Hector thought that he had misheard.
The counsellor was looking utterly taken aback. 'Do you say that he was not aboard the Santo Rosario?' 'Yes.'
The counsellor picked up the written deposition, and held the paper out for Maria to inspect.
'Do you recognise your signature at the bottom of this document?'
'Of course. That is my signature.'
'And was this statement not prepared in the presence of this young man and the Alcalde of Paita?'
'It was prepared in the office of the Alcalde. But I have never set eyes on the young man before.'
The counsellor took a sharp breath, expressing utter disbelief. 'Maria da Silva, this is a serious matter. You have been brought from Peru to serve as a witness to the piracy of the Santo Rosario and the murder of Captain Lopez. Yet you claim not to know one of the gang of brigands who was involved.'
'I repeat, I do not know this man. There has been some mistake.'
Angrily, the counsellor tossed the sheet on the table before him. Maria looked down at the floor and clasped her hands in front of her in a gesture that Hector recognised. It was a sign that Maria was stubborn and unshakeable.
Brice intervened smoothly. 'Senor Adrian, perhaps you have other witnesses?'
The Spanish counsellor was finding it difficult to conceal his exasperation. 'Not now,' he snapped.
'Then we should ask the young lady to withdraw.'
Hector watched Maria leave the room, his mind racing. He wanted desperately to believe that Maria had denied knowing him in order to protect him, but her repudiation of him had been absolute. It appeared that she had no difficulty at all in wiping out any recollection of him. Her rejection had been definitive and credible, and he felt as though a vast, icy space had opened between them. He no longer understood her.
'That will be all, Mr Lynch,' 'Brice was saying. 'You may leave this inquiry.'
Bradley was waiting outside, seated on a bench in the passageway. He got up with a look of concern on his face as Hector emerged from the library, and took him by the arm. 'Are you all right?' he asked anxiously. 'You seem pale. Mr Brice wanted to meet us after the interview, to discuss its outcome. His chambers are not far, in Lincoln's Inn. We should make our way there slowly and wait for him to conclude his business here.'
They had to wait for almost an hour. Brice's offices were what Hector had come to expect of him — two small rooms discreetly tucked away down a side street. Brice's clerk, a taciturn figure with the bony frame and frequent cough of a consumptive, brought them a small tray with two glasses and a bottle of canary wine and then left them alone. By the time Hector had drunk his second glass, he was beginning to feel less numb from the shock of his encounter with Maria. Gathering himself, he forced the recent image of her to the back of his mind, and tried to concentrate on his immediate difficulties: the likelihood of being tried at the Admiralty Court presided over by Susanna's potentially hostile father-in-law and Coxon's perjured claim that he had been involved in the planning for the South Sea Adventure. The future seemed very bleak.
To his surprise Brice, when he arrived, was looking as pleased with himself as his habitual reticence would allow.
'The Spanish ambassador is dropping his complaint against you, Hector,' he said. 'I discussed the matter with his counsellor, Serior Adrian, and we agreed that in the absence of his star witness, that attractive young lady, there is little prospect of his case succeeding.'
Hector took a moment to digest the unexpected news. 'The counsellor seems to have given up very easily.'
'It all goes back to those missing navigation notes. I managed to plant the idea in Senor Adrian's mind that if anyone had possession of them, it would be your captain, Bartholomew Sharpe. Doubtless the Embassy will now concentrate their enquiries in his direction.'
'What about Captain Coxon's accusation that I provided maps and charts for an illegal venture? Will I still have to answer for that?'
Brice allowed himself the glimmer of a smile. 'I am recommending to the Court that Captain Coxon's charge is dropped for lack of evidence. Should he continue to make such allegations, based on the map he sent us, I shall enquire how he acquired it in the first place. I will use the same threat if I hear he is again offering his services to Senor Ronquillo.'
He reached into his pocket and drew out a letter. 'This was handed to me as I was leaving Wild House after my discussions with Counsellor Adrian.' From his guarded look, Hector guessed Brice had read the contents. He took the page and, unfolding it, read:
Dearest Hector,
Denying you was the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life. Not until I entered the room did I realise why I had been brought to London and what the consequences might be. I hope you will understand my response. By the time this note reaches you, I expect I will be on my way back to Peru. There I rejoin Dona Juana whose husband has been promoted to the audiencia. I cherish every hour that we spent together. You will always be in my thoughts.
Maria.
Brice had been watching his reaction. 'I would suggest that as soon as your work with Mr Hack is done, it would be prudent if you quietly disappeared. This would avoid any difficult questions which might arise later. If you were thinking of a sea career, a position as a ship's navigator could be arranged for you. Clearly your talents lie in that direction.'
Hector's mind was in a whirl. His circumstances seemed to be changing by the minute. New opportunities were opening up. Yet all he could think of was Maria and what she had been feeling as she stood opposite him in the interview. Above all, that he had mattered to her ever since the days in the South Sea. Belatedly he became aware of Brice waiting for a response.
'What about my friends? Two of them, Jezreel and Jacques, are already lying low. They were with me in the South Sea. They too might be picked up and questioned. And I'll have to ask Dan what his plans are after we've completed our work on the South Sea charts.'
'Berths could also be found for all your friends, if they care to join you,' Brice assured him.
Hector's thoughts were racing ahead. 'If I am to go to sea again, it is on one condition.'
'What is that?'
'That I have a choice of the ship on which we sail.'
Already he was thinking that he would try to persuade his three friends to join a vessel on a westward voyage. That was the direction in which - if he persevered and fortune was with him — he might eventually find his way to Maria again.
HISTORICAL NOTE
On Saturday 10 June 1682 Captain Bartholomew Sharpe and two of Trinity's crew appeared on a charge of piracy and murder before the High Court of Admiralty in Southwark. The advocate general, Sir Thomas Exton, presided. The jury found all three men not guilty, though gave no reason for their decision. The Spanish ambassador to London, who had pressed for their trial, was outraged. Four months later William Hack produced a lavishly illustrated book of Pacific charts, with a dedication to King Charles II from Bartholomew Sharpe. This atlas was of limited practical use to mariners, but other, much more detailed versions of this South Sea atlas entered private circulation.
Basil Ringrose, who had played a major role in navigating the Trinity, was never brought before the court. His journal, illustrated with coastal views and harbour plans along the South American coast, was published three years later, also with Hack's cooperation.
Captain John Coxon continued to operate in the Caribbean and turned 'cat in the pan' several more times. Governor Lynch even hired him to hunt down pirates, but Coxon could not resist reverting to his former trade as a buccaneer. He attacked Spanish settlements and looted foreign ships. Several warrants were issued for his arrest. He was never captured.