Chapter 5: Past Sins and a Funeral

September 1818

A week later, Collins was on his way to the Spanish Main, sailing in the Cockpit brig. Thomas did not see the man off personally, but had him under the bailiffs’ guard until the ship sailed. Thomas had no doubt that he would be useful to his future masters, seeing how he was without much of a conscience. Given the cruel way the wars were fought in the former Spanish colonies, Collins would find his place, unless he died.

Robert Bryce and Harriet-Anne would soon make the journey to Kilmarnock for their planned wedding, and this meant travel for Thomas, Mirabel and Teresa, too. Thomas would serve as Robert’s best man, Mirabel as matron of honour for Harriet-Anne, and Teresa would be a bridesmaid. Margaret and Theodore would be left under the care of their honorary great-aunt Angela. The Bennings would arrive at Grey Manor presently, to watch over house and children.

In the meantime, Thomas and Robert organised the travel. Thomas remembered his one visit to Kilmarnock, back in 1804, and the five days of travel by stagecoach. With seven principals and at least five servants, they would hire two post-chaises, including drivers and the frequent changes of the horses. To the North of London, they would find the regular postal route to Glasgow and follow it. Robert was optimistic to complete the journey in four days.

They were still preparing for the journey when a letter by courier arrived for Thomas. He remembered the handwriting, and he expected bad news. It was indeed a note by Alice Harrison in which she informed Thomas of her husband’s passing, asking him to serve as pallbearer at the funeral.

Hurriedly, they organised their travel to Portsmouth with the next day’s stagecoach. Broderick and Suzette would accompany them and see to their clothing. Promising to be back as soon a feasible, they left Grey Manor in the next morning and reached the relay station well in time. With Broderick volunteering to share the driver’s bench, Suzette wedged herself into a corner, leaving enough room for three more travellers. Four hours later, they arrived at the Portsmouth relay and found lodgings. They spent a quiet night at the Golden Thistle Inn, after enjoying a private dinner in a separée off the common room.

The next morning, after fortifying themselves with a cooked breakfast, Thomas and Mirabel took a hackney to the late Admiral Harrison’s house. Upon his knocking, an elderly maid showed and accepted his calling card, asking them to wait for the widow to receive them.

Alice looked strange wearing black, although she eschewed a veil in her house.

“Thomas, you are a dear, dropping everything to show Rodney your respect. Lady Grey, it is so kind of you to come, too!”

“Speak not of it, my dear Alice. We are old friends, after all,” Thomas answered.

“Dear friends,” Alice corrected him. “Not many of Rodney’s former shipmates will show. The Commander-in-Chief excused himself already. He’s sending his chief of staff.”

“I thought Admiral Harrison was well respected?” Thomas asked.

“He was, but I’m not. My parents have not much influence anymore, but enough to stir up resentment against me.”

“That is so sad,” Mirabel opined. “Yet it says more about them than about you.”

“Will your grandfather attend?” Thomas asked.

“He will be there. He already sent a caustic letter to the Commander-in-Chief, but he is an old man and feeble.”

“Well, at least you have your friend, Missus Whiting.”

“Another person who bowed to the pressure of the scandal mongers,” Alice said sadly. “I though better of her, but then again, I knew that she lacks spine.”

“I am very sorry to hear that, Alice. Well, you have us, at least. I may collect a few more enemies, but it’s nothing we cannot weather. Will your brother come at least?”

“Yes. He grew into a steadfast young man. Oh, and despite of what I said, my parents will attend, too. They would not miss seeing me embarrassed,” Alice ended cynically.

“Have you enough pallbearers?” Thomas asked.

“Right now, yes, but strange malaises have befallen others who promised to serve at first.”

“I shall drum up a few spares,” Thomas promised. “I believe Captain Fitzmoran lives in Portsmouth, and so does my old friend, Captain Conway. They’ll do me the favour.”

“Thank you my dear. The funeral will be two days hence, at two in the afternoon, at St. Thomas, of course. Thomas, if it’s not too much, will you be wearing your Nº1 uniform with all the sashes, stars and medals? It would mean a lot for me.”

“That is easy enough. I’ll even wear the stupid honour sword,” Thomas smiled. “You’ll want me to speak a few words, too?”

“Would you? I mean, you had special perspective of Rodney.”

“All right, I’ll think of something. Is there anything else we can do for you?”

“Nothing comes to mind. Then again, when the funeral will be over, I shall close the house and leave Portsmouth for a while. For obvious reasons, I cannot join my London circles again for a while, but is your offer of a stay in Surrey still standing?”

“Of course, dear, “Mirabel answered. “However, we shall travel soon to attend the wedding of two old friends up in Scotland. We shall be gone until mid-October, but our quasi-aunt and -uncle will look after the children and the house in our absence. You could stay with them. They are good-hearted people.”

“Yes, Elias Benning was my first captain after I finished the Academy, and his wife, Angela, adopted both of us. They are the closest thing to parents we have,” Thomas added.

“Angela can be a bit too motherly, but I suppose you might enjoy that after the last years,” Mirabel smiled. “In their last letter, they wrote that they’ll bring along another of our friends, Miss Daisy Leeds, who is like a younger cousin to us. You’ll love them!”

“All right, my dears, you already convinced me. Will they not take issue with my ... life style?”

“Knowing them as we do, we don’t expect that,” Thomas answered, with Mirabel nodding.

“As long as you maintain proper decorum, wearing dark suits of mourning and not one of Brummell’s fads, you’ll get along fine,” Mirabel giggled, and Alice joined her.

“Yes, I already have a few black suits. I shall wear one to the funeral, if only to defy my parents.”

Thomas consulted his fob watch and sighed. “I had better try to find Captain Conway and talk him into attending. Fitzmoran, too. Mirabel, will you rather stay with Alice or accompany me?”

After a brief eye contact with the widow, Mirabel shook her head.

“I shall keep Alice company, and you can pick me up once you finish your visits.”

Captain Rufus Conway was showing his age quite a bit more than thirteen years before, and his limp was more pronounced. Yet his eyes were still those of a young man, and his smile was as ready as ever. He greeted Thomas with obvious joy.

“Thomas Grey in the flesh! Sir Thomas Grey, of course! My apologies.”

“Not needed, Sir. We missed you at the anniversary of the College.”

“You mean young Robert Bryce was there, too?”

“Not quite as young, but he’s a captain, too. Spent most of the war in the Far East. He still speaks fondly of you and of our time in the old Sea Rover.”

“Yes, that was a fine place to let go of worries and sorrows, wasn’t it? But what am I babbling? Clifton, alert Missus Conway that we have a dear visitor.”

“Aye-aye, Sir,” the man Clifton answered. Thomas recognised him as Conway’s old steward in the Ville de Bordeaux hulk.

“Well, it is good to see you, Sir Thomas.”

“I feel the same, Sir. Is Missus Conway well?”

“You’ll be able to ascertain that soon by yourself. We lead a good life these days, and Mabel is still the sweetest woman a man can wish for. And you? How is your life?”

“I am indeed married, and we have three children. One is adopted and a young lady already, but the other two are still quite young. Our youngest was born this Spring.”

Just then, Thomas felt transported back to when he was fourteen years old, for Mabel Conway, the former Miss Maybelle, glided down the stairs with perfect poise, but with a delighted smile on her face.

“Why, if it isn’t our young Tomcat!” she exclaimed, and seconds later, Thomas found himself in a tight hug. “We were all so proud of you when we read about your achievements, me and Marianne. She was widowed, the poor lamb, but she is living well. Ginger has her own establishment, but in Brighton, and Chastity helps her.”

“That already answers more than half of my questions, Missus Conway,” Thomas smiled at the woman who had once claimed his virginity, so to speak. “We, Robert and I, always held that the women of the Sea Rover were special.”

“That young charmer is also still with us?”

“Oh, yes, but he will get married ere the month is over, to a neighbour and good friend.”

“You’re married, too? What is her name? Do tell!”

“Her name is Mirabel, and we have two children, and an adopted daughter.”

“That is a lovely name, and she must be a lovely woman to catch your heart!”

“Well, since you were taken...” Thomas grinned, getting swatted by the lively Mabel/Maybelle.

“I shall seek her out and tell her!” she threatened.

Thomas shrugged. “She knows. When Robert and I reminisced about our days of glory, the Sea Rover came up, and I confessed my sins.”

“What is it that brings you to Portsmouth then?” Rufus Conway interceded.

“Sadly, a funeral, Sir. You may remember Admiral Harrison, the former captain of the Duke hulk?”

“I do. Strict man, good disciplinarian, very good sailor. What about him.”

“He’s been sick for a while, and he finally passed away four days ago. I served in the Duke under him, and we befriend his widow, so we shall attend the funeral and I shall serve as pallbearer. Sadly, several other captains bowed out of attending. Frankly, I came to ask you to give Rear Admiral Harrison your respect.”

Conway looked at his wife.

“I still have a perfectly good black dress, and you know how much I like to see you in your Nº1 coat,” she smiled.

“We shall be there,” Conway nodded. “When?”

“Day after next, four bells in the afternoon watch, at Saint Thomas. Do you know whether Captain Fitzmoran is available, too?”

Conway sighed. “Afraid not. The poor man only gets along in a wheel chair these days. He had a bad fall some three years ago. A pity!”

“I really must visit all the people who helped me back then,” Thomas sighed.

“Yes, they will be happy. I know that I am,” Mabel Conway nodded. “Where are you lodging?”

“The Golden Thistle.”

“Would you mind coming to dinner tomorrow, you and the Lady Grey? We really want to hear all about your exploits.”

“I am afraid that my dear wife will also want to hear about my exploits, but from you,” Thomas grinned. “Yes, of course, and with the greatest delight!”

“It is settled then. Is 6 p.m. a good time?”

“As good as any. We shall be there.”

“Oh, time is too short to contact Ginger and Chastity, but Marianne lives nearby, Will it be permitted to have her over, too?”

“By all means, yes. Let all my youthful indiscretions become known to my wife,” Thomas laughed. “I remember Miss Vivienne, or rather Marianne, fondly. Oh, can you please dispense with the Sir Thomas and Lady Grey? We are friends, after all, aren’t we?”

“Only if you stop calling me Sir,” Conway insisted. “I’m a captain like you, so call me Rufus and I shall call you Thomas.”

Convincing Mirabel to meet the Conways had been surprisingly easy. The prospect of meeting two of Thomas’s former ‘tutors’ did not worry her, but rather raised her curiosity. Thus, come 6 o’clock, their rented cab stopped in front of the pretty little house in Southside, and Thomas helped his wife down from the seat.

He was wearing one of his civilian coats and trousers, and Mirabel had eschewed the dark dresses she’d brought along in favour of a ruby-red Wilson creation, one of her favourites, especially now that she could finally wear it again after Theo’s birth. Thomas worked the knocker, and Clifton, the former captain’s steward, received them, taking their cloaks and Thomas’s hat.

“This way, please, Sir Thomas, milady,” he directed them to the dining room, where they found their hosts, but also a smallish, well-rounded, and smiling Marianne Norton, the former Miss Vivienne. After Thomas effected the introductions, their hostess gave Mirabel an admiring smile.

“At least, we taught you a good taste, my dear Thomas, didn’t we, Marianne?”

The small blonde giggled and nodded. “We certainly did. Thomas, my dear, may I hug you just once, for old times’ sake?”

“I should be very disappointed if you wouldn’t, Missus Norton,” Thomas answered suavely and stepped close to the blonde, receiving a crushing hug for his troubles, whilst Mirabel watched with an amused smile.

“You didn’t mind that, milady?” Marianne Norton asked. “So many of the Navy gentlemen we met in the old Sea Rover didn’t make it back to England, and Thomas was very dear to all of us.”

“Yes, I knew already that my husband was very popular with you ladies. Our house guest, Captain Bryce, made certain to let me know.”

“You mean Robbie?” Marianne asked. “He is fine, too?”

“Better than ever. He is a post-captain, too, and about to marry,” Thomas explained. “In fact, we shall travel to Scotland, probably next week, to attend the wedding. How are you faring, though, Marianne? I heard about your loss, and I’m sorry.”

“It has been five years now,” Marianne sighed. “James was such a dear man! His ship was lost with all hands in a gale off the Breton coast that drove them onto the Black Rocks. At least, he was washed ashore and buried, and the French even notified us, I mean, the widows. I visited the grave after the war ended and had a headstone set.”

“I’m sorry, too, Missus Norton,” Mirabel said, taking the widow’s hand. “Are they paying you a pension at least?”

“A pittance to be honest, but I do not depend on it. James had some luck with prizes, and I can live handsomely off the interest.”

“Rufus is looking after her investments,” Maybelle threw in.

“Yes, he’s helped me so much. I was so lucky joining the Sea Rover back then!”

“It must have been quite the place,” Mirabel mused.

“I guess it was,” Rufus Conway said. “Old Caroline ran it as a private club, and not every man was accepted as member. She was good at weeding out the unsavoury characters. Visiting the Sea Rover back then was like visiting good friends. That’s why I became a part owner when Mabel took over; I wanted to keep it that way. We also succeeded in adding the right young ladies to the roster,” he ended with a smile at Marianne.

“Oh, you flatterer!” she chided him. “Yet he’s right. The other girls — young ladies — were lovely to me when I joined. I had so much to learn, like how to speak properly, how to eat from China plates, all of that was new to me.”

“Astonishing,” Mirabel opined. “It opened a new life for you.”

“Well, let us sit. Cook has the dinner ready, and she is not a patient woman,” Conway interrupted.

They sat down, and soon after, a gruff woman carried in a soup bowl which she placed roughly on the table.

“About time!” she commented.

“Well, that’s Cook all right,” Mabel smiled when she had retreated to the kitchen. “Her cooking is delicious, making up for her ways.”

The creamy leek and potato soup supported Mabel’s claim, and the following mutton roast cemented it. This was fine cooking, and Thomas commented favourably on the fine quality.

“She was the cook in the Sea Rover, and when we closed it down, she came to cook for us. She may still end up at the bottom of The Solent for her insolence, but so far, her cooking kept her alive,” Conway chuckled.

“Fie, Rufus! Cook is a dear. She’s just a bit ... rustic?”

“Uncouth and boorish would be my descriptions,” Conway needled his wife. “Old Mistress Caroline was wise in placing her in the kitchen and away from the members.”

“Yet, her cooking was an asset, wasn’t it?”

They bantered a bit more, but then Conway remembered something.

“I remember your parents, Thomas, from that graduation you had at the Academy. How are they faring?”

“Oh, of course you cannot know. They both died in an accident, in ‘12. Their coach was hit by an oak branch in a thunderstorm. I was in the Mediterranean, commanding the old Dido frigate, and Mirabel shouldered all the arrangements. Pellew gave me some leave to settle everything, and when I returned to the fleet, Mirabel accompanied me to Gibraltar. It was there that we became close.”

“I had a hard time being accepted by some of the tenants and the bigoted old curate, and Thomas found lodgings for me with Angela Benning, his former captain’s wife. We had a wonderful time in Gibraltar, and Angela made herself our quasi-aunt. She and Elias — Captain Benning — are dear, dear friends.”

“Because of your...?” Maybelle tentatively asked.

“My skin tone and my features mark me as of Caribbean extraction,” Mirabel answered easily. “My mother came from Barbados, and to some people, mostly other women, I am an octaroon and to be despised.”

“They’re likely just jealous, my dear, for you look fabulous. Viv and I have to bear the prejudice, too, because of our past. Our revenge is quite simple — we live happy lives, don’t we, Rufus, dear?”

“Yes, we do, and to hell with the bigots who married for money and interest,” the old captain smiled. “I take it that Lady Mirabel is also your inspiration for that book you wrote?”

“Partly yes, but there are other men and women, too, who inspired me. I had a brush or two with the Berber corsairs and was part of liberating quite a number of Christian slaves.”

Marianne looked at him adoringly. “I have a collection of Gazette articles that reported your exploits. We were all very proud reading about your deeds. Oh, I didn’t mean ... I’m sorry, milady. Sometimes, I just talk without thinking.”

“Do not fret, my dear Missus Norton. We have a sometime houseguest, a young lady, who can barely hide her adoration for my husband. Yet, she is a dear and loyal friend to me.”

“You have a big heart, milady,” Marianne smiled shyly.

Over the main course, the atmosphere became pleasant. Maybelle was still a born conversationalist, and she was even able to overcome Marianne’s awkwardness. Mirabel, too, thawed considerably, and Rufus Conway watched over his dinner guests with a benevolent smile. When it was time for Thomas and Mirabel to bid their farewell, she spontaneously offered Marianne to convey her home in their hackney.