Rennie had invited James as his other guest.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Mr. Symonds, dressed in his finest black coat, was surprised on his arrival in the day cabin to find that James was also a guest, but he disguised it well and was affable. Until after the third remove, when Rennie revealed his underlying motive in giving the dinner.
‘Mr. Symonds.’ Turning to him.
‘Captain Rennie ?’ Affably, glass in hand.
‘James and I wish to see it.’
‘See it ?’ Glancing from one to the other.
‘Aye, Hav.’ James, equally affable. ‘The gold.’
‘What?’ Frowning now.
‘Twenty thousand guineas, in specie. We will like to see it.’ A smile.
‘Nay, I I cannot permit it. The gold is sealed up. It is most carefully hid away. Good heaven, gentlemen, that quantity of money, were intelligence of it to become widely known in the ship, could produce a very dangerous revolt a mutiny.’
‘A mutiny?’ Rennie shook his head. ‘I think you don’t apprehend me, Mr. Symonds. The people will know nothing of this money. It will remain a matter between the three of us in this cabin. Nobody else.’
Mr. Symonds shook his head in turn. ‘Nay, I cannot permit it. This ain’t my money. It ain’t our money. It is His Majesty’s money, that I am sworn to protect.’
‘Until you pay it.’ Rennie.
‘What?’
‘Until you pay it over to Milson. In return for his invention.’
‘Oh, yes, in course.’ Mr. Symonds cleared his throat, drank off his glass, and wiped his lips. He set aside his napkin, and:
‘Gentlemen, let us not become--’
‘We will like to see the money today, if you please.’ Rennie, over him.
‘Now then, Captain Rennie, I cannot--’
‘This is no longer a polite request, Mr. Symonds.’ Again over him. ‘I am in command, and I wish to satisfy myself that what I am about in this ship the fulfillment of my commission has a sound basis in fact. You will show me the gold, sir.’
‘Nay, Captain Rennie, I will not.’
‘Will ye show me the gold, Hav?’ James, pleasantly.
‘I will not.’
‘Hm, it’s just as I had thought, James.’ Rennie pursed his lips and jerked his head in dismay. ‘Just as we both of us had thought, in truth.’
‘I fear so.’
Mr. Symonds looked from one to the other, his face now pale with anger.
‘You are mistook, gentleman. This is my mission, and I am in command. Until Milson is brought into the ship at Naples, the gold will remain concealed. I will discuss the matter no further.’ He rose to his feet. ‘And neither will you.’
Rennie glanced at James, and stood up. ‘Then with regret, Mr. Symonds, I must tell you that you will be confined here in the cabin while the ship is searched.’
Mr. Symonds pushed back his chair and made to move to the door.
Rennie put his hand on the hilt of his sword, which he had hung on the back of his chair.
‘Pray do not be foolish, Mr. Symonds sit down, sir.’
Mr. Symonds slowly sat down again.
The ship was duly searched.
James conducted the search in Rennie’s behalf, with the aid of the master at arms Joseph Travis, who was puzzled because James was again in civilian dress. Seeing this, James:
‘Nay, I am no longer an officer in the ship, but the captain has asked me to conduct the search because I have intimate knowledge of her. I was her first many commissions. I know her from her pigs to her truck tops, stem to stern.’
‘Yes, sir. Very good.’
‘We are looking for a sea chest filled with contraband, well hid.’
‘Yes, sir. If I may ask ?’
‘Well?’
‘What is the nature of the contraband, sir?’
‘Nails, master at arms. Well made and valuable English nails, stolen in great quantity from the dock yard and intended for sale ashore at our destination.’
‘Very good, sir.’ He sucked his teeth, and: ‘There is very many places that contraband goods may be concealed in a frigate, sir. We may be searching some while ’
‘Yes, I know that all too well.’
They searched long and hard, in the depths of the hold and in the orlop stores, and through the whole of the lower deck, and found nothing but a cache of rum and tobacco. Mr. Symonds’ cabin was searched. No chest of gold was found.
At length James, very dirty and weary, returned to the great cabin and informed Captain Rennie that he had been unable to find the money. Rennie did not try to conceal his reaction from the still palely furious Mr. Symonds, who had resumed his seat at the table.
‘Nay, well, I did not expect anything else, James. No guineas was ever brought into the ship. The gold was never aboard.’ Turning. ‘Hey, Mr. Symonds?’
Mr. Symonds said nothing. Rennie waited a moment, then:
‘There never was an intention on your part to pay Mr. Milson a single shilling, leave alone a fortune in gold, hey?’
Mr. Symonds said nothing. Rennie nodded grimly. ‘Well well, James, we are faced with a dilemma. We cannot pay our man even that shilling, since we have not got it.’ A sniff, and he shook his head. ‘Much as I regret it, I think we must turn back.’
‘Eh?’ James, in surprise.
‘In course, yes. We cannot possibly proceed, now.’
‘Go home, William?’
‘What is the alternative? The heart of our careful plan the heart of my commission has been revealed as fraudulent.’
Again turning to Mr. Symonds ‘A damned lie, told by a damned liar.’
‘By God, Rennie, that is a direct challenge to my honour!’
‘Nay, it ain’t, though. It is my verdict upon you. You will be confined to your cabin until further notice.’
‘This is outrageous!’
‘What is outrageous, sir, is your arrogant presumption that I am nothing but a fool. Nay, do not open your mouth in my presence again, else I will have you clapped in irons!’ Fiercely. ‘Sentry!’
The Marine guard came into the cabin.
‘Escort Mr. Symonds to his quarters, and post a guard at his door, watch on watch.’
‘Aye-aye, sir.’
‘I will see you court-martialled and dismissed the service for this, Rennie.’ Rising from his chair. ‘I will see you ruined.’
Mr. Symonds was then escorted from the cabin, furiously shaking off the guiding hand of the Marine.
When the door had closed behind them, James:
‘You do not mean to turn back, in course .?’
‘In course I do not. We will proceed as ordered, and borrow sufficient gold at Naples to convince Milson the rest will be his as soon as he is safely aboard the ship.’
‘Borrow gold ? From whom?’
‘From Sir William Hamilton, James. You know him well enough.’
‘Good God, I never claimed to know him. I met him once, many years since, when he received me very brief as a courtesy, that is all. He will hardly wish to lend us a large sum in gold on the strength of so brief an acquaintance.’ Leaning forward. ‘Listen now, surely our scheme was to find Milson as originally intended through James Beckford, that is part of Sir Williams’s household. The ambassador himself was never to be involved direct.’
‘It was already part of our scheme to send a message to Sir William upon our arrival, was it not? Advising him of the brief informal visit of a British ship of war? When he invites as to the residence, as he surely will, we have no alternative now but to confide in him. I am in no doubt he will wish to help us as soon as he learns of the particular circumstances. Use your influence.’
‘Influence ? What can you mean? I have no influence at Naples.’
Rennie waved a hand impatiently. ‘Nonsense, my dear James. You are not the callow youth that came here years ago. You are Sir James Hayter, a man of property and position, both at home and abroad. You and Sir William are of the sa
me rank, and have an equal standing in the world. In course he will wish to aid us in any way he can.’
James made a face. ‘I think you greatly overestimate my standing, you know, and my influence. Beside, it is a very radical shift from our initial plan. I am not at all sure--’
Over him: ‘It is all we have left, James, after Symonds’ duplicity and betrayal, and we must simply make the best of it. Hey?’
A dubious shrug. ‘As you wish.’ A moment, then: ‘By the by, d’you intend to take any action over the cache of rum and tobacco we found?’
‘Nay, I don’t. Ask the master at arms to hand it over to the purser, and we’ll leave it at that.’
‘Very good.’ A nod. ‘And Symonds?’
A grim chuckle, and a returning nod.
‘I will let that deceitful bugger fume and fret in his cabin for the time being, James. It is only what he deserves, and it will teach him a singular lesson. Never treat sea officers with contempt!’
‘And after, when we make landfall at Naples?’
A sniff. ‘I will make up my mind then, James.’
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
The scheme proposed by Mr. Symonds, and agreed to by both Rennie and James at the Marine Hotel at Portsmouth, would now have to be heavily amended since one of its principal ingredients had been revealed as a fiction.
The scheme simply a reworked version of the original was again to have involved James Beckford, Sir William Hamilton’s Keeper of the Purse at Naples, who had lived there nearly as long as the ambassador himself, spoke fluent Neapolitan Italian, knew the streets and districts inside out, and all of the tittle tattle, gossip and tidbits of intrigue that naturally flowed round and about so important a city.
Beckford knew of Milson’s presence in the city, but not where to find him. Beckford had been contacted by an intermediary, who had conveyed Milson’s willingness to treat, and his price. Beckford had then written to London, using a cipher, informing the Fund of this offer. A letter of reply had been sent from London, again in code, advising that Milson’s offer should be accepted, and arrangements made.
Negotiations had been protracted, and had then all but broken down. Beckford’s contact was certain Milson was yet at Naples, and remained in principle willing to trade, but was in fear for his safety. The first version of the scheme had then been formulated, and Rennie and James had set sail in their respective ships, only to meet with disaster at sea.
The second version of the scheme had then been arranged, and Rennie and James retained to carry it through accompanied this time by its architect, Havelock Symonds. The question of Milson’s price in gold had apparently been
settled and agreed by London, and the gold brought by Mr. Symonds into Expedient.
Except that of course it had not.
Captain Rennie knew that on balance he could not keep Mr. Symonds confined for very long. Expedient would reach Naples within the next day or two, and Mr. Symonds would expect to be included in the party that went to the ambassador’s residence the Palazzo Sessa when the invitation came. He had expressed keen interest at dinner in seeing Sir William’s collections of paintings and vases.
‘I understand they are the finest in Italy perhaps in all of Europe. He is a man of the highest sensibility and taste.’
‘He has a love of volcanoes, in addition,’ James had drily observed. ‘His papers on the subject are greatly valued at the Royal Society.’
‘Volcanoes ?’
‘Mount Vesuvius that has erupted on occasion since antiquity, killing all in the vicinity is nearby.’
‘Ah Herculaneum, indeed.’ An amused little nod.
Yes, Captain Rennie knew that although they had exposed Mr. Symonds as a liar, it would be highly inconvenient to continue the scheme without him. Far better in spite of his duplicity to have him as an ally, than to keep him a prisoner throughout. He would have to free Mr. Symonds very soon and make peace. As the Italian coast appeared to the north east later that morning, Rennie spoke in a quiet tone to James:
‘I wonder, James, if you will do me yet another little service ?’
‘Service?’
‘Well well, you know Symonds far better than I, d’y’not?’
‘Very little better, I think.’ Politely.
‘Even so it will come more felicitous from you.’
‘Eh? What will?’ Growing wary.
‘The...hm-hm the necessary apology, James. If I offer him an apology, d’y’see, he will likely bite off my head, and the purpose will be defeated. I shall be obliged to keep him confined below, and that will simply add to our difficulty. Surely it is far better that we are all united in this venture, fighting on the same side? Therefore I will like you to do it, in my behalf.’
‘Ohh nay-nay-nay....’ Shaking his head. ‘Very sorry, William can’t oblige ye.’
‘What? You refuse?’
‘I decline.’
‘Refuse. Decline. It is the same thing.’
‘Nay, but it ain’t. Were you to order me to do it, and I said no that would be refusal. You have asked me, and I have declined.’
‘Well then, what if I did order you?’
‘The truth is, my dear William, you cannot. As you will recall, I am a civilian.’
‘You swore an oath to take command, by God!’
‘And then relinquished the position, that was anyway merely a convenience, a service I was happy to perform. Apologizing to Mr. Havelock Symonds ain’t.’
A sigh. ‘You will not change your mind ?’
‘I will not.’
And so Captain Rennie was obliged to go below to Mr. Symonds’s cabin, take a deep breath, draw himself up, knock and go in.
Mr. Symonds glared at him. ‘Well?’
‘I hm I am come I have come to offer an apology, Mr. Symonds.’
‘In what regard?’ Coldly.
‘In what regard .?’
‘Indeed.’
‘Well well, I do not how it may done .other than by saying it.’
‘I repeat, sir in what regard? For calling me a liar?’
‘Hm hm in regard to your .your confinement.’
‘I am not a woman enceinte, Captain Rennie.’ Brusquely. ‘Pray make yourself understood, sir, or go away.’
‘As a plain spoke sea officer, I have always prided myself on my clarity of expression.’ Growing acerbic himself. ‘I am very sorry, and I beg your pardon.
That would probably indeed have sufficed. Just sufficed. Except that Rennie, in his irritation, could not resist adding:
‘Will that do?’
Which made everything worse. Far worse.
‘ Do , sir? You compound the original offence by asking me that? God damn your strutting, overbearing insolence, and be damned to your apology, in the bargain. Now get out.’ And he turned his back.
‘Very well, Mr. Symonds, you leave me no alternative.’ Furiously. ‘You are a liar. A proven liar and a gross hindrance, and I cannot trust you. You will be clapped in irons until we come away from Naples with Milson aboard, our mission accomplished without your help. Sentry! Sentry, there!’
CHAPTER SIXTY
The city of Naples lay spread beneath a hill at the head of the broad bay, with Mount Vesuvius brooding in a smoky haze a dozen miles to the east. The day was sunny and the waters of the bay wrinkled and glittered in a light breeze. James, standing on deck at Rennie’s side, was brought back to his early manhood not by the beauty of the setting, but by the familiar odour that came wafting on that breeze. The dense odour of narrow streets and inadequate drains that, for all the other, pleasanter smells of this vibrant and ebullient city coffee and spices and scented tobacco was always foully present on the air.
HMS Expedient hove to, topsails aback, and dropped anchor off the mole with its distinctive needle, the great stone castle of the port away to the left. High on the hill the Palazzo di Capodimonte stood in splendid isolation above the clamour and bustle of the city below. Dozens of merchant ships lay at anchor in the har-bour
, and a scattering of smaller vessels feluccas, small chebecs, fishing craft ran back and forth to the stone jetties.
A large official boat approached Expedient from the mole, and Captain Rennie settled his hat firmly on his head in the breeze, sniffed in a breath and:
‘We must send a message ashore, James.’
‘A request?’
‘Nay, merely a polite letter, announcing our arrival at Naples to the ambassador. An invitation will follow, I am in no doubt.’
‘If I may make a suggestion ?’
The official boat began to draw alongside, a waterman in a round hat and a coat with an elaborate collar extending his boat hook. Rennie moved to the gangway port to greet his visitors. To James:
‘Well?’
‘I think we should say that we have a matter of vital importance to discuss with His Excellency, and that we would welcome an early audience.’
‘But that is a request, James, ain’t it?’
‘Exact. It is.’
‘Very well, then. We will make it so.’ And as the officials came up the side ladder:
‘Erm how do I say Welcome, gentlemen , James?’
‘Benevuti, signori.’
‘Very good, thankee.’ And to the ascending port officials, doffing his hat: ‘Well well, hm hm Benevuti, signori.’
‘Salute, capitano.’
And they came aboard, to the high thin piping of the boatswain’s call.
When the officials among them the port medical officer, and the customs men had inspected the ship to their satisfaction, and determined that she carried no illicit cargo and was free of pestilence plague, typhus, &c. Rennie guided them aft to the great cabin and gave them refreshment. They refused grog, but happily accepted Madeira, and afterward Rennie saw them into their boat, with ex-changes of pleasantries and goodwill all round. The medical officer spoke fluent English, and he and James who spoke tolerable Italian acted as interpreters.
James waved from the rail and called a final: ‘Arrivederci, signori.’
As he watched the boat move away, Rennie:
‘I knew that you spoke French, James, but not that you spoke Italian fluent, also. You told me you had a few words only.’
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