Admiral Heywood Returns

Chapter 7

Sidney sat by the fireplace; feet resting upon the tabletop which he knew Mary would disapprove. As he gazed into the fire, deep in thought, he swirled the wine in his glass.

"For then my thoughts, from far where I abide,

Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee..."

"What was the rest of that sonnet," he asked himself, rubbing his eyes as he denied himself sleep. Another fragment came to mind...

"Lo, thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,

For thee and for myself no quiet find."

"Shakespeare. He certainly understood." He said aloud to himself tossing back the last of his wine. With the exercise of drawing upon what bits of poetry he remembered he found solace that at least one individual-though long dead-understood his state of mind. As he climbed the stairs to his room, he remembered yet another fragment that spoke to him and with that he knew his night would be one of fitful sleep.

"But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer,

And night doth nightly make grief's strength seem stronger."

With the dawn, Sidney woke with the usual head of cotton after consuming two bottles of wine which he did the last evening while attempting to think through Charlotte's return. His joy and equally the pain of seeing her again was indescribable, and his mind could find no end to the thinking.

"Good morning, Sidney!" Tom, ever jovial these days, greeted him at the breakfast table. "I understand that you will be meeting with Mr. Stringer this afternoon. I do hope you are satisfied that he will accomplish all you wish while you are away. He has been truly excellent at following through with every plan."

As Sidney reached for tea, Tom studied him. "Sidney, you're looking a bit, what shall I say, rough this morning. Did you not sleep well?"

"The few hours I was in my bed I did sleep fitfully, but I admit to staying up far too late and drinking more wine that was wise." Sidney admitted.

"Well, I do hope you can sharpen up before your meeting with Stringer. The Parkers are still at the helm of this project, you know, and it is best if we make a good showing of it," Tom said as he rose from the table and excused himself. "Mary," he called, "shall we take the children to the beach for a bit? It's a fine day!" With that, he left the room in search of his family, leaving Sidney to his own thoughts.

Charlotte, clutching the rough plans she had drawn up-actually, just ideas and concepts, walked toward the construction site.

"Well met, Miss Heywood!" came the greeting from Mr. Stringer, as she approached. His kind smile was most definitely a fine quality she thought, as she waved and called in response, "Good morning, Mr. Stringer. It is good to see you. What a lovely day!"

"Ay, it is. No doubt we will see more of the contrary winds and rain before long, but we are nearing the point with this project that the weather will not be a concern." He continued, "However, as we begin the new phase, we may be dodging the rain! Shall we take a tour of our progress? If that is to your liking, that is."

"Oh, most definitely! I was devastated when your beautiful work ended in ashes and I would like nothing more than to see it reborn!" Charlotte said with her usual enthusiasm and sparkling smile.

With that, James Stringer led her past the curious work crew. "Mr. Stringer, I am impressed with how grand it all is! The rebuilding is something of a miracle, is it not?"

James Stringer could not help but smile broadly in response to her praise. She did stir his heart so.

The tour of the rebuild complete, they climbed the scaffolding to get a view of the location that would become the new addition. Charlotte, with animation, pointed out the vision she had for the new buildings and courtyards.