Mark Arbour

Maybe, but Somers would most likely buy a commission in one of the other regiments. He would not be precluded from doing so by virtue of his position in the Marines. It is also possible that he is part of a regular regiment serving as marines. There were significant shortages of marines, so some regular regiments were tapped to provide troops for the fleet.

Well, it's important to keep the body count down. ;-) Glad you liked the chapter!

Alright, I did this once before quite a while ago, but as I get closer to writing the chapters on that fateful day, I'm pondering my God-like powers of life and death, and thought I'd get input from you all. So I started a poll, and this thread, so you can tell me who you see as potential casualties. I pretty much have it figured out in my mind, but I'd like hear your thoughts. No hard feelings if I don't listen to you, though.

Kudos to you and your research! Number 1: You're absolutely right. A colonel of the marines was a reward given to a post captain, something he retained until he was promoted to admiral. For those of you who read the Hornblower series, you'll remember that Horatio Hornblower was awarded a colonel of marines appointment in Flying Colours. Number 2: Here's an excerpt from the Wiki page on buying commissions:

How would Maidstone do that? I think that the constancy you refer to is what Granger has with Caroline, and that frees him to be a little less dependent on his male partner(s). It probably is no coincidence that when Granger thought of a scenario that would make him mad with jealousy, he visualized Caroline with Gloucester, not, for example, Travers with Robey.

Thanks for all your nice comments! I think that most officers who encounter Granger would have to factor in the influence that he wields, both socially and politically. That gives him a lot of informal power, and definitely should earn him respect from others. One of the things I love most about the character (George Granger) is that he knows this, but only pulls it out and wields this power when he has to. Unlike a lot of egotistical buffoons, his modesty and propriety with how he handles himself and that power probably wins him a lot of friends. That power can also make enemies, as we've seen in the past where some people want to challenge Granger solely, it seems, to test the limits of his influence.

I'm guessing that this will end up in a way none of you suspect.

If Granger sets it up so Jardines can return to London, what will that mean for Arthur? Last we saw him, he was happily grabbing his ankles for Holmquist. Will Granger really want to upset that relationship, and will he want to risk throwing Arthur into another tailspin?

Why thank you! You're right about George's world. I think about him as a young midshipman, and how he had to deal with the Wilcox intrigues against him. That was penny-ante stuff compared to now, but certainly good training for it, nonetheless.

Thank you! I think that Granger must forgive Jardines, at least partially. It is his nature to be both fair and compassionate. Plus it is the gentlemanly thing to do.

Duels are a nasty affair. I'm glad too. They can also ruin careers. Check out the Wiki pages for Castlereagh and Canning. (Or Burr and Hamilton). As for Jardines and your opinion of him, clearly you'll have to turn in your gay membership club card. You're supposed to give guys with huge dicks the benefit of the doubt. :-)

If you look back at Arthur's erratic behavior, which George is now doing, it doesn't really make sense unless you can put it in the context of something like this. I can only imagine the guilt that Arthur has carried over what his liaison with Travers did to Jardines. And probably just as distraught over what Jardines did to Travers. Arthur is a schemer (he is in Parliament), so one can't help but wonder if he didn't partly orchestrate Granger's induction into the Brotherhood so that Granger could help heal the wounds Arthur helped cause Travers.

Thank you so much! I'm glad that these characters seem so real to you. I'm going to chalk that up as a major success, and be happy today!

Thanks Ricky! When Sharon likes a chapter and takes the time to tell me so, I usually know it's going to be well-received. She liked this one.

Actually, I think that JP did pressure Brad. Review Man in Motion, when Robbie was in jail and Stef and JP were trying to convince Brad to move to Malibu. JP is so subtle that even small comments can have a major impact on those people he's talking to. You're right about the family business thing, and in fact, that's usually a symptom of a company that has truly broken into the big league. Family members aren't automatically enshrined in the key position. I'm not sure where these companies are in that panoply, but I can see Will having a clear path, with no real pressure, to do his own thing. To be a professor, you should have a relatively logical mind and an objective approach to things. That's why JP is so interested in Will, because as he watches Will grapple with the challenges life throws at him (and that he creates), he sees the hyper-emotional being that Will is fading, and thinks that Will may have that potential once he reaches a more mature state.

I think that at his core, Granger is a very fair person. It makes sense that with Travers, he'd let the emotions of the situation cloud his judgment. Jardines just forced him to pull that veil off and look at the issue more objectively. I think it's inevitable that Granger finds some peace in the whole incident, and I think it's equally inevitable that he forgive Jardines in some manner, and I think it's the most inevitable of all that he'll do that by fucking Jardines.

I saw that you posted a review, and my first response was: "Where the fuck have you been?!" Thanks for posting. Reviews make a difference. I get mixed reviews on Will, but he's a work in progress, as most teenage guys are. In my mind, I've charted him as my Tonto-redux, but as JP mused a few chapters ago, raising a daughter like her wouldn't have been a picnic. Will isn't always going to have an easy time of it either. It makes me feel rather old to think that 9-11 didn't directly impact people like you, but then again, that's not right. You have to deal with the world it left behind, of the constant paranoia that terror invokes. I remember the latent tension of fear during the Cold War, and wonder if today isn't really all that different, with terrorism instead of the Soviet Union as the big bad villain. And I wonder even more if we, as Americans, crave a big bad villain. And then I think about how much calmer our society was when we didn't have one of those (the 90's) and wonder if the big bad villain isn't bad just because he/it is a big bad villain.

May, 1798 Bay of Bengal Granger stood on deck with Captain Raymond of the Sultan, studying the weather. “It appears to be quite a storm, my lord.” They looked out at the weather front that was approaching them. “Yes, but it appears to be heading northeast,” Granger noted. “Perhaps we can get to the west of it, and avoid most of it.” “We could put into Madras, my lord,” Raymond suggested. “I’d not like to get caught in a monsoon.”

I thought that the talk with the psychologist let Will dive into his reasoning for buying the house in a way he might otherwise have avoided. People spend money on stuff to make themselves feel better; I would think he would be susceptible to that as well.

I'm sorry to make you wait...It's funny, because when I post on a holiday, reads and reviews come in much more slowly. I usually just assume that means everyone's having a good time. I think that with Ryan, you're right, in that he wouldn't want to cheat on Shiloh. If she wasn't in the picture, I don't know if he'd have a problem messing around with Will. They seem to be at a pretty good place, and I think Will pretty much lets Ryan call the shots when it comes to initiating anything sexual. I think your analysis on John is pretty apt as well, only I'm not sure that even John knows which of those forces is at work. I can see it bothering him if he thinks that messing around with Will is expected, or required. I'm hoping this trip to Maui helped him realize it's not.

You're welcome. I think that Will brings out some of the playful adolescent in Robbie. And while Will has joked about how Robbie has to like him since he looks like his father, I think that really may have a significant impact on Robbie.

Will has a much more playful rapport with Robbie. I can see the two of them really enjoying each other.

Only anyone out there who's raised a teenager (especially a male) knows this is what normally happens. You'll get amazing levels of maturity one minute, then stunningly idiotic actions the next.

Our young man is growing up. Aww.

In those days, with winds as unpredictable as they are, two months is not an insurmountable hurdle, but it is a challenge. A big challenge. Somers gave Calvert a much better chance.