The Odd-Job Man (The Duty and Destiny Series, Book 7)

by Andrew Wareham

  "And some will demonstrate how right the Navy was to beach them, sir. Do it, sir, if you would be so good. I will not have it said of me that I would deny any man hope - but for those who betray my confidence in them, then I fear me they may regret ever seeing the watery main!"

  Girton made a great pretence of not having heard that last comment.

  "It seems that Bonaparte is not wholly convinced of the wisdom of an invasion, Sir Frederick. He has marched many thousands of men to the coasts, but he is also sending a whole army towards the eastern borders as if to threaten Austria again. Many in England believe that if he was intending to invade England he would concentrate on that single aim. He is really too good a soldier to wish to simultaneously fight wars on two fronts, or so we are told. I suspect he has no faith in the ability of his navy to secure the Channel - which is a reasonable belief on his part. As well, there is a whisper that the French Admiralty, or whatever they call it, is not wholly loyal to him and might be suspected of wishing to recall the French Royalty to power. That may of course be merest paranoia on his part - he is probably of limited sanity, after all - most of these Frog dictators have been rather peculiar upstairs, you know."

  Frederick wondered whether he dare comment that the problem was not limited to the French but decided that he should not take the risk. He did debate crying 'God Save the King', but suspected even that might be looked at askance.

  "Five weeks from today, you think, sir?"

  "That is my aim, Sir Frederick. I shall send a message of course, closer to the day."

  "Thank you, sir. Your Marine will find me at Long Common from four weeks hence, but I think we shall spend a fortnight or so in London, at Mount Street, from later this week."

  "Iain is old enough to see some of the sights, my dear, and I am sure your wardrobe, like mine, needs replenishment. I shall be able to speak in person with the prize agent, which will be useful, and there may well be a few of our acquaintance who will be glad to see us. I shall carry my finery with me; there might be a levee and it could well be that I should attend, just to be seen in the right places. I am notorious again, I have no doubt, and one should always make the most of being almost in the public eye. Add to that, the Spanish ambassador might be present, and it would be amusing to exchange bows with the gentleman!"

  Elizabeth could not be persuaded that it was entirely wise, but she did need to visit the modiste, Therese, all of her dresses being just a fraction tight since the birth of little Jane. She dearly loved her children, but they did take a toll on her shape, she found.

  Frederick, very wisely, made no comment, merely took pains to demonstrate that he still found her very attractive indeed.

  The Season was over and most of the fashionable had left town for a month at the coastal resorts before making their way to their estates for the shooting. Town was quiet, but there were still a number of families in residence, due to the demands of the wars. Government had to remain in being and Parliament was still sitting, there being a few Bills to pass and much policy to discuss. Mr Addington had been a slothful Prime Minister, inclined to spend hours in worrying and minutes in actually doing. Mr Pitt, though lacking some of his old vigour, was still far more active in pursuit of his vision for the country and for Europe.

  Lord Alton was at home when Frederick sent his card in and welcomed his nephew with some delight.

  "Your action in the Caribbean caused a great stir in London, Sir Frederick. The piratical nature of the Spanish assault upon you caused many who were dubious about the need for war to change their minds. There had been a wish for a more limited conflict, if that were possible, and eventually for a more meaningful settlement of peace with France - but it was generally accepted that the Spanish were acting in bad faith and could never be trusted after their wicked attack upon you."

  "It was certainly the case, my lord, that the Spanish saw us first and closed upon us in warlike fashion. Otherwise, as you will appreciate, I would have retired gracefully. Frigates have no business setting about Second Rate ships of the line. Fortunately, we were able to outfight her, due I have to say to the poor seamanship the Spanish officers displayed."

  "And to the aggression of your Captain Jackman? There has been much said of his 'crossing the T', three times over at pistol shot!"

  Frederick smiled, said that he would not have believed it had he not seen it.

  "He must be knighted, of course, nothing less is possible. Vice-Admiral Farquhar has been very strong for him and has, I believe, spoken of the young man in the Prince's presence."

  Frederick answered the unspoken question.

  "The Vice-Admiral has been a friend to Mr Jackman through his whole career. One is given to understand that he is acquainted with the young man's mother."

  "But not with his father?"

  "Oh, my lord, he knows him very well!"

  Lord Alton smiled in return, spoke then of more general political matters, none of which were familiar to Frederick.

  "What have you to say about Lord Nelson, Sir Frederick?"

  "I have never met him, my lord, but know of him as England's greatest sailor. One might wish that he could have kept his breeches more securely buttoned, perhaps, but that is more for the newssheets to speculate upon! He may well be the finest admiral we have ever known, and that is to include Sir Francis Drake. Government must support him, my lord, and give him the fleet he demands. I am told he has more than his share of vanity - but that may be forgiven in a man of his eminence. While we have Nelson, Bonaparte will never invade our shores."

  "So I have been told, Sir Frederick. There is no choice, it seems, we must support him, though I have little respect for his discretion in other matters. His love for Prince William Henry is in many ways an irritation, for that princeling is incapable of minding himself in public matters!"

  Frederick knew of the Prince's record at sea - a bully and an incompetent as an officer and one who attracted some very unpleasant followers. Nelson's unthinking loyalty to his King and his Country was an embarrassment in this respect.

  "There will be no levee in the next few weeks; I fear the Prince to be located at Brighton playing at building there. There will be a number of minor functions, however, if you were of a mind to attend?"

  "I should be very glad to do so, sir."

  "Good. I will speak with Melville. He will be pleased to see you and hold you in conversation, I doubt not."

  Mr Russell was in town and knew of precisely the best of haberdashers to replace Sir Frederick's linen and oversaw his tailoring to the satisfaction of both.

  "A levee? Oh, one must be seen, Sir Frederick! Just as soon as the Royal Personage may be persuaded to return to London and take up his duties again! I will inform you when the occasion arises. I find myself obliged to attend at an early date, having been offered the honour of a position in the Ministry. I am to take some responsibility for the provision of stores of military goods in our new colonies and forts and outposts in various benighted parts of the globe. I find that I must purchase a globe, in fact, so as to discover where these strange places actually are. Goree, for example - wherever might one discover a place with such a name?"

  "Slave Coast of West Africa, Mr Russell. One of the worst places in the world for fever."

  "Ah, the military mind at its very best, Sir Frederick! Knowledge of all of the remote places of the world."

  "What is planned for the slave trade, Mr Russell?"

  "Little as yet, Sir Frederick. For the while government is making it clear to British traders that action will be taken, one day, and that they should disengage from the trade. There has been some slight mention of your action, in fact, with the hint that government will not disavow you. There will be no debate of the trade in the House this year, but it must come before too long. It is an embarrassment to the civilised of the world."

  "I had feared court action by the owners of the Sally - I caused them substantial loss."

  "They have swallowed it, Sir Frederick. W
as there to be a court case, with its inevitable publicity, then questions might be asked of taxes payable over a number of years. They will be quiet, sir, knowing that government would rather not risk its majority this year. The Welsh baronet, Sir William Watkins Watkins, has control of a number of seats in the Commons and might lead his members into the wrong division lobby was he to be pressed too hard. He will keep silent and pursue no case at law and government will ask no question about the Trade, or not this year, at least."

  "Unpleasant."

  "Highly - but that is the nature of politicians - 'nothing for nothing and very little for sixpence' as they say!"

  The functions were less than balls and more than evening parties - the Season was over and so many were out of town that it was very difficult for the determined hostess to decide exactly what she was offering, which at least gave a topic for discussion.

  Frederick made his appearances in the train of Lord Alton, escorting Elizabeth, dancing and behaving with casual correctness. He was wholly unaware of any gossip regarding his recent doings. A few of the gentlemen chose to pose odd questions in his hearing and he was happy to answer them, turning away all controversy with well-mannered ease. He made much of his good fortune in having the bold Captain Jackman under his command.

  "Still a young man of course and with a remarkable record of success to his name."

  "I believe this is the third time he has fallen under your command, Sir Frederick?"

  Frederick turned, saw the author of the question to be Lord Melville, bowed his best, as was obligatory upon him.

  "It is, my Lord. I first saw him as a young master's mate and lieutenant in the Sugar Islands; then I had the good fortune that he sailed with me to the South Seas, becoming my premier; finally, of course, he commanded the frigate Arnheim in my squadron earlier this year."

  "An impressive set of achievements for a young man not yet thirty years of age, Sir Frederick."

  Melville knew that he was alerting the audience to Frederick's own age. There was no harm, he thought, in pointing out that Frederick too was a prodigy. He was also making it clear that Frederick had formed the young man - that his record mirrored that of his mentor.

  Those present in Town inevitably included almost all of the Ministers of the Crown who composed the government. Mr Pitt was not present, he almost never was at such affairs, but the great bulk of his followers were, and all were noticing Sir Frederick as a man for the future, provided he did not get killed at sea first, of course.

  The projected invasion was on the lips of most of those present in the evenings and was inevitably the topic of conversation wherever Frederick was present. A renowned fighting seaman must have much to say that could be quoted.

  "Admiral Nelson, ma'am, has the necessary command of the fleet. We need not fear the French while he is with us."

  "Or the Spanish, sir?"

  "We are not, ma'am, as I am aware, at war with the Spanish."

  This was always seen as a daring and witty sally, coming from him, was the cause of much scandalised laughter.

  Rather to Frederick's disappointment the Spanish ambassador was not showing himself in society at the time, but there were others of the Diplomatic Corps who would no doubt have passed his words along.

  Their fortnight ended and they returned to Long Common, in three post chaises, the extra containing the deliveries from tailor and dress shops, and haberdasher and bootmaker and bookshops and a host of purveyors of minor oddments and luxuries.

  Elizabeth seemed reconciled to Frederick's habits of extravagance on this occasion. When he made mild enquiry she merely said that they could no doubt afford the expenditure, and in any case any protest would certainly have been ignored - she had learned a little of her husband, she said.

  "We must perhaps enjoy life while we may, Elizabeth. I am in England for a few months, but this makeshift squadron must be no more than a temporary command, probably to be followed by a period of half-pay, unless there are awkward jobs to be farmed out to those who cannot refuse them. If we do not have the good fortune to go to war with Spain then I shall always have the shadow of the Santiago looming over me; the Admiralty has made a declaration that exonerates me - but that is not as cast-iron as the ruling of a court."

  "Should there be a war then it would be difficult indeed to change that ruling, I can see that... You are saying in effect, Frederick, that your head could be offered on the table was there to be a set of peace negotiations."

  "The Santiago given back to the Spanish with me dangling from the main yardarm, ma'am. Not impossible!"

  "What is the word you use for politicians, Frederick?"

  "Not one for you, ma'am!"

  A letter arrived soon after, from London, Captain Murray informing them that he was to make a visit to Portsmouth and proposed, if it was convenient, to pay a call on them.

  "You will be glad to meet Captain Murray, Elizabeth. He is a man of vast erudition who can nonetheless be pleasant company. A pity your brother George is not here - he would like him."

  Murray appeared on the Thursday, was easily persuaded to delay his return to London till the Monday.

  "Talking to some French refugees who appeared in a small ship off Portsmouth a few days ago, sir. The Port-Admiral, who is an able man, had his suspicions of them and asked for one of us to come and meet them before they were permitted to discover their friends and relatives in England. They were full of information about the invasion forces, Sir Frederick, giving names of commanders and locations of their boats and battalions and details of all they had planned. Remarkably knowledgeable, they were - explained by their having been employed in a firm of victuallers with contracts along the whole coast. Utter lies, of course. One of our people happened to take a ride on a smuggling craft just a few days ago and saw much over a day or two on the other side; his information differed rather markedly from theirs."

  Frederick shook his head.

  "They are to be shot, I presume, Captain Murray?"

  "No, not at all, Sir Frederick. How wasteful that would be! They have been thanked for their valuable words and sent off to London. There, they will be helped to find a house and some paying work and will be encouraged to settle and live useful lives. They have already been told that Lord Nelson is to be dismissed from office, overhearing a conversation through an open office door, and they will be watched from a careful distance, all of their contacts marked and the lie traced all of the way to France, one hopes. We shall discover much of the French networks through them. Eventually the Frogs will realise that they are blown - then we shall hang them!"

  Elizabeth had never met up with the reality of the information game; she found she did not like it.

  "Is this your life, Captain Murray? Chasing out spies and using them to send false results to the French?"

  "A part of it, Lady Harris. More of my time is devoted to seeking out those Englishmen who have been suborned by French gold or persuaded by democrats and other extremists that our country is no longer theirs. Unfortunately, there are too many of them, and some few with access to high places. As an example, it is known in Paris that Sir Frederick is to lead a squadron to attack the invasion barges and the word has already been sent to the local commanders, with the reminder that he is a most bloody-handed man who will spread fire and slaughter wherever he goes. As a result, some of the French are permanently on the alert to march and others are poised to run away at the first sight of a topsail. All of the coastal batteries have been warned that he is predisposed to assault them from small boats and they have already fired upon French fishermen on four separate occasions!"

  That information must have come from inside the Admiralty; it was worrying to believe that there might be traitors in the highest places.

  "Some are merely men with mouths that flap when they are in company. A drink or two and they will discuss the day's business with any who ask. Others are in debt or are simply badly paid and cannot refuse gold when it is offered them. One or two are a
ctuated by malice, I believe, Sir Frederick. Did you ever cross swords with a man named Horley?"

  "He was first lieutenant of the Athene sloop. A drunk and a fool who died of the recurrent fever in the Sugar Islands. He was in bad odour with the captain and in part blamed me."

  "His connections still carry a grudge against you, it would seem."

  "To the extent that they will betray me to the French, Captain Murray?"

  "Only at second-hand, sir, they would not dirty themselves directly - they talk to friends, who they know happen to have friends who know people in a neutral embassy, the Danes a favourite just now. Any word spoken before a member of the Danish Legation is known in Paris inside the week!"

  Elizabeth was scandalised, wanted to know if nothing could be done.

  "Poisoning the well, Lady Harris - ensuring that they hear so much and pass it on so enthusiastically that the French are swamped by information, most of it false and invented by us. Thus when Sir Frederick actually sails we shall let the Danes and the Swedes and the Russians know that he is to assault the mouths of the Scheldt and Calais Roads and the ports of Brittany while simultaneously making a sweep through the Kattegat. By the time they have decided which is most likely he will have returned to port again. After the fact they will discover what actually occurred and who had the truth. They will believe that fortunate source next time and discover we have then lied to him. The French, of course, do the same to us, sending us vast amounts of falsehoods on a weekly basis. It is all great fun, you know!"

  It all seemed remarkably schoolboyish to her, with the exception that little boys rarely killed each other.

  Later, Murray told Frederick that he had observed progress on his flotilla.

  "The Port-Admiral has collected together some eight vessels, Sir Frederick, and is now busily finding officers for them. The First Lord is anxious that you should take your command soon - so that he can stand in the Cabinet and tell them that action is in hand - and has sent money so that repairs can be made and a number of merchant craft be bought into the service. Your flagship is still to be the frigate Acheron and you are to have two sloops of the larger sort and, I am given to understand, heavily gunned; as well there is a large cutter and three brigs of no great tonnage and an ancient lugger which is to be loaded with tar barrels and incendiary devices as a fireship. Word has gone out and any number of indigent lieutenants have appeared to knock on the Port-Admiral's door and beg a berth."