HMS Valiant - 43. Chapter 43

April 2, 1800

London, England

“May I offer you a ride?” Granger asked Daventry, even as he saw his footmen fighting to make a path for them through the crowd.

“That would seem to be my only option, unless I want to join the mob of your admirers,” Daventry said.

“I thought you had already joined them,” Granger replied, making Daventry chuckle. They got into the carriage, while Granger raised his hat to thank the crowd for annoying him with their cheers.

“Indeed I have, and I am even more impressed after your performance with Pitt and Dundas.”

“My wife was able to prepare me for the meeting, and that was an invaluable help,” Granger said, remembering to give Caroline credit for being the astute politician she was.

“Yet you asked for, and got more than was originally planned.”

“Is that a problem?” Granger asked.

“It is not, but I am surprised you did that,” Daventry said.

“When they offered to buy me off with an earldom, I realized their position was much weaker than I had thought,” Granger said.

“I came to the same conclusion,” Daventry said. “You handled things in a masterful way, and clearly impressed Pitt.”

“I am not convinced that he was impressed,” Granger said dubiously.

“That is because you do not know him as well as I do,” Daventry said.

“I have made a mortal enemy of Dundas,” Granger noted, and that did cause him some concern.

“For now,” Daventry said. Granger looked at him curiously, asking him to explain that with only his expression. “Dundas is a master of patronage. At some point in the future, if you can do him a favor of some type, it will help rehabilitate you in his mind.”

“I am not sure I want to do any favors for him,” Granger grumbled.

“George, do not be petulant,” Daventry scolded. “He is a powerful man. You have won this battle, but there will be others.”

“I suspect that as my annoyance over this matter fades, I will perhaps be able to look at this more logically,” Granger admitted.

“Undoubtedly,” Daventry said. “And I must also commend you for managing to keep all of our riches. That was quite skillful.”

“I have been dealing with greedy merchants for so long I have become one,” Granger joked. He had only been without Daventry’s company for nigh on a week, but he had forgotten how much he missed the man.

“Hardly,” Daventry said. “The money is relatively easy to divide up, but the gems are more difficult to apportion.”

“I suspect we must get them appraised in some way,” Granger said.

“I know a man who can do that for us,” Daventry said.

“Then when we get to my house, I will entrust them to you,” Granger said. “I would like to make two requests.”

“Go on,” Daventry said.

“I would like to preserve a few of the gems to give to Lord Spencer,” Granger said.

“As a fee for his silence?” Daventry asked.

“As a gift, for his lovely wife,” Granger said, although clearly Daventry’s reason figured into that.

“Let us select some appropriate baubles,” Daventry said, just as they arrived at Granger’s home. He led Daventry directly into his study, went to his safe, and took out the two vials containing the sapphires and rubies. With the eye of a jeweler, Daventry picked out a set of both gems and gave them to Granger. “I think that will serve.”

“I am confident they will,” Granger said.

“You had an additional request?” Daventry asked.

“As I mentioned before, there was no flag officer to abscond with his eighth of our treasure,” Granger said, waiting for Daventry to nod in agreement. “I suggest that we give that portion to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, since you were effectively operating under his orders.”

Daventry eyed him in a considering way. “That is a great deal of money.”

“It is,” Granger said. “I would submit that such a gesture would do much to enhance our popularity with His Royal Highness.”

Daventry smiled. “You are reminding me that the benefits probably far outweigh the cost.”

“I am,” Granger agreed.

“Well, it seems as if I must first get these appraised,” Daventry said, even as he stood up and grabbed the two vials.

“Perhaps you can call on me later and let me know what you have discovered, and then we can begin to allocate the money,” Granger said. “I will have Andrews and Patton here to help us.”

“That is fine,” Daventry said. “I have learned to trust both of those men.”

“I am glad,” Granger said. Daventry stood up and then strode toward Granger, taking both of his hands in his.

“It is good to see you. I have missed your charming company.”

“As I have missed yours,” Granger said with a broad grin. He escorted Daventry out of the house, and then went up to inform Caroline of his meeting. She listened intently, but did not interrupt his narrative.

“It sounds as if you handled things quite well, George,” she said.

“Thank you,” Granger said. “I could not have done it without your help.”

“We make a good team,” she said, with just a hint of melancholy.

“We do,” Granger confirmed. He meant that. He was starting to warm up to his wife again, but not in a romantic way. It was important to recognize her strengths and weaknesses, as well as his own. “I must call at the Admiralty.”

“I am considering returning to Brentwood,” Caroline announced. Granger pondered that, and his initial reaction was against it. It may not look good if Caroline vanished as soon as he returned. But he did not want to pick a fight with her when there was a way around that problem. Still, he was going to have to entertain Pitt to dinner, and he would need a hostess.

“I am wondering if you would be willing to delay your departure for two days, so you could help me host the dinner for Mr. Pitt?” Granger asked politely.

Caroline smiled at being included in his plans, such as they were. “I think that is a reasonable request.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” he said, and even though the words were cold, he inserted enough warmth in his voice to placate her. Granger bowed politely to take his leave of Caroline, then he once again left his home, only this time he was destined for the Admiralty. The carriage pulled up to that familiar building and a crowd formed, much to Granger’s annoyance, but he was polite even as he fought his way through them to the Admiralty.

“Welcome home, my lord,” the marine sergeant said pleasantly.

“Thank you,” Granger said, and gave him a genuine smile. He walked into the Admiralty and was concerned to see the waiting room was completely full. Clearly Spencer would be busy, or at least irked by all these supplicants. He walked up and signed the register.

“I will let His Lordship know you are here, my lord,” the secretary said, and vanished immediately into the inner sanctum of the Navy. Granger scanned the crowd in the waiting room with a sideways glance, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, which was difficult since they were all staring at him. The secretary returned, thankfully, to save him from seeming aloof and rude. “His Lordship will see you, my lord.”

“Excellent,” Granger said, and followed the man back not to Spencer’s office, but to the Board Room. Granger found Spencer there, meeting with the other Lords of the Admiralty.

“Welcome home, Granger,” Spencer said affably. “I believe you know everyone here.”

“Thank you, sir,” Granger said politely. Then he paused to greet the other men. He noticed that Admiral Mann was not at this meeting. “Your son provided a most welcome escort for my wife and me on our trip to London yesterday,” he said to Admiral Gambier.

“I am glad he was of assistance, my lord,” Gambier said.

“He was, and his troops were turned out in as good a fashion as one would expect of one of His Majesty’s Household Regiments,” Granger said, throwing a little flattery his way, and getting a brief grin in return.

“I have just been reviewing your reports with this board,” Spencer said. “We are all of us curious as to which obstacle you faced was, in your opinion, the most difficult?” The other Lords chuckled.

“I would have to say, sir, that dealing with Lady Elgin was the most taxing and difficult task,” Granger said honestly.

“Even more than fighting pirates?”

“Yes, sir,” Granger said ruefully, prompting full laughs from the other board members.

“Granger, you said in your report that the two ships of the line you engaged were most likely Ottoman,” Lord Arden said. “How certain are you of that?”

“I’m almost completely certain, leaving only a small room for some strange coincidence,” Granger said.

“Explain that,” Admiral Young ordered.

“To my knowledge, there are no ships of 60 or 70 guns in the French, Spanish, or Italian fleets,” Granger said. “Further, there are, to my knowledge, no ships of that size with Arabic rigging located in the Mediterranean, other than those owned by the Sultan.”

“Then it almost had to be Turks,” Admiral Gambier said, nodding.

“We’ve sent a strongly worded message to Elgin, to remonstrate with the Sultan about this latest scheme from the Bey of Oran,” Spencer said.

“Thank you, sir,” Granger said, even though he had little faith in the ability or willingness of the Sultan to rein in the Bey.

“I’m sorry to so abruptly pull you from command of Valiant, but I expected that by sending Calvert to replace you, that would make it more palatable,” Spencer said.

“And as with most things, sir, you were correct,” Granger said with a smile.

“Only most things?” Spencer challenged.

“If you were right about all things, sir, then you would be God, and while I certainly hold you in high esteem, I am unwilling to grant you the status of a deity,” Granger replied, getting a laugh from the assembled Board.

“A capital point!” Arden said.

“I would like to go over your reports in more detail, and discuss them with you,” Spencer said.

“Of course, sir,” Granger said, hiding his relief. He certainly couldn’t have a lengthy conversation with Spencer in front of the entire Board.

“Perhaps you can call on me later this afternoon,” Spencer suggested.

“Begging your pardon, sir, but perhaps you would like to sup with me this evening,” Granger said, extending that invitation. “I planned to attend His Majesty’s levee this afternoon.”

“Of course,” Spencer said. “I will see you at 7:00,” confirming Granger’s invitation. Granger took his leave of the Board, and then fought his way back to his carriage. The crowds were perhaps even larger and more intense than the last time he’d been home. Escaping to Brentwood was looking like an ever more attractive option.

Quite a busy day, but then again, Granger pondered that they usually were when he first returned from a voyage. While Daventry’s letter advising him to rest was undoubtedly to give Caroline time to get to Portsmouth, it was also turning out to be good advice. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts; he was mildly surprised when the carriage came to a halt in front of St. James’s Palace. He strode confidently up the steps, remembering how when he’d been young, he’d always felt a bit uncomfortable coming here. Now it was familiar and customary.

“Welcome back, Granger,” the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Salisbury said.

“Thank you,” Granger said, targeting Salisbury with his trademark smile. “I just returned to London last night.”

“Quite a voyage you had,” Salisbury said, referring to his capture of the treasure fleet.

“I was lucky to have excellent captains serving with me,” Granger said. Salisbury led him into the drawing room, and then the herald announced him. He approached the throne as always, bowing low to his sovereign like the polished courtier that he was.

“It is good to see you,” the King said, and actually smiled at him.

“It is a pleasure to wait on you, Your Majesty,” Granger said.

“Your voyage once again filled the news,” he said.

“I was fortunate to have such distinguished and skilled captains with me, Your Majesty,” Granger said.

“If your duties permit, we would enjoy seeing you at Windsor,” the King said.

“I will certainly attend Your Majesty there, as is consistent with my service to Your Majesty’s navy,” Granger said. “I am wondering if I may call on Your Majesty to discuss some more detailed matters surrounding my mission?”

“We will be pleased to see you tomorrow morning, at 10:00,” The King said.

“I will be here as Your Majesty has commanded,” Granger said politely. The King said nothing further, so Granger bowed and backed away from the throne. He wandered to the back of the room, greeting courtiers as he did, until he found Cavendish.

“It is so good to see you!” he said, taking Granger’s hands in his.

“It is good to see you as well,” Granger said. “And I must say that you are, once again, turned out quite well. This light blue jacket looks quite good on you.”

“It is a constant effort to maintain my position at the pinnacle of fashion,” Cavendish joked. “I am sorry I was not able to see you before your meeting this morning.”

“I am wondering who was so esteemed as to outrank me.” Granger asked, pretending to be annoyed.

“I fear that honor would fall to His Majesty,” Cavendish said.

“You certainly have a good and credible excuse,” Granger teased.

“There is not much else that would keep me away,” Cavendish said.

“I am to host Lord Spencer to supper tonight,” Granger said.

“That should be a pleasant meeting,” Cavendish said. “He is quite pleased with you.”

“And why would he not be?” Granger asked playfully. “Would you fancy spending the rest of the afternoon with me?”

“I would be happy to oblige Your Lordship,” Cavendish said with a contrived bow. They socialized for a bit, long enough to be polite, and then left in Granger’s carriage. “How did your meeting with Pitt go?”

“I thought it went well, but Mr. Dundas did not,” Granger said, getting a chuckle from Cavendish.

“Daventry explained what had happened in Rhodes,” Cavendish said, shaking his head sadly. “Such a damnable thing.”

“Indeed,” Granger agreed. “I have agreed to be silent in exchange for a restructuring of the Board of Control.”

“No wonder Dundas did not have a good morning,” Cavendish said.

“I fear I have made an enemy of him,” Granger said.

“He is a man who can change with the situation,” Cavendish said. “We will try to find a way to placate him and thus persuade him not to hate you.”

“Evidently honor is not a requirement for a politician,” Granger grumbled.

“And this is a new revelation for you?” Cavendish asked sarcastically.

“You make a good point,” Granger said. “I insisted that I be allowed to reveal the Guild’s scheme to the King, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Clarence, and Lord Spencer.”

Cavendish got more serious, even as he nodded. “None of them will be happy. I would worry that Spencer will be the most upset.”

“I can see why that would be, but I feel that as the man who sent me on this mission, I owe it to him to fully explain my actions,” Granger said.

“He will appreciate your honesty,” Cavendish said. “In the meantime, we’ll have to hope that Mornington will be able to handle the Marathas.”

“Did not Daventry tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Cavendish asked. Granger was momentarily concerned lest Daventry didn’t find Cavendish trustworthy enough to share that information with, but he put that aside. If Granger couldn’t trust Cavendish, all was lost anyway.

“We were able to dispatch a messenger to India,” Granger said. Cavendish looked at him curiously. “We detoured to the Levant after our expedition to Rhodes and landed an officer with copies of the plans we intercepted.”

“The Guild does not know of this messenger?”

“I do not think it likely they would know,” Granger replied.

Cavendish smiled broadly. “That should give Mornington plenty of warning. By the time the next messenger arrives in India, he will hopefully have things well in hand.”

“That was Daventry’s doing, and it appears it was a wise move,” Granger said.

“I had forgotten that you two were such good friends,” Cavendish said. His tone contained a bit of jealousy, which Granger thought was delightful.

“We were able to rekindle and deepen our friendship on this latest voyage,” Granger said, and saw Cavendish get even more jealous. “I think he is one of my best platonic friends.”

Cavendish chuckled. “I am not aware that Daventry has ever strayed from female company when it comes to intimacy, but if anyone could tempt him it would be you.”

Cavendish had gone home, leaving Granger to wait for Spencer to arrive. It was precisely 7:00 when his footmen threw open the doors to welcome the First Lord. “Welcome,” Granger said warmly.

Spencer smiled. “It’s nice to see you away from the office, as it were.” Granger led Spencer into the parlor and poured them both a glass of wine. They chatted about nothing substantial, mostly touching on naval gossip, until the time to sup arrived. Then they moved into the dining room, where they were joined by Caroline.

Granger thoroughly enjoyed himself, and spending time with Caroline like this, watching her act as the perfect hostess, did much to ease his irritation with her from the past few days. After a fabulous supper, Caroline left them, and Granger led Spencer into his library for a glass of port, a cigar, and more importantly, for a conversation.

“I’m glad you were able to join me.”

“And how was the palace?” Spencer asked.

“It was very enjoyable,” Granger said. “As an added bonus, I ran into Cavendish and was able to spend the afternoon with him.”

Spencer nodded. “On those occasions when you vex me, I remember that you are the one who suggested I draft Cavendish to help me at the Admiralty.”

Granger chuckled. “It is a shame you don’t get to appreciate him more often.”

“Indeed,” Spencer said, even as he enjoyed Granger’s charming company. “How did your meetings with Nelson go?”

“Not very well,” Granger admitted, unable to hide his frustration. “He seemed to initially think my purpose was to persuade him to sever his ties with Lady Hamilton.”

“That was not the objective,” Spencer said, even though they both knew that would be the best solution.

“I was able to explain that to him. I told him that we were merely suggesting that he be more discreet.”

“And he had a problem with that?”

“He said that he didn’t think he could do it,” Granger admitted. It was almost amusing to see Spencer react as Granger had, at his lack of comprehension at Nelson’s willingness to toss all that was important, at least in their minds, aside. “He said that if he put Lady Hamilton in one hand, and all the reasons he should not be involved with her in the other, his love would overwhelm the other side.”

Spencer said nothing, but just looked grimly at the table. “I will do my best for him, in any event. Maybe if we bring him back from Sicily that will help.”

“I’m sure he appreciates your efforts, sir, even if he doesn’t seem to,” Granger said. “I am not sure, at this point, that anything will change his mind.”

“Thank you for making the attempt,” Spencer said.

“I have wondered whether this pressure on him to sever his ties has made him even more stubbornly committed to not doing so,” Granger opined.

Spencer pondered Granger’s words. “He can be contentious and disagreeable at times, so I could see that as a possibility.” They paused to take a drink of their port, and then Spencer brought up another topic. “I was a bit surprised that I was ordered to pull you from Valiant and ship her off.”

“You were not told why?” Granger asked, somewhat surprised that Spencer had not received more information than that.

“I was not,” he said, more of a growl. “I don’t suppose you’re able to enlighten me on what happened.”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Granger said with a smile. That really surprised Spencer. “I think by revealing the plot we uncovered, though, the implication is that you will not react rashly.”

“I rarely react rashly,” Spencer said severely, so severely it made Granger chuckle, and that got a smile from Spencer. It faded soon enough. “I suspect this involves the Guild.”

“It does,” Granger said. “Lady Elgin was tasked to carry a message to Tenedos. Lord Elgin discovered it, and showed it to me. It was cyphered, so we did not know what it said.”

“And she was to deliver this in Tenedos? To whom?”

“To Major Jardines,” Granger said. “He had the other part of the cypher, the key to decode the letter Lady Elgin carried.”

“You are sure of this?”

“I am,” Granger said. “I was able to have one of my men forge a substitute letter for Lady Elgin. When she delivered the substitute, it was incomprehensible.”

Spencer chuckled. “That must have been a bit confusing.”

“I interrupted Lady Elgin’s interview with Major Jardines. I was able to pay him the same fee the Guild promised him in exchange for the key.”

“What did it say?”

“It directed us to go to the island of Rhodes, and find a one eyed priest in a chapel in the midst of a broken down fort,” Granger said.

“That would seem to be a challenge,” Spencer noted.

“It was easier than I had anticipated,” Granger said. “I first went to Constantinople to deposit the Elgins, and then encountered Lord Daventry on my way to Rhodes.”

“The two of you teamed together is almost enough to terrify me,” Spencer said.

“I think the Guild shares your assessment,” Granger joked.

“So did you find this priest in Rhodes?”

“We did,” Granger said. “He gave us two chests, and then they tried to ambush our party on the trip back to Valiant.”

“Rogues,” Spencer observed disgustedly.

“Yes,” Granger agreed. “The chests contained several thousand pounds worth of gold coins, along with two vials of precious gems, sapphires and rubies.”

“More prize money for you, as if you need it,” Spencer said. “If they let you keep it.” Granger ignored that for the time being.

“There were also instructions on what to do with that gold,” Granger said. He handed Spencer a copy of the instructions to try and raise an army against John Company in India. He watched Spencer’s brows furrow, and saw his face turn red in anger as he read the papers. When he was done, he set them down with a dismissive thump. “I believe this is the point where it is appropriate to remind you about your pledge not to act rashly.”

Spencer glowered at him, and then shook his head. “You were wise to extract that pledge from me. This is a damnable business.”

“Indeed,” Granger agreed.

“So you were pulled from Valiant, and she was sent away, so it would be possible to hide the Guild’s evil plan?”

“So it would seem,” Granger said. “I was summoned to meet with Mr. Pitt.”

“Did Pitt know of this plan?” Spencer demanded.

“I do not think so,” Granger said. “He was at the meeting, as were Daventry and Dundas.”

“Dundas,” Spencer said. “This has to be his doing.”

“Or at least he is the one who is trying to squelch any reaction to it,” Granger said. “In the end, I agreed to keep this affair relatively secret in exchange for a few concessions.”

“And what did you buy for your silence?”

“My father is to take over the Board of Control of the Honorable East India Company, and he is to choose replacements for two of Dundas’ henchmen on the committee.”

Spencer eyed Granger, amazed. “Dundas agreed to this?”

“Mr. Pitt did, while Mr. Dundas was less enthusiastic about it,” Granger said.

“I shouldn’t wonder,” Spencer said.

“I am permitted to tell His Majesty, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Clarence what we discovered, and I am also permitted to tell you,” Granger said.

“Why me?”

“Since I was operating under your orders, I felt it was important for you to know what I had encountered,” Granger said.

“Thank you,” Spencer said. “A damnable affair. What happens to the money and gems?”

“Mr. Dundas was most concerned about those, but I explained that since we did not officially discover anything at Rhodes, we must not have seized any chests.”

Spencer laughed. “So there is a bit of a tangible reward for your efforts.”

“A bit,” Granger said. He pulled out a small box and handed it to Spencer. It contained the rubies and sapphires they’d put aside for Spencer.

“These are beautiful,” Spencer said.

“Lord Daventry and I would like you to accept these for your lovely wife,” Granger said. He sensed that Spencer was almost offended, worried that they were trying to bribe him. “It seemed appropriate that, since we captured the treasure while under your orders, you should at least have some small sign of our success.” Spencer seemed to finally understand that, by accepting the gems, he was also giving Granger and Daventry his blessing to distribute the rest as prize money, and while his dispensation wasn’t necessary from a legal perspective, it was desired from a moral one.

“On behalf of my wife, I thank you,” Spencer said. “You performed brilliantly on this voyage.”

“Thank you,” Granger said, truly flattered.

“I’m assuming that you are happy to be back, and looking to enjoy some leave,” Spencer said, but it was almost a question.

“I am happy to help you with anything you may need, sir,” Granger said.

“I fear you may live to regret those words,” Spencer said, with a truly evil smile on his face.

“Sir?” Granger asked nervously.

“It has been determined that the best candidate to command the Channel Fleet is Lord St. Vincent,” Spencer said.

“Is His Lordship well enough to assume that command?” Granger asked, with genuine concern.

“According to Dr. Baird, he is well enough,” Spencer said, letting some of his annoyance show. Spencer would be unlikely to appreciate Baird’s high-handed manner. “It is not official yet, but St. Vincent seems to feel as if it is a command he would welcome.”

“I would have thought Admiral Garner would expect to take over command from Lord Bridport,” Granger said. Garner was Bridport’s second in command.

“I suspect that Admiral Garner expects just that, but the Channel Fleet is in a sad state, and as it is the primary bulwark against a French invasion, it needs to be brought to a higher state of efficiency.”

“And you do not think that Admiral Garner can accomplish that?” Granger asked. It was a very daring question, so it was no surprise that Granger got a frown from Spencer for asking it.

“I do not,” Spencer admitted.

“I would advise you, sir, to expect a rather long stream of correspondence from disenchanted captains and admirals if Lord St. Vincent takes command of the Channel Fleet,” Granger said with a wry grin.

“Much as I received when he went to the Mediterranean,” Spencer said.

“Begging your pardon, sir, but I would submit the reaction will be more intense, and worse because of the proximity to England,” Granger said.

“And because nearly every captain in the Channel Fleet also fancies himself as a politician,” Spencer said.

“Yes, sir,” Granger agreed.

“Well, you can help me out with that,” Spencer said.

“Sir?” Granger asked, confused.

“While we’re waiting for Valiant to return, I’m going to send you out with St. Vincent.” Granger just stared at Spencer for a few moments, even as he digested that unpleasant piece of news. “You’ll have a few weeks to enjoy things at home.”

He paused, waiting for Granger to respond. “Of course sir,” Granger said, worried that he’d been rude. “In what capacity would you have me serving His Lordship?” Granger was too senior to be his flag captain, and in any event, Granger suspected that St. Vincent would drag Grey along with him for that role. He was simultaneously too junior to be his Captain of the Fleet.

“Troubridge will probably serve as his Captain of the Fleet,” Spencer said. “You will be an additional officer on his staff.”

“I am wondering who, if anyone, will be happy for my presence?” Granger asked. It was a position bound to make him incredibly unpopular.

“I would expect you’d end up working mostly as my liaison to St. Vincent. I’m going to rely on your diplomacy to smooth the waters, to the degree possible.”

“I will do my best, sir,” Granger said dubiously. He began to wonder if dealing with Lady Elgin wouldn’t be preferable.