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‘Mr Anders,’ Greville corrected softly, holding the lemere’s intervention didn’t succeed and he ended up under this man’s authority, but he had ultimate confidence in cousin Nicky’s influence And he did not intend to bend to this petty tyrant

The lieutenant looked away first ‘You are dismissed’

Greville closed the office door after hi ‘Mustn’t mind ol’ Belcher, sir Likes to act i the quarterdeck watch Hard on hi passed over for promotion With the cutbacks in the Navy and the war ended, he knows he’ll probably never get a command—unless he finds a rich wife to buy hi of’

‘Gunny, were you listening at the door?’

‘Can’t help if yer voices was a bit loud,’ the sailor replied

Recalling Belcher’s conteine you’d welcolad the lieutenant will never get a command’

‘The devil of it is, I understand he’s a da captain if anyone does, and there’s nothing worse in the fleet So you lived on the deck plates, you a gentlerizzled head ‘Seems near impossible’

Greville remembered his shock and despair when the truth had finally sunk in that he was not going to be able to talk his way off the ship ‘It nearly was’

With neither the training nor experience as a sailor, suffering from the unaccustoht never leave the fleet save with his feet weighted down, slipped over the side under the cover of a unionJack

‘Had it not been for the doctor who tended me and one old salt who’d been at sea since he was a five-year-old powder ht not have survived He kept the bullies fro me, went out of his way to teach me how to perform my duties’

‘Had a friendIllustrious’s crew Everyone called him Old Tom, been in the service since sails was first made, he used to say You woulda known him, I expect’

‘Indeed, I did! It was Old Tom who helped me An excellent sailor, and I’ve never met a finer man,’ Greville said warmly

‘We sailed the China coast together, and there weren’t never a better Jack Tar in a gale or a fight Sure wouldn’ton now’

Greville recalled Lord Bronning warning his son about slers and the concern the lieutenant had just expressed ‘What is going on?’

‘Always been slers here—how could there not be, close as we be to the French coast and duty on brandy and fripperies being so high? Things been run for years by John Rattenbury out of Beer, a right kindly gentle fro to take over his territory, led by an out-and-out cutthroat more fit to captain a pirate crew’

Porter shook his head ‘Black John fired at the last revenue cutter that got close to his ship, wounding three and killing one sailor outright afore he slipped away into the oods for hi or not’

‘Is that why there are no cutters at anchor now?’

‘Aye, they’re all out looking for hih I’m not so sure the next dust-up won’t coht between Black John’ssoo Then, just last week, Farmer Johnson was found murdered It’s said he refused to hide contraband for Black John My friends in the village tellthey better stand up to Black John afore he takes out them what resist him, one by one’

‘Sounds like aI don’t think I’lad to help out if I can’

‘You get yourself healed first afore you think of joining a fight,’ Porter advised ‘Well, I reckon the lieutenant will send hen the Admiralty makes up its h Don’t expect it will be quick’

Greville thought of the enticing Miss Neville ‘Slow is fine with me’