Chapter 3: A Handsome Apology

March 1807

Captain Sir Anthony Carter, KB, sat stoically whilst Mister Marsden, Secretary to their Lordships, read the report he had handed in. Mister Marsden tried to emulate his mentor, Evan Nepean, in every way, even by re-reading the report after finishing it for the first time. Finally, he laid the papers aside and peered at Tony over his half-glasses.

“This is a most unfortunate affair, and I shall have to inform Lord Mulgrave of it. He will be distraught, no doubt. It is most irritating that we lost an able officer due to the meddling of Parliament. You were right to put into London. We must find a replacement for poor Sir Pierce before you can take your station in the Irish Sea.”

“May I assume, Sir, that we shall still be based in Dublin?”

“Most likely, yes. I shall put the matter before His Lordship. Oh, that reminds me. You lost an officer, too?”

“Mister Harding, Sir. He was lost in the prize.”

“I shall send a replacement for him, a Mister O’Shaunessy. We had to relieve him from his last posting.”

“May I ask the reason, Sir?”

“Tensions in the wardroom, between Mister O’Shaunessy and two other lieutenants. The captain asked to separate the fighting cocks. He appears to be able and loyal otherwise. Three years seniority.”

“Very well, Sir.”

“He’ll be happy to serve in the Asia as he hails from Ireland. Now, kindly repair to your ship and wait for orders. She shouldn’t be in need of repairs, should she?”

“No, Sir. We’ll need fresh water and victualling, but otherwise, she’s in excellent shape.”

Before Tony left the Admiralty, he spent a few minutes studying the Captains’ List. He had been holding Captain’s rank for five years, and senior captains were either promoted, retired from active service, or died from any of the numerous perils they faced. There were now over one-hundred captains on the list who were junior to him.

The list also determined when he could expect promotion to flag rank. For that, he had to reach the top of the list. Only the most senior captains were promoted to rear admiral, and he was still far from reaching such a seniority. Still, in a year or so, he would likely advance into the upper half of the list.

Leaving the Admiralty, Tony found a one-horse cab which transported him to Lambert House on Cavendish Square. As expected, Harriet was there. Their own city house which Harriet had inherited from her first husband was currently leased to the new American envoy, as they had not expected to return to London before 1809. As things were, they might not need the house anyway. The rental income would easily pay for a rented home in Dublin, close to Tony’s future base of operation.

Eleanor Lambert greeted her son-in-law with a heartfelt hug. “Anthony, how good to see you return in good health. Harriet already told me of the terrible tragedy. What did Marsden say?”

Tony shrugged. “He was dismayed, of course, and he blamed the meddling of Parliament. They will find a replacement for Sir Pierce, and Asia will still be posted to the Irish Sea.”

“Dublin as home port. There are worse postings, I fancy,” Lady Lambert mused.

“So true, Mother.”

The address had come naturally after his wedding to Harriet, and Eleanor Lambert accepted it with no little pride.

“I do have a distant cousin in Dublin whom I visited, I believe in ‘02. It is an impressive city. I take it Harriet will want to follow you.”

“I certainly hope so. I imagine there will be time spent in port from time to time.”

“I certainly share that hope,” Eleanor Lambert laughed. “Richard will speak with Mulgrave to guard your interest. As you may imagine, a new squadron commander may insist on bringing his own flag captain. Richard will try to make sure it is somebody who will accept you.”

This caused a smile in Tony. Having a full Admiral for a father-in-law would certainly help his career. So far, he had earned his way up by dedicated service, bravery, and — admittedly — sheer luck.

Tony was with Harriet at the Lamberts’ home when Sir Richard returned for the noon meal, three days later. During the first course, Sir Richard relayed the news he had.

“I spoke with Mulgrave. He’s still under pressure from the planter faction. One would think that with poor Pierce Fallon and his family dead, they’d give it a rest. But no, that Selkirk fellow incited them, and they are still out for blood. They claim that you are too junior to be a flag captain.”

Tony felt anger wash over him.

“Cannot they give it a rest? One would think this stupid affair has been costly enough. Besides, I sailed the Sovereign into battle, didn’t I?”

“My dear Anthony, you are right, but I must warn you of Selkirk. He is both a crack shot and an expert swordsman. There is nothing to be gained by an altercation.”

“I hope that you are not expecting me to suffer his plotting against me?”

“Why do you think he is doing it? He is spoiling for duels, against Pierce and against you. With Pierce dead, you are his only target.”

“I shall take that into account. You may recall though that I am somewhat of a swordsman myself.”

“Anthony, I know that, and I believe you to be equal to Selkirk. I ask you for caution because I don’t want my daughter to lose you.”

“Father, I shall support Tony when he seeks out that man,” Harriet threw in heatedly. “Selkirk is an abominable person and he is responsible for the Fallons’ death.”

Tony put a calming hand on Harriet’s arm. “Let’s stay calm, my dear. Selkirk may yet come to realise what his scheming precipitated.”

Sir Richard sighed. “To continue my reporting, Mulgrave has come to a decision, a decision I very much favour. You remember Edward Fanning?”

“How could I not,” Tony answered. Fanning had been his captain and mentor in the Medusa.

“Fanning is near the top of the captain’s list, and he’ll have his flag in less than a year. He’s currently without ship. Mulgrave will put him in command of the squadron as a commodore of the first class. Once his flag arrives, he’ll continue as rear admiral.”

“Is Captain Fanning in agreement?”

“You must be jesting, Anthony,” Sir Richard laughed. “To have an independent command a year early is quite a boon. He told me he’s looking forward to having you for his captain. You must realise that the achievements of former subordinates reflect favourably on a senior officer.”

“I can certainly do worse than with Captain Fanning.”

“Officially, the squadron is attached to the Channel Fleet, but Fanning will operate independently. It’s his prerogative to pick his captain, and those sugar barons can go to hell.”

“I never learned the strength of the squadron,” Tony threw in.

“It’s Asia, frigates Mersey, 36, and Ulysses, 32, a flush-decked sloop, Clotho, 22, and two armed cutters. Quite adequate, all in all.”

“It certainly looks that way,” Tony agreed.

In the afternoon, Tony found Pierce Fallon’s solicitor and agent and arranged for the admiral’s gear to be brought ashore. There was a younger sister who would inherit Fallon’s earthly possessions. Tony found out the woman’s name and address and set out to pay a condolence visit.

The house, once the driver found it, was in a good part of the City but small and older, yet well maintained. Upon his knocking, a neatly dressed woman opened, wearing a widow’s garb.

“Mrs. Uxbridge?” Tony asked, for that was the name of Sir Pierce’s widowed sister.

“I am Mrs. Uxbridge,” the woman answered.

“I am Captain Sir Anthony Carter, Madam, your brother’s flag captain. I came to offer my sympathy.”

“That is very kind of you, Sir Anthony. It is a terrible tragedy that befell our family, and I can still barely cope with it.”

“Is there anything I can do to assist you?”

The woman looked at him.

“There is, if you won’t mind. My brother promised me to take my son into the service. Would you have the kindness of heart to fulfil my brother’s promise?”

“How old is the boy, Madam? What schooling did he receive?”

“He’s fifteen, Sir Anthony, and he attends the St. Andrew’s Latin School. He’s tall for his age and strong; a bit mischievous, too, at times.”

“I’d have to see the lad, Madam. Perhaps you can send him aboard the Asia, tomorrow at four bells in the afternoon watch?” Seeing the woman’s lack of understanding, he added, “Two o’ clock, Madam.”

“I shall see to it, Sir Anthony. Thank you. George always wanted to follow his father and his uncle, but without the right patronage...”

“I shall see him and give you my decision, Madam. Perhaps Mister Hutchinson can give you an advance on your inheritance, to assemble your son’s kit. We may have to sail within a week.”

“If you accept him in your ship, I shall see to it, Sir Anthony.”

“Madam, I shall leave you to your mourning now. If there is anything you may need, I am staying with Sir Richard Lambert, in Cavendish Square, whilst I am in London.”

“Thank you, Sir Anthony, for taking the time for this visit. My brother spoke highly of you, and I see now that he was right.”

In the next evening, Captain James Fanning came to dinner at Lambert House. He knew his old Commander in Chief, of course, as well as Lady Lambert. He also remembered Harriet from her time in Kingston. He greeted Tony last, but with obvious pride.

“You have done well since those days in the Medusa. Not that I didn’t expect it, but it makes me proud nonetheless to have started you on the right path.”

“You certainly did, Sir,” Tony responded. “Your guidance and example were decisive for my career, much like Sir Richard’s unwavering friendship.”

“Well, I am gladdened to have you for my captain. May I introduce my dear wife Kateline.”

Anthony and his father-in-law bowed to Mrs. Fanning

Mrs. Fanning was younger than her husband and she spoke English with a peculiar accent. As it turned out, she was Dutch by birth, and Captain Fanning had met her during a visit to Amsterdam in the brief peace. She was a distant cousin of the hereditary stewards or stadhouders of the Dutch Republic, and as such violently opposed to the French occupation of the Netherlands.

She had a pretty face, blonde hair, and the most impressive bust Tony had ever seen, even counting the infamous Mrs. Pendrake. He could not help envisioning his small and wiry Commodore lying with this voluptuous woman. She was in most every respect the physical opposite of her husband. She was lively, too, and soon engaged in an animated discussion of life in Dublin with both Harriet and Eleanor Lambert.

Meanwhile, the men discussed the tasks ahead. Fanning had already received a briefing at the Admiralty, and he related some of the general orders. The squadron would patrol the Irish Sea, from Ballycastle in the North, to Rosslare in the South, protecting British shipping against French privateers and preventing enemy infiltration on the Irish, Welsh and Scottish coasts. The squadron was certainly not too big for this task. Fanning already planned to use the two frigates to close off the St. George’s Channel in the South and the North Channel. That left the sloop, Clotho, and the armed cutters to make inshore inspections, whilst Asia would be posted west of the Isle of Man, ready to assist any ship of the squadron.

“It’s a colossal nonsense, to use an 80-gun ship to patrol a narrows,” Fanning opined at one point. “But if this is their Lordships’ wish, we’ll sail her back and forth like a bloody ferry boat.”

Next, Tony and Captain Fanning discussed the accommodations. They agreed that Captain Fanning would visit the Asia in the next morning to view the arrangements and to tally the furniture left behind by Fallon. Tony gave him the address of the Widow Uxbridge, who had inherited those furnishings.

When the evening ended and the visitors had bid their farewell, Tony and Harriet had a positive view of the immediate future. They briefly inspected the nursery before they went to sleep, but little Richard was sleeping soundly, and Ellie, the nurse, snored softly in her cot.

Emily was sleeping, too, albeit breathing heavily. It could not be expected for a little girl to move from Jamaica to England without catching head colds, and Emily had been snivelling all day. Jenny awoke when the light from the hallway shone into their bedchamber, and she gave a whispered report of Emily’s cold.

Harriet slept into the morning, but Tony was up early to return to his ship. Asia would receive pork barrels that day, as well as other provisions — split peas, ship’s biscuit, and cheese. Mister Standish, the purser, was in his element, running to and fro, and annoying the petty officers greatly, but Tony thought the man honest and competent, which was rare and to be appreciated.

Young George Uxbridge came aboard, and Tony took the time to question the lad. It turned out that he had been schooled with a Navy career in mind, and he knew enough geometry already. Latin would be of little use, but he had some French, too. Most importantly, he had spent two years as his uncle’s cabin servant; seagoing time in other words. Tony called for the sailing master and gave instructions to enlist George Uxbridge as a volunteer, to fill the next vacant midshipman position.

Captain Fanning sent a signal from the shore at 2 bells in the forenoon watch, and Tony had the crew of the admiral’s barge pick him up. On the return trip, the coxswain held up six fingers when the boat was hailed, and Tony ordered six bosun’s mates to line the port with their pipes as Commodore James Fanning came aboard.

“Received my orders this morning,” he mumbled under his breath, only for Tony to hear.

Hastily, Tony gave orders for the salute guns to be readied and the crew to assemble on deck in divisions. When Commodore Fanning read out the orders that instated him as squadron commodore, an eleven-gun salute sounded over the Pool of London whilst a brand-new broad pennant rose to the masthead. The boatswain orchestrated three credible hoorays, and that ended the short ceremony.

Tony affected the introductions of the wardroom members who, to this point, had not been privy to the plans, and Commodore Fanning expressed his hope to get better acquainted with them soon.

Tony then proceeded to show his commodore to the spacious admiral’s cabin on the upper deck. Fanning looked over the furniture and the other cabin fixings and decided to bring his own instead. He also asked Tony to task the ship’s carpenter with building a larger dinner table. Of course, Tony recalled how Fanning, as captain of the Medusa, had often invited the junior officers for dinner, to deepen their education, and he could see how a large table would fit this custom.

“Sir, I have matching duplicate of this table in my day cabin. I can give you the loan of it when needed,” he offered.

“That’s something to consider,” Fanning mused. “You are right. It were a waste to have a new table built. I shall take the chairs, too, in this case. It is a good arrangement, and it’ll save space. I’ll send my secretary to Mrs. Uxbridge. How much should I offer for them?”

“Each set cost us £16, Sir. They’re used, but only for a year.”

“I’ll offer £15; I’ve not the stomach to take advantage of a widow.”

That was generous, Tony thought. “She should be pleased, Sir.”

Fanning looked at him with a bemused smile.

“You remembered the dinner evenings in the Medusa, don’t you?”

The question was informal, and Tony answered in the same vein.

“I certainly do, Sir. Those were fabulous years.”

“My glory years,” Fanning sighed. “Once I had that damned 74, the fun was over. Do you miss the Medusa?”

“A little, Sir. To be honest, the Clyde was my true love.”

“I’ve seen her. She is a beauty. Well, this one is not bad either, and by God, I’ll have you sail her like a frigate!”

“I had better not. Collingwood and Rotheram gave me an earful when I sailed Agamemnon like a frigate. Nearly wrecked her, too.”

“That must have been something, to sail the Sovereign through the Spanish and French lines.”

“Not much sailing involved, Sir,” Tony smirked. “The Frogs helped us to concentrate on gunnery by shooting away masts and rigging.”

Fanning grinned. “Awfully considerate of them, to aim high all the time. I find that I like that in them. Well, I’ll have my dunnage and furniture brought aboard this afternoon. What do you think? Our wives had a good start, hadn’t they?”

“I can only relay that my wife was delighted meeting Mrs. Fanning, Sir.”

Fanning shook his head. “I still cannot believe that you were able to hook your grapnels into Harriet Lambert! Almost every officer and many a wealthy plantation owner was after her, back then in Kingston. It was almost a shock to hear that she married that buffoon, Palmer. Oh, you did not befriend him, did you?”

“Most certainly not, Sir. He was a despicable man by all accounts.”

“Well, she certainly found her happiness now,” Fanning said cautiously, sensing that there was more behind Tony’s words. “Her father always thought highly of you.”

Tony looked at Fanning frankly. “He is one of three people to whom I owe my career.”

Fanning actually beamed, but the he raised his eyebrow. “Who, pray, is the third?”

“My wife, of course. I strove for success just to be eligible for her.”

Fanning sighed. “Wish we had more women like her and her mother. They certainly bring out the best in their husbands.”

They left it at that and shifted their attention to the Asia and her crew. Fanning wanted to know about her sailing master. Tony admitted that Mister Copper had been appointed mostly due to his expert knowledge of the Southern Caribbean.

“Would you agree to ask the Admiralty for a replacement? The Irish Sea is a tricky water, and we shall have to operate inshore, hunting down suspect coastal shipping. I would like to have a sailing master who knows those coastlines.”

“We can certainly try. I shall explain this to Mister Copper. He’s a good officer, but it’s true that we need a local navigator.”

“Another thing. I want a pair of twelve-pounder guns as bow chasers on the fo’c’sle. We out-gun almost every other third-rate. We can afford to sacrifice two carronades for bow chasers.”

“I can run it by the arsenal, Sir. I would prefer long nines, though.”

“Of course. They’re more accurate and out-range the twelves.”

“I’ll instruct Mister Dougherty, Sir. Is there anything else?”

“No, nothing comes to mind. I’ll leave you to your duties then.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Tony answered before he left his commodore.

Outside, he met Mister Dougherty. “Sir, Mister O’Shaunessy reported for duty. I thought it better not to interrupt your discussions with the Commodore...”

“Thank you, Mister Dougherty. I can see him now. Send him to my cabin. Would also give note to the arsenal that we want to exchange two fo’c’le carronades against long nines? The Commodore wants bow chasers.”

“Certainly, Sir Anthony. I shall see to it.”

Tony was at his desk when the marine sentry announced Mister O’Shaunessy. Tony saw a well built and good looking man of perhaps twenty-two years, with long, blonde hair not unlike his own, and dark blue eyes. He stood to receive his new lieutenant.

“Lieutenant O’Shaunessy, Sir Anthony, reporting for duty,” the man spoke with the barest hint of an Irish brogue in his voice. He handed over his papers.

“Welcome aboard, Mister O’Shaunessy,” Tony replied. “Please have a seat.”

O’Shaunessy sat whilst Tony looked over the man’s commission and evaluations. He had received high praise by his former captain. It was all the more astonishing that he had been let go.

“You served in the Nightingale ever since you passed examination for lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sir Anthony.”

“Captain Ford speaks highly of you. Would you care to elaborate on the reasons why you left your ship.”

“Sir Anthony, the reasons are rather personal ... There was some incompatibility with other wardroom members.”

“All right, I shan’t pressure you. Do you have reason to believe that you will encounter similar incompatibilities in the future?”

“I should hope not, Sir Anthony.”

“Very well, Mister O’Shaunessy. Your seniority places you as Nº4. You will be responsible for the lower gundeck. Acquaint yourself with your stations and your other duties. Mister Dougherty will assign your watch duties. Are you familiar with the Irish Sea?”

O’Shaunessy made a face.

“Not very well, Sir Anthony. Nightingale served in the Mediterranean, under Lord Collingwood. I never did any duty around the British Isles.”

That was all too common, as Tony knew. He shrugged.

“Never mind. It would have been a stroke of luck, but who can expect that in our service? That will be all, Mister O’Shaunessy.”

“Aye-aye, Sir!” O’Shaunessy answered before he left the cabin, leaving Tony undecided whether he liked the man or not.

He was interrupted in his thinking when he heard Commodore Fanning’s voice from below.

“My compliments to Sir Anthony, and will he join me in my cabin.”

Smiling inwardly at the stupidity of Navy protocol, Tony had to wait for the message to be relayed before he responded to the request.

“Sir?”

“Oh, yes. Listen, Sir Anthony, I was thinking to invite the officers to dinner, say next Saturday. Do you think you might persuade Sir Richard and his wife to attend? My wife will be there, too, and it should lighten the atmosphere if ladies were in attendance. I was hoping for your wife, too, and possibly the wives of the wardroom members.”

“I cannot speak for Sir Richard, but I gladly accept on behalf of my wife and myself, Sir.”

“Would you be kind enough to relay the invitation to the wardroom? Say, two bells on the second dog watch?”

“Certainly, Sir. Do you wish for the help of my steward and the wardroom steward?”

“That would be helpful. Thank you, Sir Anthony, that would be all.”

“Aye-aye, Sir.”

Tony found Mister Dougherty on the quarterdeck and relayed the invitation to him. He also sought Jonathan Wilkes to tell him of the dinner, so he could forewarn Lucy. Lastly, he instructed his steward to assist the commodore’s steward. He was about to return to his cabin when a boat came alongside on the lee side. Curiosity made him stay and watch, and he was surprised to see the dark face of John Little appear.

“Letter from the Port Admiral, Sir, for Sir Anthony,” Little announced to the midshipman of the watch.

The young boy stared at the tall African, not knowing what to do.

“Oh, send the man over here, will you!” Tony finally exclaimed.

John Little approached his old captain and saluted smartly.

“Letter from Sir Richard, Sir Anthony!”