HMS RESOLVE: A John Phillips Novel by Richard Testrake

Author:Richard Testrake [Testrake, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-08-13T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Henry the groom, rather ancient now, came to the door with a huge horse pistol. It took him a second to recognize his master and he quickly put down the weapon. The remainder of the people in the kitchen, all women of various ages, were unfamiliar to him.

“What happened to everyone?” he asked Henry.

“Well sir, it’s like this. When the Missus came back, she let everyone go but me and hired new ones. The old housekeeper had told her she couldn’t come back in the house, so the Missus went to the magistrate. He said she could and told her the house was in her hands with you gone to the war, so she just fired everybody but me.”

“Do you know where my daughter is?”

“Yes sir, Miss Abigail got mad when the servants were let go, so she came out to the barn, had me saddle her mare and rode off to Charlotte Norris’ place.”

Charlotte was an old friend he had known since he had originally purchased the estate. She was a wealthy woman in her own right, who did not suffer fools gladly. She cared not a fig about other’s opinions and had had a child by Mister Peabody, a servant of hers, to whom she was not married. Charlotte being both an intelligent and powerful woman, Phillips was not at all shy about asking her for advice, especially concerning his own wayward wife.

Phillips knew that he had just landed in another mess. How he was going to emerge from it was a mystery.

One of the maids offered to make a room ready for him. Phillips told her that would not be necessary, he would sleep in the billiard room. He did not play billiards, but a few years ago, faced with an influx of guests, he had put a bed in the room. Hopefully it was still there.

The bed was there, but it was stripped bare, with no bedding. He knew a closet in the main bedroom held all manner of bedding. He picked up a candleholder from the mantle and lit it from the light burning in the hall.

Going to the bedroom he had shared with his wife before their troubles, he opened the door and went inside. A single candle was burning and he saw his wife asleep in the huge bed. He quietly crept over to the closet and began removing what he needed. It was awkward trying to carry blankets as well as a lit candle and he inadvertently made a noise. Sarah made a little squawking noise, then a little shriek as she woke and saw him. He held the candle up so she could see his face and she calmed.

“John, I didn’t know it was you. You should have let us know you were coming.”

“Sarah, I had no idea you were here. I thought you were gone for good.”

“Oh, I was just off visiting friends. I was coming back,”

“I know you were visiting friends. There was the cavalry officer you were living with, then you went into keeping with a bankrupt gambler.

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