‘He will not because you will persuade him, Captain Rennie.’
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
As Rennie left the Admiralty and walked up Whitehall toward Mrs. Peebles’ hotel, where he intended to stop a second night, he remained dubious about Mr. Symonds’ new proposal, but felt that he must at least show himself willing to assist. Symonds clearly still had the support of high authority not merely their Lordships’, but high political authority. If Rennie did not show willing he would certainly never again tread his own quarterdeck.
Rennie had already considered the possibility. It was not a fatal calamity. He and Sylvia could live quite content in Norfolk if he went on the retired list, on half pay. On the other hand, after a lifetime of obligation would it not be a disgrace to ignore his present obligation not so much to Symonds and the Fund but to the service, and the King, in time of war? Even if he regarded the particulars of Symonds’ undertaking as ridiculous and futile? To himself, as he strode along:
‘I do not care what credence Symonds places in this fellow Milson’s invention. I could tell him informed by long experience at sea that the invention is stark nonsense. Mischievous, egregious, stark bloody nonsense, that has already cost an hundred and twenty lives. That don’t give me the right to turn my back. I am one man one man with strong opinions, certainly but a single sea officer has no business to gainsay nor deny the Royal Navy no matter the dispute, no matter his own grave doubts in time of war. Nay, I must make my obedience. I must put aside all doubt and disbelief, go down to Dorset, and bring James to his senses. Or in least make the attempt.’
Rennie knew very well that James was in a far stronger position than was he. James lived in a grand house, and presided over considerable stretches of north Dorset. He was titled. He was independently rich. He could and probably would tell his former commanding officer to go to the devil at first.
‘I must use my skills of suasion and argument to the utmost. I must be eloquent, and yet not blustering. I must be simple and plain and humble without allowing myself grow maudlin or fawning. I must not beg. I must not wheedle, nor cajole, nor implore. I must be forthright, and reasonable, and telling. I must persuade.’
He came to the hotel, and was greeted by Mrs. Peebles herself.
‘Ah, there you are, Captain Rennie. Mrs. Rennie is awaiting of you upstairs, sir.’
‘Eh?’ Staring at her.
‘She arrived not an hour since, and has already gone up.’ Smiling. ‘I have gave her room seven, at the top of the stair. It is nicer for a couple.’
Rennie ran up the stairs and found his beloved Sylvia resting in a much larger room than the one he had occupied the previous night.
She rose from the bed, on which she was lying fully clothed, and when they had embraced and kissed she pre-empted his urgent inquiries by saying at once:
‘I have come from Portsmouth, my dear, where I thought you were staying at the Marine Hotel. I went down there, all the way from Norwich, and they said you had come to London. Incidentally they had lost the letter I wrote to you there, at the hotel.’
‘Letter ?’
‘From Norwich. From my cousin’s house. In reply to your own letter, in course.’
‘Ah they had lost it?’
‘They denied it at first, in course, until I made them search the office. The porter. And in course there it was discovered. It had fallen down behind a cabinet. I was greatly vexed, but the porter .oh, what is his name ?’
‘Joseph.’
‘Joseph was so amiable and apologetic to me, so deferential and kind, that I was obliged to be forgiving. He told me that you had come to London on Admiralty business, and I decided as a matter of urgency to return by the next mail coach to London, to put your mind at rest as to my safety, and am now quite quite exhausted. I have done nothing but journey for days together.’
‘My poor Sylvia, in course you are exhausted. You did not even stop overnight at Portsmouth?’
‘Well, I did. I could not face another journey straightway after, and so I did stay overnight. When I said it was the next mail coach it was not, it was the one after. But ohh, any journey by mail coach is exhausting, and now I must lie down again.’
‘Yes, yes, you must go to bed, and rest. Thank God you are safe.’
‘Mrs. Peebles was very kind. She gave me coffee when I arrived. Two cups. I should have liked chocolate, but she insisted upon coffee, and now I am entirely worn out from talking. It is all the excitement of seeing you, and of being in London.’ Sitting down on the bed. He took her hand in his.
‘Coffee has made you animated, my love. Even though in course you are very tired.’ Looking at her closely. ‘Lie down. I will lie down beside you.’
In spite of her fatigue Rennie could not bring himself to withhold his deep affection any longer, and for her part Sylvia in spite of her fatigue was passionately glad that he did not. And soon they were not merely lying on the bed but were warmly and wholly together under the covers.
For the moment all troubling thought of travelling to Dorset to see James, of pursuing Mr. Symonds’ scheme, of sailing Expedient south to Gibraltar and on to Naples in search of the elusive Mr. Milson ..faded and retreated into the farthest corners of Rennie’s attention.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Rennie came to Melton House in a private carriage at the expense of the Fund in early evening light. Shadow lay across the drive, and the small ornamental lake. A rabbit, startled by the horses’ hooves and the gritty crunching of the carriage wheels, fled across the gravel and disappeared into the line of elms.
The carriage came to rest.
All was quiet.
The servant behind jumped down and lowered the step for Rennie to descend.
He did so, careful of his hat and sword. He was in full dress uniform, since he was here on official business. He felt that perhaps the manner of his arrival was rather too grand for the occasion. Or was it perhaps not grand enough? The whole business made him feel awkward and uncomfortable. He was a sea officer, not some damned political fellow with a high opinion of himself.
No servant appeared from the house. The door remained closed.
‘I am not expected, in course.’ Rennie, under his breath. ‘Nay, I am not.’
One of the horses snorted, and the other twitched in the traces. Rennie glanced about him, then straightened his shoulders and strode to the door. He was about to pull the bell when the door swung inward and James himself appeared.
‘Who the devil are you, sir? What the devil d’y’want?’
Rennie, standing under the portico, was merely a dark figure against the already subdued light, and his face was further darkened by his cockaded hat. He re-moved his hat.
‘Good God William!’
‘I know that I am not expected, James, but I--’
‘Don’t mean you ain’t welcome.’ He shook Rennie warmly by the hand. ‘Is Sylvia with you?’
‘Erm, nay, she is in London ’
‘Come in, come in.’
They went into the library, and James rang the table bell on his desk. Rennie was aware of tall shelves of books lining the long, graceful room nearly to the ceiling. Tall windows, silk curtains, an air of deep peace and quiet.
The butler appeared in response to the bell. ‘Sir?’
‘Is there plenty of the ‘eighty left, Waddle?’
‘Oh, yes, sir. Nearly an whole bin, in the south transept. Your father ’
‘Yes, my father ?’
‘I was about to say, sir, that Sir Charles said to me, not long before he died:
We must drink up the ‘eighty, Waddle, whilst it is at its peak. ‘
‘Indeed, did he? Then we must follow his excellent advice. Bring two bottles.’
They made small talk, each delicately avoiding the real reason for Rennie’s visit, until their wine came. When Waddle had retired, Rennie:
‘I think I must say, before we become fuddled, that I am here official, you know.’
‘Yes, I k
now.’ A smile. ‘You would not have worn a dress coat else, nor come in a carriage.’
‘Aye, well, the carriage is .it was not my notion, James.’
‘Let us in least drink to each other’s health before we become official , hey?’
‘By all means, indeed yes. However, I feel that I .hmm ’
James, seeing Rennie’s awkwardness and discomfort, sought to put him at his ease.
‘You’ll stop here the night? Catherine has gone to Bath with my mother, so we shall be two bachelors together at table, but y’will not mind that, hey?’
‘Well, I I had thought to put up at an inn, at Shaftesbury,’
‘The Red Lion, d’y’mean, at the top of the hill in the town? Well, it’s a perfectly decent post inn, I expect, but I think ye’ll be more comfortable here. Your horses will be properly looked after, and your coachmen. As will you I shall see to that myself.’
‘Then I will, thankee, James. Erm perhaps we had better come to our official business after we have drank a glass or two, after all.’
‘As grim as that, hey?’ Making light of it, and pouring wine. He handed Rennie a glass.
‘Well well, I hope not grim, exact ’
‘Your health, William.’
‘Your health, James.’
They drank. A clock chimed softly, at the far end of the room.
‘And to our dear wives, in course, in their absence.’
‘Catherine, and Sylvia in their absence.’
Again they drank.
James rang the table bell, and when Waddle again appeared:
‘Captain Rennie is stopping the night with us, Waddle. See to his things, and the carriage. And we will like to dine at eight o’clock. In the small dining room.’
‘The painted parlour, sir?’
‘Indeed.’
‘Will you like sillery before the first remove, sir?’
‘Nay, nay, we will stay with the ‘eighty, I think.’
‘Very good, sir.’ Departing.
‘I have remembered.’ Rennie, suddenly, rising from his chair.
‘Eh?’
‘There is a packet, in the carriage. I must fetch it. It contains well, in truth I don’t know what it contains. I was obliged to bring it here, so that we might look at the content together.’
‘Further instructions, perhaps ?’ James, mildly, but with an edge to his voice.
‘I must tell you, William, before we open your packet I am no longer subject to instruction from their Lordships.’
‘I I don’t know what is in the packet.’
‘Nor from anyone else. You heard, perhaps, what befell a young lieutenant of Marines, that came here? No?’ A sip of wine. ‘He thought to detain me, you know, he thought to oblige me to go with him to Portsmouth, and face a court martial. I obliged him to go away, on pain of .well, unpleasantness. He did so.’
‘Indeed, I had not heard that, no .however, I I must endeavour to follow my instructions erm, with your permission, in course.’
‘Sit down, sit down, old fellow. A servant will bring the packet.’ Again he rang the bell, and presently the packet was brought from the carriage.
Rennie fumbled in his coat for his small clasp knife, could not find it, and James handed him his knife. Rennie broke the seal and cut open the packet. It contained pages cut from a book both printed text and engraved illustrations.
‘Good heaven .’ Rennie, unfolding and turning the pages.
‘What is it? Bring it to the desk. I will light the lamp.’
The pages were spread on James’s desk, and the two men peered at them.
‘It is a steam powered device of some kind.’ Rennie.
‘Yes yes, like the machines they now use to pump water from mines.’
‘I I confess I don’t understand it, James.’
‘No? Well, I don’t own any mines. Neither, I think, do you. Or do you?’ Half facetiously, to govern his increasing displeasure.
‘Nay it is not for mines, I think. But how could it apply to ships?’
‘Ahh...’ James nodded, and made a face. ‘Yes. I see. They have sent you here to persuade me, by scientifical argument, with printed diagrams, of the efficacy of Mr. Milson’s own invention. Have they not? Hey?’
‘James, I don’t understand Mr. Milson’s invention. Nor do you, since neither of us has seen it. I cannot even apprehend the science of this damned pumping machine.’ Tapping the illustrations. ‘However, surely we must in least examine the possib--’
‘Why?’ Over him.
‘What? Why? Well well, because it is a matter of--’
‘Not to me.’ Again over him.
‘Matter of the keenest interest to anybody that wishes to appre--’
‘Which I do not.’
‘What?’ Frowning, anxious.
‘I do not wish to apprehend it, William. I do not wish to understand.’
‘Well well, even if we both think the notion of steam power affixed somehow in a ship is utter nonsense, surely we owe--’
‘You, perhaps. Not I.’
‘But, James, we--’
‘Not we. Not us. We cannot pursue this together.’ Firmly. ‘If you wish to follow these notions of steam devices, expressed in these pages that you say had not come to your attention before this and I will not wish to disbelieve you, William then you must do so without my assistance. I have no interest in such things. I repeat, I don’t own mines, I don’t own stocks in mines, I am in no sense a mining man. Nor am I since I lost my ship, and nearly my life nor am I a naval man, any more. That is all in the past, for me.’
‘James, I ’
Over him, running on: ‘As you know, Catherine and I lost our only son some few years since. I wish to produce an heir, so that he may inherit. And that is my chief responsibility, now, my chief duty. My family, first and most important this house and all it has stood for, and stands for still. Then my estate, the lives and farms of my tenants and their dependants the intimate and immediate local concerns of a landowner. Not some remote notion of England, or the navy, or the King. So, you see . ‘ He picked up a page. ‘ .you waste your breath if you talk to me of this.’ And let if fall gently but with absolute finality on his desk.
Rennie found himself moved. He and Sylvia could not now hope for children, nor did they possess a large estate, but their little corner of Norfolk was very dear to them, it was their home, and much of what James had just said had a deep resonance; it spoke to his heart.
However, serving sea officers must put these heartfelt things aside. A breath.
‘James, I understand you believe me, I do. And I am very sorry indeed if I have offended you, in your own home. I had no notion of the young lieutenant’s visit. And in consequence I feel very inadequate to this task. I was sent .I am sent here on an errand that I find most discommoding to perform. However, as I have tried to explain, I was duty bound to undertake it.’ A sniff, an anxious half smile. ‘The Fund that is, the Fund and the Admiralty both require us to make a further attempt to fulfil our last commission. They require us to sail together in HMS Expedient to Naples, and bring Mr. Milson to England without delay. In return, any and all charges that may have been pending against you will be struck off, permanent. Accordingly, I have come here to bring you back with me to Portsmouth.’
‘You have come all the way down here to deliver this .this official summons?’
‘Indeed I have.’
‘Then why did y’not deliver it at once, when first you came in?’
‘I should have. At once.’ An apologetic nod. ‘I should have. I wished to be tactful,
and diplomatic, and that was folly. I should have spoke plainer, and done it better. We are sea officers, you and I, used to speaking plain, of necessity. There can be no misunderstandings at sea.’
‘Then, my dear William, let there be no misunderstanding between us, here in Dorset.’ His tone still polite, but harder and colder. ‘I am no longer a sea officer. I have retired from the Royal Navy. Their Lordships, a
nd their associates in the Fund, no longer govern my endeavours. In little, they cannot summon me.’
He lifted a hand and waved it to include the room, and the space beyond the windows.
‘This is where I situated, now. This is my life, and my whole purpose. To be at home. On my own land. With my family. What their Lordships and the Secret Service Fund require, and wish, and seek to pursue ain’t of the smallest interest to me, and never will be again. Do you apprehend me?’
‘I .’
‘Do you?’ Looking at him.
‘James, I wish that I .’
‘Because if you do not then perhaps you had better go away to the Red Lion, after all.’
And furiously he rang the bell.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Rennie went away in his carriage to the Red Lion in Shaftesbury, and there dined and spent the night. For much of the night he lay fully awake, fretting and reproaching himself for his clumsiness at the meeting with James.
‘In course he must have guessed why I had come. Why was not I open and honest with him from the beginning? Why did I delay in telling him my purpose? Nay, he had every right to be angry with me. And now it has all been for nothing. I have failed. Failed Mr. Symonds. Failed their Lordships. Failed myself.’
He tossed and turned, rose and paced back and forth, scratched his head, sighed, and stared out of his bedroom window into the darkness of the churchyard beyond. At length, in the small hours, he came to a decision.
‘I will go back to Melton after breakfast, and set things right. I cannot go away on a quarrel. Even if he will not agree to anything, I will make things right between us, as friends. Aye, that is the important thing. To restore our friendship.’
He returned to his bed, and at last was able to fall into a doze.
When he woke he rose at once, washed, shaved and dressed, but did not go down to breakfast. Instead he called for his carriage and drove to Melton House. To the butler Waddle he conveyed his intention to depart for Portsmouth, and that he wished urgently to speak to James before he went away.
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