Chapter 17: Courtships

The barge was a roomy one with extra cabins for travellers. Elizabeth had persuaded her friends to opt for the Thames River and not for a two horse carriage. With almost 60 miles to go, the barge would arrive within a day whilst a carriage, even with sturdy horses, would need two days at the least.

The semaphore signal had once again alerted Sir Robert of Syren's arrival in Sheerness, but this time he had not the time to accompany Elizabeth. Instead, Vanessa had volunteered, eager to have a little adventure and to Elizabeth's delight, Anita Heyworth had also joined them. Now the barge that carried them was making good headway supported by a steady western breeze and a strong ebb tide. According to her master, the Heron was making six knots through the water, and the tide added another three knots to that.

They had boarded the barge at Greenwich at six o' clock after a short night. Now it was close to noon, and now that the tide had almost run, they were already past Gravesend. Here, the river was much wider already and the incoming tide would not slow them down too much. At Tilbury, the river was making its last major bend to North, and Heron was lying over in the western breeze. The women eschewed the stuffy little cabins and enjoyed the fresh air on deck watching the distant shore pass.

"I'll grant you that travelling by boat is far more comfortable, at least in weather like this. I would hate to make this journey in a storm," Vanessa observed.

"I have yet to make a sea journey, but from what Anthony and Harriet Carter tell me, a sound ship in a gale is safer than a carriage in a storm. This barge looks sturdy enough," Anita Heyworth answered.

"Ahh ... Aiee s-sail-ed in a schooooner fwom Salcombe to P-Plymoudh ann' back. Ai-ee lik-ed it," Elizabeth added her two pennies.

"Oh yes, but you sailed with Jeremiah. Chances are that you did not notice anything but him," Vanessa teased her friend.

"Ai-ee tr-trabbeled widh ma-y fadher," Elizabeth protested. "All was vewwy pwoper."

"Give me a syllable, Elizabeth," Anita demanded. "Give me a "row", please!"

Screwing up her eyes, Elizabeth nevertheless complied. "Wow, no, wr ... row. Row-row-row!"

"Proper!"

"P-roper! Proper!"

"Very proper!"

"Verry pw ... proper. Ve-ry proper. Very proper!"

"Now travel! You can do it. Travel!"

"Trabvel. Trab ... Travel." Elizabeth beamed. "Travel!"

"I know how much you want to speak, but do it properly. Consonants! Don't be sloppy with the consonants!"

"Yes, modher!" Elizabeth grinned.

Anita Heyworth made like swatting Elizabeth's behind, and with a squeal, Elizabeth hid behind Vanessa.

"You cheeky brat!" Anita mock-scolded her. "Here I give you the benefit of my cultivated speech, and you not only ignore my teachings but mock me in the bargain. Whatever can be done with such an insolent child?"

Vanessa smiled. "Oh dear, neither of you have any idea of what it entails to have insolent children."

For the next two hours, the humorous banter continued, frequently interrupted by the practice of consonants, and then the mouth of the River Medway appeared to starboard. Soon, Heron's master called for the hands and brought his barge to the wind on the larboard bow to enter the protected anchorage. Elizabeth recognised and pointed out HMS Syren, but the women could not fail to observe the repairs being effected on the ships. Even to their landlubber eyes it was clear that the ships had been in battle, and Elizabeth was immediately worried.

Heron was laid alongside a stone pier, and a gangplank was laid out. The women were assisted across the narrow gap by the master himself whilst a crew member produced their baggage and carried it over the plank. A one-legged porter with a wheelbarrow offered his services, and Elizabeth held up her hand.

"Dhe Rodney!" she spoke with much dignity, causing her companions to giggle.

The porter, oblivious to their amusement, loaded the valises onto his barrow and strode for the inn. They followed the man as the wooden wheel rattled over the cobble stones and the peg leg thumped on them with every second step. Elizabeth fished for a shilling in her purse thinking that it must be hard for the man to earn his living.

Arriving in front of the inn, the porter stopped and doffed his hat to a gentleman who just emerged from the entrance.

"Good day, sir, Colonel. Mighty fine day, sir!"

"Yes, it is, Jenkins. Can you..."

Father and daughter stared at each other. Elizabeth was the first to gather her wits. She threw back her head. "Good day, Fadher," she offered.

The address seemed to shock Colonel Maynard even more, for his mouth opened and closed futilely.

"Dhese awre my fw ... friends Mrs. Emerson an-d Miss Heywordh." Elizabeth was proud of herself. "Ma-iee fadher, Coli ... Colonle Ma-ynard!"

"E ... Hr-hm! Enchanted, to be sure," Maynard managed to say. "Elizabeth!"

She just nodded.

"What are you ... Oh, how stupid of me! You came to see Captain Anson."

"Yes," she answered with emphasis. Somehow, facing her father gave her a feeling of control. "And yooo?"

"Sadly, my intentions were unfriendly when I arrived here, but since then I have revised my views. Now I am here to help a widow in distress, Mrs. Thorpe. She lost her husband last autumn, and now her brother was severely wounded. He was – is First Lieutenant of Syren and Captain Anson's second-in-command."

"Dh ... Dh ... Dhorpe?" Elizabeth struggled. The "Th" was her most stubborn problem.

"I only met her a little over a week ago. Yet I have spoken for her already, and I hope that she will hear my suit in time. Right now, the poor woman must look after her wounded brother, and I help her as best as I can. I was on my way to see to her needs."

"That is chivalrous of you, Colonel," Vanessa spoke up. "I am Vanessa Emerson. My husband, Mr. Colin Emerson sits in Parliament for the Millsbury Borough. I am also Captain Anson's half-sister, and I befriend your daughter."

"That is very fortunate. I am afraid that she was missing out on female friendship due to our remote living. I do recognise Miss Heyworth though. I had the immense pleasure to see you perform three years ago in Plymouth."

"Thank you, Colonel. I knew that already from Elizabeth's telling. I too have come to regard your daughter as a friend rather than a student. She has a wonderful talent."

Elizabeth came to a resolution. "Bva ... Vanessa, Anita, p-lease take rooom-s. Ai-ee shall oualk widh my fadher."

"Are you sure of this, my dear?" Vanessa asked.

Elizabeth gave her a smile. "Yes." She turned to Maynard. "L-lead dhe ouay, p-le-ase!"

Without thinking, Maynard offered his left arm and Elizabeth took it. He walked a few steps before he knew what he wanted to say.

"I want you to know that I shan't object to your plans anymore. I had a brief talk with Captain Anson, and we agreed to forget our grudges for your benefit."

"Dhank you, Fadher," Elizabeth answered.

"Edwin Carrick is no longer alive. He made the mistake of insulting you."

"Yoo killed him?"

"Pistols at twenty paces. His father is raising all sorts of hell, but I find that I cannot care. He must have known his son's evil character, and yet he presented him to me as a fine young man. I am sorry for the fright I must have caused you."

Elizabeth just nodded, feeling her resentment well up again.

"I cannot say how much that letter relieved me! Yet, I was still planning to interfere with your plans, but then Mrs. Thorpe reasoned with me. I do not enthuse over your choice, but I realise that I must accept it or lose you forever."

"Dhat iss enough for me, Fadher."

Maynard sighed. "I read your diaries. I know now why you stopped speaking. I am sorry for that, too. I should have never pressured you like I did. I was not myself then."

"Ai-ee know. Ai-ee ouas afw ... afraid. Ai-ee cood not speak about ... about Modher. Ai-ee saw it all." She shuddered saying this and she felt her father's hand on her arm, giving her a soft pressure.

Maynard sighed. "We must leave this tragic event behind us, Elizabeth, lest it will haunt us for the rest of our lives."

Elizabeth nodded to that, and they walked on in silence for a while until they arrived at a small but well kept cottage. Maynard knocked, and after a while, a lady wearing black answered the door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thorpe. How is your brother?"

"He slept a little towards the morning. I would say he is not worse than yesterday, and that gives us hope."

She looked questioningly at Elizabeth and Maynard remembered his daughter and his manners.

"Oh, Mrs. Thorpe, may I introduce my daughter Elizabeth? She arrived in Sheerness less than an hour ago."

"I am pleased to meet you, Miss Elizabeth. Your father has been speaking of you a lot."

"Aiee'm pw ... pleased to meet yoo," Elizabeth responded.

"And you must have been making progress in leaps and bounds. Your father described you as almost mute."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Aiee pwac ... pwractised."

"So you must have," Mrs. Thorpe responded warmly. "I hope that you can put your demons behind you now."

"Aiee hope to."

Mrs. Thorpe returned her attention to Maynard. "It is good of you to visit, Colonel. Syren's surgeon came by this morning to look after my brother's wound. He said that there is no mortification yet. I hope that is a good sign."

"It means that there is hope, Madam," Maynard answered with a warmness Elizabeth had rarely heard in his voice.

For a moment, a feeling of jealousy drove bitter bile up her throat, but she suppressed it. She could not resent her father's feeling for the woman if she demanded his acceptance for her choice.

"He is in great pain. I only wish there was something we could do to lessen his suffering."

Elizabeth lifted her hand. "Aiee have lau-da-num widh mee," she offered, surprised at her ability to pronounce the word.

Mrs. Thorpe's eyes widened. "Oh, would you? The apothecary here does not have it in stock, and he says it will take two days to get it."

"Widh ma-iee luggage," Elizabeth explained. "For sea-sickness."

Laudanum was ascribed almost universal healing properties, and Lady Connington had given Elizabeth a bottle of the tincture against the malaises women often suffered.