The shadow of the eagle

environment. Then Frey said, 'I think you should tell Marlowe, sir. I do not think him a bad fellow, but he feels you do not trust him, and that cannot be good, sir.' Frey hesitated to voice his misgivings about Ashton. 'I don't wish to presume, sir.'

'No, no, you do quite right to presume, Mr Frey, quite right. I fear I used him ill. It was unforgivable.'

'He certainly took it badly, sir, if you'll forgive me for saying so, though I think Ashton made the situation worse.'

'Oh,' said Drinkwater sharply, 'in what way?'

'Well, sir, I think he put Marlowe up to importuning you; made him stand upon his dignity, if you know what I mean.'

'There was a time when a lieutenant had precious little dignity to stand upon.'

'There was much made of it in the wardroom, sir.'

Drinkwater grunted again. 'Well, well, I must put things to rights tomorrow'

'You don't mind ...'

'If you speak your mind? No, no. Under the circumstances, not at all.'

'It's just...' Frey faltered and Drinkwater saw him look away.

'Go on. Just what?' he prompted.

'Nothing sir,' Frey coughed to clear his throat, adding, 'no, nothing at all' As Frey moved away, Drinkwater watched him go, wondering what was on his mind.

CHAPTER 5 To Weather of the Wight

April 1814

'Well gentlemen,' Drinkwater looked up from the chart at the two officers before him, 'I think I must confide in you both.'

'Are we out of soundings then?' Marlowe asked, a supercilious expression on his face. Drinkwater had forgotten his earlier remark, made more for the sake of its effect, than as a matter of absolute accuracy, but Marlowe's tone reminded him. He stared at the younger man for a moment, taken aback at Marlowe's attitude, so taken aback that a quick retort eluded him.

'Soundings?' he muttered. 'No, of course not,' then he looked up and glared at Marlowe, though he forbore from snapping at him. 'We have yet to weather the Wight.' He tapped the chart, pausing for a moment. 'What I have to say I shall shortly make known to the people, but for the time being it shall be between ourselves. Once we have resolved those difficulties which we can foresee, and there are several, then having taken what remedial action lies within our compass, we can inform the ship. Is that clear?'

'Perfectly, sir,' responded Birkbeck quickly, shooting his younger colleague a sideways glance.

'I think so, sir.' If Marlowe was being deliberately and sulkily obtuse, Drinkwater let the matter pass. He was resolved to be conciliatory, then Marlowe added, 'But is that wise, sir?'

'Is what wise?' Drinkwater frowned.

'Why, telling the people. Surely that is dangerous.'

'Dangerous, Mr Marlowe? How so?'

'Well, it seems perfectly clear to me. It could act as an incitement. If you make them privy to our thoughts, it would exceed their expectations and we should be guilty of an impropriety. Sir.'

'You think it an impropriety to ask them to go into action without knowing why, do you?'

It was Marlowe's turn to frown. 'Action? What action do you think we shall be involved in?' The first lieutenant was wearing his arch look again. It was the condescending way one might look at a senile old man, Drinkwater concluded with a mild sense of shock.

'Well, who knows, Mr Marlowe, who knows? Though it occurs to me we might encounter an American cruiser.' It had clearly not occurred to Marlowe. Drinkwater went on. 'Now then, let us be seated in a little comfort. Mr Birkbeck, you have the other chart there, and if you wish to smoke, please do. Mr Marlowe, do be a good fellow and pass the decanter and three glasses ...'

But Marlowe was not to be so easily pacified. Doing as he was bid, he placed the glasses on the table. 'Look here, sir ...'

But Drinkwater's fuse had burned through. His voice was suddenly harsh as he turned on the young first lieutenant. 'No sir! Do you look here, and listen too. We are on active service, very active service if I ain't mistaken.' Marlowe seemed about to speak, thought better of it and sat in silent resentment. Drinkwater caught Birkbeck's eye and the older man shrugged his shoulders with an almost imperceptible movement, continuing to fill a stained clay pipe.

'Now then, gentlemen, pay attention: what I have to tell you is of the utmost importance. It is a secret of state and I am imparting it to you both because if anything should happen to me, then I am jointly charging you two gentlemen to prosecute this matter to its extremity with the utmost vigour.'

Drinkwater had Marlowe's attention in full now. Birkbeck knew enough of Drinkwater's past to wear an expression of concern. Drinkwater felt he owed Birkbeck more than a mere explanation; as for Marlowe, it would do him no harm to be made aware of the proper preoccupations of experienced sea-officers.

'I am sorry Mr Birkbeck that we have been diverted to this task and I know well that you were promised a dockyard appointment when this commission was over. Well, the promise still stands, it's just that the commission has been extended.' Drinkwater smiled. 'I'm sorry, but there it is ...'

Birkbeck expelled his breath in a long sigh. Nodding, he said, 'I know sir: a sense of humour is a necessary portion of a sea-officer's character.'

'Just so, Mr Birkbeck,' and Drinkwater smiled his curiously attractive, lopsided grin. 'More wine?'

He waited for them to recharge their glasses. 'We are bound to the Azores gentlemen, to trap Napoleon Bonaparte ...'

'We are what?' exclaimed an incredulous Marlowe.

'So it was a woman!'

Mr Marlowe could scarce contain himself, puffed up as he was with a great state secret and half a bottle of blackstrap. Birkbeck gave him a rueful glance as the two officers paced the quarterdeck whence the master had suggested they go to take the air and discuss the matters that now preoccupied the first lieutenant and sailing master of the frigate Andromeda.

'May I presume to plead my grey hair and offer you a word of advice, Mr Marlowe,' Birkbeck offered. 'Of course, I would quite understand if you resented my interfering, but we must, perforce, work in amity.'

'No, no, please Birkbeck ...'

'Well, Captain Drinkwater is not quite the uninfluential tarpaulin you might mistake him for ...'

'I knew he had fought a Russian ship, but I have to confess I had not heard of him in the Channel Fleet.'

'Perhaps because he has seen extensive foreign and special service. Did you know, for instance, that Nelson sent him from the Med, round Africa and into the Red Sea. He brought a French national frigate home, she was bought into our service and he subsequently commanded her. The captain also served under Nelson and commanded a bomb at Copenhagen. Oh, yes...' Birkbeck nodded. 'I see you are surprised. Talk to Mr Frey, he was in the Arctic on special service with Captain Drinkwater in the sloop Melusine and I believe Frey was captured with the captain just before Trafalgar. I understand Drinkwater was aboard the French flagship ...'

'As a prisoner?' asked Marlowe, clearly reassessing his commander.

'Yes, so I understand. Later Drinkwater made up for this and battered a Russian seventy-four to pieces in the Pacific'

'In the Pacific? I had heard mention of the action, but assumed it to have been in the Baltic'

'That, if I may say so, is the danger of assumptions.' Birkbeck smiled at Marlowe. 'Anyway, I first met him