Chapter Text
April, 1815
He was finally returning to England. After 6 months on the continent, starting in Italy, working his way around the Adriatic Sea, and ending in Cyprus – finally getting to see Daskalopetra, Teacher’s Rock, where Homer told his epic poems – Colin was aboard the ship that would bring him back to his family’s home.
“This way, Mr. Bridgerton.” the steward instructed, leading him through the passageway to the First-Class accommodations.
His room was well appointed, with a comfortable looking bed, a small desk, dresser, armoire, sofa, and a table and chair. The wall dressings were a lively blue and yellow striped pattern, and a large port looked out to the vast sea below. His valet had his own room in Second-Class, although Colin would only be using him to dress for dinner. He’d taken on a new style of dressing, having been away from Society for so long, and found he quite enjoyed keeping a more casual day-to-day look. Tying himself into a cravat each day before breaking his fast was close to the top of the list of things he was most dreading about his return.
Colin checked to see his trunk and suit cases had arrived ahead of him, then turned to dismiss the steward. “Excellent. All looks to be in order. What time should I head to the dining room for dinner?”
“Half past six, Sir.” the steward replied, then bowed and disappeared down the passageway.
Colin bowed his head before realizing no one was there to see it, then closed the door and let out a deep sigh. Fourteen days and he would be back in England. A few hours’ carriage ride beyond that, and he’d be in London, thrust back into Society and the Marriage Mart and desperate mama’s and simpering debutantes. He was looking forward to none of it.
Colin did want to have a family. To settle down and spend his days raising his children and enjoying the company of a wife. What he couldn’t imagine however, was finding the type of woman he could fall in love with amongst the Ton. Colin desired friendly banter and a witty repartee. Someone who could provide him with intelligent and perhaps even philosophical conversation at times. Someone well-read. Perhaps someone a little naughty, who would enjoy bending the rules of society with him. Colin didn’t care two figs about a lady’s embroidery skills or how accomplished she was at watercolors. He desired a partner.
Flopping down on the bed with a soft grunt, Colin decided the best thing he could do for now was to nap until his valet came to dress him for dinner. It had been a long day already, rising early, ensuring all was in order, and then riding several hours to the port town. As he suspected, the bed was exceedingly comfortable, and not long after he closed his travel-weary eyes, he’d fallen into a deep slumber.
His valet came at the appointed time, dressed him for dinner, and left to take his own meal. Colin wandered the deck a bit, finding his way to the dining room and taking a seat with several other young gentlemen who were traveling alone. The group was the lively sort, and Colin found himself engaged in a rousing conversation, ranging from politics to art to women and back again. The group moved together after the final courses had long since been cleared into the gentleman’s lounge, and continued their conversation over cigars and brandy.
“What about you, Bridgerton? With a smile like that, there isn’t a single special lady waiting for you back home?”
Colin laughed heartily, warmed by the hours of good conversation and free-flowing drink. “I’m afraid not, gentlemen. Beyond my sisters, the only lady of the Ton I find myself interested in conversing with is Penelope.”
“A name like ‘Penelope’ and yet you sail away from Greece to seek her? Seems rather backwards, wouldn’t you say?”
Colin laughed again at the joke, eventually replying, “No, no. She is but a friend.” He couldn’t help the smile that warmed his face though when he thought of seeing her again after all this time.
The other gentlemen quieted, waiting for him to explain himself. When he wasn’t more forthcoming, another of them pressed, “A lady worth conversing with you say? Who makes you smile like that? But you do not pursue her. Is her dowry deficient?”
He waived off the question with his hand. “That is of no concern to me. When I take a wife we be well-heeled regardless of her portion.”
“Quite the troll then? Too hard to look at?”
He bristled at the assumption. “No.” he replied firmly. “Pen’s quite beautiful in fact. Red curls, eyes like the sea, fair, and with a smile that lights up her whole face.”
“She’s terribly serious then?”
“Oh! Pen is the wittiest person I know. We trade barbs and puns and quips whenever we have the opportunity to speak freely.”
“Ah, flat as a gang plank?”
The swig of brandy Colin was taking nearly choked him. He shook his head as he stifled his coughing. “No, Pen is quite, ahem endowed… with ample, ahem assets, as it were.”
The gentlemen all stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Colin simply stared back, not understanding what it was that gave them pause.
“So, Bridgerton, just to be sure we understand you. You have a lady back home. The mere mention of whom brings a smile to your face. Who you find to be an interesting conversationalist. Easy on the eyes. Fills out her gowns. Makes you laugh. And her family finances are of no concern. Yet, she is but a friend?”
“She is… Pen.” he nodded, as if his declaration would resolve the matter entirely. When they kept staring, he added, “She is my younger sister’s dearest friend. I have known her since we were young. She is… special to me. But that is all.”
“Say, Bridgerton. Remind me to give you my card before we reach England. You’ll have to arrange to make introductions to this friend of yours.” Several of the other gentlemen agreed.
Colin smiled and nodded to his new friends, then stamped out the end of his cigar and slugged back the last of his brandy. “I must turn in before I can no longer find my own way to my room. I look forward to making your company again.” Colin bowed to his new friends, gracefully stumbling back to his accommodations, removing his formal wear to the sofa, and collapsing into his bed.
***
Sleep came hard and fast. Colin’s dreams were filled with spinning dances and red curls. Nothing about his dreams felt steady. His world was tilting on its axis as sparkling seas of blue smiled up at him. Everything seemed to be rocking. Rocking. Rocking.
Colin jolted upright when his suit case came crashing down onto the floor from the table it had been left on. It was still pitch dark out, but the motion of the ship told him they had sailed into quite the storm. He looked through the port, hoping his eyes were adjusted enough to spot the horizon. He stared for a moment into the blackness, unable to make out any features at all. A sense of free fall overcame him, and he found himself thrown towards the wall. Just as he caught himself with his arms, a hard splash hit the port.
Colin had done his share of sailing over the past three years, yet he’d never seen a storm throw a boat so hard to the side. Unsure what to do, he fought his way to the armoire, dragging out the first pair of breeches he found, then stumbling back to the bed so the could pull them on without falling over. Colin waited for the floor to tilt towards the door, then rushed forward, grabbing the handle and pulling it open just in time for the room to shift under him again.
What he saw outside his room was utter chaos. Men were rushing about, yelling orders and battling the heavy rigging. Waves were crashing up over the sides of the hull in giant, powerful sprays. With a greater perspective, he could see the ship was truly being tossed from side to side like it were nothing more than a children’s toy. He could see panicked faces popping out of several of the other doors nearby his, and could even hear the wail of an infant nearby.
Poor thing. Must be terrified.
Colin knew the safest place for him to be right now was in his room, out of the way. And so he retreated, closing the door firmly behind him. For a moment, the room seemed a peaceful safe haven compared to what he’d just witnessed. Then, through the relative quiet, the shriek of a frightened baby pierced his ears.
Colin furrowed his brow. He should not be able to hear the child’s screams so clearly now that his door was shut. He should not be able to hear it at all over the chaos that was unfolding just outside. Unless…
Colin launched into action, following the sound until he found himself on his hands and knees, patting blindly under the bed, and pulling a basket out from under his bed. Had the room been still, he may have had time to stare at the tiny face looking up at him in fury. But when the room tilted yet again, he grabbed the child on instinct, clutching it to his chest as he leaned back against the bed.
He didn’t dare light a lamp for fear it would knock over and catch fire, but by the smell, the child had been left to its own devices for at least a day. Colin wondered how he’d missed a baby in his room, but come to think of it, he hadn’t been there much at all save for sleep. Still. “You could have piped up earlier so I didn’t find you in such a state!” he cooed as he crawled along the shifting floor to where his water basin was kept.
Colin made quick work of removing the soiled gown and tidying the child with his dampened handkerchief. He ripped a strip of cloth from his long nightshirt, fashioning it into a makeshift nappy that he tied at the sides for lack of pins. “There we go, Miss. Much better, wouldn’t you say?”
The baby giggled her reply and clung to Colin’s shoulder where he kept her perched. In the dark, he estimated her to be between six and nine months, perhaps a bit older if she hadn’t been fed properly. That thought concerned him more than any yet. If she’d truly been in his room since before they’d left port, she hadn’t eaten in nearly a day – at best.
Feeling along the floor for his trunk, Colin was able to locate a tin of biscuits he kept as emergency snack rations. He’d been laughed at before by various members of his family for the habit, but now it seemed rather prudent of him indeed. No sooner had he handed the biscuit to the young miss had she connected it to her mouth, hungrily gumming away at the offering.
“I’m afraid that’s all I can offer you for now, Miss. You picked quite the moment to announce yourself. We’ll have to make do until this storm passes I’m afraid. Then we can set about finding your mum.”
The two made their way back to the bed. Colin found himself exhausted between the short sleep and all the events of the hour since he’d been startled awake. He could deal with this mess in the daylight. For now, he cuddled the child between his broad chest and the wall, rested his head on the pillow, and before long, both had succumbed to the rocking waves of the sea.