for Lockwood.”
“And the renovations? Have you left instructions with your agent?”
“He will have them by the time you arrive, Miss Forbes.” Pontley mentally noted that his agent would be vastly surprised at this turn of events, but he was committed now to follow through with it, and he did not regret his actions.
Chapter 6
The sale of Glenna’s house in Hastings was accomplished quickly through the office of friends of hers. She included most of the furniture but retained those items which seemed especially memorable, in spite of the carter’s charges she would have to pay to have them taken to Minehead. Her friend Phoebe had agreed to accompany her, as Glenna had found situations for all of the servants, another parting which had caused her distress. The activity, though, had occupied her mind and her time, for which she could but be grateful. Two days before she and Phoebe were to set out there was a note from Pontley advising her that a civilian captain who was a friend of his would be willing to take the ladies and their belongings on board on his way to Bristol. The journey, Pontley wrote, would be quicker, less expensive, and interesting for her. She would have to be ready on the Wednesday, however, rather than the following day she had mentioned in her note as her starting date.
Going by sea had never occurred to Glenna, and the thought frankly horrified her, but Phoebe was delighted with the idea and pressed home the advantage of monetary savings.
“But my harp will probably be ruined by the salty air,” Glenna protested.
“I dare say it will survive as well as it did in that post chaise,” her friend responded dryly. “How can you not wish to go by sea? You very nearly married a captain in the Royal Navy, Glenna.”
“He did not make it a condition of our marriage that I ever come on board a ship.”
"Well, you would have had to, you know. I met a Mrs. Fremantle last autumn in St. Helens whose husband is a captain on the Ganges. She spoke of being on board frequently, and told me that the previous day the Prince of Wales had drunk six glasses of cherry brandy at luncheon with her husband, plus a bottle of mulled port wine. Imagine!”
“I can easily imagine, my dear Phoebe, and I fear the only way I could get through a sea voyage would be on six glasses of cherry brandy for each meal.”
“Don’t be a goose, love. Please say we may. I shall probably never have the opportunity again.”
“Very well, but I give you fair warning I will as like as not be ill the entire passage.”
Captain Andrews was startled by the amount of baggage he was expected to take on for the ladies, but he ignored the inconvenience with a cavalier shrug of his shoulders and settled Glenna and Phoebe into a large cabin with a fireplace and two comfortable cots designed to prevent motion. They sailed with a fair wind and a calm sea which quickly reassured Glenna, and she soon found herself intrigued by the voyage.
Phoebe took to sketching the scenes they passed, and Captain Andrews willingly provided information on Eastbourne and Brighton, the Isle of Wight and St. Alban’s Head. They took dinner with the captain, who dined in splendor and assured them that he had been to no special trouble for the meal.
“When you spend as much time at sea as I do, you learn to make yourself as comfortable on board as you would at home. And the little touches of civilization take on extra importance. You have no idea how lonely a man gets when he is at sea for weeks on end, often out of sight of land, with nothing but his own thoughts and monotonous duties.”
“Have you a family to go home to, Captain Andrews?” Glenna asked.
“No, ma’am, but I have a comfortable little house near Weston super Mare and my brother and his family live hard by. The children love to come on board and climb over everything, talking twelve to the dozen and asking more questions than could be answered in a fortnight.” He smiled
“And the renovations? Have you left instructions with your agent?”
“He will have them by the time you arrive, Miss Forbes.” Pontley mentally noted that his agent would be vastly surprised at this turn of events, but he was committed now to follow through with it, and he did not regret his actions.
Chapter 6
The sale of Glenna’s house in Hastings was accomplished quickly through the office of friends of hers. She included most of the furniture but retained those items which seemed especially memorable, in spite of the carter’s charges she would have to pay to have them taken to Minehead. Her friend Phoebe had agreed to accompany her, as Glenna had found situations for all of the servants, another parting which had caused her distress. The activity, though, had occupied her mind and her time, for which she could but be grateful. Two days before she and Phoebe were to set out there was a note from Pontley advising her that a civilian captain who was a friend of his would be willing to take the ladies and their belongings on board on his way to Bristol. The journey, Pontley wrote, would be quicker, less expensive, and interesting for her. She would have to be ready on the Wednesday, however, rather than the following day she had mentioned in her note as her starting date.
Going by sea had never occurred to Glenna, and the thought frankly horrified her, but Phoebe was delighted with the idea and pressed home the advantage of monetary savings.
“But my harp will probably be ruined by the salty air,” Glenna protested.
“I dare say it will survive as well as it did in that post chaise,” her friend responded dryly. “How can you not wish to go by sea? You very nearly married a captain in the Royal Navy, Glenna.”
“He did not make it a condition of our marriage that I ever come on board a ship.”
"Well, you would have had to, you know. I met a Mrs. Fremantle last autumn in St. Helens whose husband is a captain on the Ganges. She spoke of being on board frequently, and told me that the previous day the Prince of Wales had drunk six glasses of cherry brandy at luncheon with her husband, plus a bottle of mulled port wine. Imagine!”
“I can easily imagine, my dear Phoebe, and I fear the only way I could get through a sea voyage would be on six glasses of cherry brandy for each meal.”
“Don’t be a goose, love. Please say we may. I shall probably never have the opportunity again.”
“Very well, but I give you fair warning I will as like as not be ill the entire passage.”
Captain Andrews was startled by the amount of baggage he was expected to take on for the ladies, but he ignored the inconvenience with a cavalier shrug of his shoulders and settled Glenna and Phoebe into a large cabin with a fireplace and two comfortable cots designed to prevent motion. They sailed with a fair wind and a calm sea which quickly reassured Glenna, and she soon found herself intrigued by the voyage.
Phoebe took to sketching the scenes they passed, and Captain Andrews willingly provided information on Eastbourne and Brighton, the Isle of Wight and St. Alban’s Head. They took dinner with the captain, who dined in splendor and assured them that he had been to no special trouble for the meal.
“When you spend as much time at sea as I do, you learn to make yourself as comfortable on board as you would at home. And the little touches of civilization take on extra importance. You have no idea how lonely a man gets when he is at sea for weeks on end, often out of sight of land, with nothing but his own thoughts and monotonous duties.”
“Have you a family to go home to, Captain Andrews?” Glenna asked.
“No, ma’am, but I have a comfortable little house near Weston super Mare and my brother and his family live hard by. The children love to come on board and climb over everything, talking twelve to the dozen and asking more questions than could be answered in a fortnight.” He smiled
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