Mark Arbour

He's not ready for a ship-of-the-line yet, and what's more, he'd find it to be incredibly boring. Remember, those ships spent most of their time with fleets, just sailing around on blockade duty. It was tedious, and certainly not the kind of duty for an energetic young captain.

Interesting point about the footmen reappearing in the navy at some later point to haunt our good Captain. :-)

No one is accepting female rape here. Where did you get that idea? And you are confusing your history. Women weren't dirt, some women could be extremely powerful. Poor women were dirt, but rich women from good families had quite a bit of influence. The Duchess of Devonshire (Georgiana) would be an excellent example, as would Lady Jersey. I'm simply not following your line of thought here.

October 2, 2000 Escorial, CA Wade I called Matt and caught him in between classes. I was in a really bad mood, a really pissed off mood, but just hearing his voice took the edge off. “Hey. Where are you?” I asked him. “Just got out of one class, heading to another one.” “I just got out of my meetings, and I’m heading back to Escorial.” “How’d they go?” “They were interesting,” I said cryptically. He picked up on that and didn’t push me for info

I think the Earl does need to know, and I do agree with you that there's really no justification for what she did. I get the feeling that she's not trying to justify herself; I don't think she feels she has to. I think she is trying to explain herself. The reaction of any good aristocrat to her actions would be sheer horror. They would understand her sense of duty, but not her total lack of honor or scruples. She's banking on the fact that George won't make this a public issue, and that's a good bet. Well said. I am hoping that everyone gets the level of control this gives Davina over Freddie. Can you visualize their life together? Anytime she wants him to do something, she has but to remind him that he can't fulfill his most basic obligation. And every time she does that, it's like a carronade attacking his masculinity. The guy must have absolutely no self-esteem left.

Thanks! Paternity isn't on hold, I just got focused on this one for a bit. I've switched back again. ;-)

I always thought a private army would be cool. ;-) Bertie made his fortune primarily when they conquered the Dutch East Indies, so the answer to your question on that is 'yes'. And I doubt Bertie would be all that insulted at being called a slut.

I think you have to put it in the context of the times, and of their social class. Producing an heir is Davina's duty. She's very focused on achieving that goal, to the extent that anything else is irrelevant. Picture a Wall Street banker who focuses on money, no matter the cost to others. Or the rules. I agree with you about Freddie. I think he's so cowed because of his problem that he's let his wife take over the show. Any time he argues with her, she'll point out that he's "not a man".

OK (also brief) :-)

Too the guillotine! Not in Georgian England, not for the daughter of a duke. There are other ways to punish her.

I think that George is willing to be charitable in this situation says a lot about his character. I finally got back on the Paternity bandwagon, and Chapter 20 has gone to final editing. Expect it within the week.

March 12, 1797 “What’s your name?” Granger asked the young man. “Phillips, sir,” he said. “I will see that you are taken care of,” Granger promised. The man merely said, “Follow me, sir,” accepting Granger’s words at face value. He led Granger to a door and opened it up, revealing a flight of stairs heading up to another closed door. They were in the cellar; Granger hadn’t realized that until now. He led Granger up the stairs

Absolutely. Business is considered a "trade", and thus somewhat plebian. Best you can do is a major in economics.

Nope. I'm the asshole. That means that I can be fun at times.

Happy Birthday Dan! I'm sorry I'm a little late getting here. I saw this thread and thought it was Myr's birthday.

Revenge is rarely as worthwhile as it seems. We'll see how things work out.

LOL. Well, I try to keep you all from getting relaxed. Usually at the end, things are pretty happy. This one is winding down. there are only 4 more chapters left.

I realize that rape is a touchy subject, so I usually don't include it unless it moves the plot forward. Hopefully you'll agree that it did in this case...after you read the next chapter.

Thanks Danny. She is indeed twisted, but also driven.

Usually a good strategy with my stories. ;-)

You guys crack me up. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The next chapter more or less answers your questions on this matter, but it won't be up for a few days. Hang in there!

Thanks for the recap, Lugh!

Good call. Add the 20 pounds to make him more cushy.

Well, unless she's a forger, Freddie wrote the note, since George noted it was in his handwriting. We'll see if they can escape to Bermuda before George gets his hands on them.

I like that line too. :-) I think that George will handle this alright. I don't see him laboring over it overmuch like Travers did. He has the ability to shake things up. It is quite possible that she gave him the pox, though. That would really be bad news.