Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

A Raider's Early Demise

And it might never be.

If Will never came home, I would never have his baby, he would never hold them and blow raspberries against their stomach. I knew Will would do that, that he would play and care for our children, he would rock them to sleep and stay up with them when they were sick, but if he never came home, I would never be able to see him like that. I wouldn't be in his arms like Sophie was now, with Morris holding her close as she rocked Adam in her arms. It was so peaceful it was like a painting, a perfect scene of a mother and father adoring their child.

Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell it was an adulterous wife and her lover with her trueborn son just from a painting.

"Mrs. Murdoch?" Morris's voice was soft, "Is everything alright?"

I dabbed at my eyes with a napkin, "Yes, yes. I'm just so glad I was able to get you two back together." I turned, pasting a smile on my face. "Now, no sneaking off, at least this time."

Morris blushed, nodding to me. "Of course not, Mrs. Murdoch. It is your home after all."

"Lieutenant Greenwood, I'm not stupid." I shook my head, smiling. "I know how much it can mean to two people to have time alone, especially when they've been apart; however, someone is expecting her back soon."

Sophie bit her lip, "We have a party tonight."

"It sounds more fun than my night, going over papers and maybe having a drink at the officer's club." Morris chuckled, reaching over to brush his fingers over her cheek. "I'll have to buy the papers tomorrow and see if they write anything about you."

"I'd much rather spend the night with you, even if it's just organizing papers." Sophie caught his hand, kissing his fingers. "So long as you wouldn't mind Adam being with me."

"Not in the slightest!" Morris chucked the baby under his chin, making him giggle. "He's wonderfully well behaved, and my sister would lose her mind if I wrote her that I was taking care of a baby. It would certainly make next Christmas more interesting."

I rolled my eyes, watching as the two of them settled down on the settee, Adam passed between them as they talked quietly about everything and nothing. I found I couldn't watch them too closely, with Will on my mind the tears were never far and I didn't want anything to spoil the moment for them.

Will stood on the bridge, watching the black bulk of the cargo ship chugging along just off their starboard bow. The ladies of Edinburgh had formed a relief society, spending the last few months raising money, purchasing medicine, knitting socks, rolling bandages, and doing everything they could to support their boys on the front.

A cargo ship had been chartered to carry all of it to France, and the Peterel had been offered as an escort to ensure the safe arrival of the much-needed supplies. When Bligh had given the orders for how the escort was to proceed, Will had literally bitten his tongue to keep from speaking up. His education in naval matters may have been limited to what he had gleaned from the other officers and the books Ana had given him, but even he knew that a fast destroyer like the Peterelshould be ahead of the slower cargo ship, where they would have a better field of vision to spot any potential submarine. Bligh had confined them to the port side of the cargo ship, trundling along at amidships which meant that their engines were currently at half speed.

If that wasn't enough, Bligh and the other senior officers had celebrated a birthday among themselves the night before, using up the tots of rum that had been saved from prohibiting Will from drinking to get roaring drunk. Now Will was having to supervise almost every watch while the senior staff slept off their hangovers. But the other juniors looked to him like he was their captain, and addressed him by his proper rank on the bridge.