{"id":1725,"date":"2019-02-28T15:20:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T15:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/?page_id=1725"},"modified":"2019-04-20T22:01:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-20T22:01:00","slug":"the-widow-chapter-1-a-missing-captain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/sample-chapters\/the-widow-chapter-1-a-missing-captain\/","title":{"rendered":"The Widow: Chapter 1: A Missing Captain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>From The Widow: Silver Linings Mysteries Book 1:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nell examined her reflection in the cracked looking glass. The bruises had almost disappeared, and perhaps in another two days she could set aside the high, ruffed chemisette and the large cap with lappets in favour of more refined garments. By the time of the Sherrards\u2019 ball she would be completely healed, and need not fear to wear full evening dress. She sighed. Her velvet gown would do for one more outing, perhaps, but then\u2026 yes, this might be the last ball she would ever attend.<\/p>\n

But she had made her choice, and would not repine. Her punishment was fitting, after all. She who had been the acclaimed beauty of the parish\u2026 of several parishes\u2026 of the county, even. Helen of Hampshire, she had been called, and it had been gratifying, even if the epithet did not resonate quite as strongly as Helen of Troy. Suitors had fluttered around her like butterflies in their brightly coloured coats. Would they even recognise her now, so thin and pinched as she had become? If only she could curl her hair properly and afford new slippers and stockings.<\/p>\n

No, she must not regret. She had so much to be thankful for, after all. Her son, her home and a husband who loved her\u2026 sometimes. She slapped her cheeks to bring some colour to them, adjusted her ruff slightly, then turned away from the unflattering glass, head high, ready to face the day.<\/p>\n

The two hours before breakfast were the most pleasurable of the day. With all the other occupants of the house busy elsewhere or still abed, she had her son to herself. Louis had been a sickly, undergrown child from the moment of his birth, and no amount of nourishing food had succeeded in giving him stature or the energy that came so naturally to most children. But when there is a deficit in one quarter, often there is an overabundance elsewhere, and so it was with Louis. He had such a quickness of mind and contemplative nature that he bid fair, at eight years of age, to leave his mama behind him before too long.<\/p>\n

After morning prayers, he read aloud from the Bible, and Nell answered his questions on the passages covered as best she could. Then they moved on to Italian, which he had begun to learn after discovering a book of Nell\u2019s in that language on the shelf. Finally, Nell read three of Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets, which rested her own brain somewhat, for Louis had no time for poetry, regarding it as pointless, but he would listen quietly while she read it aloud. And finally Louis insisted that they pray again, this time solely for Papa, who was currently plying the Irish Sea as captain of the Brig Minerva,\u00a0 and therefore in constant danger, in Louis\u2019 mind, from storms and winds and powerful waves and tides and all the destructive majesty of the high seas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen will he be home, Mama?\u201d he asked, as he did every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a few more days, or a week perhaps,\u201d she answered as she tidied away the books in the morning room, and laid out the slates for the ciphering lesson later.<\/p>\n

A week perhaps, and then Jude would be home, smiling and holding her tight and calling her his dear love, and then her insides would tie themselves into knots until he went away again. But she would not repine. There was no point.<\/p>\n

Breakfast was in the grandeur of the dining room, since the breakfast parlour was in the Lloyds\u2019 part of the house. All three families dined together, but at breakfast Nell and Louis were joined only by the widowed Maria Delanoy and her daughters, who had moved in after being swept up in the great disaster of five years ago. Since she could not afford to pay rent, Maria had taken upon herself the r\u00f4le of cook\/housekeeper.<\/p>\n

The two mothers discussed domestic matters while they ate, deciding on dinner, determining what needed to be bought that day and wondering whether they needed to order an extra quarter chaldron of coal to see them through to Lady Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been rather lax about fires, I fear,\u201d Nell said. \u201cOr rather, the Lloyds have been lax. Lydia is forever lighting fires in the bedrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer boys have been greatly plagued by the grippe this winter, poor things,\u201d Maria said in her soft voice. \u201cOne cannot begrudge them the warmth while they recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose boys have been greatly plagued by mischief, more likely,\u201d Nell said robustly. \u201cI do not think there is anything much amiss with them that a box around the ears would not cure. Lydia is too gentle with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Nell!\u201d Maria said. \u201cShe is hardly well herself just now, with another mouth to feed by summer, and she has been very unfortunate with her nursery maids. One must be sympathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nell paused and gazed at her friend. Maria was a gentle soul who thought well of the world, despite the world not seeming to smile upon her in return. It had not occurred to her that perhaps Lydia would retain her nursery maids more readily if she were to refrain from shouting at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose they pay good rent for their half of the house, and coal is included,\u201d Nell said in milder tones. \u201cWell, if we run short of coal, we shall just have to eat our breakfast in the kitchen. That would save one fire a day, which would help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, it would, and Jude will be home soon with money in his pocket. Perhaps he will not mind paying for a little extra coal this year, do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps,\u201d Nell said colourlessly, but they both knew that she would never dare to ask him for such a thing.<\/p>\n

At ten o\u2019clock, Becky, the housemaid, came in to clear away, and Maria scurried away to the kitchen to begin her preparations for dinner. Nell took Louis and the two girls upstairs to the morning room for their lessons. The morning room was handsome, although small, since most of the frontage of the house on this floor was given over to the drawing room. Still, it was easy to keep warm, and it always felt pleasantly cosy on a cold winter\u2019s day. February was such a depressing time of year, but next month the weather might permit a day or two without the need for a fire. And the end of March brought Lady Day \u2014 the Lloyds\u2019 rent money and Jude\u2019s salary. Then it would not be long until summer.<\/p>\n

After Louis\u2019 quickness at his lessons, Lucy and Jane were rather a trial. They were docile enough, sitting side by side in their matching aprons, with matching ribbons in their hair. Maria had an annuity of only twenty pounds a year, and contributed half for her keep, and sometimes Nell wondered if she spent every penny of the remainder on ribbons for the girls. They were pretty enough, with wide blue eyes, long lashes and the sort of dark, tumbled locks that would drive men wild in a few years, but they would need more than looks to get them through life unscathed.<\/p>\n

Nell sighed, and handed out the slates. \u201cToday we will practice money,\u201d she said. \u201cLucy, Jane \u2014 you will write down the amounts to be added together on your slates and work out the answer. Louis, you may write the answer directly, but do not say it aloud, if you please. First addition \u2014 if I buy three pounds of sugar at eight pence a pound, two pounds of meat at seven pence a pound and a quarter pound of tea at eight shillings a pound, how much will I need to pay for it?\u201d<\/p>\n

A quarter pound of tea\u2026 oh, if only she could afford tea! She closed her eyes for a moment, as the three children tapped away on their slates. Tea\u2026 and the best china cups, which were presently packed in sawdust and stowed in the cellar. And her drawing room back again. All the best rooms had been given over to the Lloyds, and although it had been her own idea to take in paying lodgers and it had saved them from having to sell the house, she could not help but resent it just a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you quite well, Mama?\u201d Her son\u2019s voice was sharp with anxiety. He worried about her, she knew that, but there was not much she could do about it. There was not much she could do about anything.<\/p>\n

She opened her eyes to find all three of them staring at her. \u201cPerfectly well, thank you, Louis. Lucy, do you have an answer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSix shillings. I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJane?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTen pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louis burst out laughing. \u201cTen pounds? You could buy half the shop with that much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019d get change. Mrs Caldicott asked how much I\u2019d need, and I couldn\u2019t work out the exact amount, so I decided I\u2019d take more than enough. Is it a lot more?\u201d she added, suddenly anxious.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would only need five and tuppence,\u201d he said. \u201cI tell you what, Jane, if ever you have ten pounds, you may send me to do your shopping for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I?\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s very kind of you, Louis.\u201d<\/p>\n

That set him laughing again.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did not mean it as a kindness, Jane,\u201d Nell said. \u201cHe meant that he would pay five and tuppence for the goods and keep the remaining amount, which is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNine pounds fourteen and tenpence,\u201d he said at once, before starting to laugh again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother one,\u201d Nell said wearily. \u201cPerhaps something a little easier. I need six yards of muslin to make a gown, and muslin costs one and six a yard. How much will it cost me altogether?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, for a new gown! If only\u2014<\/p>\n

The knocker sounded below. The girls at once scrambled from their chairs and raced to the window, peering down at the street below.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a gentleman!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a red coat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a great tall hat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be for Mr Lloyd, I expect,\u201d Louis said.<\/p>\n

Becky\u2019s quick steps were heard on the stairs, then the front door opening, followed by the murmur of a man\u2019s voice. Then silence. Becky\u2019s footsteps returning up the stairs, more slowly this time. There was a quick scratch on the door of the morning room, before she entered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeg pardon, madam, but there\u2019s a gen\u2019leman to see you. Askin\u2019 for you by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

By name? Someone she knew? One of her brothers, it must be! \u201cDid he give you his name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silently Becky proffered a card. It had been so long since anyone had called with a card that the girl had forgotten to bring it on the silver salver that lay in the hall for the purpose.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mr Nathaniel Harbottle, Davygate, York\u2019, she read. No one she knew, then. Her excitement waned a little. But a gentleman visiting was still something, even if it was not anyone from her former life come to rescue her. No, she must stop expecting rescue. Such foolishness. Well, whoever Mr Harbottle was, she would see him, but not alone, and three children were not sufficient protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Mrs Delanoy still in the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, madam. She found some nutmeg left in the pantry, so she don\u2019t need no shopping today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk her to step up to the morning room, if you please \u2014 without her apron. Then show Mr Harbottle in.\u201d With a bob of a curtsy, Becky hurried off, leaving Nell to be thankful that she had not let her standards slip by a single iota. The servants got their uniform quota each year, so that Becky always had a clean gown to wear, and Nell and Louis looked respectable, if not exactly fashionable.<\/p>\n

She and the children abandoned the slates on the worktable, and rearranged themselves according to Nell\u2019s hasty instructions. Again, she regretted the loss of her drawing room, purposely designed for just such eventualities. There were so few chairs in the morning room. However, there were enough to make a tolerable circle for conversation, and a window seat where the children could sit, rather squeezed together. \u201cNot a word to be spoken, or you will have to leave,\u201d Nell told them sternly, and they nodded solemnly.<\/p>\n

Maria hastened in, her cheeks rather flushed, and took the seat on the sofa next to Nell moments before the door opened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr Harbottle, madam,\u201d Becky said, in her very best announcing voice.<\/p>\n

Nell rose smoothly to greet him. He was young, handsome and stylish, a man one might meet at a fashionable rout or ball. Well-shaped legs, broad shoulders needing no padding to enhance them, a warm smile and a pair of roguishly twinkling blue eyes\u2026 all of this Nell observed appreciatively as he entered the room.<\/p>\n

He looked from Nell to Maria, and then settled his gaze firmly on Nell. \u201cMrs Caldicott? Wife of Captain Jude Caldicott?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am, sir. This is my friend, Mrs Delanoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He bowed. \u201cMadam.\u201d Another bow, fractionally less deep. \u201cMrs Delanoy.\u201d The two women curtsied in response. Then he spotted the children. \u201cAnd these must be\u2026 no, no, let me guess, if you please. I think\u2026 the Miss Delanoys and\u2026 hmm, Master Caldicott?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is so,\u201d Nell said, with a small smile. Lucy and Jane were clearly Maria\u2019s, for they had her dark curls, but Louis was more difficult to place. He had his father\u2019s blond hair, but his nose and mouth were all Nell and his eyes were his grandmother\u2019s. \u201cPlease sit down, Mr Harbottle.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sat herself, and he then took the chair opposite.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much for agreeing to see me, Mrs Caldicott. Were your husband available, I should not have dreamt of troubling you, but I understand that he is at sea, and not expected home for some days yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is so. He commands the Brig Minerva, which is due to return in a few days, but with the vagaries of the weather and so forth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, quite, quite. Then perhaps I may be permitted to address my enquiries to you, in his absence?\u201d She nodded her assent. \u201cYou are most gracious, madam.\u201d<\/p>\n

He made her a small bow, and there was a brightness in his eye as he looked at her that she recognised. Such looks had once been very familiar to her. She had danced or moved about or talked or simply walked into a room, and men had looked at her with just such admiration. It startled her to realise that she still had that power. How gratifying that, at the age of six and twenty, she could arouse such a response in a passing stranger. She was aware of a little bloom of pleasure inside her, for who could not delight in having an admirer, even one so fleeting as Mr Harbottle?<\/p>\n

He went on, \u201cLet me not try your patience with useless chatter, but get straight to the point. I am searching for my cousin, one Felix Harbottle from Yorkshire, who was a naval officer at one time with the rank of captain. There was a breach with the family some twenty years ago when he married against the wishes of his family. We lost touch with him, although he wrote to his mother every year on her birthday \u2014 each time from a different port. So we know he is still alive, and still hearing the call of the sea, although no longer with the navy. Now his mother wishes to set aside the past and reconcile with her son, so she has charged me with the task of finding him. For two years, Mrs Caldicott, I have been searching diligently, but so far in vain. The navy has no trace of him, his former friends have had no word of him, and so I have moved from port to port, enquiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom port to port? There are a great many ports in England, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed, and again Nell noticed those deep blue eyes, and his hair just that colour she so admired \u2014 like pale honey. But she had been driven astray by fair hair and amused blue eyes before, she reminded herself sternly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed there are a great many ports, and sometimes I feel as if I have ventured into every one of them. However, most are fishing ports only, and I cannot feel that a former naval captain would be commanding a trawler, so I have restricted myself to the major ports only. I began with those from which a letter had arrived, and have now extended my reach to others, and here I am in your fair town, Mrs Caldicott. Southampton is a charming place and has\u2026 many attractions\u2026\u201d Here he paused and looked at Nell in a manner which there was no mistaking. \u201cHowever, in one respect it differs not a whit from every other port in the country, in that no one has ever heard of Captain Felix Harbottle. May I hope for better tidings from you, Mrs Caldicott? Has your husband ever mentioned such a person?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband? I am very sorry, Mr Harbottle, but he has not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am told that Captain Caldicott was also in His Majesty\u2019s Navy at one time, is that so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was, but it is a very large navy,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cI do not imagine Captain Caldicott knew more than a small number of its officers. Besides, he rarely speaks of his time in the navy. One or two of the battles, sometimes, with Louis, who has an interest in such things, but nothing of the people he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a thing she had always thought odd, that he could talk impersonally of this battle or that, almost like an account in the newspaper, yet never mention the men involved. She had supposed it was his way of coping with the horrors of war, and had never pressed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know of any man, any officer on a ship and formerly in the navy, answering to my cousin\u2019s description? A man of three and forty, with fair hair and blue eyes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nell considered that. \u201cCaptain Walker?\u201d Mr Harbottle shook his head. \u201cCaptain Phillipson, then. Oh, but he was never in the navy, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither of them has graced His Majesty\u2019s Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a common combination of features, but the navy… so few men leave the navy entirely. And then there is the age. My own husband would fit that description precisely, except for the age. He is not yet forty. Also, he married only nine years ago, not twenty, so his history is very different from that of your cousin. I am so sorry I cannot help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is just one more chance. May I show you my cousin\u2019s likeness? Just in case you have ever encountered him under a different name, perhaps, or passed him by in the street.\u201d He produced a small framed miniature from a pocket, and handed it to her. \u201cIt was taken when he was but fifteen and only a midshipman, almost thirty years ago, but it is all we have of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gazed at the boy\u2019s face, youthful and optimistic, and remembered the time when Jude had been just as hopeful of life, his eyes bright and lips curved into a perpetual smile, before disappointment had soured his disposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI do not recognise him. Maria, you go about the town more than I do \u2014 do you know anyone like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria examined it, but then she shook her head. \u201cHe is a fine looking young man, but I don\u2019t know him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u201d Mr Harbottle sat back in his chair, disappointment written on his countenance. \u201cThat is a pity. But perhaps you would be so good as to tell your husband of my enquiry, Mrs Caldicott? He may write to me if he has any information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall certainly tell him, sir. May I offer you some refreshment, Mr Harbottle? I am afraid that I have no tea or wine, but there is ale and cake if\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are too kind, madam,\u201d he said rising gracefully to his feet. \u201cI have taken up too much of your time altogether, and will now leave you in peace. And you three,\u201d he added, looking at the children, \u201cmay return to your studies. What is the lesson today?\u201d<\/p>\n

They sat mutely, staring at him.<\/p>\n

Nell laughed. \u201cDo not imagine them to be ill-mannered, Mr Harbottle. They have been given the strictest instructions not to speak a word while you are here, on pain of\u2014 Well, I shall think of some dire penalty, I daresay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen they are exceptionally dutiful, and I commend them,\u201d he said at once. \u201cAnd their mamas, who have instilled such obedience into them. But may I examine your slates and see if I may guess the topic?\u201d<\/p>\n

Permission granted, he bounded across the room and picked up one of the slates. \u201c \u2018Six yards of muffin at one and six the yard\u2019. Muffin? Oh, muslin. That should be easy\u2026 let me see\u2026 that will be\u2026 four and fivepence three farthings\u2026 no, wait\u2026 twelve guineas\u2026 no, no, that cannot be right\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The children giggled, and Nell smiled, too, and exchanged a glance with Maria, who was trying not to laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I cannot work it out,\u201d Mr Harbottle said. \u201cYou will have to tell me the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are just funning, I can tell,\u201d Louis said. \u201cYou do know the answer. It is nine shillings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it?\u201d Jane said. \u201cIs that correct, Mr Harbottle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is indeed,\u201d he said, \u201cand a very pretty gown it will make for one of the ladies. Let me see now\u2026 green, I think, if it be for Mrs Delanoy, and for Mrs Caldicott\u2026 blue, to match her eyes, do you not agree, Miss Delanoy? Or even white, if there be some blue upon it also, and a shawl of gold, with a gold chain about her neck, and sapphires on her fingers. Yes, that is what you should be wearing, Mrs Caldicott.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled at her so charmingly that she could not possibly take offence. Nevertheless, she was very glad that Jude was not there to hear such flirtatious words.<\/p>\n

To find out more, click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From The Widow: Silver Linings Mysteries Book 1: Nell examined her reflection in the cracked looking glass. The bruises had almost disappeared, and perhaps in another two days she could set aside the high, ruffed chemisette and the large cap with lappets in favour of more refined garments. By the time of the Sherrards\u2019 ball […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":135,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1725","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1725"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1945,"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1725\/revisions\/1945"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marykingswood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}