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PART III
MAY, 1780
RATHBONE HOUSE
LONDON, ENGLAND
“HE WANTS YOU to what?!”
Celia cast her mother a helpless grimace and nodded as she dropped into the soft chair by the bed in which her mother sat, her mobcap askew. Mary’s mouth opened wider, closed, opened again, but she merely hopped out of bed and began to pace.
“It would involve horses,” Celia whimpered, “and, and, and cooking. What do I know about cooking? Mother! Butchering pigs!”
Her mother whirled. “And you may not be able to get enough to eat to keep up the strength it would take to do those things. Or at least, not without a great deal of help!” She plopped onto the mattress with no grace whatsoever. “Celia, you must make very sure you love this man before you commit to this course. You will likely be unable to return once you have gone into the frontier.”
“I ken,” she squeaked, growing more horrified by the hour.
Elliott’s rough idea to cast off the burden of his family’s expectations, his title, and his king was no riskier than anything else she had ever done; it was, in fact, perfect. With careful plotting and precise execution, success was all but certain. Indeed, it was child’s play by comparison to the grand plans for his future.
“Oh, Lord,” she groaned, dropping her face in her hands, more thoroughly and completely intimidated than she remembered being in her entire life.
“And Celia, consider this: Successful farms require children—many of them—to help carry the load.”
Celia whimpered again.
“He cannot make you his countess because you may be barren, yet he has asked you to do this with him. Clearly he has not thought of it yet or no one has told him.”
“He has not thought a whit of it!” Celia cried softly, her head popping up. “It has been his sole ambition since he was a child and that is where his forethought of it remains. He has little more idea of its undertaking than I do and is wallowing in his joy that he now simply has the choice.”
But that joy was infectious.
And, as Talaat had lent her his faith in God, so Elliott had infused her with his unfettered passion for this land he had trod, its beauty and serenity, the promise of ultimate freedom. His descriptions were vivid, certainly poetic, and she felt her chest swell with his excitement as he spoke of the life he had dreamt of in Newgate, her fear barely able to keep her from agreeing on the spot.
It would be no trouble at all for him to seduce her into his vision if she continued to listen to him.
“I must think, Mama,” Celia murmured, dropping her head back to stare at the pinprick of candlelight on the ceiling. It was four of the morning. Elliott had just delivered her to Rathbone House, the marchioness was abed, and the marquess was once again out scouring the brothels and hells for Cousin Edward. There was silence but for the rustling of the linens as Mary fussed.
Celia yawned, still sleepy after the brief nap from which Elliott had awakened her with a lingering kiss and the good food with which she had stuffed herself.
After a while, she muttered, “I can tell him to go to hell, which I do not want to do.” She paused. “Or I can trust him and acquiesce without condition—but what conditions would I place anyroad? I know not enough about such things to contract for it. I can stay mute and allow him to run on about it with the intention of seducing him away from it over time or hoping his desire will wane.” She paused again and slowly raised her head. Her mother was lying on her back studying the same flickering pinprick overhead. “Or I can throw myself into it wholeheartedly.”
Mary tsk’d. “Let us suppose that you throw yourself into it wholeheartedly, which is, quite frankly, the way you do everything so I should not be surprised if you choose that course.”
That pulled a sudden chuckle out of Celia.
“My advice to you is to think it through and make lists of what you might have to do to accomplish this with him.”
“But I don’t want—”
She held up a hand. “It matters little. The exercise is to require you to think about it. No harm will come if you plan then ultimately decide not to. But at this moment, he can provide you only naïve passion.”
“The man is not stupid nor is he given to impetuosity. He will plan, but it is all so very new to him, so bloody wonderful. ’Tis as if it were a gift from God.”
“Well, you do have time,” Mary mused. “And Rafael?”
Celia sighed. “Elliott was so kind as to point out the fact that as the rector’s wife, I would be Coimbra’s leading society matron—and nothing else.”
Mary’s head turned upon her pillow until she was looking at Celia. “What did you think you would be doing?”
“Teaching astronomy! Lord almighty! Was I the only one who did not consider it?”
Mary chuckled. “Ah, so to be with one of the two men you love, ’tis a choice between being fêted and pampered—”
“Bored and unappreciated.”
“—or backbreaking work for the rest of your life.” When Celia said nothing, she said, “Not bored or unappreciated.”
“Provided I come back from Algiers alive,” Celia muttered, thinking there were mayhap worse things than being outgunned by a bevy of Ottoman corsairs intent on cleansing their waters of the abomination of a female pirate captain whose hands were soaked in their brothers’ blood.
“You may always simply sail until you are weary of it and settle somewhere that catches your fancy. But, Celia, attend,” she said. “You say you want a home. Two men are offering you that very thing, to love you and share their lives with you. Either choice will require you to sacrifice something. Will you dismiss both of them because each has offered you something you find distasteful?”
She made no reply.
“And now you know my dilemma,” Mary murmured.
“It has been much at the front of my thoughts of late,” Celia said low, her voice hoarse. “But our situations are not analogous.”
“Your men are not as diverse as mine, mayhap, but what they have offered you is. You must choose one or the other, or have the choice made for you. Do you doubt the wisdom of doing nothing, look to me as the consequence.”
Celia opened her mouth.
“Nay, you will not be destitute by any measure, but unless you find a third man who can be all things to you, you will be alone for the rest of your life, which may prove to be longer than you can bear.”
Unlike the decisions she had made in the past, whimsy had no place in this.
“When you were alone those years,” she asked her mother slowly, “without Dunham, without Bancroft … whom did you long for?”
Mary laughed bitterly. “Both. Neither.”
Celia rubbed at her temples. “And now?”
“Clearly, ’twould be Jamie, but that is because Nathan has lent his heart to another.”
Ah, and Mary still grieved; Celia could hear it in her voice. “If that were not the case?”
“Celia,” she groaned, “do not ask me such things. I can no more make the decision now than I could then, and that was thirty years ago. Had I chosen one, I would have been content, but I would have pined for the other, all the while wondering ‘what if.’”
“Aye, and this is where we differ, you see,” Celia muttered. “My choice is not between two men. My choice is one life versus one man.”
“But you know how to manage Rafael whereas the life Tavendish has offered you frightens you.”
“Terrifies, do you mean.”
Mary’s sigh melted into the darkness. “And you will do it anyway.”
Celia remained silent.
“Well, then. Make those lists before you inform Tavendish of your decision. You cannot enter into a negotiation without preparation and your acquiescence laid bare.”
If you don’t want to wait 2 years to get to the end, you can buy it here.
Pirates!
The apple not falling far from the tree is usually said about boys and their fathers isn’t it?
*checks sleeve* Yep, still some stuff up in there.
Alas, poor Rafael.
He should’ve married her when she begged him to, but his wisdom is not commensurate with his IQ.
“for the sins of the Father shall be waged upon the sons”
Canned corn beef hash is delicious and you assholes disparaging it in the dead thread are maroons.
This.
I. I. I. I find myself agreeing withThe Hyperbole. ::that was hard to admit::
It needs to be fried crispy (Thank you, Julia Child).
Brown food tastes good.
I concur. Then use the hash to soak up the egg yolks. Yummy.
Hurumph! Agreed!
Hormel’s Mary Kitchen* is the best canned Corned beef hash that I’ve found.
*A Minnesoda brand
The only other brand I have seen is “Libby’s” which is inferior.
Aldi’s brand is not worth the money.
/buys Hyperbole a beer
My father loves it. And, oh yeah, he cherishes the canned shit. (He possesses the ability to microwave things. He can’t cook an egg. I recently taught him how baking frozen shit makes it taste way way way better than the damn wavy thing. He actually got an immediate reward and realized how much better it was than the shitty same thing he’d previously microwaved and was unimpressed by.
If Dad loves something, you aren’t wrong to also like it, but it raises culinary suspicions.
Crucial note: Corned beef is fucking gold. Hellz yes. Hash is also outstanding, though far more work than it need be. (I haven’t smoked a pipe in a long while. Vaping only for that, but I still go through *maybe* a pack of smokes a week. Funny, likely only to me, I vape menthol but smoke Camel Light. (Sigh. Camel *BLUE*) I thought that name was ‘only’ for Korea.)
To ex-smokers, who shall not be named: Sorry, that may have hurt. I will say: I have never had a “craving” for a smoke. I like it for the ritual, especially using my hands and fingers, and for conversation times in public, or to buy a universal “That dude’s gonna chill by himself over there by himself, and no one will question it” Card. Buys 15 minutes.
(You type too much, Ev.)
Thought they were disparaging canned corned beef.
Canned hash, either corned been or roast beef, has a sentimental place in my cold heart. Love a sunny side egg over canned hash.
Cooking corned beef on Sunday with frozen from last year. Need to clear out the freezer for fresh occupants.
Huh. I use Anthropic Cluade for work and well, guess I cannot anymore. Back to shitty LLM models I guess.
I really don’t get Hegseth – there is policy that we won’t use it for either of the two objectionable lines of action, but you have to remove the guardrails that enforce that. Pete, you’re lying about something, because if policy aligns with Anthropics’ concerns you have no reason to argue for unrestricted use.
As for the truly fascist undertones about corporations serving the STATE, fuck you.
Completely agree. I’ll add the Anthropic’s CEO is a vocal, proud American. This isn’t, or shouldn’t be, about a personality clash. I suspect Hegseth has made an idiotic decision.
FWIW, NR had a great short piece on this.
Here is a news blurb about it. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-orders-federal-agencies-to-stop-using-anthropic-further-escalating-feud-over-ai-safeguards/
Looks like Donnie decided to swing his dick. I think I’ll get a Claude subscription.
Imagine being the flunky assigned the task of translating Donald’s brain farts into retard-speak for public consumption.
Return on investment baby. ROI is what makes the heart aflutter. You are a devil Moj.
I don’t quite know which part you’re referring to, but I do try. 😈
“Bored and unappreciated” when pampered, “or backbreaking work for the rest of your life.” When Celia said nothing, she said, “Not bored or unappreciated.”’
That’s a damn hard question for me. I’d be slightly fibbing if I said I don’t care about being “appreciated,” but it isn’t an active thought. Of course I like it when people tell me I did a good job, etc. But ‘being ignored’ is also remarkably appealing to me. OTOH, it is *remarkably* difficult for something to be “boring” to me. (I can think of a few things, yes, but more in the ‘I don’t like this shit’ camp, rather than actual boredom.)
I find, most of the time, people who actively get ‘bored’ are just fucking boring people, with no curiosity or the ability, desire, to look at something and find *something* interesting or fun about it. The world and the shit in it are fucking exciting. When people ‘ignore’ that, well. Uh. WTF do ya want me to do? It’s like people are happy to be dull. (Eek. I think ‘dumb’ people are likely happier than those who aren’t. Less to think, worry, about.)
Thanks for these, MoJo.
https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/lyrics/being-boring
@Tox: That’s remarkably well-written and fun-pokey at me. (Hits all my right spots.) No, didn’t listen to ’em sing it yet.))
@Mo: I gathered. Just pondering the ‘comfortable and staid’ v the ‘adventurous and exciting’ vibe. Ya successfully poked my own thoughts on the matter, which are equally complicated. Though I may not have piratical experience… tho ya never know, cuz I kinda have all sorts of it!
The whole thing is complicated by the fact that her relationship with Rafael is and always will be one of teacher-pupil. Her love for Rafael is girlish, and quite frankly, only a girl could love Rafael. Elliott is a man, and she hasn’t been a GIRL for years, so yeah, she’d rather butcher pigs with Elliott than be Rafael’s society matron.
That is the ROI that I mentioned above.
In Milspeak she is being told to analyze two Courses of Action (COA) and then do the COA comparison.
@Ted and all: Arachnophobia is such a good goddamn flick. The spider hiding under the lampshade? That shit is the only thing of a movie that has actually scared me long-term. I was checking lampshades, half-joking, but a good idea(!), certainly up til high school.
Jeff Daniels has remarkable range. Damn. No idea why so underrated. George Washington and Harry in Dumb & Dumber? Wow.
Really enjoying Mr. American. Flashman was not who I thought he was (I figured a one-off train passenger was him, the actual General Flashman turns up later on in the novel in proper form, sporting after the scullery maids.) I get the sense that Fraser might have enjoyed writing this novel more than he did the Flashman Papers. He disposed of the first-person autobiographical device, for a start, and delves more deeply into the attitudes of characters other than Mark. I feel like he was much more indulgent with this novel. He seems to luxuriate in Mark’s life, like this was his recreation after the Flashman staples that made his career.
Claude Code and Pedro Pascal are brothers.
Ill take that wager,
Yay. Dammit: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump has appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government” after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
He said: “It will be yours to take.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.
President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the U.S. had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S.
I don’t know anything about anything anymore. All I want to do is throw stuff in the air and get drunk. Is that too much to ask?
Damnit OMB did it.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-888250
His first term he was war flaccid, this term nothing but a huge war boner.
This will be ugly and messy if carried out to completion, and if just another pin prick will just burn up money and make the regional nations happy that we stuck our dicks into the Iranian hornets’ nest so they can tut tut to their domestic audiences.
I like it, about time,
But watch what CCP does while we are busy
I dont get it.
He stood down the entire word demanding he go after Iran last time around. Now? I have no idea why we are attacking Iran.
WTF?
He’s a retard who wants to build a legacy and save the midterms as a side bonus. Everyone likes war in the Mideast, right?
He’s so fucking done and he’ll be impeached and probably convicted.
He called for Iranians to do regime change???
I guess our CIA boys convinced him that he could be the hero who saved Iran from their oppressors.
The question: did they do it so he would attack Iran because they have wanted this since Bush the Elder was in office, or did they do it to sabotage Trump??
Either option sounds viable
Embrace the power of and.
Well Trump was stupid enough to fall for it. I’ve never seen any administration throw away so much political capital in such a short time.
War is back on the menu
Why shouldn’t we?
I don’t hear any explosions. GM.
🤷🏼🐪🪦
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSYr0etDzRM
Peak Tori. 🎶🎶
Good morning, Sean, cyto, and Stinky, and good afternoon, Pie.
Good morning one and all.
Good morning!
Good morning, JI and Ted’S. How are you two gentlemen this morning?
😁
Morning all, not necessarily a good one, judging from the headlines
Last week it was “My hockey team can beat your hockey team”
Today’s headline is a repeat, “War is the health of the state”
https://www.panarchy.org/bourne/state.1918.html
We should do Australia next. Fuck those kangaroo fuckers.
Good morning!
I can’t do anything about Iran, but I can enjoy my diner breakfast. It’s so good. Basic (eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast), but excellently executed.
🍳🥓🍞🥔✔️