Northern Exposure - 76. Chapter 76

June 27, 1801

London, UK

“I am concerned that if I remain here, I will grow quite fat,” Daventry said.

“That is quite the compliment,” Granger said, as he continued to enjoy his breakfast. “I think that you exert yourself enough to avoid such a fate.”

“Especially at night,” Cavendish joked.

“I should probably set up my own establishment,” Daventry mused. Granger had thought his initial comment was just a flippant observation, but he gathered from this follow up observation that Daventry was worried that he was imposing on Granger’s hospitality.

“You can certainly do that if you want, but I must say that I enjoy having you here,” Granger said. He realized that Cavendish was probably feeling the same way and opted to include him in this conversation as well. “It is refreshing to come home and find my two best friends and confidants here. I fear that if you two were gone, I would feel very lonely, and worse, I would be bored.”

They laughed. “We would certainly not want to make your lordship’s life dull,” Cavendish said.

“I also think that the children would miss having you around,” Granger said to Cavendish. “And I think that your son is quite happily settled,” he observed to Daventry.

“I appreciate your opening your home to me,” Daventry said. “If I had my own home in London, I would probably not be lonely, but I would be considerably more debauched.” That made all of them laugh.

“Then it is settled,” Granger pronounced, so glad that his friends were planning to stay.

Their pleasant conversation was interrupted by Cheevers. “My lord, there is a gentleman here with messages for you and Lord Daventry.”

“A messenger?” Daventry asked curiously.

“Please escort him in,” Granger said. They stopped eating and stared at the entryway, then were stunned to see a herald enter the room. They were surprised because it was very unusual for a herald to be calling on Granger, and because the garb that he wore was quite ornate. All three of them stood in respect: to the office, not the man.

“Lord Granger and Lord Daventry,” the man stated formally.

“I am Lord Granger,” Granger said.

“I am Lord Daventry,” Daventry parroted.

“You are hereby commanded to attend His Majesty’s Privy Council at 9:00 tomorrow morning at St. James’s Palace,” the herald said pompously. He handed Granger and Daventry papers that reiterated what he had said.

“I will attend as commanded by His Majesty,” Granger said with a bow.

“I will also obey my Sovereign’s directive,” Daventry said, bowing as well. The herald nodded, then left, at which the three of them resumed their seats and their breakfast.

“That was most interesting,” Cavendish said.

“The last time I received such a summons, I was advanced to the peerage,” Granger mused.

“Yes, but now you already have one of those,” Daventry joked, as if earning a peerage was no more important than acquiring a shiny new bauble.

“There are any number of reasons you may have received that command, but all of them are good,” Cavendish noted. Granger began to ponder the possibilities and could only come to one conclusion.

“If I were to guess, I would say that we are to be advanced a rank in the peerage,” Granger noted.

“That was my guess as well,” Daventry said. “Perhaps they will make you a marquess and me an earl.”

“They would not do that because they know how petulant you would be if I were to suddenly have precedence over you,” Granger teased.

“Since with your inheritance you are now almost as rich as God, I would suggest that you already have that ascendancy,” Daventry riposted.

“Indeed?” Granger asked. “And does that mean that members of the Guild may also pay to have an advanced position?”

“There are minimum requirements,” Daventry quipped. They chuckled at that until Cavendish raised a more serious topic.

“Speaking of those who think money is the only criterion to be part of the ton, I will have to make an effort to develop contacts with the Guild,” Cavendish said with dread. “Caroline largely handled that on her own.”

Granger pondered that. “Could Caroline agitate them on her behalf?”

“I would suspect that while she could, the core arrangement was between your family and the Guild, so it would be unwise for them to unravel that merely for Caroline’s benefit,” Daventry noted.

“They will bear watching, nonetheless,” Cavendish observed. “It may be necessary to involve your father in things just to remind them that is indeed the case.” Cavendish was asking indirectly for Granger’s approval to broach the topic with the Duke.

“If you wish to involve him you may,” Granger replied flatly.

“I am wondering at the status of your relationship with him,” Daventry probed, since his answer to Cavendish was so terse. Granger’s first reaction was to be offended that they would even ask him about that, but a more reasoned assessment made him discount that. Daventry and Cavendish were on his team, and it was important that they knew his status with influential people.

“I am not sure,” Granger said. “He has shown me that I cannot trust him, and we have certainly exchanged heated words in private, but I am positive we will all remain quite civil in public. I do not think I can rely on him to watch out for my interests, but I think he would help me willingly if I asked, especially if it was in his best interest as well.”

“That should serve our purposes with the Guild,” Cavendish said. “Besides, there is always your mother.”

“Indeed there is,” Granger said. “I was once quite close to her, then we grew apart. It is nice that we seem to be getting closer again.”

“It is curious that your relationship with her tends to wax when your relationship with your father wanes, and vice versa,” Daventry observed.

“That is quite intriguing,” Granger said, as he digested that observation.

“As we are to leave soon, I would recommend that you finish your breakfast,” Daventry said to Granger, primarily to preclude him from pondering about his parents when time was of the essence.

“And where are you gentlemen off to?” Cavendish asked.

“We have been invited to attend the Cabinet meeting this morning,” Daventry said.

“That should attract some attention,” Cavendish noted. “It is not often that the Cabinet invites outside persons to attend.”

“Perhaps we may use that to our advantage as well,” Daventry noted.

“Perhaps,” Granger said, as he rose from the table. “We will see you later, Cavendish.”

“Good luck,” he quipped. Granger and Daventry strode from the house to find Granger’s carriage waiting.

“You are quite well turned out,” Daventry observed. Granger was wearing his uniform today, and he’d managed to bribe his tailor to create a new one since he’d arrived in London.

“As do you,” Granger said, noting Daventry’s sleek outfit, crafted in his signature colors of black and gold. “Do you know what they want of us?” Granger asked, referring to the Cabinet.

“Mr. Addington was vague, but I would suspect that it has to do with our trek to Russia,” Daventry said. Granger rolled his eyes because that seemed to be obvious. “They are also probably concerned about your feud with St. Vincent and how that will affect your votes in Parliament.”

“I hope they know I am not that petty and vindictive,” Granger said.

“They are not used to dealing with people who are not, so that is why this surprises them,” Daventry said, making him laugh.

The carriage pulled up to Number 10 Downing Street, prompting the footmen to open the door smartly for them. Granger and Daventry strode up the steps to the Prime Minister’s residence and were ushered into the foyer. “Welcome, my lords,” said a man who appeared to be a butler of sorts. “I would be obliged if your lordships would follow me.”

They followed the man to the room where the Cabinet met and found those gentlemen, the most powerful men in England, arrayed around a table. The butler announced them, and then shut the doors behind them. “Welcome, my lords,” Henry Addington said to them affably. He was known as a friendly sort, so his manner was no great surprise.

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Daventry replied smoothly. Granger was more than happy to let Daventry take the lead amongst these men with whom he was much more regularly involved with than Granger was. Granger scanned the table and noted who was there. He exchanged greetings with Lord Eldon and the Earl of Chatham, the man who had breached strict naval rules to promote him to lieutenant before he was eligible.

Granger moved on to the Duke of Portland, Cavendish’s father, a man with whom he’d gambled frequently. “I must thank you, Granger, for all you have done for my son.”

“No gratitude is required, Your Grace,” Granger said smoothly. “Lord Frederick Cavendish is a good friend and has become part of our family as well.”

Granger continued to acknowledge these men as he worked his way around the table. “It is good to see you,” Lord Hobart said. His hands lingered a bit when he held Granger’s, and his subtle leer reminded Granger of the intimate oil bath he’d had with the man in India. “I have such fond memories of our conversations in Bombay that I was planning to invite you to dine with me.” Granger almost laughed at how all the others would think he was merely being polite, when in fact he was asking Granger into his bed.

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure,” Granger said, with only the slightest hint of a double-entendre. He went on to greet the others: the Earl of Westmorland, Lord Hawkesbury, the Earl of Liverpool, and the Earl of Dartmouth. When he got to St. Vincent, they merely nodded at each other. Granger was a bit surprised that he was even here; from what he had gathered, St. Vincent rarely attended Cabinet meetings, choosing to rule the Admiralty without interference from these men.

There was one man Granger did not know, but Hawkesbury stepped in to rectify that. “Allow me to introduce your lordships to the Honorable Augustus St. John.” The man looked like a human version of a ferret. “He is in the Foreign Office and is our Secretary on the Northern Countries.”

“I am most interested to hear of your interactions with the Baltic monarchs, my lords,” St. John said.

“Excellent,” Daventry said, then Granger and Daventry took their seats.

“Your travels through the Baltic impacted so many departments in the government that it was deemed opportune to hear your report collectively,” Addison said.

That was presumably the cue to begin the discussion. Daventry provided most of the narrative until Granger was compelled to pick up the tale and explain his interactions with Admiral Dickson. “I received very negative reports from Admiral Dickson about you,” St. Vincent said to Granger rudely. “Not the least of his complaints was your insubordination.”

Granger held back his fury and glanced only briefly at St. Vincent, then focused his attention on Addington. “Your Excellency, Lord St. Vincent has impugned my honor. I have not yet sought satisfaction because of His Lordship’s rank in His Britannic Majesty’s Navy, because he is a member of this Cabinet, and because until he insulted me he had been a mentor to me. As things stand, it is inappropriate for us to interact, and I must insist that His Lordship and I have no direct contact with each other.” Granger had uttered those words in a cold and steady tone, one that had added to the shock they imparted.

Addison turned to St. Vincent. “My lord, if you have any questions for Lord Granger, please direct them to me.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Granger said. “Admiral Dickson was focused on the accumulation of prize money which was not an objective of my mission. I was given a great degree of independence by Lord Spencer, who had anticipated such problems.”

“You are not the only one who has had difficulties dealing with Admiral Dickson,” Chatham noted with a smile.

“Indeed,” Granger said. “In my response to Admiral Dickson’s accusations against me, I expressed my opinion to Lord Spencer that Admiral Dickson was long past the age of retirement, a problem not unknown in His Majesty’s Navy.” Granger directed that last line at St. Vincent and watched him almost turn red with anger.

St. Vincent scowled at all of them, then gave Granger a truly evil look. He then stood up and walked out of the room, saying not a word. “I’m hoping you’re not planning to return to sea in the near future,” Chatham joked.

Granger chuckled. “My homecoming has been challenging, so I will be occupied with putting my affairs in order. I suspect that when the time comes for me to return to sea, this government will see the advantages of my doing so and will ensure that there is no undue resistance.” Daventry smiled at Granger, for that was a not very subtle reminder to these men that they risked alienating his support in Parliament and that he was quite capable of motivating the mob on his behalf.

“I shouldn’t wonder, my lord,” Addington said. “Can you explain the nature of your conflict with St. Vincent?”

Granger had been expecting this, so he pulled an envelope from his satchel bag. “I fortunately anticipated your question, and have written a narrative and included copies of the pertinent correspondence, Your Excellency.” He handed the envelope to Addington, who held it as if weighing its contents.

“Thank you, my lord,” Addington said, then handed the envelope to Lord Eldon. “Perhaps you can review this and then acquaint the rest of us with your impressions, my lord?”

“I will be happy to do that, and I will ensure that everyone here receives a copy of my summary, Your Excellency,” Eldon said.

Granger nodded to acknowledge his words, then the narrative continued. Hawkesbury asked them a lot of questions about their time in Denmark and Sweden, while St. John merely scribbled frantic notes, then the tale moved on to Russia. Granger was annoyed at Daventry for glorifying his battle with the Russian battleships but opted to say nothing. “That victory was counterproductive, even if it was glorious, my lord,” St. John said.

“I disagree with you,” Daventry said boldly. It was evident that Daventry did not like St. John. Granger was amused that the man had been able to annoy Daventry so quickly. “It demonstrated to the Russians that by tangling with us, they were tackling a formidable enemy.”

“It also antagonized them, my lord,” St. John said acidly.

“It did indeed antagonize them,” Granger said smoothly. “But as our narrative progresses, you will see that it also ended up being a positive event.”

Granger took over the narrative and described their seizure of Arensburg. “I think you are the naval officer most likely to capture a city,” Chatham joked, reminding them of Granger’s attack on Oran. Everyone laughed at that except St. John.

“Our intelligence indicates that the capture of a fort and a city infuriated the Tsar, causing him to increase his sanctions on British property,” St. John noted.

“I am confident that our capture of that port did not increase the sanctions on British property,” Daventry said. “Those were in the works well before our incursion into Arensburg.”

“I would also note that there is a new Tsar in place, Mr. St. John, so the exasperation to which you refer is no longer an issue,” Granger added.

“That is not what my sources have indicated,” St. John argued.

“And who are these sources?” Daventry challenged. St. John hesitated. “I will not abide unsubstantiated facts. If you are too guarded to reveal with whom you have spoken, then I am unwilling to continue this conversation.” Granger allowed himself a subtle smile to acknowledge how smoothly Daventry was handling this.

“Let us get to the end of your report and then we can discuss our sources,” Dartmouth said. Attention turned back to Granger, who said nothing. The silence went on until these men realized neither Granger nor Daventry was planning to continue speaking until St. John answered Daventry’s question.

“His Imperial Majesty’s ambassador, Count Vorontsov,” St. John said smugly.

“Vorontsov is hardly a reliable source,” Daventry noted. “Diplomats are not required to be truthful, only to represent and advance their countries’ interests.”

“Count Vorontsov is an honorable man,” St. John asserted.

“I am not disputing that,” Daventry said. “I am suggesting, rather, that you are being manipulated by him.”

“Preposterous,” St. John exclaimed.

“Mr. St. John,” Granger said, jumping in to try and soothe the man. “Count Vorontsov is indeed an honorable man, but as Lord Daventry said, he will have his own agenda, as well as the agenda of the former Tsar to contend with. In this situation, we are much better placed than him to know what is going on in Russia.”

“I find that hard to believe, my lord,” St. John said.

“You may believe what you want,” Granger said coldly, now as annoyed with the man as Daventry was. “Is he your only source?”

“I have also spoken extensively to Baron Sluitsky, a man you captured and had shipped back to Britain, my lord,” St. John said. He was being ridiculously petulant, acting as if he were defending Sluitsky against Granger’s outrageous treatment of the man.

Granger shook his head in a condescending way and addressed Addington. “Your Excellency, you all have difficult positions to fill, but I would suggest that you show some extra sympathy for Lord Hawkesbury, as he has, in my opinion, the toughest challenge as His Majesty’s Foreign Secretary.”

“Indeed, my lord?” Addington asked.

“Indeed, Your Excellency,” Granger answered, then focused on Hawkesbury. “In my travels through the Baltic, I was stunned at the ineffectiveness of His Britannic Majesty’s envoys, and I was quite frankly not surprised that we seem to be at war with the entire world.”

“That’s hardly my fault,” Hawkesbury said, in his dour and gloomy way.

“I did not say nor imply that it was,” Granger said firmly. “I am saying that is the challenge you face. And now that I have returned to London, and I am trying to explain to this Cabinet what transpired while we were on this mission, I am confronted by someone who will not give me the credit for being competent at handling the situation, and who will not extend that even more deserved credit to Lord Daventry.” The cabinet members turned their gazes, or glares in most cases, at St. John, who sank under the weight of their censure.

“I meant no offense, my lord,” St. John said nervously.

“You may leave us, Mr. St. John,” Hawkesbury said. As soon as the man left the room, Hawkesbury gave Granger and Daventry a wry grin. “As your lordship noted, my position is full of challenges.” That brought a welcome laugh, and it served to transform the climate back to one that was conducive to their discussion.

Granger had made notes of their travels in Russia, and he used those to guide their basic report, with Daventry using his prompts to enhance the discussion. They largely listened without interrupting until he spoke of his assault on Memel. “I would suspect your lordship will find that others who would have shared in any prize money over your capture of those ships and stores may opt to pursue your lordship in court,” Lord Eldon said. There was no question he was referring to Admiral Dixon.

“I am relying on His Majesty’s government to indemnify me for any damages I may incur in that regard,” Granger said firmly, his blue eyes steely as they locked first on to Eldon, then on to Addington.

“I do not disagree with you, Granger, but I am curious as to why?” the Duke of Portland asked.

“Because earning the goodwill of the citizens of Arensburg, and particularly of Count von Beckendorff, is what made our smooth travels to St. Petersburg possible,” Granger said. “And my gift of those stores to the people of Visby provided me with enough goodwill to secure a base for operations, not to mention ensuring a suitable memorial for Mr. Cochrane.”

“Without those two factors, our mission to St. Petersburg would have failed,” Daventry said. “When I first arrived in the capital, I had no letters of credit or available funds to advance Britain’s interests. It was an all but futile role. It was not until Lord Granger arrived with those financial instruments that I was able to make progress.”

“We will ensure that you suffer no financial ill effects from your generosity, my lords,” Addington pronounced.

“My trip to St. Petersburg was considerably less comfortable than Lord Granger’s,” Daventry said dourly. “I rode in a badly sprung carriage with windows that let through as much cold air as if they weren’t there at all. Lord Granger traversed the Russian countryside in a heated vozok.”

“I think it is important to keep up appearances,” Granger said vapidly, getting a chuckle from the others. “My slower pace enabled me to call upon His Most Christian Majesty.”

“We have heard he has since been evicted from Russia, and there is a good chance he and his court will end up here,” Hawkesbury said. “What was your impression of the Court?”

“When I was in Paris, Monsieur Talleyrand told me that the émigrés had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing,” Granger said. “I think his words were prescient.”

“Indeed?” Hobart asked.

“They seem to think that the end of these wars will see a Bourbon restoration to the throne of France, and that things in France will revert to how they were in 1789,” Granger said. “I cannot speak to the war aims of placing the Bourbons back on the throne of France, but I am fairly confident that the French populace will not stomach a return to the Ancien Régime.”

“I share your view on that,” Hawkesbury said. “In any event, regime change in France is not currently our top priority.”

Granger and Daventry spoke at length about their time in St. Petersburg. Granger did not think these men were really understanding the dire situation they’d been in, so he opted to put it in terms that would bring that into focus. “I think it is important for this Cabinet to understand the risks Tsar Paul represented to this kingdom,” Granger said. They stared at him, waiting for him to continue. “Not long after I arrived in St. Petersburg, I became aware of a rapprochement between Tsar Paul and Bonaparte, one that would involve a joint invasion of India.”

“That would seem to be a large undertaking, and it would be surprising that those two nations could coordinate such an assault,” Chatham opined.

“In fact, there were already Russian troops, Cossacks, being assembled on the border with Persia, ready to begin the assault on the Tsar’s orders,” Granger said. “I would have expected that they would have launched their initial attack with between 20,000 and 30,000 men.”

“That would be a formidable challenge,” Hobart said, and as he had been the most recent person of power in India here on the Cabinet, his words had an impact.

Granger and Daventry continued to speak of their mission, and there were no meaningful conflicts until they talked about their meeting with Lord St. Helens. “I am curious, my lord, why you felt you had the right to override this Cabinet and instruct Lord St. Helens not to seek an alliance with Russia?” Lord Dartmouth asked acidly.

“Because this Cabinet was wrong,” Granger said succinctly, unwilling to tolerate such a patronizing tone. “His Imperial Majesty will not fight a war with anyone unless he is forced to.”

“We are not convinced of that, my lord,” Hawkesbury said. “And we certainly do not see any harm in trying.”

“You gentlemen are sitting here in London, making assumptions based on the flawed analysis of people like Mr. St. John, and it is, quite frankly, insulting to find that takes precedence over our statements,” Daventry said. “If you have such little faith in us, we have all just wasted a good two hours of our time.”

“No offense was intended, my lords,” Addington said hastily.

“Lord Granger was on intimate terms with His Imperial Majesty, to the point that he was almost a de-facto member of the Imperial Cabinet,” Daventry said. “I would advise you to trust his opinions on this matter.”

“How did you accomplish that, my lord?” Hawkesbury asked, stunned.

“His Imperial Majesty was captivated by my charm,” Granger said, inserting some humor into the conversation, and accordingly easing the tensions.

“That makes one wonder if Alexander is as insane as Paul,” Chatham joked, making them chuckle.

“His Imperial Majesty has a vision for Russia that largely comes from his grandmother, Catherine the Great,” Granger said. “To achieve that kind of transformation, he will need peace. That is his goal.”

“I am curious as to why approaching him about an alliance would be counterproductive?” Hawkesbury asked.

“Because it shows no regard for His Imperial Majesty’s own mission, and makes it appear as if we are trying to use Russia as a pawn in our own struggle,” Granger said. “It makes us appear as if we are not a friend, but a manipulator.”

“I see,” Hawkesbury said, and the other members nodded as if to agree with Granger’s assessment.

“Granger, when you were a midshipman, I could see quite clearly how skilled you were, both as a seaman and a leader, but I was not aware of your diplomatic skills,” Chatham said. “I think that, when my history is written, they will look back and say that commissioning you as a lieutenant, even though you weren’t quite old enough, was one of the smartest things I have ever done.”

“I do not know how to thank you for those kind words,” Granger replied, stunned.

“Daventry, you have shown yourself to be amazingly versatile, the kind of man who gets results,” Hawkesbury said. “I cannot think of how you could have conducted yourself in a better fashion during this mission.”

“Thank you,” Daventry said. Daventry and Granger both recognized that these ringing endorsements of their efforts by the Cabinet were also their dismissal, so they took their leave and shortly found themselves back in Granger’s carriage.

“That went rather well,” Granger observed.

“I thought so too,” Daventry said. “More importantly, we have finished up in time to go to Chesterfield Street and watch Brummel complete his toilet. I am anxious to see you lose your bet.”

“I have an errand to run first,” Granger said cryptically. “I will deposit you there, then meet you in an hour.”

“We will hope he is not finished before then,” Daventry joked. Brummel took several hours to complete his toilet, so that was laughable.

“I suspect I will make it in time,” Granger said.