Chapter 17: Peace?

April 1808

HMS Asia, sailing under stay sails and with her top hamper stricken to mask her appearance and to reduce her visibility, was creeping towards the Portuguese coast, just north of Mondego Bay. The moon would not rise for another two hours, and only the faintest of light helped Tony to navigate his ship.

Fortunately, they had surveyed the coast two weeks earlier. The small beach ahead was secluded and miles away from any human settlement. Here they had landed the Portuguese Major Figueira, to allow him to contact the loyalists at Coimbra which boasted Portugal’s only university and was a focal point of the loyalists. Now it was time to pick him up again.

Tony had climbed into the foretop, and he stared into the darkness ahead, trying to see the weak fluorescence of the surf on the beach ahead. There! He could briefly see the white of a breaker rolling up the beach. Hastily, he climbed down the ratlines and joined the officers on the quarter deck.

“Are your men ready, Mister Prince?”

The 5th Lieutenant nodded.

“Yes, Sir. The cutter’s crew has been told off, and ten marines under Corporal Billing are waiting.”

“Well, then, let’s heave-to. Mister Prince, have the cutter lowered and off with you!”

“Aye-aye, Sir!” the young prince rapped eagerly, already turning away.

There was no boatswain pipes to be heard when the crew manned the tackles, and the blocks had been greased in advance. In as much silence as possible, the cutter was lowered into the water. A few minutes later, the crew shoved off. Cutter and oars had been painted black, and the men in the cutter wore dark sweaters and blackened trousers. Once they were away from the ship by a half cable length, they were invisible.

There, on the beach, a lantern was flashing. Three long, one short, another long flash — the pre-arranged signal. Tony breathed a low sigh of relief. At least, this part went as planned. Now, he had to wait. Fortunately, the pick-up went smoothly. Less than a half hour had passed when the cutter bumped against Asia’s side. Major Figueira entered through the port grinning widely. It was eerily reminiscent of John Little’s grin since the tall Major had blackened his face with soot.

“I must meet with your Admiral Maynard, Don Antonio,” he whispered excitedly.

He was literally dancing on the deck. Tony realised that any further talk had to wait.

“Mister Laughton, let us get under way again, course south by south-east. Keep things quiet, if you please.”

“Aye-aye, Sir!” Laughton answered, emulating Dougherty’s quiet efficiency. “Helm to port, quartermaster!”

Slowly, Asia gathered the wind in her stay-sails and crept to seaward. Out of sight from possible watchers on the shore, the stay sails disappeared, and the topsails were set. Once Tony had satisfied himself that Asia was well under way, he turned in. Lying in his cot, he thought of Harriet. He would see her again in a few days, after a seven-week absence. He had received no news from her, neither regarding her pregnancy nor with regard to the meeting with Mrs. Maynard. Philosophically, he accepted that there was nothing he could do anyway.

With the first daylight, the topgallent and royal masts were hoisted up again, and soon, Asia was sailing under her full canvas. Tony’s patience was sorely tested when Asia was stuck in a calm off Cape Sagres. For two days, the ship rolled without steerage in the weak Atlantic swell. Many a grown sailor was reacquainted with seasickness under those conditions, for there was a huge difference between the Asia under the press of her sails and this drunken swaying. Finally, the weather gods relented, and Asia caught a three-knot breeze that carried her eastward again.

Gibraltar was baking under the early June sun when Asia finally cast anchor under the Rock. Dougherty’s Daring was lying at anchor, same as Warspite and York, but there was no sign yet of the flagship. Sun sails were rigged over Asia’s decks and wind funnels hoisted whilst at the same time, the first work parties were detailed to refit the ship after almost two months at sea. Responding to a signal from Warspite, Tony visited Captain Masters. They were exchanging their observations when Warspite’s masthead sung out a “Ship ho!”. Masters smiled wryly.

“Must be Maynard,” he grinned. “By the way, I met your lovely wife yesterday when I attended dinner at the Dalrymples’. She had Maynard’s wife in tow, and all the gentle and not-so-gentle men were craning their heads to catch a glimpse of them and of Mrs. Wilkes.”

“They must be getting a lot of attention,” Tony answered with equanimity. He trusted Harriet, and if she was getting admiring looks it wouldn’t hurt him. “Are they getting along?”

“Quite well, it would seem. From what I gathered, they attended the same school as girls and had not met for twelve years.”

“I did not know that,” Tony answered. “It’s good for them to have friends here.”

Inwardly, he was relieved. Whatever grudge Mrs. Maynard had held against Harriet must be forgotten. Before they could continue, a midshipman entered.

“Sir, the flagship is in sight and heading for the harbour.”

“You had better return to your ship, Tony. A guinea says we’ll be having a meeting in the Malta before two hours are over.”

“Sorry, no takers,” Tony smiled. “I better rouse my Portuguese major, too. He seems to be excited, but he would not tell me the reasons.”

Two hours later found the captains sitting in Malta’s admiral’s cabin, sipping a fruity Madeira wine and comparing notes. Two places had been identified as good landing sites. The inlet at Aveiro was open and had wide beaches, but it was farther to the north than the beach at Figueira da Foz, on the Mondego Bay, which also boasted wide beaches and a narrow river inlet.

When Major Figueira, whose name oddly matched the name of the village, gave his report, however, the balance shifted to the Mondego Bay. He reported about a meeting with loyalists in the city of Coimbra, mostly students of the university, who were plotting to take over the coastal fort at Figueira da Foz, thus opening the site for a landing of British troops.

Tony then showed the chart he had prepared of the river mouth and the adjoining beaches. Once every officer had had his say, the choice of Figueira da Foz was unanimous. Tony was impressed by the way Maynard moderated the discussions. He was open to suggestions and careful to weigh arguments without giving up authority. He also managed to rebuke arguments without sounding arrogant or supercilious. In the end, he was cordial and appreciative.

“Gentlemen, I must thank you for your well-directed efforts and your excellent contributions. I shall meet with General Dalrymple and his staff tomorrow and see what has to be done on our part. May I expect you gentlemen at dinner tonight?”

Four captains nodded in response.

“Oh, Sir Anthony, I almost forgot. Please, extend the invitation to Lady Carter. My wife will attend, too.”

“Certainly, Sir,” was all Tony could answer to that.

Instead of returning to Asia, Tony had the gig head for the quay. Before they even reached the stone pier, he could already see Harriet waiting for him. She waved to him, obviously in a good mood, and once Tony made his way up on the pier, she was in his arms.

“Oh darling, it is so good to see you!” she squealed in his embrace.

“I live for those few days when I can hold you in my arms,” Tony answered. “How are you two faring?”

“It’s not obvious yet, is it?”

“Only to me, because I have your image before my eyes all the time, and I see even small changes.”

“What changes, pray?” Harriet inquired playfully.

“Why, you look more radiant, my dear,” Tony answered glibly. Stepping close, he brought his mouth to her ear. “That, and your breasts are swelling again.”

“Are you complaining?” Harriet asked with her eyebrows arched.

“There is nothing about you to merit any complaint,” Tony returned.

“Aha! A good answer, too! You are becoming quite the charmeur.”

“It is you who inspires me,” Tony kept the last word.

With Harriet on his arm, he walked the short distance to their rented house, and there, Harriet had him sit in the cool inner yard whilst she had Jenny bring them fresh lemonade. Tony drank thirstily and with pleasure; it was rare to have a fresh drink. Harriet sat across from him.

“I got your warning about Margaret Maynard, but it was five days late,” she said with a smile. “It was quite a shock for me to see her on the quay.”

“Will you tell me why she hates you so much?” Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hated. Let us say that, before I met you, I was not the nicest girl at times. I was a spoiled brat, as you so aptly characterised me once. I played a malicious prank on Maggie, and I was cruel to her. I apologised at the first chance after her arrival and asked her forgiveness. We are on speaking terms again, maybe even a little bit beyond that. Only time will tell.”

Tony looked at Harriet. She was not going into detail, not of her free will.

“Was that why your mother had to cane you once and why she made you come to Kingston with her?”

Harriet’s face lost its colour.

“She told you?”

Tony shook his head.

“Your father did, and he had it from one of the servants.”

Harriet’s paleness changed into a furious blush. She seemed to make up her mind though and looked straight into his eyes.

“You have met Captain Dunleary, haven’t you? Well, he was a sailing master back then, and hardly a gentleman. At least, that was what the other girls maintained. He was lucky with prize money, and he sent his only child to the same institute that I attended. Maggie was an outcast from the start, even though she did her best to fit in. Or maybe, because she was so eager to fit in, I don’t know. For some reason, she had it in her mind to be my friend, but I wasn’t brave enough to defy all the other girls who looked down on her.

“The other girls taunted me, too, speaking of Maggie as my special friend. I hated that, so when they planned the prank, I volunteered to bring it about, just to show that I wasn’t Maggie’s friend. I put an indecent picture between her things. When the headmistress found it at inspection, Maggie was caned cruelly and humiliated before the entire institute.

“Afterwards, she came to me for solace, and I told her that I had been the one who had got her the punishment. I told her I didn’t want to be her friend, because she wasn’t good enough for me.” Harriet sighed heavily. “I’ll never forget that look on her face.

“Obviously, my desire to be accepted by the other girls was just as fruitless as Maggie’s wish to be my friend. They told on me to their mothers, and of course, Mother found out then. You already know the rest.”

Tony shook his head. This was not the Harriet he knew, or was it? Some of that attitude had still lingered when they first met, in the Pretty Jane. Then he realised something else.

“That was a cruel hoax, darling, and you were right to offer apologies and ask forgiveness. Yet, thinking about it, I cannot help but be happy over the consequences. I would have never met you, had you not accompanied your mother to Kingston.”

Harriet gave him a wry smile.

“Once again, the good that comes out of a bad deed?” she asked.

“A lot of good came out of it. You came out of it, and I mean the you who learned from the affair. It was part of your growing up, and I cannot complain about the result.”

Harriet rose from her chair and came over, sitting down on Tony’s lap. She looked into his eyes.

“The caning from my mother did not help. I was still a brat and a snoot. The one thing that made me grow up was meeting you, watching you and how you brought us to safety. Falling in love with you made me rethink my prejudice against ... well, against people of more humble origin. Tony, if I am — hopefully — a better person now, I owe it all to you.”

“Darling, all the goodness was there. If I had a hand in awakening it, then I’m proud of it. First and foremost, however, you were the one to see where you erred, and you prevailed against your earlier failings. I admit I am a bit appalled over the cruelty you showed back then, but you overcame that meanness, and that makes me proud of you.”

“Anthony Carter, did I ever tell you that I love you?”

“More often than I deserve,” Tony smiled.

Harriet shook her head.

“This is where we shall always disagree,” she said, and then she laid a kiss on his lips that lasted for what felt like an hour. In the end, Tony had to free himself.

“If we continue this, we shall end up in our bed.”

“Yes.” Harriet answered serenely. “What is your point?”

“My point is that we are invited to dinner in the Malta. Seeing that Maynard is hosting, we may even be able to eat, unlike our last visit.”

Harriet’s face fell a little bit, but then she smiled.

“At least I can be certain that Maggie’s husband will not try to have you killed, at least not because of me.”

Tony groaned a little. “You knew?”

“It took almost two weeks before the rumour reached me. Don’t worry, darling. I know why you kept that from me, but I assure you that I don’t feel guilty. Had I known about his ... his preposterous schemes, I would have certainly discouraged him.”

“He was beyond reason, Harriet. I saw parts of his diary. And you are right, this happened through no fault of yours. Had I known that you took it so well, I would have told you. I just...”

“You wanted to keep that off my conscience. I know. I love you for it, too. So, what shall I wear? Something modest, so that I shan’t upstage Maggie. She is the hostess, after all. Not the green dress, then. Oh, I know! The pale blue, from two years ago. That will be modest enough.”

Tony kept his mouth shut wisely. He was glad that he did not have to ponder such problems. Dinner in the flagship meant the Nº2 uniform coat, and no star and sash. For this reason alone, Tony dreaded a civilian life. A Navy officer needed no sense for fashion, nor for colours, and he could not be blamed for wearing the exactly same uniform at every occasion.

Harriet was already giving instructions to Jenny, and Tony found the way upstairs to the children’s room. Emily was reading in a book; she looked up when he entered.

“Hello, Emily. How is my favourite little girl?”