AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Now if you direct your gaze to the shingle, you will note the bathing machines, some already in the shallows, others waiting for their patrons. I hope you and your sister, as well as Lady Montgomery, will partake of a session in our pure salt waters."
"Yes, indeed," Ronnie said eagerly. "Perhaps not Mama, who tried it in Brighton but was not fond of the cold temperatures. But certainly, Felicia and I want to go in."
"I can guarantee a clean and efficiently managed experience if you and Miss Felicia give us a few hours' notice."
"Thank you. We shall certainly do so."
"And now," he said, sweeping his left arm in a wide arc, "Behold the glittering sea. Every morning when the sun rises, it casts handfuls of diamonds across the ripples. Today you see the perfect artistry of the bay."
Ronnie shaded her eyes and looked across the water, awed by its bright beauty and his description, a poetic sketch.
“How lovely it looks."
"Yes, today it is almost serene. Most days the sea is calm here. It can stir up to a storm that is anything but quiet, though rarely at this time of year. Many people want to see its wild roaring and thunderous crashing waves."
"Not I," Ronnie breathed softly.
"Nor I," he agreed. They stood silently for a few moments before he pointed at the distant horizon. "In the haze out there, you can see Isle of Portland. I hope you will have the time to enjoy the villages and the huge rock quarries."
"I suspect I would have to spend a year in Weymouth to enjoy all its attractions," Ronnie said.
"I hope I am not overstating our attractions. It may sound like exaggeration to a lady who has enjoyed the many delights of London and Brighton. Have you travelled widely, Miss Montgomery?"
"Not at all. I have never been to the North, or even to Wales. My experience is confined to Middlesex and the Southern counties. And now my first visit to Dorsetshire. I long to see more. And to go abroad."
"One hopes that peace in Europe will allow many to travel to the continent."
"Indeed." Veronica was curious about the rumours which had circulated in London before they left. "If I may be so audacious as to ask you… have you heard that her Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales might be visiting Weymouth soon?"
The Captain smiled and nodded.
"It is the most popular topic of discussion in the entire region, though no one knows for certain. Yes, I expect her Royal Highness will be here, although nothing official has yet been announced. She was here last year and thrilled many residents and visitors with her interest in visiting local points of interest."
"She spoke of her regard for Weymouth when we saw her at London parties. She was completely gracious. The same impression was felt among even the most… ah… arrogant of Society leaders. Some said… well I shall not repeat any of the unkind remarks about the Prince Regent or his absent wife. But most expressed their pleasure at finding her Royal Highness so amiable."
"In my experience here in Weymouth, the people loved King George, the Queen, and all of their daughters, but few had much good to say about the Regent."
Ronnie stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"I hear people in London calling him ‘Prinny’ which sounds impertinent to me."
"It is the same here. But the people are fond of his daughter."
"The word in London was that she wants to marry a foreign prince."
"I received a letter from one of my friends who fought in Belgium," Captain Drew said. "He wrote that the young Prince of Orange, the man Princess Charlotte rejected, was wounded late in the battle. My friend was in the same Brussels hospital."
"The gossip in London, though not particularly reliable I fear, was that she recently fell in love with a German, a penniless fellow, they said."
"If so, I hope that she is allowed to follow her heart. I am not particularly a romantic fellow, but that poor young lady has not had a very happy life."
"I agree with you, Captain. She is smothered with discipline one day and the next is ignored altogether."
"Thinking again about travel, Miss Montgomery, where would you like to go? Rome? Venice? Or Vienna?"
She laughed out loud.
"Any of those. All of them. I would go almost anywhere." Ronnie gathered her courage and set out to learn more about him. "I assume that you have been to many places beyond England in your service."
