his slaves. I stayed for a year.’
‘He must be a good master to take such care of his slaves.’
Dr Ambrose shrugged. ‘As my uncle said to me, they are a valuable commodity and it does not pay to allow them to sicken and
die.’
‘Enough talk of slaves,’ said Cornelius. ‘My wife shall entertain us on the virginals.’
They withdrew to the parlour where Arabella played for them.
It didn’t take a great deal of persuasion to encourage Mr Savage to accompany her. He had a fine tenor voice and Susannah
couldn’t take her eyes off him.
The following day, Ned poked his head into the dispensary, where Susannah was labelling pots of salve. ‘There’s a gentleman
to see you.’
She peeped through the curtain and saw Mr Savage talking to her father. She withdrew hastily, a strange fluttering in the
pit of her stomach. As she had predicted, the bruise around her eye was a glorious shade of purple and she didn’t want Mr
Savage to see her looking less than her best.
Cornelius called out. ‘Susannah! Mr Savage has called to see if you are recovered from your fall.’
It would have been ill-mannered to hide and all she could do was to brazen it out. She drew back the curtain. ‘How kind of
you, Mr Savage. As you can see, although quite well in myself, I have a black eye.’
He winced. ‘Poor lady! I have brought you these.’ He handed her a bouquet of pink roses. ‘Fresh from the country this morning!
I came to ask your father if you would like to accompany me on an excursion to Hyde Park. I have hired a coach, which was
no mean feat as there are few horses to be had in London any more.’
‘I hardly think I’m fit to be seen in public.’
He hesitated. ‘Please, do not disappoint me. It would be a change of scene to distract you from your pain and I should so
enjoy your company.’
‘As long as Arabella is free to chaperone you, a little jaunt would do you good, Susannah,’ said Cornelius. ‘You are far too
pale.’
Half an hour later they were bowling along in the hired coach. They left the leather blinds lowered and the breeze whipped
Susannah’s curls against her cheek.
‘This was a good idea of yours,’ she said to Henry Savage, whose own hair was also escaping from its confining ribbon and
blowing into attractive disarray. Her fingers curled over her palm as she resisted the impulse to brush a loose strand off
his cheek. She laughed as Arabella grabbed at her hat when a sudden gust threatened to snatch it away. ‘It has been so hot
and still of late that it’s marvellous to feel the wind on my face.’
‘Hot?’ laughed Mr Savage. ‘Until you have felt the weight of the Barbadian sun on your skin you cannot know how hot the sun
can be.’
‘And until you have experienced an English winter you cannot imagine how cold that can be,’ said Susannah. ‘Sometimes the
Thames freezes over and we skate on it.’
‘Perhaps I shall see the frozen Thames this winter. I can tell you, I wished the sea had been frozen over when I came to England;
then I could have walked here instead of rolling backwards and forwards in my bunk.’
‘Was the journey very bad?’ asked Arabella.
‘Torture! I was confined to my cabin for several weeks in the certain knowledge that I would die.’
‘But you arrived safely in the end,’ Susannah said.
‘By God’s will! But after twelve weeks at sea I thought the ground was still rocking under my feet once we docked in London.’
‘Then you will not be in a hurry to return to Barbados?’ said Arabella.
Mr Savage looked out of the window. When he turned to face them again Susannah could have sworn he had tears in his eyes,
but perhaps it was just the wind. ‘I shall never return,’ he said. ‘London is now my home.’
‘In that case,’ said Arabella, ‘you’ll be wanting a wife.’
Blushing at her forthright comment, it was Susannah’s turn to look out of the window.
Chapter 4
Susannah calculated that
‘He must be a good master to take such care of his slaves.’
Dr Ambrose shrugged. ‘As my uncle said to me, they are a valuable commodity and it does not pay to allow them to sicken and
die.’
‘Enough talk of slaves,’ said Cornelius. ‘My wife shall entertain us on the virginals.’
They withdrew to the parlour where Arabella played for them.
It didn’t take a great deal of persuasion to encourage Mr Savage to accompany her. He had a fine tenor voice and Susannah
couldn’t take her eyes off him.
The following day, Ned poked his head into the dispensary, where Susannah was labelling pots of salve. ‘There’s a gentleman
to see you.’
She peeped through the curtain and saw Mr Savage talking to her father. She withdrew hastily, a strange fluttering in the
pit of her stomach. As she had predicted, the bruise around her eye was a glorious shade of purple and she didn’t want Mr
Savage to see her looking less than her best.
Cornelius called out. ‘Susannah! Mr Savage has called to see if you are recovered from your fall.’
It would have been ill-mannered to hide and all she could do was to brazen it out. She drew back the curtain. ‘How kind of
you, Mr Savage. As you can see, although quite well in myself, I have a black eye.’
He winced. ‘Poor lady! I have brought you these.’ He handed her a bouquet of pink roses. ‘Fresh from the country this morning!
I came to ask your father if you would like to accompany me on an excursion to Hyde Park. I have hired a coach, which was
no mean feat as there are few horses to be had in London any more.’
‘I hardly think I’m fit to be seen in public.’
He hesitated. ‘Please, do not disappoint me. It would be a change of scene to distract you from your pain and I should so
enjoy your company.’
‘As long as Arabella is free to chaperone you, a little jaunt would do you good, Susannah,’ said Cornelius. ‘You are far too
pale.’
Half an hour later they were bowling along in the hired coach. They left the leather blinds lowered and the breeze whipped
Susannah’s curls against her cheek.
‘This was a good idea of yours,’ she said to Henry Savage, whose own hair was also escaping from its confining ribbon and
blowing into attractive disarray. Her fingers curled over her palm as she resisted the impulse to brush a loose strand off
his cheek. She laughed as Arabella grabbed at her hat when a sudden gust threatened to snatch it away. ‘It has been so hot
and still of late that it’s marvellous to feel the wind on my face.’
‘Hot?’ laughed Mr Savage. ‘Until you have felt the weight of the Barbadian sun on your skin you cannot know how hot the sun
can be.’
‘And until you have experienced an English winter you cannot imagine how cold that can be,’ said Susannah. ‘Sometimes the
Thames freezes over and we skate on it.’
‘Perhaps I shall see the frozen Thames this winter. I can tell you, I wished the sea had been frozen over when I came to England;
then I could have walked here instead of rolling backwards and forwards in my bunk.’
‘Was the journey very bad?’ asked Arabella.
‘Torture! I was confined to my cabin for several weeks in the certain knowledge that I would die.’
‘But you arrived safely in the end,’ Susannah said.
‘By God’s will! But after twelve weeks at sea I thought the ground was still rocking under my feet once we docked in London.’
‘Then you will not be in a hurry to return to Barbados?’ said Arabella.
Mr Savage looked out of the window. When he turned to face them again Susannah could have sworn he had tears in his eyes,
but perhaps it was just the wind. ‘I shall never return,’ he said. ‘London is now my home.’
‘In that case,’ said Arabella, ‘you’ll be wanting a wife.’
Blushing at her forthright comment, it was Susannah’s turn to look out of the window.
Chapter 4
Susannah calculated that
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