Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

An Early Christmas Gift

Will was bone tired, and being knocked around in a storm all day had not helped. Ever since the German raids on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby he hadn't spent more than three hours off the Peterel. Whenever they came in, he usually had a chance to rush to the pub where he could find a Dalian man waiting for him with a packet of letters. It was a quick exchange, and then he had to race back to the ship.

And Bligh was making him pay for it.

He had been told that every man had to help with coaling, which meant that when he came back to his cabin, he was covered in coal dust and barely had a few minutes to try and wipe the worst of it off before taking his watch on the bridge. The senior officers had clearly been told by Bligh what to do, for Will had received a dressing down on his hygiene and how his conduct was unbecoming of an officer.

He'd endured it, but when he had asked to excused to clean himself, he had been denied and told to go straighten up the chart room, and to not leave any black fingerprints over it. Then, once they had been back on patrol, it had been back to the torpedo room, aside from the few watches he could wrangle in the turret.

And tonight, Bligh had decided to have all of the officers join him for dinner.

Will dressed himself carefully, scrubbing his hands twice because he still felt like there was coal dust under his nails. He knotted his tie perfectly, and even took his razor out. He had to be careful, not just because of the way the seas were throwing the ship around, but because he had begun to grow out his mustache again.

At first, it had just been because of how tired he had been for a few days that he had forgotten to shave, but then he remembered Ana. How she would tease him about wanting to see him with calvary whiskers, how she liked when he rubbed his stubble against her cheek, she would be glad when he had a few days to get a picture taken of him with his new facial hair and sent to her.

After ensuring that he didn't cut his throat, and that his slowly growing whiskers remained, Will checked the clock in his cabin. He was early, by quite a bit. He could show up to the wardroom early, but that would earn some censure from Bligh no doubt, so he decided to wait. He had a few ways to entertain himself.

In addition to the packet of letters from Ana, that he could feel contained more than just letters, he had other mail to sort through. Letters from Peg and Da, telling him about how Sam had gotten engaged and Agnes was all aflutter with the plans. Sylvie sent him letters about how things were in Southampton, how the boys were and how Mavis was getting bigger every day. She even went over to his house every now and then to keep things straightened up.

But, to be honest, the best letters, aside from Ana's, were those from Lights.

He'd been kept on the Oceanic, although she had received a Naval captain and men. But she had still kept her merchant men and command, and Lights had been quite honest about how confusing and ill managed the ship was. The Oceanic, a passenger liner, had been given the task of patrolling the Scottish coast, a job more suited to a destroyer or a torpedo boat. Lights had been quite firm on that fact in the first letters he had sent Will.

Honestly Will, here I though using all the mail ships as cruisers meant that we would actually be cruisers and not puttering about in those waters. It's far too bloody cold up there, I don't know how you Scots handle it. And the Navy men refuse to listen to those of us who have served on her for years, they keep running her so close to the shore I half expect to hear rocks on her hull.

His later letters had proven him correct.

The damn fools have cost me my favorite girl. Oh, I don't mean Sylvie, but they tore the bottom out of the Oceanic and it was only by the grace of God that not a man was lost. They kept Davy up for so long plotting our course that the poor man was exhausted and sent us onto the rocks. It took sometime to lose her though, so we all got off. Although I fair gave my captain a heart attack when I went back to her before we were picked up. I couldn't leave her there all alone, not when I had spent so many happy years on her. I know you had a fair number too, and I just wanted to give her one last happy moment. I know it sounds foolish, but I didn't want her to think that I was leaving her willingly.