Captain Wentworth's Persuasion (42 page)

Anne fell into the woman’s arms, crying tears of happiness. “You have served me well,” she assured Lady Russell.“I have loved and respected you, and that will not change. I only ask you to allow Frederick into our circle.”

Lady Russell patted Anne on the back. “Captain Wentworth will have my devotion as your husband. I assure you,Anne, this will be so.”

“Thank you—thank you for everything.” Anne clutched Frederick’s hand, and he led her away to their individual families.

“Father, we will be leaving soon,”Anne said softly to Sir Walter.

“Then we will part, not knowing when we might meet again.” He stood to address his middle daughter. “You will, of course, maintain your family’s good name in all your dealings. First and foremost, remember you are an Elliot.”

“Yes, Father, I will remember.” Frederick moved behind her, lending her silent support, and Anne raised her chin and straightened her shoulders. “You and Elizabeth will be careful. Do not allow those with false faces to seek you out for your generous natures.”The warning pleased Frederick. Possibly, Sir Walter would not succumb to flattery so quickly in the future. “Father, you are still a relatively young man, and no one maintains his appearance as you do.” Her father smiled a little. “I would like to see you find someone to bring joy to your life. Start a new family; foil Mr. Elliot’s plans for the baronetcy. I, for one, would welcome a younger brother and a new Lady Elliot. Think of it, Father: Kellynch would remain in our line of the family.”

Frederick added his own insights. “I agree with my wife. The
Admiral is likely to be needed in a supporting role for our services. If so, he and my sister would have to quit Kellynch. I would not wish to see your ancestral home, Sir Walter, fall into the hands of someone who does not love it as much as you do. A man should grieve for his late wife, but twelve years is sufficient.”

“Thank you, Captain. I will consider your words—and Anne’s words. Perhaps I will spend some time in London when the Season begins anew. Possibly a young widow—a war widow, even, or a woman of independent means. The lady would just need to be young enough to give me a male heir. It is a thought.” Sir Walter’s gaze came back to Anne. “Take good care of Anne, Captain; she is her mother’s daughter in every way.You will therefore be a fortunate man; my Elizabeth was a remarkable woman, one whom I did not appreciate enough until she was gone.”

Frederick was touched by the words.“I will, Sir Walter.”

Next came Sophia and Edward.“Anne, you will do well aboard ship,” Sophia said stoutly.

“I will learn from all you told me; it will be a great adventure—my
first
adventure,”Anne affirmed.

“You sail with the best,” the Admiral confirmed what Anne gleamed from the various conversations she overheard today.“Your Frederick is highly esteemed by those with whom he sails and by the British Navy’s high command.You will be safe with him. I am proud to be called his brother.”

Frederick looked away, a bit embarrassed by such high praise from the Admiral.“My wife will probably be more in control than I.” He teased to break the tension.“I have seen the ocean play lovingly at her feet as she stood on an outcropping at Lyme.While the others ran from the tide, Anne stood and welcomed it, and the sea responded by kissing her with a delicate spray. I saw that reaction only a few times; Anne is meant to be near the ocean; she loves it so, and it responds in kind.”

“Your sister is the same. I first saw her when she stood along the shore at North Yarmouth, admiring the splendor of the water. I knew she had to be mine.” Admiral Croft draped his arm around
Sophia’s shoulder.

Sophia patted his hand.“I knew you by character long before.”

“Well, and I heard of you as a very pretty girl. And what were we to wait for besides? I do not like having such things so long in hand.” Benjamin Croft kissed the tip of his wife’s upturned nose. “Now, Frederick has brought us a gem, Sophie.”

“I have, Admiral,” Frederick interrupted, trying to get a moment with Edward. “And you, my Brother,” he continued, “how do I give you my gratitude?”

“You do so, Frederick, by returning to us safely. My child needs his uncle and his new aunt. Our prayers will daily be with you and your men on
The Resolve
.” Edward embraced him before saying, “Now, the two of you get out of here.You waited long enough to start your life together.”

“On that we agree.” Frederick’s smile grew by the second.“Are you ready, Mrs.Wentworth?” He turned to take Anne’s hand in his.

She nodded her agreement. However, before they could escape the room, women, wishing to bid Anne farewell, beset them. Mary Musgrove and Elizabeth Elliot led the crowd.

Frederick stood patiently to the side and let the women kiss and hug Anne, but when it appeared their exit might
never
occur, he gallantly stepped into the milieu.“Excuse me, Ladies,” he said,“but I seemed to have misplaced my wife. Ah, there she is!”With those words, he scooped Anne into his arms and, holding her close to his chest, strode from the room. The group of women followed the two of them, giggling and weeping. Frederick placed Anne—who herself was giggling and weeping—into the front seat of their carriage. “Wave goodbye to our families, my Love,” he told her as he sprang to the seat to take up the reins.

Frederick glanced back to see women waving handkerchiefs and men holding their glasses high in a salute as he maneuvered his team into the coach traffic of Bath Street.Anne swiveled around to look at him after offering their party her own farewells.“Frederick Wentworth, you are incorrigible,” she reprimanded him.

“That is what you used to say of me years ago, Sweetling.Why
would you think I might change?” he teased. “I am of the persuasion that our marriage should not wait any longer for its beginning. Even
you
could not fault me for that, I think.”

Anne tried to look stern, but the effort was useless.“It was quite romantic,” she admitted,“to be carried off by the man I love.”

Frederick lowered his head to kiss her lips.They would travel to an inn outside Bath to spend their wedding night. Frederick had secured the best rooms and ordered a private meal for them. Footmen had delivered their bags that morning to the inn. Anne sat as close to him as propriety allowed, and Frederick dropped one of his hands into her lap.Turning his palm up, he waited for her to place her hand in his.“I love you,” he murmured,“more than life itself.”

“And I love you,”Anne responded.“I always have—I always will.”

—Alfred Lord Tennyson, “Marriage Morning”

 

By the time they reached the inn, it was late afternoon.The sunny day had become overcast and threatened rain. Frederick put up the roof of the landaulette, but a chill set in by the time they reached their destination. Frederick loosened his coat and wrapped Anne in it as well. “I will not have you catch your death of cold on our wedding day,” he insisted. Both lap blankets became tucked around her also.

“What of you, my Love?” she asked as she snuggled into his chest.

“First, I am more used to the elements, having spent years in all sorts of weather aboard ship. Second, my coats are much heavier than your muslin and cloak. But, most important, to be able to hold you in my arms and feel you pressed to me, I would suffer the worst winter has to offer.A temperamental spring day means nothing. If you will just kiss me occasionally, I will stay as warm as on a summer day.”

“You are not what you appear to be,” she noted as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I would venture to say most people see you as the disciplined sea captain, ever observant—brave to the end.”

“And you do not see me that way, Sweetling?” He kissed the tip of her upturned nose.

Her voice was thoughtful.“I see that man; but there is so much more to you. I see a man who loves to tease—who is thoughtful and considerate—who is sensitive—and who is passionate.”

“I am passionate about you, Sweetling.”They rode in silence for a few minutes.“Anne?”

“Yes, Love.”

“I will be tender this evening.”

She paused before answering.“I know.—I am not afraid.”

“Promise me,” he began again.“Promise me if you are uncomfortable in any way you will tell me. I will not have you lie there and be only a vessel for my pleasure.That is not what love is.” He kissed the top of her head. “I assume you had no one with whom to speak about physical love?”

“I did—I did speak to your sister. Truthfully, much of what she said was shocking, but I am glad Sophia was so
direct
.” She blushed at speaking so openly with him.

Frederick pulled the carriage to a halt, and he and Anne looked down on a small town. “I suppose we should move farther apart before we enter the village. We would not wish to scandalize the residents with our behavior.” Anne began to shift away from him, but he pulled her to him one more time, kissing her properly. Lips posed above each other, he nearly growled, “Of course, I promise scandalous behavior in the privacy of our own room.”

She laughed and leaned in for another intimate kiss, taking Frederick by surprise.

When they separated, he was breathing hard.“You,Anne Wentworth, are a dangerous woman.” Then he laughed. “Let us go, Love. I need to get to know my wife a bit better.” He flicked the reins across the horses’ backs, and the carriage sprang forward.

They took a light meal as soon as they arrived. Having eaten little at the wedding breakfast, they were both famished; then they took a walk about the village. Anne bought some ribbon to trim one of her day dresses and a couple of men’s handkerchiefs that she planned to monogram with his initials as a present for him. He bought a couple of bars of lavender-scented soap so Anne might have them aboard ship. Having asked Sophia’s opinion, Frederick had already packed a bag of essentials—luxuries on a ship—so Anne would not have to do without her favorite toiletries. He had
sent them ahead to Plymouth in preparation for their departure.

“When do we need to be in Plymouth?” she asked as they strolled along the wooden walkway.

“Benjamin will send one of the coaches for us on Monday. A groomsman will drive our carriage back to Kellynch for safekeeping while we are away.” Frederick steered her around a sizable mud hole before continuing.“I need to be at the ship by Thursday, but I would prefer to actually take possession of it and walk its decks on Wednesday. By leaving early Monday morning, we should arrive by late afternoon, soon enough for me to inform the Central Office of my change in marital status. I thought on Tuesday we might attend the performance at the Theatre Royal II before we set sail.Would you like that?”

“It would be pleasant to spend an evening on your arm.”

Frederick spoke with regret. “I am sorry, Anne.You deserve a wedding trip to the Continent, instead of a few nights at a country inn before I drag you off to a crowded ship—and a war.”

“Oh, Frederick, do you really think I care about those things? I will spend three glorious days and nights in your arms! Then I will visit a bustling seaport for the first time—shipyards and battleships everywhere. I am most
eager
to see it.”

After several moments, he said,“I am a lucky man.”

“And you adore me?” she asked.

“That I do,” he whispered. “I love you more than you will ever know.”

After supper, Frederick took her in his arms. “I will join the men downstairs for a drink, but I shall have the maid bring you up a bath first. I return in an hour.That should give you plenty of time to prepare.”

“I will be ready.”Anne went up on her tiptoes to kiss his mouth again. Knowing what the night would bring, Frederick closed his eyes to push desire away for just a little longer.

Reluctantly, he let her go. “I will be back soon.” He squeezed her hand and then quickly strode from the room.

Frederick sipped on a tankard of ale and pretended to listen to
the men talk of crops and the weather—but his mind was elsewhere.

Heart pounding, an hour later, he slipped back into the room, securing the lock behind him.Taking a deep breath, he flexed and relaxed his hands several times to relieve the tension building quickly in his limbs.The room was warm, thanks to the fire burning in the hearth, and he needed a few seconds for his vision to adjust to the dim light.

“Frederick?” Anne’s soft voice brought his eyes to her. She stood in the middle of the room, hair draped over her shoulders and hanging loosely down her back.The glow from the fire picked up the auburn highlights, giving her curls an inner shine. Barefoot, she stood innocently staring at him; her white dressing gown clung to her delicate, shapely body.

Frederick struggled to say the words he wanted her to know. “You are exquisite,” he muttered hoarsely. Then he crossed the room in a couple of strides and took her in his arms.

The feel of her body without corsets or chemise or layers of dress nearly did him in. He forced himself to go slowly, although his body demanded immediate action. He stroked her hair, allowing his fingers to trail down to the ends and then rested them on her slim waist. Beginning with slightly parted lips and then using his tongue to coax her mouth to respond to his, he bent to kiss her. Anne pressed closer to him, twining her hands around his neck. “Ah,Anne, I thought this night would never come.”

“I am ready, my Darling,” she whispered near his ear.

It took no other enticement to convince him. Frederick scooped her into his arms and headed toward the bed, already turned down for the night. Carrying her close to him, he asked, “Can you hear my heart? It stopped beating years ago; now it can take up again.” Frederick laid her gently across the bed, and her hair spread out across the pillow completing the picture from his dream.