‘That we can… and it should also please my father,’ she said just as the music stopped.
It was well past midnight when the last of the guests left Brocklehurst House, by which time we were tired and ready for bed. The wedding suite my mother had prepared for us was the best room in the house. It was on the third floor overlooking the river, and for the first time in my life I was able to enjoy the sex without constraints. The sex of course was wonderful. But it also felt strange, knowing that just a floor below us, our parents were sleeping… and perhaps listening.
The Huxleys all stayed overnight, but Peter with his wife and baby returned to Lewes early the next morning as he was keen to close some business deal he had been working on. I think Robert would have preferred to stay longer… just to be with Hannah, but left after lunch with his parents.
Veronica was anxious to get back to George and her girls, and I was pleased and relieved when Thomas volunteered to escort her.
Brocklehurst Huxley Shipping Company
Our marriage was only a week old when I had to leave my tearful wife behind, and start earning my keep.
Anne had said right from the start that she wanted to come to Poole with Robert and me, because she knew that our faithful and well organised staff at Brocklehurst House were more than capable of caring for the old man without any help. It was my mother who insisted that Pop should not be left on his own without a family member so Hannah agreed to move back to her old room… she loved Pop and if truth be told she hated living in London.
I thought Robert would come to the house by carriage, and perhaps stop overnight in a tavern on the way, but he arrived on horseback on Saturday, a day earlier than had been planned, covering the fifty or so miles from Lewes in half a day.
Hannah was the first to greet him at the door with a kiss on the cheek, then smiling rather sheepishly she took a backward step so that Anne could welcome her younger brother back to the house.
Felix, the new stable boy, smiled at me and nodded in reverence as he always does, he then took the reins of Robert’s horse and led it away to the stables. I think in Felix I had a servant for life.
‘Come inside Robert, I will organise some food and you can freshen up.’
‘Thank you Toby, but if you don’t mind I would like a word with Hannah first.’
‘Not at all. Come in when you’re ready.’
‘He is more serious than I thought,’ whispered Anne as we walked back into the house, leaving Robert and Hannah talking. Once inside we found a window and peeped carefully from behind the drapes. We could see they were holding hands and walking through the gardens towards the river.
‘Do you suppose they’re going to the boathouse?’
‘So soon?’ said Anne. ‘I doubt it, I think he’s too shy.’
‘So was I. Once.’
***
Robert is a likeable man and I knew from the first day I met him that I would have no problem working with him. He had the look of his father but the colouring of his mother and sister. He was about the same height as me, and I was two inches short of six feet. He was clean shaven with sandy coloured hair.
It was an hour before they came back to the house, and whatever they had been doing or talking about, it did not include us. They came back holding hands smiling and hungry.
‘So, are you two a couple then?’ asked Anne as we were eating.
‘You ask too many questions sister,’ was Robert’s reply.
On Sunday morning we took the carriage to Richmond Park where we sat on the grass with a couple of pitchers of ale and a picnic which had been prepared earlier by cook. In the afternoon we went to St Peter’s Church where we met Veronica and Thomas.
On Monday morning, Anne and Hannah waved from the door as we set off on horseback, hoping to reach Poole in two days. When we arrived at our planned overnight stop of Guildford, we still felt relatively fresh, so we just stopped at an inn for an hour then continued on to Winchester, arriving there just an hour before nightfall. We then found a friendly hostelry where we could rest overnight.
We arrived in Poole mid-afternoon on Tuesday, and my first task was to seek out the Harbour Master and then find accommodation.
‘I have been expecting you gentlemen,’ he said. ‘I just need to check your papers and identification, then I will take you to your ships.’
The smaller coastal ship named the Tudor Breeze was a Dutch built Bilander. The two larger vessels, Tudor Queen and Tudor Rose, were identical Fluyts, also built in Holland.
‘So there you have it gentlemen. Three fine vessels that have lain idle here now for almost a year. Is there anything else I can help you with?’
‘Could you find me a couple of sailors or stevedores who would like a few days’ work?’
‘You can have either, but I recommend brothers. Mathew and Luke Brotherton.’
‘They sound perfect, I will need them here early in the morning.’
‘I’m sure that won’t be a problem Mr Brocklehurst.’
I had seen many Bilander coastal traders before, but as there were none in the Royal Fleet I had never had the opportunity to board one. The Bilander is a double-masted merchant ship used exclusively for coastal and river trade. The mainmast is lateen-rigged with a typical mainsail. The foremast has a conventional square course and topsail. The displacement is around a 100 tons.
The 80 feet long Fluyts are also Dutch. They are three-masted, square rigged seagoing vessels, designed to carry a large cargo, but with a relatively small crew… usually twenty to thirty.
They have a wide shallow hull which enables them to reach higher up some rivers than other similar vessels. The drawback to a shallow hull is that they’re not as stable. The main deck is relatively small and wider in the middle, the masts are larger than normal, specifically for speed.
They were not designed for combat, but normally carried just enough armament to fend off pirates. On our ships there were gun ports for eight cannons, four on the port and four on the starboard side, but two cannons on each side had been removed to reduce the weight, and to make more space available for cargo. I made a mental note to myself to have them replaced.
When Robert and I arrived at the ships the following morning, our two seamen were already there waiting.
‘I am Luke, and this is my younger brother Mathew. Where do we start boss?’
‘I am Toby Brocklehurst, and this is my brother-in-law Robert Huxley. I want all the sails unfolded and checked, all the masts, all the halyards, all the lines and runners and every inch of timber checked, and then I want the hulls checked for leaks. When all that is done, and all necessary repairs completed, I want a full inventory of equipment on all three ships… everything from the smallest nail to the largest sail… including what stock we have in the warehouse. Mathew, you start on the Tudor Breeze with Robert. Luke, you and I will take the Tudor Queen.’
‘Yes boss.’
The brothers’ knowledge of our three ships soon became apparent, and it transpired that they had both crewed for the previous owners. Luke as a quartermaster and Mathew a Sail Master… two of the most important officers on any seagoing ship. The brothers were friendly and hardworking and were looking for permanent work… preferably on the Queen or the Rose.
I knew the team back home would want to get our business up and running as soon as possible, and that we would soon be recruiting seamen. So hoping I had not overstepped my authority, I promised them both a job if they would crew for me now, and sail the Bilander back to London… they accepted my offer enthusiastically.
The Harbour Master turned up every day to check on our progress and where possible, offer advice and help.
‘What is to become of the ships, will they be keeping their berths here in Poole or move to some other port?’ he asked.
‘As yet I don’t know about the Fluyts, but Luke and Mathew have agr
eed to crew for me on the Breeze. I will be taking it back to London as soon as we have finished here.’
‘There’s a cargo of timber and cereals for Deptford, if you are interested and you can fill up with as much hay as you can carry.’
‘Thank you, I will take it. We will not be leaving our horses here so I will need some hay for fodder and bedding.’
‘Come to my office when you have finished and I will sort out the paper work.’
I replaced the missing cannons on the Fluyts. I would like to have added even more but that would have meant compromising on weight and deck space. All repairs and renewals that were necessary had quickly been put right, and now I was confident that all our ships were seaworthy and ready to go.
So with the Tudor Breeze full to capacity with cereal and hay on a calm sunny morning in June, we sailed out of Poole Harbour. I was not, and have never professed to be, a sailor, but I had on board two experienced men that were. That did not stop me from praying for good weather for the next few days.
I had no way of warning the others of my impromptu idea to bring the Breeze to London, so the first thing I did after docking in Deptford Creek was to send Robert to our office in Shoe Lane to let my father know of our arrival. I then reported to the Harbour Master, an old colleague from my time working for the Duke of York called Doug. I found him in his office behind his desk.
‘Good day to you Doug, I have a cargo of cereal and hay from Poole.’
‘Welcome to the real world of commerce Toby. How are you finding working for a living?’
‘I never had the time to sit on my backside doing nothing when I worked for the duke you know.’
He laughed and pointed to a chair. ‘Sit down Toby, I’m glad to see you. The Worshipful Company of Cooks in Cheapside have been waiting for the cereal. The hay was ordered by the Amalgamation of Hackney Carriage Drivers. That will have to be put in store here in the warehouse for the time being. Now tell me how are you getting on with Huxley… I believe you married his daughter?’
***
A board meeting was immediately arranged, and before we had even looked at the agenda, the other members of the team, including my grandfather, applauded Robert and I, not only for successfully delivering our first ever cargo for the new business, but by doing it with only half a crew.
While I had been away in Poole with Robert, my father and William Huxley had been busy finalising the changeover to the new company, and recruiting crew. The vendor, Sir Christopher Hatton, recommended the two captains who had sailed for him in the past, and who he said were his most reliable. They were both experienced men with long and successful careers in shipping, their names were Captain Garry Watson and Captain Neville Gregory.
I was charged with offering Luke his old job as quartermaster on the Tudor Queen, or skippering the Breeze. He chose the Breeze, and his brother Mathew was more than happy to crew for his older brother. The Bilander usually carries a crew of eight, but Luke was confident he could manage with six so long as he could pick his own team, and that he would only be trading around the coast.
One item on the agenda was to decide where to make our home port, Poole or London. As we already owned a warehouse and a berth in St Catherine’s, it made sense to relocate to London. But it was agreed to wait to see how things developed before selling off Poole.
The new company with my father as Managing Director was a completely autonomous venture. Brocklehurst Enterprises and Huxley Wines and Spirits would always be given priority as far as cargo space was concerned but they paid their fees to the new company just like anyone else. The only difference being that as directors of BHS they were in effect just paying themselves… moving their own money from one business to another within the family.
***
Mathew Brotherton was young and single, but Luke was married with a small child and eager to get home to break the news of his new job to his wife. Working around the coast meant he would get to see more of his family, and as a ship’s captain he would also be paid more.
As soon as the Breeze was unloaded, it was moved across the river to our own berth at St Catherine’s where she could be rechecked and stocked with a month’s provisions. Luke and his brother left for their home in Poole, promising to be back in London within the week with his new crew.
I went with my father to the Exchange to canvass for a cargo for the Breeze, and was amazed at the amount of interest there was in our new business… especially with the Fluyts.
Within the hour we had secured contracts to deliver wheat, barley and smoked fish to Dublin, Ireland. And textiles and tobacco to the River Clyde in Scotland. We were also guaranteed a return cargo of wool from Glasgow.
Our long-term plan for the Fluyts was long haul. The Tudor Queen across the Atlantic to the New World, America and the Caribbean; the Tudor Rose round the Cape of Good Hope to the East India Company in Calcutta.
The larger ships needed more crew members, ideally 30, but definitely not less than 20. We had successfully recruited experienced captains, quartermasters and sail-masters, also carpenters, two surgeons, two cooks, and a couple of dozen riggers. We just needed a few more hands and we would be good to go, but until our new crews had proven themselves we were looking for something less challenging than India and America.
Their first voyages were effectively chosen for us when we were offered cargoes of luxury items: jewellery and beverages for the Channel Islands, and provisions, ale and textiles for the King’s Garrison in Tangier. The cargoes were out of Plymouth so there was no need to bring the ships to London… though my father did suggest to the captains that they sail in convoy as far as the Channel Islands.
We estimated that the two voyages would take between two to three months, so providing there was no problems, we could expect them home somewhere near to Christmas. The captains and officers of the Fluyts hitched a lift on the Breeze as far as Plymouth… the rest of the crews, all recruited in the city, travelled by road.
With all three ships now at sea, Huxley returned to his business in Lewes, and my father to the office of Brocklehurst Enterprises in London. Leaving Robert and me to deal with BH Shipping.
Robert was younger than me and had little experience in business, so it was up to me to take the initiative and guide him as best as I could.
I had planned to extend and improve the office in our warehouse in St Catherine’s… the warehouse where I almost lost my life. But as yet had not found the time, so I commandeered a corner of my father’s office in Fleet Street and sat Robert behind a desk.
‘I want you to write to every Livery Company in London, advertising and promoting BH Shipping. I just want them all to know that we are here and reliable.’
‘How many are there, and what should I say?’
‘There are over a hundred here in London. Would you like me to draft a letter for you, then you can make copies in your own time?’
‘Yes please. But could it not wait? You promised Anne you would be home in a month and that was over two months ago.’
‘The Breeze won’t be back for over a month, and the other ships for two to three. So I suppose we could take a little time off. Will you be going home to Lewes?’
‘I thought I might go back to Richmond with you if that’s alright?’
‘I don’t suppose Hannah has anything to do with you wanting to go to Richmond again does she?’
He just smiled and slapped me on the back.
***
Hannah saw us coming and was waiting by the door for Robert, the beaming smile and sheepish look on their faces giving away the feelings they obviously had for each other.
Looking a little embarrassed, she pecked him on the cheek and whispered something in his ear.
‘We’re just going for a walk Toby,’ Robert said. ‘We won’t be long.’
I watched them walk through the gardens hand in hand towards
the river. They looked so happy and in a way I envied them, it reminded me of the start of our love affair at Noordeinde Palace all those years ago.
But just now, I had more important things to attend to. I couldn’t wait to see Anne, but first I wanted to tell Pop all we had done since our last meeting. About our ships, how we had delivered our first cargo, how encouraged we all were by the interest shown in our business at the Exchange, and to tell him that all three vessels were now working and at sea.
‘Your father has already given me a rough outline of what you have achieved, and I am extremely proud of you Toby. But have you seen your wife yet?’
‘I came straight to you Pop, I’ll see her later.’
‘Go now my boy, and prepare yourself for an angry encounter. You should have been home weeks ago.’
Anne was standing with her legs apart, her hands on her hips and sulking. ‘Where have you been? You said a month and it’s been three,’ she said wagging her finger at me.
‘What must I do before you forgive me my love?’
Her face changed from a scowl to a smile and she slowly came into my arms and whispered, ‘I want you to promise that you will be here in Richmond with me when our baby arrives next February.’
She placed my hand on her stomach and said, ‘I think if it’s a boy we should call him Toby, don’t you?’
‘Our second son can be Toby… I would like this one to be called John after my grandfather, and if it’s a girl, Veronica.’
‘An excellent choice,’ she said as she put her arms around my neck and kissed me.
***
Pop was right when he predicted that one coastal trader was not going to be enough. I had a mind to suggest that we increase the fleet to three, but decided to wait until the two Fluyts had successfully completed their first voyages before seeking approval from my partners to such a large capital outlay so early in the life of our fledgling business.
Patrons on the Breeze’s second voyage included William Huxley who sent an assortment of wines and French brandy to Glasgow, in return for Scottish whisky. Brocklehurst Enterprises also used the Breeze to deliver a consignment of slate to Dublin. The slate had to be collected from Porth Navas on the River Helford, close to the site of our slate quarry in Helford, Cornwall.
Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart Page 41