HMS Valiant - 28. Chapter 28

December, 1799

Palermo, Sicily

Granger had little enough time to contemplate what this new young midshipman would do to morale aboard his ship, as the Elgins arrived. Granger watched, amused, as Lady Elgin was introduced to Lady Hamilton. Lady Hamilton was her normal, effusively polite self, while Lady Elgin behaved in character as well; showing herself to be the shrew Granger had come to know.

“We had best be off if we are to be on time,” Sir William announced. They boarded two carriages for the brief ride to the Royal Palace; it would have been an easy walk, but showing up in a carriage was more about appearances and less about exercise.

Upon arrival at the palace, they were ushered into a large chamber, where the King and Queen were seated on two chairs that were quite ornate. Granger decided they were a relatively tacky substitute for thrones, and as he expanded his gaze, the general theme of tackiness seemed to be pervasive. The chamberlain announced them, taking some time to rattle off all their titles, and then they bowed as if they were one person, and approached the throne, bowing again, before arriving in front of their Sicilian Majesties.

“It is a pleasure to see you here in our kingdom again,” the King said to Granger, speaking French.

“I must thank you for welcoming me with such distinction, Your Majesty,” Granger responded in the same language, referring to this audience.

“You were but a young man when we last saw you,” the Queen said. Granger had last seen them in 1793, during the siege of Toulon, when he’d traveled to Naples with Nelson to beg these same monarchs for troops.

“Your Majesty is kind to remember me, but looking at you, one would certainly not guess that a single year had passed,” Granger said. The Queen smiled at that compliment.

“We understand you are to take our cousin, Prince Genarro, aboard your vessel,” the Queen said.

“I just received that excellent news not an hour ago, Your Majesty,” Granger said. “I cannot express to you what an honor you do me by entrusting his education to me.”

“It is we who are in your debt,” the Queen said. “You offer to let our cousin learn of the ways of the sea from one of the most prominent sailors in the world.”

“Your Majesty is too kind,” Granger said, and found himself blushing slightly at that fulsome praise. The monarchs exchanged words with the Elgins, and then they backed away from the King and Queen and assumed a more relaxed position in the arcades that lined the throne room, such as it was. There were a number of young men in attendance, and Granger looked at them intently, trying to discern which creature was the one to be foisted off on him.

The Elgins moved off to presumably mingle with some of the Neapolitan aristocracy they’d already met. Granger stood with Clifton and Treadway, observing the circus that was the Neapolitan court. Granger had an ingrained respect for the natural order of things, which included, in his mind, the stratification of society. It was incumbent on him to feel the greatest obligation to royalty, but he was finding it difficult with King Ferdinand and Queen Caroline.

He should probably be pleased with the current situation, since the King and Queen were both quite enamored of their prime favorites, both of whom were British. Sir John Acton came from a distinguished Shropshire family, and had come into the service of Naples as the commander of the navy. Since then, he had risen to the post of Prime Minister, and in concert with Sir William Hamilton, exerted enough influence over the King to keep Naples firmly allied with Britain. But the King was not the most influential person in this country; that honor would more accurately fall to his wife. Queen Caroline had taken Lady Hamilton as one of her best friends and confidantes. Granger was unsure whether Lady Hamilton befriended the Queen merely to ensure British influence in Naples or because she genuinely liked the Queen, but the end result was the same.

Nelson’s presence merely added to the overall strangeness of the situation. He stood with Acton and Hamilton, looking to be part of the group ruling Naples, which wasn’t all that far off the mark. Nelson had been given command of the Neapolitan fleet, and the King had made him the Duke of Bronte. Bronte was evidently a commune in the eastern part of Sicily, although Granger had no idea what it was like. Nelson had seemingly embraced his Neapolitan Duchy to such a degree that he had taken to signing off on his dispatches as “Nelson and Bronte”. Granger knew that Nelson had felt cheated that he’d only been awarded a barony after the Battle of the Nile, and he could see some justification in Nelson’s irritation. Jervis had been made an earl for a victory that had been much less comprehensive, while Duncan had been made a Viscount after Camperdown. Granger couldn’t help but think that by adding ‘Bronte’ to his name, Nelson was advertising his annoyance at the paltry reward he’d received from Britain.

There were small groups of courtiers who stood respectfully watching their King and Queen, while obviously gossiping, probably about the other people who were in the room. Granger noticed that the most scathing looks were aimed at Lady Hamilton, but they were quite hidden from all but the most observant of people. With his fussy sense of justice, Granger pondered that this was probably not all that different than the Court of St. James. Yet it was. The Court of St. James had a polished and refined feeling, where people would never expose their feelings as these people were doing. It made the whole gathering seem incredibly tacky and overdone, much like a play one would see on Drury Lane.

“A bit different than St. James, my lord,” Treadway observed daringly.

“A bit,” Granger agreed ruefully, getting a smile from his two officers. He watched as a short, pudgy boy approached the Queen and began talking to her in an animated way. The Queen got an irritated look on her face, then summoned a chamberlain and spoke a few words to him. A few seconds later the chamberlain returned with another lad, who was also short and pudgy. They approached the Queen, at which point she seemed to berate both of them. Granger was not sure which of these evil cherubs was Prince Genarro, but he was fairly certain one of them was. After their evident scolding, they both vanished back into the arcade. Everyone observed this happen and pretended as if it didn’t, so Granger and his officers adopted the same pose.

Granger watched as a man who had been talking to the Elgins detached himself and approached the throne, bowing respectfully as he did. He was older, probably in his early fifties, although it was difficult for Granger to effectively gauge that since the man had a swarthier complexion, one he wasn’t quite used to. He watched as the man spoke to the King, and then had a much more expansive conversation with the Queen. Granger, and probably the other courtiers, was surprised at how long the exchange lasted. The man finally bowed as he retreated from the throne, then he left the room.

The Queen summoned a chamberlain, who listened respectfully, then approached Granger. “Her Majesty commands you to approach the throne,” he said to Granger.

“It will be my pleasure to obey Her Majesty’s orders,” Granger said, bowing slightly. As he made to leave, he whispered urgently to Treadway. “Find out who that man was, the one who was just talking to the Queen.” Granger didn’t even notice Treadway’s subtle nod, as he focused on approaching the Queen with the correct gestures.

“Lord Granger, I have just received some unpleasant news,” the Queen said. “We require some forbearance on your part.”

“How may I assist Your Majesty?” Granger said.

“I have just received news that Prince Genarro has been dispatched to his estates in Naples and will not return prior to your departure.”

“I am truly sorry to hear that, Your Majesty,” Granger lied. At least he was fortunate in that Prince Genarro was not one of the whiny young men he’d seen before.

“I am curious as to whether your orders allow you the luxury of calling here on your return voyage?” she asked.

“That was my intention, Your Majesty,” Granger said.

“Then I am wondering if you would be willing to take Prince Genarro on board Valiant at that time?” she asked.

“I will be more than happy to accommodate Your Majesty,” Granger said.

The Queen smiled at him. “Thank you.” Granger bowed and backed away from the throne, then returned to meet with his officers, who had been joined by Nelson and Hamilton.

“Her Majesty informed me that Prince Genarro will not be able to join Valiant until our return voyage, sir,” Granger said to Nelson, even though it was directed to their whole group.

“An interesting development,” Hamilton said. “We must discuss this when we return to the embassy.” They all absorbed Hamilton’s strong hint that this was not a matter for public discourse, and continued to observe the other courtiers while paying attention to Their Majesties. It was not until late in the afternoon that they were able to extract themselves from the Palace.

“Lord Elgin, I had planned a short conference with Lord Granger and Lord Nelson,” Sir William said when they returned to the embassy. “Perhaps you would care to join us? I am sure that Emma can keep your good lady occupied while we converse.” It was all Granger could do not to laugh at the horrified look on Lady Elgin’s face, at thus being saddled with talking to “that Hamilton woman”.

“I am at your service, Sir William,” Elgin said with a polite bow.

“Lady Elgin, perhaps you will allow me to show you our gardens. They are most lovely,” Lady Hamilton said.

“I am feeling a bit unwell,” Lady Elgin said, a bit too crisply. “I think I will retire to our residence.” There was a lengthy conversation where everyone feigned concern over Lady Elgin’s health, and inquired emphatically as to how they could help. Granger was amused to think that he was probably only slightly less annoyed by their cloying attention than Lady Elgin herself. They were finally rid of her, and Granger followed Elgin, Nelson, and Hamilton into the library, leaving Treadway and Clifton to work with Lady Hamilton on the process of transferring Eastwyck ashore.

“That was a most disturbing scene we witnessed at court,” Sir William said.

“Indeed, Your Excellency?” Granger asked.

“The man who approached Their Majesties is Signor di Benedetto,” Sir William explained. “His father is a merchant, while his mother was a member of a good Palermo family, so it is through her bloodlines that he is accepted at court, even though he has followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career in commerce.”

“So he is a well-connected merchant,” Lord Elgin concluded.

“He is that, but most of his commerce is transacted with the Barbary States,” Hamilton added. “I think it would be appropriate to think of him as the de-facto ambassador from the Saracens to Their Sicilian Majesties.”

“How closely tied is he to Oran?” Granger asked.

“He is quite close, and is rumored to be on good enough terms with the Bey that he resides at his palace when he visits that city,” Hamilton said. “When there are those here in Sicily who wish to try and ransom their relatives who have been captured by the Berbers, they approach Signor di Benedetto, and he acts as their intermediary.”

“I am unclear as to how that scene was disturbing,” Nelson said.

“You were conversing with Signor di Benedetto prior to his approaching the Queen,” Sir William said to Elgin, appearing to ignore Nelson’s question. “May I ask what you were talking about?”

“We were merely discussing our voyage to Constantinople,” Elgin said defensively.

“And that possessed him to go talk to the Queen,” Hamilton mused, almost to himself.

“Sir William, I would be obliged if you would explain to me how that has any negative implications,” Elgin said, the irritation in his voice quite palpable.

“As soon as Signor di Benedetto had his conversation with Their Majesties, Her Majesty summoned Lord Granger and delayed the appointment of her cousin to Valiant,” Hamilton said.

“She was worried about his safety,” Granger concluded.

“That is most likely the case,” Hamilton agreed. “And that means that our Oranian friends may have some sort of scheme in play to cause you problems.”

“They will know of your plans to take me to Constantinople,” Elgin added. “That means that your route and timetable are somewhat predictable.”

“Perhaps our encounter with those pirates before we got here was not entirely coincidental,” Granger mused.

“You’d think that after that latest thrashing, they’d be inclined to avoid you,” Nelson joked.

“I fear that the bounty for Lord Granger’s head is sufficient to overcome mere human casualties,” Hamilton said sadly.

The four men sat around a table, drinking an excellent red wine that Sir William poured for them, while Granger pondered this latest development. “I cannot see how that makes much difference to my mission,” he finally concluded. “I am accustomed to remaining alert in these waters, so other than some additional caution regarding Oranian trickery, I should think this news should be of little matter.”

“Quite so,” Nelson agreed. “What force could they assemble to possibly cause Valiant problems?” That question was directed at Sir William.

“I am not aware that Oran, or Algiers for that matter, has any ships substantial enough to face Valiant individually. They have evidently had no success by massing their smaller craft,” Hamilton said. Granger said nothing, but this last battle with the pirates had been a near thing.

“The Bey is a vassal of the Sultan,” Elgin noted. “The Ottomans have a powerful fleet.” Granger and Nelson both knew that the Ottoman fleet wasn’t all that powerful, especially after the last war they’d fought with the Russians, who had thrashed them soundly. But Granger also knew that they had several ships of the line at their disposal, any one of which would be a formidable opponent for Valiant.

“It would seem that the Sultan would have to sanction any violence against Valiant,” Nelson noted, “and he has shown himself to be our friend, and quite appreciative of our victory at the Nile.” Nelson had a very gaudy badge to wear on his hat, an award given him by the Sultan.

“Caution is in order, nonetheless,” Sir William said.

“I am confident that we can overcome whatever mischief the Oranians toss at us,” Granger said, and that was a true statement.

“I am quite sure that you can,” Nelson agreed with a smile.

“If I hear of anything more, I will of course get word to you,” Hamilton said.

“I will keep my ears open as well,” Elgin said. That served to end their meeting. Hamilton got up to escort Elgin out, leaving Granger alone with Nelson.

“They were as delightful as you promised, Granger,” Nelson said, referring to the Elgins, and making both of them laugh.

“I have made it a point to be honest with you, sir, even when the news is unpleasant,” Granger replied, being slightly cheeky.

“You have,” Nelson agreed. “If I can conjure up some reinforcements, I’ll send them after you, just in case.”

“I’m hoping that won’t be necessary, sir,” Granger said. It was extremely irritating that he would have to be escorted around like a toddler with a nanny, all because some Arabian potentate had opted to chase after him with a blood oath of revenge.

Granger sat at his table alone, eating breakfast, enjoying a bit of solitude. The past few days had been frenetic, with parties and receptions daily, along with the normal business of tending to his ship. They’d thrown a fete for the King and Queen, doing much the same things they’d done for their party for Their Majesties in London, and it had gone off fairly well. Unfortunately, their guests had removed small items from the ship as souvenirs, unbeknownst to Granger until the next morning, and that had necessitated sending Andrews into town to acquire additional supplies to replace the stolen items.

That had merely accentuated Granger’s general disgust with Palermo and the Court of King Ferdinand and Queen Caroline. His disgust had not been ameliorated by the strange relationship between Nelson and the Hamiltons, although that had provided its own comic moments. The Hamiltons had hosted a dinner for Granger, some of his officers, and the Elgins, and after the dinner, Lady Hamilton had entertained them by singing and acting. She was quite talented, but what was truly appealing was how much her performance irritated Lady Elgin. Granger had had to literally bite his tongue when Lord Elgin had piled on the accolades after one of her songs, and Lady Elgin had damned near had an apoplectic fit.

Evidently Elgin had neglected to hire an artist to accompany him. Granger discovered this was primarily because he had been too frugal to lure anyone with reasonable talent from Britain, but Sir William had given him a lead on a gentleman some miles away, so the Elgins had taken it upon themselves to traverse Sicily to seek this man out. That had made the past few days much more pleasant, since Lady Elgin’s onerous presence was absent.

His introspection was interrupted by Travers, who came in nervously, uncomfortable at being in the presence of his captain in his Great Cabin. The young man eyed the food on Granger’s table briefly, all but salivating as he did, and then got his countenance under control. “My lord, we’ve sighted a ship entering harbor. She appears to be the Foudroyant.”

“Thank you, Mr. Travers,” Granger said. “I am going on deck to see how Captain Hardy handles his ship. You are welcome to remain here and finish off the food Lefavre has made me for breakfast.”

“Thank you, my lord,” he said, and smiled, a smile that made him look much like his uncle. Granger put on his dress coat and went out onto the quarterdeck to find his officers watching this new arrival as she maneuvered into Palermo Harbor.

“Good morning, my lord,” Weston said, more to point out to the others that Granger was on the deck.

“Good morning, Mr. Weston,” Granger replied, then ignored them and focused on Foudroyant. She was nominally Nelson’s flagship, which was why Hardy was in command of her, and she was a beautiful vessel. The French and Spanish had embraced the 80-gun two-decked ship as a flagship of sorts, but the Royal Navy preferred the cranky 98-gun three-decked ships like Blenheim. The additional deck made for a second great cabin, and that made accommodating an admiral and his staff much easier; but the tradeoff was that the 98-gunners were notoriously bad sailors. The captured French 80-gun ships in the Royal Navy had generally earned accolades from their captains, but England had only seen fit to build two of them for her own fleet. The first, HMS Caesar, had been finished at the beginning of the war. This one, the Foudroyant, was barely a year old.

He watched as the ship made her way slowly to her anchorage, not half a cable from Valiant. Granger took that opportunity to study her lines. To Granger’s eye, British ships tended to look more solid and sturdy, while French ships seemed to be more sleek and graceful. Granger decided that he preferred the British design for battleships, where that substantial appearance made them seem even more formidable, but found French frigate designs much more appealing.

Foudroyant sailed to her anchorage and turned into the wind, although the maneuver itself was handled in a clumsy manner, as if it were executed by an inexperienced lieutenant who didn’t have the feel for his ship. That would be unusual, to trust conning the ship into port to an inexperienced officer, especially since the eyes of all the other naval officers in port would be on Foudroyant, and because as Nelson’s flagship, she would be expected to operate at a high level of efficiency, as the model for the rest of the fleet. Granger began to revise his views on British battleships and began to wonder whether Foudroyant handled much more poorly than a French 80-gun ship like the Tonnant.

“Sail drill is a bit slack,” Clifton said to Kingsdale, noting the same things Granger had seen. Granger was about to chide Clifton for being publicly critical of the admiral’s flagship when he spotted a familiar figure on Foudroyant’s quarterdeck.

“Hand me that glass,” Granger snapped, irritated at Clifton’s comment, and that his own curiosity had been aroused enough that he eschewed his normally good manners and grabbed the glass to confirm his suspicion. No wonder Foudroyant was sailing a bit sloppier; there on the deck directing the ship was Sir Edward Berry. Berry had been Nelson’s flag captain at the Battle of the Nile, and he’d been an abject failure in that role, at least as far as Granger was concerned. Berry was brave, but he was not a good seaman, and he was a horrible administrator. Granger closed the glass and handed it back to the seaman who’d given it to him, even as he wondered what had happened to Hardy. Why was Berry in command and not Hardy?

“Signal from the shore, my lord,” Travers said a bit nervously. He was still trying to master the signals. Granger noted with approval that Kingsdale was checking his work in a subtle way so as not to further erode Travers’ confidence. “Foudroyant’s number, captain to repair on board.”

Since Nelson was ashore, that was a summons for Berry to appear at the embassy. Granger maintained a somewhat disinterested pose on his quarterdeck as Foudroyant hoisted out her gig and Berry boarded it. As the gig passed by Valiant, Berry raised his hat in a respectful way, as was proper, and Granger responded in kind. As soon as Foudroyant’s gig had passed Valiant, Granger withdrew into his cabin, if for no other reason than to let his officers gossip without accidentally overhearing their comments.

He had re-immersed himself in the paperwork that plagued a captain of one of His Majesty’s ships when he heard a hail, and then heard twittering pipes as an officer must have come aboard Valiant. From the number of bosun’s whistles, Granger deduced that a captain must be calling on him. He stood up, about to go out onto the quarterdeck to greet this new arrival, when his door opened. “My lord, Captain Hardy has come to call on you,” Travers said respectfully.

And then Travers vanished, and Hardy was here in front of Granger, smiling shyly. “What a pleasure to see you, Captain,” Granger said, with genuine enthusiasm.

“I must apologize for my impertinence in calling on Your Lordship without an invitation,” Hardy said.

“You do not require an invitation,” Granger said politely. “And as it is almost time for dinner, you must do me the honor of joining me.”

“I would be honored, my lord,” Hardy said. Granger gave orders for Winkler to go ahead and prepare dinner for them, then guided Hardy over to the table and poured them both a glass of wine.

“I was surprised to see Sir Edward in command of Foudroyant,” Granger said. “I thought you had been appointed as Lord Nelson’s flag captain.”

“Evidently there was a change in plans, my lord,” Hardy said, unable to hide his irritation. “I seem to have vexed the wrong person.”

“Indeed?” Granger asked.

“There was an incident where I had punished one of the boats’ crews, my lord. They had the importunity to beg Lady Hamilton to intervene on their behalf for leniency.”

“And she did?” Granger asked, amazed that Lady Hamilton would presume to interfere in the affairs of the Navy.

“She did, and I was perhaps not overly gracious in my response, my lord,” Hardy said.

“It would be difficult to be polite in the face of such an egregious break in protocol,” Granger said soothingly.

“Only Her Ladyship does not see things quite that way, my lord. As it was, the boat’s crew got a dozen lashes for their infraction, and another dozen for asking Lady Hamilton to intervene on their behalf,” Hardy said. Granger smiled, as he could well imagine Hardy’s outrage over Lady Hamilton’s pleas on behalf of this boat’s crew, and because he could appreciate Hardy’s solution.

“That seems to be a fair solution to the problem.”

“Her Ladyship obviously did not think so, my lord. The next thing I knew, Sir Edward Berry had arrived with orders to relieve me,” Hardy said bitterly. “I am to take passage back to England aboard the Princess Charlotte.”

“I am surprised that the Admiralty would presume to replace you without Lord Nelson’s approval,” Granger said.

“I am not sure how or why that happened either, my lord,” Hardy said, “unless I have also vexed His Lordship.” Hardy clearly worshiped the ground Nelson walked on, and he was almost despondent when he said that, at the thought that Nelson was displeased with him.

“I would think there must be other reasons for their decision,” Granger said. “His Lordship said nothing to me of any changes, in any event.”

“There is a thought that Lady Hamilton, and Sir William, control the Neapolitan government through their relationship with Their Sicilian Majesties,” Hardy said, offering that tidbit of information cautiously.

“And that is not the case?” Granger asked.

“It may be the case, my lord, but it is also true that it works in the opposite direction,” Hardy said.

“I don’t understand,” Granger said, confused.

“The Queen uses Lady Hamilton to influence Lord Nelson, my lord,” Hardy said. “That is how that whole Caracciolo affair went so wrong. The Queen was all but dictating what His Lordship did through the influence of Her Ladyship.”

Their conversation was interrupted as Winkler brought in their dinner, which was fortunate, since it gave Granger time to ponder Hardy’s words. “I think, Captain, that there are perhaps other reasons you are being recalled.”

“My lord?”

“It is reasonable to assume that the Admiralty has deduced much of what you have shared with me,” Granger said, and waited to get a nod from Hardy. “I would guess that they are hoping Sir Edward will be more successful at separating His Lordship from Lady Hamilton than you were.”

“She certainly likes him more than she likes me, my lord, but I cannot see that he will succeed, because I am not convinced that anyone can sever their relationship,” Hardy noted.

“I tend to agree with you, but I am not sure that the Admiralty has as clear a read on things as you and I do,” Granger said with a smile.

“I suspect I will have some time on half-pay to think about things, my lord,” Hardy said, referring to the fact that he didn’t have a command, and didn’t think he would get one.

“We will have to see if that process can’t be helped along a bit,” Granger said. “I am wondering if you would be willing to carry some correspondence back to England for me. I would most appreciate having a messenger I could trust.”

“I would be honored to carry any letters Your Lordship may need me to carry, and I would be forever in your debt for any help you can give me in London,” Hardy said sincerely.

“I am sailing the day after tomorrow, so I will have to get my correspondence together,” Granger said.

“I am wondering if I may impose upon you to do me one additional favor, my lord?” Hardy asked, and was genuinely nervous about this next request.

“If it is possible, I am glad to help,” Granger said.

“I am not sure as to the status of Your Lordship’s gunroom, but I have a young gentlemen that I brought with me, and I do not think he will fare well on Foudroyant without my presence,” Hardy said.

“Why would you be worried about him?” Granger asked.

“He is known to be ‘my’ man, and Sir Edward is not overly fond of me, my lord,” Hardy explained.

“So you want me to take this midshipmen aboard Valiant?” Granger asked. Hardy nodded. “Your luck has not entirely deserted you. As a matter of fact, I have an almost empty midshipman’s berth, so I would be happy to welcome your young gentleman aboard.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Hardy said effusively. “I could have taken him back to England with me, but that seemed dashed unfair, only to have him sit on the beach.”

“And who is this miscreant you are to saddle me with?” Granger teased.

“Apparently the young man has served with Your Lordship, and is of the opinion that the sun rises and sets on Your Lordship’s head,” Hardy joked back, making Granger chuckle.

“As well he should,” Granger said, with faux arrogance, making them laugh harder.

“A Welshman named Llewellyn,” Hardy said cautiously, until he saw Granger smile. “You remember him?”

“I remember him well,” Granger said with a smile.