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The Captain's Daughter

Page 15

by Minnie Simpson


  They were warmly welcomed by Lady Quillin’s sister. Johanna Wardsley was a somewhat staid women, perhaps slightly reticent as Amy would learn, but most certainly welcoming. Perhaps she was glad for some company other than the household servants. She turned out to have a daughter, Cassandra Wardsley, who was obviously very glad to meet two visitors of her own age, Amy and Mattie.

  After the niceties of the greeting, Mrs. Wardsley told them that Sir Frank and Lady Estella would arrive in a few days. Lord and Lady Quillin were visiting the continent all summer as he was on some kind of diplomatic mission.

  At dinner that evening, Mrs. Wardsley mostly defered to her daughter, Cassandra, who eagerly told the Sibbridges of all the wonders of the world of Bath. Since she and her mother had only lived in Bath for a couple of years, it was still a place of excitement for her, especially now that she would have three companions to guide around town for a little while.

  They were all up bright and early the next morning and Cassandra was bubbling over with information.

  “We have to go to the Assembly Rooms for breakfast,” she said excitedly.

  “The Assembly Rooms?” asked Emma.

  “Yes,” bubbled Cassandra. “You cannot imagine how wonderful they are, and everyone will be there. They have room after room, and they’re huge. They’re up by the Circus.”

  “The Circus?” queried Amy.

  “It’s a big grass circle just up the hill. It’s only about half-a-mile away.”

  “Well, it shouldn’t tire out the horses too much,” quipped Emma.

  “No. No. No. We don’t take your coach. We have to walk there.”

  “Walk?’ asked Amy.

  “Yes. Everyone walks in Bath. Well, some of the old people don’t. They have special chairs and have chairmen carry them around.”

  “Sedan chairs?” asked Emma.

  “They are not quite the same as sedan chairs, they’re more simply built,” replied Cassandra. “But everything is different here. It’s nothing like London. When mother and I lived in London after Father left, I could never go out of the house. Ladies don’t walk in London and we couldn’t afford a coach. In Bath, ladies can walk anywhere they want. I feel free here.”

  And so the four young ladies walked down Great Pulteney Street towards the River Avon and the center of Bath.

  “You lived in London until two years ago?” asked Amy during a brief break in Cassandra’s enthusiastic rendition of the sights and sounds and amenities of the magic town of Bath.

  “I lived in London all of my life. ‘Least as far back as I can recall.”

  Amy immediately regretted her question as it seemed to have stirred up some unpleasant memories.

  “After Father wasn’t...around anymore, mother had no money. We had to let all the servants go.”

  Amy wondered what happened to Cassandra’s father but was afraid to ask. Amy and Cassandra were now a little ahead of Emma and Mattie. There was a great deal of building going on all along Great Pulteney Street and that was of interest to Emma.

  “The only reason we were able to eat was that Aunt Marianne—Lady Quillin—remitted a small stipend to us each month. Lady Quillin is mama’s sister.”

  The conversation was interrupted as all four had to stop in the middle of the Pulteney Bridge and watch the mesmerizing flow of the River Avon as it swept under the bridge. But it was only briefly, since all were hungry and drawn by the Assembly Rooms that the three Sibbridge daughters had never seen, and where breakfast beckoned.

  As they turned to their right and headed northward up the hill, Amy wasn’t sure how much to ask. She was curious but afraid to open old wounds. Fortunately, Cassandra was in a talking mood, but now it was no longer the bubbly girl but a serious, if not solemn, young woman.

  “It was miserable in London, but things all changed two years ago. Lord and Lady Quillin, Aunt Marianne, returned to England. He had been stationed on the continent for several years. They visited us and were shocked at how we were forced to live. Lord Quillin was investing in the development of Pulteney Street and also a marvelous gardens that are planned to be built at the end of Pulteney Street. Some say they will be called the Vauxhall Gardens just like the ones in London, and other people say they will be called Sydney Gardens. He bought the house on Pulteney Street and said we could live there and take care of it. But mother thinks he might have done it for us.”

  “Where are the Assembly Rooms,” interrupted Emma, “I’m starved.”

  “We’re almost there,” laughed Cassandra, and then she began to bubble again.

  While Emma had been suffering from gastronomic deprivation, Mattie had been quite unaffected, as she was distracted from any pangs of hunger by the crowds of young gentlemen making their way in the same direction.

  Clearly, some of the young gentleman were distracted in like manner as quite a few of them were casting glances in Mattie’s direction, or perhaps they were looking at all four of the young ladies. In actual fact, several of them greeted Cassandra with whom they were clearly acquainted.

  After a noisy community breakfast, they all went to The Ballroom. It was breathtaking to the three visitors with its size and opulence. They stared in wonder at the high arched ceiling and the grand chandeliers.

  Cassandra showed them around the New Assembly Rooms. Everywhere they went they met more of her friends, one or two of whom were of considerable interest to Mattie.

  Mattie was in a wonder land. This was her idea of Paradise having several young gentlemen hovering around trying to amuse the girls. All too soon, in Mattie’s opinion, but not in Emma’s, it was time to eat lunch.

  After lunch, while Cassandra and Mattie were conversing with a couple of young gentlemen, Amy and Emma wandered around, strolling down the corridors and admiring all the luxurious wonders of the place. Amy was impressed with how beautiful and elegant it all looked, and Emma was intrigued by how it was all constructed.

  While they were admiring the Octagon Room, which was a perfect octagon, with its windows high up on the yellow walls, and the four mantlepieces, and the giant crystal chandelier, a man who looked familiar to them entered through the door from the Card Room. He was accompanied by another man who was perhaps in his forties.

  He did not seem to see them, although, perhaps he was ignoring them and just pretending he didn’t recognize them.

  “Look,” whispered Emma, “the Frenchman.”

  The Frenchman, who had visited the Sibbridges and who claimed to be the Compte d’Belleisle, was involved in deep conversation with the other man who appeared to be in his forties or early fifties.

  “Let us greet our erstwhile visitor,” said Amy.

  “Do you think we should?” asked Emma.

  Amy strolled up to them in her most coquettish way, followed by an uncertain Emma.

  “Good Day, Compte,” said Amy with an ingratiating smile.

  Startled, he turned to see who spoke. At first he seemed confused, and then he slowly recognized them. He seemed, if anything, quite uncomfortable, almost like a child caught stealing sweet cakes from the kitchen.

  “Good Day, Lady... Please forgive me. It is most bad of me since you kindly entertained me in your home, but your name escapes me. It is all the fault of my suffering at the hands of the Comité de salut public—The Committee of Public Safety. My mind has not been right since.”

  “You are excused,” said Amy with a smile. “Other than your most unfortunate memory problem, I hope you are well. I am Amaryllis and this is my sister, Emmaline.”

  “Oh yes, yes. It all comes back to me,” he said, slapping his forehead. “Oh forgive me please. I have failed to introduce my companion. Lord Eskman, this is Lady Amaryllis, and Lady...Emmaline.”

  Lord Eskman just nodded his head and mumbled an acknowledgement. He then nudged the Compte.

  “Forgive us please,” said the Compte, “I do not mean to be rude, but we have some most urgent business and must leave.”

  The two walked swiftly through
the door to the central hallway in the direction of the front entrance of the New Assembly Rooms.

  “Do you notice, Emma, that our friend, the Compte, needs a good deal of forgiveness,” said Amy with a grin.

  “Yes, and I also noticed his friend seemed very interested in you.”

  “He is far too old for me, Emma,” said Amy grinning.

  “I don’t mean that way.” Emma looked at Amy and she was deeply serious. “He acted very surprised when he saw you.”

  “I didn’t notice him as I was too involved being gracious to our Frenchman who claims to be a compte. What exactly do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. It’s hard to say,” said Emma shaking her head. “It was as if he somehow recognized you and did not expect to see you here. The best way I can explain it is it was as if he had seen a ghost.”

  “How could that be,” said Amy puzzled. “You must be mistaken. I am absolutely sure I have never seen that man before in my entire life. He cannot know me.”

  “He has never seen you, but could he have seen someone that looks like you?”

  Chapter 18

  Five days after their arrival in Bath, Ben turned up.

  The girls were getting ready to go to the Assembly Rooms for breakfast. When they realized Amy would not be going this particular morning they took their leave. After they were gone, Amy sat down with Ben in the drawing room.

  “How did you find out where we were staying,” asked a curious Amy.

  “I’ll explain later,” said a slightly breathless Ben. “I’ve just ridden in from Bristol and there are some things you need to know.”

  “You’ve found out something about who I am?”

  “I already know who you are. You’re Amaryllis Sibbridge. I’m trying to find out what the threat is to Amaryllis and why.”

  Ben opened his satchel and pulled out a bunch of papers, spreading them on a small round table. Most were notes he had taken earlier from the Bristol Gazette and Public Advertiser. He set the newspaper itself aside, and examined his notes. Amy looked at him expectantly.

  “I’ve spent the last three days in Bristol. I don’t want you to get your hopes up too much, but I have found out some things that might be important. But I must emphasize, Amy, I still don’t know what the threat is that is mentioned in the unfinished letter, and I don’t even have any theories.”

  “What did you find out?” queried Amy.

  “I went to the offices of the Bristol Gazette and spent almost an entire day examining every issue leading up to the 20th of May, and every issue for several months after. In fact, I well near went through the entire year. I had to do that because I don’t know what we are looking for.”

  “The Gazette must have been sent to me for a reason,” said Amy. “There must be something important in it we are just not seeing.”

  “There has to be,” agreed Ben. “Something that links to the ‘dangerous knowledge’ that you were going to receive and never did.”

  Amy could not forget the words of that letter that ended so abruptly. Dear Beloved Child, I have long struggled over whether to write this letter. Having decided to do so, I now find I must pen it with great urgency since the time is much shorter than I expected. Yet I do so with trepidation. There are things you need to know, but this knowledge could expose you to great danger, because there are those who would not wish you to learn what I am about to reveal...

  “As I mentioned when we first looked at the Gazette, it is quite possible that something that looks as if it has no significance might be of great importance, but since we have no way of knowing what it might be, I had to look into the most obvious items. If only your letter writer had been able to finish.”

  Ben drew his notes closer and looked at them intently.

  “I tried to find all that I could about the wine merchant who was attacked. I thought he might have no heirs, but it turns out he had a sister in York. There just doesn’t seem to be anything there. The death of the wealthy ship owner is of interest only because you said your satchel was delivered by an elderly sailor.”

  “I really don’t know if he was a sailor. Effie and Mrs. Pemberton thought he might be a sailor because of his attire.”

  “Since we are the world’s foremost maritime nation, sailors are not unusual, but we have to look at the most likely possibilities. What else do we have to go on? We just don’t have many clues.”

  “Do you think that it has some connection with the items in my satchel? If he were wealthy, maybe someone has a motive that might somehow put me in danger.”

  Ben looked at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. She felt as if he thought her comment was silly.

  “He died twenty years ago, Amy. His estate was settled a long time ago. Remember, the Gazette said his son was with him when he died. The thought of somehow being an heiress to a fortune might be appealing, but that only happens in certain novels of the less noble kind.”

  “Are you suggesting that I read novels which are, as you put it, of the less noble kind?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that,” replied Ben hastily.

  “Good!’ said Amy triumphantly. “Although, actually I have read one...or more of the novels you were referring to, but only to find out what my sister might be reading. I am the eldest, and mother is not up to it, so I do it...”

  “We better get back to your little mystery,” interrupted Ben.

  “You’re right, but one more thing I might add. Don’t tell my mother about the novels. It would trouble her. You know how she is.”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” smiled Ben. “But I really don’t see anything about the ship-owner, tantalizing as the idea may be, that is worth pursuing at this time. It seems like a dead end.”

  “You said you found out something I need to know.”

  “Yes. I could find nothing of substance in the Gazette, but I knew there must be something there, so I decided to use my intuition.”

  “I didn’t know men had intuition,” said Amy playfully, although she felt leaden inside.

  “They don’t, but I’m a rare exception,” said Ben with a grin. “Anyway, overlooking a rude interruption from a charming young lady let me go on. I don’t wish to treat this lightly, because it is all very sad.”

  Amy felt she had been gently chastised. She had tried to lighten the gravity of the situation. Perhaps it had been ill-advised. But I’m the one who has a dagger hanging over my head, she thought, he does not have a right to criticize. But she said nothing because she was very grateful for all of his work.

  “I’m very curious about the drowned captain,” continued Ben.

  “He was the one whose coach fell in the river, if I recall rightly. But how would a coach just fall in a river?”

  “That’s an interesting question. I haven’t seen the road where it occurred, but I understand it ran beside the River Avon for a short distance and then crossed over the river on a narrow bridge. We will have to take a look at the place later. But here’s the thing. There also was a lawyer in that coach who drowned. The coach was a private carriage not a public coach. So the captain was riding with a lawyer. Where they were headed and where they were coming from, I could not find out. But if it involved a lawyer it might be of interest.”

  “So you think there is something there?”

  “Don’t get your hopes up too much, but I think it is worth investigating. Unfortunately, the writer of the news item only mentioned the coach in passing but did not say to whom it belonged. I might be able to dig up that information but I haven’t been able to get that far.”

  “I really appreciate all you’ve done, Ben, but is there some way we can find out more?”

  It embarrassed her to ask the question, but there was absolutely nothing she could do since she had to go where her mother said. It bothered her that a young lady of her station could not go and investigate a matter of this sort, whereas a man was free to roam as he willed. Ben did not react to what she said. There seemed t
o be something else on his mind.

  “There is another thing that bothers me,” said Ben with a frown, “and that’s the poor woman whose body washed up on the beach with a baby wrapped against her in a baby blanket. If you remember the article in the Gazette, there were at least two other people in the coach. They were missing when the coach was pulled out of the river, and the natural assumption was that they washed down the River Avon and out into the Bristol Channel. The two were the captain’s wife and child.”

  “Was the woman and baby who were found on the beach the captain’s wife and child?”

  “They don’t really know. They were found some time after the coach plunged into the river and the bodies were in a bad condition.”

  “Couldn’t they tell from the clothes?”

  “The woman appeared to be wearing ordinary garments but they were also in bad condition. As far as I can tell, no one who knew the captain’s wife saw the bodies. But since there were no other reports of a missing woman and baby, there is no doubt that they were the captain’s wife and baby.”

  “I don’t understand, Ben. Why would this be of interest to me in my search? It seems like another dead end.”

  “Not necessarily, Amy. I just have a feeling there is something more to this. Something in the inner recesses of my mind seems to feel there is more to find out. We don’t have much to work with, so we have to run with what we do have, and I now know three things, the name of the captain, the name of the lawyer, and the name of the church where they are buried, so we’ll start with that.”

  Amy was about to ask where they were buried when the butler interrupted with an apology and announced that lunch was served.

  When Amy and Ben entered the dining room, Johanna Wardsley, their hostess, was already seated at the table along with Amy’s mother and father. Mrs. Charlotte Parkhurst was not present. She was probably lying down with one of her alleged headaches. Mrs. Wardsley had not been present when Ben had arrived earlier, and she had not come by the drawing room to meet Ben who was in reality her guest. Amy had come to the conclusion that Mrs. Wardsley was a very shy woman, even though she was warm and friendly when she knew you. Amy was also certain her mother would have told Mrs. Wardsley about Ben but had no idea what she might have said. Amy cringed at the thought. Since her mother did not say anything she realized she had been delegated to introduce Ben.

 

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