HMS Valiant - 11. Chapter 11

September 10, 1799

HMS Valiant

The Tower of London

Granger remained completely calm and unperturbed on the outside, while on the inside, he was near panic. Even as he looked at Kingsdale, his eyes darted around, looking for the King, but he simply was not on the deck. His mind reeled off in a horrible direction, pondering the penalties he would incur if the King had somehow managed to wander away or worse, had somehow come to harm. That would not only destroy his reputation, but it would surely hurt his family’s standing as well.

Granger forced his mind to think logically. It was unlikely that the King would have left the ship. There were marines assigned to guard the gangway, to ensure that uninvited people did not board Valiant. It was also unlikely that the King had fallen overboard. He was relatively large, so it was inevitable that there would be a splash. Besides, with all of the private boats cruising around Valiant, one of the people staring at Valiant surely would have seen him. He was not in the rigging, so that meant the only place he could have gone was below.

“Lord Granger, can we count on you for this next minuet?” Princess Sophia asked.

“I must beg Your Royal Highnesses’ pardon, but I must attend to my duty, so I shall have to sit this one out,” Granger said deftly. “Perhaps Lord Kingsdale can take my place.” Kingsdale looked at Granger, somewhat horrified at dancing with a Royal Princess, but Granger decided that since Kingsdale was the one who had brought the problem to his attention, he should help solve it. That was to be his penance.

“Excellent,” Princess Sophia said, and led Kingsdale off. Granger saw his father standing by the rail, talking to Hood, so he approached them.

“Quite an extravaganza you’ve put together, Granger,” Hood said.

“Thank you, sir,” Granger said affably. “His Majesty seems to have disappeared.”

The two of them looked around, and while they did so calmly, it was evident to Granger that they were flustered. “Where has he gone?” Hood asked.

“I think the only logical explanation is that he must have gone below. I was going to go look for him. Perhaps you will keep an eye on the party for me?” Granger asked.

“Hood can do that,” the Duke of Suffolk said. “I’ll go with you.” Hood nodded his assent.

Granger led his father to the ladder and they descended to the main deck, where the 24-pound cannon stood dutifully awaiting the time when they would be needed. “He does not appear to be on this deck,” Granger said. He walked back to the wardroom and looked around, but found no one there at all.

“Do you think he would have gone down another deck?” his father asked. The smell on the main deck was already bad, and it would be worse a deck below.

“Presumably that is what happened,” Granger said. He led his father down another ladder. This was the deck where the men slept, and where they relaxed on their off-watch hours. It was remarkably calm down here. Granger would have expected the men to be enjoying their own party.

“Look!” Suffolk said to his son in a loud whisper. There, sitting in a chair, was the King. He was surrounded by the crew, who sat there staring at this man whom most of them had only heard of before this day. He was the man whom they fought for, and his silhouette was on the money in their pockets. The King seemed oblivious to their looks as he focused on an old sailor, who was regaling him with sea stories. Granger recognized that it was Packard, one of the old hands who had been with him since he’d taken command of Intrepid.

“There we was, Your Majesty, facing a whole company of Spanish soldiers. The Spanish commander squared off with His Lordship, and offered to fight just between them, and whoever won, got to keep the fort. So His Lordship agrees, and they start fighting, and it looks like His Lordship was getting the worst of it, only he was just pretending. He backed up, parrying the Don’s blows until he saw a chance to strike back. He jumped forward, knocked the Don’s sword out of his way, and ran the Don through. That Don was brave, but not as smart as His Lordship,” Packard said. The King just nodded and smiled.

“I was on board the Santa Clarita, Your Majesty, when we fought the San Augustin. Most frigate captains are smart enough to steer clear of a ship of the line, but Captain Calvert said we had to fight her, we had no choice. We was gettin’ pummeled, and even though Santa Clarita is a stout ship, she was taking a pounding. So Captain Calvert has most of us go below to avoid the cannon fire while he maneuvers Santa Clarita into a position to board San Augustin. Only San Augustin dismasted us, and we were just a sitting duck,” Stanton, another seaman, chimed in.

“Captain Calvert was about to strike our colors,” said Mercer, who was also on board Santa Clarita when they’d fought the battle. “Then out of the mist comes Bacchante, and Lord Granger positions her perfectly so she blasts her whole broadside into the Don’s stern. Then he rammed Bacchante into her, and boarded her through the stern cabin. They drifted down onto Santa Clarita, and that’s when we finally got to board the San Augustin too.”

“Marvelous,” the King said, clearly enjoying himself.

“Can I leave you here to keep an eye on him?” Granger asked his father. He was both proud of his men for being so loyal and for lauding him, but he was uncomfortable at hearing his own achievements regaled to his sovereign.

“Certainly,” the Duke of Suffolk said.

Granger smiled, then went back up to the quarterdeck and rejoined the party. He danced on with the Royal Princesses, making it quite a late evening, until the King finally emerged from below. That was evidently the cue for them to leave.

“Thank you, Granger, for providing such wonderful entertainment and food for us,” the King said.

“It was truly an honor for me, my officers, and my crew to host you, Your Majesty,” Granger said with a bow. And with that, the King walked off the ship. As soon as he left the deck, the band played God Save the King again, and the Royal Standard was lowered. The Queen and the Princesses followed after him.

“That was truly well done, Granger,” Spencer said.

“Thank you, sir,” Granger said. By now, he was quite exhausted. It had been a long day. He had fought with Caroline, fretted over the preparations, and then been on tenterhooks the whole time, worried that something would go wrong.

Spencer seemed to sense that, and took his leave, while Hood chose to go with him. And so it ended up that Granger, his father, and Caroline were standing together on the quarterdeck. “I was impressed at hearing a series of highly complimentary sea stories,” his father said.

“I’m sure they were embellished,” Granger said.

“I am sure they were mostly not,” the Duke said. “I am very proud of you, George.”

“Thank you, Father,” Granger said, and then opted to change the subject. “As you arrived with Lords Hood and Spencer, perhaps you would like us to give you a ride home?”

“It would be appreciated,” the Duke said.

“Mr. Weston,” Granger said, calling him over.

“My lord?”

“I am going home. Please contact me if you need anything. Tomorrow, we must set the ship to rights, and see that she is ready for sea,” Granger said.

“Aye aye, my lord,” Weston said. Granger’s tone seemed to suggest they’d be sailing soon, but Weston kept the curiosity out of his voice.

“My dear,” Granger said to Caroline, and extended his arm to escort her off the ship. The trio strode down the gangway, and to their waiting carriage. Even though it was late, there were still quite a few people milling about. They cheered for Granger, but the marines managed to keep them at bay. The three of them talked about the party until they arrived at Bridgemont House in Grosvenor Square. The Duke got out of the carriage, and then the vehicle drove the short way to Portland Place.

Granger stared straight ahead, barely looking sideways at his wife, who adopted a similar posture. They said nothing during the drive. When they pulled up to their home, Granger helped Caroline out of the carriage, escorted her up the steps and into the house. “Thank you for helping me host that party,” he said to her, then he retired to his own room, and she retired to hers.

September 11, 1799

Portland Place

Granger sat in his dining room eating breakfast while he scanned through the newspapers Cheevers had gotten for him that morning. He was wearing his second best uniform, which seemed appropriate for today. He planned to spend his time on Valiant, getting her ready for sea. He felt adrift here in London, with a rift separating him and Caroline, while Cavendish and Arthur were still out of town. It was becoming more and more obvious that they were avoiding him.

Caroline entered the room and took her seat, while she and Granger both exchanged polite morning greetings. A servant brought her a plate, and she began to help herself to the food that was on the table. “What are you planning to do today?” she asked.

“I will probably be aboard the ship,” he said.

“I was planning to go to Brentwood for a few days,” she said. That was especially galling, since he’d be sailing soon. “I thought the children would enjoy some time in the country.”

“You are welcome to go to Brentwood, but the children are staying here,” Granger said firmly. He saw fire flash in Caroline’s eyes, as she dealt with him all but ordering her around. “I will be sailing soon, and I want to spend time with them.”

“When will you be sailing?”

“I expect that I’ll be leaving in the next two weeks, but I will definitely be gone in a month,” he said.

“I will try to come back and see you before you leave,” she said.

He gave her a dour look. “Do not inconvenience yourself.” And with that, he stood up and strode confidently out of the room, and found the carriage waiting for him. Granger found that he didn’t feel bad about how he had treated Caroline. He had asked her to tell him about her relationship with Treadway, and she had declined. Until she explained things to him, he preferred to spend limited time with her. Winkler followed him into the carriage, as he would need to supervise putting Granger’s cabin back to rights.

The carriage drove him to the Tower of London, where Valiant still lay moored. Granger thought about how convenient this was, to be able to board the ship via a gangway instead of a boat. He decided to keep Valiant here until he left, or until someone demanded that he move her into the river. They greeted him with the honors due him as he boarded. “Welcome back, my lord,” Weston said.

“Thank you, Mr. Weston,” Granger replied. He looked around the deck and it was impossible to tell there had been a party here just last night. Weston had gotten all the decorations removed, and Valiant looked like the ship of war that she was. “You’ve done an excellent job of restoring the ship to her proper condition.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Weston said, glad that he had pleased Granger.

“I will need to see you and Mr. Andrews in my cabin.”

“Of course, my lord,” Weston said. Granger and Winkler walked back to Granger’s cabin, and while the ship had been largely put back the way it had been, Granger’s cabin had not.

“A bit of work to do here, my lord,” Winkler said.

“Before you start on that, join us,” Granger said. Winkler was surprised at that. He was on the periphery, behind the scenes, making sure Granger was well taken care of. He didn’t sit in on staff meetings, but there was no use arguing about it.

Andrews and Weston appeared, and Granger had them sit at his dining room table, since it was the only area in his cabin where there were available chairs. “I have the receipts from the party to go over with you, my lord,” Andrews said.

“That can wait,” Granger said. “I normally inform the officers about our mission with a dinner. I will do that at dinner, today.”

“I will make sure everyone remains on board and attends, my lord,” Weston said.

“Excellent. I will go ahead and relay those details to you now, so you can begin making preparations,” Granger said. “Our mission is to convey His Majesty’s ambassador to Constantinople.”

“Who is the ambassador, my lord?” Weston asked.

“Lord Elgin,” Granger answered. “He will undoubtedly bring his staff along, and he is also bringing Lady Elgin.”

“Her Ladyship is joining him, my lord?” Andrews asked, surprised.

“She is, and she is with child,” Granger said.

“Going to be an interesting voyage, I’m thinking, my lord,” Winkler said dubiously.

“Undoubtedly,” Granger said with a smile. “I will leave it to you, Mr. Weston, to ultimately find space for Lord Elgin’s staff. I am planning to divide my cabin up such that Lord and Lady Elgin can stay here.”

“How will you configure your cabin, my lord?” Winkler asked.

“I was planning to leave the dining room set up along the length of the stern windows,” Granger explained. “Then I will create a sleeping cabin and an office on the larboard side for myself, and two similar cabins on the starboard side for the Elgins.”

“That should provide enough room, my lord,” Weston said.

“We can hope,” Granger said with a smile. “Winkler, I will leave you in charge of configuring my cabin. Mr. Andrews, I expect we’ll need to provide substantive fare for our guests.”

“Of course, my lord,” Andrews said. “I will work with Lefavre to see that he has all that he needs.” Granger had not known this before, but Andrews and Lefavre got along to the point that they were considered friends. It made sense, since they had to work together to keep Granger’s pantry well stocked.

“Excellent. Then let us go over these receipts,” Granger said, thereby dismissing Weston and Winkler to go make preparations.

Granger spent the day supervising the rebuilding of his cabin, and making sure the ship was ready for sea. He returned home just in time for supper. He entered the dining room and was surprised to see Caroline there. “Good evening,” he said pleasantly.

“Good evening,” she replied, matching his tone.

“I thought you had planned to go to Brentwood.”

“I can go to Brentwood after you are gone,” she said. That normally would have been flattering, but Granger suspected that Caroline was only doing this to assuage her own guilt. If she stayed here, she could tell herself that she had been the dutiful wife; so she would stay here, but she would allow the tension to remain.

“I would prefer that you went now,” he said. She stared at him, looking as if he had slapped her.

“I did not realize you did not want me around,” she said. Granger stared at her, expressionless, so she couldn’t see how annoyed he was at her attempts to make him feel guilty.

“I have requested that you explain the nature of your liaison with Major Treadway, and you have refused. It is your duty and your obligation to tell me, and until you do, I do not want to see you.” There was real venom in his voice, a rarity, but since it was so rare, it truly struck Caroline much harder.

Caroline said nothing for a bit, as she pulled herself together. “I think people will talk if I am not here right before you leave.”

Granger pondered that, and knew that she was right. This issue, this conflict, was between them. Nothing good would come from it being visible to anyone, including their families. “Very well. Then you are welcome to remain here.”

“Thank you,” she said, the irritation clearly showing through her smooth façade. She found it annoying in the extreme that George would give her permission to remain in her own home.

“You are welcome. It will make things easier for you after I leave, and it will give me an incentive to sail as soon as possible.” Neither one of them said anything more; they just ate in silence.

Granger indulged himself in a bath that evening, and it was indicative of his life right now that he was taking it alone. He was furious with Caroline for her behavior, and if he had been planning to remain ashore for a while, he would have sent her to Brentwood. His mind shifted to Major Treadway, and ironically enough, he was not nearly as angry with him. Granger searched his brain to explain why he felt that way, and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t so much the indiscretion, whatever it was, that bothered him. What truly bothered him was that Caroline wouldn’t tell him what the indiscretion was.

September 15, 1799

HMS Valiant

The Tower of London

Granger stood by the rail, looking down into Valiant’s waist. “I intend to sail in three days,” Granger announced.

“We will be ready, my lord,” Weston said, which was really his only response. The others all nodded in agreement. “When will Lord Elgin arrive?”

“I received a note from Lord Elgin informing me that they would visit today,” Granger said.

“It will be good to know how many staff members His Lordship is bringing with him, my lord,” Weston said ruefully. He had been through hell trying to create space for the ambassador’s entourage, and it was all the more difficult when they didn’t know the size of the entourage.

“Carriage arriving, my lord,” Travers said.

Granger and Weston walked over to the rail and looked out to where a carriage had just pulled up. It was nice enough, but certainly not as splendid as one would expect from an earl. They watched as first a man, presumably Lord Elgin, exited the vehicle, and then he assisted his lady. They strode toward the ship, then up the gangway and through the entry port. They seemed surprised to be greeted with standard naval honors, as befitted an ambassador.

“Welcome aboard,” Granger said affably. “I’m Captain the Right Honorable Viscount Granger, commanding His Majesty’s frigate Valiant.”

“Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine,” Elgin said, returning Granger’s courtly bow. “And this is my wife, Lady Elgin.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Granger said. Elgin was in his early thirties. He was a handsome man, with light brown hair, and comported himself quite well, as one would expect of someone who had served in the army. He had an air of confidence that was quite compelling. His wife was entirely different. She was slightly plump, which was probably normal for a woman who was with child, but it seemed to accentuate her round cheeks and short forehead. Her brown hair was styled in a conservative and unfashionable way, while her clothing matched her hairstyle. She looked around the quarterdeck as if in fear for her life.

“The pleasure is ours,” Elgin said courteously.

“Have you ever been aboard one of His Majesty’s vessels?” Granger asked them.

“I have, but my wife has not,” Elgin answered.

“Then perhaps you will allow me to give you a tour,” Granger offered.

“Before we do that, I would like to see our accommodations,” Lady Elgin said. Her voice was shrewish.

“Of course,” Granger said. He led them straight aft to his cabin. “This cabin has been modified to allow room for sleeping quarters for each of you. You are welcome to dine with me.”

Lady Elgin looked into the small cabin and gasped. “I am to travel in this small compartment?”

Granger bit back his annoyance. It was certainly not luxurious compared to what one might expect aboard a John Company ship, but it was actually quite spacious for a warship. “That is merely Your Ladyship’s sleeping cabin. I would anticipate that during the day, you would spend most of your time on deck, or in the main cabin.” He led them back to where the dining table and sitting area was.

“Cannot we create more room, perhaps using this space?” she asked, pointing at Granger’s cabin.

“Those are my sleeping quarters,” Granger said evenly. “While I am happy to share my cabin with you, I will not relinquish it to you.”

She looked at Elgin. “Thomas, is there not some other conveyance to take us to Constantinople?”

Elgin looked irritated with her, as well he should. “There are multiple ways to get to Constantinople, but none are as spacious and luxurious as the rooms Granger has generously set aside for us.” She looked at him and pouted. “I thank you for sharing your quarters with us,” he said to Granger.

“I am glad to do so,” Granger said. “Living and storage space are always at a premium on a ship of war.”

“I fully understand,” Elgin said. His wife was less pleasant about it.

“It was my intention to sail on the morning of the 18^th,” Granger said. “That will hopefully work with your schedule?”

“I thought we were departing from Portsmouth,” Lady Elgin said.

“Since we are all of us in London, it makes more sense for us to leave from here directly. Winds are not always in our favor, and entering and leaving Portsmouth could delay us,” Granger explained.

“I would rather travel to Portsmouth by carriage, and board the ship there,” Lady Elgin pronounced, as if she was determined to minimize the time she had to spend aboard Valiant. Granger found his patience with her fading quickly, and after his dealings with Caroline, he found his patience with women in general to be quite limited.

“That is certainly your option,” Granger said to Elgin. “I do not know how urgent your embassy to Constantinople is. I was led to believe that it was of some consequence.”

Elgin was clearly struggling with his bitchy wife. “Thank you, Granger. I hope that it will be of some consequence. But I think it can stand the delay of us meeting you in Portsmouth. That actually has the added benefit of giving me some more time to meet with the Foreign Office.”

Granger was annoyed at this unnecessary delay, but he suspected that where Lady Elgin was involved, this was only the beginning. “We will plan to meet you in Portsmouth. Can you tell me how many people will be travelling with you?”

“I currently have five gentlemen accompanying me, while I anticipate that a sixth will join us,” Elgin said. Granger knew he would have servants as well, but they could berth with the crew.

“We will endeavor to allot some space for them,” Granger said.

“I would be most obliged,” Elgin said. “We have detained you long enough. We will meet you in Portsmouth shortly.”

“I will look forward to it,” Granger lied. He escorted the Elgins over the side, then turned back to deal with Weston. “See if you can create two cabins for Lord Elgin’s staff.”

“Certainly, my lord,” Weston said. That would put them at three men to a cabin, cramped circumstances, but Granger was irritated with them, and was unwilling to go out of his way for them.

“I am assuming that his senior staff members will dine with me,” Granger said. “Perhaps you can offer the others the hospitality of the wardroom?”

That was a touchy issue, since the wardroom was the domain of Valiant’s lieutenants and senior warrant officers. It was inappropriate for the captain to impose upon those men. But Weston took it all in stride. “We will be happy to, my lord,” then got a twinkle in his eye. “I would perhaps object if you were to send Lady Elgin down to us.”

That was a bold move on Weston’s part, to joke about the Elgins, but his timing was good, and Granger chuckled. “I daresay you would.”

September 18, 1799

HMS Valiant

The Tower of London

Getting underway from the quay was entirely different than doing so from an anchorage. On the positive side of things, there was no anchor to haul in, so the men were saved from that laborious task. On the other hand, the ship had to be warped out into the main channel before she could set sail and go on her own power.

“Cast off those lines,” Granger ordered. Men dutifully undid the ropes that had bound Valiant to the quay next to the Tower of London. He then strode to the other side of the ship. “Mr. Clifton, pull us into the channel.” A simple nod to Treadway was all that was required to start the band playing.

“Aye aye sir,” Clifton said. He had the launch, while Eastwyck had the cutter, and they began to pull the ship, using the oar-power of the boats, into the river. The tide was just beginning to ebb, so they would largely be able to ride out of London with it. It was just as well, since the winds were almost foul for a trip down the Thames.

The boats did not have to pull Valiant far before the current began to move her. “Mr. Clifton, I want you to keep your boats ready in case we need to maneuver. You take the starboard side, and Mr. Eastwyck can take the larboard.”

“Aye aye sir,” Clifton said.

“Steady,” Granger said to the helmsman, who was being just a bit erratic. “A point to starboard.”

“Aye aye, my lord,” he said. And so Valiant began the first leg of her voyage to Portsmouth. Granger focused on his ship until he felt she was safely on course, and then he had time to look around the quarterdeck.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Granger asked his oldest son, William.

“Yes, Father,” he said. Granger had made a point to spend time with his children during this visit, but he had bonded the most with William, probably because he was older. That and he was an easy lad to be around.

“Do you want to see your cabin?”

“I would rather stay with you,” he said, making Granger smile. Granger had been frustrated with Elgin’s request to leave from Portsmouth, but he opted to make the best of it. Since he was only travelling that far, he decided to take William with him. He looked over and saw William’s governor bracing himself for this ocean journey and smiled. The man hadn’t enjoyed the trip from Portsmouth to London, and he was unlikely to enjoy this trip either. There were four footmen with them, all to act as guards for William on his return coach ride to London.

William had been thrilled at the offer to sail with his father, while Caroline had been thoroughly annoyed. Both of those attitudes pleased Granger. He’d spent the last few days largely ignoring Caroline, other than exchanging pleasantries at meals. Even that had been limited, since Granger had spent much of his time with social calls. He’d dined with Lord and Lady Spencer last night, and it was the first time he’d gone to dinner at their home without Caroline. He’d called on the Duke of Clarence to take his leave, and to have an amazing sexual encounter, one that was magnified by the fact that Granger had had no other partners while he’d been in London. He’d taken his leave from the King and the Prince of Wales, as well as from his father. All of that had occupied much of his time, and had minimized his time with Caroline.

He glanced over at Treadway, who stood watching his band, making sure they played correctly. As his anger at Caroline had grown, his anger at Treadway had faded. When Granger had his unpleasant argument with Caroline about her activities with Treadway, Granger had almost been of a mind to go to Spencer and request Treadway’s transfer. He’d decided not to, because he didn’t know what Treadway was even guilty of; because he was related to Spencer; and because his career was precarious at this point. Granger was unwilling to dash Treadway’s future to pieces without good reason.

“Will there be large waves, Father?” William asked, only he was asking that hopefully, as if craving some excitement.

“When one is at sea, one never knows what one will encounter,” Granger replied. Much as it was when one was home, he mused to himself.

AUTHORS NOTE: The visit by King George III and his family to HMS Valiant is my representation of an incident that actually happened on September 9, 1799. In that case, the King was the guest of Captain Durham and his wife, aboard HMS Anson, which was a razee just like Valiant. To the degree that I could, I have tried to describe the decorations as closely as I could so that they match those aboard Anson.