Alexander sent a dark look to his friend. It was as if the conversation they had shared had not happened; he seemed intent on disbelieving everything Alexander had told him. He really did not understand how Alexander had changed and, with the expression on Amelia’s face, it was clear that Richard was doing damage with what he said.
“I shall bid you goodbye here,” Amelia said, knowing she could not watch the carriage leaving the lane. He would be only a mile away, but she would not see him; it would not be appropriate for her to visit him, and she doubted that any of her family would seek out Alexander when they were busy with their own lives. “I hope you continue to make a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you, Miss Basingstoke. Good day to you,” Alexander said, holding out his hand in expectation of receiving hers. When Amelia placed her hand in his, he raised it to his lips and kissed it, squeezing her fingers gently with his own.
Amelia felt tears spring to her eyes, but she blinked them away. Now was not the time to show weakness; she had known from the start he was too good for her no matter that her father had tried to convince her they were all equal. She smiled at him despite her breaking heart. “Good bye, Captain Worthington.”
Richard made his bow, and the two gentlemen left the room. Amelia could hear the good-byes from her father, mother and brothers, but she remained still. She would get herself under control; she would not turn into a feeble miss.
William walked into the room and, seeing his sister standing so stiffly, a frown on her face and tears in her eyes, he went immediately to her and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m sorry, Amelia.”
Amelia leaned into her brother’s shoulder, his strength welcome. “God must have accepted my bargain. He lived and has gone to rejoin his former life. It’s what I asked for; I just wish it didn’t hurt quite so much,” she whispered.
Chapter 15
Alexander had not expected the one-mile journey to the inn to take quite so much out of him. He willingly remained in his bed for the following days, most of the time sleeping. Doctor Johnson had stayed in the area; Alexander was paying a handsome sum for the privilege. As long as there was a chance of a relapse, Alexander wanted his own doctor close by. The medical man was not worried about Alexander’s recovery; a patient sleeping for most of the day was enabling the body to recover at its own pace.
Five days had passed and Alexander was able to sit in a chair for some of the afternoon without getting overly tired. A large, fabric-covered winged-back chair had been brought into the bedchamber so Alexander could be comfortable. It faced a sofa, both being positioned near the brick fireplace that kept the room warm. Apart from a screen covering the washstand, bed and wardrobe, the room was bare. It was all clean but sparse. Alexander had lived on ships for years, so he did not need much in the way of furniture and trinkets, but he was not comfortable; he was unsettled and discontented.
He was seated on the chair late one morning when the maid knocked and announced that Lord Newton had arrived. Alexander stood with a shout of happy surprise as his brother entered the room, and the brothers embraced.
“Alex, it is good to see you!” Anthony exclaimed.
“And you! I must say, you have gone grey around the temples since I last set eyes on you!” Alexander responded with a chuckle.
Anthony, put his brother at arm’s length. “It is through worrying about my tiresome younger brother!” he responded good-naturedly. “I can’t tell you what joy I felt when I received Richard’s letter telling us that some of your sight had returned.”
“If it was half the joy I felt, I certainly can imagine. Although the first few days were terrifying,” Alexander admitted. “Come, sit, let me order some drinks.”
The two brothers talked and drank a jug of small beer before the news exchange was completed to the satisfaction of both. Anthony settled back on the sofa, a contented smile on his face. “Richard’s letters were full of what the two of you were going to do on your return to London; I think he has really missed the hijinks you both seemed to enjoy so much.”
A dark cloud crossed Alexander’s expression. “I can’t make him believe what I’m telling him.”
Anthony was curious. “What’s that?”
“Richard thinks I’m just going to go back to how things were before Trafalgar. I know I changed after the battle; those who came through it can’t have helped but change, whether they were injured or not. You all saw how the blindness affected me, but it was more than the physical. I could not see, but I clearly saw how shallow and fickle Society was; we had this conversation when you joined me in London. I would be as fickle as they if I rejoined Society now that I have some sight; but to be honest it’s the last thing I want to do.”
Anthony was surprised. This was the Alexander who would party until there literally was nowhere else to go, who needed the highlife to ease his high boredom threshold. He had purchased a house in the centre of London, around the corner from many of the clubs he frequented; he hated the countryside apart from a hunting trip or racing trip. Alexander was everything that the country-loving Anthony was not. Yes, Alexander had said that Society had more or less shunned him after his accident, but Anthony had presumed his brother would wish to continue his life as before now that he had some vision.
“What do you want to do?”
Alexander smiled a bitter smile. “I wanted to marry the woman I had the good fortune to meet and who I chased here. She is the only one I could envisage spending the rest of my life with.”
“And what happened that we are not toasting your upcoming nuptials?” Anthony asked.
“Her father refused to give me permission to pay my addresses to her,” Alexander said, unconsciously slumping in the chair.
“You’d better tell me more!” Anthony said in surprise. He was fully aware his brother would be seen as a desirable match for any young woman, especially one without dowry and on the shelf as Alexander had mentioned previously about the young woman he admired.
“She has no dowry; she is not even in the middle echelons of polite society, and her aunt and cousins are the type of people one would definitely not willingly associate with,” Alexander said honestly.
“She sounds delightful!” Anthony said sarcastically, wondering why his brother would fall for such a woman.
“She is,” came the serious response. “I knew she was beautiful even before I was able to see her physically. She didn’t pander to me; instead I felt I had to be good enough for her. She did everything she could to help me, but in a way that never allowed me to feel sorry for myself; even if she hadn’t introduced me to Samson, she would’ve liberated me by just being my being in her company.”
Anthony saw the way Alexander became animated when he spoke of the young woman who had affected him so much. He was not surprised his brother had chased her to her home; he knew that, if Alexander fell in love, he would do it wholeheartedly, and it appeared that it had finally happened.
“I had presumed that once you followed her here, I would receive notification of your engagement,” Anthony said honestly.
“You obviously have the same arrogant tendencies I do,” Alexander said with a half-smile. “Her father quite rightly pointed out I was not in the slightest bit interested in his daughter prior to my accident. He didn’t believe I truly loved her, just that I considered being with her was better than nothing.”
“And is it?” Anthony asked quietly.
“No!” Alexander almost shouted. “I didn’t let anyone know when my sight first returned. I was afraid it was a temporary aberration, and my brain was screaming, trying to process all the images it was seeing once again, so I couldn’t face the long conversations I would have to undergo if I admitted what had happened. I genuinely thought my head was going to explode.”
“It must have been terrifying.”
“It was, which in some ways is a ridiculous thing to say: sight being more terrifying than blindness,” Alexander said. “But she would leave my side only when forced to do so, so when I opened my eyes after speaking to Doctor Johnson, I could watch her without her knowing.” Alexander thought back to the time when he had first looked at Amelia fully. “It was as if I had been able to see her even when I was blind; none of her features came as a surprise; she was the pretty young woman that I had imagined. Oh, she’s not classically beautiful; society would not consider her a beauty of the season, but there is something about the way she is that draws me in and makes me long to spend the remainder of my days by her side.”
Their conversation was interrupted by another knock on the door. The maid announced that Mr Basingstoke was wishing to visit Captain Worthington. Alexander instructed the girl to show him up. He smiled warmly when William walked into the room.
“Good afternoon, Mr Basingstoke! This is a pleasant surprise!” Alexander said. “Come in. Please send another jug of beer up,” he instructed the maid as she made her curtsey and left the room.
“Good afternoon,” William responded with his usual easy smile. “I’m leaving tomorrow, returning to Portsmouth, but I couldn’t go without seeing how you were faring and wishing you all the very best.”
“Let me introduce you to my bother. Anthony, this is Able-seaman Basingstoke of the Agamemnon; this is my brother, the Earl of Newton.”
The gentlemen made their bows and were seated. Alexander poured William a cup of small beer and refilled his own and Anthony’s jugs. “So, you are off once more? I’m very jealous of you.”
William grinned. “I shall think of that when I’m scrubbing the deck!”
“You will continue to rise through the ranks. We’ve all had to do our share of the heavy work; I have the calluses to prove it.”
“I love it, really,” William admitted.
“Yes, it’s been a pleasure to hear the sea once more as I did at the start of my visit to Lyme and, when I’m finally able to leave this room, I hope to see it before I leave the area.”
“Are you leaving soon?” William asked.
“I’m not sure; it depends on Doctor Johnson. For once I’m doing as I’m bid.”
“That’s definitely a first!” Anthony laughed.
“Don’t you just love brothers?” Alexander asked drily.
“With seven of my own, I completely sympathise.”
“How is your sister?” Alexander had not known how to bring Amelia into the conversation, but Anthony had inadvertently given him the perfect opening.
William faltered a little. “She is well, thank you.”
Alexander had picked up on William’s hesitation. “Is there something amiss, Mr Basingstoke?” He watched William intently. Not having full vision made it easy to miss expressions, so Alexander was learning to watch very carefully when speaking to someone.
“No! She is not ailing I assure you, s-she is just a little quiet at the moment. If I’m being truthful I would’ve liked to stay at home longer. There is a ball on Twelfth Night at the Assembly Rooms in Lyme. I should have liked to accompany my sister to force her to enjoy herself, but duty calls, and I cannot.”
“Are all your other brothers away from home?”
“They’ve all returned to their own lives. Mother and father will be attending the assembly; it’s the highlight of the social calendar around here, but my sister will attend my mother without one of us there to force her into enjoying herself,” William replied honestly. He was worried about his sister, but did not wish to say anything that would break any confidences.
“Does your sister not like balls?” Anthony could not resist asking. The conflicting information he was receiving about the elusive Miss Basingstoke really stirred his curiosity. He was still struggling to understand why Alexander felt so strongly about her.
“Oh yes,” William said. “She normally loves dancing, but I think this year not so much. I must take my leave, Captain Worthington. I have a very early start tomorrow; I just wanted to wish you a continued speedy recovery,” William said, standing.
Alexander and Anthony also stood. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, and I’m grateful for your visit, Mr Basingstoke,” Alexander said.
“I couldn’t leave without paying my respects,” William said. “I still say the navy is a poorer place without you in its ranks.”
“Thank you,” Alexander said with a bow.
“Captain Worthington, Lord Newton,” William bowed.
“Please send my warmest regards to Miss Basingstoke,” Alexander said, as William approached the door.
William paused and turned back into the room. He seemed a little nervous and twisted his stove top in his hands. “Captain, I have to ask—”
“What is it? Please speak,” Alexander said quietly.
“If she ever knows I’ve said a word, she will torture me long and hard,” William said with feeling.
Alexander smiled, “I promise you my secrecy.”
William sighed. “I want to say something, but I could be being presumptuous. Captain, forgive me, but I thought you had feelings for my sister; I wouldn’t go as far as to say there was an understanding, but—”
“I have,” Alexander replied honestly.
What William had said was completely inappropriate; a lower ranking officer would never dare to question a captain if they were on ship. Punishment would be swift and severe. Even in the present situation, Alexander could write a letter to those he knew, telling them William had acted without proper respect, and his naval career would be ruined, but the concern over his sister made him speak out.
The expression that crossed William’s face was part relief, part confusion. “All my brothers treasure our sister; she is very dear to us, but I flatter myself in thinking I’m closer to her than any of the others. I could see she had a partiality towards you and thought you felt something, if not exactly the same.”
“My feelings are very strong.”
“In that case, I don’t understand, Sir,” William said with a puzzled look.
“Why I haven’t proposed and why we aren’t planning a fine wedding?” Alexander asked his tone bleak.
“Well, yes, sir, actually,” William admitted.
“I asked your father, and he refused me permission. He is of the opinion that I would be doing Miss Basingstoke a disservice, only marrying her when no one else would have me.”
“If that were the case, you would have all eight of us after your blood, Captain. We might not be well connected, but we would not stand for such an insult to our sister,” William responded, his face set into a grim expression.
“From what my brother has confessed to me that could not be further from the truth,” Anthony chipped in, deciding it was appropriate to defend his brother.
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Anthony,” Alexander said with a smile before turning back to William. “I would never offer that insult to anyone, least of all your sister, I can assure you.”
“So if you reassured my father, why are we having this conversation?” William asked still puzzled.
“Because I could not reassure your father,” Alexander admitted. He saw William’s expression change. “Oh, don’t think I’m not being honest with you, I am. I’m completely smitten with your sister, and I’ve no idea how I’m going to cope with never seeing her again.”