HMS Belvidera - 44. Chapter 44

August, 1796

Granger sat in the launch as the men labored with the oars, rowing the cumbersome craft upriver. He almost sighed with frustration at royal orders that did not take into account the tides. Those orders had compelled him to revise his schedules so they’d have enough time to fight against the tide on their way to the Whitehall stairs. The sweating oarsmen undoubtedly shared his irritation. In the center of the launch, secured in its own limber made by the carpenter, sat the Oran Ruby, glimmering in the morning sunlight. All along the bank there were cheering throngs of people, excited to see him, the ruby, and the crew of the Belvidera.

In one sense, it was good that the tides were against them, since that gave him good reason to take almost the whole crew. He’d need those men to double bank the oars, and relieve the men who were rowing. They’d ended up leaving 30 men and a few petty officers behind. Granger had given them money to make up for their sacrifice, and that seemed to suffice. He knew many captains wouldn’t have bothered, they’d just have assumed the men would follow orders, but Granger knew the sacrifices his crew had made to bring this prize home, and he wanted them to bask in the honor of presenting it to the King.

He looked at his watch nervously, mentally pacing through the route, and decided that they were on schedule, or close enough as made no difference. The ship’s other boats followed in their wake, creating quite a procession upriver. Granger studied the men in the boat and smiled at how well turned out they were. They’d spent the day yesterday sewing new trousers and shirts; most landsmen tended to forget that the average sailor was quite proficient with needle and thread.

They rounded the bend and the Whitehall stairs came into view, their first waypoint. Clifton was with him, and expertly directed the boat to the shore. The launch surged up next to the steps, and Granger jumped out, followed by the men and marines. He was nervous; worried that some fool mistake would capsize the boat and dump the ruby into the Thames, but no such mishap happened. Instead, the marines formed up, and a party of seamen took the handles on the limber and carried the ruby along, much as if it were on a sedan chair.

Somers and Roberts had rehearsed this, the landing, and Granger was pleased to see the smooth organization that got some approving looks from the Life Guards that stood at attention, keeping the crowd at bay. As the jolly boat came up and deposited the remaining men, Granger mounted the white horse Caroline had specifically sent for him. She maintained that white was a good color, and would make him seem good and pure. He thought it was a bit too much stagecraft, and was certain that nothing would make him look pure, but humored her anyway.

A colonel in a brilliant red coat and glittering gold lace approached them. “I’m Colonel Sir Edward Grey, of His Majesty’s Life Guards,” he said introducing himself. He seemed friendly enough. Granger introduced Somers and Roberts; their program did not allow time for the others. “If you will follow me, my men have carved a path, as it were.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” Granger said. He nodded to Somers, who turned to his marines.

“Marines, prepare to advance!” he ordered. The men marched in place while the ship’s band struck up “Grenadier Guards”. “Marines, forward!” And the procession began. Granger watched as his marines marched in perfect form up the steps. They’d formed a cordon around the ruby, and around the seamen who had been lucky enough to be selected to carry it. Following the marines were the rest of the men. The sight of them made Granger smile, even though stoicism was the form of the day. Seamen had none of the discipline of marines or soldiers. They plodded along in what could only be described as an organized mob, walking bowlegged as they tried to adapt to the land, which unlike their normal home, did not move around.

They passed through the Horse Guards barracks and onto the parade grounds. Granger, Roberts, and Somers rode at the head of the column, while the other officers rode either behind the marines or behind the seamen. They marched across the Horse Guards parade ground until they reached the Mall. There they wheeled slightly to the left and marched down the Mall, past the Clarence House gardens. All along the way, crowds of people lined their route, held back by the Life Guards. One enterprising young urchin tried to penetrate their cordon, evidently in an attempt to steal the ruby, but a musket butt in the head sent him on his way.

Finally they arrived at St. James Palace, although it really hadn’t taken all that long, it just seemed that way to Granger. The guards let them enter the grounds, and they marched up the center walkway until they reached the entrance. His men fanned out onto the neatly trimmed grass areas on either side, and stood waiting respectfully. Granger was about to dismount and dismiss his men, when the doors to the balcony opened up. Granger sat astride his horse, stunned, as the King himself walked out onto the balcony. This was not part of this original program, and represented a distinct honor granted to him and his men. Granger and his officers took off their hats, while the men all bowed, falling to their knees, in deference to their sovereign. Most of the men who served in the Navy would never see their King; most of the people in England would never see their King, so Granger was mindful of the singular honor done for his men.

The King waved, and the men cheered themselves hoarse, until His Majesty withdrew into the Palace. Granger dismounted, along with Roberts, Somers, Clifton, and Brookstone. They each took one of the handles of the limber from the seamen, and followed Granger through the palace doors, carrying the Oran ruby. Granger knew he could rely on his other officers to get the men back to the ship safely, so he focused instead on what was ahead of him.

He passed through the familiar doors, and noted that the guards had lined both sides, and then they were in the palace. Granger saw that it was crowded today, full of dignitaries. He saw men in red and blue uniforms, men with various honors and orders displayed across their chests. The women were dressed in court dress, with their bare shoulders exposed in a risqué manner that surprised Granger. He walked forward until he had officially entered the room, at which point he bowed low to the King. Behind him, he knew that his officers were bowing as well, going through motions they’d rehearsed carefully. It was not easy to bow while simultaneously holding a limber. He walked forward, paused midway to bow again, then completed his journey to the throne and bowed a final time, confident that his officers behind him had mirrored his moves.

“Welcome home, Captain,” the King said formally.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Granger replied, then took a breath in readiness to make his presentation. “Your Majesty, I have brought you the Oran Ruby, a gift from the Bey of Oran, who pleads with Your Majesty to forgive his transgressions against Your Majesty’s ships and subjects.” Granger lifted the ruby from its cradle and gently handed it, with his head bowed, to the King. The King took the Ruby and handed it off to a Beefeater, who would presumably carry it off to the Tower of London for safekeeping.

“Thank you, Captain, for conveying this gift to us. We are mindful of the sacrifices you and your men made to add this to our collection.” Granger bowed.

“May I present my officers, Your Majesty?” Granger asked.

The King waved his hand in assent, and Granger presented them, one by one, although all of them had been to court before. Both Clifton and Brookstone, being sprigs of the nobility, were here quite often.

Once that was finished, Granger found himself unsure of what to do. His instincts told him that he should bow as he backed away from the throne and depart, or at least blend into the crowd, but the King had not dismissed him. He stood there, confused and floundering internally, calm and stoic externally, wondering what to do. He caught sight of Caroline off to his left, and her look propped him up. As he looked at her, he also saw his officers, who had managed to dispose of the litter and stood dutifully behind him.

His confusion was compounded when three men approached the king, one of them carrying a stool. A knighting stool! Granger stared at them in amazement as the man placed the stool in front of him. The Lord Chamberlain was next to the King now, while the other man stood on his other side. “Kneel, sir,” the Lord Chamberlain commanded. Granger recovered his composure, kneeling on the stool as ordered.

The other man handed the King a large sword. Granger was a bit worried that the somewhat unstable King might actually drop the massive thing on him. It would be dashed bad luck to be stabbed to death while being knighted. The King took a deep breath, and then spoke loudly. “George Granger, in recognition of your many achievements and services to our realm, I hereby dub you a Knight of the Bath.” Granger felt the massive sword land gently on each of his shoulders.

There were oaths to recite, and an additional ceremony where they pinned a star on his uniform and draped a ribbon across his chest. After that, the Archbishop of Canterbury was on hand to lead them in a lengthy and deadly dull series of prayers. And then finally the thing was over.

Granger bowed as he backed away from the throne, and then, as if nothing had happened, the denizens of the court resumed their normal lives. “Congratulations, Sir George,” Roberts said with a grin.

“Thank you, Mr. Roberts,” Granger replied, grinning back at him. He felt a hand on his arm and knew it would be Caroline.

“I am so very proud of you George.”

“How long did it take you to make this happen?” he teased her.

“Actually, you accomplished this honor without any help from me at all.”

“Now that is an achievement,” he joked.

He noticed that Roberts and Clifton had snapped to attention, so when he turned to find Spencer there, he wasn’t too surprised. “Congratulations,” the First Lord said.

“Thank you, my lord. And I must thank you for this, as I am sure you had a hand in it.”

“I think that you will find, on further investigation, that it was actually the King’s idea,” Spencer said with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed, my lord,” Granger observed, surprised.

“I fear you will have little time to enjoy it. You will be back at sea within a fortnight.” Granger could sense Caroline’s disappointment.

“I am thankful to have that much time, my lord,” Granger said diplomatically.

“Well, I fear Jervis’ bad moods more than your wife, and he will want his golden boy back with him in the Mediterranean.” Caroline gave Spencer her coquettish pouting look as he said that.

“I am sure you are underestimating my wife, my lord,” Granger joked, getting a laugh from Spencer.

“I am too smart to do that,” he replied.

Granger escorted Caroline as they made the rounds, talking to the various people there. Of course his parents were among the first to congratulate him, and their pride was truly gratifying.

Granger found himself in front of his mentor, Lord Hood, looking gouty, but still resplendent in his blue uniform with its gold lace and various honors. “Well look at you, Granger. A Knight of the Bath.”

“Yes, my lord,” Granger said, smiling at Hood. He had served with the admiral, and knew him well enough to tease him. “I think the ribbon and star make me look especially handsome, don’t you.”

Caroline snickered, and Hood tried to hide his smile. “Every little bit helps,” he said, pretending to be grouchy. “That was nice work you did.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Granger said. “I had an excellent teacher. I fear I dealt with Admiral Langara almost as diplomatically as you did.”

“No wonder we’re at war with Spain,” Hood joked.

Granger enjoyed himself, even though he felt self-conscious with his new decorations and new title. He was fatigued, and pondered the irony of the situation, how he’d been bored because he’d been socially isolated, but now that he was out and about, he craved the solitude of his home and family.

Caroline finally feigned illness, and that gave them an excuse to leave. “I assumed you were ready to go?”

“I am not sure how you do that on a constant basis,” Granger said.

“Your Admiral Mann has certainly caused himself some problems,” Caroline said, changing the topic.

“It was just short of cowardice,” Granger said with contempt. “Jervis will probably have to be given a human sacrifice to work his temper out over this.” That made Caroline laugh. Mann had decided, entirely on his own, and in direct opposition to orders from Jervis and from England, to simply take his squadron and sail home. It was scandalous.

“He was asked to strike his flag, and has been all but forced into retirement,” Caroline told him.

“Good. He is worthless,” Granger said with venom in his voice.

“He may be down, but he is not out,” Caroline cautioned. “His family and friends are a powerful force in the Navy. Not much beyond it, but in the Navy, they are formidable.”

“Why is it, when we are fighting for our survival and no less, that we allow ourselves to be saddled with baggage like Mann and the rest of the Wilcox family?” Granger wondered why the politicians here in England didn’t understand that. Probably because they hadn’t witnessed the might of the French and Spanish fleet.

“Let’s not worry about them today,” she said soothingly. “Today, we will save for ourselves.”