They were alone again. Anne leaned against Frederick’s shoulder for a few brief seconds.“It is all so sudden, and it just occurred to me I will be part of a different family—one with new brothers and new sisters.”
“The Wentworths are very close,” he warned her. “Sometimes you may wish they did not want to know your business, but you will find no stronger allies.”
“Unfortunately, the Elliots are not so devoted to their loved ones.”Anne’s face fell with the disclosure.
He assured her,“I have the best of the Elliots; the others are insignificant to me.”
“You deserve better than what I offer you. You give me a family and friendships in which to share.” She finally met his gaze with hers.
“I deserve nothing, but I need you.” He kissed her fingertips. “Let us return to our wedding plans. Do you suppose Edward could officiate?”
“Do you want to marry out of Bath or out of Uppercross?” she asked.
Frederick smiled with the question.“It would be best if we did so in Bath. As much as it would please me to marry you in the chapel on Kellynch, the place where this all began, it would be awkward for your father and sister and Lady Russell to celebrate our union there. Let us choose some place here where Edward might be part of the service. I will make it my mission to find such a church tomorrow. I will ask your father for the nearest services.”
At that moment, Sophia returned, bright-eyed. “I had inspiration. May I see if the Pump Room Assembly Hall is available for the breakfast? I did not attend Edward’s joining with Christine because the Admiral and I were still at sea.This will be a pleasure to help plan.”
“Yes,” said Anne.“Thank you, Sophia.” She said in a low tone,“I think my sister might choose a location that is a bit—how shall I say it—too formal. I would like my guests to be comfortable.”
“We will, of course, include Bath’s high society.And Frederick’s fellow officers!” Sophia’s excitement continued to grow.
“Definitely,”Anne confirmed.“I wish to meet Frederick’s friends.”
“Then it is settled,” Sophia authorized. “I will call on you tomorrow, and we will come up with a tentative list. This is most exciting!” She took several steps in retreat.
“Make it before noon,” Frederick called to his sister. “I plan to spend the afternoon with Anne.”
Sophia turned to say, “Anne, we will wait until Monday and spend time together.That way, you and Frederick may attend services together and speak to the vicar about calling the banns. I will send a note around tomorrow to confirm.” With that, she was gone, leaving a faint trace of rose perfume behind her.
Happy to recognize the union of a member of the aristocracy in his parish, Mr. Osgood readily agreed to share the services with Edward Wentworth. Although a bit rushed, the first reading of the banns occurred that day; the official announcement would appear in the society pages the next morning.
“Can you believe this is happening—at last?” Anne sat beside him as Frederick addressed a note to Edward and Christine, telling his brother of his plans and asking him to participate.
Although a chaperone should have been with them, they had been left to their own devices; Frederick assumed Anne’s impeccable reputation offered no one any qualms or maybe her family still saw her as insignificant. He preferred the former explanation. Frederick leaned toward her and brushed his lips across hers.“Nothing matters but our union; I am afraid I have become quite singular in my thoughts.We have waited long enough for this. If I could convince you to leave with me for Gretna Green, I would; but I cannot, so I am putting all my energy into planning our ceremony here.”
“May we call on my friend Mrs. Smith this afternoon? I wish to share my news with her; she is a widow now.”
“Who is Mrs. Smith, my Dear?” Frederick sealed his letter with wax and wrote the directions on the outer side.
Anne placed her hand lightly on his knee, and Frederick forced himself to breathe. Her touch sent heat radiating through him, and without realizing what he did, he placed his free hand behind her neck, pulling her mouth to his. This time he tasted her lips fully, quickly deepening the kiss before releasing her—with the sounds of the servants in the hall. She sat, staring at him, eyes glazed over with desire, and he chuckled before moving back. Despite finding it more than a bit distracting, he left her hand on his leg; it was a splendid sort of torture.“Mrs. Smith?” he repeated, his voice a bit husky.
Anne felt the torture, too. “Mrs.-Mrs. Smith,” she stammered. “Mrs. Smith is my old school friend Miss Hamilton. I told you of her years ago; she was my most dear friend when I attended school here after my mother’s death.”
Frederick nodded in recollection.“And she is in Bath now?”
“She lives in Westgate Building. She is a widow with little means. Mrs. Smith suffers from rheumatic fever and cannot go about.”Anne continued to sit too close for propriety, but she innocently took no note of it. With Frederick every thing seemed so natural she took and allowed liberties she would never consider with anyone else.
“Is it important to you that we see her today?” Frederick asked in all seriousness.
If anyone else asked Anne whether the visit might be postponed, she would consider doing so, but with Frederick, Anne knew he would not judge Mrs. Smith’s condition or lack of connections. “I would like for you to meet her.” Anne could not explain it to him—would not say the words because they were too personal. She felt her own inferiority keenly.
Frederick saw the sadness on her face.“What is it, Sweetling? Is it something to do with Mrs. Smith?You may tell me anything.”
“I need for you to meet Mrs. Smith; it was she who warned me about Mr. Elliot, but that is not my concern. I have no words to make this sensible.”
“Whatever it is,Anne, we can address it together.”
“My—My Love,” she spoke haltingly, “I am—I am ashamed how little I bring to our union.” Frederick wanted to disagree with her, but he listened quietly.“I spoke of it before; it is a real concern for me. I do not speak of the disproportion in our fortunes—although great, it does not give me a moment’s regret, because you would have it no other way. But to have no family to receive and esteem you properly—nothing of respectability, of harmony, of goodwill to offer in return for all the worth and all the prompt welcome, which met me in your brothers and sisters, is a lively pain. I have but two friends in the world to add to your list: Lady Russell and Mrs. Smith.”
“As I said yesterday evening, I will do my best with Lady Russell; I have decided that I will not dwell on her former transgression, but will judge her based on the here and now.” He took her hand from his knee, which now burned with an erotic energy, and squeezed it gently. “And as for Mrs. Smith, if she helped turn you from Mr. Elliot’s attentions, then she is in my favor already.”
“Oh, Frederick, I cannot comprehend what my cousin did to Mrs. Smith. It is so terrible! I am horrified that he is our relation!” she exclaimed.
Frederick felt her anxiety. “Tell me what you know. Is there some way we may help your friend?”
“Mr. Elliot was an associate of the late Mr. Smith,” she began to explain. Frederick leaned back in his seat. “Because of that, Mr. Elliot knew much about me—my friend spoke often of our times together. He had taken a dislike to my father and sister years ago, but with me, he had a new ‘in’ with our family, and he had a double motive to his visits: Mrs. Clay gave a general idea among my father’s acquaintances of her meaning to be the new Lady Elliot, and, unfortunately, despite my warning months ago, my sister was blind to the fact. Mr. Elliot returned to Bath to fix himself here for a time, with the view of renewing his former acquaintance and recovering such a footing in the family, as might give him the means of ascertaining the degree of his danger of losing the title and of circumventing the lady if he found it material.”
“What of your friend? How did Mr. Elliot betray her?”
“As I said earlier, Mr. Elliot and
Mr. Smith were long-standing friends. The Smiths often loaned him money prior to Mr. Elliot’s marriage. His wife was wealthy—but from the trade class—and wealth was the basis of Mr. Elliot’s wooing game. Even after my cousin’s marriage, they were as before, always together, and Mr. Elliot led his friend into expenses much beyond his fortune.
“From his wife’s account of him, Mr. Smith was a man of warm feelings, easy temper, careless habits, and not strong understanding, much more amiable than his friend, and very unlike him—led by him, and probably despised by him. Mr. Elliot, raised by his marriage to great affluence and disposed to every gratification of pleasure and vanity which could be commanded without involving himself, and beginning to be rich, just as his friend found himself to be poor, seemed to have no concern at all for that friend’s probable finances, but, on the contrary, prompted and encouraged expenses, which ended in the Smiths being ruined.
“The husband died just in time to be spared the full knowledge of it. It was not until his death that the wretched state of his affairs became fully known.With a confidence in Mr. Elliot’s regard, more creditable to his feelings than his judgment, Mr. Smith appointed him the executor of his will; but Mr. Elliot refused to act, and the difficulties and distresses, which this refusal heaped on Mrs. Smith, in addition to the inevitable sufferings of her situation, brought on anguish. I find myself quite indignant!
“She told me she had applied to Mr. Elliot for assistance many times, and she showed me return letters, which displayed his hard-hearted indifference. In my opinion, no flagrant, open crime could be worse! Mrs. Smith related incident after incident, creating a dreadful picture of ingratitude and inhumanity.”
Frederick thought out loud. “It is beyond reprehensible that a man—a gentleman, no less—should treat a woman as such!”
“There was one circumstance,” Anne continued,“in the history of her grievances of particular irritation. She has good reason to believe some property of her husband’s in the West Indies, which was for many years under a sort of sequestration for the payment of its own encumbrances, might be recoverable by proper measures, and this property, though not large, would be enough to make her comparatively rich. But there was nobody to stir in it. Mr. Elliot did nothing, and she can do nothing herself, equally disabled from personal exertion by her state of bodily weakness and from employing others by her want of money. She has no natural connections to assist her even with their counsel, and she cannot afford to purchase the assistance of the law. She really ought to be in better circumstances! Just a little trouble in the right place might do it! I fear the delay might be even weakening her claims, and that is hard to bear!”
“Anne,” he said as he squeezed her hand,“I may be able to help Mrs. Smith.”
“How, Frederick?” She sat now on the edge of the seat.
His smile grew larger by the second. “I did not serve twice in the West Indies without connections. If your friend’s property claim is legitimate, I know to whom to apply for retribution. She may sell the property, for there are many in the Americas seeking such land opportunities, or we may secure the proper overseer to handle it for her. I will help Mrs. Smith find out to whom to write; if she will permit it, I can act for her and see her through all the petty difficulties of the case.”
Before she thought what she did,Anne threw herself into Frederick’s arms, and he instinctively pulled her onto his lap.“Oh, Frederick,” she cackled with glee, “I knew you would make it right! You always do!” Her arms went around his neck, and Anne gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she sprang up. “Let us go see Mrs. Smith now.” But Frederick pulled her back onto his lap.
“In a moment, my Love,” he whispered. “Let me hold you while I can.These moments will have to sustain me until our wedding day.” He held her tightly to him, and Anne rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you more than life,” he whispered softly. He twisted a strand of her hair around his finger.“Your hair is like silk,” he murmured against the side of her face as he kissed her temple.“I dream of it down and spread across my pillow.”
Anne sat up straight, lifted her arms, and pulled pins from the loose chignon.When she released her hands, her auburn locks fell over her shoulders and down her back.
Frederick laced his fingers through her hair, twisting handfuls of it and releasing it to repeat the action.“I need to adjust my dreams,” he said in a raspy voice.“They do not come close to your beauty in reality.” Frederick kissed her lightly; then he kissed her in earnest. It was a dream of eight years: her slightly parted lips, the silky texture of her hair, the lavender emanating from her every pore. The kiss began sweetly and gently, taking more effort at self-control than he imagined. His embrace tightened when her body arched toward him. He deepened the kiss, tasting Anne’s sweetness.
Suddenly, Anne broke away abruptly from the kiss; she was breathing heavily.When she had regained her breath, she said,“It is only a few more weeks, Frederick. I wish our first time to be perfect—with no regrets.”
Frederick said in a strained voice,“You are right, my Love.” He paused for a moment to catch his breath. “We have known one another for so long that it seems natural to be in each other’s arms. But we will do this properly.”
Anne spoke softly as she pinned her hair up,“Maybe we should go to see my friend.”
Frederick touched her lips with his fingertips. “Sweetling, you are quite beautiful when you have been thoroughly kissed,” he teased her.
“I feel quite beautiful, and I never felt as such before,” she whispered.
“Then our taste of sweetness was not insignificant.We learned we are strongly suited, and you saw something in yourself I saw from the first day in that mercantile years ago. Now, my Love, let us straighten our disheveled appearances and go see your friend Mrs. Smith.”
Frederick sat her on her feet beside his chair and then stood himself. Anne smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt, as Frederick did the same with his waistcoat and jacket. Frederick moved to the door. At the portal, he turned and extended his hand to her. “Come, Love, I believe we both need a long walk and the company of other people.”
“Yes,” she murmured, “the company of other people.” Trance-like, she moved to him, taking comfort in the feel of his hand around hers.
Frederick brought the back of her hand to his lips. “I love you, Anne Elliot,” he said boldly, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
“And I love you, Frederick Wentworth,” she responded just as brazenly.Then she took his proffered arm, to leave the study behind.
Frederick, Sophia, and Anne worked assiduously on wedding plans and the invitation list in the Admiral’s study on Gay Street.The trio decided to move their planning to the Crofts’ house to avoid the cold and unconcerned looks Elizabeth Elliot now gave her sister.
“Father will want Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret on the list.”Anne and Sophia dutifully recorded the names.
“What of Mrs. Clay?” Sophia asked.
Anne looked surprised.“Have you not heard?”
Frederick confided,“I did not want to spread rumors.”
“Sophia is your sister, Frederick,” Anne reprimanded him.“She will be my new family, and I see no reason not to tell her.”
“Your point is cogent. Please tell my sister.”
Anne said with some embarrassment, “The announcement of our engagement deranged Mr. Elliot’s best plan of domestic happiness—his best hope of keeping my father single by the watch-fulness a son’s rights would give him. He quitted Bath, and Mrs. Clay did likewise. Because Frederick observed them talking intimately at the party, and earlier my sister Mary observed them as such on the street, we assume they are together, even now.” Anne delivered the news with some perverted delight. “At least, that is how your brother sees it.”
“No,” he protested,“I simply noted that if Mrs. Clay could not fulfill her wish and become Lady Elliot by marrying your father, then possibly she could still become Lady Elliot by marrying Sir W
alter’ s heir.”
“You are just happy not to have to welcome Mr. Elliot to our celebration,” she said definitively.
“That is where you err, my Love,” he taunted. “It would give me great pleasure to see your cousin’s face when I make you my wife.The agony I felt the past few weeks would be displayed on his face, and I would take comfort in that.”
Anne chastised him,“You are unforgiving, FrederickWentworth!”
Frederick smiled wickedly. “And you are beautiful when you are angry, Sweetling.”
Anne blushed with the intimacy of his words in front of his sister, but Sophia did not look at either of them. She seemed engrossed in adding names to her list. Frederick started to offer her an apology for his teasing, but before he could express his feelings a distraught-looking Benjamin Croft interrupted them.
“Admiral!” Anne called and was immediately on her feet, but Frederick got to his brother before her. He supported the man to the nearest chair. Anne rushed to a table for a glass of water, while Sophia knelt at her husband’s feet.
“Benjamin?” Sophia patted his hand and stroked his face. “What is it? Tell me, Sweetheart.”
“I am afraid, Sophie, that I—I bring bad news,” he said haltingly.
“What do you mean?” she coaxed, as Anne moved into Frederick’s embrace.
The Admiral looked up at Wentworth.“Frederick, my boy, you are being ordered back into service.You must be in Plymouth in ten days.”
“What-What?” Frederick stammered.“I do not understand, Sir.”
The Admiral forced himself to his feet.“While we were all enjoying the blessings of the Lord yesterday, Bonaparte escaped the island of Elba.”
Sophia gasped and cried,“How?”
“The French!” His thoughts now animated the Admiral.“They barely guarded the man! He assembled several hundred followers and a flotilla of seven vessels. He appears to be headed for Cannes!”
“No!” Anne protested, burying her face into Frederick’s chest. He pulled her tightly to him.
Captain Wentworth's Persuasion Page 27
