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‘He’s right, Hester. You will feel better soon.’ Nancy spoke with more conviction than she was feeling, but it was important to keep their spirits up.
Unfortunately for Hester, the weather deteriorated as the afternoon wore on. There was little Nancy could do other than to empty the slop basin when Hester was overtaken by seasickness.
At six o’clock Harding came to take Nancy to the saloon, where she dined with the captain, Harding and the chief engineer, Thompson, a dour Yorkshireman with very little conversation. He obviously did not approve of having passengers on board, and he did not seem to like women. Harding, however, was quite charming and went out of his way to keep Nancy amused with accounts of their previous voyages. Captain Mockridge was civil but he obviously had much on his mind and he concentrated mainly on eating his meal.
Nancy thought longingly of Christmas dinner at Rockwood Castle with all the family seated around the table, but there was little festive spirit on board and she resigned herself to taking each day as it came. There would be plenty of time to celebrate when they returned home.
That night, despite groans from the bottom bunk, Nancy slept quite well, and she awakened in the morning to find Hester snoring loudly. Not wanting to disturb her, Nancy dressed quietly and made her way to the saloon, where she found the table laid with freshly baked bread rolls, butter and marmalade. A pot of coffee was still hot enough to drink and she helped herself. However, she gave a guilty start when the door opened and Harding entered.
‘I hope I haven’t taken your breakfast,’ Nancy said hastily.
‘No, please enjoy your food. I ate earlier. I’ve just come off watch, but I wanted to make sure you knew that you could have breakfast whenever you wanted it. How is Lady Carey? Is she any better?’
‘I hope so. I left her sleeping soundly after a bad night.’
He nodded. ‘Seasickness is very unpleasant. I’m lucky I never suffered from it, but I’ve seen grown men sobbing their hearts out because they felt so ill.’
‘I don’t think Hester is as bad as that, but thank you for asking.’
‘She seems like a nice lady. Not grand at all, considering she has a title.’
‘It wasn’t always the case.’ Nancy broke a warm roll into small pieces. ‘I believe she had a hard life at the beginning, before she came to Rockwood Castle, that is.’
‘We’ve all had crosses to bear, Miss Sunday. I dare say you have also.’
Nancy swallowed a mouthful of bread. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘I don’t mean to offend you, but I noted a certain sadness in your expression when you boarded the ship yesterday. I apologise if I am wrong.’
‘No, you are right. I left behind someone I care about deeply, but it wasn’t to be.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘We parted as friends. It was for the best. Are you married, Mr Harding?’
He shook his head. ‘I never seem to be ashore long enough to establish a relationship with a woman, Miss Sunday. That’s one of the penalties of a life at sea.’
The weather was bad enough in the English Channel, but even worse when the Bonaventure tackled the great Atlantic waves. Captain Mockridge seemed intent on getting to their destination as fast as possible, and he kept the ship on course no matter how much discomfort his passengers were suffering. Hester remained in the cabin, lying prone on her bunk, unable to take anything other than sips of water. Nancy, on the other hand, was enjoying the voyage. She had found her ‘sea legs’, as Harding called them, and when the weather eased a little she spent as much time on deck as possible. She loved the wildness of the ocean and took great pleasure in watching the changing moods and colours of the sky and the ever-moving water. The whole ship shuddered as it crested each wave and dropped into the trough, only to rise again to tackle the next wall of water. When it was too rough to venture on deck Nancy spent most of her time in the saloon, where Captain Mockridge had a small supply of reading material.
The crew were polite but too busy to do more than pass the time of day, and if it had not been for her conversations with Harding, Nancy would have found herself very much alone. She discovered that they had much in common. Harding had been abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth and had been adopted by a childless couple, who were wonderful parents, but he was always left wondering about his birth mother. Nancy was able to relate strongly to this, and she told him her own story. The relief of speaking openly to someone with similar problems was intense and she looked forward to the time of day when Harding came off watch and could sit and chat to her.
After a gruelling week of almost continuous bad weather the Bonaventure steamed into calmer waters and sunnier climes. Hester recovered slowly and was able to take small amounts of food. She had been longing for a cup of tea, and the cook, who was similarly dependent upon a good brew, made sure she was kept supplied. They even had fresh milk from Llewellyn, the ship’s goat and Cook’s special pet. After a few days of reasonably good weather, Hester was able to walk to the saloon for her meals. She still picked at her food but Nancy was satisfied that Hester was growing stronger every day. Nancy noticed that Hester made the effort to get to the saloon when she knew that Harding would be there. Even stranger was the fact that Hester watched him covertly, but with an intensity that was puzzling.
They were two days out of Bridgetown and had just enjoyed a meal of salt beef stew. Nancy and Harding were playing a game of backgammon and Hester was seated at the table with a mug of tea.
‘How old are you, Mr Harding?’ Hester leaned forward, fixing him with an intense gaze.
He looked up, smiling. ‘I’m forty-three, my lady.’
‘Nancy tells me that you were adopted by a tailor in Teignmouth.’
‘That’s true. I never knew who my birth parents were.’ Harding conceded the game to Nancy. ‘But I had a good upbringing by my adoptive parents.’
‘What is your first name, Mr Harding?’
Nancy stared at Hester in surprise. She could not imagine what had prompted this cross-examination.
‘It’s Tobias, my lady. I believe that my mother was most particular that I kept the name she had given me.’
