Read Online The Captain's Daughter by Minnie Simpson - Free Book Online

The invitees had given various apologetic excuses and no
one else was there.
    “Oh dear,” said Lady Sibbridge, “if
only Lord and Lady Brewminster could have come. And the others we invited.”
    “But mother, everyone was anxious
to go and see Prince Frederic during his visit to Cambridge now that he has
been promoted to be to be a full general and is leaving for Flanders to fight
the French.”
    “If only I had known about his
visit. We could have arranged the picnic next Saturday.”
    “Mother, it was in the London
papers. Remember Emma mentioned it.”
    “I don’t remember hearing her say
anything. Oh dear, do you think they will be angry at us for not going to see
the prince.”
    Amy was not sure who was supposed
to be angry but reassured her mother that there would be so many people in
Cambridge to see the prince, who seldom appeared in public and usually resided
in Germany, that no one would notice their absence.
    When they were near the end of the
picnic it began to cloud up, so Lady Sibbridge began to fear they might get
caught in a downpour and set her mind on getting back home as quickly as
possible. Amy doubted any sudden violent rainstorm and rather suspected that
her mother was disappointed that the picnic hadn’t been more of a success.
    Amy herself was a little
disappointed. Despite her confrontation with Ben a few days previously, she had
held on to the hope he might appear at the picnic out of respect for her family
even if he was upset with her. And she had now begun to feel he had a right to
be upset since she felt she had behaved abominably. All during the picnic, she
had continually glanced at Hillfield House hoping to see him riding their way,
but to no avail.
    As the servants were loading the
picnic hampers back into the wagon, Emma suddenly called out “Look!”
    Turning in from the road and making
its way carefully up the hill was a coach.
    “That’s Frank and Estella’s coach,”
said her mother, and when it arrived it did indeed prove to be Sir Frank and
Lady Ramsey.
    “Estella and I are sorry we could
not come earlier,” Lord Ramsey said to everyone present but with a special nod
to Amy’s father, the silent figure at every meal, “but I had some urgent
business to attend to up north. We are in a hurry to get back to London, but we
wanted to stop by on our way because we have something for Emma.”
    “Emma,” said Lady Sibbridge in a
voice that combined surprise with curiosity.
    “Yes, Emma,” said Sir Frank as he
extracted a bundle that was about five feet long and wrapped in heavy cloth.
    Emma took the bundle from him and
setting it on one of the Roman boulders unwrapped it. Inside the bundle was a
telescope. Emma was ecstatic. Amy glanced at her mother who, while she did not
share Emma’s joy, did not say anything.
    Sir Frank then went over to Amy’s
father to speak quietly to him while Lady Ramsey exchanged a few pieces of
gossip with her mother. Amy joined Emma to admire her new possession.
    The telescope came with a portable
polished wooden stand. After Emma expressed profound appreciation to her
benefactor, Sir Frank and Lady Ramsey left to hurriedly return to London
because of Lady Ramsey’s fear of brigands on the London Road.
    Emma was about to set up the
telescope when her mother once again, casting fearful looks at the accumulating
clouds overhead, announced they must return home hastily.
    After they descended the slope
carefully from the Roman Camp to the road, they were approached by a rider from
Hillfield House. It was one of Ben’s servants and he handed a note to Lady
Sibbridge.
    Her mother examined it and then
read it out loud. It was simple and to the point.
    Dear Lord and Lady Sibbridge, I
must sincerely offer my apologies but I am unable to attend your picnic today
because I have been called away. With deep respect, Benjamin Anstruther.
    Emma looked sympathetically at Amy
whom she knew was saddened that Ben had not come to the picnic, and wounded
that