The Brideship Wife

by Leslie Howard

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hari spent so much time briefing me on what I was to say to Sir Richard and Lady Persephone that evening that I was almost late for the predinner drinks in the main dining room. I was told to encourage sympathy about Hari’s continued poor health but not undue concern while making assurances that she would be right as rain in the coming days.

  It was our usual crowd, the same as the first night in the captain’s dining room, but now we were in the main dining room with the rest of the first- and second-class passengers, though a velvet rope divided the two classes. On the other side of the rope, the gentlemen adventurers who had put on such an intriguing display of the proper gold-panning technique were standing with a group of young swells who had earned a reputation as spoiled and frivolous young men. I avoided them at all costs.

  Lady Persephone was speaking with Mrs. Burk and a few other women over in a corner, but I felt like I needed a bit more fortification before I approached them. I gladly accepted a glass of wine from the waiter and wandered over to the table where Sir Richard and the other men were playing cards.

  When Sir Richard saw me, he called to the waiter for another chair—“Be quick about it, we can’t leave this lovely lady standing”—and I sat down between him and John Crossman. I nodded at Captain Hellyer, and Reverend Burk sitting opposite. Dr. Carson arrived, Scotch in hand, and pulled up his own chair. He looked exhausted and said he was content just to watch the game.

  “Nice to see you again, Miss Harding,” Reverend Crossman said. He smelled of shaving soap and the earthy aromas of cigars and Scotch.

  I smiled a greeting, and my hand trembled ever so slightly as I tipped my wineglass to my lips.

  “Do you play, my dear?” Sir Richard asked.

  “I do, but perhaps this is not the time or place.”

  “Nonsense, I know my wife thinks ladies shouldn’t play with men…” He caught Lady Persephone’s eye. She frowned almost imperceptibly but nodded. “We’ll deal you in,” he said with unforced glee.

  One person tended to dominate in most marriages, usually the man, but not always, and it seemed that Sir Richard took his marching orders from Lady Persephone. I couldn’t help but think it a shame that more marital unions weren’t shared partnerships, but I supposed the chances of that were slim to none.

  We settled into a game of whist, but there were too many distracting thoughts swirling in my head, and I made several blunders the first round. In spite of being my partner, Reverend Crossman gave me a sympathetic look. After making a few more silly errors, I offered to take over the role of dealer from Captain Hellyer, and I picked up the deck.

  As a child I had spent many hours perfecting my shuffle, and it came back to me easily now. I fanned the cards first forward and then back with the skill of a professional.

  “I’m impressed,” Captain Hellyer commented. “Clearly you did not spend your youth in traditional female pastimes.”

  “My mother and her friends loved cards. I was often called upon to be their dealer. I made it a childish game to try to impress them with my skill.”

  “My wife tells me you are off to the colonies in search of a husband,” Sir Richard said. “A good thing too. Men cooped up together with no women. It leads to, ah, unhealthy behaviour. Anyway, marriage shouldn’t be a hard task for a girl like you.” He looked wistful. “Ah, if only I were thirty years younger and unattached…”

  I took his words as the innocent flirtation of an older man but stole a glance at Lady Persephone. She appeared not to have heard, or perhaps she chose to ignore it. I guessed she was used to this sort of behaviour from her husband. Was it his way of pushing back against her expectations? I dealt out the hand. Captain Hellyer chuckled as he looked at his cards while Sir Richard groaned. The two reverends appeared stone-faced, giving nothing away.

  “There’s need of English settlers, I’m told. I feel it is my duty to the empire to help to settle the colony of British Columbia.” I recited Hari’s words with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

  Reverend Burk gave me a condescending look over his fanned cards. “The colony of British Columbia is not where we’re going.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “It’s a common mistake,” Captain Hellyer said. “You’re headed to Victoria in the colony of Vancouver Island. The mainland and the island are separate colonies.”

  “I heard talk of a merger,” Reverend Crossman said, tossing a card faceup into the centre of the table.

  “You’re right there, lad,” Sir Richard said as he played a trump card to take the first trick. “I’m coming to broker the deal. And after that? Who knows? Looks like there may be a whole new federation in the works. They’re thinking of calling it Canada, of all the daft names. It would be a great joining-together of all the British colonies in North America. We’ll push the damn Yankees out of the north once and for all. Pardon my French, my dear.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met an American,” I said. “Are they so very different from us?”

  “Oh, frightfully different. Nothing like us. They have the strangest notions.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “For one thing, they’ve done away with the class system. No more Sir This or Lady That; everyone’s a commoner. One’s station in life is not determined by the class one is born into. Can you credit it?”

  Dr. Carson coughed. “It’s an idea that has its merits,” he said, before adding, “in my opinion.”

  I caught John nodding, but Sir Richard’s brows knit together in annoyance.

  “In America they’re letting in hordes of penniless people from all over the world. Have you ever heard of anything so humbug? They think they’re building a great country. Stuff and nonsense. We have to protect our values and the empire and keep the Americans and their ridiculous ideas south of the forty-ninth parallel.” With that, Sir Richard triumphantly took another trick.

  Dr. Carson was about to respond, but we were summoned to dinner, and I gathered up the cards before making my way to the table. Sir Richard insisted I sit next to him. Dr. Carson was to be on my right, but he went to have a word with the captain, briefly leaving Lady Persephone next to me on the other side of his vacant chair. She leaned towards me.

  “How is poor, dear Harriet? It’s such a shame that the ship’s motion is taking such a toll on her.”

  I remembered my lines. “Yes, but she has been very brave and uncomplaining. She’s improving every day and will soon be able to join you and Sir Richard for dinner.”

  “Wonderful.” She daintily spread a linen napkin over her lap. “And you, Charlotte?”

  “Me?”

  She raised an eyebrow suggestively. “You mustn’t worry excessively about making a good match in Victoria. One hears stories of colonists being a rather uncouth lot, but I’m confident I can help you find a civilized bachelor of superior breeding. In fact, I have someone in mind.”

  I took a large sip of wine. “You are too kind.”

  She was about to say something more, but thankfully, Dr. Carson took his seat and Captain Hellyer asked John to say grace.

  Over the soup course, Sir Richard filled the others in on our earlier discussion of colonial politics and the need to keep the Americans at bay, then Reverend Burk spoke up.

  “British rule backed up by the Church, that’s what the colonies need. How else can we keep the Natives in line?”

  “It’s all well and good to encourage English settlers, but what opportunities are there once they arrive?” Dr. Carson asked. “If people uproot themselves and come all that way, they must find a better life. Those who stay won’t be the gold seekers.”

  “That’s where the gift of land comes in,” Sir Richard said.

  I looked up from my soup. “A land gift?”

  Sir Richard turned to me. “Under the Proclamation of 1860, the colonial government, led by Governor Douglas, has promised one hundred and sixty acres of Crown land to qualified settlers. One need only promise to
farm or ranch. It is excellent land, rich river delta and ideal grazing ranges. Some of the failed gold miners are taking advantage.”

  As I returned to my soup, I wondered if Sarah, Florence, Emma, Alice, and the other emigrant brides knew about this opportunity. I would make certain that they did. Perhaps my future husband and I might even take advantage of this generous offer. The idea of a ranch of my own appealed to me very much. I imagined myself on a beautiful mare, perhaps a spotted Appaloosa, riding the range, checking on the new calves in spring. Maybe I could even convince Harriet to stay with me.

  Reverend Crossman cleared his throat. “All this land, Sir Richard, who did the government buy it from?”

  “Buy? Nobody bought it from anyone. It was empty land. No one lived on it, so the government simply laid claim to it.”

  “But why would the Native peoples not work the land, if it’s as good as you say?”

  What was Reverend Crossman trying to say? That the British government had simply helped themselves to the land they wanted? If that were true, my dream of a ranch seemed less enticing. I knew what it was like to lose my home, and I didn’t want to be a part of doing that to someone else.

  Reverend Burk broke in. “I’m afraid not all peoples are as industrious as the English. We might well look askance at such indolence, but the Lord loves all his flock. That is why, in his great wisdom, he made some of us shepherds and the others sheep.”

  John flushed and opened his mouth to respond, but Lady Persephone spoke first.

  “Enough talk of politics; I do get weary of it, while I know my husband never does.” She scanned the table. “Tell us about yourself, Reverend Crossman, we know so little about you.”

  “There’s not much to tell,” he said. “My father was an only son and inherited land and a manor house in Yorkshire from my grandfather. I had an ordinary but happy childhood there. I am the older of two boys. I’m afraid we drove our poor mother to distraction with all the mischief we got up to as lads. Seems there was no tree we wouldn’t climb or river we wouldn’t swim. We fished a lot and practised with our bows and arrows while trying not to shoot each other. More than once Mother declared us the devil’s spawn.”

  A look of amusement crossed Captain’s Hellyer’s face, but Mrs. Burk pursed her lips. I, for one, couldn’t resist smiling at the reverend as he told us about his life. He had a habit of scrubbing his whiskers with his hands when he was thinking, and he laughed easily whenever something struck him as funny, which was often.

  “You are the oldest son and your family’s estate will all go to you one day,” Sir Richard said. “Why not stay home and enjoy the easy life you were born into? Why be a minister?”

  “I have little interest in my father’s way of life. He provided me with the finest of educations, including Eton and Cambridge. I was meant to use it to further the family’s business interests, but I resisted. In the end, my beleaguered father relented and gave me a choice of the clergy or teaching, though I had to agree to return home and manage the estate when it was time.”

  How wonderful it would be to have had the opportunity to do as one wished before family obligation asserted itself, I thought. Our lives were so different and yet in some ways similar. Our fathers’ actions had set the course of our futures.

  “Why did you choose the clergy?” I asked.

  “It gave me a chance to see foreign lands, learn about other cultures, help some of the world’s most needy,” he replied. “I dread the day I’ll have to return permanently to England. My father isn’t getting any younger, and I know that time is not far off.”

  The conversation paused briefly as the main course of fresh-caught cod in butter sauce was served. Reverend Burk tried to steer the discussion to a Bible study he was planning for first-class passengers the next day, but Lady Persephone spoke over him, picking up the thread again.

  “My own boys went to Eton. They loved their time there. Of course, they excelled in both athletics and academics. Reverend Crossman, were you both an athlete and a scholar?”

  “I’m afraid my attention was drawn elsewhere.” There was a twinkle in the reverend’s blue eyes. He went on to regale us with stories of youthful escapades and the severe punishments he had endured as a result. Both Dr. Carson and the captain laughed openly, while the Burks looked bored. I caught Lady Persephone giving Sir Richard a disapproving look when he chuckled, and he was quiet after that.

  On one occasion, John recounted, he had been caught climbing out his third-floor window at Eton to spend an evening drinking at the local pub with a friend and fellow student, George Chalmers.

  I almost choked on my scalloped potatoes. The man who had treated me with such cruelty and indifference was John’s old school friend. I suddenly wanted to find a place to hide.

  “George Chalmers, the government whip?” Sir Richard asked.

  “The same,” Reverend Crossman said. “I certainly would not have predicted his future.”

  “I should say,” Lady Persephone said. “He’s one of my cousin’s closest friends, my cousin the prime minister, that is. We had dinner with him just before we sailed, such a charming man.”

  “He was a bit of an odd duck as a child, but he’s turned out rather well in spite of his misspent youth.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t know about any youthful indiscretions. I never knew him as a child, but he’s one of my favourite people now.” Lady Persephone tried to catch my eye, but I kept my face focused on my food. “So warm and clever. In fact, Sir Richard is pressing him to come to the colony for a visit soon.”

  “Really? It would be great to see my old school friend again.”

  The shock of hearing George talked of in such warm, glowing terms was like a fresh slap to my cheek, but no one at the table seemed to notice my distress. I looked at Reverend Crossman with new eyes. Had he heard rumours about me? Did he think I had earned a reputation of ill repute? Would he look for favours that I was not prepared to give? I remembered my earlier misgivings about him, but I had been drawn in by his infectious charm. That wouldn’t happen again. I had too much to lose, so even as I smiled outwardly at his latest story of schoolboy misadventure, I redoubled my resolve to keep my distance from Reverend Crossman from now on.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Avoiding someone on an oceangoing vessel of no more than a few hundred people was easier said than done. I couldn’t risk bumping into the reverend on the decks, so when I wasn’t with Dr. Carson, I stayed inside the cabin with Hari for hours on end.

  “You needn’t stay inside on my account,” Hari said as we settled into our reading chairs for the fourth day in a row. “I’m feeling much better these days. I might even go to dinner tonight. You should see if you can find Lady Persephone, perhaps have tea with her.”

  “It’s just that I’m so caught up in this novel I borrowed from the little library by the dining room.” I waved the penny dreadful at her. “Can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

  It was a lie. The book was deadly dull, so with nothing much to do to distract myself, my mind gave way to my worries. Out of everything that was weighing on me, the money Hari had taken from Charles was the most concerning. Could a wife be charged with theft from a husband? Possibly, I thought, but I doubted Charles would risk the scandal. He would demand the money back, taking it by force if he chose. If things didn’t go as Hari thought, what recourse would we have? How could we appease Charles? We had no power in the equation. I thought of Lady Persephone and her position of superiority over Richard because of her familial relationship with the prime minister. That’s when it struck me. Hari and I had another option, a back door to power over Charles.

  “Hari,” I said, looking up from the book in my lap. I hadn’t turned a page in twenty minutes.

  “Yes,” she said absently, still reading herself.

  “I had a thought.”

  Hari rubbed her eyes and set her book down. “What is it?”

  “There’s a flaw in Charles’s plan to adopt Mary’
s children. He has to convince the Committee of Privileges to allow an adopted child to inherit the title. He may or may not be successful.”

  “We discussed this. It’s an opportunity for him to try with me.”

  “Of course. And if you have a baby, that would be ideal. If, though, you continued to have difficulties, you… could look elsewhere for an heir.” I said it as gently as I could, not wanting to remind her of her problems.

  “Where else? His cousin has no children, and he and his wife must be middle-aged by now.”

  I took a deep breath before I spoke again. “Me. What if I were to have a son? Just as Charles is heir to his uncle’s fortune and title, my child might play the same role for Charles. A nephew by marriage has a far superior claim over an adopted child. It could give us the upper hand. We would be a route to Charles’s success, as opposed to an obstacle. Right now, he has all the power. This could be our chance to gain some of it back.”

  When I met Harriet’s gaze, I saw tears shining in her eyes. “And, it would mean you could come home someday. Char, you would really do that for me?”

  “I’d be doing it for us. And you’ve cared for and protected me for so long. It’s my turn.”

  Hari looked truly happy for the first time in a very long time. “You and your husband could settle on an estate nearby. We would have such fun together, just like the old days.”

  We basked for a few moments in the rosy glow of a perfectly planned future, full of optimism for a change. I imagined myself living close to Hari, sharing the joy of rearing my children. My husband would be a kind and loving father. I tried to conjure an image of him in my mind but he was a shadowy figure, beyond my imagination.

  We were interrupted by a soft knock at the door, and I went to answer it. A cabin boy I recognized from belowdecks stood outside with a note, which he handed to me. I opened it.

  Come at once. Sarah needs you.

  Carson.

  She must be in labour. I felt my heart surge with adrenaline.