Chapter Thirty-Nine #2
‘Why not? You here suffered more than most. Victory makes me inclined to let anyone say anything, especially to duplicitous scoundrels. Say on, Private.’
‘ Monsieur and madame , it gives me great pleasure to inform you that your son met a fitting end when I nabbed him as he was about to get into that sailing dinghy.’
Madame Durand shrieked in fury. Anna swallowed. Her anger subsided, but not entirely. She was not a lady to make a scene or call attention to herself. Still… She took a step towards the woman, this spy, who with her husband and son had caused so much death and commotion.
‘I trusted you, Madame Durand,’ was all she said.
‘You fool!’ came Madame’s vicious reply. She stared at Anna, who did not flinch. ‘ Vive la France ,’ Hermione Durand said, her voice menacing, then rising. ‘ Vive l’Empereur! ’
‘He will not win, Madame Durand,’ Anna said firmly. ‘He will never possess these islands.’
‘Get them out of our sight,’ Captain Beattie commanded. ‘Now.’
The Marines led the Durands away. Admiral Collingwood gestured to the door and John and Anna walked with him.
‘Once I return to my flagship, you’ll have official orders to remain in this town. Find housing in Port Mahon proper, where you can keep an eye on the Swallow when she docks.’ He looked around. ‘I am going to sell this place.’
Poor, poor man , she thought.
Collingwood lifted his hat to them. ‘Carry on, Captain Beattie. It’s a long war and there is more to come. I expect good things of you in this post.’
‘I will never disappoint you, sir.’
‘Neither of you will.’ He touched Anna’s cheek. ‘Cherish this dear wife of yours, Captain. You are a very lucky man.’ He bowed and left them.
John kissed her cheek. ‘He has smoothed our way, my love. I doubt the world will ever revere him as it revered Admiral Horatio Nelson, God rest his soul. I will always honour Collingwood, too.’
John sent most of his crew back to the Swallow with the Admiral, assuring Mr Marsing that he would join them by morning at the dock in Port Mahon for a return to Mallorca, where the clean-up continued.
‘They might be the enemy, but they deserve decent burials,’ he told Anna. ‘I’ll find you and our children a good place in Port Mahon. I already have one in mind.’ He nodded to David Bartleby. ‘He’ll stay with you, too. I want you protected.’
‘You’ll get no argument from me,’ Anna said.
‘Now I will have my steward cobble together a meal for us few remaining here.’
It was enough of a meal to satisfy them all. She listened as the remaining crew refought the battle, marvelling at the courage of the brave sailors of the Royal Navy performing a hard duty, with no end to war in sight.
With the meal over and dishes done—everyone pitched in, even the Captain—John sent his remaining crew to the sitting room.
‘Rest for a minute, men,’ he told them. ‘I need a moment with two sailors, and then you can return to the Swallow . Baird and Catherwood, come with me,’ he said. ‘Come, too, Anna and Private Bartleby.’
She watched Baird and Catherwood, wondering if her husband was going to ask them to join their household on Port Mahon. When the sailors glanced at each other, she saw fear. David just looked puzzled.
John led them to the lawn, out of hearing, and wasted no time, surprising Anna by speaking to her.
‘Peter Baird and William Catherwood are Americans. I know your brother spoke of impressing American seamen from Yankee ships we boarded, upon occasion. We forced them to join our crew when our need was great. We gave them no choice.’
‘It seems unkind,’ she murmured. ‘That’s what Will thought, too.’
‘I know. We frequently argued about the matter. However, the needs of the Royal Navy must be satisfied, whether or not you or I like it.’ He leaned closer. ‘I hope you still love me.’
‘John, don’t be silly,’ she chided, which made even the Americans laugh.
‘It is this: Peter and William, when you return to the Swallow tonight, you will be a short swim away from Hartford , which you heard Captain Tyler say is returning to America.’ He took a deep breath.
‘If you swim to Hartford , I will miss your good work for Swallow , delivered even under duress. You may stay or leave.’
‘Are you serious, sir?’ Peter Baird said, as if he could not believe his ears.
‘Completely.’ He turned to Anna. ‘You need to know this, dear lady. If word leaks out that I engineered their escape—providing they choose to leave—I will be court-martialled and likely hanged.’
‘Dear God,’ she whispered, wondering at this husband of hers, astounded at such courage. No wonder Will had stayed with him until death. She spoke calmly, deliberately. ‘I thought I could not love you more, but I do.’
‘It’s the right thing to do, Anna.’ He looked at the Americans. ‘You gave me your good work, even when you had no choice. Choose now.’
‘I will swim,’ Peter Baird said with no hesitation. ‘I miss my country.’
‘Godspeed you. Captain Tyler will be watching for you. He’ll hide you, if needs be.’
John turned to William Catherwood. The sailor looked down, then at his captain. ‘I believe I will stay, sir.’ He smiled. ‘There’s a girl in Plymouth. I want to see her again.’
‘Very well. Thank you both. Not a word to anyone, please.’ He clapped his hands. ‘Look lively now. Take the wagon back to the Swallow with the others. If anyone wonders what we talked of, say I gave you a royal scolding for some misdemeanour and it was brutal.’
‘Aye, sir,’ the Americans said in unison. They draped their arms around each other’s shoulders and walked back to the house.
‘Go along with them to the Swallow , Private Bartleby,’ John said, ‘then return here. But first, a word.’
‘Sir?’
‘Admiral Collingwood will endorse that your rank be restored to Sergeant and forward his request to the Admiralty. Can you find that wife of yours in Cornwall?’
Anna couldn’t help her tears now, not with all the devotion David Bartleby had shown her and the children, protecting them every moment her husband had been away, complaining about nothing, even though his own lot was bitter.
‘Sir, I don’t know what to say,’ David said, clearly overcome.
‘Knowing you, you’ll think of something, Private Bartleby, and perhaps test my patience again.’
‘Well, there’s that…’
‘I have another request.’ He kissed Anna’s head.
‘The Admiral has given me leave to continue to provide protection for my dear ones. When you find your wife, she has my permission to come with you to Port Mahon and help Anna with our household.’ He gave her a nudge.
‘There might eventually be more children to tend.’ He raised his eyebrows at the Marine.
‘Perhaps yours, too? Go on with you now. Get my crew back to the Swallow . I’ll join them in the morning. ’
‘Aye aye, sir!’ David snapped to attention, turned and whistled his way into the house.
Anna put her arms around her husband. ‘You make me weak-kneed.’
He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him, not caring if anyone in the house was watching. It was dark, and she doubted that his young crew thought someone as ‘old’ as the captain had a body or passions.
‘Does that help?’ he asked. ‘Anna, I could sleep for a week, but I don’t think I will tonight. The world thinks sailors are a randy lot and I believe I will keep proving it.’
They laughed. He set her down, and they started a slow walk to the house. Pru and Allan stood waiting by the veranda door. She stopped, wanting one more private word with her husband.
‘John, do you ever feel lucky, I mean, really lucky? Even now, when the world is at its worst?’
‘Lately, all the time,’ he told her. ‘No man could be more content.’
‘You said before that we are the only two people in the universe. I understand that now and I rejoice, my dear Captain.’
‘Anna—I have a favour to ask.’
‘Ask away.’
‘I know there is a portraitist in Port Mahon. When I return, would you have a portrait painted of yourself for me to take on the Swallow ?’
Anna let herself be enveloped in her dear husband’s embrace. ‘I could stay like this with you forever,’ she whispered. ‘Yes. A portrait.’
‘Know this, my love,’ he said. ‘You found a broken man on your doorstep in Plymouth, took him in and made him whole. I had no idea what would happen when I knocked on your door.’
‘I didn’t either,’ she assured him, then couldn’t help a laugh, because she was still Anna and prone to humour. ‘I would like a portrait of you, too, you know, just to remind me how handsome you are, if, well, someone else knocks on my door and you’ve been at sea too long.’
They laughed together. ‘I can see we will need a secret knock,’ Captain Beattie teased in turn.
‘Do be serious,’ she joked.
‘All right. As for those only two people in the universe?’
‘Anna and John?’
‘So we are, my dearest love. So we are.’