Chapter 8 - nelson and i arrive at palazzo sessa

VII
Nelson and I Arrive at Palazzo Sessa

The carriage ride back from the docks was one of the most magnificent moments of my life. THe hailing of the crowd showing our hero the triumph he deserved coupled with the shouts to me, to us, filled me with pride. I gather I had become more of a celebrity than I thought possible through my art, attitudes and opera and even though I was quite a bit larger than most of the people in the crowd remembered me, their words did not reflect any disdain toward my weight or figure!
"Nelson receives the charms of our Lady!" some shouted, and then were the "What a pair they make! Like Paris and Helen!" metaphorical cries.
I was very pleased to hear these, and Nelson blushed, as he fondled the fat on the rolls at my side, my upper arm and hip as well, of course carefully concealed by the carriage and my own bulk. Although he had but one good arm and hand, he made full use of it in the carriage I must say. So good was the use, that he had me panting by the time we reached our door, and not from the jostling of the carriage but I must add that at my current level of corpulence all the jiggling and wiggling incurrent in a carriage ride did often cause me to lose my breath.
Our exit from the carriage within Sir William's courtyard was a sight to see, though the wall screened most of the crowds view. First Nelson stood as best he could, trying to conceal his "Midshipman" who stood proudly at attention and with that in mind tried opened the carriage door and negotiated the steps to the ground helped by our footmen. Then I stood, with the help of my great and heaving belly, and turned to maneuver through the carriage door which had, at my 35 stone, become quite a challenge. With my bulk prohibiting me from tackling the task directly, I sideled my way through, though not without having to lift my belly with one hand while leaning back for it to clear. This was followed by a careful descent of the three carriage stairs with legs so plump that they wouldn't allow full seperation in a normal walk. Here, I had to daintily maneuver and finally found Nelson's good arm and my footmen waiting. I was out of breath with the effort, which Nelson noticed immediately and remarked that refreshment was only a few steps away! Of course those few steps would have to wait until I had gotten my wind back, and I plopped myself down on one of a garden benches, taking up more than half with my excess flesh. Finally, I stood and in as graceful a way as my curves permitted ascended the stairs into our home.