Death of a Patriot

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Your October letter is happily received, and while you insist that I address the unpardonable omission of details political and military from recent correspondence, I must once again beg your indulgence and begin this report by bringing you up to date on matters much more compelling and germane to Clan Edwards.

The doctor has now confirmed what my darling Beth and I had already deduced: a new addition to the family is expected to make his or her debut sometime about the middle of April. Our joy at this prospect is tempered only by the regret that Uncle Jabez did not live long enough to celebrate the arrival with us, and that you are thousands of miles away in a foreign land. I trust that you have come to accept the irrefutable fact that I have become-with no malice aforethought-a permanent resident of this provincial dominion of the Crown. But you of all people will understand such a decision, having married your French sweetheart and settled with her in a far country. Certainly I was pleased to learn that you have been able to complete the probate of Uncle Jabez’s estate and return to Normandy and the bosom of your family. Josh Henchard is a good and honest man who will manage the property well in your absence. Also, your suggestion that Jean-Marie take up the “squiredom” when he comes of age seems a wise one: we don’t want the Edwards name to disappear entirely from Queen Victoria’s domain, do we?

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