Saints and Sinners

by Karen V. Wasylowski

  Mark was sitting up in bed. “Who was that?”

  “I told you already – a Miss Kelly something.”

  “I heard her speak to you just now, her voice was familiar. More memories are coming back to me now about the attack, the robbery. The beating. Great Scott! I was lying beneath dead bodies for a while.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Damn me! I was in a corpse wagon… I think. Then, when I woke up, I was in a bed, in the hospital.” He closed his eyes. “I was staring into the eyes of a beautiful woman.”

  “Must have been hit on the head harder than we thought.”

  “No, she was real.” Mark struggled with the bedsheets, thinking to go after the nurse somehow. “I think she was, at any rate. Christmas Day, I remember I had her in my arms and we were kissing passionately.”

  “You what!”

  “Did I say that? Then I must have. Yes. I did. I remember. We must stop Miss Kelly, bring her back here; she must know the woman I mean. I want you to meet her, and the family to meet her. I want to court her properly, you know, buy her flowers…”

  “Slow down, boy! Mark, I’ve not seen you like this before.”

  “Why in hell am I trapped in this bed, damnit! I don’t want to lose that woman and if you won’t stop Miss Kelly for me then get out of my way, I’ll go myself.” He struggled with his father but was still too weak to move him aside.

  “You cannot stand, your leg is healing! Whatever this woman was to you –”

  “Is! She’s the woman I love, that’s who she is.”

  “Love? All right, that’s enough. There’s something strange going on here. If she isn’t this Kelly woman then who is she? What is her name?”

  “Oh, damn it to hell! I’m not certain. Her name flits through my mind before I can catch it. Wait! Martha! Martha Cloak? That was it. No. Martha Clarke. Her father was someone very important in the army, in India. She was raised there, I think. She’s a widow… What is it? You know something. Tell me. Why did you just go all pale?”

  Fitzwilliam ran his hands through his mane of white hair. “Let me speak with someone at the hospital first. I’ll send one of the footmen with a note.”

  “No! Tell me now. What is it? What do you know?”

  “My dear, dear boy.” Fitz sat on the edge of his son’s bed and took his hand. “This woman who just ran out, Mrs. Kelly or whoever she was, informed me that your Martha Clarke… is dead.”

  Chapter 23

  It was a glorious morning at the old Woolwich Naval dockyards when the HMS Orontes appeared on the horizon. Dozens of people who had been impatiently awaiting their loved ones for days heard the harbor master’s shout and a cheer rang out. The crowds swelled, and with it the excitement, the chattering, laughter and tears – both anxious and happy.

  It was a full quarter hour later when the magnificent ship, one of the Duncan class of 101-gun two-decker steam battleships, was within docking range and began lowering her sails in preparation. With the assistance of the very latest binoculars Darcy could make out the figure of Richard’s son, Captain Andrew Fitzwilliam, standing on the upper deck as his second in command shouted out his orders to the crew.

  “Do you see Andrew on the foredeck, Elizabeth? He looks quite distinguished, don’t you think? Elizabeth? Elizabeth, what are you looking for? Are you crying?”

  “Of course I am not crying. I merely needed my handkerchief to wipe my eyes. It’s in this reticule somewhere.” She sniffled once or twice.

  “Here, love.” Darcy took his own out and dabbed at her tears. “I feel exactly the same way, Lizzy. Our daughter and son-in-law are home, our nephew is safe. And, I love you.” Then Darcy brought her flush up against his side, nuzzling and kissing her neck.

  “Mr. Darcy!”

  “Stop grinning and blow your nose, then have a look. You’ll see Andrew clearly, and perhaps Anne.” He handed her his binoculars.

  “It’s gone! The ship is gone! I don’t see anything!”

  “You’re looking in the wrong direction. Here let me help you.”

  “I am perfectly capable of doing this myself. Now, where is that ship?”

  Darcy stood behind her and began to adjust the lens. “If I may… turn the dial to focus… that’s right. And, don’t drop them! I shall have you know these were created by an Italian optician, Ignazio Porro, and are very expensive.”

  “I don’t give a fig if he’s a Greek named Plato… Oh, I see him! It’s Andrew, it really is! Andrew! Hello! Oh, how elegant he looks."

  “That’s what I thought as well. Hard to believe he’s Fitz’s son at all.”

  “Oh hush!” Slowly and deliberately she began to search the ship’s rail until she spied her daughter and son-in-law just as they came on deck. “William! William, I can see her! It’s Anne! Anne! Anne Marie!” she shouted out to her daughter in her excitement and waved her handkerchief above her head, even though the ship was still too far and the crowd noise was deafening. She turned to Darcy. “You will never guess who I saw! It’s Anne Marie!”

  “So I heard. You were screaming your head off.”

  “Oh, I was not. How you do exaggerate.” She kissed his cheek and then motioned to her other daughter, calling out, “Alice, come and see through these! They’re wonderful! It’s Anne!”

  “Elizabeth, perhaps we could have Alex take a look for a moment… and could you take the strap off my neck before you offer these to anyone else? You’re choking me!”

  “Sorry, dear. Alex, you must see your brother.”

  As the passengers on the ship came closer into view the crowd began to surge forward, cheering and talking and waving whatever they had at hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Darcy. After your daughter though.” He limped forward and leaned on a lamppost.

  “No, I insist.”

  “You’d better take advantage now, Alex. It could be a few minutes before my wife and daughter stop squealing. I say though, I know it’s none of my concern, but shouldn’t you be seated?”

  “Thank you.” Alex took the binoculars from Lizzy. “William, I am much too excited to sit. By Jove, but that is a magnificent ship. Andrew Fitzwilliam has done well for himself.”

  “Youngest Captain in the Mediterranean fleet,” Darcy announced proudly. “He always did go his own way. Fitzwilliam pretended to be livid when he joined the navy. Fitz was a Colonel under Wellington at Waterloo you know. Never tires of talking about his renegade son, the Captain of the Fleet.”

  Meanwhile, Alice had arrived beside her parents and was hopping up and down with excitement. “Alex, may I see?”

  “Of course! They are standing near the rear of the ship – it’s starting to turn now so look quickly.”

  “Thank you! Oh! I see her! That’s my sister! Oh, doesn’t she look beautiful!” She offered the binoculars to her brother. “Here, George, see how beautiful Anne Marie looks. These are amazing, it’s as if they are a few feet in front of you!”

  “No thank you. I have my own spyglass, Alice.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I can’t get it away from my wife. Let me have a look, Kath.”

  Kathy swatted her husband’s hand away. “I wish that ship would hurry, I’m freezing. You know, George, I don’t think this glass is as good as your father’s binoculars. I can barely make out Andrew.”

  “Imagine how awful I feel about that. Kathy, I have an idea. Why don’t you return to the Inn and keep Harry company, and the Mary’s, and the children? They have that lovely private room, and hot cocoa and cakes, and…”

  She pushed his hand away again. “Will you stop trying to take these from me, George! Borrow Luke’s, or Father Ted’s. Such a shame Papa and Matthew were unable to come along; but someone had to stay with Mark, I suppose. No one else wants to any longer, he’s become so unpleasant to be around.”

  As George wrestled Luke now for his spyglass, he let out a hoot of laughter at his wife’s comment. “He is unpleasant because you spilled boiling hot porridge on his foot.”<
br />
  “Well, you kick at a dish and that is what happens. Not my fault. Besides, I truly don’t believe that is the reason for his… sullenness. It’s not like him to behave this way, Mark was never bitter or sharp tempered before – that was Matthew. And, he’s working much too hard with that physical trainer person. He’s working himself to death! None of it makes sense. Perhaps he’s remembering things now, and I’m certain they are quite unpleasant memories, poor dear. I’ll make him a trifle, or a blancmange tonight.”

  “Hasn’t he suffered enough?” Alice commented as she handed the binoculars back to Alex.

  “I heard that!”

  George whispered in Kathy’s ear. “Don’t say a word of what I am going to tell you. Promise? All right. When I spoke with him this morning, he mentioned something regarding the nurse who had been injured just before Uncle Tony, Luke and I found Mark on the floor at St. Thomas’s. Mark apparently had been very fond of her. Very fond. He said because of him she’d been involved in an altercation with that physician and fell, hitting her head. The fall eventually killed her, Kath. Remember, don’t mention I told you this to Mark, he asked me to keep it between us.”

  “Oh, George, that’s terrible.”

  He nodded. “About the woman?”

  “No, that you can’t keep a secret to save your soul. You’re as bad as I am.”

  “You’re not at all amusing, Kathy. Anyway, Mark is devastated. As I said, he was very fond of the woman. Very, very fond, if you get my drift.”

  “Are you saying he was fond of her?”

  George rolled his eyes. “Kathy, this isn’t funny. I think he was in love with her.”

  “Oh, George!” It took a moment for Kathy to realize he wasn’t teasing. “Oh, no.”

  Suddenly, Lizzy Darcy screamed with delight and turned to her husband. “William! Anne Marie saw me and returned my wave! Isn’t that wonderful? Alex, did you see your brother waving?”

  “I did indeed, ma’am. And I also noticed he’s gained weight. What in the world do they feed them in America?”

  Within the hour the Orontes was being pulled slowly into harbor by the huge rotating capstans onboard. Dozens of men strained at the horizontal wheel, slowly rewinding cables the size of a man’s fist, until the ship was close enough that ropes could be thrown to the waiting dock workers. Once the vessel was secure in its mooring the bosun’s shrill whistle called the ship’s company to attention.

  After receiving the salute of his crew, and after giving final instructions to his second in command, Captain Andrew Fitzwilliam tucked Anne Marie’s hand under his arm and lead all passengers down the gangplank to greet their waiting families.

  The Darcy, Durand and Fitzwilliam families were whole once again.

  Chapter 24

  The reunion on the dock was both joyous and tearful. The moment Anne Marie reached her parent’s arms she wept like a child while Jamie and his brother stared awkwardly at each other, albeit briefly, before joining in a fierce hug.

  Father Ted and Luke, proud to bursting over their brother, Captain Andrew, were boisterous and loud as ever, slapping him on the back and admiring his glorious uniform. Within moments the families had all individually greeted and hugged Andrew, Anne Marie and Jamie, then, after an instant of quiet, it all began again. Anne finally put up her hands in surrender.

  “Not another hug or word until I see my children!”

  By this time Darcy had already begun instructing the servants to load the Durand’s luggage into the awaiting carts, so arm-in-arm Kathy, Lizzy and Alice steered their beloved Anne Marie toward the nearby Inn.

  “Do you think mummy will have become very old looking? Perhaps I won’t recognize her.” Anne Marie’s young son, Steven, chewed on his lower lip as he peered through the window in the direction of the distant dock.

  Beside him sat Deborah, Anne Marie’s youngest, playing with her doll. “I should always know mummy and papa. Even if they were away for a hundred million thousand years I should know them.”

  “Of course, you both would. Besides, she’s only been away three months, Steven.” Bridget smoothed his hair from his face and smiled. “I’m certain she’ll look just the same as when she left.”

  “Truly?” The boy’s forehead rested on the cold window, his breath causing a condensation where he was tracing hearts. “It seems much longer. It seems like she’s been gone for ages.”

  “Poor angel. Now, why don’t you sit at the table and have your cocoa and biscuits?”

  “No, thank you,” he answered politely. “Mummy will want to see me in the window, watching for her.” He then returned his gaze to the road leading up from the dockyard.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the large room Harry Penrod watched his step-sisters, Mary Beth and Mary Margaret, pace the room, both anxiously awaiting their brother Andrew and cousin Anne Marie’s arrival. Twins to the bone they did everything together, even worry. “I really wish you would both sit, you’re making me apprehensive.”

  “But Harold,” Mary Beth hugged her arms around herself and sighed. “The ship was due hours ago. What if something has happened? Good heavens, what if it was wrecked on some distant shore, or during a horrific storm at sea? Wasn’t there a cargo ship lost just last month?” One by one the stunned faces of Anne Marie’s children turned toward her. “Ah. Did I say that out loud? What I meant was…”

  Birdy turned to her cousin Will. “Is that true? There was a ship wrecked?” Little Deborah slid from the bench and ran into her sister’s arms. They clung to each other tightly.

  “Birdy, Mummy can’t swim,” whispered Deborah. “I was going to teach her as soon as I learned.”

  “Mummy and Papa’s ship has wrecked?” gasped Steven.

  “No! No. I never said that. Not really. We don’t actually know anything for certain yet, do we?”

  Mary Margaret pinched her sister’s elbow hard enough to elicit a yelp. “Be quiet,” she hissed.

  Harry quickly swept Deborah and Steven onto his lap. “Listen to me. No one can know the exact moment a ship will arrive. It all depends on so many things – the wind, the currents… but arrive it will. We must be patient. Remember, Uncle Andrew is the ship’s captain, and he would never allow anything to happen to his beloved cousin, Anne, or your Papa.” Then he turned and glared at his sisters. “And we must only speak of happy things, mustn’t we?” he said pointedly.

  “Of course! Happy thoughts only. My goodness, there is almost certain to be one or two survivors – ow!” Another angry pinch from Mary Margaret silenced Mary Beth for good.

  “Aunt Meg and Aunt Beth,” Will Darcy fought off a grin, “Why don’t we discuss the skating party next week?” He turned to Ewan. “You will attend, I hope? It will be great fun. Uncle Matthew said you’re a fine skater, and you play bandy. We can have a family match – only if you’re on my side though. What position?”

  “Forward.”

  “Excellent. A strong forward is always welcomed on my team.”

  “Did you know my father played with a group in Canada when he lived there years ago? They refer to it sometimes as Ice Hockey. He knows everything about the game.”

  “Do you think he’d be willing to referee if we do have a match next week? My Uncle Mark usually is referee – he’s very smart and funny and never loses his temper – but he’s not back on his feet yet. It would be nice to have someone who actually knows the game step in – otherwise my Grandpa Fitz will insist on being referee and he makes up his own rules.”

  “I can surely ask him. I’m certain he’ll be very happy to help out. Mama, Mama, did you hear? There’s to be a skating party next week and Will has asked me to be on his team for bandy, and they’d like Papa to referee. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

  Bridget stared at her boy, not knowing how to answer truthfully without hurting him. Luckily, Ewan was immediately distracted when Will Darcy continued. “By the way, Uncle Matthew tells me you’ll be attending Harrow which is wonderful news. I say, if you’r
e able to come to bandy practice tomorrow you’ll meet several of my Harrovian friends and their younger brothers; and, of course you’ve met my cousins who’ll be going there as well. By the time you enter school there you’ll know everyone.”

  Bridget wanted to weep. How could she ever win against this family? They had London in their pockets, the world was their tomorrow. Well, it would be a few years before Ewan left for boarding school, a good deal could happen by then. However, when she saw how eager he was, how hopeful he looked… well, how could she disappoint him? How would she say no in the end?

  “They’re here!” squealed Steven. “I just saw Papa and he looks fat! And Mummy is laughing!” He pounded on the glass window, “Mummy! Mummy! Birdy, Debbie – Mummy and Papa are home! Come and see!”

  Everyone rushed to the windows, and as Ewan ran past his mother he called over his shoulder, “You will remember to ask Papa, won’t you?” He was such a wonderful child, so loving. She had no defense against him.

  “Of course I will, Ewan. I’m certain he’ll be very pleased.”

  The laughter and chatter outside the Inn grew louder and louder still, until the door to their private room flew open. “Where are my beautiful babies?” wept Anne Marie.

  “We should start heading out,” Darcy announced two hours later – after everyone had feasted on the Inn’s excellent luncheon. “We have a rather long ride ahead of us before we reach our overnight accommodations. I would like to set out very early tomorrow, arrive in the city no later than tomorrow evening, Fitz is anxiously awaiting the sight of Andrew and our Anne Marie. And, you as well, Jamie.”

  “Certainly.” Everyone laughed at Jamie’s grunt of understanding.

  They all began milling about then, finding their cloaks and gloves and discussing who would travel with whom, and in which carriage. In the hubbub, Anne Marie approached Bridget.

  “Bridget,” she said softly. “It is so wonderful to see you again. Might we have a word alone?”