Odyssey - 50. Chapter 50

May, 1798

Off Ceylon

“My lord,” Winkler said, rousing Granger. “It is almost dawn, and Captain Raymond is on his way to see you.” Winkler noticed with disapproval that Granger had slept in his clothes last night. He normally waited up for his captain to go to bed, but Granger had finally outlasted him.

Granger roused himself in the light of a dim lantern and put on his jacket. He had been up and about most of the night, analyzing his conversation with Jardines, and trying to decide what justice was in his case. Not that Granger was appointing himself as the man’s jury, rather it was a more philosophical and personal rumination. Raymond walked into his cabin, looking nervous. “Good morning, Captain,” Granger said calmly.

“Good morning, my lord,” Raymond said. There was only one reason for him to call on Granger like this, especially when the seas were much rougher. His next words confirmed Granger’s suspicion. “We need to put into port. The storm is too strong. While we would probably survive it, we are making no progress.”

Raymond had spent a lot of time with Granger, and he always thought that despite Granger’s pleasant, refined, and somewhat playful exterior, his drive and determination must surely indicate that an irascible tyrant was buried beneath the surface. Raymond feared that just such a problem as this delay would be the event that triggered an eruption. He was to be disappointed. “Captain, you have gallantly risked yourself and your ship to outrun this bad weather, but one cannot always be lucky and successful at the same time,” Granger said graciously.

“Thank you, my lord,” Raymond said, barely hiding his surprise. “We’ll have decent winds for Jaffna.”

“Then I will leave you to it, Captain, to get us safely into port,” Granger said, dismissing him.

“Bad luck,” Winkler said somberly.

“We are doing our best,” Granger said firmly, unwilling to brook whining. “I will go and inform Major Jardines of our change in plans.”

“He is in the dining room, my lord,” Winkler said. Granger went into that room, a relatively large central space where they dined with the ship’s officers. He saw Jardines sitting in a chair, with his chest and head sprawled on the table, even as he snored softly. In his right hand, he clutched a glass that must still have whiskey in it. “I take it you cleaned up out here?”

“Yes, my lord,” Winkler said. So Jardines had gotten stinking drunk and passed out here last night. Granger determined to come to a conclusion about his feelings toward Jardines, if for no other reason than to help the poor man out.

Granger sat next to him and shook his shoulder. “Jardines,” he said loudly. He glanced down at Jardines’ lap and could see his huge cock making his trousers bulge. “Jardines!”

Jardines rolled a bit so his head was on the table sideways. He yawned and blinked for a minute, until his eyes focused on Granger. At that point, he snapped upright in a gesture that seemed to cause him considerable pain, probably by worsening his headache. “My lord?” he croaked.

“You appear somewhat worse for the wear,” Granger said.

“An astute observation, my lord,” Jardines joked.

“I am sorry to disturb your slumber, although you truly have drooled a lake onto the table,” Granger joked back, making him chuckle. “I wanted to let you know that we are compelled to put into Jaffna.”

“An unfortunate delay, my lord,” Jardines said.

“It is, but there is nothing to be done for it,” Granger said, frustrated with all of these people who would destroy his good mood. Jardines stood up and Granger caught him as he staggered, chuckling. Granger stared down at the huge bulge in his trousers and raised an eyebrow. “You appear to be aroused.”

Jardines blushed, and then got his wits about him. “That is usually the case when Your Lordship is in proximity.” Granger laughed and shook his head, even as he helped Jardines back to his cabin. Jardines collapsed backward onto his cot, his erection rising up from his body, straining his trousers, like an obelisk.

“Have you been to Jaffna?” Granger asked.

“I have. It is rather dull, but the local magistrate and his wife are pleasant company.”

“I had better go prepare to be sociable. Your appearance could use some work as well,” Granger said.

“I will endeavor to look handsome for Your Lordship,” Jardines said pleasantly. The poor man was ecstatic that Granger was being nice to him, and not plotting to kill him. “Perhaps you would care to stay and help me?” Jardines rubbed his hand seductively over his groin.

Granger was sorely tempted by Jardines, but he could not possibly sleep with Jardines, at least not until he worked his way through these issues they had. “I fear there is no time.”

Jardines looked disappointed, and Granger understood that. Jardines had probably come to the same conclusion as Granger had: that to give him absolution, he would have to sleep with Jardines. That he didn’t meant he hadn’t forgiven Jardines. Granger let Winkler help him put his appearance to rights, then went up to the quarterdeck in time to see Sultan slip into the harbor. Granger looked back at the waves they’d been challenging, and knew they had no choice.

He stood on deck alone, watching as Sultan moved to the relatively calm inner harbor. The anchor splashed, announcing their arrival in a most definitive way, but Granger tried not to let that depress him. They had been at anchor for less than an hour when another boat pulled up next to them, and an army officer hauled himself aboard the ship. He looked to be in his late 30s, and wore the uniform of a lieutenant colonel. Granger was decidedly his superior. “Welcome to Jaffna, Captain,” he said to Raymond.

“A pleasure to see you again, Colonel,” Raymond said. “Allow me to introduce Lord Granger. My lord, this is Colonel Barbut, the local administrator.”

“It is an honor to welcome you to Jaffna, my lord,” Barbut said effusively.

“Thank you, Colonel,” Granger said.

“My lord, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to sail before tomorrow at the earliest, so I have come to invite you to stay ashore, as the guest of my wife and me.”

Granger knew that was logical, and there was no reason to stay aboard and be bored. “I am pleased to accept your invitation,” Granger said, then turned to Raymond. “Captain, I will be ashore with Colonel and Mrs. Barbut. Please contact me daily and advise me if we will be able to sail that day, or on the morning tide the next day.”

“Aye aye, my lord,” Raymond said.

“Colonel, if you will pardon me, I will consult with Major Jardines and assemble my staff.”

“Of course, my lord,” Barbut said. He could use this time to talk to Raymond about Granger and decide if he was going to be a difficult houseguest.

Granger found Winkler first. “Pack up my things. We’ll be staying ashore, probably for a few days.”

“Aye aye, my lord,” Winkler said.

Granger went to Jardines’ cabin and knocked, then entered. He found Jardines lying on his cot without pants, stroking his massive cock. “Did you come back to spend some quality time with me, my lord?” Jardines asked.

Granger smiled and went over to the cot, and sat next to Jardines. “It is certainly tempting, but I fear Colonel Barbut is waiting for me.” He saw the sadness on Jardines’ face, but maintained his smile. “Perhaps I can assist you.”

Jardines removed his hand from his cock. “I am at your disposal, my lord.” Granger took over for Jardines, gently stroking his massive cock, going slowly at first, and then picking up speed. Granger could sense Jardines’ sexual rhythm, and accelerated his pace just in time to Jardines’ excitement. It took almost no time at all for his massive cock to erupt, spewing his load all over his shirt, and Granger’s hand.

Granger wiped his hand on Jardines’ shirt with an impish grin. “Come find me ashore.” He turned on his heel and left, pausing in the passageway to make sure his own erection was deflated.

May, 1798

Jaffna

“My lord, Captain Raymond is here to see you,” Eliza Barbut said politely, as she guided the captain into the drawing room.

Granger stood up to greet Raymond, who looked worried and nervous. “Welcome, Captain,” Granger said affably.

Raymond had been expecting a tempest, perhaps even a tantrum, from Granger, if only to vent his frustration at their delay. For ten days now, the Sultan had been riding at anchor in Jaffna, riding out the storm that had raged all around them. This kind of delay must be maddening to Granger, but he showed no outward sign of his dismay. “My lord, I plan to leave on the morning tide, if that meets with Your Lordship’s approval.”

“That is wonderful news, Captain,” Granger said. “Although I fear I am hard-pressed to tear myself away from Jaffna. Colonel and Mrs. Barbut have been excellent and charming hosts.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Eliza Barbut said. She was younger than the colonel, and her father was a general. This couple had been a pleasant and unexpected surprise, and Granger had not exaggerated when he’d said they were fantastic hosts.

“I have had the privilege of visiting some of the best houses in England, and I have rarely found myself to feel as comfortable and welcome as I have here,” Granger said, pouring on a little more charm.

“I fear it is not our company that makes things so charming, my lord, but yours,” she said.

“You are too kind, madam,” Granger said with a flourish. “But I fear that my travels necessitate that I take my leave of you. When you visit England, you must stay with me.”

“We would be honored, my lord,” she said.

“I will reboard the Sultan directly,” Granger told Raymond. He had been expecting this visit from Raymond, as Granger could divine the weather as well as the young captain, so his dunnage was ready. It took a relatively short amount of time to get back to the ship, something Granger accomplished before darkness descended on the harbor.

Granger went below to get settled into his cabin, then went to check on Jardines, and was annoyed to find he was not aboard. He approached Raymond to inquire after him. “Has Major Jardines indicated when he will return to Sultan?”

“We have not been able to locate him, my lord,” Raymond said anxiously. This time, he actually saw Granger’s expression change to irritation, but the young peer erased that visage quickly. “Colonel Barbut has dispatched a party to find him.”

“As we cannot leave without him, I appreciate your diligent efforts, and those of Colonel Barbut,” Granger said. “Have you no idea where he has gone?”

“It is rumored that he was ensconced at an opium den, my lord,” Raymond noted. Granger just nodded, not knowing what that meant, or what impact that would have on Jardines. He began to pace the deck, enjoying the relative solitude of doing so in port, with only the eyes of an anchor watch upon him.

During the ten days he’d spent trapped in Jaffna by the damnable storm, Granger had spent much of that time thinking of Jardines and Travers. He had been so ready to damn Jardines for what he’d done to Travers, for the physical and emotional agony Jardines had caused him. There was good reason to do that, since Jardines’ actions had been violent, and malicious. On the other hand, Granger could sense Jardines’ sincerity when he talked of the whole affair, and felt confident that Jardines had been honest. Granger thought of the expression on Jardines’ face as he had described his feelings as Arthur had fucked Travers, the jealous rage that had consumed him, and could understand and excuse that. But it became even more understandable when he factored in the sheer emotional pain of watching your partner willingly make love to another in front of you. Granger could not help but restrain his mind from going back to that place where he was watching Caroline and Gloucester, and the dull fury that evoked must have been nothing compared to what Jardines felt when he experienced the actual event.

It would have been easy to blame Travers for some of this as well, or at least it would be easy for someone besides Granger to do so. Granger had closed the door on his relationship with Travers, not in a way to forget it, but in a way such that he was unwilling to go back and evaluate their various flaws and errors along the way. He struggled to reopen that portal, to look in, and in the end, he decided not to. He knew Travers, knew how his mind worked. He had come back to England, grasping at straws to save his ship and his career, and he had fucked Arthur, thinking it would help his case. He would not have known of Jardines, and would not have known that Arthur had a relationship with him. Even if he did, it was likely that Travers would have assumed they had an understanding, and would have relied on Arthur to set limits to ensure he didn’t hurt Jardines. It was, in fact, the naiveté that Granger had accused Travers of before that had led him to unwittingly barrel into Arthur’s relationship with Jardines and destroy it.

Arthur’s behavior was perhaps the most reprehensible of all, but Granger was even unwilling to condemn him out of hand. Granger had not felt the love between them that Jardines said was there. He thought that perhaps his read of their relationship, of a sexual liaison first and foremost, may have fit Arthur’s conception of how things were. It probably was much deeper, and much more important, but Arthur did not realize that until he had lost Jardines. That must have done nothing more than make things almost unbearable for Arthur when he came to that conclusion. The loneliness and sense of loss must have overwhelmed him, and turned him into the nearly-insane man that had almost found himself shipped off to the Indies. But for the intervention of a huge Swedish cock, Arthur would probably be in Amboyna instead of Somers.

Granger knew it was his Christian duty to not judge others, even though that conflicted somewhat with his duties as a magistrate at Brentwood, the captain of Bacchante, and a peer of the realm. He had worked this through in his mind, and he’d decided that all three men involved in this affair had some justification for their actions, and in any event, the prices they had paid, the penalties they had incurred, must surely have wiped the slate clean for any crimes they might have committed. And with that rationale, Granger had forgiven Travers for his naiveté; he had forgiven Arthur for not appreciating what he had until it was too late, and for being unfaithful and hurting Jardines; and perhaps most importantly, he had forgiven Jardines for what he had done to Travers.

His thoughts were interrupted by a considerable commotion on the deck. Granger hurried to the side to see three crewmen trying to hoist Jardines aboard. “Jacobs!” Granger shouted, even as he went to help.

Jacobs appeared quickly, and between him and another crewman, they took Jardines down to his quarters. Granger followed them down, twisting his nose up at how vile Jardines smelled. Yet as bad as Jardines’ outward appearance was, he was in a cheerful mood. Granger was reminded of a happy drunk. “We need to get him cleaned up,” Granger said.

“I am a dirty boy, my lord,” Jardines said, and cackled.

“Indeed you are,” Granger said, with an indulgent smile.

“My lord, may I speak with you,” one of the older crewmen, a man named Tibbits, asked. He gestured for Granger to move to the side where they could speak privately. Jacobs and Winkler were there, listening as well. “My lord, this could be ugly for the next few days.”

“I don’t understand,” Granger said.

“Major Jardines has spent the last ten days in an opium den, and has been under the influence of that drug for most of the time, my lord,” he said.

“What is it about this drug that is so alluring?” Granger asked.

“Opium is smoked, heated by an opium pipe and inhaled. Its humors are deceptively sweet, and give a man the feeling of extreme happiness, my lord,” Tibbits said.

“Euphoria,” Granger augmented, getting a nod from Tibbits. “I suspect that is quite tempting.”

“It is, my lord, especially for a man like Major Jardines, who is fighting internal demons, begging Your Lordship’s pardon.”

“You have no need to beg my pardon for speaking the truth, Tibbits,” Granger said. “Why will it get worse?”

“As the opium starts to wear off, he will crave more, and may even become violent as he tries to fight his body’s desires, my lord.” Granger thought about that, and almost smiled at how bad Jardines was at resisting his body’s desires. “His body will go through withdrawal. He will be in a lot of pain, he will have the chills, and he will probably vomit and soil himself.”

And just like most things in life, there was a price to pay for illicit pleasures. “What can we do for him?”

“We must restrain him so he does not hurt himself, my lord. And we must try to keep him warm, and get him to eat and drink once his stomach has settled,” Tibbits said.

“As you have your own duties to attend to, that will fall upon the three of us to accomplish,” Granger declared, appointing himself, Jacobs, and Winkler as Jardines’ nurses. Winkler and Jacobs did not look all that happy about this new task, but they would do as Granger asked. “I trust we may rely on you for guidance, if we have questions?”

“Of course, my lord,” Tibbits said. He was relieved that he did not have to nursemaid a man going through opium withdrawal.

“Winkler, you and Jacobs see if you can get him cleaned up. Use some of my perfume to help cloak his odors if you need to,” Granger directed. “Jacobs, if he becomes violent, Winkler will need your assistance.”

“Most definitely, my lord,” Jacobs said, all but sneering at Winkler’s scrawny body. Winkler scowled, and Granger chuckled.

Granger approached Raymond and told him of Jardines’ condition. “I am not surprised, my lord. This is a relatively common thing for Major Jardines to do.”

“I don’t understand,” Granger said.

“When Major Jardines is in port, usually Calcutta, it is rumored that he spends his time and money at the opium dens. He usually only emerges from them a week before his services are required, or duty calls, my lord,” Raymond said.

“That explains the delay in the arrival of our guide,” Granger mused. So this opium habit had been the reason Jardines had not appeared immediately when Granger arrived in Calcutta. Mornington had made excuses, intimating that he had been out of town, when they’d most likely been drying him out. That type of delay truly did irritate Granger, until he mused to himself that Sultan would still have needed to reprovision, and it was useful that he was able to seek Rainier’s approval for his plan.

“I am not sure what is torturing him, my lord, but I fear that if he keeps this up, it will be the death of him,” Raymond said. Granger just stared at him for a second, and then nodded to dismiss him. So this is what Jardines had done. He had been unable to deal with what he had done to Travers, and how he had destroyed his life, so he had used opium to kill the pain. Only the painkiller may ultimately kill him.

May, 1798

Indian Ocean

For the past week, as Sultan had sailed toward Egypt, Granger and his staff had tended to Major Jardines. It had been one of the more depressing tasks Granger had undertaken, primarily because the illness was self-inflicted. They had cleaned Jardines up only to repeat the process after he had soiled himself. They had covered him with blankets to alleviate his chills, only to have him vomit on them. They had been forced to restrain him as the narcotics in his body raged, demanding more when there were no more. And finally, for the first time since he’d come aboard, Jardines slept peacefully last night.

Granger went in to check on him, alerting Winkler to ask Raymond to rig the wash deck pump. He was feeling dirty, dirty from fighting this insidious drug, and needed a bath to cleanse him. And Jardines needed a bath even more, since they had only been able to give him sponge baths up until now. He opened the door and found Jardines awake, but staring up at the deckhead. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, my lord,” he said, with a definite sadness to his tone.

“It is a good morning because you are better,” Granger said, being upbeat.

“I am amazed that you care about me at all,” Jardines said despondently. “I am too embarrassed by my behavior to even look at you.”

“I think I understand why you did what you did,” Granger said gently, even as he put his hand on Jardines’ chest. “I have taken complete control of your day, and part of our agenda is to discuss your affair with opium.”

“I am tempted to submit to your control, my lord,” Jardines said with a grin.

“It would be one of your smarter moves,” Granger teased. “The first thing you will do is take a bath. They are rigging the wash deck pump, and I will join you.”

“I am not as big a fan of baths as you are,” Jardines said.

“I would submit, Major, that the pungent aroma your body is emitting would testify to your distaste for them, but would point to the need, nonetheless,” Granger said with a smile.

“You used to like the way I smelled, my lord,” Jardines flirted. It was so pleasant to see him discover this side of himself again.

“Too much of anything can be a bad thing,” Granger noted. “In any event, you have agreed to submit to my agenda, so you must take the good with the bad.”

“So I will bathe,” he agreed. Granger ran his hand down Jardines’ chest, to his abdomen, and lower still, until he was stroking Jardines’ cock.

“I must relieve your pressure so you do not get an erection while bathing,” Granger said, as he gently stroked Jardines.

“There are other ways to do that, my lord,” Jardines said with a leer.

“You are hoping I will let you fuck me?” Granger asked coquettishly.

“It is what I dream of,” Jardines said in his huskiest voice, which was undoubtedly helped when Granger increased the pace at which he masturbated Jardines.

“Part of my agenda is to fulfill that dream,” Granger said, raising an eyebrow provocatively.

“Indeed?” Jardines asked, truly stunned.

“Indeed,” Granger said, as he leaned in and kissed Jardines. The kiss became passionate, and meaningful, and that connection spurred Jardines forward to an orgasm, blasting his load all over his chest and Granger’s hand.

“My turn,” Jardines said. He made Granger take off his trousers, then used his own cum as lubricant as he jerked Granger off to a very intense orgasm. Granger had not had anyone else assist him with his libido since his last encounter with Wellesley, so Jardines’ hand was stimulating beyond belief.

They went up on deck and took a long bath, with the hands grinning as they always did when they sprayed them down with seawater. Evidently Jardines was such a randy lad that their attempt at preventive relief did not fully work, and he began to get erect as he washed himself off. That got an entirely different reaction from the men on the pumps, as they looked at Jardines’ freakishly large dick. They finally finished, and slipped on their bathing robes to go back to their cabins. “The thought of being with you has excited me to the point where probing eyes and cold water could not suppress me.”

Granger chuckled. “I suspect that you may find men of a certain nature lurking outside your cabin, hoping for a chance to personally sample your wares.”

“Then I recommend that you keep me satisfied, so I will have no need of them,” he said. They went to Jardines’ cabin and dropped their robes. Jardines dick was already hard, and Granger’s was not slow to follow. Granger handed Jardines the lanolin and lay down on his stomach, wiggling his ass as he did, getting a chuckle from Jardines. Then Jardines kissed Granger, and the playfulness was gone, overcome by lust and desire.

Jardines worked Granger open with his fingers, using them with the skill of a man who had done this many times before, and knew exactly what he was doing. He draped his body over Granger’s back, lining his huge dick up and pushing in gently. Granger cried out briefly in pain.

“Shhh,” Jardines cooed. “You know how this works. It will hurt, and it will take us a while to lodge my cock in your ass, but once I do, I will take you to another world.”

Granger moaned and gritted his teeth, pushing back into Jardines, forcing his body to open up and accept this huge intruder. It was not easy, and Granger was worried that Jardines would think it was a sign that Granger did not want him, but Jardines did not seem to reach that conclusion.

“It has been a long time since you’ve taken a really big cock, hasn’t it,” he asked, in his sultriest voice. That aural stimulation roared through Granger’s brain, firing up his libido, and then his body finally responded, finally let Jardines in, and finally relished his presence. “That’s right, that’s right,” Jardines said. “Now you remember?”

“Now I remember,” Granger said, the last coherent words he was able to utter. Jardines drilled into him, and Granger responded body and soul, giving himself completely to this man whom just a month ago he’d been ready to slay on sight. Granger’s orgasm seemed to come from nowhere, surprising him but not Jardines, who began to ejaculate right after Granger started. They thrust frantically, fully giving their bodies the freedom to experience the amazing pleasure they were giving each other, their only caveat to keep their voices lowered. After they were sated, and lying there panting, Granger wondered if they had achieved that goal.

“That was marvelous,” Jardines said.

“I rather thought so myself,” Granger said casually.

“You could not have done that if you hated me,” he said.

“I don’t hate you,” Granger said. “To the degree that I have the authority to do so, I forgive you for what happened.”

Jardines stared at him, stunned at first, and then he surprised Granger by crying, not a sob, but just a steady stream of tears flowing from his eyes. “How can you do that?”

“I spent the last two weeks thinking about this,” Granger said. “I used my time more productively than you.”

“I am sorry,” he said sincerely. “I was trying to ease the pain. Nothing else worked.”

“I will tell you my read on the situation, and you can discount it as you wish,” Granger said. Jardines nodded. “As you explained your relationship with Arthur, and your feelings for him, I could understand your rage and anger. The jealousy you felt is apparent even now. I would like to think that I would not have done what you did, but when I conjure up a similar situation to yours, I question whether I could have restrained myself.”

“I think you could have,” Jardines said.

“You may be right, but it was a complicated and toxic emotional cocktail you had consumed. It is difficult to know, and it is much too intense for me to judge you adversely for what you did. In addition, when I weighed that against the penalty you paid, and still pay, I decided that in my mind, you have atoned for your sin.”

Jardines looked at him with true gratitude, knowing that Granger was probably the only person on this earth who could give him that kind of absolution. “I ache every day that I cannot reach Captain Travers to tell him how sorry I am personally. To make him understand.”

“We were very close,” Granger said, confirming what Jardines already knew. “Our love, our commitment, was very deep. It was those feelings that helped me generate so much rage against you. But it is also that connection I had with him that lets me tell you that he would have forgiven you. I knew him better than anyone, and I was closer to him than anyone. If anyone is qualified to speak for him, it is me.”

“I did not realize the depth of your love,” Jardines said, a new comprehension breaking over him.

“I only told you of it in hopes that it will help you accept my bonafides,” Granger said firmly. “I think that you saw Travers as a mercenary, one who willingly jumped in to destroy your relationship with Arthur for his own gain.”

Jardines said nothing for a bit. “He did not?”

Granger shook his head. “He was naïve when it came to such things. He would not have done that if he thought that it would have caused you so much pain. He would have relied on Arthur to limit the extent to which they were intimate. He would have assumed that Arthur would restrict their time together rather than ruin a relationship that was important to him. He was also a jealous man, and would have preferred to remain ignorant of Arthur’s other entanglements. It is quite possible he did not even know you two were a couple when it happened.”

“It seems impossible that he would be so blind,” Jardines asked as much as stated.

“It was the subject of our last major fight. I accused him of being naïve. He reminded me that when we had first met, he was indeed that naïve, but then I was a midshipman who did not know a backstay from a topmast. He noted that as I was now a post-captain, it was possible that he had gained some political instincts along the way as well.” They both chuckled at that.

“His political instincts were well honed, it was his romantic instincts that were lacking,” Jardines said. “I feel almost worse now, as if I was fencing with a novice, and I find myself angry at Arthur for not caring about our relationship.”

“I think that Arthur did not realize how important you were to him, or how much he loved you, until he had lost you,” Granger said. “It is not uncommon for Arthur to do that, and his letter, the one he risked the wrath of the Brotherhood to send, would seem to suggest that he did finally figure it out.”

“Only it was too late,” Jardines mused.

Granger ignored that. “So here is where I ended up, after all of my thought. I would submit that it is in your best interest to pay close attention, since I have spent a considerable amount of time on this, while you have merely wallowed in a drug-induced haze.” Granger grinned as he said that, getting the same gesture from Jardines.

“Then I will give you my undivided attention.”

“I think that you all committed errors. The situation and personalities involved compounded the impact of those errors to propagate actions that were severe and reprehensible,” Granger said. He saw Jardines blanch, so he put his hand on his chest for emphasis. “The responsibility was not just yours, it was theirs as well.”

“I can see your point,” Jardines said.

“So if we allocate the blame evenly between the three of you, then look at the pain you have suffered, I find it hard to think any additional punishment is required, whether it be external, or self-inflicted. You have been banished, and have inflicted more suffering on yourself than anyone could have. Arthur has been just as devastated and just as self-destructive as you. And John is dead,” Granger said, calling Travers by his Christian name. “It is time to put this behind you and look ahead.”

“Ahead, to a life where I am stuck in these lands that I hate, with people I detest as much or more,” Jardines said.

“Perhaps,” Granger said mysteriously.

“What are you saying?”

“I am saying that banishments can be rescinded,” Granger said. “I will see what can be done when I get back to England. If I cannot have you sent back to England, perhaps there is an option that you would find preferable?”

“I will ponder that,” Jardines said, then forced Granger to look into his eyes so he could see how sincere he was. “Thank you. You have given me back my life.”

“We have a long voyage ahead of us,” Granger said. “You may demonstrate how grateful you are in the days ahead.” He stroked Jardines back to full hardness.

“I will make entertaining you my primary objective, my lord,” Jardines said, as he pulled Granger on top of him and thrust his big cock back into Granger’s bowels.