~ Seven ~

 

 

THE EVENING WENT VERY WELL, as there were no mishaps with Bel finding and sending Letty back to her room in the early morning hours when he heard her taking the pup out for a walk.

She dissipated his irritation with a grateful smile. Later that morning, at breakfast in the private parlor, he found himself rubbing the puppy’s head, and had to admit he had already formed a fondness for Max.

“He looks stronger after two meals and a decent night’s rest. I have to say he was ever so good during and after his bath,” Letty advised them as she ate the last of her ham. “He curled up beside me and didn’t stir until the wee hours. He can’t be blamed for that, can he?”

They all agreed with this assessment, and it was in jovial spirits they continued their journey to Dover.

After a few stops, they finally reached the seaport in the late afternoon. The early winter sun was making its way out of view and a soft dusk was settling in. Letty watched all the activity in the busy seaport, and felt the hum of anticipation course through her blood.

They found the viscount’s yacht ready and waiting together with Fitz’s valet, the dependable Mr. Heckson, with all of their luggage already loaded and delivered to their cabins.

Captain Platt, a sturdy individual with a full ruddy face and laughing eyes, came forward with a robust welcome.

They were led below to their cabins, where Letty settled Max on her bed and surveyed the room with great pleasure. It was small and dark, but she didn’t mind a bit. A black iron basin containing fresh water sat upon a small potbelly stove, where she rubbed her hands near the fire.

“Do you know,” Letty told Max. “Now that you are washed, your color is wonderful…like burnished gold, and the fur on your floppy ears curls so perfectly. You are very handsome, lying there on the quilt, sir.”

Max sighed with satisfaction and promptly went to sleep while Letty brushed her hair into a semblance of order, straightened her cravat, and rebuttoned her waistcoat. She ran her hands over the intricate white embroidery of the blue silk waistcoat, and sighed with contentment. Donning her dark blue velvet cutaway coat, she left her puppy to sleep on its own, and made her way down the corridor, looking much the part of a youthful boy.

She found Bel’s cabin with very little trouble and knocked timidly, relieved when Fitz called out a merry welcome.

Her traveling companions were each seated with a glass of brandy in hand. All seemed in excellent spirits, and although she was thoroughly exhausted, she, too, felt happier than she had felt in ages.

“How is our little Max?” Charles asked, grinning, and motioning for her to be seated.

Much like the boy she was pretending to be, she plopped into a nearby chair and said, “Oh, Charles, you will never credit it, for even I found it hard to believe, but he has already begun understanding commands. I told him to sit for a piece of cheese and he did so. I repeated this over a few times, and he complied each time. He is a treasure.

“You know, I have decided he must have more Spaniel in him than anything else,” she said thoughtfully.

“Thought the same thing when I saw him this morning after his bath,” Fitz stuck in. “I like Spaniels. Good dogs.”

This brought on an exchange of stories with regards to the dogs each had had as a boy, and Letty sighed happily as she listened, when she became aware of undulation beneath her feet and jumped to her feet.

“We are moving!” she exclaimed.

“So we are,” Bel said, and grinned. “Captain has heaved to, excellent timing.”

She ran to the porthole window. “Bel, we are at sea! Do let us all go up and have a real look. Please, I have always wanted to watch the land from the sea.”

Bel sighed. “Go on up then. I think I’ll just stay here and enjoy my brandy.”

“Come on then,” Charles said. “I’ll take you on deck.”

“Oh, isn’t it all so magnificent? Why, just look, they really are chalk white…the cliffs?” she said, pointing to the receding line of straight white cliffs that made up the Dover coastline.

It was already dark, but the moon was glowing, and they were starkly visible against the black sky littered with stars and the dark sea.

Letty shivered against the cold wind, for she and Charles had neglected to don their greatcoats, and Charles inquired whether she had seen enough.

“Enough? Oh, never, never could I see enough! This is so wonderful…the salt air, the sound of the sea lapping at the boat. It is difficult to believe…am I really here?”

“Yes, dear, and through your eyes, I see it is all so lovely, but not half as exquisite as your sweet ingenuity,” Charles said softly.

“Are you daft, man!” an angry tone from Bel as he came up on them. “I heard you clear as day, and I daresay, half a dozen of these buckos could have also heard you…making love to my page!”

Apparently, not disturbed at all, Charles smiled at Bel’s irritation and said, “Indeed, Bel, I do think you have a point there. It would never do for anyone to think I was making love to your page. That would not add to my consequence in the least.” He shook his head. “Damn annoying you are at times. I knew no one was about.”

“Devil a bit, what am I?”

“I saw you coming at us, ole boy,” Charles replied glibly.

“And besides,” Letty stuck in, “Charles was not making love to me.”

Bel glared at her, then at his friend for a moment, but did not retort. Charles chuckled and said, “Look, it is getting cold, and we are all liable to come down with something if we don’t return to the cabin and get something hot inside of us. Indeed, I am certain our Letty must be hungry by now.”

“Yes,” agreed Letty at once. “I am ravenous.”

They returned to the cabin to find the captain in Bel’s suite enjoying some ribald remarks with Fitz. As trays of food were delivered to Bel’s large round table, they invited the captain to dine with them, an invitation he warmly accepted.

Letty sat close to Bel and tried to keep her face averted, but it turned out not to be really necessary. The captain paid her little attention as he regaled them with his seafaring tales.

At some point, one of his tales became overly colorful and Letty looked for an escape just as Bel told her, “Your pup must need some food and attention by now.”

Gratefully, she excused herself, picked up a large portion of ham, and rushed out of the room.

The captain shook his white head of hair and said the lad was missing an excellent tale, and continued with details that made Charles whisper to Bel, “Good thing you sent the child off.”

In her room, Letty was met with ecstatic barking and whimpering sounds as she fed Max and gave him some water.

One of the sailors had provided her with a large box of sand for the puppy, and she was pleased, that like a cat, he made use of it before she removed her velvet coat. Sighing, she threw herself on the bed while Max chewed on a thick stick Fitz had given him earlier. She thought she could want for nothing. She had it all.

After he had eaten and played to exhaustion, he approached her small bed and whined. “Ah, is it up you would like? Very well then.” She reached and put him on the bed, where he snuggled beside her, and within moments, both were contentedly asleep.