The Admiral's Daughter

He smiled thinly. 'You might set me at an eminence and sup with me. I may pace the quarterdeck in your company and be seen to step ashore with you. This is all within your gift—you are the captain. Yet what will our honest mariner perceive of it? And your new lieutenant—'

'T' arrive t'morrow.'

'—what construction will he place on our easy confidences, our privy conversations? Am I to be in the character of the captain's spy?'

Renzi was right, of course. The practicality of such a relationship was now in serious question: any interpretation might be placed on their conduct, from the bawdy to the felonious. Kydd's position was fast becoming untenable and it would seem he risked his ship for the sake of an innocent friendship.

'Nicholas.' To have the prospect of resolution to the loneliness of command snatched away was too much. 'Answer me true, m' friend. Are ye still resolved on y'r achievin' in the academic line? For the sake o' Cecilia?' he added carefully.

'Were it possible.'

'Then it shall be so, an' I'm settled on it,' Kydd said firmly. 'It is th' world's perceivin' only,' he added, 'an' the world must know how it is.'

He paused, framing his words with care. 'The truth is always th' safest. In society you shall be introduced as a learned gentleman, guest o' the captain, who is undertaking interestin' voyages f'r the sake of his studies, an' who f'r the sake of appearances in the navy takes on himself th' character of clerk—secretary—to th' captain.'

This should prove the easiest task: it would be assumed in the time-honoured way that Renzi would not, of course, be expected to sully his hands with the actual clerking, which would be handled by a lowly writer.

'In the navy, we take another tack, which is just as truthful. Here we have th' captain takin' pity on an old sea- friend, recov-erin' from a mortal fever and takin' the sea cure, who spends his hours wi' books an' worthy writin'.' He paused for effect. 'I spoke with th' admiral,' he continued innocently, 'who told me directly that he sees no objection to Mr Renzi shippin' as clerk in Teazer.'

'You discussed my health?' Renzi said acidly.

'Not in s'many details,' Kydd replied, and hurriedly made much of Tysoe's reappearance signalling dinner. 'Rattlin' fine kidneys,' he offered, but Renzi ate in silence. Even a well-basted trout failed to elicit more than grunts and Kydd was troubled again. Was Renzi finding it impossible to accept their new relationship, or was he appalled by the difference in their living accommodation?

Kydd tried to brighten. 'Why, here we lie at anchor in Devonshire, th' foremost in the kingdom in the article of lamb. Our noble cook fails in his duty, th' rogue, if he cannot conjure some such meat.'

The cutlets were indeed moist and succulent and at last Renzi spoke. 'I can conceive of above a dozen matters that may yet prove insuperable rocks and shoals to our objectives.'

Kydd waited impatiently for the cloth to be drawn, allowing the appearance of a salver of marzipan fruits. 'Crafted y'r Chretien pear an' Monaco fig damn well, don't y' think!'

'Just so,' Renzi said, not to be distracted. 'You will want to be apprised of these preclusions, I believe.'

'If y' please, Nicholas.'

'The first is yourself, of course.'

Kydd held silent: there was no point in impatient prodding, for Renzi would logically tease out a problem until a solution emerged—or proved there was none.

'Very well. Some matters are readily evident, the chief of which is that this scheme requires I be placed in a condition of subjection to you, which the rule and custom of the sea demands shall be absolute. You shall be the highest, I . . . shall be the lowliest.'

'Nicholas! No! Not at all! I—I would not . . .' Kydd trailed off as the truth of his friend's words sank in.

'Exactly.' Renzi steepled his fingers. 'I journey on your fine bark as a member of her crew—if this were not so there would be no place for me. Therefore we must say that the Articles of War bear on me as scrupulously as upon the meanest of your ordinary seamen and with all the same force of law.'

Kydd made to interrupt but Renzi went on remorselessly: 'As captain you cannot make exception. It therefore necessarily demands that I should be obliged to make my obedience to you in all things.' There was a finality in his tone.

'Does this mean—'

'It does. But, my dear fellow, it is the most logical and consequently most amenable to sweet reason of all our difficulties.' A smile stole across his features. 'To leave issues unsaid, to be tacit and therefore at the mercy of a misapprehension is pusillanimous, thus I shall now be explicit.

'I do not see fit to vary my behaviour by one whit in this vessel. I see no reason why I should be obliged to. Do you?'

At a loss for words, Kydd merely mumbled something.

'I'm glad you agree, brother. Therefore from this time forth I shall render to the captain of HMS Teazer every mark of respect to his position in quite the same way as I allowed the captain of Tenacious, Seaflower, Artemis . . .'

'Aye, Nicholas,' said Kydd, meekly.

'Splendid! In the same vein I shall, of course, discharge the duty of captain's clerk in the fullest sense—any less would be an abrogation of the moral obligation that allows me victualling and passage in Teazer, as you must surely understand.'

'Y'r scruples do ye honour, m' friend—but this at least can be remedied. Cap'n's attendance take precedence: ye shall have a sidesman o' sorts, a writer, fr'm out of our company.' Even before he had finished the sentence he knew who. Luke Calloway, who had learnt his letters from Kydd himself in the Caribbean would be completely trustworthy and on occasion would not object too strenuously to exchanging the holy-stone for the quill.