Jillian Chantal

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to a picture prompt. I am still in the Regency story. Snippets are limited to 300 words this week. Mine is very unedited. 🙂

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Jane’s gaze took in the whole tavern again. She had been disappointed when her captain did not come to her boarding house to escort her to work. He usually did when he was in port. In fact, she was sure he said he would be back when he left her that afternoon for wherever he was going to spend the afternoon.

She was almost late arriving for her shift because he did not appear. She had had to run and, in the process, one end of her scarf fell off her shoulder and dragged through the grimy, smelly street and even into some puddle that should not have existed as the day had been quite sunny. Once in a while, as she walked past where it hung on the hook on the wall, she caught a whiff of something nasty and she was pretty sure it might be horse manure. How will I ever get it clean? It’s so fragile and I cannot ruin it as it belonged to my mother.

As she worked, she prayed whatever it was that it would be an easy matter to remove it. She also fretted over where the man she loved could be.

“Get over there and clean that table. Those men left ten minutes ago, Brandy. Candles still lit and half-filled ale should not be sitting there that long.” He employer frowned. “There will be a crowd coming in since the entertainments will soon be over at Vauxhall. Our ale is cheaper and needs to be plentiful with empty chairs to lure in the men who have already lost most of their coins on bear-baiting. They always want to get drunk on the cheap stuff after they get excited there. Get that table cleared now.”

This week, the authors of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt anxious. I am still working on the Regency story. For some reason, I can’t seem to get it done. Weird as I am usually moving along at a goo clip. Lots going on in my life that has me distracted though. Today’s snippet is very unedited! LOL

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“Sir. We have a nice, hot meal in the private dining area if you would like to be shown in.” The man tugged his forelock.

“I will sit out here in the main area.” Daniel pointed to the far corner/ “Perhaps that table there is available?”

“Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir.” The publican led the way to the table in the darkest part of the establishment. “Are you sure? There is no privacy here at all.” He flicked the towel he had over his shoulder across the table. “It may still be sticky from old Silas who sits here and spills ale all afternoon. Let me get someone to wipe it down for you.”

Daniel nodded, not interested in Old Silas. All he wanted was something cool to drink. “That is fine. Please bring me a small ale and some cold meats.”

“I can bring you a hot meal if you prefer. Even out here”

“No, thank you. I have been out in the heat and would like to refresh myself. Nothing warm, thank you.”

As the man scurried off, now that his eyes acclimated to the dark, Daniel glanced around to be sure no one he knew was in the building. This place was too close to where some of the people he knew might ride.

He let out a deep breath as he realized he was safe. No one would even be able to see him in this corner, and even if they did, they would not recognize him with his eyepatch and scarring. Hopefully.

His ale came and he took a big swig of it before cutting some of the meat the proprietor delivered. A few minutes of enjoyment was all he got as the door slammed open and hit back on its hinges.

Daniel glanced up, and to his shock, he knew several of the men in the party of six who came in, laughing and talking.

Luckily, the publican led them to the private room that Daniel was even gladder he had turned down.

He stuffed a bit more meat in his mouth and chewed it, anxious to be gone. Standing, he swallowed and tossed some coins on the table. He took one last gulp of his drink and made haste to the door.

Hey, all. Sorry I missed a couple of weeks. We went to visit the son and his family one of the weeks and I didn’t write. Yesterday, our internet went out for most of the day so I am late today, too.

I am still in my Regency story. Today’s word for the writers of Tuesday Tales is sign.

Check out the other tales here.

A dilemma for sure. He did not know what to do next to help Brandy so he decided to ride further out into the countryside and exercise his mount. Once that was done and he could think more clearly, he would find Jeremiah and set a plan into action. When he was off the ship and hemmed in the city, he always felt as if he was choking on the crowded air. Oh, to be back at sea. 

If he could not be on the waves, he could at least get some wind in his hair by riding. Not quite as joyful as salt water coming over the side of the railing and splashing his face, but a close second. Even when he lived at home, before everything changed, he always preferred the out of doors over sitting in a stuffy drawing room or being in the crush of a ballroom fill of mothers on the prowl for husbands for their darling little girls.

He snorted at the memory of how stupid he had been in those days. A girl in a skirt showing off her lovely bosom could cause only trouble. How relieved he was that his Brandy was not such a shallow little creature as those vapid minxes had been.

Pushing aside those memories and determined not to think on them again—at least for the foreseeable future—Daniel whistled for his horse to come over to him.

Once he was mounted, he rode out at a gallop, man and beast as one.

They rode until the animal was covered with sweat and Daniel thought he might smell quite as bad as the horse. He knew if he was thirsty, so was his companion.

Luck was on their side. Just ahead was a coaching inn with a stables. The sign outside told him he had arrived at The Horse and Hound. “Cheers, Lad. We can both get something wet and cool.”

This week the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to picture prompts. Each prompt is limited to 300 words. I am still working on my Regency story.

Check out the other tales here.

After she went inside, he headed to the stables to get his horse to take it out for a ride north of the city at Hampstead Heath. He liked to give the animal a lot of exercise himself when he was onshore even though he knew the stable boy did not neglect him at all. Daniel was a horseman from the time he was a small boy and it was one of the things he missed the most once he took to the sea.

Riding out, he could not stop thinking about the man in the café. What name did he ask Brandy about?

Despite racking his brain to recall the entire conversation, Daniel could not recall the name until he stopped and sat under a shade tree while he horse grazed on the heath. It was as if as soon as he let his body relax, the name came to him. Millbrook.

Do I know anyone named Millbrook? He didn’t think so. Too bad he could not take a risk and ride to one of his former friend’s homes and ask if they knew anyone by that name. It would never do for them to know he was back in London.

He would have to find someone to help him. Maybe his Boson, Jeremiah could discreetly ask around. Some of his friends might remember the man as he was his batsman when Daniel was in the Army, but if Jeremiah told people he worked for Captain David Jones now, it should not be a problem.

He watched his horse graze. He wanted to help Jane and it sounded like she needed help from more than just that Johnny person.

This week’s word for the writers of Tuesday Tales is branch. I am still in my Regency set story.

Check out the other tales here.

Jane did not allow herself to hope this meant he had changed his mind about marriage. To take her mind off that fact as well as help her plans to move away, she asked, “Speaking of shore, where do you usually put in to port when you are returning from sea?”

“It depends on where we have been. If we have been to France or anywhere north of there, we put in at Dover. If we have been to Spain, we come back in at Portsmouth.”

“You never come back through any other port?” This was helpful. She would not attempt to settle in Portsmouth. She needed to make a fresh start that sadly, did not include him. How will I get over loving him if I keep seeing him?

“Why are you so suddenly curious about my port habits?” He grinned down at her. “Planning to go to sea, are you?”

“Not likely. I was merely making conversation.”

They arrived at the café he had clearly chosen as he stopped to open the door.

He quirked his eyebrows as he let her past him to enter the premises. “Seems a bit odd is all.”

They found a table near the back of the main dining area. Jane wondered if he was as eager to stay in the shadows as she since he picked the same out of the way table she would have chosen had she been given the opportunity to choose.

Once they were seated, she continued the conversation they started outside. “If you don’t mind me asking another question, why did you choose to go to sea?”

“A man has to have an occupation and it seemed as good as any.” He waved the server over. “I hear they have a pretty tasty fish special here. Want to try that?”

Wondering if he was trying to change the subject, she said, “That would be fine.  I only ask about going to sea since you were in the Army before you were injured and that is a different branch of service than the Navy. You were not in the Navy, were you?”

“Oh no. I was never in the Navy.” He placed their food order and then focused on her. “I chose the sea after I came home from the war in the former American colonies.”

“I thought you were injured on the Peninsula.”

“No. My regiment did spend time there but we were sent to the United States to assist when things got bad there. That’s where I lost my eye.”