Chapter 23: Home Again

When they boarded the Amelia Anne, they found the arrangements more cramped than on their westward journey. As a matter of fact, Richard and Ellen were the only ones who had their private cabin, whilst Sir Humbert shared the accommodation with Antonio. The other three women shared in a larger quarter, a fact that made Melissa Martin a little self-conscious.

Due to the cold of mid-November, the passengers were forced to spend most of their time in the main cabin where a coal basin radiated a modicum of warmth. They mostly sat huddled together under blankets, something the two couples did not mind at all. Colleen MacAllister had huddled with her father for the first day, but then she noticed Melissa sitting alone like the proverbial fifth wheel, and she offered Melissa her free side. Melissa’s face competed with the coals in the basin when she sat close to the young woman.

On the second day, Colleen collected her courage and spoke to Antonio.

“Don Antonio, you may have heard that I aspire to being a writer. I find the story of your shipwreck, your rescue and your reunion with Miss Carter a fascinating tale. Would you allow me to write down your adventures? Not so much for publishing, but I would like to hone my skills and see what I can accomplish.”

Antonio considered this. He had never thought his story would be of interest to anybody but his closest friends and family. He saw Colleen’s eagerness and her sincere interest however, and he nodded slowly. He spent the next two days telling her his story whilst she took notes, her pen flying over the leafs of her notebook.

Eleanor listened with amused interest as the would-be writer also asked pointed questions about his feelings and tried to gather as much information as he could give her from his memories. The captain of the Amelia Anne also found time for her and Antonio, reconstructing Antonio’s odyssey on his sea charts and helping Colleen to understand the issues of seamanship involved in the story.

Melissa spent most of that time sketching the people in the main cabin. Her fingers were sooty from the charcoal, and sometimes there were smudges on her cheeks where she had touched with her fingers. She delighted the other passengers and the captain with the portraits, and she basked in the praise she received.

Ellen, for her part, spent most of her time with Richard, as she had hoped. During those four weeks, they were inseparable. Richard spoke freely about his work, and Ellen developed a good understanding of her husband’s responsibilities.

Not for the first time, Richard noticed that his wife was not only blessed with good looks, but also with a sharp mind, a phenomenal memory and good social skills. She had lost the naïvety that been her hallmark during her first season in London and had replaced it with a quiet watchfulness. He had noticed this first during their stay in Boston. Ellen had been reserved with the people they met, never revealing too much of herself, only opening up once when they met Charlene Beckham. When Richard asked her about this, she considered it for a while, before she answered.

“I suppose, it has to do with the Binnings affair. I had to be guarded all the time, and now it has become my second nature. Is it that bad?”

Richard laughed then. “No, you are right. You had better be guarded in society. Do you trust me at least?”

Her kiss was enough of an answer for him.

During the nights, they made love, trying to be as quiet as possible. They did not meet with complete success in this, as Eleanor gave them knowing smiles when they met for breakfast in the main cabin. Neither Ellen nor Richard cared. They had waited long enough and Ellen would soon reach a point in her pregnancy where those activities would have to be curbed. Thus, the somewhat uncomfortable crossing was a blessing in disguise for the young couple as it provided them with ample time to solidify their bond.

Twenty-three days after leaving Boston, the lookout sighted Ouessant. Two days later, they were able to go ashore in Southampton. Here, after a two-day wait, they were able to board the regular post chaise to London, via Portsmouth. Seating was tight in the coach, with three men and four women, but they were reasonably warm under their blankets.

The short days of early December enforced an overnight stop in Guildford, where they found a hot supper and soft beds in the Red Lion inn. Continuing on the next morning, fortified by a hearty breakfast, they reached London by early afternoon after two more stops. This being the endpoint of the tour, the driver, against a generous tip, agreed to drive them directly to Lambert House.

Here they learned that Old Lady Lambert was visiting Harriet, and whilst Ellen and Melissa had a chance to rest, Richard found cabs for the rest of their party to convey them to their destinations. Of course, Eleanor insisted on accompanying Antonio to his home.

A messenger was sent to the elder Carters, and Sir Anthony and Harriet Carter stayed for the afternoon whilst Richard and Ellen told them and Lady Lambert of their experiences and small adventures. Lady Lambert greeted Melissa guardedly at first, but she soon thawed. Of course, Ellen could not resist showing her family the painting Melissa had done, and it made a strong impression on everyone. Within minutes, Melissa had her next two commissions. Lady Carter wanted to have a painting of herself with her mother and daughter, and she wanted a painting of her husband, in his full admiral’s uniform. Sir Anthony was reluctant and only relented when he saw that his wife was adamant about it.

Melissa was given a room on the second floor, towards the back and the garden, with tall windows and, accordingly, good light.

When all was said and done and a supper had been eaten, the travellers sank into their beds to enjoy their first night back at home.

On the next morning, Ellen’s first task was to visit Lucy, and she dragged Melissa along with her whilst Richard wanted to go to his office to get an idea of the work that had accumulated during his absence. Lucy was clearly overjoyed to have her stepdaughter back and she questioned her in depth about her pregnancy. Of course, Ellen had no problems. She still felt healthy and strong and, if anything, the expectation buoyed her spirits. She still had almost five months until her delivery date, but Lucy insisted on her seeing a midwife as soon as possible, a midwife she and Harriet had handpicked and instructed already. Lucy then turned her attention to Melissa.

“So you are a painter? That must be exciting. I must bring you in contact with Lady Trimble. She is somewhat of a painter herself, and she also has a salon to which she invites her fellow artists. You will find her a most charming person. Just do not expect too many young men at her salon. One could say that she is not disposed towards men.”

Melissa stared disbelievingly at this woman who so nonchalantly discussed a woman “of deviant tastes”.

“That should not bother me overly much, Lady Wilkes,” she said, taking the plunge. “I do not feel disposed towards men either.”

Lucy laughed. “She will eat you alive! She even went after me, and I have been married for over twenty years.”

To say Melissa was astonished about this liberal mindset would be an understatement. She soon found out that bigotry was something completely lacking from Lucy Wilkes’ character. When Ellen and Melissa left the Wilkes’ house two hours later, Melissa could not help but think how different her life could have been had her mother been only a little like Lucy.

Back at the Lamberts’ residence, they found old Lady Lambert, Lady Carter and Doña Maria planning another New Year’s Eve reception. Ellen was astonished to see how far proigressed they already were; they had obviously started right after the departure of the Amelia Anne. Harriet apologised for infringing on Ellen’s rights to the household, but Ellen merely laughed at that. This was just as much Lady Lambert’s household as hers, and to have Eleanor’s engagement celebrated in her home excited her.

Doña Maria had even succeeded to invite the Spanish Ambassador who was a cousin several times removed. Doña Maria still considered herself Spanish, and she hoped to reconcile her son with her home country one day.

Ellen realised that the three elder women had left little for her to do, other than playing the hostess, and one of the most urgent tasks for her was to get a dress that accounted for her changing body. She was entering her fifth month, and on her slender frame, it started to show. Therefore she made an appointment with Elisabeth Wilson for the next morning.

She also dragged Melissa Martin along with her again.

“My dear Melissa, we must find you clothes that compliment you. This is London, not Boston, and people expect you to show how pretty you are. You will find that Elisabeth Wilson is the best person to help you with that.”

Sitting in the fitting room of Wilson’s Fashion, Melissa felt like a child in the proverbial candy store. Watching Ellen being fitted was a treat in itself for her. Ellen’s now noticeable bulge combined with growing breasts and more rounded features into a most endearing image of a mother to be.

When it was Melissa’s turn, Elisabeth Wilson had numerous cloth bales hauled from her storage to find colours to complement Melissa’s brown hair and eyes, and it was over two hours later when she and Ellen were finally satisfied. At this point, Melissa felt dizzy and she had no recollection just how many dresses had been ordered for her. Ellen, on the other hand, was in her element. She remembered her own first day in London, when Harriet and Lucy had taken charge of her, and she enjoyed being on the giving side this time.

On the way home, they stopped at the hotel where Sir Humbert and his daughter Colleen resided during their stay in London. Ellen had put them on the guest list for the engagement seeing how helpful Sir Humbert had been. Sir Humbert was out, but Colleen received them and the invitation. Ellen invited the girl to tea for the next afternoon, and Colleen accepted with a shy smile.

After a brief lunch at home, Ellen dragged Melissa along to the Carters’ house for tea. Harriet enjoyed the visit and they had their tea in her private study. With a malicious gleam in her eyes, she invited the young artist to browse through the collection of prints and water colours that her first husband had left behind.

The Hogarth prints, of course, were something Melissa admired. She was not an engraver herself, but she appreciated the richness of the scenes depicted. When she viewed the contents of the special drawer however, poor Melissa’s eyes bugged out over the erotic prints and sketches. Never had she even thought about painting a nude person. Ellen had never seen this part of the collection either, and she was moved between excitement and amusement. She decided to ask Richard whether he had ever seen his mother’s naughty collection. Some of those prints even gave her pointers at yet undiscovered ways to find pleasure and she was dismayed, knowing that it would be several months until she might put these concepts into action.

“How did the artist find models for this?” Melissa asked finally.

Harriet shrugged, and Ellen giggled.

“You will have to count me out on this, I am afraid.”

Melissa blushed. “Please, I did not even think of that, really!” she protested.

Ellen smiled at her. “I know that. I was only jesting.” She looked at a water colour, “The Judgement of Paris”, with a young man who had to chose between the three goddesses, Hera, Artemis and Aphrodite, who were dressed in translucent garments. “Although, for a tasteful painting like that, I would even consider posing. That is, if I owned the picture afterwards.”

Harriet smiled at her daughter in law.

“No doubt, you would pose as Aphrodite!” she said drily.

Ellen smiled. “And you would be the perfect Hera. All that is left is to convince Eleanor to sit as Artemis.”

One of the most profound discoveries Melissa made in her first week in London was that she could buy ready made painter’s colours in tin tubes. There would be no grinding of colours and mixing with linseed oil. Now she could just squeeze colour on the palette, ready for painting. She immediately saw the advantages of this for painting outside. Landscapes, but also paintings of people outside, were now feasible as oil paintings rather than water colours.

An annex to the garden salon of the Lambert home, facing south, was cleared and furnished sparsely as Melissa’s impromptu atelier. Melissa’s first victim was Sir Anthony. Melissa had been unsure about the backdrop for the picture, and she asked him if there was an opportunity for her to make sketches on board a ship of war.

“I would really prefer to have an authentic backdrop, rather than having you pose in your uniform in front of a chair.”

Sir Anthony smiled appreciatively. He had sat for a painter before in his full parade uniform, and it had been a mind-numbing experience. To pose on board a man o’ war was something entirely different, though. A thought came to his mind.

“My old ship, the Clyde, was recently moored in the Pool. They talk about breaking her up, but she is still shipping her lower masts and standing rigging. How much time would you need?”

“Two or three hours of daylight at most,” Melissa answered, excited about this new opportunity.

As a matter of fact, the entire family, save for old Lady Lambert, accompanied them to the Pool and on board the Clyde. Even Doña Maria and her son came along after Maria had learned of the outing from Harriet.