Soon the sails were furled and the gangplank lowered. The bosun piped over the admiral first, then Allan and Pru—properly impressed—with Bounce skipping around them and nearly tumbling overboard.
Anna followed on Captain Beattie’s arm. He turned and lifted his hat to his crew. ‘Mr Marsing, release them in timely fashion. Men, don’t embarrass me or theSwallow. We sail tomorrow with the tide.’
Too soon, Anna thought sadly,too soon. But this was not the time to mourn something she had no control over, not when there was a new world open to her view unlike anything she had ever seen.
‘Here I am,’ she said. It sounded foolish.
‘And I am beyond grateful,’ her husband said. ‘Speaking of which, look at that climb ahead.’
There, directly ahead, she stared at a formidable rank of steps to the town high above. ‘How many?’
‘I counted them once, when I was a midshipman. One hundred and fifty, if you are sober,’ he said as they began the climb. ‘Thousands more if you are drunk on Madeira.’ Helaughed. ‘Or perhaps two steps and a lengthy roll, which would bring you to the attention of the surgeon.’
The children raced ahead, Allan stopping only to stare at darting green lizards then trying to catch one. Anna appreciated John’s slow, deliberate pace, probably for her benefit. She turned to watch Admiral Collingwood and his entourage of junior officers behind them. When she paused, the admiral cupped his hands around his mouth. ‘Go on, my dears, save yourselves,’ he shouted.
‘They’re called the Pigtail Steps,’ John said, after the laughter subsided. ‘You know, after many a sailor and his pigtail.’
‘Did you ever…’
‘No, madam,’ he replied. ‘I look silly in a pigtail. Tried once, though, in the South Pacific.’
And that was enough conversation until they reached the top, and Port Mahon proper. ‘We’ll wait for the admiral,’ he said, when he could speak.
Luckily, it was a comment that required no reply. He turned her around for a look back to the bay.
‘Oh, my,’ she said softly. ‘Oh, my.’
‘There are inlets all around Menorca,’ he said. ‘This is the deepest, but a hard one to leave when winds are unfavourable.’ He tightened his grip on her waist. ‘With you and our children here, it might always be a hard one to leave.’
Our children, she thought in delight. It sounded so lovely.
He drew her close, which earned them both a ‘Huzzah’ from Admiral Collingwood, who’d finally reached the top and couldn’t utter anything else. They guided him to a convenient stone bench, probably placed there to show mercy to newcomers.
When he could speak, the admiral nodded to one of the younger officers who had gone ahead, apparently bargaining with a Menorcan sitting atop a wagon pulled by two donkeys. ‘It’s not a coach and four, but it will take us to my house.’
‘Which is where, sir?’ Anna asked.
He gestured along the shore. ‘Not far. There’s an inlet closer to where Menorca meets the Mediterranean. It commands a view of the harbour’s entrance. Strategy, my boy,’ he said to John, then turned to Anna. ‘On the beach below my house I can see everything coming and going. My dear,youcould be the first to see Captain Beattie when he pulls into port.’
‘I expect I will be,’ she said softly, feeling no urge to look away like a maiden. ‘I will watch,’ she said to John alone, when the admiral stood up to wait for the now-approaching cart.
The children joined them. John’s arm went around his son’s shoulders automatically, and Pru sat next to her, not presuming. She smiled when Anna put her arm around her, too.
‘Papa, is this place going to be our home?’
‘For a while.’
‘Will you be here?’
It was a good question. Anna listened for his answer. She heard John’s struggle, and the almost imperceptible way he moved closer to her until they were hip to hip.
‘As often as theSwallowand I can sail into port,’ he replied finally. ‘I have no control over the French, and they are the enemy. Son, you saw them in action firsthand.’
Allan was the logical sort. ‘We were downstairs…’
‘Below-deck…’
‘Below-deck in that little ship, and we were afraid.’ Allan amended himself. ‘Iwas. Dunno about Missy and Pru.’ He looked at his father. ‘Do you ever get afraid?’
