The Ocean's Daughter (Sequel to Sirene)

Chapter 23

Oceana awoke bright and early the next morning. She shot out of bed and did her morning toiletries as quickly as she could. Putting on a light jacket, for the early morning air was still a little chilly, she wanted to slip out of the house unnoticed, but was met at the bottom of the stair case by Beth. 

“My, you are up early,” Beth said with a smile.

“So are you.”

“Why are you in your jacket?”

“I just thought I would go for a little walk,” Oceana hurriedly replied and headed for the front door before Beth could ask anymore questions. Beth set her lips in a firm line.

“Oceana McNeil, you are so obvious. All of a sudden she wants to go for a walk in the morning, before even breakfast was served.” Beth made her way to the drawing room where Robert was busy pouring over the morning paper. He looked when she came in.

“Did somethin' happen to make ye so serioos?” He asked her.

“I'm not serious,” Beth argued, “and no, nothing happened, well except for Oceana suddenly deciding to go for a walk. If you were to ask me, she is going to meet up with that Chesterton fellow. Why else would she be sneaking out of the house?”

“I remember a time when sneak out of th' hoose was all ye ever did,” Robert said with a wink. Beth blushed a little from his words.

“Yes, but that was different.”

“True, Miss Patterson approves ay Lt. Chesterton while she dinnae exactly approve ay me. Allow me to remind yye, Miss Elizabeth Marie Warren, that ye an' I courted in secret fer over two months.”

Beth giggled and the sighed.

“Tell me, Beth, what is it about th' Leuitenant that ye dinnae like? Why are ye so suspicious of him? I hae only seen him once, but he seemed like a very nice fellow. An' everyone aroond him has only praise, everyone but ye.”

Beth was silent for a few minutes, trying to formulate her answer into words that Robert would understand. “It is just that I know there is more to him than he is showing,” she said at last.

“What do ye mean?”

“I mean that we do not know anything about him. When I asked him he gave some sort of evasive answer that didn't make any sense, so I logically went to Mrs. Morrely, whose husband is the captain of the ship on which Lt. Chesterton serves. And yes, while she did tell me what a brave and noble soul Lt. Chesterton was, how he saved her husband's life and how he is diligent and hard working, she could not say anything about his past. All we know about him was that the Admiral brought him up. Who were his parents, what was his family, what is his background, this is a complete mysterty to everyone.”

“And?” Robert raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, Robert, it is obvious he is hiding his past from everyone, and that is what worries me.”

“So perhaps he doesn't hae a past to boast ay and so he keeps it to himself, really, Beth, what is the problem with that?”

“It is obvious that he is hiding his past because he is not proud of it, and I worry as to what exactly he could be hiding. What if it is something dark and dangerous?”

“Oh Beth,” Robert rolled his eyes, “How can ye even jump to such conclusion? Ye know very well how London high society is prejudiced and condescendin' and perhaps it leaves him with no other choice. Of all people I would think ye should understand that better than anyone else. Did not yye also hide yer past from everyone, and give evasive answers when people asked? Maybe he also comes from some humble beginnin', but now that he is an officer and constantly in the presence of people of high social standin' he doesn't want them to behave as though he is inferior to them. For the love ay mercy, put such silly thoughts out of yer head. I think he is a good man an' if he loves Oceana and Oceana loves him then all is well.”

“He still went about the whole courtship wrong,” Beth grumbled, a little put out by her husband's rebuke. “He had the Admiral arrange meetings with Oceana instead of openly coming out himself, then he went and confessed to her out of the blue, but what are his intentions? He never made them clear.”

“Ye dinnae go about th' courtship right either,” Robert said, “Beth, stop being so judgmental. The so called 'courtship rules' arenae laws and if someone wants to go about them a little differently, then fer heaven's sake let them. As long as everythin' is done honorably and with the best and noble intentions, the way they go about is their own business.”

“Oh, you are probably right,” Beth softened a little, “it is just that I am so worried something will go wrong. Oceana confessed to me how she is afraid of having her heart broken and I guess I'm getting a little paranoid. I so don't want her to be hurt.”

“Dinnae worry about Oceana, my love, whatever God brings into her life is good for her and ye hae to understand ye cannae keep her from everything. She has to experience life, and all that comes with it.”

***

London was just beginning to awaken from its night time slumber as Oceana swiftly walked to the West India Docks. She had never really bothered going out in the mornings before because all the buildings blocked the sunrise and endless streets covered with cobblestones took away the splendor of the early morning. Today however, even the grayness of the city was beautiful in Oceana's eyes. She knew Wesley was going to be at the docks, he had told her once that he liked to go their in the mornings when he was stuck on land. It made him feel closer to the ships and the sea. Sure enough, she saw him lining over one of the piers, looking off into the distance. The thought occurred to come up from the back and surprise him, but then Oceana thought the better of it and approached him from the side, giving a little cough to tell him of her presence.

Wesley looked up and his face gave away the pleasant surprise of seeing Oceana.

“Of all people, I didn't expect to see you here,” he said in a warm voice.

“How surprising, after your confession yesterday I would have thought I was the first person you would expect to see.” Oceana placed her hands on the fence of the pier and looked at Wesley with a happy and slightly mischievous expression.

“How did you know I was going to be here?”

“You mentioned once how you like coming out here.”

“And you actually remembered?”

“I remember a lot of things you say, Wesley,” Oceana turned a little red from her statement.

“Do you now?” Wesley smiled and turned his face back to the sea, Oceana followed his example and for a while the two of them stood silently, watching the different ship and boats as they pulled in and out of harbor.

“Do you really have to go back to Scotland,” Wesley said at last, still looking at the sea. “Can't you just remain here for a little longer?”

“Isn't your leave going to be over soon anyway?” Oceana answered with her own question.

“No,” Wesley shook his head, “Amongst other problems they found a hole in the port side of the ship and it has been sent for repairs. A good thing too, that ship is in dire need of repairs. It could take up two or three months, so I'm landlocked till then.”

“Oh,” Oceana was silent for a few seconds, “but I have to get back,” she said at last.

“Why? The school year doesn't start till September and it is only the middle of July, surely you could prolong your stay here. At least till the end of August. It is not like anyone up there will really miss you.”

“Don't tempt me, Wesley,” Oceana's voice was soft, “I never thought I would ever want to remain in London, but you could easily keep me here. It wouldn't be right though, to leave Callum alone there for so long. I've been gone for almost two months already and I know he misses me greatly.”

“Callum,” Wesley looked over at Oceana with a puzzled expression. “Callum the smuggler?”

“Ex-smuggler,” Oceana corrected, “why do you look at me so strangely.”

“I'm sorry, it is just that I thought Callum was dead. At least that was the impression that both Chandler and Callum were gone.”

“Oh no, I am so sorry if I made it seem like that,” Oceana quickly apologized, “no, it was only Chandler who died, Callum is very much alive. In fact he hates it if you ever mention anything about him being old. Though he did once admit that very fact himself, but now he refuses to admit that he ever admitted it, so I guess we are right back where we started.”

“And you live with him in the village?”

“Not in the village itself, we live in a little house located on the outskirts of the village. It is about a good ten minute walk away.”

Wesley stiffened and his face turned a little pale. “Why do you live in that house?” He asked in a reserved tone.

“Because it is Callum's old home. He used to live there before he left to become a smuggler.”

Several more shades of color fell from Wesley's face. He took a deep breath. “What is Callum's full name?”

“Callum McNeil, I'm not very fond of the surname seeing as I have to share it,” Oceana didn't seem to notice how tense Wesley had become and babbled in a relaxed voice, “my one consolation is that he isn't Irish. Oceana McNeil is bad enough, Oceana O'Neil would be more than I could bear.”

“McNeil, his name is Callum McNeil?” Wesley said in a half breath. Oceana looked over at him and noticed just how pale he had become.

“Yes,” she said slowly, wondering what was the matter.

"Excuse me," Wesley straightened out and began walking away. Oceana was very perplexed and ran after him.

"Wesley Chesterton, you come back this instant," she called to him in a voice she used when her students disobeyed her. "What is the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Wesley retorted, not bothering to slow down. Oceana ran up and stood in front of him, causing him to halt.

"Nothing?" She repeated. "And you expect me to believe that? After you march off in such an open display of agitation. Really, Wesley, I never expected such immature behavior from you. Stop behaving like a twelve year old."

"I am not behaving like a twelve year old."

"Yes, you are, trust me, I know how twelve year old behave, I happen to teach a school that has several of them. You are upset, you made that very clear, now be a man and tell me to my face what is the matter instead of running off."

“Why, why didn't you tell me before that you are the daughter of Callum McNeil?” Wesley's voice had gone from tense to harsh.

“I'm not his daughter, I'm his adopted daughter. We only share a last name because we needed to get on the right side of the law,” Oceana explained. “The only way I could possibly be related to him would be through Noah. And it is not like I thought it was important for you to know his last name.”

“Is that why you kept your identity a secret from me, because of him?”

“Wesley Chesterton, I have no idea what you are talking about!” It was Oceana's turn to get angry. “If you have some sort of connection through him I certainly didn't know anything about it. How can I, the only thing I know about your past is that you are an orphan, that the Admiral saw to you upbringing, that you spent most of your childhood in a boarding school and that at last you joined the navy. You have never, ever given me any details about your life or your past!”

Wesley took a deep breath to calm himself. “I told you my name is Chesterton, and it is, but it wasn't always. It was changed by the Admiral when I came to live with him. Before I was Chesterton my name was McNeil, Wesley McNeil.”

Oceana gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “Good God and the holy Saints of Ireland,” she spoke in a half whisper, “you are Wesley, Wesley McNeil, Callum's long lost son.”

“Long lost son?” Wesley's voice became harsh and bitter, “That is not the way it is, he is the long lost father. He just disappeared one blessed day after neglecting us for most of his pathetic life. I was sure he was dead, wished he was dead, after he killed my mother that man doesn't deserve to live!” Wesley tried to control his anger but it wasn't really working.

“He didn't kill your mother,” Oceana defended Callum.

“Yes he did, where was he when she became ill? Where was he when she could no longer rise from her bed? Well, wherever he was, he certainly wasn't around. He killed her, he did. He could have helped, but he didn't. All he cared about was his whiskey. I remember those nights when he would be brought home by his equally drunk companions, how he would lie for a day and a night in a drunken swoon. And when he finally came back to his senses, he would go right out and get drunk again. While we were hungry and cold and sick.” Wesley turned away and stared at the ground. “How could he do that to her?” He spoke up again, “the beautiful, gentle soul that she was, how could he just kill her in cold blood.”

“He did not kill her in cold blood,” Oceana's voice was firm. She could understand Wesley's anger, but that didn't mean he could slander Callum like that. “It is not like he wanted her dead, he was just well...”

“She was sick scarlet fever," Wesley interrupted her, "you have no idea what sort of a horrid disease it is, so what could you understand?”

“There is no need to get rude,” Oceana was losing her patience, “I know very well what scarlet fever is, I had it!”

“Did you now?”

“Yes, when I was four years old. And you want to know who it was that nursed me back to health? Callum McNeil. Chandler never had the fever and Callum was careful to keep him away, besides, Chandler was useless when it came to nursing the sick. Look, Wesley, I understand that you are angry with your father, but he isn't like that anymore, he's changed and he is sorry for how everything turned out.”

“Is he?” Wesley sneered, “too bad he is sorry a little to late. He lost his wife and his daughter and his son and he's only sorry now.”

“He was sorry long before that, you haven't seen the man in twenty three years, you disappeared and no one in the village had any clue as to what happened to you. Where did you go? You blame your father for neglect, but why didn't you go to the village and get help?”

Wesley gave a bitter laugh, “I was four years old, Oceana, I could hardly understand what was going on or where to go. I just knew my mother needed help and my innocent, childish mind told me only my father could help so guess what I did? I went to look for my father. I searched and searched, got completely lost, wandered around for two whole days not knowing where I was. At last I came across town where regiment of soldiers was stationed. I thought for sure they could help me but when I got them to bring me to the captain he just laughed and waved me away. It was here that I first bumped into William Chesterton. He was a navy captain then, taking leave to visit his sister who happened to be the wife of the captain. He saw me crying just outside the captain's quarters and asked me what was the matter. I told him the whole story, of how my mother and baby sister were very sick, of how my father had disappeared and how I had gone to look for him and ended up here. He heard me out and said he would help me. By a pure miracle I remembered the name of my village and he looked it up on a map. It turned out I had wandered a good fifteen miles from my home. William Chesterton is a saint if there ever was one, he himself took me on horseback, saying we would find a doctor and help my mother. However,” Wesley's voice got low, “by the time we got back Mother and Fiona were gone. We found their grave over the sea. Admiral Chesterton asked around for my father but no one could tell us what had become of him. He just disappeared off the face of the earth. I had no family and nowhere to go, so Admiral Chesterton took me under his wing. He was unmarried with no children of his own and he decided to adopt me and gave me his name. Of course he had his duties to his ship, so he placed me in a good boarding school and would visit me when he would be in London. After I had finished school I went to the Royal Naval College, the navy was the only way of life the Admiral knew and so he passed it on to me. He had retired by then but helped me get established. And so, here I am today, Wesley Chesterton, first Lieutenant of the HMS Highland, any trace of who I was has long been buried. And I got where I am today with no help from my father, who abandoned me to raise another man's child.”

“Leave me out of this,” Oceana hotly stated.

“How can I when it was you who distracted my father from his duties,”

“I distracted your father? I did nothing of the sort. Wesley, how can you say such things? Alright, you are mad and bitter at your father, but you don't have to go accusing me of something so foolish. Your father didn't abandon you, he just lost you. He is so sorry for the way things turned out, something died in him the day your mother and little sister passed away. He has never even looked at another woman twice every since Edna's death. He blames himself for what happened...”

“He should,” Wesley cut her off, “it is his fault and he deserves his misery. Why you continue to hang around him is beyond me. Obviously you know his past, so why do you remain? Unless he told it to you in some way that would make him look like the victim. I am sure he is capable of doing something like that.”

“He isn't! He is nothing of what you have just said. You hardly even remember him, you don't know what sort of a life he lead all these years, and so you have no right to accuse him.”

“Would you stop defending him?I have every right to accuse him. He is the one who ruined the lives of my mother and little sister, he is the one who robbed me of a mother's affection and love, of a real family. I don't want to ever see him again, and I don't want you to go telling me how changed he is. Changed or not, in my mind he is still the man who killed my family And a man like him doesn't deserve to have you!”

“What he does or does not deserve is none of your business,” Oceana's voice got cold. “How can you be like this? You are just like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. You should be happy that your father has found his way back to his home and to God.”

“Well, I'm not happy,” Wesley barked, “I want him to stay as far from me as possible. I don't need him, I made it through life without him. I don't want anything to do with him and if you are going to continue to associate with him, then I'm don't want to have anything more to do with you.”

“Then allow me to bid you farewell, Lt. Wesley Chesterton,” Oceana hauntingly said and turning around began walking away.

“Where are you going?” Wesley called after her.

“Some place I don't have to look at you!"

“Very well, have it your way,” Wesley fumed and stormed off in the opposite direction.