He waited no more than ten minutes, which gave him a good impression of the old gentleman’s courtesy.
He gave the old-fashioned salute, removing his bicorne and bowing to the most senior British sailor.
“Thank you, my lord. Do sit down, Calvine. I am pleased to meet you, my lord. You come with a rather remarkable record, my lord. From being a wastrel, close to being ordered to send in your papers, you have achieved early promotion to post captain and a pair of remarkably well-deserved Distinguished Service Orders. You are known now for your dedication to duty and willingness to risk your life to carry out your orders. There have been comments on your willingness to interpret your orders to meet changing circumstances; I have heard it said that there would have been no Victoria and Camperdown had you been in command of either ship. I do not know, by the way, whether that is in your favour or a mark against you. Well, my lord?”
Magnus assumed his best rueful smile.
“I had the great good fortune to meet my lady, my lord. I am now obliged to live up to her standards. I have been a most unusually lucky man, my lord.”
“God has been good to you, perhaps, my lord.”
Magnus was unable to assume a mask of piety – that was beyond him.
The First Naval Lord noticed the lack of response and discovered he preferred that to the normal hypocrisy that greeted any expression of his faith.
“Admiral Fisher is continually badgering me about the torpedo, Calvine. He has a bee in his bonnet, it would seem. You have actually fired one of the damned machines in action and scored a hit with it. What is your candid opinion of the thing?”
“A larger and more powerful torpedo will be a weapon capable of destroying the greatest warship, my lord. Given a flotilla of destroyers and light cruisers, my lord, attacking out of the night, and I would expect to cripple any battle squadron except it was protected in some newly devised fashion. If a battleship is to live at sea, then it must keep the torpedo carriers at least a mile distant.”
“Then you do not believe in the battleship, Calvine?”
“The unprotected battleship, my lord, can no longer perform its function.”
“I am told that protection against the torpedo is impossible.”
“That, my lord, with respect, seems unlikely. If we cannot protect our battleships today, then we must invent a means tomorrow.”
“Well said, Calvine. You are to concern yourself with the torpedo and its use in offense and with all means of defence against it. You talked of a flotilla of destroyers and ‘light’ cruisers. What have you in mind? Don’t tell me now. Produce a paper outlining your proposals. Send it to me before you circulate it – you will no doubt create outrage so it will be as well that I know first. I will wish you to take your seat in the House, Calvine, there to offer a voice of moderation and reason, to balance any extremes that may be preached by the enthusiasts, of whom there are too many just now. You may expect to remain in the Admiralty for the next three years, unless my successor deems otherwise.”
Magnus stood and saluted and left the presence, wondering just what the first Naval Lord had meant by his last order.
‘To balance any extremes’ – that sounded reasonable, but what was an ‘extreme’? One man’s extreme was often another’s sweet reason. It sounded highly improbable.
He decided to discover where the Department of Naval Construction was and to find his direct superior there. He would arrange a starting day then.
There was a porter lurking outside the office, begging his pardon and volunteering to escort him to the Rear-Admiral’s office; he followed on to the first of four more interviews with concerned officers, all of them with an interest in what he was to do. Late afternoon saw him hailing a cab and returning home, to start work on the following Monday – if he did not choose to resign his commission first.
Next morning he was rising from a belated breakfast when his butler presented him with a card.
“To see you, my lord. In the morning room.”
Magnus glanced at the card and straightened his necktie and hastened to greet his visitor.
“Your Grace, welcome to my house.”
The Duke of Northumberland shook hands and smiled his kindest.
“You will know why I am here, Calvine. My son, young Lieutenant Knuyper, has written of you repeatedly and has progressed from midshipman to full lieutenant in less than two years under your command. Picked up a Mention in Despatches in the process, much to my pride.”
“Well-deserved, Duke. An able young man with a glittering career ahead of him. I expect to hear of him as a lieutenant-in-command of a sloop or destroyer in short order and commander soon thereafter.”
“Made by following your example, Calvine. He has been fortunate in his captain. Will you be taking your seat this parliamentary session, Calvine? If so, I would be honoured to stand as one of your sponsors.”
Magnus expressed his thanks, honestly made – to be sponsored by a duke was out of the ordinary and would draw favourable attention. He rang the bell for Fong and begged that his lady might join him.
There was much to be said for a beautiful blonde countess – the Duke was instantly captivated. He apologised for the short notice, inviting the couple to a dinner party arranged for the next evening.
“I do not doubt there will be many other cards of invitation, Calvine, as soon as your presence in Town becomes generally known.”
Magnus said the correct words as he accepted the invitation. He was not at all sure that he wished to enjoy a fashionable existence in London but he would have little choice while he remained at the Admiralty.
They sat quietly over the afternoon tea tray, George just taken upstairs by his amah.
“A fine life, Ellen, and much to be said in its favour. We might also consider whether we might not prefer to spend our days other than in London. There is a deal of work to be done on the Scottish estate, and it would be better achieved in my presence there. A few weeks at the Admiralty and my paper on the torpedo delivered to the First Naval Lord and it might be sensible to go to half-pay for a few years, citing the need of run-down estates which must be my duty. We are not in time of war and it would not be incorrect in me to put the needs of my family first.”
“Would you leave the Navy entirely, Magnus?”
“Not necessarily, my love. There might be the opportunity of a foreign posting and the chance of a little of action. I do not think I am the sort to spend my days playing politics and arguing the case for destroyers rather than battleships. Better far to devote myself to George’s inheritance and the greater good of the family. I’m very proud that my exploits in China have enhanced my reputation in London.”
“And so you should be Magnus… so you should be.”
# # #
Thank you for reading Peking Nightmares, the final book in the series. Note: The author’s recently completed Innocents at War Series, has received much critical acclaim and comes highly recommended. Find out more here:
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Hungry Harry – An Orphan in the Ranks: Born in a home for fallen women, at the age of eight the barefooted and waiflike Harry is sent out to work. After years of unpaid toil and hunger, he runs away and is cajoled into believing that the Army is his only option. He joins a battalion that is sent to Africa’s Slave Coast where disease is the biggest killer of men. When the much-thinned battalion returns to England and is disbanded, he drifts into smuggling in order to survive. All goes well until he is betrayed and forced back on the run. Leaving the West Country behind, he enlists in a Sussex regiment which is sent to quell rioting in the north where he faces danger from the angry Mob, and from the rage of a sadistic young ensign who is out for Harry’s blood.
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Cannibal Country Trilogy: In the early 1900s gutter rat, Ned Hawkins aims to rise from the grinding poverty of an English slum, but is forced to flee the country and ends up in Papua. It is a dangerous place where cannibalism and cannibals are never far away. Despite this menacing backdrop, he prospers and almost by accident, finds love. However, there are ominous stirrings in the land that bode ill for the future. Note: All three books are now available on Kindle.
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04 Peking Nightmares (The Earl’s Other Son Series, #4) Page 27