America (chapter 7)
Previously
In the morning we agreed that, satisfactory though the evening had been, more space would indeed help Jamie’s plan to be executed to the prime satisfaction of both parties. The scratching of that particular itch, however, had not solved the problem of sending Mary off to be married to a Frenchman.
Mary spoke French very prettily, and had decided to teach Lizzie some of the language too. Lizzie’s London tongue found the French sounds difficult to reproduce, usually causing the girls to fall about laughing. Touching though their friendship was, I marvelled that Mary had been sent to the other end of the world with so little protection.
Eventually it was Lizzie who let the secret out; Mary had previously been engaged and the match had been broken off.
‘Oh dear,’ I said, sensing an opportunity to dig a little deeper. ‘Had there been a scandal, Lizzie?’
‘Oh no, ma’am, nothing of the sort, certainly not!’ she replied, her eyes widening in horror. ‘But even so, the Frenchman was the only one who would have her.’
‘Well, the French are more relaxed about these things,’ I murmured. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Lizzie’s eyes grew even more wide, she turned a rich peony colour from chin to hairline and she grabbed my hand in shock.
‘Is it true then? What a Frenchman does with his… his…. thing?’
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Having educated Lizzie, I sought out her mistress for her own lecture, and took advantage of her astonishment to do a little prying.
‘Have you seen the man you’re marrying, Mary?’ She shook her head mutely. After a while she began to babble. ‘Oh, Claire, I don’t know. Would have it been easier with Captain Randall? He seemed so much of a gentleman, and he was English…’
‘Captain who?” I said sharply.
‘Captain Randall,’ she whispered. ‘He was the one I was supposed to marry, but Papa broke it off.’
The blood in my body seemed to rush to my head as my ears began to ring and the sea seemed to be suddenly rougher than it had been over two weeks of voyaging.
Captain Randall. Jamie’s torturer and Frank’s direct ancestor.
