“Lord and Lady Bennington.” Blevins’s monotone announcement could not have come at a worse time.
Dinah breathed rapidly to regain her composure and grew lightheaded as a result. What an awful time to feel faint. They would surely misunderstand the cause.
The couple looked like bookends. The earl was not much taller than Dinah, and the countess a little shorter. Both wore high, white-powdered wigs and lavish silk clothing, she in rose, and he in green. Their round faces and corpulent bodies proclaimed their enjoyment of many hearty meals.
Thomas squeezed her hand, left her in front of the hearth, and strode to his brother and sister-in-law. “Lady Bennington, you are the very picture of elegance.” His bow to the woman was lower than any Dinah had ever seen him execute.
“Thenk yew, Captain Moberly.” She held out a gloved hand, and Thomas kissed it.
The lady held her nose in the air, as if something smelled bad, but Dinah knew Thomas smelled very fine wearing his new citrus cologne. At this bit of snobbery, the last of her tears disappeared.
Thomas turned to his brother. “Bennington, how well you wear your elevation.”
“Quite.” A glimmer of more tender feelings swept over the new earl’s chubby countenance, but only briefly. “You look well, Tommy.” He studied Thomas up and down through a quizzing glass. “Very well indeed.”
The quizzing glass turned in Dinah’s direction at the same moment Lady Bennington stared at her and sniffed.
Thomas stiffened. He reached out to Dinah, and she walked to his side, her head held high. He put his hand around her waist and pulled her into the shelter of his arm.
“Lord and Lady Bennington, may I present my wife, Mrs. Moberly.”
Dinah dutifully curtseyed, as custom required, but she also smiled at her new sister-in-law. “I am honored, my lord, my lady.” The titles did not roll easily off of her tongue, but she would not shame Thomas. Some small hint of her Quaker beginnings nagged her that all men were equal before God. Clearly these two would not agree with that Scriptural teaching.
Both of them stared at her boldly, as if she were a horse they would not consider purchasing.
“Well,” Lord Bennington said.
“Indeed.” Lady Bennington sniffed yet again.
An awkward silence ensued, during which Thomas’s grip on Dinah’s waist tightened. But he had no cause to worry. This couple’s obvious disapproval of her bordered on being comical, but she would behave herself. Foolish or not, the earl and countess held great power in this country, and Dinah would do nothing to cause them to turn their wrath upon Thomas.
Blevins once again stepped into the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moberly,” he said in a droning monotone.
“Tommy!” Another Moberly gentleman—this one tall and dark-haired like Thomas—strode in with a lovely, brown-haired woman on his arm. “God’s mercy has brought you back to us.” Well-fed, but not as plump as the earl, this gentleman bore none of the hauteur of his eldest brother. He pulled Thomas into his arms, and Thomas responded with equally enthusiastic back-slapping.
“Robby, you old dog. Look at you. The picture of health.” Thomas pulled back and turned to the lady. “Grace, you are lovelier than ever.” He held out a hand to Dinah and drew her into the small circle that excluded the lord and lady of the manor. “Robby, Grace, may I present my wife, my own dear Dinah.”
“Oh, my dear sister.” Grace Moberly embraced Dinah with all the enthusiasm her husband had bestowed upon Thomas. Then she took Dinah’s face in her hands, kissed one cheek and wiped away her own tears. “Now that we are both Mrs. Moberly, I shall call you Dinah, and you must call me Grace to avoid confusion.”
“I am so pleased to meet you…Grace.” Dinah’s vision blurred, and she blinked several times. This was the sweet lady Marianne had described so glowingly, and the warmth in her gaze bespoke all to be true.
Thomas belatedly kissed Grace’s hand, then her cheek. “Are you…well, madam?”
The concern in his eyes alerted Dinah to the deeper question he was asking, and she held her breath awaiting her new sister’s response.
Grace smiled warmly, as if she comprehended their anxiety on her behalf. “Indeed, I am well, as is our daughter Anne Marie, born just over seven weeks ago.”
Thomas released a long sigh, his relief obvious, and voiced his congratulations. Dinah sent up a silent prayer of thanks and would not fear when her own time came.
A glance revealed that the earl and countess had moved to a settee and now watched the proceedings as if observing a play—through their quizzing glasses, of course. They did not appear displeased with the actors, merely bored.
“Now, we must all get acquainted.” Grace put one arm around Dinah’s waist and the other around Thomas’s arm, then drew them toward the chairs across from their host and hostess. Grace sat upon the arm of Dinah’s chair and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I am so thankful the Lord has brought you to us. We shall be such friends, my dear Dinah. I promise you.”
Dinah glanced at Thomas and saw his slight nod and the grin that played at the corner of his lips. She gazed up into Grace’s lively face, knowing instinctively that she had found a sister and confidante. But most of all, she had her own true love, who had surrendered his own ambitions for her happiness. And she planned to spend the rest of her life, Lord willing, making Thomas very happy he had done so.
Dear Reader,
I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey back in time to 1780 St. Augustine, East Florida Colony. I’ve been fascinated by this obscure chapter in American history ever since I first discovered my home state belonged to England from 1763 to 1783, which included our American Revolutionary War.
When I began this series, my aim was to extol the zeal of the Patriots who fought for independence from England. But after writing about two couples divided by the struggle, I wanted to present a couple who shared the belief that England would and should be victorious over the rebelling colonists. Many American-born Loyalists who suffered great persecution from the Patriots fled to St. Augustine, where they found a peaceful, bustling town with a full social life. While I may not agree with their opinions, I do believe that when trials come, every person can look to God for help in time of need.
Thank you for choosing At the Captain’s Command, my third Revolutionary War book. In these stories, I hope to inspire my readers always to seek God’s guidance, no matter what trials may come their way.
I love to hear from my readers, so if you have a comment or question, please contact me through my website, www.louisemgouge.com.
Blessings,
Louise M. Gouge
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
At the beginning of the story, we learn that Thomas’s brother and sister have married Dinah’s cousin and brother. How does this help them become friends right away? What prejudices does each have to overcome before he or she can truly consider romance?
Thomas’s mother died at his birth, and his father was a distant, angry parent. What influences help him to realize that God is a far different Father from his earthly father?
What is your view of God? Do you see Him as a loving, gentle Father or a demanding parent whom you can never please?
When Thomas discovers that his good friend is also his nemesis, he feels betrayed. Do you think he did the right thing not to report Nighthawk to the authorities after his first attempts failed? Do you think your response is influenced by your feelings regarding the outcome of Revolutionary War?
Have you, like Thomas, ever been deeply betrayed by someone you trusted? How did you respond?
As an orphan, Dinah has been lonely all her life. Even her relatives seem to reject her. How does her spiritual journey help her to see God as her loving Father? Have you ever felt utterly alone and friendless? How did you deal with it?
Dinah’s cousin and sister-in-law appear to be kind, generous ladies, yet they seem to turn a cold shoulder to Dinah. Was their behavior justified in those turbulent times? Have you
ever been snubbed by friends or relatives? Were you able to forgive them? Despite their treatment, were you still able to feel good about yourself?
Dinah’s feelings of being alone extended even to God. Although she believed in Him, she felt He was distant and she wasn’t important enough for Him to notice. Do you think she felt that way because she had been orphaned? How did she resolve her doubts?
Have you ever felt that God is far away and not listening to you? Did you resolve your doubts? If not, what would change your opinion?
Which character changes the most in the story, Dinah or Thomas? In what ways did each one mature and become stronger? In what ways did they stay the same?
At the end of the story, both Dinah and Thomas assume that the British will be victorious over the American colonists. How do you suppose each of them will react when the colonists win the victory and establish a new nation “conceived in liberty”?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8984-4
AT THE CAPTAIN’S COMMAND
Copyright © 2011 by Louise M. Gouge
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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