Peace of Amiens - 6. Chapter 6

September 1, 1801

HMS Endymion

Weymouth, England

 

“His Majesty has opted to take a cruise aboard Endymion tomorrow,” Granger said to Austen once the salutes to welcome him back had ceased. He’d spent the morning ashore visiting the Royal Family and found them to be much the same except for Princess Amelia. For some reason, she had opted to make Calvert’s recovery her mission in life, and in addition to pelting Granger with letters asking after Calvert, she cornered him whenever she saw him. She had probably heard that Calvert was handsome, and she certainly knew from the press that he was gallant. Calvert’s escape had aroused a considerable amount of attention. Granger suspected that Sydney Smith would be jealous that his own adventure in managing to evade confinement in a French jail had not garnered as much approbation.

“Aye aye, my lord,” Austen said fatalistically. Hosting the Royal Family took a lot of work, so this would push all the officers as well as his staff into a frenzy of activity.

“I will provide you with a plan shortly,” Granger said. “Please send the hands to dinner.” Austen acknowledged Granger’s order, finally freeing Granger to go below and check on Calvert. They’d been optimistic that Calvert would recover after the operation to remove the shred of cloth, but Calvert had developed a fever and had battled it for the last three days. Granger had spent as much time with him as he could, and while he was emotionally exhausted from worrying about him, he was physically well rested, courtesy of being able to sleep with and comfort the man he loved. Last night had brought about a change, gradual at first, until Calvert’s temperature was almost normal this morning. It had been maddening to Granger to have Calvert at this crisis point and to then be forced to waste a morning ashore.

“Welcome back, my lord,” Winkler said, as soon as Granger entered his cabin. “Captain Calvert is doing very well.”

“That is good news,” Granger said, and could not help but smile. “I will go see him directly, but first I must tell you that His Majesty, along with other members of the Royal Family, will be joining us tomorrow for a cruise.”

“Aye aye, my lord,” Winkler said with dread.

“I want you to work with Lefavre on the food and I know you can attend to the rest of the arrangements,” Granger said. “Consider yourself off of nursing duties.”

“I think that was about to happen anyway,” Winkler grinned.

Granger walked past him then, and over to the canvased off compartment that had been Calvert’s home since he’d come aboard. Granger entered and was shocked to see Calvert sitting in one of Granger’s leather chairs, gazing out the quarter gallery. “Francis! You are out of bed!” Granger exclaimed. He hurried over to Calvert, who tried to lift himself up. “Relax.”

“Can you assist me?” Calvert pleaded.

“Of course,” Granger said. He held out his hands and helped Calvert rise up, only to then embrace him warmly. They stood there together, for what seemed like hours, hugging each other as if it was their last moment together. Sensing Calvert’s weakness, Granger helped him sit back down in the chair, then poured them both a drink and sat in the chair next to him. “You seemed better this morning, but I did not expect to see you out of bed.”

“It was as if once the fever had passed, my health came back with incredible haste,” Calvert explained. “I requested food, but it was explained to me that I would have to remain hungry until the lord and master returned.”

“I’m sure they could not even imagine that you would want to miss dining with such an exalted personage as he,” Granger said, his eyes twinkling with delight at flirting with Calvert.

“Yet now that he has returned, one would think his needs would be satisfied immediately,” Calvert said with a raised eyebrow. “Dinner is only the first step.”

“Winkler!” Granger called.

It took only a few seconds for Winkler to appear. “My lord?”

“It seems that poor Captain Calvert is almost starving as he waits for dinner, a meal I have seen no sign of, and as I am hungry myself, I opted to inquire about our sustenance,” Granger said.

Winkler smiled at his captain, so happy to see his mood restored. “Your Lordship’s dinner has been in preparation and is ready to be served right this minute.”

“That is excellent,” Granger said.

“Thank you, Winkler,” Calvert said. Granger helped him up, and steadied him as they walked over to the table. The food looked wonderful and smelled even better.

“I think that Lefavre, in his own way, is trying to tell you he is happy you are recovering,” Granger said.

“His gesture is more tangible than words,” Calvert said, as they began to eat. “It certainly tastes better.” Granger chuckled with him.

“You appear to have garnered a royal fan,” Granger said.

Calvert stopped eating long enough to look up at Granger, a questioning look in his eyes. “I have?”

“Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia has made it her personal mission to inquire about you constantly, mostly with urgent notes unless I am in her presence, in which case she is most persistent,” Granger said.

“I suppose I should be happy about that,” Calvert said nervously.

“Perhaps,” Granger said, then grimaced. “She is advocating that you be sent ashore to recover. I fear that after our cruise tomorrow, you will find yourself spirited away, merely to become the object of lust for a royal princess.”

“I suspect I already was an object of lust,” Calvert said, being cocky and adorable at the same time.

“There is no question about that,” Granger agreed.

“I do not want to go ashore,” Calvert said. “I have just recovered, and we have so much to talk about.”

“If you are willing to resort to subterfuge, or perhaps even a few untruths, I have a plan,” Granger said.

“And what is this plan you have dreamed up?” Calvert asked, smiling.

“Very few people know that you have recovered,” Granger noted. “I was of a mind to convince the crew and the Royal Family that you have not.”

“I seem to remember that I was to be offloaded from Intrepid in India, and we hoisted the Yellow Jack instead,” Calvert said, referring to the flag a ship raised to indicate there was fever on board.

“And as things turned out, you stayed aboard Intrepid,” Granger said. “I think raising a Yellow Jack would be a bit too much in this case.”

“I suspect you are right,” Calvert said seriously, but they were both chuckling. “You are suggesting that I remove myself to the sick bay and stay there when the Royal Family comes aboard, and that I appear to be in worse shape than I actually am.”

“That is what I am suggesting,” Granger said. “I think that, based on how often the King opts to cruise, that will buy you another week on board Endymion.”

“I have just returned, and we have just started to reconnect,” Calvert said, in what was almost a whine. “I do not want to be separated from you.”

“And you can tell from all of my strategizing that I do not want to be parted from you either,” Granger said. “I am to be relieved of command of Endymion in a month. After that I will have no obligations other than to appear in Parliament, and after the opening, I will be able to avoid even that.”

“I am not sure what the Admiralty plans for me,” Calvert said.

“I suspect they were surprised to find you back in England, as the last they had heard you were languishing in France as a prisoner,” Granger said. “I have sent my report summarizing your escape to London, and I have seen that the story was also strategically placed in the newspapers.”

“Why did you do that?” Calvert asked and was truly horrified that Granger would seek to make him a public figure.

“I have learned that fame is power, and it is hard to sideline someone who is a darling of the populace,” Granger said.

“You’re assuming this will ensure I am not left to rot on the beach,” Calvert concluded.

“I am also looking forward to seeing you cope with the affections of the mob,” Granger said, being truly sinister. “I have enjoyed their attention so much that I wanted to make sure you could share in it.”

“George, you are truly an evil person,” Calvert said.

“You are not the only person who thinks that,” Granger said. “My wife would probably be more than happy to join that club, although she has professed a desire for us to remain civil and to support each other to the degree possible.”

“You and Caroline are enemies?” Calvert asked, stunned. Winkler had told him that they were estranged, but this made it sound so much worse.

“We were until about a month ago, when we became wary allies,” Granger said ruefully.

“I am sorry,” Calvert said, and stopped eating long enough to clasp Granger’s hand with his right hand.

“I returned from the Baltic to find my life here in disorder,” Granger said. “Caroline’s father had died, but he had arranged for Alexander to become his heir. The Havershams had wanted him to take the name Alexander Haversham-Granger, but Caroline had written to me and promised that would not happen.”

“That is not unusual in this situation, to add another name?” He was right, in that when one inherited scads of money one was often required to add an additional last name.

“My father-in-law was a reprehensible creature, and the Havershams are a relatively new family, so for those reasons, I had no desire for my son to bear their name,” Granger said coldly. Granger was a much older and more prestigious name than Haversham, so linking Haversham to Alexander would only diminish his standing.

“So did she do that? Did she change Alexander’s name?” Calvert asked.

“When I returned to England, I found that Caroline had gone off to Heathford to presumably put that estate in order,” Granger said, unable to hide from Calvert the bitterness he still felt. “She had taken Colonel Stewart as an escort, along with her mother.”

“Was she having an affair with Stewart?” Calvert asked.

“She was, a very public affair. She knew I was on my way home, yet rather than wait for me she ran off with Stewart. When I sent word that I had arrived back in England, I would have expected her to return home at once,” Granger said. “She did not.”

“I am sorry, George,” Calvert said. “It seems we were both fighting our own battles without each other for support.”

Granger nodded. “I found out that her conduct had so scandalized my staff that even Cheevers was planning to turn in his notice.” He paused and looked away briefly, trying to control the anger he still had for Caroline. “As if that were not enough, she had become part of the entourage around Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales.”

“There are quite a few naval officers in that circle, I have heard,” Calvert said, cringing at the possibilities for Caroline. They would be a randy lot.

“There are indeed, but that was not what vexed me. The Prince of Wales views any friend of his wife as his enemy. When I went to call on him, he was pointedly rude to me,” Granger said. “The only way I was able to save my own standing was to toss her to the wolves.”

“Surely there was some other solution?” Calvert asked.

“You think so?” Granger asked, his voice much louder than it should have been. He calmed himself down with great effort. “Lord Nelson asked me to be one of his supporting peers when he was introduced into the House of Lords.”

“It is no secret that you are one of his favorites,” Calvert said, smiling at Granger. “That all but confirms it.”

“I am not sure I am one of his favorites, but we are friends, and I would serve under him in any capacity,” Granger said, then continued with his story. “After Nelson was duly welcomed, there was a motion to change Alexander’s name.”

“Despite her promise, Caroline pushed that through?” Calvert asked, amazed at her brazenness.

“Lord Heathford expended a great deal of effort to circumvent the rules so that his title, Viscount Heathford, would transfer to Alexander,” Granger said. “It should rightfully have gone to one of Caroline’s relatives. She was attempting to placate their anger, but even then it would have made no difference.”

“How did she accomplish that in the first place?” Calvert asked, confused. In his mind, the process of inheriting titles was so encoded in laws and precedence there should be no question.

“They broke the rules,” Granger said. “When I met with the King, he was very vexed by that, so I told him that I would renounce the title on Alexander’s behalf.”

“I can’t see that Caroline would appreciate that,” Calvert noted.

“She did not,” Granger said. “But she was not in London; she was still at Heathford servicing her stud. I knew that when I did that, and when I successfully opposed Alexander’s name change in the Lords, I had basically declared war on her.”

“Did she finally return to town?” Calvert asked, then inserted some levity in the discussion. “Was there a duel?”

Granger laughed at that. “I had her things packed up and sent to her mother’s house, and told her she was not welcome at any of my homes. The staff were loyal to me, so I knew they would see that my orders were obeyed. She sent me a series of blistering letters, most of them threatening me in an oblique way.”

“What was her threat?” he asked.

“That she would expose my relationships with other men,” Granger said, then swallowed hard. “I expect that you would have been her prime candidate.”

“That would not have been pleasant,” Calvert said, stating the obvious.

“I have noticed that people have asked more questions about us lately,” Granger said.

“George, you can put me ashore and let me fend for myself,” Calvert said. “I do not want to cause you problems.”

Granger smiled. “I fear, Francis, that the risk is greater to you than to me, but I have taken steps to mitigate the risk to both of us.”

“What have you done?”

“When you were brought aboard, I explained our friendship to the King, and how we had bonded during our years of service in His navy,” Granger said. “I cited some of our more daring actions and explained how you had trained me to be a better leader.”

“If we were to quantify that, I would owe you much more than you owe me,” Calvert said.

“Fortunately, a friendship, especially ours, does not require that,” Granger said. “Caroline came to see me in London, right before I took command of this ship. She told me that she did not want to be my enemy. We reached a détente of sorts, with vague pledges of mutual support if needed.”

“So you have formally separated from her?” he asked.

“I have,” he said. “We have even worked out the financial arrangements. She is to receive £5000 pounds a year, and I will retain all our property and holdings.”

“That is very generous of you,” Calvert said, and indeed it was.

“She first wanted £15,000, then dropped her demands to £10,000, but ultimately settled for my offer of £5000,” Granger said. “She was basing her demands on my inheritance from my aunt, which had no bearing on her whatsoever.”

“So you are a single man,” Calvert noted, and leered at Granger.

“I am not single in the sense that I cannot remarry, but I am single in that I can have an affair and not cause myself undue problems with His Majesty,” Granger said.

“Are you going to do that?” Calvert asked, and was a bit outraged, although Granger knew it was really jealousy.

“I think I will have to,” Granger said. He saw the fire start to burn in Calvert’s eyes, so he hit him with a preemptive strike. “Francis, you are the most important man in my life. I cannot bear to be separated from you. I must do this so tongues will not wag.”

Calvert sighed, then nodded. “I understand, but I do not like it.”

“Well I am not the only one who will be pressured to acquire a woman,” Granger said, the annoyance clear in his tone. “You are back from the war, you are famous, and you are rich. How will you avoid taking a wife?”

Calvert stared at him, his mouth falling open in shock as he realized that Granger was right. “That is not what I want.”

“None of this is what I want either, but the alternative is unthinkable,” Granger said. He saw Calvert’s eyes and almost read his mind. It was unthinkable for Granger, but not for Calvert. It was the same argument, the same dilemma, they’d had before. Calvert would risk everything to be with Granger, while Granger could not do that for Calvert. His obligations to his family were too great.

“Is this why you wanted me to be famous?” Calvert asked abruptly. “So that I would have no choice but to follow this path?”

Granger stared at him, the fury growing with each second. “What I have done, I have done for you.” He made to get up lest he say something he meant but did not want to say.

“George, I am sorry,” Calvert said plaintively. “My mind is a bit foggy, and not working as well as it should.”

Granger gave him a very dour look. “We will chalk this episode up to the laudanum. In any event, I must meet with my officers and prepare for the arrival of the Royal Family.” Calvert looked away from him sadly, and a tear actually fell down his cheek. He angrily wiped it away, but that it had escaped from his eye made Granger realize that Calvert was still fighting his demons while trying to grapple with the world he’d reentered with so much drama. Granger stood up, walked over to him, and ran his hand over Calvert’s shoulder. “I understand.”

“You do?” Calvert asked, even as he took Granger’s hand and kissed it.

“I do,” Granger said. “You are having a homecoming not unlike my own, where what you expected to be is not, and you must try to adapt to a world that has changed and continues to change around you.”

“You are so much better at this than I am,” Calvert said.

“I am,” Granger said, then smiled to show Calvert he was teasing. “I will be here to help you, but it would be much more motivating if you did not lash out at me and accuse me of being dishonorable.”

“It would also be less stupid,” Calvert joked. Granger helped him up and took that opportunity to hold him in his arms and kiss him, then went off to plan for the arrival of the Royal Family.

 

September 2, 1801

HMS Endymion

Weymouth, England

 

“Mr. Austen, take us out,” Granger said, delegating their departure from port to his able first lieutenant.

Austen was stunned for only a moment before uttering. “Aye aye, my lord.” To delegate sailing from Weymouth with the Royal Family on board was almost unthinkable and showed that Granger had a great deal of confidence in Austen. That was true, and Granger trusted Austen, but the seas were calm and winds were light, so the risk was small enough. Nonetheless, he could already sense that the rest of the officers and the men viewed Austen with increased respect.

“Your Majesty, we have arranged for some refreshments for you as we depart,” Granger said, which was the cue for Winkler and his staff to come up on the quarterdeck and distribute drinks and offer the Family some hors d’oeuvres.

“Delightful, Brentwood, what what,” the King said.

“My lord, may I finally call on Captain Calvert?” Princess Amelia asked, annoyed. “I would also like my doctor to check on him as well.” Granger was irritated and nervous that the meddling princess had brought one of the royal physicians on board.

“Lord Kingsdale, would you escort Her Royal Highness to the sick bay,” Granger called.

“Of course, sir,” Kingsdale said gallantly, then bowed to Amelia. “Your Royal Highness, if you will please follow me.”

“With pleasure,” she said, and gave Granger an unpleasant look.

“Amelia is convinced that Captain Calvert will recover much better if he is ashore,” the Queen said. “I am wondering about your opinion on that, Lord Brentwood?”

“Your Majesty is kind to ask,” Granger said. “Captain Calvert is just now starting to recover from his most recent operation. I think that if he remained aboard until this time next week, his recovery would be considerably aided.”

Granger detected a slight smile from the Queen, one that was not of pleasure, but rather belied a significant amount of cunning. She guarded the princesses much as the marine outside his cabin guarded Granger, and would no doubt be less than happy to have a man as handsome as Calvert within reach of her daughters. “We find Your Lordship’s recommendation quite sensical,” she said, and stared at the King.

“Quite so, what what,” the King agreed. Granger smiled, both to be charming, and because now that the King and Queen had made their wishes known, they would not change their minds no matter how much Amelia whined.

“There is another reason for Captain Calvert to stay aboard, Your Majesties,” Granger said delicately. They both looked at him, waiting for his explanation. “Captain Calvert fled from France without his possessions, and the one uniform that he had was significantly mauled during his captivity and his escape. I have made arrangements for new uniforms to be crafted for him in London and sent down to Weymouth, along with a tailor who can fit them properly. This will allow him to dress more suitable once he goes ashore.”

“That is most thoughtful of you,” the Queen said.

Granger chatted with them, as well as Sophia and Elizabeth, about the landmarks of the port, all the while watching surreptitiously as Austen conned the ship out to sea. “Brentwood, show us again how marvelously fast this ship is,” The King ordered, once they were free of Weymouth.

“With pleasure, Your Majesty,” Granger said with a large grin. He took control of Endymion and set all plain sail, sending her racing up the Channel. This time, they stayed more to the English side.

No sooner were they settled on course than Amelia came up, trailed by her doctor and Dr. Jackson. “Mama, Captain Calvert absolutely must come ashore when we return,” Amelia said, her expression full of fire and determination.

“We have already granted permission for Captain Calvert to remain here for the next week,” the Queen said. Amelia made to argue, but the Queen narrowed her eyes in what was a fearsome gesture, and that was enough to rein in the princess.

“If Your Majesties think that is best,” she replied, with just a bit of annoyance.

“We do,” the King said, backing up his wife.

“Your Royal Highness, perhaps you would be willing to accompany me below and I can show you where Captain Calvert will recuperate,” Granger said. She nodded her assent. “Mr. Austen, you have the ship.”

Austen acknowledged Granger’s order, then Granger led Princess Amelia below to his cabin, which had been thrown open to host dinner. That meal was in the process of being readied, and their presence horrified Winkler who was scrambling around with his staff to complete the arrangements. “My lord?” he asked.

“Carry on, Winkler. I am just here to show Her Royal Highness where Captain Calvert will be moved after we return to port,” Granger said. He led her to the larboard side of his cabin. “He will have his own compartment, situated here.” Granger gestured to the spot where his office was normally placed.

“That will be a small, dark area to while away his time, and is hardly conducive to a healthy recovery,” she objected.

“Your Royal Highness is correct, of course, which is why he will spend his waking hours here,” Granger said, and led her to the quarter gallery.

“This is much more pleasant, my lord,” she agreed grudgingly.

“Your Royal Highness, Captain Calvert is my dearest friend. We have seen much service together, and have transnavigated the world together,” Granger said a bit plaintively. “I hope you will forgive me for being overly concerned about his well-being.”

“I do not have friends like that,” she said sadly.

“I am sorry, Your Royal Highness,” Granger said, and boldly took her hand in his to emphasize his point. “Will you allow me to share a time when we almost lost him?”

“With pleasure,” she said. She put his hand on his arm as he guided her back to the gundeck and to the ladder.

“I was in command of Intrepid, a small sloop, when we spotted a boat in the middle of the Atlantic. It turned out to be a ship’s boat, and there was no reason for it to be so far out to sea, and no reason to expect its occupants to be alive. We were able to grapple with it and found then-Lieutenant Calvert aboard. He had a huge gash on his neck, one that had already started to become corrupt,” Granger said.

“How did that happen?” she asked.

“The ship he was on was commanded by an idiot, and was captured by the French, who then managed to blow her up,” Granger said bitterly, then steadied himself. “There is little hope for a wound on the neck that becomes gangrenous, as the normal remedy, chopping off the limb, is generally not possible when that limb is the head.”

“I should think not,” she agreed.

“Dr. Jackson has studied medicine as practiced in other places, and not just in England. He was aware of a potential cure for Lieutenant Calvert’s dilemma,” Granger said.

“There is no way to cure gangrene,” she asserted strongly.

“If you will pardon me for contradicting Your Royal Highness, there is, but it is not pleasant to hear about,” Granger said.

“Thank you for your warning,” she said. “I will hear of this cure.”

“Dr. Jackson put a certain kind of maggot into the wound,” Granger said. Her eyes shot open in horror and revulsion. “The maggots eat the corrupted skin, leaving only healthy skin behind, and that is how we were able to eliminate the gangrene and save Calvert’s life.”

“That is incredible,” she said. They climbed up to the quarterdeck. “I understand now, Lord Brentwood, why you are so protective of Captain Calvert and why your friendship is so deep.”

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness,” Granger said.

“Next week, when you send him ashore, please know that I will make it my mission to ensure that he fully heals,” she said, then put her hand on Granger’s arm. “I will take care of your friend.”

“I am most obliged, Your Royal Highness,” Granger said, hiding the dread he felt at her words.