Fire and Sword

by Simon Scarrow

  ‘It’s kind of you to say so, your grace,’ Arthur responded. ‘Do you intend to offer me a position in your administration, then?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I am sure you did not think you were here on the basis of some casual social appointment?’

  ‘Well, no, your grace.’

  The Duke leaned forward and prodded Arthur on the chest. ‘I am offering you the post of Chief Secretary.What do you say?’

  Arthur struggled to hide his astonishment. The Chief Secretary was the most powerful office in Ireland beneath that of the Lord Lieutenant. A responsible position indeed, and one that might well make his political career. The only difficulty that occurred to Arthur concerned the obligation that such a favour might carry in the future.Was this the first step in selling his soul to the venomous world of political factions? In truth he would far rather be fighting the French, but at least this offer was a chance to serve his country usefully while he waited for a military command.

  Arthur looked directly into the Duke’s eyes as he responded. ‘It is a very generous offer. Might I ask why you have made it to me?’

  ‘It’s simple enough.Your brother recommended you, and I know that you have served as an aide at Dublin Castle.You were a member of the Irish Parliament before it was abolished with the Act of Union, and you had some experience in the Treasury before you were sent away to serve in India. From what Richard tells me, you as good as ruled the kingdom of Mysore for some years, and made a damned fine fist of it. Just the sort of man to help me bring order to Ireland, I’d say. That’s why. Now, young man, will you accept?’

  ‘Yes, your grace,’ Arthur replied at once. ‘It would be an honour to serve you.’

  ‘Chief Secretary?’ Kitty’s eyebrows rose as she held the baby to her shoulder and rubbed his back gently. Little Arthur had wind and duly obliged with a faint burp. ‘That’s quite a step up, isn’t it?’

  ‘To be sure.’ Arthur held his arms out. ‘May I hold him?’

  Kitty smiled as she handed the infant over and returned to her seat by the fire as her husband held his son in the crook of his arm and began to sway in what he assumed was a comforting motion. As he smiled down at the tiny face Arthur continued, ‘It’s a fine preparation for high office here in London, and it carries a salary of six and a half thousand pounds.’

  ‘Goodness!’

  ‘I thought that would please you, my dear. Now even that brother of yours might cease to look down his nose at me.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure that it won’t be too long before the positions are reversed.’

  Arthur recalled the years before India, when Kitty’s brother had been adamant that she could not marry a man with as few prospects as Arthur. The memory was like an open sore and he said quietly, ‘I wish I could say that the thought does not appeal to me.’

  Kitty ignored the comment. ‘We are to move to Dublin, then?’

  ‘Yes, my dear.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘As soon as I am confirmed in office. By the end of April at the latest.’

  Kitty sighed. ‘It does not seem so long ago that we moved in here. I imagine it would be nice to feel settled into a home.’

  ‘That day will come, Kitty. For now we are off to Dublin. I will keep this house on as I will need accommodation in London when I am here on parliamentary business.’

  ‘Oh.’ She looked at him reproachfully.‘Are you to be away from me, from us, often?’

  ‘Quite often,’ Arthur replied lightly, ‘but not for long. Be thankful I have been given a civil post, and not some military command in some godforsaken corner of the Caribbean.Then you would not see me from one year to the next.’

  ‘I should hate that.’

  ‘Well, it is not going to happen, my dear. Not now, at least.’ Arthur laid his son down in the crib.The infant was fast asleep and lay still and silent.Arthur stared at him fondly for a moment and then took his wife’s hand.‘Kitty, I am certain that this is a fine opportunity for me. Provided I perform sterling service for the Duke of Richmond, then I can surely make a name for myself. Something I can be proud of.’

  ‘I am already proud of you, Arthur.’

  He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. ‘Thank you.’

  Arthur drew his head back and stared at her for a moment.Though she still seemed thin and wan he caught an echo of the young Kitty he had known in Ireland many years before and his heart quickened at the thought.

  Kitty frowned at his intense expression, then asked tremulously, ‘Arthur, what is it, dear?’

  He smiled. ‘Tell the nursemaid to take the boy to his room. I think we should have an early night.’

  There was a flash of anxiety in Kitty’s eyes and she bit her lip before replying. ‘Very well, my dearest. But please, be gentle with me. I am still not fully recovered from childbirth.’

  ‘Of course, my dear. I will be as gentle as I can.’

  Chapter 28

  Dublin, April 1807

  The new Chief Secretary and his small family moved into his official residence in Phoenix Park and while Kitty arranged to take on staff, and set up accounts with suppliers of wines and fine foods in the city,Arthur set to work at once. The parliamentary elections were being held, with the usual excitement, and not a little violence. In Wexford the Tory candidate had challenged his Whig opponent to a duel and shot him dead. It was not appropriate that so disputatious a politician should be allowed to sit in the Commons, and he was duly persuaded by Arthur to step aside for another candidate less disposed to settling political differences with firearms.

  On his first day in his new appointment Arthur was introduced to his staff by the senior clerk, an elderly Dubliner named Thomas Stoper. Once Arthur had been escorted down the line of officials, failing to take in more than a handful of names and faces, Stoper showed the new Chief Secretary to his office, a large, panelled room with windows overlooking the courtyard. Arthur’s attention was drawn to a pile of letters lying in a wooden tray on one side of the desk.

  ‘What’s all that?’

  Stoper’s gaze flicked briefly to the letters. ‘They were delivered this morning, sir.’

  ‘Good God, all of them?’

  ‘Yes, sir. It is not unusual for the first morning of a new appointment. ’

  ‘Not unusual?’ Arthur frowned. ‘Then be so good as to tell me what reason could possibly prompt so many letters.’

  ‘That’s easy enough, sir. I’ll warrant that they are nearly all from people requesting appointments for themselves, or for friends and family.’

  ‘Well, they can damn well wait then,’ Arthur growled as he took his seat behind the desk and gestured to the chair opposite.‘Please sit down, Stoper.’

  The senior clerk arched an eyebrow in brief surprise and then did as he was bid, settling stiffly as he met Arthur’s gaze, his grey eyes steely in his thin face with its pinched cheeks.

  ‘Now then, Stoper,’ Arthur began briskly. ‘My first duty is to see to the appointments that are in my purview. It is the will of the Lord Lieutenant that the best men are found for the job.That is to be given priority over patronage for its own sake.’

  ‘Indeed, Sir Arthur?’ Stoper smiled faintly. ‘That would make a most welcome change. If it could be put into effect.’

  ‘And why should it not be put into effect?’

  Stoper eyed his superior closely for a moment before he replied. ‘Forgive me, sir, but it is not the first time that I have heard of such an intention, and, laudable as it is, such an ideal does not long outlive its utterance. Forgive me for being blunt, sir.’

  ‘You disapprove?’

  ‘It is not my place to approve or disapprove of such affairs, sir. I merely wish to point out to you that his grace’s intention of appointing on the basis of ability may not translate so easily into reality. I follow the affairs of the London Parliament closely, sir, and I know how finely things are balanced between the various political factions. Every favour counts, and the political capital conferr
ed on a post such as Lord Lieutenant is not to be squandered recklessly. Any more than is the case with your position, sir. It follows that whatever his grace may intend, the reality is that patronage will be exercised according to political expediency rather than the requirements for the offices concerned.’

  Arthur stared at the senior clerk in silence.The man had spoken out of turn and had offered opinions on affairs well outside the realms of his particular duties. Yet there was an earnestness about him and Arthur resolved to hear him out.

  ‘It seems to me that you do not approve of political patronage.’

  ‘I have no quarrel with it in principle, sir. I know only too well that it is the grease that makes the political axle turn. My concern is with practice, and it is my belief that the situation in Ireland must be handled with extreme circumspection at present.’

  ‘Really?’ Arthur could readily guess the man’s concerns, but wished to hear them all the same, if only to better gauge Stoper’s capability and breadth of mind. ‘Why do you say that?’

  Stoper folded his hands together as he began to explain. ‘Sir, before I continue you should know that I am in my thirtieth year of service at Dublin Castle. I have seen viceroys come and go and most have been good men and well intentioned to those they govern. Some, alas, have not and have tended to think ill of most Irishmen, and all Catholics.You were born here, sir.You know as well as any man the harsh conditions the poorest of this island have to endure. So you might understand the forces that compelled them to rebel back in ninety-eight.’

  ‘I understand them well enough,’Arthur replied evenly.‘But I do not condone rebellion. Nor treachery. The rebels got what they deserved.’

  ‘I suppose so, sir. I understand that you were not here at the time. In which case you might not know the full details of the revolt, and its aftermath.’

  ‘I was told that the rebels were treated harshly enough.’

  ‘Harshly?’ Stoper replied bitterly. ‘A fine euphemism, if I may say so, sir. The truth of it is that the British army, the militia and the loyalist mobs committed all manner of atrocities. Thousands of prisoners were massacred, hundreds of wounded burned alive in their beds.Then there was the rape and murder of women as well as the cold-blooded cutting down of hundreds of women and children after the battle at Vinegar Hill.’

  ‘I’ve heard all this,’ Arthur cut in. ‘I have also heard of the atrocities carried out by the rebels.’

  ‘That’s right, sir. There were some reprisals.’ Stoper nodded and continued carefully.‘It would be surprising if there were not. However, the numbers of casualties suffered by each side speak for themselves. The suppression of the rebels was out of all proportion to the harm they did. And even those of us here in the castle who were loyal servants of the crown were moved by the suffering of the rebels.There are some who still question the treatment of the common people and wonder if it is fair to discriminate against the majority of those living in Ireland solely on the basis of their religion. It is no wonder that the rebellion took over a year to quell. Still less that there was another uprising here on the very streets of Dublin four years ago, after the Act of Union.The reasons for abolishing the Irish Parliament were clear for all to see. A crude attempt to remove any prospect of independence. The members of Parliament were promised Catholic relief measures in exchange for supporting the abolition. Now that his majesty has quashed any prospect of such measures the people feel that they were cheated, sir.’

  Arthur stared at the senior clerk for a moment before replying in a low tone. ‘I’d be careful what you say, Stoper. It strikes me that your words could be construed as lacking in loyalty to the Crown.’

  ‘I know that, sir. But it is my intention to retire within the year, and such a prospect tends to loosen the shackles that bind a man’s tongue.’

  ‘That may be so, but I would urge you to be careful of speaking too freely on such matters again.You sound like a Catholic.’

  ‘I am no Catholic, sir. I am an Anglican.Yet I am also an Irishman, and I have compassion for the people of my country, no matter what their religion may be.’

  ‘Religion be damned. There is no such thing as an Irishman any more, Stoper. We are all subjects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland now.’ Even as he spoke Arthur could not help wincing at the clumsiness of the official title.

  Stoper shrugged.‘Very well, sir. I just thought it would be best if you were aware of the situation you, and his grace, are inheriting.’

  ‘Well, I thank you for your briefing. I can assure you that it is my intention to carry out my duties for the good of all Ireland’s people. But I will not brook any disloyalty, especially not from those who work directly for the government. Do I make myself clear?’

  ‘Admirably, sir.’

  ‘Very well then, we’ll speak no more of this, Stoper.’ Arthur eased himself back in his chair with a deep sigh.‘And now, I’m afraid we must deal with the first item of business. Namely answering all this correspondence.’

  He reached for his letter opener. Slitting the first missive open he unfolded it and quickly read through the contents. Lady Ellesmere humbly requested that her sister’s daughter’s husband be found a minor office at the castle in order that he might earn an income to befit his newly married status.Young Henry was a gracious young man and not without some ability and charm. Arthur put the letter to one side and opened the next as Stoper sat and waited patiently.This time it was from a former army officer whose leg had been crushed under a supply wagon, who as a consequence had been discharged from his regiment. Knowing that the new Chief Secretary was a soldier, this former comrade in arms wondered if Arthur might be prevailed upon to find a position for a brother officer down on his luck.

  Arthur looked at the pile of letters. ‘All these arrived today?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And am I likely to receive more in the days to come?’

  ‘I’m afraid these are only the first of many, sir.’

  Arthur glared at the pile with undisguised malevolence. ‘Is there any procedure for dealing with such correspondence?’

  Stoper coughed. ‘If you refer it to me I can prioritise these for you, sir.’

  ‘On what basis?’ Arthur asked as he reached for the next letter.

  ‘Political expediency, sir. The letters will be arranged according to the rank of the sender. Those from titled persons I will place on your desk and those from commoners I will answer on your behalf, declining their services in suitably apologetic tones.’

  Arthur looked at his chief clerk for a moment. ‘Can’t say I care for such a system’

  ‘It worked well enough for your predecessors, sir.’

  ‘Oh, very well then.’ Arthur opened the next letter and felt his heart sink as he recognised the handwriting. It was from his mother, Lady Mornington, in London. She began by congratulating him on his new position before moving swiftly on to make the first of her recommendations on behalf of those who were deserving of Arthur’s patronage. Arthur read to the bottom of the page, and then leafed through the other sheets.

  ‘By God, there’s over four pages of requests here!’

  Stoper leaned forward. ‘That is highly unusual, sir. Might I ask who the letter is from?’

  ‘My mother.’

  ‘Ah, a matter of some delicacy then.’

  ‘You can’t imagine.’ Arthur tapped the letter and smiled ruefully. ‘And where does a letter from one’s mother fit into your scheme of political expediency?’

  ‘Mothers are a special case. I would advise you to attend to it at once, sir.’

  Arthur took a deep breath and prepared to read the whole letter in detail. He gestured to the piled correspondence. ‘I’d be obliged if you took those with you and dealt with them. I shall be busy enough with this one letter as it is.’

  Despite the Duke of Richmond’s aspiration to find the best men for the jobs, it soon became clear that this was no more than a pious hope. It seemed that any person wit
h whom Arthur had ever been remotely connected had written to him with a favour to ask. There was even a letter from Richard asking if some post might be found for a boatman who had served him when he was Governor General of India. Accordingly Stoper was left to apply his system for dealing with such requests while Arthur turned his attention to other tasks.

  The first of these was the delicate matter of dealing with a request from the city councillors who wished to hold a parade through the streets of Dublin to celebrate the battle of Vinegar Hill.The mayor and a small deputation of corporate worthies came to Arthur’s office to seek his permission and co-operation for the parade. As soon as formal greetings had been exchanged the mayor, a tall, broad man with red cheeks, spread out a street map of the capital across Arthur’s desk.