A War by Diplomacy Page 7

  “So do I! I am not looking forward to discovering what problems he has left that require my attention.”

  With those somewhat gloomy thoughts, they walked off towards their hotel.

  Chapter VII

  Giles and Daphne arrived soon after midday at the headquarters of the East Hampshire Regiment. They were directed to the Adjutant, Major Brindsley, a small, dark, harried-seeming man.

  “Captain Giles, I am very sorry about your step-brother. Such a senseless waste! I am afraid that Colonel Jenkins is away as is our Lieutenant Colonel, but they gave me full information about your business. Did you know that you were a great hero to him?”

  “I did not. I am surprised.”

  “Oh, yes, he followed your career closely though, I am afraid, somewhat enviously. He subscribed to the Naval Gazette and made sure that the mess knew whenever you were mentioned. He did rather wish that he had gone into the Navy instead of having his father buy him a commission.”

  “How did he die, Major?” asked Giles. “I have received only the most minimal of news.”

  “It is a sad and rather stupid tale, I am afraid. The news of his brother’s death was brought by a couple of captains who were returning from a visit to London, where I believe that they had encountered Lord Ashton at some establishment where he was well known as a reckless gambler and heavy drinker. He was in his cups that night and losing rather heavily. They observed him as they themselves were gambling at another table. About dawn, they said, Viscount Ashton threw down his cards, announced that the game was rigged, and that he needed some fresh air. He staggered out of the room without settling what he owed. The men he had been playing with seemed startled by his behavior, but soon resolved as a group to pursue him to get what they were owed, at least in the form of notes that acknowledged the debts. They went to the house where he lived, only to be told that Lord Ashton had taken his horse, mentioning something about going riding in Rotten Row to clear his head. After some delay, his pursuers obtained horses and set off after him. They found him coming towards them and when he saw them, he apparently tried to turn his horse to avoid them. Unfortunately, however, he must have pulled on the reins or spurred the creature in some strange manner. The beast reared violently and Lord Ashton was thrown to the ground and apparently broke his neck. Having established that he was dead, the group returned to the same location to discuss the situation and toast the memory of the man who had just bilked them of their winnings.

  “My colleagues were still at the club and heard all the details. They were highly interested since they realized that the victim was the brother of their mess mate. When they returned to the mess, rather late the next night, they found Captain Giles somewhat advanced in his cups and quite unaware of his brother’s demise. One of my colleagues, Captain Hershey, who is a belligerent and rather uncouth man, not at all popular in the mess, announced the death to Captain Giles and started to berate him on how typical the whole thing had been of the Giles family, or so I am told; I wasn’t there.

  “Captain Giles objected to this description of him and his relatives and several colleagues tried to get Captain Hershey to desist, but instead he became more vocal in abusing both Captain Giles and his family. Captain Giles, understandably, had had enough. He challenged Captain Hershey to a duel. Unfortunately, neither side was willing to back down. Captain Hershey is a very good shot, and the same could not be said of your brother. They met at dawn, and Captain Hershey mortally wounded your brother.”

  “What happened to Captain Hershey?”

  “He fled. He has, of course, lost his commission. No great deprivation to the Regiment. I hope you are not thinking of taking revenge on him.”

  “No. It sounds as if Thomas got his due desserts. If there is a case, I trust that the authorities will deal with Captain Hershey. Now, I understand that there are some matters that are a concern to me.

  “Yes. There are three things. First are his possessions. There is not much. Only his pistols and his sword are of value. Do you want them?”

  “No, I am adequately equipped myself. Do you have a tradition of auctioning off a deceased officer’s effects to cover his mess bills?”

  “We haven’t in the past, as far as I know. But we have not been on active service since the American War.”

  “Quite. I suggest that you auction his effects and use the proceeds to pay his mess bill. Anything remaining should be used to raise a glass to his memory in the mess on as many occasions as it may take to exhaust the funds.”

  “That is very good of you, sir. Now the second matter is his commission. It is worth a bit of money, though not as much as you might expect since we are not a fashionable regiment and there is the prospect that we may be called to active service. I might mention that the proceeds might be used to deal with one of the less attractive things that Captain Giles left behind.”

  “What is that?”

  “Ah, well … ah … Captain Giles left behind him a bit of unfinished business.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, he got a country girl near here, a dairy maid, with child. It is not unusual near a regimental depot, as I suppose you know. Nevertheless, Captain Giles seemed to be quite attached to the woman and, when a boy was born, he was concerned about their future. I admit that I was somewhat surprised by his reaction. Most of our soldiers just walk away when something like that happens.

  “Anyway, he did something to support the wench until her time came and afterward, I believe. The problem is that she has been shunned by her own family and all of the village. She is living in a barn with her baby and hardly making ends meet since your brother died. There is a man in the village who is prepared to marry her, for a hefty sum of money, and raise the child as his own. He demands £500 to do so. Captain Giles was trying to raise the sum, but it was not likely to occur. Selling his commission might cover the sum, but I would recommend against that wedding even if it could be financed.”

  “Why?”

  “The man is a brute. Both the woman and child would likely be ill-treated. In fact, he was suspected in the death of his previous wife from beating her, but it never came to the assizes.”

  “This is awful. Oh, the poor child,” Daphne broke in. “Richard, we must do something. The child is your nephew.”

  “I suppose we must. Major, do you know how one sells a commission?”

  “The best thing is for the Regiment to do it. We can get as good a price as anyone for you, and there is then no problem about whether the purchaser is acceptable.”

  “Will you do it for me, please? My wife and I will see the woman and decide what to do about the situation.”

  “Certainly, Captain Giles. I should be delighted to deal with the commission. If you can find a satisfactory solution to the problem of his child, it will help the Regiment too. Though these things do happen, unfortunately, our taking some responsibility for the deleterious outcome of dalliance between our officers and the local girls will ease our relations with the town.”

  Giles and Daphne set off to see the woman. She was indeed living in a barn with her child and seemed to be badly in need of everything to sustain them. The baby was dressed in rags and had a charming, grinning face, though it was covered with dirt, as were his hands and feet.

  “Richard,” Daphne whispered when she saw the situation, “we can’t just leave her here.”

  “Let’s find out more, dear, before we become too involved.”

  Questioning the woman, whose name was Nancy, revealed that her plight was indeed dire. Her family had rejected her totally and the village had abandoned her when her son was born. Somehow, the parish had succeeded in shirking its duty. Captain Giles had promised to take care of her, but he hadn’t done much and then he got killed. It was only through the kindness of the farmer that she had use of his barn, but he provided no support, and had made it clear that he wanted her to go soon. The proposed suitor was a brute, whom she feared greatly, but she could see no other alternative if the money sh
ould be raised. Otherwise, she would have to go to Portsmouth or, maybe, Southampton where she might be able to sell her favors.

  Daphne drew Giles aside. “Richard, this won’t do. The child is your nephew, even though he is a bastard. I can’t stand to see the poor woman abused in this way.”

  ‘Daphne, such a fate is the all too common lot of girls who do not guard their chastity better and get swept away by an attractive man and his false promises. We cannot rescue all of them.”

  “Of course not. But this child was the responsibility of your half-brother and you are his heir, no matter what you may think of him, and so this is just one particular woman whom we must help. It is not a question of rescuing them all. I would feel badly about abandoning her here, especially when I know how well our child will be treated when he – or she, of course – arrives.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Nancy would be better off well away from here. Not only is her reputation destroyed, but also the local people have disowned her. We need another milkmaid on the Dipton Hall farm. That position would give her a place to live. And there might well be someone in the area to marry her, if it was thought that she had had a husband who had died. Even if there isn’t anyone to marry her, her situation would be better on our estate than what she faces here. And it would be cheaper for you than if you have to pay that brute what he wants in order to marry her.”

  “Trust you to think of my purse for me,” Giles teased. “But you are right. We owe it to the family honor, tattered as that seems to have been rendered by the actions of my father and step- brothers, to do something for Nancy and her child. I don’t want it advertised that the child is Thomas’s, though I don’t doubt it. We could suggest that she say her husband had been taken by the press gang and had died at sea. That would account for us taking an interest in her, and make her having the child seem respectable. I don’t even care what suspicions our neighbors might have about how the child came about if it would not bother you.”

  “It would not. And he is a lovely little baby boy under all that grime.”

  “Then let’s do something about it.”

  Giles and Daphne turned to Nancy and outlined what they had in mind. She would get employment at Dipton Hall as a dairymaid and with it would come a small cottage. They would also supply £20 for furnishings and clothes for the baby. Daphne would pick her up in the coach as she travelled from Butler’s Hard to Dipton in a couple of days’ time.

  With this problem settled, Daphne and Giles were able to set off again for Butler’s Hard. They arrived late at their destination, but again Mr. Stewart stopped them going to the inn, insisting that Mrs. Stewart would be heart-broken if they did not again stay with them. He reported that Glaucus was ready to sail, all that was needed was Giles’s final inspection and approval.

  Mr. Stewart did have a letter for Captain Giles from Sir Walcott Lainey. He, it seemed, had decided not to join the ship at Portsmouth, as had been arranged after he refused to brave the wilds of a trip to Butler’s Hard, though why that was unacceptable had been totally unclear. He now claimed that he still had urgent business in London, which would prevent his joining the ship at Portsmouth. Instead, Sir Walcott now expected Glaucus to proceed to Chatham where he would embark.

  Giles was highly annoyed. Sir Walcott had claimed that he was in a hurry to get to St. Petersburg, though he had delayed departure so much that the Admiralty had decided that the trip could serve as an initial cruise for the new frigate. Glaucus would have to put into Portsmouth to pick up her cannon, powder, and shot in any case and it was therefore the best place for the special ambassador to join her. Going to Chatham would delay them considerably, especially if the winds were not auspicious. However, there was nothing he could do about the changed situation. He would send Sir Walcott a message saying that it was important that he meet the ship as soon as it was likely to get to Chatham, specifying a precise date. The note stressed that further delay would jeopardize their hope to complete a worthwhile mission before it would be necessary to leave St. Petersburg for fear that the Baltic would become blocked by ice.

  Daphne was amused at how annoyed Giles was at having his plans disrupted, though, in fact, it did not really matter. She pointed out the benefit of the new arrangement to Giles since he would have to put up with Sir Walcott for several fewer days. It would really be better for Giles than if the Baronet had appeared at Portsmouth when he was expected or, even worse, ahead of time. This argument did not improve her husband’s mood, until he thought of the implications of his cabin being entirely his own for a few more days.

  “Daphne, my dear, how would you like to go on a cruise for a few days with me on Glaucus?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Well, when we leave here, there will be a couple of very hectic days in Portsmouth loading our armament and supplies. We would have had to divide the main cabin in case Sir Walcott showed up on time, so it would be cramped if you were also present, so I did not think to ask you because you might find it uncomfortable, especially since you are with child. Now, the whole of the cabin is available and there will be at least another three days, more likely four or five, quite apart from those in Portsmouth, until Glaucus reaches Chatham. I would love it if you would come with me. We could send the carriage back to Dipton with orders to proceed then to Chatham. It could pick up Nancy on the way to Dipton. It would certainly be there in time, given that we are not making a direct passage to the Medway.”

  “I thought that sailors were superstitious about women on board being bad luck.”

  “That’s nonsense. Many ships have women, often wives of senior petty officers. And very useful they are too. Quite a few captains take their wives to sea, but most prefer not to. I think the story of the superstition is spread by captains who take a casual view of their marriage vows.”

  “All right. But what about Betsy?”

  ‘She can come too, of course. Carstairs can find her a place or we can set off part of the cabin. Or she can go back with the coach if she is afraid of the sea.”

  “You have an answer for everything. Yes! Oh, yes! I would love to come with you. If it weren’t for the baby about to arrive, I would try to persuade you to take me all the way to St. Petersburg.”

  Next morning, after a pleasant evening spent with Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, Giles and Daphne were rowed out to Glaucus. Giles was piped aboard with full ceremony, even though he had yet to accept the vessel on behalf of the Navy. Daphne was whisked aboard soon after. Mr. Stewart was on hand to lead the way in showing the changes in the vessel.

  The first surprise occurred when they entered the captain’s cabin. Mr. Stewart explained that it was currently laid out as it would be for the voyage to St. Petersburg. Under this arrangement, the first room consisted of a dining room with a large, elegant walnut table, in simple lines and fine workmanship. It was surrounded by matching chairs.

  “Good heavens, Mr. Stewart. This is surely not your usual furnishings,” exclaimed Giles.

  “No sir, it is a gift from Mrs. Stewart and myself. We have very much appreciated the progress Daniel has made under you tutelage.”

  “He is a fine lad, Mr. Stewart. There is no need for you to make such a splendid gift.”

  “It is our pleasure, Captain.”

  “Then, thank you very much, very much indeed. Isn’t it a magnificent set of table and chairs, Daphne?”

  “It most certainly is!”

  “Now,’ said Mr. Stewart, “let’s examine the captain’s own cabin and the guest one.”

  Giles’s compartment also was furnished in the same style as the dining room had been.

  “Surely this is not also from you, Mr. Stuart, is it?” Giles asked.

  “No. You have Lady Giles to thank for these furnishings.”

  “Daphne? So that is what you were doing when you went shopping and no packages showed up! This is magnificent! Thank you, so much. It was so thoughtful of you. How did you even know what to order?”r />
  “Mr. Stuart suggested what was needed when we were last here, and where to purchase it. He showed me the regular furniture that he would supply and it was not very nice. He said he knew that on Petroclus you never changed what the shipyard had supplied. I thought you might like to have better surroundings.”

  “I certainly do. And every time I am in my cabin, I will have an extra reason to remember you.”

  “Now,” said Mr. Stuart, “let’s look at the guest accommodation next door.”

  The space was a mirror image of the Captain’s cabin, on the starboard rather than the larboard* side. It also had high quality furniture quite unlike what the boatyard would have supplied. Unlike the pieces in Giles own cabin, these ones featured a great deal of gold inlay work. To Daphne’s eyes, it appeared rather garish.

  “Surely you did not supply this … this furniture, did you, Mr. Stuart?” Giles asked.

  “Oh, no. It was delivered at the same time as Lady Giles’s order. I understand that Sir Walcott ordered it himself.”

  “How in the world did he know what to buy?”

  “I suspect that you will have to ask Lady Giles that question.”

  “Daphne?”

  “Richard, Mr. Stewart mentioned when we were at Butler’s Hard that many captains acquired their own cabin furnishings since those supplied otherwise are rather Spartan and crude. He also told me about the table, but asked me to keep the news as a surprise for you.”

  “Yes?”

  “I found out from him who could supply first-rate cabin furniture that would match the table he was intending to give you. He also gave me a copy of the plans for the ship including the cabin, of course, in case I decided to order some furniture. So, yes, when I was in London I did place an order.”

  “That is all very interesting Daphne, but it doesn’t tell me how Sir Walcott came to order his own furniture and why it fits the space just like mine does. Surely, you didn’t buy a set for Sir Walcott too.”