HMS Valiant - 13. Chapter 13

September 24, 1799

Cowes, England

Granger usually woke up at dawn, even when he was ashore, and today was no different. It had become an ingrained part of him, an almost inevitable result of his years in the Navy, where every day was greeted with the ship at quarters. He looked at Treadway, who lay sleeping next to him, and smiled. He was lying on his stomach, exposing his incredibly sexy ass. Granger ran his hand down his crack and brushed it across his hole, eliciting a moan from Treadway, even as he slept.

With a mischievous grin, Granger splayed his body across Treadway’s, using his hand to prop himself up and thus avoid putting too much pressure on him, even as he guided his hard cock into Treadway’s willing hole. Treadway moaned, even as he woke up.

“Wonderful,” he said. “What a wonderful way to wake up.”

“God, you feel good,” Granger replied, as he plunged in and out of his sweet ass, until he ejaculated, then he gently pulled out, spun Treadway over onto his back, and performed his oral magic on the young Major until he got a morning appetizer.

They lay there on their backs, side by side, allowing their heavy breathing to moderate. “I came ashore, dreading our meeting, worried that I would end up fighting a duel with you,” Treadway said. “This is so much better.”

Granger rolled over onto his side and stroked Treadway’s chest, even as he gave him a gentle kiss. “And I expected that you would come over, I would become enraged, and I would end up sending you packing back to the ship while I paced my room, attempting to work off my anger.” It said much about how enthralled Granger was with the handsome major that he admitted to being roiled by emotions. “Instead, I had one of the best nights of my life.”

Treadway smiled, and ran his hand along Granger’s back, gently urging him closer, so their lips would merge again. They broke off their kiss, and looked at each other, both a bit starstruck. “It was the best night of my life.”

“I find that I cannot get enough of you,” Granger said, kissing him again.

“Good,” Treadway said, grinning, then he got serious. “I am sorry if I hurt you. I truly did not intend to be intimately involved with your wife.”

“I think you were but an accessory to the crime, as it were. I am certainly not happy that you were with my wife, but at least you did not defile her,” Granger said, mulling the situation in his brain. “And as you have described it, I am not sure you had much choice in the matter.”

“So you are not angry with me?”

“I am not angry with you,” Granger said, smiling at this handsome young man who had been so much fun. “I have enjoyed you so much, that you have largely dissipated the anger I felt, and turned those negative emotions into pleasure.”

“And you are planning to go to London today?” he asked, even as Granger felt Treadway’s hand stroking his cock.

“I am,” Granger said, grinning.

“That is a shame. It would be so much better if you were here.” He stroked Granger with more purpose.

“I agree,” Granger said, stifling a moan, “but I must do my duty.”

“I would be willing to release you from this bed if you will do your duty one more time,” Treadway said coquettishly. It was really cute, the way he took charge.

“I am at your service,” Granger said. His consent led to yet another round of sex, with Treadway penetrating him this time. They lay there in bed together, ignoring how soiled the sheets were, smiling at each other.

As the afterglow faded, Treadway could sense Granger’s sense of purpose. “Does this mean you will allow me to remain aboard Valiant, my lord?” he asked playfully.

“That is what this means,” Granger said. “I’ve a mind to tie you up in my cabin for the entire voyage.”

“I would not object, my lord,” he said, making Granger chuckle. But their time in bed was over. Granger got out of bed and called for Winkler, which surprised Treadway, who followed his lead and got out of bed, and began to get dressed.

“My lord?” Winkler asked, even as he smirked at them.

“Major Treadway and I will need breakfast, then you and I are going to London,” Granger said. “You should plan for us to be gone for three days.”

“Certainly, my lord,” Winkler said as he turned and left them.

“You can trust him, my lord?” Treadway asked, referring to Winkler.

“I would not only trust Winkler with my life,” Granger said. “I would trust him with the lives of my children.”

Treadway raised an eyebrow at such strong words, then smiled. “Then I should probably trust him as well, my lord.”

Granger smiled and gave Treadway another kiss. “I said I could trust him, not that you could,” he said playfully. “But our secret is safe with him.”

“That is good to know,” Treadway said. Granger put on his second best uniform, and then led Treadway down to breakfast. They ate without saying much; they mostly just consumed food, pausing to smile at each other. When they were done, Granger, Winkler, and Treadway boarded Granger’s gig and returned to Valiant.

“Welcome back, my lord,” Weston said courteously.

“I fear it is but a brief visit,” Granger said with a smile. “I have to go to London. I will be back in three to four days. I need you to make sure the ship is ready to sail, and I need Mr. Andrews to make sure he has provided adequate supplies for my table.”

“Of course, my lord. I think we are very nearly ready now, so that is no great feat.”

“I am glad to hear you say that,” Granger said. He turned to Treadway. “Major, thank you for your company. I am sorry I was unable to return you to the ship last night.”

“It is I who should be thanking you, my lord,” Treadway said. Their words were devoid of too much emotion, but their eyes twinkled at each other, remembering their incredible evening together.

Granger took his leave of them, and then had himself and Winkler taken over to Portsmouth in his gig. From there, he hired a post-chaise, and found himself on his way to London with plenty of time to arrive by early evening.

“The Major is very handsome, my lord,” Winkler said, teasing Granger.

“He is indeed,” Granger said, then had to adjust his dick, as simply thinking about Treadway was making him hard again.

Winkler giggled until a dour look from Granger shut him up. “I am glad you were able to work things out with him, my lord.”

“And why is that?”

“He is very popular on board, my lord,” Winkler said. “He commands his men in a way not too dissimilar to the way you do.”

“Surely he is not that big of a tyrant,” Granger joked.

“He is not, my lord. But just like you, his men respect and love him, and his chief servant is sorely overworked.” Granger laughed at that, then allowed the moment of humor to fade and got serious again.

“I need to know how many people are aware of the encounter my wife had with Major Treadway and Lord Cavendish,” Granger said to Winkler, as the post-chaise jolted along the rutted roads.

“My lord, I don’t know exactly,” Winkler said, but a dour look from Granger elicited a more detailed answer. “I would guess that the members of your household will know, and I would guess that the household at Brentwood and at Cowes would also know. The footman led me to believe it was a much talked about topic below stairs.” In other words, all of his servants knew about this. All of them.

“Do you think the crew knows about it?” Granger asked.

“I think that some do, my lord,” Winkler said. “Except for that one footman, who was drunk and revealed what he should not have, I would expect everyone to remain loyal, and keep their mouths shut.”

Granger eyed him dubiously, since the errant footman had already leaked the news. Winkler was trying to tell Granger that his staff was loyal, and Granger was willing to believe that, up to a point. But with something like this, where it was heavily discussed among his staff, it was almost inevitable that someone, possibly a scullery maid, would mention this to a friend, and that would start the rumor circulating. It would start as a joke among servants, then the servants would ultimately relay the story to their masters, and then the entire sordid affair would be known in society. The fact that it had not yet surfaced, some five months or so after the event, was not really surprising, since most people had been away from London during the summer months.

Would this be like last time, Granger wondered. Would he find that this was common knowledge among his peers, while Caroline remained oblivious to the impact this would have on her reputation? Granger allowed himself to really consider what had happened, to dive into the morass of feelings it had engendered.

He was angry at Cavendish for sleeping with Caroline, although from what Treadway had said, it was largely Caroline who had seduced them. Granger had pledged to Caroline that he would sleep with no other woman, but if he were lying on top of Treadway, with the young marine’s cock lodged in his ass, and a woman went to lower herself onto him, he wondered if he would resist? He pondered that only briefly, until he decided that he would probably fuck the woman in question. Yet that was not what had caused Granger to be vexed with Cavendish. Cavendish had avoided him, probably because of guilt. If he had come back to London and told Granger what had happened, it would have deepened their friendship. Now, Granger was unsure of how damaged that friendship would be.

But the bulk of his anger was directed at his wife. She had seduced his best friend, she had engaged in a tryst with two other men simultaneously, and she had done so in such a way that their servants had found out. And the worst thing of all was that she had refused to tell him what she had done; he had to find out from his servants. It was unlikely that her reputation could survive such a scandal. Perhaps if she had slept with Cavendish and Treadway separately, she may have been able to overcome it, but being with them together had damned her as nothing more than a whore. And once again, she had blithely risked her standing, and thus their family’s standing, with her indiscretions.

Granger was quiet for the rest of the ride to London, saying nothing other than those simple words required to communicate his basic desires to Winkler or the coachman. Winkler watched Granger with concern. He had rarely seen him get this upset; and even though anyone who didn’t know Granger well would suspect nothing, Winkler could feel the inner turmoil he was enduring. It was a long, tedious ride, such that both of them were relieved when the post-chaise arrived at Portland Place at seven o’clock in the evening.

Granger paid the coachman, tipping him well, while his footmen came out to haul his trunk inside. He strode up the steps to find Cheevers waiting for him respectfully. “It is a pleasant surprise to see you back so soon, my lord,” he said pleasantly.

“Thank you, Cheevers,” Granger said. “Is my wife at home?”

“She departed for Brentwood after you sailed, my lord. The children went with her.”

“Excellent,” Granger said. “I will need to dispatch a messenger to her first thing in the morning.”

“Of course, my lord,” Cheevers said. Granger went in and jotted down a terse letter to Caroline, had Winkler help him seal it, then gave it to Cheevers to pass on to a messenger. Cheevers would assume it was a note asking Caroline to return to the city to join him; in fact, it was a note ordering her to stay at Brentwood until the end of the month.

Granger also took the opportunity to write to Lord Spencer, advising him that he was in town. He was not supposed to be in London, and he knew that the Admiralty was often frustrated with captains who neglected their ships to spend time in the capital. He had to hope that Spencer would not view him as one of those captains.

With those communiqués handled, Granger began to draw up his plans for the next day, crafting them as thoroughly as if he were fighting a battle. He thought sadly that it was not so different, since that is exactly what he would have to do.

September 25, 1799

Mayfair, London

Granger got out of his carriage and walked up the familiar steps. The door opened before he reached it, and he found Franklin, his parents’ butler, waiting to greet him. “Welcome home, my lord,” he said pleasantly, as he guided Granger into the house he knew so well, the house he’d been raised in. “It is good to see you.”

“It is good to see you as well,” Granger said, being just as pleasant. “Are my parents at home?”

“Your father is eating breakfast, while your mother is at Bridgemont, my lord,” Franklin said. He led Granger into the dining room, where he found his father reviewing some papers while he ate.

“George,” the Duke of Suffolk said enthusiastically, even as he got up to greet his son. “What a pleasant surprise!”

“I fear I have come to seek your advice, Father,” Granger said. The Duke studied Granger’s face, and discerned this was no normal issue.

“Of course,” he said. “Franklin, please bring His Lordship a plate, then see that we are not disturbed.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Franklin said with a slight bow. A plate appeared, and Granger helped himself to some food, took a few bites to steady himself, then spoke to his father.

“I have a dilemma, and it involves Caroline,” Granger said.

“Indeed?”

“It seems that in April, when you and I were at Bridgemont, she went out to a party, and brought two men back to our home,” Granger said.

“Two men?” the Duke asked.

“Yes,” Granger answered. “She disappeared into the baths with both of them.”

“At the same time?” he asked, aghast.

“Yes,” Granger answered, then paused to give his father a chance to internalize this bombshell. “One of the men was Lord Frederick Cavendish.”

“You and he are good friends,” the Duke stated.

“We have been, although I am not sure what our status will be now that I must deal with this issue.”

“How did you find out about this?”

“One of my servants told me,” Granger said. “I was able to elicit a confession from the other man.”

“Who is he?” the Duke asked suspiciously.

“Major Treadway,” Granger said. “He is related to Spencer, and has been posted to Valiant to command my marines.”

“Will you have him removed?”

“No,” Granger said, almost too emphatically. The only bright spot in this nightmare was Treadway. He had not enjoyed someone that much for quite a while, and certainly not someone new to him. “I pledged that I would seek no retribution against him for this act, in exchange for his candid confession of what had happened.”

“And the three of them were involved sexually?”

“Yes,” Granger replied. “I could tell when Major Treadway and Caroline were together that something had happened between them. Caroline refused to tell me what it was. That has created a sizeable rift between us.”

“Is she in town?”

“No,” Granger said. “She is at Brentwood, and I sent her a note this morning telling her to stay there until the end of the month, when I will be gone.”

“Who knows of this?” the Duke asked.

“I believe that my household staff is aware of it, and that would include those who serve me here, at Cowes, and at Brentwood. One of the footmen was inebriated and revealed it to a few members of my crew, so it is likely that they are aware of it as well. And they will have intercourse with the other ships of the fleet, so it is likely the news will spread that way.” The Duke got a truly horrified expression on his face, then seemed to mellow as he digested what Granger had told him.

“The gossip about this appears to be at a lower level,” the Duke noted, meaning it was circulating among the lower classes.

“That is my guess, at this point, but I am concerned that it is only a matter of time before it reaches more well-placed ears,” Granger said. “Even though my servants are loyal, I would suspect this is too juicy a tidbit to remain a secret. And while my men are loyal as well, they are wont to talk to their fellow sailors about something so scintillating.”

“This could cause all of us a bit of discomfort,” the Duke said, an understatement if ever there was one.

“I do not have orders to be in London, but came up here to discuss this matter with you. I am to leave for Constantinople on the 28^th, to convey Lord Elgin to his post at the Porte.” Granger paused. “I did send Spencer a note telling him that I was here.”

“Have you spoken about this with Cavendish?”

“I have not.”

“Were you going to?” the Duke asked.

“I’m not sure,” Granger answered honestly. “It was obvious that he was avoiding me, and I am concerned because Arthur was not around either. I am not sure if he is involved in this, and if so, how?”

“George, it would not be in your best interest to provoke a duel with Cavendish,” the Duke said. “It would most certainly reach the King’s ear, and he would be very vexed with both of you. And he would undoubtedly command you not to follow through on the duel.”

“According to Major Treadway, Caroline was the one who seduced them,” Granger said. “If that is the case, I will be less angry with Cavendish, but that is not saying much. I feel completely betrayed by him, and I think that by not talking to me about this, he has acted like a coward.”

“If you tell him that, you will end up dueling,” the Duke cautioned.

“I am wondering if my honor demands that.”

The Duke certainly did not want to see his favorite son engaged in a duel of any sort. “I do not think so, at least not at this point.” He poured them both another glass of wine. “You have only heard Major Treadway’s explanation. You have asked Caroline for hers, and she has refused to give it to you. I would submit that you should give Cavendish a chance to explain himself.”

“You are suggesting that I treat him as a friend, when I am not convinced that he is one.”

“I can understand how you feel, George, but you must also factor into the equation all that Cavendish has done for you in the past. He has truly been one of your biggest advocates, and he has always been in your corner. He has enlisted his father to support you, when it was needed. Surely that must count for something?” He was suggesting that Granger was being disloyal, and that rankled Granger. He knew all of those things, knew that Cavendish had been a true friend to him, and he was even self-aware enough to know that his anger was clouding his appreciation of what Cavendish had done for him in the past.

“If Mother had done something like this, and had done it with your best friend, what would you have done?” Granger asked, tossing the ball back to his father.

The Duke gave him a wry smile. “I probably would have made an issue out of it, and I probably would not have followed the advice I am giving you now. But after I had allowed myself to do that, I think I would regret it, just as I think you would.”

“I am perplexed as to what I should do,” Granger said. “And for the first time, I am leaving the country and I do not trust Caroline to manage my affairs.”

“George, I am very disappointed in Caroline, so much that I will have difficulty receiving her, at least for the time being,” the Duke said, stunning Granger. To shun his own daughter in law was a pretty extreme response. “But I have never seen her knowingly mismanage your affairs. She has shown an astuteness when handling business deals and matters like that.”

“This just illustrates such poor judgment,” Granger said. “It makes me wonder if that extends beyond her romantic entanglements.”

“Is this the only additional affair she has had, that you are aware of?”

“It is,” Granger said. “The last time, with Prince William of Gloucester, it was relatively easy to overlook, since I had been gone. But this is much more difficult, since I was in England, and only gone for a fortnight.”

The Duke recognized the other issue here, the fact that Granger’s masculinity had been called into question since his wife had chosen another even though he was reasonably available. “You came to me to advise you on this matter?”

“I did,” Granger said. “I would have anyway, but with Cavendish embroiled in it, and Arthur avoiding me, I feel that I have no where else to turn.”

“You can always come to me, George,” the Duke said, and the love in his tone as he said that did much to stop Granger from spiraling into depression. “Have you made your position on this clear to Caroline?”

“I have not,” Granger replied. “I did not know about the tryst until the day before yesterday.”

“I think that you should do a few things to help shore up your position, then you should go and do your duty. Go to Constantinople and leave things alone here. If this becomes a larger scandal, and becomes generally known in society, than we will have to devise a plan to deal with it.”

“How would we do that?”

“We must make sure that her downfall does not consume us as well.” The Duke grimaced before he continued. “That may require that you make the rift between you and Caroline public.”

“I would hope that would be the last resort,” Granger said.

“It is. But this is dangerous. If the King finds out, he will be furious. He will direct that mostly at Caroline, especially when Portland steps in to defend his son, and paints her as a seductress, as nothing more than a whore who took advantage of a young man with normal desires.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “His Majesty is already not overly fond of Caroline. The status she has in his eyes comes from her marriage to you.”

“And then I will have an unenviable choice. Defend my wife’s heinous actions, or leave her to her own devices and watch society turn on her and destroy her,” Granger said, being perhaps a bit melodramatic.

“When you return from the Levant, this matter will have had time to either rise up as a juicy and believable piece of gossip, or to dissipate and fade such that it is no longer an issue.”

“If I am gone, that will make me seem innocent of any wrongdoing?”

“I cannot see where you can be blamed for this anyway, but it does do that,” the Duke said. “In the meantime, you may want to consider that if you and Cavendish and Treadway are still friends, that may confuse the issue enough to help dissipate any gossip.”

Granger looked at his father blankly, as his mind grappled with what he was advising. He was suggesting that Granger make sure that his relationship with Treadway and Cavendish was visibly friendly, that nothing had changed. That was easy enough to do with Treadway, but much harder to do with Cavendish. “That will be difficult.”

The Duke nodded sagely. “I understand, but I would like you to consider this. Do you want to support Caroline such that she can effectively deny that anything happened, or do you want to throw her to the wolves so she is condemned as a common slut?”

“Right now, it is most attractive to think of her in the pillory,” Granger said with a wry smile. “But as I think about it, that is probably not the wisest course of action.”

“Why?” the Duke asked.

Granger was fairly confident that his father knew why, that he was just trying to make sure Granger thought it out, but he humored him. “Because even though she has hurt me, I still love her, and I would not want her to endure that much pain and humiliation. And because, even though there would be some satisfaction at seeing her pay the price for this by being shunned by our friends, the damage it would do to all of us would not be worth it. And because I do not want my children to grow up with the stigma of having a whore for a mother, where everything, including their parentage, is questioned.”

“Then you have answered the question,” the Duke said. “The key to that, to making sure there is no issue, is for you to act normally, just as you would have before this happened.”

“I have done that with Treadway, I may be able to do that with Cavendish, but I am not sure I can do that with Caroline,” Granger said.

“Do you think the rift with you and Caroline is already visible?”

Granger pondered that. “I think that while it may be, there are enough signs to the contrary to make things murky. I sent her a note telling her not to come to town, but the servants will assume it is a friendly communiqué. She stayed in London the entire time before I sailed to Portsmouth. I think that it should look, to all outsiders, that we are doing as well as we have been.”

“You have said that you have ordered Caroline to remain at Brentwood until you leave,” the Duke stated, to summarize before continuing on. “You are here briefly, so it would come as no surprise that she would not come to town to see you. If you would like me to tell you what I think you should do, I will.”

“I would be most obliged,” Granger said.

“I think you must be seen with Cavendish, especially at a party or at Carlton House, having fun together, such that people think that your friendship is as strong as ever. You should explain this to Cavendish, and remind him that Caroline’s reputation is not the only one on the line. He faces a very rough time with His Majesty if the King finds out, and I doubt that even Portland can save him from His wrath.”

“I do not have much time here, but I will see what I can do,” Granger said grudgingly.

“I would also recommend that you take a day and go out to Brentwood. I know your schedule is tight, but if you had been in London before this had happened, you would have done that. You do not have to have a rapprochement with Caroline. Just being there, having it known you were going there, will suffice.”

“I will try to work that in,” Granger said, even though he dreaded it.

“If you do, then when rumors begin to surface, those in society will look around and see that you are seemingly as tight with Cavendish and Caroline as you have been, and you are such good friends with Treadway that you have retained him aboard Valiant. If you were truly vexed at them, you would have asked for Treadway’s transfer, which Spencer would have had to do, as it would be the decent thing.” The Duke paused. “Thus when someone hears idle gossip from his servants, and of course it is so titillating that he will be inclined to believe it, he will look at the apparent facts and be dissuaded.”

“The facts?”

“You and Caroline appear to be happy, you are friends with Cavendish, and are satisfied with Treadway such that you have retained him aboard your ship,” the Duke summarized. “It will make the rumor seem like just so much ridiculous gossip from below stairs.”

Granger thought about that, then nodded. “Thank you, Father. I knew you would help me divine the correct path through this hazardous battlefield.”

The Duke smiled. “I have lived my life on this battlefield. I am familiar with the lay of the land.”

“Lord and Lady Elgin visited Valiant last week,” Granger said, changing the topic. “He seems refined and pleasant. She appears to be a shrew.”

The Duke laughed. “I have heard the same things about both of them. I should think that Elgin is only now questioning whether the wealth he acquired by marrying her is worth enduring the company of a merchant’s daughter for a wife.”

“It will make for an arduous journey,” Granger said with a wry grin.

“Are you going to Court this afternoon?”

Granger thought about that. “I have already taken my leave of the King, but perhaps it would be prudent to be there anyway.”

“I think it would be, and it may give you an opportunity to see Cavendish,” the Duke said. “And remember, do not insult his honor such that he must challenge you.”

“I will see you there,” Granger said. He left Bridgemont House and went home to eat and to make sure his appearance was spruce enough for an audience with the King.