“Please, Sterling. I have wanted to go myself, and now we can. You and I, to the one place you begged us to take you as a child.”
His mother had always been spontaneous and he suspected that this was one of those moments. If she woke up and wanted to go on a picnic, she informed Cook, who packed a basket. She was not one to plan ahead, at least not until they arrived in England. There she became dull because Father no longer had time to indulge her whims. But today, apparently, she had awakened and decided to sail to the most southern point on South Africa. The question that lingered, however, was why? And perhaps, more importantly, why now?
It would also take at least a day and a half or two days to sail to Cape Agulhas and another day and a half or two back, which he remembered being told when he was younger. Did he want to be away from the estate for so long?
Sterling did want to go, but it was not nearly as pressing as it had been when he was twelve.
His eyes shifted to Caroline. If she were to join them, he mightfind the holiday more pleasant.
“Would your companion be joining us?”
“Oh, as much as I would like to have Caroline on our holiday, I fear that she cannot be away.”
“Because she is your housekeeper and sometimes gardener,” Sterling clarified.
“Yes, of course. What other reason could there be?” she asked vaguely before she sipped her tea.
Sterling sighed. “I will ride into town tomorrow and speak to the captain,” he promised before he left them to their tea, his stomach churning with suspicion.
He was certain that his mother had something else planned for him, but could not imagine what it might be, and why did he suspect that she was hiding something from him?
It was in her manner and her vague answers.
Or could it be that this was nothing more than a hopeful request and a desire to spend time with her son?
He certainly did not know her well enough to gauge her unspoken intentions since they truly had not spent any time in the company of the other for eleven years. He had changed in that time so she certainly must have as well.
*
When Lady Wyndhamannounced her plan yesterday, Caroline had grown envious. She had also wanted to visit Cape Agulhas as a child and for the same reasons.
Maybe one day she would be able to take Livia to the southern tip of Africa.
But that would not be now because once Lady Wyndham and her son were away, she could attend to matters that needed her attention before the harvest.
Matters that she put her mind to as she settled behind the desk in the office after Wyndham had ridden away from the farm.
Grapes were not the only harvest they need to concern themselves with, but their other crops as well. While half of their employees would see to the planting of wheat, followed by the planting of barley, oats, and rye as soon as the grape harvest was complete, the other half would be picking oranges and lemons. Pomegranates were being picked now, before everyone was required to attend to the grapes. Yet the household gardens and vegetable fields could not be forgotten either.
Managing each of the groups was a balance in timing and organization that could not be ignored, even if her father didn’t believe they were important any longer. At least William understood and as soon as he was able, he would assist.
Caroline had just finished the schedule that needed to be followed, and concerns that needed to be address when the front door opened and George greeted Lord Wyndham.
“Were you successful in securing passage, Lord Wyndham?”
Caroline quickly dusted the ink on her schedule then slipped the document into the top drawer in hopes that it wasn’t discovered then rose from the desk and walked to the corridor.
As Wyndham had not answered, she was curious as to why and made her way to the sitting room where she expected Lady Wyndham to be because she was rarely anywhere else when not sleeping or dining.
“The captain refuses to sail to Cape Agulhas unless I do not mind the potential loss of a ship and the lives of my crew and family,” he announced.
“That is rather dramatic. He is a captain. Can he not sail a ship? If not, then perhaps you should dismiss him,” Lady Wyndham returned as Caroline entered the sitting room.
“He is an excellent captain,” Wyndham insisted. “He is just not foolish.”
“You do know that ships sail the area nearly daily,” Lady Wyndhamreminded him.
Caroline edged further into the sitting room but did not want to draw attention to herself. Sheneededboth mother and son to take this holiday, even if they would only be gone five days.
