With a good easterly that would take them out, the ship set sail. They had been unable to take on more crewmen in Gibraltar, so Aphrodite was still shorthanded. Neither of his officers had returned to the ship, so he had appointed two of his older mids as acting lieutenants, informing them not to become accustomed to their new authority. He assured them they would be mids again just as soon as they made port. There were too many commissioned lieutenants begging for a ship to allow more mids to be promoted just now.
Mullins stayed out on deck while the ships made its way out and remained on the quarterdeck until well into the night. Neither of the two acting officers had ever taken a ship to sea before and he felt it necessary he be on hand to handle any emergency. Finally, judging everything to be in order, he made a visit to the quarter gallery and made his way into the hammock. It had been some years since he had last used a hammock and he had to struggle a bit to get settled.
As he lay there, his eyes fell on the door the carpenter had built into the new partition. There was a crack of light around the edges. Helen had a light burning in her sleeping compartment.
This was absolutely forbidden aboard any ship that Mullins commanded. At night, the light would be plainly visible through the stern windows, and in the mid-watch, with few people around, a fire could start with little warning.
He got out of the hammock and went to the door, rapping gently. He had expected her to be asleep, but she answered right away.
“Come in.”, she said.
Mullins explained through the closed door that it was necessary that she blow out the light.
“Oh rubbish, come on in for a minute.”
“I can’t, I’m not dressed.”
“Well, neither am I. Come in anyway.”
Mullins struggled into an old robe he kept there for going out on deck at night in colder weather, and opened the door. The view he was presented with almost floored him. Helen was lying in the bed reading by the light of an oil lamp. Her head propped up on a rolled up blanket. She was covered by another blanket up to her waist. Above that she was completely bare. By now, Mullins knew Helen was not the least bit shy about exposing her body, so he looked his fill.
Smiling at him, she said, “Well, what are you waiting for. Come to bed.”
After blowing out the light, he did so.
Upon reaching port, he delivered the copies of Admiral Nelson’s dispatches he had brought from Gibraltar, but found he was not the first to bring the news. Mister Goodwin had beat him home and the press was already praising the ‘Victory of the Nile’. A mail packet had also arrived a day before with copies of the dispatches. There seemed little for Captain Mullins to do in the immediate future.
Helen had sent messages ashore, with little response. She had not invited him to her bed since that first episode and he had no idea what was on her mind. Eventually, he just asked her.
“My father has a brother in Kent whom I was always told I should contact if I found myself in trouble. I have sent him several letters by post which he has not answered. I do not know what I should do.”
Mullins immediately offered to escort her to her relative’s home, but Helen shook her head.
“I fear that could invite questions about why I am traveling alone with a man. I think if I could take a coach, I would be fine. My problem there is I have lost all of my funds and have no money.”
This was an easy enough problem to solve. Mullins pulled out his purse, still well filled with some of the old guineas that had recently been withdrawn from circulation.
He handed her the purse, and told her to take out what she needed for travelling expenses. She was at first reluctant to accept.
“I have no idea of what the expenses might be, Charles.”
Mullins was awaiting word from shore and wished to be on-board when it arrived. He took her to the entry port of the ship and called over his cox’n.
He told her Woods would take her ashore and hire a vehicle to take her to the next coaching inn. She could inquire there about the possibility of taking coach to her destination in Kent. He told her Woods would accompany her and insure there were no difficulties.
Opening his purse, he handed Woods a handful of silver and told him that was for the hire of the vehicle. “You may happen upon something to drink, as well, only after you have taken care of Miss Davis. You will insure that all of your boat crew arrive back at the ship at least partly sober.”
To Helen, he handed a pair of guineas, which he thought would be sufficient to maintain her for the length of her journey. Then, he gave her the full purse.
“You may take what you need from the purse for your coaching fees. Please pay at the inn and return the purse to Woods when he returns.’
The visitor Mullins expected from shore never arrived. Instead an officer from the port admiral’s shore office came to the ship’s side and handed up a sealed packet. Mullins shouted down for the lieutenant to come up for a drink, but the officer pulled aside his boat cloak and revealed his missing leg.
“Too hard for me to get up the side of your ship, sir. I’d better just go on back.”
Embarrassed, Mullins opened the packet handed up to him. In it, he learned there were no seamen available for his sloop-of war at the moment. It was being put into the dockyard for needed maintenance, and then into ordinary if hands could not be found. In the meantime, he should make himself available to dockyard officials who would inventory all of the ships equipment and supplies. His crew would be taken off and sent to the receiving ship, and his officers released on half-pay. He himself would also be placed upon half-pay and referred to the Admiralty in London should he have any questions concerning his status.
Mullins regretted not having ordered the admiral’s emissary aboard so that he could have explained he did not really need seamen to take Aphrodite to sea. If necessary, if he could be furnished some healthy landsmen, his present officers and crew could soon bring the new hands up to standard.
The opportunity had been lost however. Should he appear before the port admiral with his hat in hand, begging for a few landsmen, he well knew his career would be at an end.
Soon, the delegation of clerks from shore appeared at the ship’s side to begin their scrutiny of all the records. Fortunately, his clerk was well versed on these matters and was able to deal with most of the questions. While pacing his quarterdeck that evening, his eye was drawn to a boat slowly approaching.
It was his own gig, in which he had sent Helen ashore. It was coming on slowly, as if the oarsmen were wounded or disabled. Disabled they were, with drink. The crewmen had taken their opportunity to celebrate while the cox’n had been tending to Miss Davis.
Woods himself, was mostly sober when he reported aboard and handed over the empty purse. Mullins was stunned when he saw all of the money was gone. There had been enough currency and coin in that purse to have purchased a coach and four. However, Woods reported Miss Davis had insisted she would need the entire contents of the purse for her journey.
This was an embarrassment, since he was in need of funds to travel to London to find his options with the Admiralty. Fortunately, his prize agent had an office here in Portsmouth from which he was sure he could draw funds.
Next morning, the Impress Service was at the ship to begin taking off hands. While he had some people left, he took his boat ashore to visit his prize agent. He elected to take his men, Will and Edward ashore with him. He knew if they were left aboard ship, they would be nabbed with the remainder of his crew and he would likely never see them again. His father, the baron, would not be pleased.
He left the boat moored to the wharf next to a waterfront tavern, where the crew could entertain themselves. He had had an excellent rapport with his men recently and doubted his men would ordinarily desert. Under the new circumstances however, he was unsure. He knew a transfer to a new ship was very unsettling and that might well cause some of the men to walk away.
He was not greatly concerned if that happened. Th
e ship was no longer his and some other captain would have to wonder how he would replace any missing men. He did take Will and Edward with him. He hoped to return with a large sum of money and the two big men would be a deterrent to any footpads. The pair no longer had their oaken cudgels, but each now carried a navy cutlass which only a very foolish thief would wish to face.
The business with the prize agent went well. Another ship taken months ago had been adjudicated and the funds were available to release to Mullin’s bank. The agent was complimentary on his prowess on taking prizes, telling him he was making more money for the agency than any ten other officers.
The agent did not have the amount in his office that Mullins required, but assured him a note-of-hand at any bank would get him his money. In the meantime, the agent handed over a hundred pounds to cover immediate expenses.
A civilian financial officer came aboard and spent days going over all of the ship’s records, flagging all discrepancies. When he finished, he had a lengthy list of equipment that had been issued to the ship but was now missing. Among the missing equipment were the two cutlasses that Will and Edward had taken ashore.
There was a question about the extra French gunpowder that had been found aboard. Even after Mullin’s explanation, the official was not amused. He would not credit Mullins for the extra inventory nor would he allow him to take personal possession of it.
The extra nine-pounder balls were also discussed. Due to a misunderstanding with his gunner, these had not been expended in practice as Mullins had intended. Instead, the issued ammunition was used for this purpose since the gunner felt it to give better accuracy than the rusted balls Mullins had purchased. Thus, the ship was left with a surplus of old, rusty and pitted balls. The officer insisted these balls had received improper storage and he was being charged for their replacement cost.
At the end of the discussion, Mullins was told he must pay hundreds of pounds for the discrepancies. Mullins knew full well he could appeal that decision and have much of that sum reduced. However, he had the funds to pay the debt and had no desire to enter into a lengthy legal dispute. He wrote a note-of-hand for the amount and accepted a receipt from the official.
Knowing his time in the ship was coming to a close, Mullins took rooms in a nearby inn. Will and Edward would sleep in the stable. He did not want to take them back to the ship for fear of losing them. Back at the wharf where he had left the boat, he found two men were missing. When he asked the men if they would return, all were casually noncommittal. As soon as he returned to the ship, he informed the acting lieutenant who was serving as first officer that the seamen had run and such should be entered into the log.
At that time, he learned an officer had come aboard to take temporary command of the ship. Lieutenant Adams was in his cabin, making free with his Madeira. Adams announced he had taken the liberty of reading himself in and was now the official captain of Aphrodite. Mullins nodded and called for his servant. Telling him to take his possessions to the entry port, he asked Adams if he could have a boat and crew to take him ashore.
Adams refused, saying that it had been his experience that such men often took the opportunity to run. Under the circumstances, he suggested hiring a shore boat or signaling for a boat from the flag.
On deck, Mullins saw Petty Officer Aikens overseeing some men coiling down some lines. He went to him and told him he was leaving the ship and someone else would be his next captain. Aikens said he knew about it and as soon as he received his pay warrant, his gut injury would begin acting up and he would ask the surgeon to arrange for him to be put ashore.
“What with the prizes we took on the last voyage, sir, I have more than enough to buy that pub now. You will always be welcome for a free drink anytime you can come by.
Chapter Twenty Two
Rather than travel in a mail coach, Mullins hired a closed four horse landau and driver for the trip to London. He thought he would be able to make the trip at least as fast, with more comfort. His driver would be able to change horses at every posting station.
They started out in the early afternoon, with an expected arrival in London in early morning. Will sat on the box beside the driver with Mullin’s blunderbuss in a rack by his side. Edward rode inside for half the journey with his cutlass and a big Sea Service pistol he had ‘found’.
No highwaymen intruded upon them and there were no breakdowns. The trip was faster than what was scheduled for the public coaches. The carriage rushed up to a stable, the horses were changed and they were off in minutes, if there were no demands to use the privy or to purchase food. Early on, the coach rolled up at an inn that was about to serve lunch.
For a handsome fee, Mullins was able to purchase a joint of roast beef to carry with them, several loaves of fresh bread and two pails of beer.
The carriage rolled into London soon after daybreak the next morning. Mullins had intended to report to the Admiralty upon arriving in London, but he was exhausted from the long drive. He decided to get a few hours rest in the family town house. He could visit the Admiralty this afternoon.
Evan Nepean saw him later that day. Mullins had spent two hours cooling his heels in the waiting room, but eventually the warder collected him and escorted him in to the Secretary of the Admiralty.
Nepean looked tired and worn this late in the day, but was affable and attentive to this junior naval officer.
“Commander Mullins, I have been hoping our paths would cross. I am afraid it is my fault you were sent up here. I have communicated with Admiral Hornsby in Portsmouth several times recently concerning your career.”
“Your name first came to mind when your father and some of his friends pressured certain Admiralty officials to have you commissioned lieutenant without the formality of appearing before a board of captains to examine your qualifications. I will tell you plainly I was flatly opposed to this and blocked the first attempt.”
“However, they bided their time and tried again and succeeded when I was in the country. I was determined to rectify this injustice and began to watch your career closely. When one of the minor admiralty officials posted you to Havoc, on the orders of your father, I did nothing to stop it, intending to let you hang yourself with your own rope. I was astonished when you began acting like a seasoned captain and when Admiral Hornsby put you in command of Aphrodite, I did not object.”
“In your commission aboard her, I believe you have acquitted yourself in a professional manner, and my objections to your commissioning have dissipated. Now, my political friends tell me, another party is determined to bring you down. This party is at odds with your father and hopes to strike at him through yourself.”
“This is the reason you find yourself released from your ship and placed on half pay. Please note that I have not changed my mind about the means your parent used to have you commissioned. I do not believe though that you had a part in it. It may interest you to know that the person attempting to control you is not the all-powerful being he believes himself to be. I intend to come up alongside him and fire a broadside across his bow, just to convince him it is not wise to make attacks upon myself or my plans.”
“It is on record that you have reported to Admiralty Headquarters where you have been told to return to your home and await future orders. Hopefully, the person attempting to bring you down, will see this as vindication of his plans and will believe you have been set aside permanently.”
My advice and order for you is to return home and involve yourself in local affairs. Perhaps persuade your father into allowing you to assist him in his Parliamentary affairs. When all is ready and it is time for me to fire the shot, I intend to have you placed aboard another ship as commander. On the news of your last victory, I had intended to have you posted as captain, but your former first officer came sailing into port in a captured frigate you had taken.”
“Somehow, the press received the impression he had managed the capture on his own and there was a hue and cry about promoting him. To prevent you
r enemy from attempting to have him made post, I myself promoted him to commander and gave him an elderly brig-sloop, which will take forever and a day to remove from ordinary.”
“This promotion we gave him however, in effect prevents us from promoting you, since as a rule now, only one major promotion can come from a successful ship to ship action.”
“Are we clear on this?”
“Mullins said, “Aye aye, sir.” He added while he was his father’s second son and would not likely inherit, he had learned his older brother, for reasons of his own, did not want the title and was prepared to allow his younger brother handle the barony himself. Perhaps he could make an early start in these plans.”
“Whatever you wish Commander Mullins. I hope you will not leave the Royal Navy prematurely, as I feel you have a great deal you can do for your country. As it happens, I may already have an idea of why your brother does not wish to assume the responsibility of the barony. But we need not go into that. Give my clerk outside an address where we may locate you. You may expect to be notified within a few months.”
As Mullins stepped outside he considered he might well need some intelligent allies to assist him as these strange difficulties materialized. Both Will and Edward were strong armed young men who most adversaries would dislike to attack. But, they were certainly not the most intelligent of men. Midshipman Raynor came to mind. He was still just a boy, one who would not likely be suspected to be involved in any high-level political maneuvering. He was though, an unusually intelligent lad who had once navigated a prize to a British port over a distance of a thousand miles.
The question was, how was he to locate the boy? He had not seen the lad since sailing off in a prize long before.
Mullins had an idea the lad might find his way to the Admiralty to look into the possibility of obtaining a berth on another ship. Therefore, he found the warder who had shown him in to see Mister Nepean. Mullins explained that he needed to locate a certain midshipman and offered to pay him well if he could locate Mister Raynor for him. He told the warder he thought the boy might well come to the Admiralty.
HMS Aphrodite (Sea Command Book 1) Page 17