Enchanted by The Lord (Historical Victorian Romance) by Catherine Hamill Page B
Book: Enchanted by The Lord (Historical Victorian Romance) by Catherine Hamill
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Authors: Catherine Hamill
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I can tell from the tightness of his shirt that his frame is wiry and strong. He is also wearing tight breeches and I am guessing he has been running on the beach for exercise, as soldiers often do. Peter was the same before he left to go to his posting.
“If you get that kite to fly, it will be a miracle,” I say to him, as the children help to unravel the cord under his instruction.
“No miracle, it’s simply technique,” he tells me. “What would be a miracle is if a pretty young lady like you would walk along the beach with a man like me? With the children as chaperones, of course.”
Mary giggles at his words and I do my best to ignore his complement, even though I can feel the heat rise in my face.
“We would happily walk with you, Sir, if you fly our kite,” I smile back, trying hard to show I am unruffled by his words.
From that moment on, our afternoon was wonderful. The man is called, Harry Ashbourne and was a corporal in the Napoleonic wars, but lost his arm in the battlefields of Belgium. The children love his tales of the war and the life of a soldier. As we stroll along the beach flying the kite, they bombard him with questions, which he seems more than willing to answer.
We sit and leave the children to fly the kite, which is now successfully soaring high above us. While we sit alone he reveals a little about himself. He lives in a nearby village and his father is a skilled jeweler in Rochester. It seems he is to learn the trade as it is all that is left for him now. I sense a tinge of disappointment and press him on the matter.
“I believe that to be an honest trade, Harry, but yet you sound disappointed?” I ask him, “Surely a good trade is essential in these hard times?”
“It is, and you’re right. I am grateful for having the opportunity, now the war is over. I have seen many of my former colleagues become homeless and destitute,” he pauses momentarily, seeming to recall his friends. “It’s just that, like many young men, I wanted to travel. The army seemed to be a perfect way to do so. As a young man, the adventure appeals. Unfortunately, I was only out there a few months before I was injured and then medically discharged from the army.”
“You should not be disappointed, Harry, you were brave to go in the first place. Facing battle is not something all young men are willing to do.”
“I find facing you, to ask to see you again, much more terrifying,” he says as he takes a gentle hold of my elbow to turn me towards him.
I look down at the ground, almost in shame, remembering what I have only recently done. Yet, how can I compare Harry to Guy? Harry is kind and caring; Guy is an upper class cad.
“I tell you what, why don’t you come and visit me in my father’s shop in Rochester. He’s recently had the sign above the shop repainted to say, Ashbourne and son, Jewelers, so you can’t miss it. I know a wonderful coffee house nearby.”
A part of me wants to accept his offer. My heart still aches from my recent disappointment with Guy, but I am intrigued by this young man. With a little trepidation, I agree to meet him after church on Sunday, as it is the only time I am free. I can request time off, but I am loathed to leave the children when they have just shown me how much they need a set routine in their lives.
We pass through the local village, where he happens to live with his father, leaving him at his house. Our little troop then continues on, to the mansion of the Duke of Norwood. All of us are very tired, but happy. The children rush off to change for dinner and I return to my rooms feeling slightly happier than I have for days.
Chapter 16
It seems an age before Sunday comes around. All I can think of over the week is meeting with Harry, after church. Our chance encounter on the beach that day has put me in a much better frame of mind, and Guy has hardly been in my thoughts at all.
We all go
“If you get that kite to fly, it will be a miracle,” I say to him, as the children help to unravel the cord under his instruction.
“No miracle, it’s simply technique,” he tells me. “What would be a miracle is if a pretty young lady like you would walk along the beach with a man like me? With the children as chaperones, of course.”
Mary giggles at his words and I do my best to ignore his complement, even though I can feel the heat rise in my face.
“We would happily walk with you, Sir, if you fly our kite,” I smile back, trying hard to show I am unruffled by his words.
From that moment on, our afternoon was wonderful. The man is called, Harry Ashbourne and was a corporal in the Napoleonic wars, but lost his arm in the battlefields of Belgium. The children love his tales of the war and the life of a soldier. As we stroll along the beach flying the kite, they bombard him with questions, which he seems more than willing to answer.
We sit and leave the children to fly the kite, which is now successfully soaring high above us. While we sit alone he reveals a little about himself. He lives in a nearby village and his father is a skilled jeweler in Rochester. It seems he is to learn the trade as it is all that is left for him now. I sense a tinge of disappointment and press him on the matter.
“I believe that to be an honest trade, Harry, but yet you sound disappointed?” I ask him, “Surely a good trade is essential in these hard times?”
“It is, and you’re right. I am grateful for having the opportunity, now the war is over. I have seen many of my former colleagues become homeless and destitute,” he pauses momentarily, seeming to recall his friends. “It’s just that, like many young men, I wanted to travel. The army seemed to be a perfect way to do so. As a young man, the adventure appeals. Unfortunately, I was only out there a few months before I was injured and then medically discharged from the army.”
“You should not be disappointed, Harry, you were brave to go in the first place. Facing battle is not something all young men are willing to do.”
“I find facing you, to ask to see you again, much more terrifying,” he says as he takes a gentle hold of my elbow to turn me towards him.
I look down at the ground, almost in shame, remembering what I have only recently done. Yet, how can I compare Harry to Guy? Harry is kind and caring; Guy is an upper class cad.
“I tell you what, why don’t you come and visit me in my father’s shop in Rochester. He’s recently had the sign above the shop repainted to say, Ashbourne and son, Jewelers, so you can’t miss it. I know a wonderful coffee house nearby.”
A part of me wants to accept his offer. My heart still aches from my recent disappointment with Guy, but I am intrigued by this young man. With a little trepidation, I agree to meet him after church on Sunday, as it is the only time I am free. I can request time off, but I am loathed to leave the children when they have just shown me how much they need a set routine in their lives.
We pass through the local village, where he happens to live with his father, leaving him at his house. Our little troop then continues on, to the mansion of the Duke of Norwood. All of us are very tired, but happy. The children rush off to change for dinner and I return to my rooms feeling slightly happier than I have for days.
Chapter 16
It seems an age before Sunday comes around. All I can think of over the week is meeting with Harry, after church. Our chance encounter on the beach that day has put me in a much better frame of mind, and Guy has hardly been in my thoughts at all.
We all go
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