At the Captain's Command

by Louise M. Gouge

  After an excellent repast, Thomas carried a cup of coffee as he took in the grounds surrounding the house. At the back corner, he found himself tripping over the spaniel pups and their mother, who no doubt were looking for a human playfellow. Charmed by the little rascals, he lifted one by the scruff of its neck only to have it scrape damp, dusty paws down his favorite blue uniform. Hinton would have to clean off the dirt before Thomas presented himself to Dinah.

  He stared off toward the east, where countless slaves were already at work in the rice and indigo fields. An uncomfortable thought nudged his conscience, one he often considered but never resolved to his own satisfaction. It was one thing to employ servants, another thing altogether to own slaves. Even Father had once refused to purchase Africans as if they were livestock. That is, until His Majesty granted him these lands and he realized he must have laborers to cultivate it, cheap laborers, so profits could be maximized. So the old earl had set aside his objections and bought workers to increase the wealth that had come with his title.

  Thomas took some satisfaction from knowing that his commission in His Majesty’s Navy had been purchased long before Father acquired Bennington Plantation. Thus Thomas’s service was untainted by human bondage. And now, after eighteen years in the navy, he could rightfully say he had gained his own small fortune and could offer Dinah a comfortable life.

  They could live in St. Augustine until this infernal war was over, then perhaps return to England and settle in the house he owned between Southampton and Portsmouth. He could picture Dinah growing roses and hydrangeas in the garden and filling the nursery with little blond children. If not for the war, he would take her home as soon as they wed. But then, without the war, he might not have met her.

  With no one about to engage his interest, Thomas extricated himself from the spaniels, wandered back to the house, and made his way to Freddy’s study. Noting that all the issues of The Gentleman’s Magazines were over a year old, he perused the surprisingly well-stocked bookshelves behind the door. Between two large tomes—Shakespeare and Milton—he noticed a folded broadsheet, and curiosity demanded a reading.

  He opened the large page…and felt an invisible force smite his chest. This was that treasonous document those rebelling colonists had penned just four years ago, making excuses to the world for their violent rejection of their God-given authority. Thomas’s lip curled into a sneer at its title: Declaration of Independence.

  But why did Freddy have this?

  Dinah enjoyed waking up to hot water in her nightstand and fresh clothing laid out for her to wear. Nancy seemed more than eager to please her, and Dinah had overheard the girl asking Thomas’s steward how she might improve in her duties. While it was not an expense Dinah could maintain after they returned to St. Augustine, for now she would gladly submit to being pampered.

  “Good morning, Nancy. I suppose everyone is up and about.” She sat still before her dressing table while her maid brushed her hair up into a charming coiffure. The captain had complimented her hair more than once, and she hoped he would like this arrangement.

  “Yes, miss. That is, the gentlemen and Miss Rachel. Miss Marianne is still abed.”

  “I see.” Another good thing about having a lady’s maid. Dinah did not have to go in search of such information. Perhaps Thomas and Frederick had gone out together, a good sign of their improving relationship.

  Once Nancy had secured her hair with pins, Dinah left her chamber and moved toward the front staircase. But a tiny mewing sound coming from Marianne’s room stopped her, and the temptation to see her niece won out. She quietly opened the door and peered in to see Joanna tending the infant while Marianne looked on with a glowing smile.

  “Dinah.” She beckoned her and patted the bed. “Come sit with me and hold the baby.”

  Seated with her back against a pillow and the precious child in her arms, Dinah thought she might melt into a puddle of bliss once again. “How wonderful to hold a baby.” She felt a sudden ache to have one of her own. “What will you name her?”

  Marianne rested her head on Dinah’s shoulder, a gesture that further warmed her heart. “Maria, after my mother. And perhaps Grace, for my brother Robert’s wife.”

  “Maria Grace Templeton.” Dinah kissed the sleeping baby’s pink forehead. “Welcome to the family.” And may you always feel welcome wherever you go. A familiar hollow sensation opened within her, but she chided herself for such self-centeredness in the midst of this joyful occasion.

  “You would like Grace,” Marianne said. “She is the dearest Christian lady.” An indefinable look passed over her fair face. “Perhaps you will meet her some day.”

  “Perhaps.” Dinah could not guess what Marianne meant, nor why she thought it necessary to suggest such a thing.

  “Miss Dinah,” Joanna said, “I should put her in her cradle now.”

  With reluctance, Dinah surrendered the sweet bundle and, seeing the weariness in Marianne’s eyes, took her leave and went downstairs. She found Rachel feeding the children in the dining room, with Caddy helping. She filled a plate with eggs, ham and muffins, then joined them at the long oak table.

  “Cousin, what can I do to help?”

  “I thank you for asking, dear, but we have more than enough hands for every task.” Rachel lifted a spoonful of porridge to little Davy’s lips. “Now, Davy, you cannot grow up to be big and strong like your papá if you don’t eat your breakfast.”

  Dinah bit into her muffin to hide the emotion that threatened to erupt. While holding her niece had brought joy, the old feelings of rejection returned all too quickly after Rachel rebuffed her offer to help.

  “Want muff-im.” He eyed Dinah’s bread and reached out a chubby hand.

  Mother and son argued for several moments before she called for a compromise. “Three more bites of porridge, and then a muffin.”

  From his bright grin and easy compliance to the terms, one would think he had won. In watching the dispute, Dinah had learned a nice lesson in mothering. She sighed, wondering if she would ever need to apply it to a child of her own.

  But as that old, dull pain of loneliness wove into her heart, she began to think she’d made a mistake to come here where she clearly was not needed.

  Thomas spread the broadsheet over Freddy’s desk, then sat in one of the chairs that faced it and crossed his arms. If his brother did not come soon, he would go in search of him and demand an answer for the presence of this traitorous document. The idea that someone in his family might be in sympathy with the rebels was more than he could comprehend. It was one thing to think the colonies should be released, another altogether to support their rebellion. Freddy was the king’s magistrate. His influence could sway others to join the insurgency. East Florida could even be brought into the war.

  Thomas might have found Governor Tonyn a little stiff and overly formal, but the man had been wise not to permit an election in this colony. The elected assemblies in the northern colonies had brought together men with traitorous ideas, and hence the violent struggle that had cost countless English lives, along with their Hessian allies. Thomas slammed his fist on the edge of the desk. Didn’t Freddy realize what it would cost them both if this paper were found by the wrong person?

  The door opened and Freddy limped into the room. “Good morning, Tommy. Did you rest well? Have a good breakfast?” His warm gaze shot to the broadsheet, and he smiled. “Ah, I see you’ve found some interesting reading material.”

  Thomas rose to his feet and glared at him. “Interesting? Don’t you mean treasonous?”

  Freddy had the gall to laugh. “It all depends on your perspective.”

  “And what does that mean?” Thomas could feel the heat of rage rising within him, a strange yet familiar sensation from long ago.

  “You know, do you not,” Freddy said, “that we’ve had two battles in this area, one in ’77 and the other just last year. Browne’s East Florida Rangers managed to drive back the rebels both times.”

  “
Of course I know. But what does that have to do with this?” He grabbed up the sheet, crumpling its edge in his fist.

  Freddy shrugged. “How can you win a war if you do not understand why your enemy is fighting you?”

  Thomas’s grip loosened and the paper fluttered back to the desk. “Indeed, that is true. I see your reasoning.” Relief poured through him like rain on parched ground, and he dropped back into his chair. “You had me worried in the extreme. Thank the Almighty your thinking is straight.”

  Gripping Thomas’s shoulder, Freddy sobered. “We do thank Him for all His mercies.” He moved to his chair behind the desk and laid his cane on the floor beside him.

  His response seemed odd, out of place, but Thomas decided it was the very thing to open the discussion he had planned.

  “I was deeply moved by your prayer for Marianne last night.”

  “The credit goes to Dinah for kneeling by the settee. I had prayed for her silently, as I am sure you did as well. But of course it was all over by the time we knelt together.” Freddy chuckled. “The scriptures say ‘Before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ The Lord had already safely delivered her, yet I believe He heard and honored our unified prayer.” He smoothed and refolded the broadsheet and tucked it into the center desk drawer.

  “Where do you get such faith?” The question came out before Thomas could consider what he was saying.

  Freddy’s eyebrows rose. “Are…are you not a Christian, Tommy?” His hushed tone resounded with concern.

  His first instinct was to be offended. But in an instant that reaction was replaced by gratitude for his brother’s fear on his behalf. Something new was happening between them, and Thomas did not wish to impede it. Was that not why he had come to speak to Freddy? “I believe in the depths of my being all the words of our catechism. Christ Jesus is the only Savior of the world, and my belief in Him assures me of salvation.”

  Freddy’s eyes reddened. His jaw worked, and he stared out the window, at last returning his gaze to Thomas. “I’m pleased to hear the affirmation of your faith.” His unsteady voice underscored the depth of his sentiment, and once again Thomas felt a positive shift in their relationship.

  “And so, I must ask you again, how do you summon the faith to speak to the Almighty as if He were…were—” He stared down at his hands.

  “A friend?” Freddy’s smile held no censure, no triumph or superiority, as often it had in their childhood.

  “Yes. No. More like…” Thomas ran his hand through his hair, pulling several strands from his queue. Irritation swept through him. Here he was a renowned captain in His Majesty’s Navy, a man of means, the defender of St. Augustine and all of East Florida. But at this moment, he felt like a boy at Eton being schooled by an underclassman.

  “A father?”

  Thomas snorted. “No, not at all. I never would have spoken so familiarly with Bennington.”

  “I understand.” Freddy leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. “I’m sorry Mr. Folger is away. My father-in-law explains this so much better than I.” He chuckled. “He lives it so much better than I do.”

  An uncharacteristic humility resonated in his voice, so Thomas tamped down his own vague surge of pride that suggested he should know more about everything than Freddy. Untoward competition had reared its ugly head once again, but he would have none of it. “I’m listening.”

  Freddy toyed with his quill pen for a moment before continuing. “We call God our heavenly Father, but you and I haven’t had a living example of a good father, so no wonder this doesn’t mean anything to us. In the scriptures, Jesus asks, ‘If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?’” Freddy emitted a wry laugh. “Our poor old father seemed to enjoy giving all his sons stones.” He shook his head. “No, that’s not right. What I mean is—”

  “I think I understand.” Thomas sat forward with his elbows on his knees. “So Rachel’s father dotes on her like Father doted on Marianne?”

  Freddy shook his head. “Daughters are a different story, as I have just begun to notice myself. But what I’m referring to is this—Mr. Folger raised Jamie Templeton as if he were his own son. Jamie’s told me the old man was hard on him, but he was also fair. And Mr. Folger has become like a father to me. Then, in becoming a father, I have learned where our father failed and how different our heavenly Father is.” He ran a hand over his jaw and stared above Thomas’s head as if pondering his next words. “I think the old earl separated faith and duty and rank. He believed in God and salvation through Christ. But duty to king and country came first. And he considered the peerage a holy institution ordained by God for keeping mankind in order.”

  Thomas leaned back in his chair, nodding. “Of course. The Great Chain of Being. How can one argue that? The Almighty God is above all, and we each have our place in the hierarchy.”

  Freddy frowned briefly, then gave his head a quick shake as though to dismiss whatever troubled his thoughts. “Be that as it may or may not be, Christ came into this world to show us a new image of God. Not a distant, angry patriarch, but a tender, loving Father.”

  Thomas studied his hands. Perhaps one needed to be a father to comprehend these things. But then he recalled a young midshipman who had failed dismally in his duties. Thomas could not bring himself to order a flogging for the lad, but chose a lesser punishment. In gratitude, that young officer, now Lieutenant Wayland, had become devoted to duty and to Thomas. If the old earl had ever once shown mercy to him, he would have walked through fire for the man. “You’ve given me much to think about.”

  “And do not forget the value of praying.” Freddy’s mild smile conveyed only acceptance. “We can talk again before you leave.” A hint of mischief lit his eyes. “Too bad you didn’t have a chance to take Dinah on a walk out to the arbor last evening.”

  Thomas laughed, welcoming the change of topic. “Ah, yes. Well, perhaps you can help me with something.” Fully aware of how he was exposing himself to mockery, he patted his coat near where the pup had left a muddy print. “I have in my pocket some verses I’ve been composing since shortly after I met Miss Templeton.” He cleared his throat, surprised at the high feeling this admission caused.

  Freddy swiped his hand across his chin. “Verses, eh? You do recall that no Moberly has ever been a poet.”

  Thomas chewed the inside of his cheek. “But perhaps my mother’s side of the family…”

  Freddy blinked several times, and his lips quirked to one side. “One can only hope.” He coughed into his fist. “By all means, let me hear what you’ve written.” He waved one hand carelessly, an invitation to proceed.

  In times past, the gesture would have annoyed Thomas. Now he was grateful to be heard. With much trepidation, he pulled out the sheet of foolscap and cleared his throat. “Fairest beloved lady that I love…” He eyed Freddy, who was holding his lips firmly between his teeth. “A gentle Athena, a pure Aphrodite, Diana’s fair sister—”

  “You used ‘fair’ in the first line.”

  “Ah, so I did.” Thomas sighed, long and deep. “Truly rotten, eh?” He could see Freddy was trying hard not to laugh, and he blew out another long breath. “You have my permission to mock me.”

  Freddy had the grace to shake his head and merely smirk. “As Shakespeare’s Benedick would say, we were not born under a rhyming planet.”

  Thomas ran a finger down the carved chair arm. “I suppose not. But what does a man do when his heart fairly bursts with—” Was he making himself too vulnerable? No. Freddy knew of his devotion. “—with love for his lady?”

  “I understand how you feel. My Rachel…well, I never imagined such happiness as I now enjoy as her husband.” Freddy rose and limped to the bookcase, pulled out a thin, leather-bound book, and placed it in Thomas’s lap. “Page thirty-three.”

  Thomas read the cover: Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 1609. He opened the collection and found the page. This time, the sigh that esca
ped him was filled with relief and admiration. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and—”

  “Yes, yes, that’s what you want to use.” Freddy pulled at his ear. “I am certain, if you must recite something to express your admiration for the lady, this is the best way to do it.”

  Thomas chuckled at his own foolishness…and vulnerability. In all his life, he had never felt as in harmony with another man as he did now, not even with Jamie Templeton when they had last met in London in ’79. Even more than the night before, he felt ballast lifted from his heart and replaced by a soothing balm of friendship. “Thank you, Freddy. I shall go immediately to find Miss Templeton and ask her to marry me without any foolish attempts at poetry.”

  “A wise plan, brother.” This time the humor in Freddy’s expression served only to bolster Thomas’s courage for the pleasant task before him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Since no one required her help or companionship, Dinah retrieved her hat from her room and wandered out onto the wide front porch. The morning air was fresh with the scent of pine, but would soon become too hot for much activity. Still, if she stayed under the trees, she could enjoy a pleasant walk.

  In the distance, she saw the four East Florida Rangers practicing marksmanship, a reassuring exercise when one considered how close the plantation was to the border with Georgia, where much fighting occurred. She might find that unnerving except for the presence of the garrison, where the two soldiers who had traveled with them had reported immediately after their arrival.

  Nearer the house, several black grooms worked with the horses in a fenced yard. Directly in front of the house, two gardeners knelt over the flowers planted inside the circle drive. Petunias, violets, pansies and zinnias blossomed within a border of tall gardenia bushes whose blooms had already fallen for the season.

  Dinah ambled down the front steps and around the corner of the white mansion toward the kitchen house, where the aroma of fresh-baked bread filled the air. Nearby, several women bent over wooden tubs, scrubbing clothes. Everyone had a task except her.