Dunham

Chapter 34

34

Mary managed to arrange to take Celia and George on a shopping expedition the day before Georgina's parents were expected to arrive. Sadly, the excursion would not include illicit meal-taking.

"They cannot truly expect Aunt Harriet will sponsor them, can they?" Celia complained, sorely put out to lose her most excellent maid. "After what they did to an earl? And expect to be accepted?"

"That will not be their unforgivable sin. The earl is in such disgrace Harriet does not expect him to be well received in Society, and anyone who has managed to embarrass him will be accepted immediately. Nay. Their acceptance will depend upon their wardrobe and letters of introduction, which they don't have because you stole them."

Celia sniffed. "Rafael would not allow Coimbra society to treat me as anything less than a queen no matter what I did, and now I am expected to do nothing more than converse with the ferns, so such dealings and expectations and machinations are too complicated for my feeble mind."

Mary chuckled.

"George," Celia said briskly. "You are about to fall in love with a handsome Greek merchant and run off with him to the Continent."

The girl sighed in utter disappointment at Celia's decision. "Cap'n, they'll never see me. I'll make sure of it!"

"Don't question me, girl," Celia growled. "I am not your parents and not intimidated by spoilt adolescent bitches. Do that again, and you'll be scrubbing the bilge walls with your tongue." George choked. Celia added, "Anyroad, I am far more accomplished at spoilt bitchery than you." Celia chuckled when the girl's bottom lip trembled. "Leftenant Papadakos will meet us at the modiste attired in a manner befitting a wealthy cit on holiday. He will bump into us on the street and apologize, et cetera, et cetera. You need only play along and then leave with him when he makes his grand declaration of eternal devotion. You are not to leave my office until you are taken to Rotterdam, and then you are not to step foot off the Thunderstorm unless Leftenant Smith gives you leave to do so. Understood?"

"Aye, Cap'n," she whispered.

"We will, however, go to the booksellers first. Inform me of any books you deem necessary for Kit's tutoring and I will purchase them." She opened her mouth to protest— "Bilge." —and shut it again. "I'll not have you spending your money on a man you're fucking whilst you're in my care."

George looked to Mary, but found no succor there. "She's right, love," Mary said gently. "And pray do not ask me to intervene for you again. Even I follow her orders."

"You'll need that money when you catch and he sets you ashore with a bastard and then conveniently forgets you. Trust me."

Celia watched as comprehension changed her expression from mulish to resigned, and she heaved a great sigh. "Understood, Cap'n."

Thus it was that after Celia's second mate had swept George away into the arms of glorious bliss along with a message to Solomon written in Arabic, Celia was led into a modiste's by her mother. They browsed the fabric selections and the fashion plates, but as Mary was thought to be living on the "charity" of a marginally well-off merchant, they could not, in fact, purchase much.

Celia grew more resentful every time she touched a particularly fine piece of silk. Because of her ruse, she could not purchase any of the fine things she loved so much, and at this moment, she was itching to spend money.

It was all she could do to forget about the jeweler five doors down from the modiste.

And the milliner three doors down from that.