AUTHOR'S NOTE: The final, heart wrenching chapter. The verse is an original composition. It seemed fitting to include reference to one of Mowett's poems in a way that was relevant to the story, which is why I have waited until now.

Join me as we say goodbye to Lucy Carrington...

Chapter 22 – Farewell

The deck was quiet. A graceful albatross darted effortlessly amongst the Surprise's sails, but nobody noticed it. Rather, all eyes were fixed on the bodies being prepared for burial at sea, as they were being stitched carefully into their hammocks.

Along the deck many shipmates recognized the faces of friends who had lost their lives in the Acheron battle: Mr Allen, young Midshipman Calamy, Joseph Nagle, Michael Doodle. Their faces were peaceful, their eyes closed. One by one they were covered with respect, and eerie silence shrouding the scene as though the ocean had suddenly become a great Cathedral.

A little way from the line of bodies was a small group of women, silently stitching a hammock of their own. Kitty pulled the cord through the holes slowly, her face giving away her deep sadness. Little Maggie was in tears, the other handful of ladies gently comforting her, whilst trying to come to terms with their own heartache. Between them, the lifeless body of Lucy Carrington lay peacefully in her hammock, stitched carefully into its embrace. It could have been a trick of the light, but she seemed to have a gentle smile on her beautiful face.

William Mowett, Lieutenant and Second Officer of the HMS Surprise, stood on the deck, silent. His eyes were fixed on Lucy, and the women who tenderly cared for her. He could not think; thoughts were lost to him. All he could see was darkness, and all he could feel was pain. He looked at her calm face and remembered her smile, her laughter. He remembered her wit, her grace, her elegance. He remembered the day they first met, when this pretty girl had, to his surprise, climbed without assistance from the crew boat onto the deck, her arms ladened with bags of medical instruments. He remembered seeing her emerge from the lower decks of the Surprise so many times in the past, her red shawl wrapped around her delicate shoulders, and how on that one sunny day it had touched his heart, and he had realized that he loved her. He remembered the look of total affection and trust on her face that night on the Galapagos, that night they had made love and professed their undying devotion. Finally, he remembered the look of pain on her face as she lay dying in his arms, and her final words to him: I would like to have been Mrs Mowett.

He closed his eyes. He remembered all of these things, and yet he remembered none of them. All he could do then was watch her die, and now, all he could do was stand, numb and motionless, and watch her being put to her final rest. Everything was lost to him. His life, his love, his future, were being stitched into a hammock with the woman of his dreams. She had died, and his heart had died with her. Everything swirled around him. Uncertainty, sadness, fear, pain. Everything he had ever held sacred, every promise he had made, every triumph he had ever achieved throughout his life, all of these things were nothing; nothing without her. As the stitches were being pulled gently through her canvas coffin, he saw his hopes and dreams shatter before him, stitched into a hammock with the only woman he had ever truly loved.

In all of this pain, he managed, briefly, to find his strength and his courage, and approach Kitty before the last stitches were in place. She looked up at him, the deepest sadness and sympathy in her eyes, as he silently knelt next to Lucy's lifeless body, his heart in pieces.

"Not yet," he said to Kitty quietly, straining to keep control. "There's one last thing that needs to be done."

He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a piece of paper, its edges torn and frayed. He had carried it with him since their final day on the Galapagos, when he had sat at his book of poetry and silently written his thoughts; thoughts of their picnic, thoughts of their night of passion, thoughts of what it had meant to finally tell her that he loved her. He held his breath as gently unfolded the worn parchment, silently reading its contents for the last time:

She stood, radiant, amongst the waves,
Framed by the golden sun above,
Her smoldering eyes, her raven hair,
The one I cherish, the one I love.

She took my hand and gave her love,
With sweetest looks that stole my heart.
She told me she would e'er be mine,
That come what may, we'd never part.

She melted into my embrace,
Her touch so warm, her love so true.
Now I know, my darling Lucy,
I know my heart belongs to you.

Gently folding the paper once more, he carefully placed it inside her hammock, next to her lifeless body. He had nothing to give her; no trinket, no pendant, no jewel, that could come close to what she meant to him, except for these words - these words he had written about his Lucy, when, after so long, they had finally found eternal love in each other's arms.

The funeral was short, but moving. The crew was silent and respectful, reciting the Lord's Prayer with a feeling and emotion that was evident. Slowly, Captain Aubrey began to read the names of those who had lost their lives in the Acheron battle, and the faces around him fell with the loss and grief that touched them all.

Will did not hear any of them, until the Captain reached one name on his list:

"Lucy Carrington, Surgeon's Mate."

He closed his eyes. His sadness overtook him, and though he tried with all his might to control it, he felt the tear slowly running down his cheek. She was gone, his Lucy, and now it truly came crashing home to him that he would never look upon her beautiful face again.

In his pain he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to find Stephen Maturin standing beside him, sadness and pity in his eyes. Stephen had felt Lucy's parting deeply; she was his student, his friend, but also the closest thing he had ever had to a sister or daughter of his own. It was heartbreaking to lose this beautiful woman who had become such a stable and important part of his life, although he never realized until she was gone how important she was to him. He had watched her grow, becoming the independent, intelligent, beautiful woman that she was, and had watched her fall for the Second Officer who so easily stole her heart. When the two had been united, he was thrilled that Lucy may finally have found true love, and hoped that he would live to see them grow old together. Now that she was gone, he felt a strange but strong bond with William Mowett, as the only other person on the ship, indeed in the world, who knew Lucy Carrington as well as he did. Now, standing at his side, Stephen had put his hand firmly on Will's shoulder, to comfort him, to give him strength, to tell him it would be ok. Although to Stephen the gesture seemed hollow, he knew that somehow, in some way, he must be there for this young man who had made his student, his little sister, so happy near the end of her short life.

Will felt his resolve crumble, and he bowed his head quietly. He knew that nothing would take away this sadness, and he felt his dreams disappearing from his grasp as he heard the heart- wrenching sound of the bodies leaving the deck, making their way to the bottom of the ocean forever.

She was gone.

---

The breeze was gentle, but strong enough to bellow the Acheron's sails as she made her way slowly south west. Tom Pullings was at her command, his orders to take the prize to Portsmouth. Will watched the ship pull away to the aft of the Surprise, conscious of his best friend's absence. It had ripped at Tom's heart when Lucy had died, and now, the thought of leaving Will when he needed his friend the most had hurt Pullings deeply. Yet Tom knew his duty, and with sadness he had left Will, and taken his grief for Lucy and her death with him to his new command.

Slowly the Acheron moved further and further out of Will's view. Yes, he was conscious of Tom's absence. He was also conscious of his own position: he had been elevated to the position of First Officer now that Tom was gone, and he stood at the helm of the HMS Surprise, second in command, guiding her on her steady path back to the Galapagos.

He closed his eyes and felt the breeze. It revived him a little, but his body still felt numb from the pain of the funeral days before. He reflected again, as he had these past few days, on Lucy, his Lucy, and what her loss would mean to him. He knew nothing of the future, now that she was gone, and all he could see when he closed his eyes was her face, her eyes, her smile, every beautiful feature, as he had known them for so much of his life.

Will sighed, opening his eyes. To his surprise, there she was, Lucy Carrington, standing beside him, a smile on her porcelain face, as though she had never gone.

"No matter where I am, I will always be yours," she said to him softly, deep affection in her dark eyes.

He smiled back at her, suddenly feeling his sadness disappear. At that moment, he heard a call come from the forward deck.

"Mr Mowett to the Great Cabin."

It only distracted him for a second, but when he turned back, she was gone.

Will looked wistfully out across the crashing waves, and for the first time in days, he smiled. Though no image, no illusion, would ever take her place, he realised that Lucy Carrington, although she was not beside him, would always be with him. She would always have his heart, and nothing could ever change that.

With that thought he took a deep breath, turned, and headed to the Great Cabin, to the orders of Captain Aubrey, and perhaps another adventure.

An adventure without her.

---

That's it! I really hope you enjoyed An Ocean of Secrets. I have to say that, considering it's the first time I have ever written a full length story like this, I am pretty darned proud of the way it turned out! If you have not already, please please review the story and tell me what you thought.

I am currently working on a sequel to this story, called Abbotsleigh Park. It follows the adventures of Mowett and Pullings, and is being published here on fanfiction, so make sure you check it out!

Again, thanks for reading! Huzzah for Mr Mowett!

Luv ya's all!

Miss Flossy! xxxxxx