“Does that include our driver?” asked Lydia.
“One never knows. It is certainly possible, but the point is you can’t trust someone you don’t know, even though he or she looks nice. Appearances are deceptive – especially here where people both look and dress differently than you are accustomed to. You must remember you are a single woman – without a female chaperone. Many people will take that to mean you are a loose woman, so it’s important that you focus your attention on other ladies this evening. Be wary of men who may come up to speak with you tonight without having been formally introduced.
“I regret that I did not think ahead properly. I should have given more thought to this evening and your situation. Had I done so, I would have bought you a ring and introduced you as Mrs. MacLeod. That way I could have protected your reputation and there would have been no embarrassing questions for you. Sadly, the first time I thought about it was when I saw you in this dress. You are a very beautiful woman, Lydia. We could pretend you are my fiancé. What do you think?”
“Ian, I have been around Cape Horn, survived a near-drowning, fought against some of the natives near Ushuaia, worked to overcome a mutinous crew, and navigated the Emerald Tartan from Cape Horn to Honolulu. And while I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I would like to think that I can handle some gossipy old biddies. My whole life back in England was a lie, me not being honest about who I was and what I wanted in life. At this point I want to be exactly the person I am with no more prevarications. Is that all right with you?”
Ian sat quietly beside her in the carriage. He raised his left eyebrow and put up his hands in mock surrender and smiled. “You may do as you choose, but please be careful tonight.
“I realize you are eager to meet the world. I know you are smart. I only ask you to use your intelligence in new circumstances. Be guarded.”
Lydia opened her emerald green fan and rapidly waved the fan to cool her flushed cheeks. She knew he was right. She smiled and nodded.
***
His duties to Queen Victoria would not cease until the announcement and presentation of the crown from Queen Victoria to Queen Emma. After that he would be expected to dance with many of the ladies at the ball. He would be relieved when he had completed his responsibilities tonight. That was his priority.
***
The evening started out so perfectly, and now she found herself sitting next to a man whom she knew well, but who acted like she was his ward and she wondered.
I may love him, yet, do I want him or anyone else to dictate to me how I conduct myself? That is a big part of why I left England. Look at my mother. She married my father, and her own individuality disappeared. Now that I have succeeded in escaping the control of my father, do I want to submit to another man who will try to control my life? I don’t really know. I have a brain, and I would like to be able to use it. Of course, I must be careful about my conduct because I know I have led a very sheltered life.
The carriage soon pulled up to the wide lanai stairs of Hale Ali’i. The columns in front of the Hale were draped in red, white, and blue bunting for the colors of the Hawaiian flag, which was very similar in appearance to the British flag. Candles and gas lights twinkled everywhere, and classical musical notes drifted from the ballroom.
Ian commented to the driver, “Please return here in about three hours.”
“Of course, sir.” said the carriage driver. “It will be my pleasure. In fact, since I have no other employment for the evening, I will simply wait over near the armory with the other carriage drivers for your departure.”
“Thank you,” said Ian.
The driver pulled back on the reins, secured them around his seat, and began to walk around the carriage toward Lydia. Ian, too, stepped down quickly from the carriage and started to walk towards her.
Lydia stared at both of them, lifted her gown slightly, and announced, “Thank you, gentlemen. I will allow both of you to assist me from the carriage.” She put her hands out and allowed each man to hold a hand as she departed from the carriage.
Ian frowned, but stepped aside, bowed to her with a flourish, and said, “As you wish, Miss Holcomb.”
Lydia did not manage the skirts of her ball gown well, and almost tripped as her foot caught in the hem of the dress when she stepped down from the carriage. At the last second she reached out for the back of the driver’s seat and caught herself just before what could have been a disastrous fall on her face.
Without looking at either man, she regained her composure and completed the step down from the carriage and walked towards the front steps of the Palace. Misplaced arrogance can be awkward.
“Miss Holcomb, may I escort you to the ball?” asked the Ian.
Her smile beamed like a large sun. “Captain MacLeod,” she began formally, “I shall be delighted to have you escort me into Hale Ali’i.”
She took a deep breath, looped her arm around Ian’s bent elbow, raised her head high, picked up her gown, and walked up the wide steps of the Hale.
CHAPTER 22
“If you will excuse me Lydia, I must take care of the business end of my trip now.” He bowed briefly, and left to approach the assistants to the King and Queen.
He reappeared moments later with a velvet covered box, which had been delivered to the royal residence earlier in the day. He stood at the arched entryway to the ball room and waited to be announced.
The candles hanging from the ceiling gave a twinkly aspect to the ball room. The music changed to a royal march. A gentle breeze wafted through the open doors out to the lanai. A silence enveloped the ballroom as all the ladies and gentlemen stopped their dancing and chatting to look towards the throne.
A liveried servant solemnly stepped forward and in a deep voice announced, “Captain Ian MacLeod, emissary from Her Royal Highness Queen Victoria.”
Ian stepped forward and made a short bow from his waist: “With your permission, Your Highnesses, on behalf of the Queen of England, Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, it is my pleasure to present to you, Queen Emma, a small token of the Queen Victoria’s esteem and love for you on this the first anniversary of your marriage to King Kamehameha the Fourth.”
He bowed his head, and presented to velvet box to Her Highness. The servant took the box and handed it to Queen Emma. The Queen, her head held high, graciously accepted the box and slowly lifted the lid.
“Thank you Captain MacLeod. The Queen thinks highly of you. And, oh my goodness. This is so beautiful! The Queen told me she was sending me a small token of her love, but I had no idea …” She was speechless.
The Queen’s assistant helped her to lift the crown out of the box. Queen Emma’s lady-in-waiting stepped forward to remove the haku lei and replace it with the crown on her head. A goldsmith had pounded the golden crown into peaks and valleys similar to old English crowns. Instead of gemstones at the top of each peak, however, a green emerald vine had been lightly pounded and inset into the edges of the crown all the way around. Clear, deep green emeralds filled the vine completely, and the outline of emerald filled leaves appeared to grow themselves from small branches off the main vine. Lastly, rubies filled in the outline of the five hibiscuses that blossomed around the crown.
The Queen touched the crown and thanked Ian.
“Mahalo nui loa, Captain MacLeod. This exquisite gift from my cousin across the seas shall be cherished by all in Hawaii, and it shall become part of the royal family jewelry. And I thank you for bringing this gift over such a distance and just in time for our anniversary!”
“Your majesty,” began Ian, “if I may, I would also like you to meet the young lady whose assistance made our timely arrival possible. I present to you Miss Lydia Holcomb, also of England. She is about as brave and capable as any young lady whom I have ever had the opportunity to meet.”
At that point he motioned for Lydia to join him near the throne. She shrunk back and tried to disappear into the crowd; however, two of the Queen’s guards moved through the crowd
and escorted her to the front of the thrones.
Ian informed the King and Queen about Lydia’s terrifying experiences at Cape Horn, and how she was able to ensure the ship arrived in Hawaii timely and safely.
“Miss Holcomb, it is a true pleasure to meet you. From the Captain, I understand you are quite a valiant young woman. Your escapades and survival during your extraordinary trip around Cape Horn are a tribute to your strength of character, determination, and faith. I trust that when you continue your journey on to San Francisco that Lord and Lady Saxonby will welcome your safe, albeit late, arrival. May God bless you. May I present you with this lovely haku lei made of plumeria, pikake, pink rosebuds and ti leaves.” The Queen asked her lady-in-waiting to show Lydia how to wear the lei.
Lydia bowed and as she stood up thanked the Queen. “Your Majesty, your graciousness overwhelms me. Thank you so very much!”
“You are very welcome, young lady. Now, if you two will excuse me, I must greet some of my other guests.” With that comment, the Queen dismissed Ian and Lydia. A liveried servant proceeded to escort them away from the throne area. Lydia and Ian neared the lanai where the breezes were a little stronger.
“You … you spoke to the Queen about me … and said nice things about me,” said Lydia.
“What do you think, Lydia? I am not a complete oaf. Even I can recognize bravery and determination when I see it! You saved this entire journey through your bravery and your ability to navigate the ship safely to Honolulu.”
“Yes, but if it had not been for me in the first place, you would have never been injured.”
Ian looked into Lydia’s green eyes. “Lydia, you were there, so we all deal with events that happen in our lives. If we were to evaluate every event with “what if”, then nothing would ever get done. What happened at Cape Horn was a lifetime experience for you, for me, and all the men involved. Saying ‘but if I …’ doesn’t change the fact that it happened, and that all of our lives are changed because of it. Our job is to learn from what life teaches us. If we choose to ignore the lessons, then we have wasted our lives. I truly do not think I would change anything in my life … at least, so far.”
He was about to say something more, but when he looked into Lydia’s eyes he saw confusion. He changed his mind and said nothing.
“Now, my dear, as I mentioned earlier, my duties are not yet over as I am an official guest of the King and Queen, thus I must reappear in the ballroom. Would you like to mingle with the guests for a short while longer? The evening is over, the King and Queen signal by leaving the room together. Please meet me here by the staircase to take our carriage back to the ship.”
***
Lydia nodded in agreement. Internally, her heart raced in true shock and pleasure at the compliment Ian had just paid her. He does respect me. She turned to thank him, but he had already left her and joined a group of men. The men gathered in the smoking room, a forbidden area for women. As much as she wanted to go after him to talk, she had no inclination to walk into the lair of a group of men smoking cigars, using coarse language, and who knew what else.
Clutching her fan, she turned away from the men and searched out a powder room. By the time she returned to the ballroom, the dancing and music had resumed from a short break. She paused to watch the couples swirling around the ballroom and to admire the variety of multi-colored ball gowns. Most of the women wore colorful flowers woven into their hairstyles, while others wore fragrant flower leis in place of necklaces or bracelets. One tall, slender woman with stunning blonde hair wore an exquisite gown of peach colored silk trimmed with pearls around the princess necklace of the dress. The gown was quite unusual and was not made in the current style; nevertheless, to Lydia it was the most beautiful dress at the ball. She studied the lines of the gown and looked up to see who the young woman’s dance partner was. It was Ian!
He engaged in an animated conversation with her. Not once did he glance in Lydia’s direction. A stab of jealousy shot through her like a well-honed knife. She acknowledged to herself she wanted to make her own choices. She took a deep breath and with renewed determination, walked fully back into the ballroom and looked for a group of young women with whom she could chat. Such a group stood, along with a few older women, at the far corner of the room. She walked over and waited for an appropriate break in the conversation to introduce herself.
“Hello. My name is Lydia Holcomb. This is such a lovely evening.”
The other women smiled and nodded their heads to acknowledge her self- introduction.
Lydia turned to one woman in particular and said, “I so admire your shell necklace.” Around the woman’s neck lay an ivory colored necklace, made of five or six twisted strands of very tiny shells.
“Mahalo,” said the woman. These are called Niihau shells. My grandmother strung them for me. My name is Pakelekia. You are new here, correct?”
“Yes. I just arrived two days ago on the Emerald Tartan. I am on my way to San Francisco.”
“I’ve heard that San Francisco is a fascinating city. I should love to visit it. Would you like to visit it, Janele?”
“Actually, I would love to go back to Connecticut,” whispered Janele. “This heat is so overwhelming.” Janele fanned herself and with a dainty lace handkerchief blotted the drops of moisture that gathered over her upper lip.
She extended her small hand to Lydia. “Hello. My name is Janele Pratt. My father is the rector at Kawaihao Church.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said Lydia extending her hand to Janele’s.
“Where is your chaperone?” asked Janele. “Is she getting some punch?”
“My mother was my chaperone when I was on the Wyndom Wydoh, but I was washed overboard during a terrible storm at Cape Horn. Ian MacLeod, the Captain of the Emerald Tartan, rescued me. I am on my way to San Francisco where Lord and Lady Saxonby await my arrival.”
Janele straightened the bun at the nape of her neck and looked down as though inspecting the design in the wood flooring.
“Are you saying you are without a chaperone at present?”
“Yes,” responded Lydia without thinking about the ramifications of her response or where the conversation was going.
“In that case, where are you staying while you are here?” asked Janele, smiling sweetly.
“On the Emerald Tartan.”
“Oh. I was not aware that the Emerald Tartan was a passenger ship with traveling accommodations.”
“It isn’t. It is a clipper ship and carries cargo.”
“Oh. A clipper ship. How fascinating,” rambled Janele.
“Where do you stay on the ship, if it is not a passenger ship?”
“In the Captain’s …” Lydia’s voice trailed off. It finally dawned on her. Janele had cunningly trapped her into admitting not only was she not chaperoned, but also she was staying in the Captain’s quarters. The shocked expressions on the faces of the other young women in the group and the pursed lips of their mothers, who had recently joined their small circle, told Lydia how grievously she had erred.
“Let me explain,” began Lydia. It was too late. One by one the women and their their mothers excused themselves from Lydia’s presence. Before another minute had passed, Lydia found herself standing completely alone.
Only Pakelekia, who wore the Niihau shell lei, looked at her. She, too, inched further away from Lydia. A sad look crossed her face, and she turned back to Lydia, lifted her fan to cover her words from prying eyes and ears, and said, “I am so sorry, Lydia. But the rector is very strict about with whom the unmarried women can and cannot associate. I am afraid the fact that you, through no fault of your own, have been traveling unchaperoned for a good length of time and you are now staying in the Captain’s quarters, brands you as a loose woman. It does not matter it may or may not be true. I, too, must cease speaking with you in order to protect my own reputation. Again, I am so sorry.”
With that said, she turned to join the other young women who had wandered over to the ot
her side of the ball room.
As a group they chatted excitedly behind their fans and cast pointed glances every now and then in Lydia’s direction.
“Humph,” said Lydia to no one in particular. “It does not take a wizard to know who they are talking about.”
She searched about the ball room for the Captain. He was dancing with another beautiful young woman, and he appeared to be very engrossed in the conversation with her. In fact, his eyes flashed eagerly down at the young lady’s décolletage. He was flirting with her!
It dawned on Lydia he had not yet asked her for a dance. He did not seem to care whether Lydia was at the dance or not.
Maybe those young ladies were correct. Perhaps I am an “undesirable” woman as a result of my recent experiences. I have failed to maintain my own moral standards where Ian was concerned. Not only that, as an unmarried woman, I am unable to keep him out of my thoughts. I love to fantasize about the things he did when he made love to me.
Her thoughts grew more dark. She realized Ian had never once mentioned having any feelings for her. She inspired lust in him … nothing more. She freely gave him what he wanted. She shared his room on the ship and although at least four weeks had passed since they made love, they still shared the same bunk.
No wonder the other women had turned their backs on her. They just did not know how true their accusations were. She, Lydia Holcomb, had turned into everything her father had warned her about. It appeared Ian only thought about her in one way – reclining on her back. How stupid and naïve could she be?
Here at the ball Ian ignored her. Lydia’s world began to collapse. Her breathing grew stressed. The dress was suddenly too tight for her and panic set in.
I have to get back to the ship!
Afraid to remain in the ball room for another second longer. She lowered her head and charged out of the ball room and down the steps of the Hale.
She looked toward the armory where the carriages waited to be summoned. She could not see the driver. Impatience ate away at her. She knew she would burst into tears if she could not get away in the next few minutes. Shame and realization of the position she had put herself into by making love with Ian gnawed at her stomach like a wolf chewing on a bone.
The Emerald Tartan Page 19