Honour This Day

Haven snapped, 'But you were not aboard, sir. No, you were elsewhere, I believe''

'Under your orders, sir.'

'Don't be impertinent!' Haven shifted on his chair. It reminded Parns of a fisherman he had watched when he had felt something take the hook.

Haven said, 'They were behaving in a disgusting and disorderly fashion¹ I saw them. As usual I had to stop the rot!'

'But two dozen lashes, sir. I could give them a week's extra work. Discipline would be upheld, and I think Mr Priddie would learn from it.'

'I see, you are blaming the junior lieutenant now.' He smiled. Parris could feel the strain clutching at him like claws. 'Men will be flogged, and Mr Priddie will take the blame for it. God damn your eyes, sir! Do you think I give a sniff for what they think? I command here, they will do my bidding, do 1 make myself clear?' He was shouting,

Parris said, 'You do, sir.'

'I am glad to hear it.' Haven watched him, his eyes shtted in the filtered sunlight. 'Your part in the cutting-out will be known at the Admiralty, I have no doubt. But you can crawl after our admiral's coat-tails as long as you like. I shall see that your disloyalty and damned arrogance are noted fully when your case for promotion is considered again!'

Parns felt the cabin sway. 'Did you call me disloyal, sir?'

Haven almost screamed at him. 'Yes, you lecherous swine, I bloody well did!'

Parris stared at him. It was worse than anything which had happened before. He saw the sunlight at the bottom of the captain's door blackened in places by feet. There were men out there listening. God, he thought, despairingly, what chance do we have if we stand into battle?

He said, 'I think we may both have spoken out of turn, sir.'

'Don't you ever dare to reprimand me, blast you! I suppose that when you lie in your cot you think of me down aft, sneer because of the foul deed you committed – well, answer me, you bloody hound!'

Parris knew he should summon another officer, just as he knew he would strike Haven down in the next few seconds. Something, like a warning in his sleep, seemed to stay his anger and resentment. He wants you to strike him. He wants you as his next victim.

Haven slumped back in his chair, as if the strength and fury had left him. But when he looked up again Parris saw it was still there in his eyes, like fires of hate.

In an almost conversational voice Haven said, 'You really thought I would not find you out' Could you be that stupid?'

Parris held his breath, his heart pounding; he had believed that nothing more could unseat him.

Haven continued, 'I know your ways and manners, the love you bear for yourself. Oh yes, I am not without some wit and understanding.' He pointed at the portrait of his wife but kept his eyes on Parns.

He said in a hoarse whisper, 'The guilt is as plain as day on your face!'

Parns thought he had misheard. 'I met the lady once, but -'

'Don't you dare to speak of her in my presence¹' Haven lurched to his feet. 'You with your soft tongue and manners to match, just the sort she'd listen to¹'

'Sir. Please say nothing more. We may both regret it.'

Haven did not appear to be listening. 'You took her when I was occupied in this ship¹ I worked myself sick pulling this damned rabble into one company. Then they hoisted the flag of a man much like you, I suspect, who thinks he can have any woman he chooses¹'

'I can't listen, sir. It is not true anyway. I saw -' He hesitated and finished, 'I did not touch her, I swear to God!'

Haven said in a small voice, 'After all that I gave her.'

'You are wrong, sir.' Parns looked at the door. Someone must come surely? The whole poop must hear Haven's rantmgs.

Haven shouted suddenly, 'It's your child, you bloody animal!'

Parns clenched his fists. So that was it. He said, 'I am leaving now, sir. I will not listen to your insults or your insinuations. And as far as your wife is concerned, all I can say is that I am sorry for her.' He turned to go as Haven screamed, 'You'll go nowhere, God damn you¹'

The roar of the pistol in the confined space was deafening. It was like being struck by an iron bar. Then Parns felt the pain, the hot wetness of blood even as he hit the deck.

He saw the darkness closing in. It was like smoke or fog, with just one clear space in it where the captain was trying to ram another charge into his pistol.

Before the pain bore him into oblivion Parns's agonised mind was able to record that Haven was laughing. Laughing as if he could not stop.

14. For Or Against

It was early morning on a fine June day when Bolitho rehoisted his flag above Hyperion, and prepared his squadron to leave the Rock.

During Firefly's speedy passage to Gibraltar, Bolitho and Keen had had much to discuss. If Keen had been unsettled at being made flag captain of a squadron he knew nothing about he barely showed it, while for Bolitho it was the return of a friend; like being made whole again.

At the commodore's request he had visited Haven at the place where he was being confined ashore. He had expected him to be in a state of shock, or at least ready to offer something in the way of a defence for shooting Parris down in cold blood.

A garrison doctor had told Bolitho that Haven either did not remember, or did not care about what had happened.

He had risen as Bolitho had entered his small room and had said, The ship is ready, Sir Richard. I took steps to ensure that old or not, Hyperion will match her artillery against any Frenchman when called to!'

Bolitho had said, 'You are relieved. I am sending you to England.'

Haven had stared at him. 'Relieved? Has my promotion been announced?'

Upon returning to the ship Bolitho had been handed a letter addressed to Haven, which had just been brought by a mail schooner from Spithead. Under the circumstances Bolitho decided to open it; he might at least be able to spare someone in England the bitter truth about Haven, until the facts were released at his inevitable court- martial.

Afterwards, Bolitho was not certain he should have read it. The letter was from Haven's wife. It stated in an almost matter-of-fact fashion that she had left him to live with a wealthy mill-owner who was making uniforms for the military, where she and her child would be well cared for.

It seemed that the mill-owner was the father of the child, so it was certainly not Parris's. When Haven eventually came to his senses, if he ever did, that would be the hardest cross to bear.

The first lieutenant must be born lucky, Bolitho thought. The pistol ball had lifted too much in the short range of the cabin, and had embedded itself in his shoulder and chipped the bone. He must have suffered terrible agony as Minchin had sought to probe it out. But the shot had been intended for his heart.

Keen had asked Bolitho, 'Do you wish to keep him aboard? The wound will take weeks to heal, and I fear it was roughly treated.' He had probably been remembering how a great splinter had speared into his groin; rather than allow him to face the torture of a drunken surgeon, it had been Allday who had cut the jagged wood away.

'He is an experienced officer. I have hopes for his promotion. God knows we can use some skilled juniors for command.'

Keen had agreed. 'It will certainly put the other lieutenants on their mettle!'

And so with mixed feelings the squadron sailed and headed east into the Mediterranean, the sea which had seen so many battles, and where Bolitho had almost died.

With Hyperion in the van, Bolitho's flag at the fore, and the other third-rates following