She thought she should have immediate confirmation of this when Matthew and Lord Anglesey returned two days later, but on perceiving her uncle’s post-chaise coming up the drive and going out to meet them, Georgiana found she could not ask after Matthew’s interview with the First Lord. Almost before the carriage halted, Matthew threw open the door, jumped down, and enveloped his wife in an embrace so tight she could hardly breathe. Georgiana could not comprehend a cause for this; she had missed him, of course, but an absence of a few days was easily bearable when they had spent so much time living in close quarters together.
Eventually, his arms slackened a little, and he looked her in the eyes, his countenance deeply marked with emotion. “You recall the Rose, the ship we saw in Batavia? The one I wished to send you home on?”
“Yes, I recall it. There must have been some delay in her journey – the letters from Batavia are the only ones Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth have not received.”
“It was more than a delay – the ship has been expected in for six months, now, and an insurance claim was filed at Lloyd’s. She is presumed lost at sea, with all hands.”
“Oh,” was all Georgiana could manage to say, in her shock.
He laid his hand on her cheek, tears welling within his eyes. “I nearly sent you to your death, Georgiana. Thank God you were adamant about staying with me, or I would have lost you. I would have lost both you and our little girl. I would have killed my family.”
Georgiana had never consciously considered this possibility. Her thoughts had been on staying with him because of the risk to her life her pregnancy had presented. While she had been afraid of travelling without his protection, that the sea-voyage itself presented a risk had never been a factor in her decision. And yet as soon as she thought on these things, she understood something else: she had always felt a certain unwavering confidence in Matthew’s skills as a captain, and had known, deep down, that if his ship had ever been endangered, he would have done everything within his substantial powers to see to the safety of those on board his ship, most particularly his wife. This, of course, was not something she shared with him at present. What she did say was, “You could not have known, and you must not trouble yourself over this. I did not travel on the Rose, and I am here with you and perfectly well, as is our daughter.”
He kissed her, deeply, and then said, “You never wavered, in your resolve to stay with me, and I am infinitely thankful you did not. It is I who ought to have the protection of you, at sea as well as on land, and I promise you that I will.”
Her own eyes brimming with tears, Georgiana nodded, and kissed him again.
+++
When the Stantons finally entered the house, Georgiana was able to learn, alongside the others in the drawing-room, that Lord Melville had been pleased with Matthew’s actions on the river. The Order of the Bath was not merely a conjecture by the newspapers – it was instead a promised reward. Matthew’s audience were all pleased by this disclosure, but once he had informed them of it, Matthew himself seemed to withdraw from the conversation. Georgiana was not immediately troubled by this, thinking it would take some time for him to completely let go of his recriminations regarding the Rose.
Yet he seemed to make no improvement the following morning; if anything, he seemed more distracted and quiet than ever. The weather being as good as it was to get, according to Fitzwilliam, she had proposed a ride out along the estate’s grounds, so Matthew could begin to get a sense of what was to be his domain. A groom had once again been tasked with finding them should Caroline need her mother, but as the child’s needs seemed less on this day, the Stantons made it as far as the village, where Georgiana’s praise over the work their uncle had done with the cottages could garner nothing in the way of comment from him. Her comment upon the ramshackle state of the inn did prompt more of a response, which was,
“Perhaps we ought to hire Taylor to work on it. I had hoped he would be granted a carpenter’s warrant, in the halo of what happened in China, but unfortunately there are just too many out-of-work carpenters already.”
“Your making him acting carpenter was not enough for him, as it was for Grant?”
“Grant was confirmed as a lieutenant by the admiral at the Cape,” Matthew said. “Taylor was not so fortunate, although I suppose I cannot call it fortune to have Randle die earlier, before we reached that port.”
“So what must happen to Taylor now?” asked Georgiana, keenly interested in this both because she respected Taylor, but more particularly for how it would affect Moll.
“He’ll have no difficulty finding a position as a carpenter’s mate again, if that is his wish, but it is below what his skills have become, to have seen a frigate through a journey like this. I would rather see if he would like employment on land – namely with us.”
“Oh yes, I hope he shall – we could put him to work on the inn, or projects within the house. We have any number of improvements that would benefit from his oversight, and I suppose it will be preferable to Mrs. Taylor, to have her husband employed on land with us, rather than at sea.”
“Yes – I am sure that will be preferable for her,” he said, and their horses walked on in silence for some time until Georgiana asked,
“Matthew, are you well?”
“Yes, dearest,” he said, clearly forcing a smile.
He spoke little more, during the remainder of their ride, and by the time he had helped her down from Grace with a wholly inscrutable countenance, Georgiana had become convinced that something else was the matter beyond what she had already considered, something he would not tell her of. She determined to speak to Lord Anglesey, to see if he might offer her any insight as to what had happened in town that had so disrupted Matthew’s equanimity.
To determine to speak to Lord Anglesey was one thing, but to seek him out amidst the mess in the library was quite another. Once Georgiana had knocked on the library door and entered, she faced her uncle – seated behind the battered desk he had taken to writing his substantial correspondence upon – and felt entirely unsure of how to broach such a subject to a man of his seniority and power. Her hesitance was so long as to be palpable to him, and he eventually said, “My dear niece, what is it?”
Georgiana took a deep breath. “Matthew has not been himself since he returned from town, and I was wondering if perhaps you knew why. I know about the Rose, but it seems to be something beyond that.”
“Ah.” He gazed at her, seeming to search her own countenance, then said, “He has not told you, has he?”
“Told me what?”
“That he resigned his commission, of the Caroline.”
“No – he has not told me that. Why would he do so without speaking of it with me?”
“Only Matthew can completely answer that question, but I believe he felt it best, to meet his commitments to his family. Neither he nor I expected that the Admiralty should continue his command beyond his return to England, but they have – they wish to send the Caroline back to the Mediterranean, to serve there for a year or two, and then once the ship is thoroughly worn out, she is to be sold out of the service.”
Georgiana received this statement with shock, and yet as soon as she had absorbed it, she understood that it very well explained Matthew’s behaviour since he had returned from town. “If – if he was to change his mind, is it too late as far as the Admiralty is concerned?”
“No, I do not believe so. The Caroline is to be dry-docked, to have her hull careened before she sails again, and I understand there was a desire to keep Matthew as her named captain during that time, so he might earn full pay for a few more weeks. It is a little thing, so far as it impacts his fortune, so I believe it has more to do with his resumed popularity in the papers; the Admiralty likes to enjoy such positive press, and in the time that they enjoy it, they wish to speak of Captain Sir Matthew Stanton as captain of the Caroline. Surely they have some other captain in mind to take over the commission, but he would not be named for a few weeks.”
“So if Matthew did change his mind, he could remain, as captain?”
“I am almost certain he could. He has always been well thought of at the Admiralty, and his most recent actions can only have increased his merit,” said Lord Anglesey. “Do you intend to try to change his mind?”
“I do,” said Georgiana. “Matthew made me a promise, in Bombay, but he has gone beyond his promise.”
+++
Even before she had left the library, Georgiana had determined to confront Matthew. She felt sympathetic to him, for she understood how all that had happened in Bombay – as well as the intelligence regarding the Rose – had influenced him, and yet this sympathy held a strong undercurrent of anger, that he had made such decisions without even mentioning them to her. She found him in the bedroom they had been using, seemingly going through the contents of his sea trunk with Hawke.
“Take the uniforms up to the attic, I suppose, for storage,” Matthew said.
“No, leave them here,” said Georgiana, vehemently. “Hawke, will you excuse us? There are some things Captain Stanton and I need to speak of.”
Hawke scurried from the room as rapidly as a man of his size could, and Georgiana glared at her husband, who eyed her warily, as though he was rapidly gaining a sense as to what had angered his wife.
“You resigned your commission, and you did so without even speaking to me of it,” Georgiana said. She had not intended to indicate that his doing so had wounded her, and yet she could not speak of such things without their impacting her physically, and she crossed her arms, as though to protect herself.
“I am sorry, Georgiana. I should have told you of it, but I did not want to trouble you.”
“Well you have troubled me,” Georgiana said. “Why did you do it?”
“I made you a promise in Bombay, and I intend to keep it.”
“You promised me you would finish out this command, so long as it did not endanger me any further,” said Georgiana, “and yet you seem determined to end your command early, even though there is no reason why Caroline and I could not go to the Mediterranean with you.”
“But you should not have to, dearest. You have a home, now, a home of permanence, and you should be allowed to enjoy it.”
“How can I enjoy my home, when I see you making your way about this place in such unhappiness? If this is how you are to be on land, I would rather we go back to sea.”
“I will be better – I just need a little time to adjust. It will be easier for me once I know who will take over as captain. That is what troubles me about giving up the commission – that I must let down those men who have sworn to follow me.”
“And what if you do not approve of the man who takes over as captain? Are you to be like this for years? Please, Matthew, finish out this command. It will not be breaking the commitment you made to me, to see through your commitment to your crew. Our daughter is a good sailor, and I would like to go to the Mediterranean. I would like one more voyage, before we settle here.”
“We were supposed to go to the Mediterranean before.”
“What happened was a strange circumstance. It could not possibly happen again.”
“Do not tempt fate, Georgiana.”
“I do not understand why you are so reluctant to do this, Matthew.”
“I am reluctant because I will never forget your countenance, in that carriage in Parel. I never want to pain you in that way again. I never want for you to doubt that you and Caroline are most important to me.”
“That is why I want us to go. I do not ever want you to look at us and have regrets that you did not end your career in the way you should have. I do not want you to continue to be distant, your mind a thousand miles away.”
Gently, he reached out to her crossed arms and encouraged her to uncross them, taking up her hands. “The only regret I will ever have, is in not treating you as I ought. You are right, that we should have discussed this before I made the decision, and I believe you are right, that I should allow my career to come to a more natural conclusion, but only if you are sure – absolutely sure – that you wish to go.”
“I am. You are always promising me we should go to the Mediterranean, and now finally we shall have our chance.”
+++
Georgiana’s certainty was proven in the hours following her conversation with Matthew, as she found herself hoping fervently that the Admiralty would restore him to command of the Caroline, so they could go on this new journey together. It was not merely for him that she wished this; she had been wholly truthful, in saying she wanted to go to the Mediterranean. That naval world she had thought she would miss was to be her home once more, and she would gather new memories, of new places, a thought that filled her with happy anticipation rather than second thoughts.
She knew, however, that her choice to do what was best for both her and Matthew was likely to result in a difficult choice for the Taylors, and it was with some reluctance that she rang the bell before dinner, to summon Moll to change her. She did so allotting extra time in order to converse with Moll, and after her maid had entered and gained her agreement over the dress she would dine in, Georgiana bade Moll to wait and be seated. She did so, and looked at her employer curiously as Georgiana sat beside her maid on the chaise.
“Moll, I wanted to ask if you had heard from your husband about the carpenter’s warrant. I fear Captain Stanton was unable to secure one for Taylor. I am sure he did everything he could, but he said there were too many out-of-work carpenters already.”
Moll nodded. “I know, milady. Taylor told me of it. I won’t say it weren’t a cruel blow at first, for it was surely, but I know you’re right that the captain did all he could. An’ it was right good’a the captain to offer him work here on your house and the village and such. There’s years’ worth o’ work to do here, he said, an’ he’s to pay better than what Taylor would have got in the navy. It’ll be some change for John to work on land after livin’ his whole life at sea, but he’ll be fine enough in time.”
“I am sure he will.” Georgiana smiled, gently. “The difficulty of things is that we think Matthew will be going back to sea – to the Mediterranean – and if he is, I intend to go with him. So I fear I have put a difficult choice before the two of you, as to whether you wish to stay here with your husband – which I would certainly understand – or continue in your employment. If you wish to stay in England, you may be assured of a good character from me, or you may stay on in the house as a maid, and we will find an appropriate place for the two of you to live together.”
“Oh, milady,” Moll reached out and touched Georgiana’s arm, remembered herself, and darted her hand back. “That’s right good o’ you to be concerned, but the choice ain’t difficult. Taylor and me already discussed what we’d do if somethin’ happened that should separate us like this. I’ll be truthful, we thought it more likely he’d have to go to sea and I’d be stayin’ on land, in your employ, but I don’t think it matters that things are opposite. We want to save up, right now, plan for the future so to say. And we don’t want to start a family as yet, so that’s a lot easier if – if we’re apart.”
Georgiana, relieved at what Moll said, tried to keep the amusement from her countenance at seeing her maid’s face turn entirely crimson. “That is very responsible of you, to save, and to wait,” she said, blushing herself at the thought that she and Matthew had undoubtedly failed at the latter.
“Thank ye, ma’am. May I – is it proper to tell you of what we’re savin’ for? It’ll require somethin’ to ask of you an’ the captain, when the time comes.”
“Of course you may,” said Georgiana, deeply curious as to what Moll’s request was going to be. “What is it you will wish to ask for?”
“Well – you see – in two years, the lease is up on the inn in the village, the White Hart, and me and Taylor, we want to take it over. I don’t know if you’ve met Ned Tilley, the innkeeper, but – well – I don’t know how to say this better to ye ma’am, but
he’s drunk most hours o’ the day and good none of ‘em. It’s not all his fault the inn got into such poor repair, for the family weren’t keeping it up as the lease required, but it’s more than that, as is causin’ it to fail. Me and Taylor think we can do better – improve the food and the rooms, and the service most of all – I know things about servin’ the quality, from workin’ for you, milady. I know it’ll be bad for the village and the inn for it to fail for a few years more, but I don’t know as there’s anything you can do with a lease in place, and for me and Taylor it’ll be good to save up some money that we can put towards it, to turn it around.”
Vaguely, Georgiana had understood that the inn could not be in such a state without some failure on the part of the current innkeeper, and if that was the case, he must be replaced when the time came. She had not expected the candidates for replacement to be the Taylors, but the sense of the scheme immediately struck her: it would be a business that would allow them to stay together after this initial parting; it would enable them to have children and raise them within the inn; and moreover, Moll’s cheerful, talkative demeanour was perfect for greeting the customers of such an establishment, while Taylor could ensure it remained in perfect repair and further grow his polymath skills in all else that was required of him as the innkeeper. Thus, she smiled warmly when she said to Moll,
“I can think of no more perfect candidates than yourself and Taylor, and I am certain Captain Stanton will feel the same way. I am sorry to cause you to be parted for some time, but perhaps it is for the best that Taylor will remain on land. He would do well to learn what he can about those things he is less familiar with – a knowledge of horses, particularly, will be important.”
A Season Lost Page 65
