and I was wishing I had ne
ver asked you to go, except of course, Papa is here now.’ She turned to Sir John. ‘You are welcome home, Papa,’ she said, holding him at arm’s length to look at him.

  ‘And I am glad to be here. Home at last. And you do not look a year older.’

  ‘Nonsense, I am over thirty years older.’ She laughed and turned towards the Comte and Lisette. ‘Are you going to introduce us?’

  ‘To be sure. Amy, my dear, this is my good friend Comte Gervais Giradet and his daughter, Lisette.’

  Lady Drymore approached them, smiling. ‘You are very welcome,’ she said as the Comte bowed stiffly and Lisette dipped into a deep curtsy. ‘I long to hear all your adventures, but not until you have been shown to your rooms and rested after your travels. You must be exhausted.’

  There were shrieks of delight as two children ran from the house and hurled themselves into Jay’s arms. ‘Papa! Papa! You are back.’

  He hugged them and put them from him. ‘Now, be good, for I have someone I want you to meet.’ He turned to his grandfather. ‘This is your great-grandfather, your grandmama’s father. Give him your best greeting.’ They dutifully obeyed, Edward bowing and saying, ‘How do you do’, while Anne gave him a wobbly curtsy. ‘And this is Comte Giradet and Miss Giradet.’ Shyly they repeated their greeting and were sent back to their governess.

  ‘Let us all go indoors,’ Lord Drymore said as the first few spots of rain pattered on the cobbles. He ushered them into a huge baronial hall lined with pictures, from which a wide staircase went up to a galleried landing. It was evidently the centre of the house, for doors led off in three directions. James preceded them into one and bade them be seated.

  While they waited for refreshments to be brought, Lisette gazed about her. The room was large and furnished in a mixture of blackened old Tudor furniture and more up-to-date sofas, chairs and tables. There were pictures on the walls, some of the countryside, some portraits, and there were shelves displaying ornaments. It was so very different from what she had been used to at the château, with its carefully arranged rooms and tiled floors. Here the floors were of polished oak planks, as shiny and dark as the heavy oak settles and chests which stood on them. She suspected the thick walls and the presence of the moat which surrounded the house made it cold, even in summer, because a bright fire burned in the huge grate. It hissed a little as the rain came down the wide chimney on to the hot coals.