King`s Captain

'You ruined my career for me, you sonofabitch!' Rolston growled, lifting his shackles as if he still wished to strangle his tormentor but was held by the Marines as his side.

'Ruined it yourself, Rolston… when you pushed that topman off the tops'l yard.'

'I never pushed him; he fell!'

'Gibbs, that was his name, aye,' Lewrie chirped. 'Been ridin' him for weeks, puttin' him up on charges as I recall, threatened he'd be flogged, were he the last man off the yard again…'

'He fell. He was clumsy, I tell you! You were the one called it murder, starting your vicious rumours, backbiting in our own mess…!'

'Never a bit of it.' Lewrie frowned, though that was close to how he recalled it, for he'd taken an instant dislike to Rolston, the moment he'd shown up with Ariadne's boat to fetch him out to the ship his first morning in the Fleet. 'You were guilty as sin.'

Never came right out and said it, mind, Lewrie qualified; but I did beat all 'round it! Take him down a peg… got out of hand.

'By God, I'll settle for you yet, Lewrie! You always were the worst sort of bastard!' Bales snarled.

'Aye, and you tried, right after Captain Bales chid you to take better care of your people aloft! Came at me with your dirk… in the midshipman's mess, 'fore a half-dozen witnesses!' Lewrie retorted, in sudden gloating heat. 'Tried to murder me, by God! That's what got you broken Rolston. That's what cost you your career! Signed aboard another ship under another name, did you? Rose to Master's Mate, did you crow well, what stupid, criminal thing did you do there to end up nothing but an Able Seaman? You try to murder someone else?'

'Go fuck yerself… mate.' Bales chilled, closing down against any more abuse. He glowered at his wrist shackles for a moment, shook them as if seeing them for the first time. Lewrie had almost turned away to other things, but was caught by a harsh mutter.

'Whip-Jack sham of a sailor you were, Lewrie. Still are for all I know.' Bales spat, shrugging as he realised his defeat. 'Come with your rich purse, your allowance, your lordly airs… your nose in the air, and your hands soft and clean! Nothing but sneers for the rest of us, the ones who cared for a commission. God, I can't tell you how much I despise you! You and all your privileged sort! All I ever had was ships and the sea, and hopes to advance, but you scuppered those, didn't you? Ran into your sort all my born days, thinking men before the mast less than animals! Tools that speak, long as they don't dare speak back.¹Ludlow, you… you're all alike when you get down to it. Cruel, dismissive, sneering… officers!'

'Ah, but you wished to be an officer, Rolston!' Lewrie snapped, seeing how he could stick the last inch of spite in and give it one last twist. 'All you are is envious, not admirable. All your years before the mast and hating every minute of it, every man-jack you had to serve with and play up matey…'cause you were never matey with any one, as I recall, Rolston. You despised 'em most-like; you seethed at being ordered about by mast-captains and mates who didn't have a tenth o' your intellect, didn't you. God help the Navy had you made a commission, for you'd not have been a whit kinder to a ship's people than Ludlow was. You are a Ludlow, deep down, Rolston. Onliest trouble is you never had the chance t'be a bastard! I took joy of suspecting that you pushed Gibbs, aye, 'cause I didn't like you then, and I don't like you now. If that spurred you to try and kill me, then it was the best service I ever did the Navy 'cause it kept you from abusing sailors… maybe even killing more of 'em as the worst sort of officer!'

'Listen, Lewrie, you…!' Rolston blanched.

'Gag him, Private,' Lewrie ordered his marine guard, ' 'til he's aboard the lugger. I think we've all heard enough of this murderous bastard's guff.'

The boats were now beginning to transfer the doxies, leaving the prime ringleaders for one last, well-guarded load. Lewrie went over to say his last goodbyes. Since they were expensive goodbyes, he felt he should get his money's worth! He took a soft, bosomy hug from Miss Nancy, pecked her on the cheek, and wished her well, assuring her that his solicitor would have their money ready for them. And did Nancy actually return to Sheer-ness for a pay-out with the others, he would be damned surprised. He'd heard of honour among thieves, but how far that stretched, well… Perhaps they'd go in a well-armed committee, keeping a wary eye on each other 'til they had bank notes in hand?

'G'bye, Cap'um Lewrie, sir,' Sally Blue said, most mournfully, working up tears in her eyes as she came to take her turn down the battens. She'd gathered up her few pitiful belongings in a scraped-bald carpet clutch-bag and was turned out in a fresh gown and hat Lewrie had not seen 'til then. Scrubbed up, too; and even in the nigh-darkness, she looked as chaste and missish as any squire's daughter of a Sunday.

She opened her arms, but Lewrie was twice-bitten and thrice shy by then. Yet the woebegone disappointment on her gamin face caused by his refusal made him relent, despite his fear of being pick-pocketed to instant poverty. He smiled, cocked his head, and held out his arms in welcome. She stepped close and, to his considerable alarm… and sudden thrill, it must be admitted… ground her things and groin against him with a puckish twinkle, bestowing a gentle buss near Lewrie's gawping lips.

'So long, Sally Blue,' he said, still trying to stay aware where her free hands might roam. 'Take ye joy… Have a safe voyage, and a good life after. Thank you again for all you did to get me back my ship. Never forget you, m'dear… there's a sweet young chit.'

'You come back to Sheerness, Cap'um Lewrie,' Sally Blue whispered hot and alluring in his ear, enveloping him in a faint hint of a fresh-dabbed scent in her hair, 'you come look me up at Checquers, th' public house? Sometime at th' Crown an' Anchor, but that's no place fer a fine feller like yerself… Jus' leave a note. La, yer such a kind an' gallant gennleman don't git much chance t'meet such in my line o' work. What ya said y_a wrote them swells 'bout me?' she cooed as she fell back a half-step to lay hands on his shoulders and look up searchingly into his eyes. 'Don' forgit h'it's Sally Caruthers, not Sally Blue… same as ya wrote down to yer banker man. Send fer me an' I'll come runnin'… an' I'll treat ya to a wondrous time whene'er yer in port. 'Long as ya don't ask me t'come out t'your ship no more. Kinda lost me taste fer that…' Sally said with a frazzled moue and a gentle chuckle.

'I quite understand, Sally… Mistress Caruthers.' Lewrie smiled back as he let go of her, stepping back to doff his hat to her as fine as he would to any lady-guest. 'We'll see, perhaps…'

He did not say that most-like he'd never seek her out or send her a bidding note… but then, he didn't exactly say that he wouldn't either, for she was a wee, fetching thing, slim and pretty, like a rose grown on a dung-heap, and sure to be as bouncy and exuberant as a half-broke colt.

His hands felt the need to twitch though, to see if he still had his watch, chain, fob, coin-purse, pocket-knife, loose change, his silk handkerchief, his breeches' buckles, or even his horn comb! She laughed again at his strangled look, a quite fetching titter as she looked him up and down as if to fix him in her memory, biting on her lip.

'No fear, Cap'um Lewrie, sir.' She beamed. 'Didn' take nothin'… Not this time. You're too fine a man t'pilfer. Well… bye, Cap'um Lewrie. Fer now?'

'Adieu, Mistress Caruthers.' He bowed. 'Milady.'

'A… ah-doo, Cap-tain Lewrie,' she pronounced more or less correctly, dropping him a deep curtsy and a graceful incline of her head that would not have been out of place on the Strand, or at St. James's Palace. '… 'til we meet again, good sir,' she hinted from beneath her bonnet's brim.

Ah, a sweet chit, he thought as he handed her to the entry-port gate, as she swept her skirts to turn outward and lower herself over-side by battens and man-ropes. Tryin t'gain manners and style. I just might look her up…

'Arr, ye keep yer fuckin' eyes awrf me bum, ya googlin' shits!' Mistress Sally 'Blue' Caruthers chid the boat- crew below, as she heard their appreciative moans and whistles. 'Ain' none o' yew gettin' e'en a 'finger-lark,' so hush yer gobs!'

Then again… perhaps not, he sighed with a wry grin.

At last, the final boat-load of women and sailor's children had gone. The darkening seas were getting up a tiny bit more boisterous, and the wind was backing from due North a wee touch more with each gust… presaging a switch to Nor-Nor'east in an hour or so perhaps. Lewrie was anxious to get underway, make an offing from the