Shore Leave

Chapter 1Bath, Gloucestershire, 1778 Jacob Longley sat stiffly in the over-upholstered chair in his great aunt’s drawing-room and tried not to fidget. Despite the privations of life on the high seas, he preferred the fresh breeze in his face to the stuffy air of this ornate first-floor reception chamber in the fashionable resort of Bath Spa. While awaiting the arrival of his sister for her first ball, Aunt Harriette was seated beside Miss Catchpole, her mousey, middle-aged lady’s companion. Her patroness was in full flow about inconsequential domestic matters and people whom Jacob had never met, and frankly, was never likely to. Even though they were still in his aunt’s splendid house in Queen’s Square and not at the Assembly Rooms, he already felt like a fish out of water. As a seafaring man in His Majesty’s Royal Navy, he never had the wish or opportunity to develop onshore social graces. At least he looked acceptably well-dressed in his lieutenant’s uniform, although it felt very strange not to have his sword strapped to his side. This was apparently against the rules enforced by the presiding Master of Ceremonies in case the sharp points became entangled in ladies’ dresses while dancing, with unfortunate, costly, or even injurious results. The arrival of his sister Leticia from the hands of their Aunt Harriette’s formidable dresser halted the flow of words temporarily as Jacob rose to his feet. In sky blue brocade, courtesy of their aunt’s generosity, and her dark hair swept up in ringlets, Letty looked very pretty but understandably nervous. Jacob managed to raise a smile for a favoured sibling. “You look lovely,” he said kindly. “Really?” she asked anxiously. With a reassuring smile, he offered her his arm as they descended the stairs and their aunt fussed about their departure in the grand hallway. He would have preferred to walk and get some air rather than take the coach for so short a distance in the mild late spring weather, but he had to fall in with Aunt Harriette’s wishes since she was so kind as to accommodate them for a visit. He cramped himself into the corner of the vehicle to leave adequate room for the ladies’ full skirts and couldn’t wait to stretch his legs. This took longer than expected, since there was already a crush of traffic outside the splendid edifice of the Upper Rooms, with the grandly dressed occupants taking their time to dismount from their horse-drawn vehicles or sedan chairs. After an interminable wait to mount the steps of the imposing building and to be properly announced to the throng by the Master of Ceremonies, Jacob retired to the edges of the ballroom to keep an eye on his sister. Their great aunt, although very kind, was set in her ways, and Jacob knew she would retire immediately to the newly provided card room with her cronies. It simply would not occur to her that she was leaving her marriageable and vulnerable niece unchaperoned. Jacob didn’t begrudge her attending to her amusements. After all, in the few days since their arrival, their aunt had done more than right by them. Despite preferring to spend the morning in bed with a cup of chocolate, she had risen so they could attend the all-important Pump Room ritual promptly. Aunt Harriette had taken care to introduce Letty to young ladies of her age group and more importantly, their mamas, to give her a proper social introduction. Jacob was glad to see Letty immersed in a small group of these same girls, fluttering about like brightly dressed butterflies, with their mothers smiling indulgently from their seats along the borders of the ballroom. However, as usual with his large family, he felt too responsible to leave Letty to fend for herself. As finely dressed and polite as the present company might be, Jacob well knew that men were men and girls’ reputations were fragile and easily broken. Both he and his sister were aware that this was Letty’s greatest chance of being introduced to a gentleman with the hope of a respectable marriage. The alternative was for her to quietly fade into a socially limited spinsterhood in their overcrowded family home under increasingly reduced circumstances. A throwaway remark from their late father’s aunt in a letter to their widowed mother, suggesting a break from small-town Hampshire life and a short stay in Bath for Letty, was leapt upon as a golden opportunity. The offer had been taken up with alacrity before Aunt Harriette could change her rather capricious mind. With so many dependent children, some still in the nursery, there was no question of their mama being able to accompany her daughter to Bath. His other adult siblings could not free themselves from commitments of employment or family, so Jacob, with leave due from His Majesty’s Navy and the good ship Gloriana, offered his services to help watch over his sister. He stifled a sigh and tried not to regret his hasty decision. Letty was a sweet girl and her determination to make the most of this sojourn was endearing and admirable. As he looked at her, animatedly chattering with the other young ladies, his usually severe expression softened. Although Jacob tried to be polite during the morning socialising at the Pump Room and was gaining a reputation amongst the gentlemen as a sensible sort of young man, this kind of formal frippery made him feel ill at ease. Almost to prove that point, he glanced over at a particularly finely dressed young gallant of about his age and suppressed a pang of envy at his perfection, immaculate appearance, and ease of manner. Everything about him was á point, from his spotless evening breeches to his embroidered waistcoat and perfectly fitted coat, all shades of a delicate pale blue that gleamed under the chandeliers. Jacob had noticed him briefly when they were queuing up to be announced, and the name had stuck with him, a Mr. Sebastian Ford, but no doubt with an extra F and E. Now perched on a chair, he was bestowing extravagant compliments to the surrounding ladies so that they twittered, tittered, and wafted their fans at him. Patched, powdered, and bewigged, this man made Jacob feel like a lumbering seafaring lugger compared with the elegant lines of a racing yacht. The gentleman must have felt Jacob’s gaze on him and, for a thrilling moment, their eyes met. Serious, stormy dark eyes encountered amused, gleaming quicksilver. When the man looked away to trade witticisms with a bold lady arrayed in scarlet, Jacob felt like he had taken a blow in the gut. He coloured, surprised by the force of that connection and an inconvenient current of desire. While still keeping a careful eye on Letty, he made his way to the refreshment table for some punch he hoped might have an alcoholic kick.