Fastest Love quickly makes its way to 200 pages

It has not been many days at all and now we have reached the conclusion of 200 pages of The Fastest Love on Earth.

I am at chapter 10 in the writing, having just seen the government of the Duke of Wellington fall. He did not heed the call for Reform and thus was doomed.

He was followed by Earl Grey, and he had in his cabinet Lord Palmerston who would later also become Prime Minister. Palmerston, or Pam serves a purpose in my writing this tale for he lived in Romsey, the location where our Hero too has his home.

Since Monday writing has taken us 100 pages, and for the month of February, just the weekend remains, we are at 517 pages. 357,206 words for the year so far.

Here is the beginning of chapter 2.

2) The Worst Accident Imaginable

The step to the ground was a longer climb then when they were along side the landing at Crown Street Station. Lord Dorchester offer his hand but Claire knew the step would require more and with her eyes directed his to her waist. She did not want to say that his helping her to land firmly on the ground by his lifting her would be appreciated but she knew she was still svelte and that it would be little trouble for him to do so.

"Just as if we were at a dance," she said lightly and he understood reaching up to grasp her about the waist and then he lifted her. She could not feel his hands but she felt through her corset the pressure that he applied and thought it had been years since she had felt so. Rockingham would have lifted her but he had little desire to act as her lover once they had married. The moment she was in the air, not even two seconds passing, she felt free of all conventions, just as the wind rushing at them on these new fast conveyances had made her begin to feel, Lord Dorchester completed the feeling.

She had married eight years before after knowing Rockingham for all of two months at her first season. She was now twenty four. Sitting with her parents at Almacks her very first week in London and Rockingham came up, asked for an introduction. When that night was over she had been compliment after compliment from the Marquess. Later she learned that they were all meaningless. He had been told to get a wife that morning from his mama and determined that she was the most handsome of the ladies at Almacks with a position in society that he could marry. He was not looking for a bride to bring money to the marriage bed, he had enough of his own.

She was bought and sold like a piece of cloth at the milliners. He looked over the wares that night and chose her for qualities other than whatever she possessed of thought and intellect. She had been so mistaken believing that was the reason that he had wooed her. She had been a fool and after Maxim was born, he took his attentions elsewhere. All he wanted then of her was to be pleasant at the dinners he hosted.

The allowance he gave her though Rockingham may have thought bought her silence. He was wrong. It brought her disappointment. He went to his mistresses and whores and suggested that should she want a lover she should take one. She however was by his side the last two months of his life as he died of consumption. She wanted love, something she knew she had not had, and was always amazed when men sought to speak so to her, men whom she did not encounter nearly enough as they spent most of the year at the Marquess' estate at Gateacre here on the outskirts of Liverpool.

Now suspended in the arms of a man who had shown such kindness to the boys she remembered her old schoolgirl wishes for just such a man. Handsome, strong of character, kind to children, and assuredly rich. Nothing was ever wrong with marrying a rich man her father had told her. That was why the Baron Markham had been so easily swayed to allowed the marriage with Rockingham.

When her husband had died she found that he was indeed wealthy. Enough that they had ten thousand a year and three great estates and a house in London. But she had no desire to raise her boys spoilt as there father had been. She thus came north to the smallest of the estates. Society did not live in Liverpool and it had been three years since she had been to Town. Her parents urged her to return to them in the south and sometimes she thought to do so, but they had allowed her to marry the man who had kept her chained to a loveless and embarrassing marriage. She still had not forgiven her father.

"Thank you my lord." She said to Dorchester as she landed on the ground.

"A pleasure and as you have said, just like a dance. Though I have not been to one these few years."

"You do not dance?" She asked as they walked to the carriage in front. Others were doing so as well it seemed.

"I do, just not recently. I suppose I should do so again."

She nodded and thought about it then asked something else instead. Dancing was too intimate a subject to speak of to the handsome man. "These leaflets that you distributed said we should not leave the carriage but look at the water tower from safety there."

"Yes, we advised that for most will not know what is about here. We have five lines for we think we will connect to other rails as well, such as the Bolton and Leigh which is already in operation."

"Then you are not the first railway? I can not keep track for this is something that Peter does."

They were almost to where the Marquess of Stafford stood at the carriage door with the Duke of Wellington discussing the watering tower it seemed. "They carry freight alone as do a few others. I believe the distinction for our train is the longest, the fastest and the first for passengers. Now here, let us get your cousins attention for as the leaflet does discuss should other trains come by it may unnerve you. Here, Stafford, I say Stafford, come I have Lady Rockingham here who is keen to say her hellos."

Stafford turned and so too did the Duke, "Why this lovely woman is lady Rockingham and you escort her Dorchester? To be young again and have such pleasures, eh Stafford. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance but did you not ask for Stafford? Dorchester I am the Prime Minister, do you not think I deserve preferment when presenting such a beauty?"

She knew the Prime Minister was teasing but in a nice friendly way. He was in a very good mood from all the crowds that had been cheering their progress along the line. Claire fussed with her bonnet, for there was a light drizzle just then. "Oh, will you allow me Lady Rockingham," Lord Dorchester said, "Your Grace, make way there for I shall hand her ladyship up to the carriage that she may get out of the rain until we return to our own carriage." He then did so and once more she felt the pressure of his hands squeeze her in her corset as she was lifted to this much more opulent carriage.

"Why you travel well here indeed. We are surely in steerage behind you," She joked.

"We do. Much better than on campaign, eh Dorchester?" The Duke said.

"Certainly much better than I remember Spain to be, your grace," Lord Dorchester replied. "Look at all these men who are about the tracks. I shall have to see that they remember we have not advised that it is safe unless they know what they are about. I shall return in a moment." He turned and went off quickly to attend to all. The Duke then said something she was sure indicating he wished to sit for a moment and the Marquess of Stafford remained to speak to her.

"You have done will with Dorchester to guide you and your boys. He understand well what this all about. He and Mr. Sandars. They seem to have a vision for this."

"Then why cousin did you invest so much money in the venture?" She asked. Peter had been ready to write their man of business to purchase shares as well but she had told her son that if it succeeds she would instruct him to do so. But not until then.

"I have a vision for the growth of capital my dear. I suspect Dorchester does also and it is why he takes a dislike to me, but then younger men often do to we who are older for little good reason. I well remember having done so. But tell me, you have made a conquest in this hour of travel. I would quip that it must be the fastest love affair ever, but I do not know that anything was set to subdue Dorchester. He has seemed rather solitaire about all such matters these many years."

Claire was intrigued. "Do you know the man well?"