“Yes Sir, I am sure he would.”
“Then it will be so Captain. The problem will be to get her crewed, stored and fitted out for a voyage halfway around the world right now.”
Mister Secretary, I wonder what your plans are for Reindeer. She does have some rather serious damage. If you will not be using her immediately, perhaps some of her crew could help man the sloop.”
“Yes, Captain, that will work. My clerk will draft the necessary orders. You sir, may as well return to your home in Essex and see to matters there. I think I can tell you we are in receipt of a communication from the French government that your children no longer have the status of ‘Enemy Alien’, and are hereby being returned to Britain.”
“What about Sarah, Secretary Nepean? Will she be coming also?”
“No, she was not mentioned. The report we received said it was the mother’s wish the children should be placed in the custody of a Charlotte Norris, a neighbor of yours.”
“Not wishing to stir up controversy at this late date, we do not protest. However, they are your children, so when they arrive, you will be notified, and can take them to your home. Now that you have come to the notice of the French authorities, I think it best that you have some protection. When you leave this office, you will meet a man now waiting outside. He will accompany you to your home, possibly as your driver. Once there, he will remain there until further notice, and serve in whatever appropriate duty you may assign.”
‘Secretary Nepean, I wonder if I could be indulged. The Master at Arms aboard Reindeer is a man named Peabody. If he could be discharged and assigned to me, I would be grateful.”
Once outside, Phillips and his new bodyguard took each other’s measure. Hawkins was a lithe man of short stature. He carried a wicked looking rapier at his side, as well as a pair of pistols. When Phillips suggested hiring transportation, Hawkins gestured to a plain, unadorned coach parked down the street. Hawkins stated this to be Admiralty property, which they would use for transportation to Phillip’s home. The driver, he said, was an officer in the King’s Household Cavalry, seconded for temporary duty with the Admiralty. Hawkins, pulled a lap robe over Phillips, and slipped a large horse pistol under it. A musketoon stood in a holder between them. Phillips judged they were in little danger from highwaymen.
“Before we begin our trip, I need to go down to the Pool. A man I need is aboard a ship there.”
Once at the quay, Phillips started looking for a shore boat he could use to get out to the Reindeer, anchored several cable lengths out in the harbor. While looking, he spotted Mister Anson, the Master, walking beside a man wheeling a loaded barrow.
As they approached, Phillips tipped his hat. Startled, Anson exclaimed, “Sir, Captain. I thought you were gone to Essex.”
“Soon, Mister Anson. Tell me; is Mr. Peabody aboard the ship?”
“Yes he is, Sir. And mighty put out that he is going back out to the blockade without you. Our new captain has already stripped him of his Master at Arms warrant. He says he is going to give him some stripes if he doesn’t quit nattering about being your man.”
“I need to get out to the ship right away, Mister Anson. Can you take me there?”
Phillips was piped aboard to a mass of grinning faces. The new captain greeted him, and thanked him for the ship, damaged as she was.
“Sir”, said Phillips. “I’m afraid you will not be thanking me in a few minutes, after I steal some men away from you.”
He handed Captain Horton several sets of Admiralty orders.
“You are taking my first lieutenant? Well you can’t have him. I will need him to prepare the ship for duty.”
“Captain Horton, please understand this is not my doing. If you look at these orders, you will see that Mister Woods has been promoted, and will assume command of his own ship, directly.”
Phillips heard a muffled chortle, and behind him he saw Lieutenant Woods. Giving him a wink, Phillips went on. “The Admiralty further orders the following named men will be discharged from Reindeer, and transferred to HMS Jove. One man, Master at Arms Peabody, will be discharged from Reindeer and transferred to me.”
“Well, you can’t have them. These are my men.”
“Captain Horton, you forget; until this morning I was the captain of this ship. With her underwater damage, the frigate will be going nowhere soon. Reindeer will not be returning to blockade duty until her hull has been surveyed and found intact. Those men not going to Jove, will be going to barracks, where most will end up being drafted to other ships. It may be weeks or months before Reindeer is pronounced seaworthy. Admiralty will not approve of keeping its crew around indefinitely. I am afraid after the repairs are finished, you must find another crew.”
Peabody joined Hawkins and Phillips in the carriage. Peabody volunteered to drive but Hawkins said it would be better if Captain Wilson handled that. It was a long coach drive to the home in Essex. While the horses were pushed hard, the trip was completed without event. Immediately after unloading, Wilson got back up on the box, in preparation for leaving. Phillips protested his haste.
“The horses are worn out and need a few days rest; as do you, Captain. I can have my groom take the gig into town and post your report to the necessary people.”
“Please accept my hospitality and remain with us a few days until you and the horses are fit”.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Treason!
The men went into the house, while the estate’s groom took care of the horses. Phillips asked the serving maid to tell the pot boy to go outside and assist. Captain Wilson said as soon as the horses had been rested, he must head back to London and submit his reports. Phillips informed him the mail coach would be coming to the nearby village soon, and if he could unlimber his pen and scribble out the reports, the groom could drive the gig into town, and post them to whomever he wished.
Wilson set to, drafting reports to both Horse Guards and the Admiralty. The men, after refreshing themselves with brandy and cigars, adjourned to the gun room, where all three set to cleaning their weapons. Wilson was intrigued with Phillip’s rifle. While giving his standard tutorial on the weapon, Phillips saw something through the open window that viewed into the horse paddock. One of the horses was right up against the fence, overlooking the house, and it seemed to have sprouted an extra pair of legs.
Peabody had just brought in a few more bottles of claret, and he was asked to fetch the good day telescope from the trunk. With that in hand, Phillips moved back in the room, and rested the glass on an open cabinet door. The horse was probably over a hundred yards distance, maybe a bit more. And, there was a man on the far side of the animal. The man appeared to have a lead on the horse, and had maneuvered it into a position where he could observe the house. Periodically, the man would pop up, rest his own glass on the animal’s withers, and take a good look.
Phillips, with the glass to his eye, informed the others of the situation. Addressing Peabody, he said, “I would like you to get ready at the door. I will load the rifle, and will try a shot at that fellow. I probably won’t hit him, but he might freeze for a moment. I’d like you throw open the door at my shot, and try to catch him. I’ll reload as fast as possible, and try another shot.
Peabody moved over to the door, testing it to insure it would open in a flash.
Phillips loaded his rifle, taking probably half a minute to do a proper job of it. The heavy paper-wrapped bullet slid easily down the clean bore on top of the carefully measured powder charge. He placed just a tiny pinch of fine powder in the pan.
Wilson spoke up. “You’re not going to shoot that horse, are you? I’m signed out for him.”
“I’ll try not to, Captain. Believe me though, the information this fellow could give us is worth a whole herd of coach horses.”
Using the middle rear sight, set for one hundred fifty yards, he waited ‘till the man popped up again. Not wanting to injure the horse the man was behind, Phillips held just over the top of the man’s hea
d, realizing he would probably miss high. Holding half a breath, he began squeezing the trigger. Before the sear released though, the man dropped down again. Cursing to himself, Phillips began breathing again. Suddenly, something spooked the horse, and it jumped around, momentarily exposing the man. Without further thought, he snapped a quick shot at the man before he could hide himself again.
The horse broke away and bolted toward the other animals. Peabody stormed from the doorway toward the man, who began hobbling away. The heavy lead slug, grazing the man’s thigh, had imparted some degree of shock to the man, as well as tearing some important muscles in his leg.
After a short chase, Peabody caught up with him. With one hand on his jacket, with the other on the seat of his pants, Peabody swung him up shoulder high, and slammed him back to the ground. This time the man did not move. The men gathered around. Wilson bent down, giving a cursory examination. “He’s just stunned, gentlemen. He will be telling us his life’s story soon”
Wilson penned a few more sentences to each of his reports, telling of the most recent events. Henry took the messages and dashed off in the gig to post them. The butler, a wounded and retired former Regimental Sergeant Major, took charge of their prisoner. After binding his wound, he had him tied into a kitchen chair, with the pot boy standing guard, brandishing a huge Brown Bess musket. That evening the hostler, wondering what was disturbing the horses, wandered around, finally finding a horse picketed by a stream a half mile from the house. He recognized it immediately as one owned by Amos Fielding, who ran a livery in town.
It was late the following afternoon before a light cavalry troop came trotting up, with a forage wagon following on behind. The officer commanding the troop handed Phillips a note from Nepean who thanked him, and said Horse Guards would be questioning the man. The note further said Phillips might wish to come to London in a week or so to learn of further developments. The officer examined the prisoner’s wound, then removed the ropes binding him, and replaced them with irons. He was tossed without ceremony into the wagon. Phillips judged the wounded man would have a very uncomfortable journey in that un-sprung vehicle.
With no urgent need to stay in the country, Phillips penned notes to Nepean and his housekeeper in the London place that he would be returning to the city in a few days. Captain Wilson inspected his animals and announced they should be ready to leave in another day. Phillips told him he should stay as a guest for however long a time as was necessary. As for himself, he planned to harness his own well-rested horses to his coach and go to London in the morning.
After some grousing, and negotiating, it was decided Wilson and Hawkins would ride with Phillips the next day, while the government owned horses would be hitched to their coach and driven back to London a few days later by the groom.
A week later, a Marine officer hand delivered a note from the Admiralty to Phillips town house. Phillips escorted the officer into the gun room and saw that he was issued his choice of drink. Walking to the window with the most light, he read over the note. It seemed the captured agent had seen the light and was talking vociferously.
In addition to what he had to say, the horse he had left behind had been traced to the livery in the village, and a local ne’er do well was found who had actually rented the animal. This man, confronted with a noose for treason, was also talking, and much was being learned. Initially it was feared this might put a stopper on the return of Phillip’s children, but when the truce dispatch-cutter tasked with relaying official papers between the two warring countries returned from its latest mission across the channel, the children were aboard. They were about to be delivered to the Phillip’s London house. For his information, Charlotte Norris was now in London, demanding to see the children, and it could be arranged for her to meet them here in the city.
In an intercepted letter to Norris, Sarah had some unpleasant things to say about her husband. She alleged it was his nefarious naval escapades that caused the French government to take her into custody. To avoid unnecessary talk, it was recommended that Admiralty officials be present when Norris was re-introduced to Phillips.
A grim faced Mme. Charpentier stood outside the open door of Sarah’s rooms. She was very insistent that she be paid now. Raoul had been taking care of these nagging little details previously, but he had told her last week that he was being re-assigned and would no longer be in Paris. She had gone by her goldsmith’s place of business, hoping she could prevail upon them to send a message to her husband. Perhaps she could wheedle more money from him. However, the shop had been torn apart, and the staff gone.
She tried a different place, this one a jeweler from whom she had purchased many a fine piece. As a valued customer, she was shown directly to the proprietor’s private office. However, when she mentioned she was now destitute, and needed to send a message to her husband in Britain asking for more money, the welcoming look vanished from the jewelers face. He sternly told her it was against the law for her to try to send messages to a country France was at war with. Actually, the man had clients who regularly transferred funds between the two countries, but he knew Sarah as a very careless conspirator, who would be apt to devastate his business. When she left, he ordered his assistant to find a gendarme to report the incident.
The landlady was not at all interested in Sarah’s problems, she just wanted her money. Losing patience, she pushed open the door, and shoved Sarah out of the way. On the dressing table, Mme. Charpentier spotted a collection of jewelry. She picked up a necklace, dripping with diamonds, with a large emerald pendant. This piece alone would have paid the rent for the next twenty years. The landlady snatched it up and said it would pay for the past due rent. Sarah must however think of how she would pay for next month.
Sarah threw herself on her bed and had a cry. It was not as if she was a pauper. The jewels alone would probably support her for much of her life, if she lived frugally. However, Sarah Phillips was not a frugal woman. These were her jewels, and she could not bear selling any of them.
The jeweler’s assistant who had been sent out to find a gendarme accomplished his mission promptly. That afternoon, two officials of the French intelligence service called on Sarah. When she declined to open her door, one agent put his shoulder to it. M. Jacques Reynard was in charge. He was the local chef d’espionnage and her former lover’s supervisor. While he stood over the sobbing woman, his associate went around the room. In short order, he had located her store of expensive jewelery. When he tired of her blubbering, he stood over her and announced “Mme. Phillips, you will stop this, else I will give you something to really make you cry.”
“These gems we see here you obtained by two means. The first was by purchasing them with illegally imported gold. Those we are confiscating. The others our agency bought with our own funds. They are our property, and we are taking them back.”
“But Monsieur, how will I live? I have no money.”
“That is simple, Madame. You will go back to your own country. Your husband will have to support your expensive tastes. One thing you must remember. We have evidence of your dealings against the British government. We can inform the British government off your efforts to recruit your husband as a spy. If you do as we tell you though, this will not happen.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“That will be made clear to you after you are back in England. For now, pack one bag of clothing. Leave your gowns here. You will not be needing them. By morning, you will be on a boat travelling down the Seine. After you reach La Havre, you will be put aboard a fishing vessel. You will be carried out into the Channel, where you will be transferred to a British boat. After that, it will be up to you. It will be necessary for you to portray yourself as a victim, taken unwillingly by the forces of the Corsican ogre.”
“My husband will be furious over all the money I have spent.”
“And he will have good reason to be so, Madame. However he need not know you have thrown away that gold frivolously. I suggest you say the m
oney was used for bribes in order for you to escape. Remember though, you will do as you are ordered by us. Should you fail, your life will be short.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Reconciliation
Rooms had been taken at a nearby inn, and the familiar carriage of Charlotte Norris pulled up at the covered entrance just after noon. Phillips greeted her just outside the front door, while the two Admiralty officials stood behind. She nodded at him coolly, and swept inside. “John, where are the children?” she demanded?
“Hello, Charlotte. Good to see you again. When I arrived here a few minutes ago, the truce cutter was coming into the harbor, signaling ‘Children aboard’. As soon as we are finished here, I will go down to the quay and collect the children. I’d say we have perhaps a half hour before they come ashore.”
“John, Sarah has told me all about your escapades. You are not fit to be a parent. Now, I intend to take the children to my place, until Sarah comes home. They will be well cared there. You may visit the children occasionally, under my supervision, of course. Should you not agree to this, I will inform my solicitor of your escapades, and the Admiralty will be informed of your communications with the French intelligence service.”
Phillips beckoned to the two Admiralty people to come forward. Charlotte, I’d like to introduce you to Stephen Douglas, and Wayne Dawson. Both are senior officials in the British Admiralty. If you have any information the Admiralty needs to know about, these are the people to talk to.”
“John, I know these are probably some drinking friends of yours that you have brought along. I meant what I said before. I have no wish to harm you, but I will bring your activities to the attention of the authorities if you force me.”
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