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Posted on Saturday, 22 September 2007
Anne sat down. She followed her father's example and had some sausages. Frederick was watching it all with interest, though he refused to meet her eyes if she tried to look at him. He was not at all sure what she was thinking. She might be full of disapproval, although she was sitting down calmly enough and could even eat. He had tried, but he could not eat any more at present.
He had not counted on Anne to appear. He now wondered if the situation was going to become worse, with even more people appearing before he and Anne had solved this. It would be extremely embarrassing if another person came in and his lies came out. His victorious feelings would disappear entirely. Before then he must try and salvage the situation.
Anne was thankfully not questioning her scandalous conduct, though he had seen it puzzled her. She knew what she had done, of course, but she did not understand why he had mentioned it. He had not. She must be puzzled most of all by the apparent good understanding between him and her father. So was he.
Sir Walter spoke again. "You are really in good looks, Anne. Have you had this sort of breakfast every day?"
"Yes, Papa," she said after a moment.
"You were quite miserable and thin before you left. I could hardly bear to look at you."
Frederick felt rather indignant at such a heartless comment. He had studied Anne, naturally, after such a long period of not seeing her and he had found her very pretty. She was indeed thinner than the other women in the house, although he had not seen them together, but she was not carrying a child.
"Thank you, Papa," Anne murmured. "I am glad to be in better looks."
Frederick pondered the apparent improvement in her looks. Was it due to him? And how frightful had she been that her father could hardly have borne to look at her?
"Sit on the chair next to yours, young man," Sir Walter ordered all of a sudden. "That awful painting of that boat might well be hidden from view then."
It was the chair next to Anne's and she had been keeping that one empty between them for some reason. He did not want to go against her wishes now, but her fathered ordered. He moved up a seat. Sophia was fond of snug meals and she had chosen not to have the table lengthened when the number of guests increased. His knee nudged Anne's by accident and she started. Sir Walter, engrossed by his sausages, did not notice.
"It is not a boat, Sir Walter. It is a sloop," Frederick said with a glance over his shoulder.
"Well, well, what might a sloop be, other than simply another type of boat? One boat is very much like another to me."
Frederick stared at him incredulously. "Would you not see the difference between a sloop and a first rate ship-of-the-line?"
"I beg your pardon?" Sir Walter had never seen either thing.
He attempted to phrase it in language Sir Walter could understand. "If you can tell the difference between a small sausage and a large one, you could. A sloop is a small sausage."
"Why should I care? It is a frightful painting."
"Very true to life," Frederick said with another glance over his shoulder. "But the waves can be frightful indeed."
"I hope you will not think of taking Anne onto a sloop. Where is your second daughter, Sir Walter? She is on a sloop with a sailor." He shuddered as he imagined having to give such a reply. "That is impossible."
"A sloop?" Frederick laughed mockingly. "Do not think me still in command of sloops, sir!"
Sloops, boats -- he still did not see the difference. "A boat is no place for a woman."
"I might agree with you there, Sir Walter. However, she would not exactly be on a boat with a sailor."
"On a boat with a great many sailors, I presume. That is even worse. But Anne, I trust, would not embarrass her father to such an extent."
"I cannot make the decision on my own," she replied quietly. "I should have to be invited by the captain."
"And he will not share you with his sailors," Frederick said without thinking very deeply. "Er...I mean that he is not likely to invite you," he added hurriedly. "If he has any respect for women and the comforts they require."
The glance Anne gave him was not devoid of mockery. "It would be a great comfort to me to know I should not be shared, but which other comforts do women require?"
He did not understand her feelings on the subject, but he suspected that if he were engaged in a discussion, he would lose. It made him rather uncomfortable. "Well, er...a comfortable place to sleep?"
"Your sister, I believe, has travelled extensively," she replied. "The places to sleep that were available to her must have been sufficiently comfortable."
"She was married."
"Why do you presume I should allow a captain to invite me if I were not married to him?"
He had been right -- he had lost, or so it felt. He disliked the way she arched her eyebrows, yet he found it intriguing as well. Then he remembered they were married, as far as Sir Walter knew, and the man was still listening. "Quite obviously I should not allow my wife to be invited by other captains," he said after a moment.
Anne did not appear to find fault with that. "I deduce a captain has a sufficiently comfortable bed for his wife, or only an admiral?"
"Anne, one does not discuss beds," Sir Walter spoke.
"A captain and an admiral both have comfortable beds -- an admiral's must be better than mine -- and where they leave their wives I leave to you to determine," said Frederick, ignoring the baronet. He was not really sure where the admiral left Sophia, but he had always assumed it was somewhere within his reach.
"Where she wishes to be left, surely?" Anne wondered.
He wondered where Anne wished to be left, but he chided himself for that thought a second later. He had not even settled the question of whether he wanted to be married to her. What had he thought of her a while ago? A cruel and unreliable minx? One did not want to marry such a woman. One ought not.
Unfortunately, faced with the woman in the flesh, he knew she was neither thing and that his judgement was unjust. Perhaps he might even be able to bring himself to say so. He hoped it was not necessary. They might, by some kind trick of fate, end up past that point unnoticed.
And where did Anne want to be left? He wondered again and this time he could not put off the question. "Where is that?"
"That depends on the available space," she said cautiously. "I should be practical above all."
Yes, he supposed she would be indeed. She would choose an uncomfortable place if she believed she needed to be out of everybody's way. "Utile dulci," he tried.
"I did receive an education, you know," Sir Walter said with a suspicious look. "There is no need to speak sweet words in foreign tongues. I rather wonder at your having received enough of an education to speak them, Captain."
"How else am I to order a drink in a foreign port?" Frederick reasoned.
"But the second part of your question..." Anne hardly dared to look at him. "Is it compatible with the first?"
He caught some very promising glimpses of her face. "Always, I assume, or someone would not have coined a phrase about it."
Unfortunately everything promising was nipped in the bud when more people decided to come to breakfast. That they had escaped this before had been sheer good luck; the table had been set for half an hour at least. Frederick had been hoping the first would be anyone but Fanny, whose tongue was too unguarded to be safe. Thankfully it was his sister, though that she was closely followed by her husband was less good.
"Good morning," Sophia greeted. She was clearly astonished by seeing Anne and him together, as well as by seeing a stranger at the table.
"Good morning," Admiral Croft echoed.
"May I --" Frederick and Anne said simultaneously, both getting up. Then they faltered. Frederick nodded at her. She could do it if she wished. He should probably keep his mouth shut for as long as he could manage -- or restrict himself to Latin phrases.
"Papa, this is Mrs Croft and Admiral Croft. Mrs Croft, this is my father, Sir Walter Elliot."
Greetings were exchanged and Sir Walter looked no less astonished than Admiral and Mrs Croft. "Admiral?" he said in a slightly disbelieving voice. "Are you certain?"
"Quite." The admiral shot a glance at Anne and then at Frederick, but since he was not being addressed he felt he could safely look away.
"I received your note, Admiral," said Sir Walter, intending to discuss the matter immediately. "My daughter looks very well indeed. I may forgive the matter of her marriage, because she is much improved in looks."
The matter of her marriage was less surprising to them than he would have thought, Frederick noted. He wondered why.
"I thought it was a brilliant idea," the admiral nodded. "And I am glad you forgive me for it."
"Indeed. The captain has quite a fortune, he assured me. And he seems to have some education as well."
Eight years ago, Frederick reflected, he would have been very offended by such a remark. Today he could simply acknowledge that the man did not know any better. He had not his daughter's mind.
The admiral nodded again. "A brilliant match, really, only the two are --"
Sophia cut him off. ""Do sit down, my dear. Will you take my seat or shall I?"
"I think, for a fair division of ladies and gentlemen at the table, that you should take it," he said with a gracious bow. "I can observe Sir Walter from this end. Tell me, sir. Have you come to collect your daughter?"
"I had, but I now hear this is not necessary. Admiral, these sausages you serve are really delightful. I must compliment you on them."
"I am glad you find your journey satisfactory in one regard. You are of course welcome to enjoy my hospitality for as long as you desire, Sir Walter," Admiral Croft said with an amiable smile. "And my cook's sausages."
Anne was trying not to betray that the invitation startled her and that her father would be very much in the way if he stayed. He did not yet know the truth. She tried to discern whether she wanted him to leave without ever learning the truth. It was certainly to be preferred, at least for the moment. Later it might not matter very much when they had actually married. Later. Such as after his death, she thought wryly.
If they were to be married at all! There was always that question to consider. She frowned. Frederick was certainly not behaving as if he was opposed to it. One of his hands had disappeared under the table and was giving her leg a vicious squeeze. Oddly enough she could understand his message very well. Her father must not stay.
She pondered his staying. There was nothing she could do to prevent it. She could hardly steal his carriage first and send him away later. He was her father. Whatever she might prefer and Frederick might want, if her father chose to accept the invitation, he would stay.
Perhaps Frederick could continue to impress him. They seemed to have an amazingly good understanding at the moment. She hoped it was not based on lies, as the information about their marriage was. She hoped Frederick had not doubled his fortune in an attempt to impress her father. Too many lies would only complicate the situation even more.
One of her hands disappeared under the table to remove the hand that remained on her leg. The first part of Frederick's message she had understood -- the squeeze -- but the meaning of this second part eluded her. He responded by catching her hand and holding it. This, while secretly pleasant, was inconvenient for somebody who was supposed to have decent table manners.
"Thank you, but I am on my way to London," was her father's reply, for which she was more grateful than she ought to be.
She could not get rid of Frederick's hand, though.
Posted on Wednesday, 26 September 2007
"My dear," Sophia said to Miss Elliot after some deliberation over how to address her. If she was not mistaken, Sir Walter believed the two were married. Seated side by side with each a hand missing, it did appear that way. Calling her Miss Elliot now might blow away Frederick's flimsy veil of deception. "Would you mind taking a turn about the room with me? My legs are restless again."
"Of course," Miss Elliot said readily. She waited until they had taken a few steps. "I am glad you did not address me by name, unless you said Anne, because my father thinks I am married."
"Ah." Sophia felt smug for having seen that correctly. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about. How did it happen?"
"I found them together. The damage was already done. I cannot understand it. Wait. That is not entirely true. I knew he was up and walking, for he came to see me in my room this morning. Frederick, that is, not my father. He asked me what I was doing here and I showed him Fanny's letter."
"And?" Sophia pressed. She was too curious about Frederick's reaction. If his current behaviour was anything to go by, it must have been positive, yet it was odd that Anne was so uncertain. Where had that hand of his been?
"He was not pleased I had taken care of him. I think he would have preferred me to faint."
"My dear, I hope I do not shock you if I say he spoke to me of the caring in glowing terms. Faint indeed!" What a fool he was. What sort of girl did he want? Did he not know he would not at all prefer a girl who fainted? Perhaps he would like her to faint at other men, but not at himself. He ought to like a girl who could speak with apparent seriousness and who would have sounded mocking if it had not been for her uncertainty.
"I think he was uncomfortable with his assumption that I was experienced in the care of men." Anne bit her lip as she glanced at her companion. "I appear to have been good. He seemed rather worried. I felt he had no right and I delayed the revelation that they were babies. But then..."
Sophia was delighted with her. It was exactly what she would have recommended. "You are a very bad girl. What did he do?"
"He left the room. And when I next saw him, he was having a cosy breakfast with my father. I do not understand how my father came to be here, nor how they could be sitting down together. Frederick has hardly opened his mouth since I came in, only to speak of ships."
"Well, ships are very important to a captain," Sophia said with a smile. "They should at most times be more important to him than women."
"But I am confused. I was afraid of saying something wrong, but I have absolutely no idea which game he is playing. And, I hope I am not too suspicious, but I believe my father has had a few drinks too many."
Admiral Croft was left to study the quirky looks of his brother-in-law and the delight Sir Walter took in his breakfast. He did not know which of the two intrigued him more. The two ladies, he knew, were up to no good. Restless legs was a euphemism for a private chat about one or more of the gentlemen. He knew his recent conduct gave no rise to gossip, so they were very likely talking about the others.
"Frederick," he said, just when Frederick was attempting to turn his eyes as far to the side as he could without moving his head. This made for a rather idiotic image. Glancing at ladies who would not even notice they were being observed could be done in a much easier way.
Frederick's eyes turned back. "Yes?"
"You will go cross-eyed or your eyes will disappear in the back of your head and never come out again. Sir Walter, whereabouts in Somerset do you live? I am from the north of the country."
Sir Walter was never opposed to telling anybody about Kellynch and his estate and although he in all politeness made an effort to remember any Crofts, he could not. His impression of the admiral was influenced more favourably by hearing the admiral's father had an estate of his own, even if it was likely to be small and insignificant.
"Might you have heard of any good houses being for rent in Somersetshire?" the admiral wondered. "This, though at a good price, is at a bad location."
"I am not certain that a man who wished to rent out his house would advertise the fact," spoke Sir Walter.
"A woman would." The admiral was not out to offend the man and this seemed the only polite reply that held a modicum of good sense.
"That is true. Women advertise anything. They are notoriously indiscreet."
"Perhaps you have heard someone speak of renting out or selling. This is a rather shabby house, which explains why it was so cheap and so available. Nobody has lived in it for years. I am still waiting for a definitive calculation of my fortune, but something a little better-looking and closer to my family should be available at around the same cost, or so my wife has assured me, if we have the time to look about." They had felt some urgency to find a place, although they would never say so out loud for fear of making Captain Harville quite uncomfortable.
"Your wife!" Sir Walter was all astonishment.
"Yes, yes, do not think an admiral capable of handling such business immediately when he is turned ashore. You have no idea how busy we are. An admiral of good fortune is always in want of his wife. We must let our wives handle land matters. And I have only one wife."
"Surely the matter is too important to be left to a wife?"
"It would be, if I had several wives, but I only have one."
To this Sir Walter could not reply anything and Frederick's attention was still more on the ladies than on the conversation before him. The admiral thought it very boring and he felt very much in want of his wife. "Sophy," he therefore called. "You need to eat properly. If you need a walk I shall take you out after breakfast."
She gave him what might to a bystander look like a meek smile and sat down again.
Anne, not called by anyone, sauntered towards the window. She was in all honesty a little afraid to sit down again. Someone else was bound to come into the room very soon and she would rather not be here then. Captain and Mrs Harville were the least dangerous; at least she did not think they would say very much because it was not in their natures to say very much at any time. Mr and Mrs Wentworth were equally quiet people, though as Frederick's brother Mr Wentworth might venture a comment. Fanny and Captain Benwick, on the contrary, were highly dangerous, Fanny especially. She would look and draw immediate conclusions.
Frederick pushed his chair away from the table and bowed. He walked towards her. "Had you finished eating? We need to see to our correspondence."
This was the first direct communication to her in this room, she thought, and she was consequently a little affected. He almost looked her in the eye as well. She was afraid she had a very wild and startled look over her and she tried to compose herself. "Our correspondence. Of course."
He led her out of the room into the study. Anne wondered if he really meant to write letters. She could not think of whom or what to write, but he did not direct his steps towards the table. He approached her and embraced her passionately. This, in addition to taking a while, also required some moments to recover from.
"That was very pleasant," he said in a breathless voice.
In spite of having been squeezed almost flat, Anne shared his sentiments to some extent. She was unable to say so, however.
"You must forgive me. Eight years without is very trying for a man."
"Without what?" It was too soon to feel relief or joy.
"Without embracing a woman." Frederick looked a little ashamed of having given in to his desires. "You may not understand. Women do not have such feelings."
"What do you know of women's feelings?" Anne cut in, sounding sharper than she had intended. She was pleased with him on the whole. It was not his fault that he did not understand women completely. "If women act upon their feelings, you accuse them of acting indelicately. You want me to understand, but not to reciprocate."
"Reciprocate?" He said the word slowly, as if he was imagining possibilities at the same time. His eyes brightened as a result. "I do. And I promise I shall not call you indelicate."
Anne was not yet ready to do anything. She took a step back and felt she must be a little firmer until they had solved the problem of her father. "Evidently I am not willing to relieve your suffering yet. You spoke of embracing a woman, not of embracing me in particular. What did you tell my father?"
He gasped and was unable to speak.
"You told my father we were married," she continued. "Why?"
Frederick looked doubtful. "There have been other men I did not like, but I have never felt the need to tell them I was married to their daughters. I was shocked to hear myself say it. It was quite despicable of me to get my revenge on the man at your expense. I am sorry. Now I do not know how to solve it."
Anne took a deep breath. If he did not know, she must. It was rather a change, from taking care of a helpless man to dealing with one who was in full possession of his powers, including the power to make mistakes. "You must go back and say you made a mistake in your haste. We are not married; we are engaged." The same points must still be counting in Frederick's favour: his handsome appearance and his fortune. Not much could go wrong if Frederick was also charming.
His eyes brightened again. "Engaged?"
"He will find out sooner or later that I have not been gone long enough to be wed," she explained quietly. She was glad he did not seem opposed to the idea of being engaged. "You may have given him too many drinks, but he is not entirely stupid. Do it now before it is too late and he thinks you have been making a fool of him."
"But I have! And I am likely to make a mess of it if he makes one more comment about hardly having been able to look at you," he warned vehemently. "I should have liked to throw his precious sausages at his head!"
"I will reciprocate if you speak to him calmly without throwing anything at his head. And then we must talk," she added, wondering if the order should not be reversed.
Frederick found Sir Walter still seated at the table. To complicate matters, however, his brother had arrived and he could see the questions in Edward's eyes. Of course he had recognised Sir Walter and he would now be wondering what the man was doing here, if he had not already asked. He would connect it to Anne, who he probably knew was here, and wonder what Frederick would say.
Speaking to Sir Walter could obviously not be done in company. "Sir Walter," he said therefore, ordering himself to speak calmly. Anne would give him a wonderful reward if he did. Her expression had been very promising. "May I ask you to step aside with me for a moment? It concerns a matter of great importance."
Sir Walter complied.
Frederick spoke when they were in a corner. "I am not yet married to your daughter. She reminded me that I was giving you the wrong impression, but I got carried away in my enthusiasm. I was already thinking of her as my wife and treating her as such, you see."
Posted on Saturday, 29 September 2007
"Have you lived with my daughter as husband and wife?" Sir Walter demanded. He was wise enough to keep his voice down, but anyone who could see his face from afar would know he was ready to burst.
"Lived? Oh, you mean shared a bed? I think not, though it is always difficult to know when one is --" He saw Sir Walter turn red and realised that he should not make too many mistakes. "Most certainly not. I am most decidedly against the practice. In fact, I doubt I will change my mind after marriage. I meant I treat her very kindly, or I intend to do so."
Sir Walter looked approving. "I do not hear many young men talk such sense. They usually fail to realise that sharing a room leads to very bad nights, with a consequent loss of looks. People underestimate the power of sleep."
"I do not, certainly!" Frederick cried. "But did you understand that Anne is merely engaged? I was getting ahead of myself in my enthusiasm. As usual."
"That may be so, but --" Here Sir Walter displayed a remarkable perceptiveness. "-- I cannot see my daughter return to Kellynch with me."
Frederick had not thought that far ahead yet, but he did not like the prospect of losing Anne again so quickly. Perhaps, if Sir Walter raised the matter himself, he was amenable to a gentlemanly settlement. "If you do not really need her there, I should like to keep her here, if I may."
"I do not think anybody needs Anne at Kellynch. You may keep her here, though not in your room, of course."
Frederick smiled politely. She had just spent several days in his room, if he was not mistaken. And Sir Walter said nothing about Anne's room. Sir Walter was a very generous father, even if he did not care a bit about his daughter. "Of course."
He returned to Anne a happy man. "It is all settled. I may keep you here, as long as I do not keep you in my room. Mind you, he did not forbid your keeping me in your room." He sat down in one of the chairs and placed his hands under his legs. Anne would reciprocate and he must not interfere with her intentions.
"How can I embrace you if you are in a chair?" she asked in dismay.
"Ask Sophia how she manages that. I have seen her do it."
"How?"
"Usually I flee the room. I do not want to put any ideas in your head, but she sits in his lap. And then I flee the room." Anne took up an awkward position in his lap after some hesitation. At least, from her face he could tell she thought it awkward, but he would disagree. It was surprisingly pleasant. "Does that not give you better access?"
"But to sit on you!" She was not yet convinced.
"It gives me better access, whatever you think of it." He pulled her nearer. "I should talk to you, should I not? About what I did while I was away." And why he had not returned. Why he had thought of her and yet done nothing about it.
"Yes," she said slowly, looking a little fearful.
"When I was not abusing you as the most unreliable woman who ever lived and the last woman I ever wanted to see again, I was dreaming of you," he whispered in her ear. "And we were doing things like this. How angry I was every time I woke! I could not get rid of you, no matter how I tried."
"Did you really dream of me?"
"Yes. Stop dreaming of the woman, I told myself, but it would not work." It seemed as if the more he had said it, the more he had dreamt of her. And having her sit here now, looking so surprised and shy, she had not at all changed.
"And we did this?"
"Yes. Imagine the punishment. Reminding me I had been too proud to write to you and what I could have enjoyed if I had." Frederick smiled wryly. "My conscience knew. I could not once dream of you normally! We must always be kissing, cuddling and loving."
She was a little anxious. "I hope I did not do anything strange."
"Not until you came here," he assured her.
Anne looked shocked.
"When may I fall ill again?" he said teasingly, kissing her cheek. It had been strange, but pleasant, the little he had been aware of. She did not have to worry about that.
She embraced him rather tightly. "You may never fall ill again. I am willing to take care of you if you feel well as well. All I could do was wait for you, only to be told after so many years that you might be dying. Not again. I could do so little while you were away. Although if I could come here now, could I not have come to you sooner? What would you have done?"
From the tightness of her grip he sensed her longing. It made him feel guilty and happy at the same time. "We shall forever be wondering, but now, at least, I am not in any immediate danger of being sent to sea and it is a rather good moment to --"
"Here they are!" cried Fanny as she threw the door open. "Oh, Jimmy! Look! Look!"
"Good grief," Frederick muttered, but he would not let such interruptions happen without proper consequences. "I need a word with you, Miss Harville!" He gently set Anne on her feet, kissed her and made a dash for Fanny, who ran away screaming.
Anne was left to face a startled Captain Benwick. She was not yet prepared to speak to anyone, as she was still thinking of Frederick's dreams and what she had been doing in them.
"We are the more thoughtful ones in our relationships, it seems," said Captain Benwick with a sigh.
She would agree, but something else caught her attention first. Far away she heard Fanny's screams. Perhaps she was slowly dying a tickle death, such as she sometimes administered to Walter and Charles. "Do you not have to help?"
"Help?" He laughed. "Oh, no. Fanny can take care of herself. I am sorry she insisted on opening the door. I do not think she had expected to find anything."
"I am sorry for what she saw," Anne replied with a blush.
"Think nothing of it. Fanny and I are no better. Even the admiral and Mrs Croft are no better. They have not grown out of it with age. I served in his cabin as a boy, you know. It may in fact only have got worse."
Anne smiled. "I do not think they are very bad, because I have never seen it."
"Well, that is the difference between you and Fanny. You leave closed doors as they are, but Fanny -- and Frederick, too -- open them."
"True." She smiled some more. "He opened my door this morning."
"He opened all doors this morning. So that was what he was up to!" He had sharp ears, for suddenly he held his head to one side and listened. "The little Harvilles have joined in. That was to be expected. They do not often get the chance to tumble and roll, what with Thomas' leg and Fiona's baby. Although Thomas and Fiona...er..."
Thankfully Anne's attention was drawn to the breakfast room, from where her father exited. She hurried towards him, ready to makes excuses for the racket, in which she suspected Frederick had a rather large involvement.
"Anne," said he. "Elizabeth and I are for London."
"Elizabeth?" She had not seen her sister, but perhaps it was not so surprising that Elizabeth had preferred not to stay behind. She would not like having to visit the house of a sailor.
"She chose to remain in the carriage. We are off. I shall let you know in which publications you must advertise your marriage."
"That is very kind," she murmured. She had not thought of doing so, yet she supposed she no longer had a choice. The selected publications must carry the news of their marriage. She listened to what she must do in Bath and London if she ever went there, which she hoped not.
Admiral and Mrs Croft, who had also come out to take their leave of Sir Walter, were very civil in their goodbyes. Anne feared her father would withdraw his consent when Frederick remained absent, but he did not.
"Where is Frederick?" Mrs Croft nevertheless asked when the door was closed and they were alone again.
"He is making that noise upstairs." She almost felt she ought to defend him for it and she waited for a reaction, but surprisingly making noise was considered very ordinary.
"I should like to ask him what this was all about. Your father made us none the wiser, although he seemed quite taken with Frederick. I thought this very strange, considering his opinion years ago."
Anne realised she had not yet asked Frederick either. "I sent Frederick to correct my father's mistaken impression that we were married before we talked, but after that Fanny interrupted us and he chased after her. I know little more than you do."
"I thought you went away to speak to Frederick."
"Yes, but..." Anne blushed fiercely. "We also..."
"There was so much to speak of that they spoke of something else first," Admiral Croft said with a helpful wink.
"Indeed." Her cheeks grew even warmer, even though he was winking in sympathy and understanding.
"Of the more important things. What are they doing upstairs?" He looked towards the stairs longingly.
"Go," Mrs Croft said with a nudge and he wasted no time. "Boys. Noise and action always sound so alluring to them. Why did your father leave you here if he knows you are not married?"
Anne felt shy and proud at the same time. "We are now engaged."
"I was hoping you would say that." Mrs Croft smiled. "But would you really like to join a family like ours?" She gestured upstairs, where the racket was only growing worse now the admiral threatened to join in.
"Surely there are quieter members? Mr Wentworth, your other brother? I cannot imagine he is with them."
"He must now be Edward to you and you must not think he is a saint. He may well be rolling over the floor like a savage with the rest of them. Come and sit by me and tell me more. I had ordered everybody to keep quiet about you until I had read his feelings, but he was still too confused for me to do so."
"He seems a little confused," Anne agreed. She followed Mrs Croft to one of the rooms. "But not quite enough for me to say no to him."
Posted on Wednesday, 3 October 2007
"What is next?" Sophia -- who was now determined to be addressed as a sister -- had asked and Anne and she had spoken about that for a while.
Anne had expressed some concerns about gossip in Meryton, which already had her married to Frederick and expecting his child into the bargain, but it was only with Fanny's entrance that a solution presented itself. "I cannot marry him twice. Even they would know that," Anne was saying. "Yet they know I was with him at his sickbed."
"Even they would know that you cannot have been with him if you were not married, so that if you turn out not to have been married, it follows that you were never with him," Fanny replied. She did not look as if she had been taking part in any wrestling and perhaps she had simply stood by to cheer. "Life is astonishingly simple in these parts. They have nothing very serious to worry about while our loved ones fight for their country and consequently they have not our deep understanding of the world."
"Your understanding is extremely deep," Sophia said with a hint of sarcasm. "But if you believe your idea will work, do help Anne."
"We shall have to go to Longbourn and feed Mrs Bennet new information. Mrs Wentworth? Oh no! Oh no! That was Mrs Wentworth of Mr Wentworth, not Mrs Wentworth of Captain Wentworth! Captain Wentworth's wife with child? Oh no! Oh no! That is the wife of Mr Wentworth. Or would you mean the wife of Captain Harville? Or Captain Wentworth's sister?" Fanny's eyes sparkled. "So much room to err. I really do not blame her for having got it wrong."
"Could it be so easy?" Anne wondered. Perhaps she was in luck today. The situation with her father had sorted itself out very easily as well.
"It is better than nothing. Besides, they have never seen you in Meryton, because the first time you left the house was a few days ago. We shall drag our gentlemen to Longbourn."
The gentlemen, it turned out, were less eager to go than she had expected. Only the prospect of a long walk with a private conversation and hand-holding could persuade them. The other couples accompanied them part of the way, thereby unfortunately reducing such opportunities for mischief.
Captain and Mrs Harville and the three children turned back first, for the captain and little Mary could not yet walk very far. The second to abandon them were Admiral and Mrs Croft after Mrs Croft complained of having to carry her belly with her hands. Mr and Mrs Wentworth were the last to leave them. They sat down on a tree trunk with only a mile to go and they urged the others to go on without them.
"A mile of straight, open lane," Frederick complained. "He picks his moments very well."
"But we have serious business to handle," Anne said gently. For her part, she had derived enough enjoyment from being on his arm and being the recipient of tender looks and smiles.
"Such as?"
"The people of Meryton think I am Mrs Wentworth and expecting your child," she blushed. "Fanny thinks that by calling on the Bennets and telling them something else, people will no longer think so."
"But you will be both in a few weeks, will you not?"
Anne drew in a sharp breath, both at the question and at the look that accompanied it. "Really?"
Frederick looked helpless and abandoned her for Jimmy, whom he rudely separated from Fanny. "Talk to Anne," he ordered her. She looked surprised, but evidently there was enough of interest in his odd reaction for her to obey and to ask Anne what had prompted it.
"Where to start?" Frederick said to Benwick. "It seems the town thinks Anne is Mrs Wentworth and expecting my child." He thought he had finally recovered his wits after all the confusing events of the day, but it appeared he might be faced with another problem. If he had known what Mrs Bennet was thinking, he might not have agreed to walk out. He had wanted to walk with Anne, not call on people.
"Oh yes, Anne came here to marry you just in time," Benwick nodded. "Because you were dying, you see. I did not know you had met her some months back."
"I did not know that either." He sighed. "I told her she would be both things in a few weeks and she gave me such a look at this unguarded comment that I -- I came here." He had not known what to make of her look. Did she approve or not?
"Unguarded? Is it not the plain truth?"
"Except for the expecting, I expect. It took my sister years." Frederick knew it was not as easy as getting married. This part of his remark must have accounted for Anne's look, since he was certain she wished to be married.
Benwick shrugged. "It took Fiona merely hours after Harville came ashore."
"Hours?" Frederick was horrified. Harville had been more injured then than now, though perhaps it had kept his mind off his leg. Was it even possible with a leg wound?
"Not literally hours! I was not there, so I cannot tell you how many days, but Fanny says --"
"Fanny! What does Fanny know about it? Does she meddle in everything? I should not be surprised if she locked them up together."
"Fanny did not do you a disservice."
"I have already thanked Fanny for her service," Frederick said sarcastically. "She was fortunate that I reacted according to her predictions, because I could easily have felt differently." He saw Benwick's slightly mocking look and decided to keep his tongue.
If Anne had not come, what would have happened? He had not given that much consideration so far, but without Fanny he might have continued as he was. He might never have investigated whether Anne was married. Even if he had investigated, he might not have sought her out. It was difficult to imagine now that he might not have taken any action.
"Did he know what we were talking about?" Fanny inquired of Anne. "Frederick interrupted us so brusquely, yet I do not think he could have overheard."
"He was getting away from me, not interrupting you." Anne supposed he might have interrupted a similar conversation. They were in rather similar situations, after all -- both ready to marry after a long separation, though Fanny and Jimmy might well have had these conversations in the past few days already.
"You do not ask me of what we spoke."
"No, I do not."
"Perhaps you overheard. We were speaking of the two of you. How well you look together, how sweet the looks that pass between the two of you!" Fanny said, all warm enthusiasm. "I did well, did I not? Despite Frederick's taking me to task this morning for having meddled. I know he is delighted, though."
"Tickle death?"
"Tickle death? No, he would not touch me, but he threw things at me. Pitchers of water. Well, the water from the pitchers -- and vases. But I am glad he does not have to aim cannons, for he would surely miss," Fanny spoke smugly. "But you really do look well together."
"And separately? My father thought me much improved in looks. I do not know. I have not had time to look in any mirrors." She realised that was not true, because she could have spent hours gazing into a mirror while she sat by Frederick's bed. It had never been her habit to study her appearance extensively, however, and she had not cultivated it now.
"You are improved in looks! In fact, when you came here I thought you were the perfect example of someone who had been pining away, so pale and thin, but how does your father know?"
"He was here this morning, but Frederick flattered him and he went away satisfied." That, at least, was what she supposed to be the best summary of events. He had not been able to give her a better one himself. It seemed he had made one foolish comment that had influenced the rest. She could smile at it now.
"It is all settled, then. You can marry as soon as possible with the approval of your father that you do not really need."
Anne knew that was true. At her age she did not really need his approval, but she would like it all the same if it could be obtained at little cost. And she was not aware of having gained any weight. "Am I now no longer thin?"
"You are, but thinness in combination with such pallor speaks of ill health, whereas thinness in combination with rosy cheeks speaks of..." Fanny paused to think of something. "Energetic good health, I suppose."
Anne smiled.
"But who notified your father? I did not."
"Admiral Croft sent him a note."
"Oh, he is not to be trusted, did you know?" Fanny cried instantly. "It is no wonder your father came to see for himself. I cannot be surprised."
"Not to be trusted?" Anne was a little confused. "He has always been very kind to me."
"Perhaps there was too little to make fun of in your case. I wish Mrs Croft's belly had not fallen out! The admiral would certainly have liked Mr Collins and Mr Collins...ah, so many naval officers for him to frown at."
"What is wrong with naval officers?" Her acquaintance with them was limited to the few who resided at Netherfield. They were all gentlemen of good character, as far as she could judge.
"Nothing. I am very fond of them myself. I know none with bad habits and I know quite a few."
"Why do you dislike Mr Collins so?" She was not acquainted enough with the man to have formed a good opinion, but perhaps such reasoning did not apply to everyone.
"As if you like him! I support a friend's dislike of him. He means to marry one of those girls, poor girls, as if he will take anyone between fifteen and thirty as long as their name is Bennet. Perhaps even that will not matter to him if they all refuse him! A few smiles, some compliments to the clergy and they are Mrs Collins! You cannot tell me you like him."
"I have only met him once, but he is certainly nothing like Frederick."
"I am glad you say so, my dear Anne, because I was fearing for you. Liking Mr Collins indeed!"
"But there is a difference between not liking and disliking." And expressing it, she added to herself.
"Very well. I shall say I am perfectly indifferent to the man when he is not near, but that I shall be perfectly indifferent to good manners when he is near. I shall think it very justifiable to leave him to his own company when his lack of sense offends me."
Anne smiled. "Would you also be so unkind as to leave him to my company in such a case?"
"That question no longer applies," Fanny said after a moment of thought. "Because Frederick would never leave you alone with Mr Collins."
"I should hope not. Would Jimmy leave you?"
"No, but Jimmy knows to follow me if I leave."
They had covered some distance as they talked and were now very near Longbourn house. Some of the girls could be seen in the garden and Fanny whistled. The sudden sound startled Anne, but she recognised that it was effective when one of the girls waited for them by the wall.
"Ah! Elizabeth, get your gentleman and the six of us can walk on a little," Fanny cried.
Elizabeth looked over her shoulder after she had greeted them. She could speak safely. "We have no gentlemen in the house save for my father."
"I was speaking of your cousin."
She laughed. "I have deflected his attentions and he is now quite cross with me. I am sorry. Do I need a gentleman to walk with you?"
"We were in fact coming for a visit. But only if your mother is home. May we come in?"
"Oh. How kind of you to think of my mother. She will be glad to receive you." Elizabeth looked from Anne to Frederick, not very openly, but enough for Anne to notice.
They were not walking together, so perhaps it was not yet clear, Anne thought. Leaving everything to Fanny, however, was very dangerous. She ought to whisper a few words in Frederick's ear before they went in. They must not let Fanny talk on and on.
Posted on Monday, 8 October 2007
Fanny had been in luck; Mrs Bennet was home. She met them most civilly, for so many new people had arrived at Netherfield lately that they could only have interesting news to share. Captain Wentworth and Captain Benwick were furthermore far more handsome than any local gentlemen. That notwithstanding, the question of where Mrs Wentworth was, was not long in coming.
"I am puzzled, madam," Frederick said after a few moments, but nobody else wished to answer in his stead, not even Fanny. "You are too hasty. I am not married; I am merely engaged."
This puzzled Mrs Bennet exceedingly. "Engaged?"
"Of course. To Miss Elliot."
Anne did not like all the looks that were suddenly directed at her.
"She never told us," Mrs Bennet said somewhat accusingly.
"But they were not engaged the last time she was here," said Fanny.
Frederick was glad Fanny had saved Anne, though he would not want her to say too much. He had better say something himself. "In fact, we got engaged this morning and I am not sure she knew it was imminent."
After some congratulations had been offered, Mrs Bennet spoke again. "But who is Mrs Wentworth? There is one, I heard. Is she your mother?"
"Yes, yes," Frederick replied eagerly. This was even better than saying Mrs Wentworth was his brother's wife, even if his mother was dead and she could not be shown to anyone. "But she has left again now that I am well."
Mrs Bennet was a little disappointed at how simple it really was. The only shocking thing that remained was the captain's quick betrothal, about which some interesting things might still be said. "Does your mother know about your engagement?"
"Of course. She chose Anne herself and thought she would make me a suitable wife. Mothers ought to be trusted in these matters." As he spoke, he saw something in Anne's face that gave him pause. Of course, he thought, she had once trusted her godmother and he had been angry about it. He was not angry anymore; it was amazing what an engagement and a passionate kiss could do. He gave her a smile.
His mother would really have approved of Anne, he thought. Sophia always said she was like Edward, or rather, that Edward took after her most. That had to do with the quiet sort of accomplishments, of course, for in looks he had always imagined her much like Sophia. He could not really remember. It had been months since he had last thought of her and she had been dead for twenty years.
And he was not lying very much, was he? It was not his mother who had left, but Anne's father. Perhaps to Mrs Bennet this would be about equal -- a parent and that parent approved.
"And when are you to marry, Captain?" she inquired.
"A week after us," Fanny said quickly. "Or two, if he does not hurry. We shall be married in a fortnight."
Mr Collins, who had been present so far without opening his mouth other than for noises of agreement or astonishment, declared that he had married no less than three couples in the preceding year. "My patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh -- I daresay you will have heard of her, Captain -- encourages marriage wherever she can. She has advised me to seek a wife myself and I am inclined to follow her good advice as quickly as I may." He cast a few knowing glances around the room.
"I have never heard of Lady Catherine De Bourgh," Frederick replied. "I do not know any captains or admirals by the name of De Bourgh."
Mr Collins looked astonished. "Sir Lewis De Bourgh was not in the Navy, of course."
"Was he not? Poor man." His comment made Fanny giggle and he was glad to have amused at least one person. Mr Collins, he could see, was not amused.
"Lady Catherine would not have --" But there he stopped. Perhaps he realised the gentlemen of the Navy might not appreciate hearing they would not have been good enough.
"Lady Catherine, from what I have heard, would have made a good captain herself," remarked Elizabeth.
"Lady Catherine would be successful in any thing she undertook," Mr Collins said with a serious nod.
"How wonderful for Lady Catherine," answered Frederick, who thought the man was very peculiar indeed. "I am pleased to hear she would encourage my marriage. I should not have slept soundly if there had been any hint of disapproval from that quarter. I trust you will be able to report favourably of the persons and characters of Captain Benwick and me, and of course of our ladies."
Mr Collins would never disagree, at least not to their faces. He nodded even more vigorously. "Lady Catherine always says that the Navy has its use."
"The Navy was most instrumental in winning the war," said Anne.
Frederick was delighted with her support, in particular with the slightly indignant tone in which she spoke. He beamed at her. Not only did she come to his aid and to that of his profession, but she was also better informed than this fool here.
As they walked back, Frederick felt he should inform Anne of his delight. "It was very kind of you to come to my assistance. What a fool. The Navy has its use, indeed!" The Navy deserved more than such a derogatory comment. That man, and his precious Lady Catherine, did not deserve his respect.
She smiled a little and squeezed his arm. "I thought you might be tempted to say something you had better not."
"Most things I did that I had better not do in fact turned out quite well," Frederick spoke confidently, but he was secretly pleased that she knew him so well. "And who is Mr Collins to me? I could err or lose his good opinion without consequences."
"Do not discount the influence of Lady Catherine," Anne said with a cough. "She appears to be quite influential."
"In her parish," he said with a scathing look, but then he grinned. "Fanny said we are marrying a week after her, but how do we go about arranging that?"
Anne glanced at Benwick and Fanny. "I do not think they would mind terribly if we went to arrange that on our way home. I am sure they could walk on unattended."
Nobody had reacted with any curiosity to Frederick and Anne's late return, although they had expected otherwise. They looked a little guilty for being so late, which they believed was solely due to a few embraces along the way. In reality, of course, it mattered more that they had taken a detour to speak to the nearest clergyman in function. And they were not even very late -- Frederick thought they must be, because he was so fatigued, but he had already forgotten he had been ill.
"Three weeks," Frederick sighed at the dinner table. He had been dwelling on it for a while, but he could not see any practical reasons for such a delay. "Why does it have to take three weeks until you are allowed to marry?"
"Good question," said the admiral. "It did not take that long in my days. A week, perhaps."
"My dear, you had a licence," said his wife.
This had passed Frederick by entirely at the time. If it took only a week with a licence, why did he not have one? Where could they be obtained? "Did you? Why?"
The admiral looked vague. "Because I did not want to take a Miss Wentworth on board with me. And your father would have objected to his daughter's becoming a captain's mistress, even if Sophia herself did not."
They all stared at Sophia, with feelings ranging from surprise to amusement. "You did not?"
"Not in the least," she replied very calmly and equally calmly continued eating. "Not that I am now unhappy to be Mrs Croft, but I think I should have been happy in any case."
"You are not serious!" cried Frederick. "You would have been happy to -- to -- to be one of those --" He could not even explain what they were, not in terms suitable for ladies' ears and there were far too many ladies present. Anne must not be made to think he frequently spoke of such women, because he did not.
Sophia was still unfazed and apparently very serious. "I should have been the same woman and he would have been the same man."
"I am glad he had more sense than you!" He was still incredulous.
"The secret comes out," the admiral said in satisfaction. He raised his glass in her direction. "I have more sense than Sophia."
"Frederick, do pull yourself together," admonished his sister. "It never happened. Why can you not wait three weeks?"
"It is a useless wait! How do you manage?" he asked Benwick.
Benwick shrugged. "I do not think it a useless wait."
"But if it can be done by some without the wait, it is a useless wait," Frederick maintained. "Edward, I am sure you can tell me why it is considered a useful delay."
"Not at all," replied Edward, who clearly expected his opinions to be challenged if he replied otherwise.
"We can have some sensible conversation now," Sophia said when the ladies retreated after dinner. She feared the three weeks would again come up. Frederick had not been satisfied with his brother's answer, she had seen, and some of the other gentlemen might join in as well. "The presence of so many foolish young men is very bad for James, I fear."
Anne looked surprised. "Is it?" She did not know who were considered foolish and how this affected the admiral.
"He takes some delight in baiting them. Baiting me, I fear, no longer works. Why is Frederick in such a hurry to marry you?"
"I do not know. Well, I should not have minded getting married tomorrow, as I have nothing to prepare, but I am sure I could survive three weeks. We are in the same house."
"Yes, perhaps that is what he would find trying. Though Jimmy does not seem to think so at all." Jimmy was more quiet, but he had seemed rather content, as far as she could tell. "Perhaps Jimmy and Fanny do as they please in secret, and Frederick would not?"
"They have been engaged for years..." Anne said hesitantly. "But I cannot say whether Frederick would not. Perhaps you should ask me in a fortnight."
Sophia laughed. "No, I will not. How did you fare at Longbourn?"
"Mrs Bennet now thinks that your mother was here with Frederick."
"Well..." Her mother had been Mrs Wentworth as well. It might therefore work. "We shall not be living here for very long, I think, so it does not matter very much. We are thinking of moving closer to my husband's family. I do not know what you and Frederick would prefer. You may want your own house. Or you could come with us and be close to his family as well as yours." She saw she had surprised Anne, so she tapped her arm in a comforting manner. "Think about it."
Posted on Thursday, 11 October 2007
Because the talk among the ladies appeared to be wholly about babies, before and after they were out of the womb, Fanny took Anne to the music room where they might enjoy some entertainment that was more suited to their tastes. Anne had not thought the conversation was as bad as Fanny made it out to be, although there had been two or three subjects that involved infants, but she would like music just as well as company. Fanny would sing if she played. That arrangement suited Anne and they were occupied for more than an hour until they had worked through their entire repertoire twice without anyone coming to see them.
Fanny yawned and looked at the clock. "Do we play so badly that no one dared to come near? Or are they still discussing babies? What about our gentlemen?"
"They must be talking still."
Fanny draped herself across a sofa. "I must say I was surprised this morning when I found the two of you in that chair together. Did he also tell you everything that is good and sweet or did he merely kiss you?"
"Yes, of course." Anne did not lie down; she sat on a chair, though she reclined in it a little. She was still mortified at having been seen like that, no matter how ordinary the action seemed to be among the other couples in the house.
"What did he say? Tell me."
"He told me some things as we walked back from Longbourn." He had told her some before, of course, but they had been interrupted all the time then. She remembered the last things best.
"Yes?"
"Some very nice things."
"I hate you, Anne. Be clearer, if you please."
Anne smiled. Fanny must understand it was difficult, just as she understood that Fanny might think it very interesting to hear particulars. She made an effort to speak without blushing. "I had hurt him eight years ago and he was too proud to ask me again, even when his circumstances changed. He told himself I was either married or not likely to accept him and he did not want to be rejected again."
"Poor boy," Fanny said feelingly. "The pain of dying alone is far worse. Or had he wanted to marry someone else? Someone he would consider inferior? Do not tell me he knows himself so little. He is too proud to be happy with a second choice."
"The same pride that kept him from me, saved him for me?" Anne pondered that idea. "It makes it more precious to me."
"We have tried to interest him in girls, you see, but there was always something wrong with them. It was not until we came here that I knew what it was! They were not you."
Anne blushed. "But I am hardly --" She did not know what, but she was too modest to acknowledge her superiority outright. It had even been difficult to hear him say it. But he had said it and she had not contradicted him.
Frederick peered around the door a few minutes later. "I am going to sleep. Would you like to bid me good night?"
Fanny pulled a pillow over her head. "Go ahead, Anne. I am blind."
Anne would, however, not do it in Fanny's presence, pillow or not. She stepped out of the room and into Frederick's arms. "Good night. Did you not stay up too long? Why did nobody join us?"
"Do you still play so well? I heard music, but we have only just now come out of the dining room."
"Only now?" She was amazed. "Did it take so long for you to be reconciled to those three weeks?"
Frederick laughed. "We spoke of that at first, I admit, but it did not take all that while for me to accept it. I like to take action once I have made up my mind. Such a delay does not suit my nature. But we shall not be closely chaperoned, so it will not be a hardship."
"Not closely? Not at all," she would dare to guess.
"Really?"
"I do not think your sister will be so illogical as to impose restrictions now when she did not last week."
"Certainly not if she would not have minded being a captain's mistress!" he exclaimed.
"Does it still shock you?" She had merely taken it as an indication that his sister was very happy if she did not contradict the admiral.
"Yes!"
"But if I may be honest," Anne said thoughtfully. "If you had now received a posting and had to depart instantly, I could see myself choosing to go with you."
His eyes widened. "Unmarried?"
"Would you leave me behind? If you, say, had to go to the East Indies?" She knew how long the admiral had been there and she would not be parted from Frederick for so long again.
Frederick screwed up his face. It was not easy to come back from the East Indies. He would have been there several years, time that could be shortened considerably by taking his mistress along. "That would have been a dilemma indeed."
"You could have married me on board," she said as a concession to his sense of propriety.
"I could have made an exception for you, I suppose. Not then," he emphasised. "But now. How weak I was, thinking I was strong!"
"When?"
"When I vowed I would never do this or that. I may change my mind about women on board, though I still believe that the comfort I could offer you is far less than what you deserve."
"It may be enough to satisfy me nonetheless. If you could live with it, so could I."
Although he was pleased with such a reaction, he could not bring himself to believe it. "I think it is good that I am not going anywhere."
"I forgot -- your sister spoke of moving to Somersetshire. She asked me if we wanted to come with them. Do you?"
"Do I? Do you? I hope you do not think that I shall insist on making such decisions on my own without consulting you," he exclaimed. "We shall move to wherever you wish. One house is very much like another to me."
"No," she said after a moment. "I cannot believe you. They are not ships, but surely you see differences between houses, more so than between ships? And you will like some things better than others. Do you not think this room should be larger or that room should be elsewhere? I think it here and when I am home, I think it is perfection."
"I may have established a good footing with your father," Frederick spoke warningly. "But I am not sure I should be able to maintain it if we moved into his house, perfection or not."
She remembered something. "He is in debt. He may be forced to quit it. He ought to rent it out, but he would so far not consider the degradation. Pride, you know." She could not resist pointing out a similarity between the two. It was amusing.
"Madam, do you mock pride?" he teased.
"Some kinds are better than others," she teased back. "But I wonder if he spoke of his house to the admiral. If the admiral does not want it, you must take it." Her face brightened. She would love to live at Kellynch with Frederick. It would be more than perfection.
"Well," he said, suppressing a yawn. "I must not overdo it. I am all too likely to, so I must force myself to go to bed. I shall think about the idea. I rather like the irony of becoming the master of the house of a man who did not think me good enough for his daughter. I shall feel rather smug as I walk through the master apartments. Indeed!"
"I should be happy to take my mother's rooms." Anne did not mind fantasising a little, although her father might never condescend to leave his house and she might never become mistress of it. "Or do I take my old one?"
"Neither, I should think."
She raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"Anne, once we are married, I should like --" He paused. "You are welcome to share my..." He gave her a very earnest look. "...bed."
Anne felt herself blush. "Bed," she repeated, uncertain of how she should react to that.
"It will be fun," he said reassuringly.
"Will it?" She was not convinced. Mary's complaints had never given her any reason to think that. True, this was Frederick and not Charles, which might make a difference. Charles was not overly attentive, she supposed, if that was required at all.
"I have that directly from someone who is experienced in bed-sharing."
"Who?" She expected him to name his brother-in-law, or perhaps Captain Harville.
"A woman in the streets of Plymouth."
She took a step back and her expression changed.
"You are just like Fanny!" he cried. "Do you expect us all to have been chaste?"
Anne choked and ran away. She heard him call her name, but she did not look back. She did not like the thought of women in the streets of Plymouth and even less of his confident grin as he spoke of them. That was not the Frederick she wanted.
"Anne!" he called, but he called in vain. He would not run after her, but he remained where he was, undecided and confused.
"What is the matter?" Fanny came out of the music room looking concerned.
"She ran away from me. I asked if she expected us all to have been chaste and she ran. Why?" He looked hurt.
"Because you implied you were not. Idiot. You immense idiot." Fanny looked ready to hit him. "I may not hit you if you assure me you are, but you are a blasted idiot in any case."
"Why?" He did not understand. "I only mentioned a woman in Plymouth who --"
"What did you do with her?" Fanny's eyes shot fire.
"Nothing! But I used what she said to me as an example to persuade Anne of -- of something that is none of your business."
"We do not want men who have been up to things with other women," Fanny said crossly. "Anne and I. It is so much to ask of a man? We do not go about doing things with men in the street either. Ha! You would not even want us if we did, yet it is fine if all of you engage in such immoral activities? It is unfair. I hope you see it is unfair, though nobody else seems to see it -- except Jimmy and Thomas and the admiral, of course -- and I hope you realise that if you ruined it, Anne can always marry Mr Collins. There can be no doubt of his chastity, I am sure. He will be ten times the man you are!"
Chapter Thirty-One