Captain Wentworth's Persuasion (39 page)

Anne sat up straight, lifted her arms, and pulled pins from the loose chignon.When she released her hands, her auburn locks fell over her shoulders and down her back.

Frederick laced his fingers through her hair, twisting handfuls of it and releasing it to repeat the action.“I need to adjust my dreams,” he said in a raspy voice.“They do not come close to your beauty in reality.” Frederick kissed her lightly; then he kissed her in earnest. It was a dream of eight years: her slightly parted lips, the silky texture of her hair, the lavender emanating from her every pore. The kiss began sweetly and gently, taking more effort at self-control than he imagined. His embrace tightened when her body arched toward him. He deepened the kiss, tasting Anne’s sweetness.

Suddenly, Anne broke away abruptly from the kiss; she was breathing heavily.When she had regained her breath, she said,“It is only a few more weeks, Frederick. I wish our first time to be perfect—with no regrets.”

Frederick said in a strained voice,“You are right, my Love.” He paused for a moment to catch his breath. “We have known one
another for so long that it seems natural to be in each other’s arms. But we will do this properly.”

Anne spoke softly as she pinned her hair up,“Maybe we should go to see my friend.”

Frederick touched her lips with his fingertips. “Sweetling, you are quite beautiful when you have been thoroughly kissed,” he teased her.

“I feel quite beautiful, and I never felt as such before,” she whispered.

“Then our taste of sweetness was not insignificant.We learned we are strongly suited, and you saw something in yourself I saw from the first day in that mercantile years ago. Now, my Love, let us straighten our disheveled appearances and go see your friend Mrs. Smith.”

Frederick sat her on her feet beside his chair and then stood himself. Anne smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt, as Frederick did the same with his waistcoat and jacket. Frederick moved to the door. At the portal, he turned and extended his hand to her. “Come, Love, I believe we both need a long walk and the company of other people.”

“Yes,” she murmured, “the company of other people.” Trance-like, she moved to him, taking comfort in the feel of his hand around hers.

Frederick brought the back of her hand to his lips. “I love you, Anne Elliot,” he said boldly, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.

“And I love you, Frederick Wentworth,” she responded just as brazenly.Then she took his proffered arm, to leave the study behind.

Frederick, Sophia, and Anne worked assiduously on wedding plans and the invitation list in the Admiral’s study on Gay Street.The trio decided to move their planning to the Crofts’ house to avoid the cold and unconcerned looks Elizabeth Elliot now gave her sister.

“Father will want Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret on the list.”Anne and Sophia dutifully recorded the names.

“What of Mrs. Clay?” Sophia asked.

Anne looked surprised.“Have you not heard?”

Frederick confided,“I did not want to spread rumors.”

“Sophia is your sister, Frederick,” Anne reprimanded him.“She will be my new family, and I see no reason not to tell her.”

“Your point is cogent. Please tell my sister.”

Anne said with some embarrassment, “The announcement of our engagement deranged Mr. Elliot’s best plan of domestic happiness—his best hope of keeping my father single by the watch-fulness a son’s rights would give him. He quitted Bath, and Mrs. Clay did likewise. Because Frederick observed them talking intimately at the party, and earlier my sister Mary observed them as such on the street, we assume they are together, even now.” Anne delivered the news with some perverted delight. “At least, that is how your brother sees it.”

“No,” he protested,“I simply noted that if Mrs. Clay could not fulfill her wish and become Lady Elliot by marrying your father, then possibly she could still become Lady Elliot by marrying Sir Walter’ s heir.”

“You are just happy not to have to welcome Mr. Elliot to our celebration,” she said definitively.

“That is where you err, my Love,” he taunted. “It would give me great pleasure to see your cousin’s face when I make you my wife.The agony I felt the past few weeks would be displayed on his face, and I would take comfort in that.”

Anne chastised him,“You are unforgiving, FrederickWentworth!”

Frederick smiled wickedly. “And you are beautiful when you are angry, Sweetling.”

Anne blushed with the intimacy of his words in front of his sister, but Sophia did not look at either of them. She seemed engrossed in adding names to her list. Frederick started to offer her an apology for his teasing, but before he could express his feelings a distraught-looking Benjamin Croft interrupted them.

“Admiral!” Anne called and was immediately on her feet, but Frederick got to his brother before her. He supported the man to the nearest chair. Anne rushed to a table for a glass of water, while Sophia knelt at her husband’s feet.

“Benjamin?” Sophia patted his hand and stroked his face. “What is it? Tell me, Sweetheart.”

“I am afraid, Sophie, that I—I bring bad news,” he said haltingly.

“What do you mean?” she coaxed, as Anne moved into Frederick’s embrace.

The Admiral looked up at Wentworth.“Frederick, my boy, you are being ordered back into service.You must be in Plymouth in ten days.”

“What-What?” Frederick stammered.“I do not understand, Sir.”

The Admiral forced himself to his feet.“While we were all enjoying the blessings of the Lord yesterday, Bonaparte escaped the island of Elba.”

Sophia gasped and cried,“How?”

“The French!” His thoughts now animated the Admiral.“They barely guarded the man! He assembled several hundred followers and a flotilla of seven vessels. He appears to be headed for Cannes!”

“No!” Anne protested, burying her face into Frederick’s chest. He pulled her tightly to him.

Frederick demanded, “Admiral, how do you know I am to be called back up for service?”

“I went to get a paper to see your wedding announcement in print.” The Admiral paced the room, trying to organize his thoughts. “The papers are full of speculation on the French emperor, so I went to the Central Office to learn more.That is when I found out they were organizing those to be recalled.”

“How do you know I have only ten days?” Frederick prodded him.

Glancing back at his brother in marriage, the Admiral stopped in his tracks. “I do not know for sure, Frederick, but you will have ten days, at most, from the time they find you. Did you not report to the Central Office when you came here?”

“Yes, Sir.” He stroked Anne’s back, trying to comfort her.

“Then it is only a matter of time before you receive orders. It may be you have twelve days instead of ten, but it will not be three weeks. I am sorry, Frederick.”The man sank into the nearest chair.

“But the wedding?” Sophia pleaded.

Anne raised her head to look at Frederick.“What will we do?”

“I do not know, my Love. We do not even have time to go to Gretna Green.” He began to think out loud.

“A common license?” Sophia suggested.

Benjamin reasoned, “Frederick has not lived here long enough to qualify for such consideration.What of you, Miss Anne?”

“I have been in Bath long enough if the archbishop will allow it. Usually, he prefers it to be the man’s residency rather than the woman’s, but we can try.”

“Even securing a common license may take too much time. I could be made to report before the end of the week. We need to marry immediately.”

“What of a special license?”Anne followed suit.

Frederick reminded her,“I am not an aristocrat.”

“But
I
am,” she protested, “and so is my father and so is Lady Russell and Lady Dalrymple.
Surely
their names can help us.”

Frederick traced the outline of her face with his thumb. “As you said moments ago, we will try,” he assured her.

“You and I will go to see my father immediately.” She moved to find her things.“I will not let you leave without me.”

“Anne.” Frederick did not move. “We must realize our plans may not come to fruition.”

She turned on him angrily. “I will not hear of it, Frederick Wentworth! I will not let Fate bring us together again and then pull you away! I will not have it!” It was her turn to collapse into the nearest chair, an overstuffed one, where she wept loudly. Sophia and the Admiral slipped from the room.

Frederick sat on the arm of the chair. “Sweetheart,” he coaxed her as he dabbed her tears with his handkerchief, “please let us figure out what we must do.”

Anne took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes and cheeks. Still sniffling, she declared, “I will go with you even if we are not married.” She raised her chin in determination.

“Anne, I cannot allow you to risk your reputation by taking
you with me. I will not brook such an idea. Come, let us sit together on the sofa.” He led her to a seat and sat down next to her.Taking her hand in his, he spoke seriously, “If I must leave before the banns are called the third time, I will be gone only a few months—a year at most.We can wait.”

“Frederick, I want children. Do you not want children, too? I am near eight and twenty; another year and I may not be able to bear a child!”Tears began to stream down her face again.

Frederick closed his eyes; images of Anne holding their child came easily to him.“Of course, I want children—
our
children, but I want you more than even the possibility of a child. If I do not marry you, I will not marry at all.” He kissed her lips lightly. “If I must leave before we marry,” he began again, “I will send for you before the first time we make port.You will need to be wherever it is for a fortnight before I arrive; I will have Sophia travel with you, and as soon as I make land, we will marry. It will be only a matter of months at most.”

“May we, at least, ask my father for help?” she pleaded. “I have never asked for such preferential treatment before; I am sure he will make things right.”

“Anne, your father agreed to our marriage because Prinny is all aglow with praise for the military. I am sure the Prince Regent will not be happy to have the resurgence of this war thrown in his face. Your father may choose to distance himself from our union. It is a fact, my Love, that we must face.”

“That may be, but I insist we try.” She began to release her hand from his clasp.“Will you come with me?” she asked as she stood.

“Of course, I will come with you.” Frederick followed her to his feet.

“Captain!” Sir Walter called out as soon as Frederick and Anne entered the room. “How will the latest development with the French affect your plans?”

Frederick led Anne to a nearby chair before answering. “I cannot say, Sir Walter; the Admiral believes I will be called to command
a new ship, as the
Laconia
was to be dismantled.”

“We are unsure, Father,” Anne interrupted, “how soon that will be.”

Lady Russell, who sat to the left of Sir Walter’s desk, spoke up, “Maybe this is Providence’s way of saying this union is not meant to be.”

“Do not—do not let me hear you say such a thing again if you expect to remain in my favor,”Anne warned her long time companion.

“Anne, I am sorry if I upset you; but Fate may be speaking to you,” Lady Russell repeated softly.

“Lady Russell, when I turned to you for advice years ago, I did so with love for a surrogate mother. But now, I question your motives. If I leave, what will be your connection to this family? Do you worry that you will no longer be needed? Is that why you bid me to deny Frederick and later Charles Musgrove?”

“Anne,” the woman flustered, “I always wanted to protect you from your overly romantic heart.”

“Do not protect me, Lady Russell. I am a grown woman.”Anne took Frederick’s hand as he stood beside her chair. “I need you to help me marry the man I love.”Anne held the woman’s gaze, challenging her to do the right thing.