Odyssey - 43. Chapter 43

March 1798

“My lord, a footman just informed me that His Excellency will be dining within the hour,” Winkler whined as he roused Granger from his nap. “Surely you’re not planning to go down and eat again? The last trip all but wore you out.”

“Indeed I am,” Granger said to him resolutely. “I have to explain our plans. And even if you are so concerned for my health that you would have me wait to divulge them, I guarantee you that the other gentlemen waiting for me are not.”

Winkler chuckled. “That’s probably true, my lord. Let’s get you ready then.” Winkler helped Granger put his appearance back in order, although all he’d done was nap so that didn’t really take too much effort. Once again, Jacobs was there to help him down the stairs.

“You’re doing better this time, my lord,” Jacobs said encouragingly.

“Thank you,” Granger said, beaming at this strapping young American. “It must have been the sustenance I acquired at breakfast that is fueling me for my dinner conversation.” Jacobs just chuckled. He paused at the door to the dining room and let Granger make his entry alone, as if he had walked down by himself and none of the others would expect otherwise.

“Ah, George,” Bertie said in his friendliest way. “We have been considering options on how to handle my quandary.”

“Indeed,” Granger said. Since only Chartley was in the room, presumably Bertie had excluded Somers from those discussions as well. As if to punctuate that, Somers strode confidently into the room.

“I hope I am not late, gentlemen,” Somers said as he took his seat.

“It seems we have both missed the preliminary meeting,” Granger observed. “So what have you come up with?”

“I am ordered to return to Calcutta, so I must go there on the Sultan,” Bertie said. None of them disagreed, and there was no reason for Bertie to stay here in Amboyna when John Company demanded his presence. Besides, it would be better for Bertie to stay out here in the Far East, where he was thriving, than to return to London. Granger did not discount his father’s concerns about Bertie, as his mother had done. Bertie’s dissolute lifestyle might cause him problems if he were back in London, and back running with the same rakes that had fueled his gambling and whoring.

“I think you must obey your orders,” Granger agreed. Granger recalled that his orders were to drag Bertie back to London with him, but that seemed rather pointless after all that had evolved since then. “While I was charged with bringing you back to London, I think that it is a viable alternative for you to answer instead to the powers-that-be in Calcutta.”

“And what am I to answer for?” Bertie asked with a raised eyebrow, questioning exactly what Granger thought he had done wrong.

“None of us has time for me to delineate all of your actions which may or may not require a defense,” Granger joked, making Bertie and the others chuckle. “I fear you are too great a sinner for me to catalog all your evils.”

“And if you did, that would make you God,” Chartley said, teasing Granger. “While your recovery has been miraculous, I would not be willing to grant that you are an all-powerful deity.”

“You have clearly not spent enough time with me,” Granger said, almost coquettishly.

After they were done laughing about that, Bertie’s aspect changed, and he got serious again. “Lord Chartley can remain in Amboyna as governor, assuming that meets with your approval,” he said to Granger, “and you can wait for the Santa Clarita to arrive, and sail home on her with Captain Somers. If she gets here soon enough, perhaps she can catch Bacchante.”

“That is an interesting suggestion, but I have an alternative plan,” Granger said to Bertie. He tried not to laugh at Bertie’s expression. He was used to being the governor, and to getting his way. Having his younger brother come in and all but dictate to him was not making him happy. “You will return to Calcutta, as you have said, but I will go with you, as will Lord Chartley. Captain Somers will remain here in Amboyna and assume the role of governor, and will take over as soon as I leave.” He’d put that last phrase in to make sure these other three men understood he was going to be in charge until they left.

“George, this is primarily an outpost concerned with trade. While Captain Somers is a distinguished soldier, one would hardly call that an adequate background for tussling with merchants,” Bertie said, then turned to Somers. “Begging your pardon, Captain.”

“That’s quite alright, Your Excellency,” Somers said, indicating that he took no offense.

“I am not a merchant either, but I have spent a large part of my voyage bartering and badgering with merchants. That I am here speaks to how effective I was,” Granger said. “Captain Somers is more than capable of handling any issues that come his way.”

“I did not mean to imply he did not have the abilities,” Bertie said, somewhat embattled. “I meant to state that he did not have the requisite experience.”

“I think that this outpost is much more than just a trading post, but even if it were, my experiences with Captain Somers have shown me that he is a quick study, with excellent political instincts. He also has a good relationship with the new Dutch Resident, which should help him in his position,” Granger said. He tried not to give Somers a knowing look as he said that last phrase, but he could not resist the temptation. Somers blushed slightly in response. “Assuming you are willing to serve,” Granger said to Somers.

“I will follow your orders, of course, my lord,” Somers said. “But I have no objection to remaining here. It is a beautiful island, the people are pleasant, and as you said, I have a good rapport with our Dutch friends.”

“Excellent,” Granger said. “Then it is settled.” He could tell that Bertie didn’t like that one bit, while Chartley seemed ambivalent.

“I assume the Dutch will be pleased with your choice,” Chartley allowed. It was all Granger could do not to laugh out loud at that, since there was one Dutchman who would certainly be pleased.

“I am confident that will help Captain Somers comply with the meaning of the Kew letters and with His Majesty’s wishes that we honor our commitments and treat this island as one that is in our temporary care,” Granger said.

“While we have the island and its affairs placed safely in good hands,” Bertie said, giving Somers his fully charged smile, “I am curious as to what will happen to the rest of us?”

“As I said, I plan for us to go to Calcutta,” Granger said.

“And what exactly do you plan to do in Calcutta?” Bertie asked. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to head back to England?”

“I am heading back to England,” Granger said. “I am going by way of the Levant, just as Lord Chartley did before.”

“You’re going to go overland, George?” Chartley asked. “That is a grueling trip. You are not healthy enough for that.”

“I doubt we will make it to those lands before June, so we can only hope that in the next three months I am able to recover,” Granger said.

“Wouldn’t it just make more sense for you to wait for Santa Clarita?” Chartley asked. “You can send another messenger overland.”

“And for the same reasons that you felt you had to personally rush back to England, so must I do this,” Granger replied.

“So I will return to Calcutta and I will have already been supplanted here,” Bertie said. It was typical that he was worried most about himself. “I wonder what is to happen to me.”

“Bertie, be realistic. They would not have summoned you if they did not have another task in store for you,” Granger said.

“That is most likely true,” Chartley agreed, validating Granger’s statement. “Having no loose ends here makes that even easier.” Bertie nodded as he digested that.

“I suspect that you’ve made enough money here to support yourself, even if they don’t,” Granger teased.

“I suspect,” Bertie agreed.

“I am more curious about what you had planned for me,” Chartley said, being charming. “I should think that would be paramount on everyone’s mind.”

They laughed. “You are free to stay here, or go to Calcutta, but I was rather hoping you’d travel with me,” Granger said.

“You want me to make that trek again?” Chartley asked. “It was not a pleasant experience.”

“Perhaps my charming company will offset some of the unpleasantness,” Granger flirted. “In any event, it is your decision to make.”

“You are indeed charming, George,” Bertie said, “but I doubt you are entertaining enough to supplant the miseries of trekking across the Levant or through Egypt.”

“I have to disagree, begging your pardon,” Somers said. “I think Your Lordship may indeed be that entertaining.” It was Granger’s turn to blush now, and so obvious was it, that they all laughed at him.

“So when does this other ship of yours arrive?” Bertie asked.

“We parted company near Morotai Island. She was tasked to sail to Manila, then return here and meet us,” Granger said.

“Manila, eh,” Bertie mused. “Perhaps she will encounter the Vulture. She was sent there in hopes of capturing the Manila galleon.”

“If that is the case, she will almost certainly encounter Santa Clarita, since Santa Clarita is escorting the galleon,” Granger said casually, as if that were not an unusual occurrence. Chartley and Bertie stared at him, in complete shock.

“Santa Clarita is escorting the Manila galleon?” Chartley asked. “Are we allied with Spain again?”

“No, we captured the galleon in Callao, and found her carrying a cargo of five hundred thousand reals,” Granger said. “The Viceroy offered to buy her back from us, excluding her cargo, for an additional five hundred thousand reals, but only if we delivered her safely to Manila. I accepted his offer, so Santa Clarita is fulfilling that part of the bargain.”

“Good God, George!” Bertie exclaimed. “No one has captured a galleon since Anson did it. That’s marvelous!”

“This will make you quite wealthy,” Chartley said. “And you as well, Captain,” he said to Somers.

“A few extra guineas would not be unwelcome, my lord,” Somers said.

“I am already rich,” Granger joked. “I am merely trying to accumulate more wealth than my brother.”

“You may very well have done that,” Bertie said with a grin. There really was no competition between them. If Freddie had captured the galleon, Bertie would have an entirely different attitude. “It’s a smashing success. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Granger said, and grinned at his fun but troublesome older brother.

“That should be a most interesting encounter, should Vulture intercept them,” Chartley mused, bringing them back to their discussion about the galleon. “How will Santa Clarita defend a Spanish-flagged vessel from a British privateer?”

“Ah, but she will not,” Granger said. “Santa Clarita will be defending the galleon, which will be flying British colors. So if the Vulture attacks them, she will no longer be a privateer, she’ll be a pirate. Captain Calvert will handle them accordingly.” The other men laughed, understanding quite clearly the dilemmas the Vulture would face.

“The captain of the Vulture, a man named MacDermott, is a true rogue,” Bertie said. “He and his crew of ruffians were causing so much havoc here; I all but had to evict them from this port.”

“That is certainly useful knowledge,” Somers said. “I’ll keep that in mind if she doesn’t return here as a prize.”

“One million reals,” Bertie mused, his mind shifting naturally back to the money. “I wonder if you are richer than I am.”

“My share of that will only be seventy-five thousand pounds,” Granger said. “You transferred more than that to England.”

“Indeed I did,” Bertie said, but seemed a bit uncomfortable about it.

“It is still a fortune,” Chartley mused. “You will be able to hire more footmen to ward off your fans when you return to London.”

The thought of the mob chasing him around did much to dampen Granger’s mood. They left the talk of substantive things aside, and just had a pleasant dinner. When they were finished, Granger found himself all but exhausted. He excused himself, and Chartley helped him up to his room, just as he had before. Granger was so exhausted, he fell asleep almost immediately after his head touched his pillow.

He awoke the next morning, a bit dazed and confused. He must truly have exhausted himself, to sleep for over twelve hours. “Good morning, my lord,” Winkler said cheerfully. “Lord Chartley already checked in on you.”

“Let him know I am awake, and ask him to join me. I will have breakfast here,” Granger announced.

“Right away, my lord,” Winkler said, and scurried out to do his bidding. Chartley returned before he did.

“You were worn out last night,” Chartley said as he gave Granger a morning kiss.

“Sadly, I exerted myself in ways other than I had planned,” Granger teased.

“There will be time when you are more recovered,” Chartley said.

“You are not vexed with me for not appointing you as Bertie’s replacement, are you?” Granger asked. He had been worried that Chartley had been upset about it, even though he showed no outward signs.

“I am not,” he said. “I was a bit put off that you didn’t talk to me about it first, but I understood that you had little choice. You did just return to the living yesterday.”

“Let us pretend that I have not announced my intentions, and you can give me your opinion,” Granger said with a grin.

Chartley laughed. “Bertie wanted me to be a convenient placeholder for him. It is not a role I relished, because I would not really be the governor.”

“But it is almost certain they will find something new for him to do,” Granger said. “I would submit the appointment would probably have been more permanent.”

“When I left here last time, I did so to deal with issues involving your family, but I was anxious to return to England,” Chartley said. “When the opportunity, or the necessity, arose for me to return, I thought I would enjoy it. But on the voyage here and now that I am back, I became convinced that it is time for me to leave the tropics behind and return home.”

“You do not like the climate?” Granger asked in a jocular way.

“This is an old place for me,” Chartley said, sounding like the sage that he was. “I have been here, dealt with these people, forged new opportunities, and I am bored with it. It is no longer interesting, and no longer a challenge.” Granger hid the fear that Chartley would be the same way with him. Was he like Sir Phillip Kerry, where he was only focused on his latest conquest? Granger pushed that aside. Chartley had shown no inkling that he was like that with relationships.

“I understand,” Granger said. “It was presumptuous of me to assume you would want to accompany me across the desert.”

“I am concerned for you, both for your health and your safety,” Chartley said honestly.

“You made it. Surely it can’t be that hard,” Granger said, teasing Chartley.

“I went by way of the Sinai, and it was miserable. Only when I was through did they tell me of an alternate route that is presumably much easier.”

“Another route?” Granger asked.

“We put in at a small port on the Red Sea, and then take camels over the mountains a short distance to the Nile River. From there, we float down the Nile to Alexandria and charter a boat or seek passage on a friendly merchant.”

“You make it sound simple,” Granger said.

“It is not, but I think that taking a boat down the river is preferable to trudging through the Sinai.”

“What arrangements do we need to make?” Granger asked.

“We?” Chartley teased. “I do not think I agreed to go with you.”

“I am willing to wager that you will,” Granger said.

Chartley gave him a playful look. “If I should decide to go with you, we will make arrangements when we get to Calcutta.”

“As you can imagine, I have quite an entourage,” Granger said airily. “Should we take them with us?”

Chartley chuckled, and then got serious. “It is my experience that it is easier if we travel lightly. I would suggest that you travel with one servant, and I will do the same.”

“Four people?” Granger asked, amazed. “That would seem to leave us vulnerable to even common thieves.”

“We will have more people with us, people we hire. But we will keep our group small. It will make us less conspicuous.”

“I do believe you said ‘we will’,” Granger said with a raised eyebrow. “I will put myself in your capable hands.”

“They are quite capable indeed,” Chartley said. He ran his hand across Granger’s chest, but removed it abruptly when the door opened and Winkler came in, followed by some servants carrying their breakfast.

Eating seemed to tire Granger out, so he opted to take a nap. He woke up to find himself being poked in the abdomen by Dr. Jackson. “I beg your pardon,” Granger said.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” Jackson said. “You seem to be doing quite well, but I wanted to check on your intestines.”

“They are still there,” Granger said.

“It is quite a relief to see you looking so well, my lord,” Jackson said sincerely. “I had feared we had lost you. How are you feeling?”

“I feel well enough, just weak. It seems that all I can do is eat and sleep, with brief periods of interaction,” Granger said.

“That is probably going to be the case for the next week, at least,” he said. “You should stay in bed as much as you can.”

“I cannot do that,” Granger said. “I am leaving for Calcutta on the Sultan within the next few days.”

“My lord, that must surely be suicidal,” Jackson objected. “You are not fit for a long voyage.”

“Doctor, I appreciate your concern and your caution, but you are not going to dissuade me, so please do not ask me to expend energy on a fruitless argument.”

Jackson eyed him carefully, and then relented. “As you wish, my lord.”

“I will have to keep my retinue to a minimum on this trek, so I fear that means we must part company here,” Granger said to him. “I was thinking that you may enjoy some time here in Amboyna, and then you can return to England with Captain Calvert.”

“I have not had much of a chance to explore the island, my lord, so such an opportunity would not come amiss. Are you sure you do not want me to accompany you? What if you need medical attention?”

“I suspect that if I do, I will have to rely on local assistance, but we will have to hope that with this fever, I have earned a reprieve from diseases and the like, at least until I return to England,” Granger said.

“One can only hope,” Jackson said. “I have never seen a patient get so close to death and then return to life. I hope you remember how lucky you are, my lord.”

“I have been lucky, and I shall have to hope that continues,” Granger said.

“My lord,” Winkler said, interrupting them. “His Excellency asked if you would feel up to dining with him in half an hour.”

“I would be most obliged,” Granger said. Jackson left them, and Winkler helped Granger get ready. He descended to the dining room with almost no help from Jacobs.

“You’re quite stable, my lord,” Jacobs said.

“Thank you, but I am glad of your support, nonetheless,” Granger said. Just as he’d done before, Jacobs left Granger at the entrance to the dining room. Granger walked in and was surprised to find Bertie there, and no one else.

“I thought it would be nice for us to spend some time together alone,” Bertie said.

“I think that is a marvelous idea,” Granger said, and sat across the table from his brother.

“I am concerned that you do not have confidence in me, and that is why you are removing me from this position,” Bertie said. Granger had forgotten how desperate Bertie was for his approval, since Bertie tended to see George as a surrogate for their father. If Granger approved of Bertie and was proud of him, then surely the Earl of Bridgemont was as well.

“That has nothing to do with it,” Granger said firmly. “To all accounts, you have been an amazing success out here. So much that you have aroused quite a bit of jealousy.”

Bertie laughed. “Greed is quite the motivator.”

“It is,” Granger agreed. “But it is impossible for me to leave you in place as governor. There has been simply too much of a scandal made of this whole affair to do that, and it would only sharpen the swords of those who attempted to remove you in the first place.”

“People have short memories,” Bertie said, his way of objecting to Granger’s statement.

“I received a letter from Grandfather, by way of Mr. van Deventer. Even he suggested that it would be imprudent for you to remain here as governor.”

“Grandfather said that?” Bertie asked

“He did. It has nothing to do with you, or your performance here, it has to do with perceptions. This will undoubtedly play out in London, and if I were to leave you here, people would just point out that I made that decision to allow our family to grow richer. It would give our enemies even more fodder to discredit us.”

Granger watched as Bertie thought about that, considered it, and realized Granger was right. Bertie was so self-absorbed; he didn’t always look beyond his own immediate world when the issues involved him directly. “I can see your point,” he agreed.

“And I know that you are terribly concerned about my reputation, so you can see that it would have made me seem quite self-serving, to use my authority in such a way,” Granger said.

“Terribly concerned,” Bertie said, because he didn’t really care about Granger’s reputation. “I suspect that you have garnered enough goodwill with the mob that they would overlook it.”

“The mob is incredibly fickle. On a normal day, I cannot go about London without being accosted and cheered, yet when I got bad press over the Spithead Mutiny, they stoned my carriage.”

“That is the price for your fame,” Bertie said. “I understand why you made your decision, George. I am fine with it. But I must say that it would have been nice if you’d explained it to me first.”

“I was in a coma just recently,” Granger said caustically. “I did not consult with you immediately upon my awakening from the dead, so now you will be petulant?”

“Quite so,” Bertie said, with a grin. “I would have thought I’d be paramount in your mind. I certainly am in my own.”

Granger burst out laughing at that. It was classic Bertie, to make one of his flaws seem amusing. “Please forgive my terrible manners.”

“I am self-absorbed, but also forgiving,” Bertie said.

Granger shook his head at his incorrigible brother, and then changed the subject. “Tell me, what will Maidstone do with your correspondence?”

“You mean who will benefit?”

“Yes,” Granger said.

“Maidstone is tied to the radical faction of the Whigs. I do not know if you have meet Charles James Fox, but he is one of Maidstone’s political backers.”

Granger cringed at that. “I know Mr. Fox quite well and there is no love lost between us.”

“If he gets his hands on those letters, it may be enough to discredit the government and put Fox into a much more powerful position,” Bertie said.

“That will most certainly not be good news for me,” Granger said. If Fox and his cronies were in power, things would become more difficult for his entire family. And the chances of him getting a decent command, or any command, may be limited.

“Then you have an extra incentive to spirit yourself through Egypt and intercept Bacchante before she reaches England,” Bertie said.

“Let us remember that this problem arose because you were careless with your correspondence,” Granger said, irritated that Bertie had succeeded in making his problem Granger’s problem.

“I will be more careful in the future,” Bertie said, the annoyance in his voice obvious. “In any event, if Maidstone reaches England with those letters, the damage to us would be great.”

“I am not clear how we would be damaged,” Granger noted, referring to himself, his parents, and Freddie.

Bertie shook his head at the naiveté of his younger brother. “If my letters are used to discredit the government, everyone will look for a scapegoat, and they will decide I am the perfect target.”

“There is some justification in that,” Granger said, but smiled so as not to completely anger Bertie.

“Regardless, that general ire will not be limited to me, but it will spill over onto Father and Mother, and most likely onto you and Freddie as well.”

Granger nodded, understanding things all too clearly now. Bertie was a member of the family, and that meant that he was irretrievably linked to all of them. Minor peccadillos and scandals could be overlooked, and written off with perhaps a smile and a nod. After all, whose family does not have the occasional black sheep? But when the offense was grave enough, it was sufficient to call into question the fidelity of the entire clan. This offense could be that grave. “I can see how that could happen.”

“George, the only way for you to avoid being embroiled in this would be to disown me entirely, and you would probably have to persuade Freddie to do the same, although I hardly think that would be difficult,” Bertie said.

Granger knew that he couldn’t do that, at least not over something like this, over a trading and smuggling scheme. “He is perhaps the wisest of us,” Granger said, making Bertie laugh.

“I cannot believe you are leaving me here, my lord,” Lefavre groused. He had made Granger a fabulous breakfast as a nice sendoff.

“I know how much you enjoy your comforts, and my trek is most assuredly more difficult than you are willing to endure,” Granger said smoothly.

“Hmph,” Lefavre grunted.

“If you arrive in England before I do, you must make your way to Lady Granger,” Granger insisted.

Lefavre nodded, then turned to leave, but not before Granger detected a tear in his eye. He really was quite loyal, and quite dedicated to Granger. “And you are sure you want to do this?” Granger asked Winkler. “There will undoubtedly be spiders and serpents on our travels.”

Winkler frowned at him, since he hated both those types of creatures. “I will have to rely on Your Lordship to protect me from the beasts we encounter.”

“Very well,” Granger said. They’d had a very unpleasant discussion with both Jacobs and Winkler insisting they go with him. Chartley had solved the problem by taking Jacobs along as his own personal servant. Granger was glad to know the easy-going American with his bulging muscles would be with them. He descended the stairs to find Somers waiting for him. “You’re all ready to move in?” Granger teased.

“I am finding the accommodations adequate, my lord,” Somers said, being cheeky.

Granger pulled him aside so no one could hear their conversation, and handed Somers a packet. “These are orders for Captain Calvert. I am counting on you to explain to him why I left, and what I am attempting to do.”

“And you would like me to do that in such a way that he is not vexed with you for leaving before he arrived,” Somers said, inferring the rest of Granger’s request.

“That was also on my mind,” Granger said with a smile. “Take care of yourself. I will miss you. I cherish our friendship.”

Somers was briefly taken aback by Granger’s emotional statement. “As do I,” he said. Granger walked out of the building, trying to appear steadier than he was, and climbed into the carriage with Bertie and Chartley.

“This looks to be a lovely island,” Granger said. “I wish I had been able to see more of it.”

“You have more important things to do,” Bertie said.

“I do,” Granger agreed. Their carriage took them to the dock, and then a boat took them to the Sultan. The captain, a younger man named Raymond, was polite to them, but only just. He was evidently irritated at having all of these high-powered passengers traveling with him, and even more annoyed that they took up valuable space he could otherwise have used to carry cargo and fatten his own purse.

But the three men did not concern themselves with his problems, as they were focused on their own issues. And so it was that an hour and a half after dawn, Sultan was underway, with her bow set on a course to Calcutta.