Portland held his head in his hands, rocking to and fro as if in pain. ‘My lord Castlereagh, Foreign Secretary, I do beg you to reconcile in the face of what confronts us. We must move forward, and unless there is an alternative put before us, I fear we must accept this plan, however painful it is to our honour.’
There was a hiss of indrawn breath and every eye went to Castlereagh. But then he gave a lop-sided smile and said lightly, ‘Very well. If we are of like mind then, in course, I shall give my support, and in full, Prime Minister.’
Visibly relieved, Portland made much of obtaining opinion and there being no counter-proposal, declared that in principle an expedition of such a nature be maturely considered.
‘A fleet of size,’ Canning opened, steepling his fingers. ‘Is this possible at such notice, my lord?’
The first lord of the Admiralty, Mulgrave, considered for a moment and replied quietly, ‘We’re sore stretched at the present time as you will know, sir. Yet … I can say you will have one.’
Castlereagh leaned back and twirled his pencil. ‘Should we not look first to the scale of task? I would think that, besides a substantial naval squadron of not less than ten or fifteen sail-of-the-line, there’ll be need for a substantial showing of troops if they land – say, ten or twenty thousand.’
‘What? So many?’
‘You require the Danish to yield to a paltry number when Bonaparte has sixty thousand to their south? If this is to appear as formidable and unanswerable as our foreign secretary desires, we have no choice, sir.’
‘Very well.’
‘And pursuing the same theme, our plan to affright the Danes will all be undone unless we display our resolution and capability. If the troops land, they’ll be seen with guns, field pieces and mortars in numbers to convince them that we can level the city if we choose.’
Portland intervened hesitantly, ‘This does seem a frightful thing to contemplate. Can we not achieve our ends by other means?’
‘Not possible,’ Canning said flatly. ‘All avenues have been explored diplomatically. The Danes are obdurate and unmoving, saying they will not be seen to align with any power.’
‘And your intelligence would seem to indicate they are, and with Bonaparte.’
‘I’d conceive they fear Boney more than they respect us, Prime Minister.’
‘I see. Well …’
Castlereagh continued briskly, ‘Then we have the question of command. Is it to be a naval affair, as last time with Nelson, or …?’
‘There are more recent precedents,’ Mulgrave said. ‘The taking of the Cape, Buenos Aires. If the matter is settled without assault, the navy will remain in command. Should there be a landing, the general once ashore assumes direction over his troops and the two are in a state of co-operation. I see no difficulty.’
‘On a point of practicality …’ the red-faced lord privy seal, Westmorland, intervened fussily. ‘Where the devil are all these soldiers to come from?’
Castlereagh was ready. ‘Sir, we have the lamentable situation whereby Sweden, our only ally, has been obliged to call on our assistance in what amounts to an evacuation of its last continental territory in Pomerania, not so very far from where they’ll be needed. In addition, therefore, to those of the Stralsund garrison, we may call upon quantities of the most loyal King’s German Legion all in good order, and with our military in readiness in the kingdom, we shall be tolerably well served, I believe.’
Portland coughed pitiably into a handkerchief, but then spoke firmly. ‘Ah, yes. Then it seems, gentlemen, we have a measure of agreement. A more positive attitude in you, it must be said, which I’m glad to see. In essence, therefore, we are seeking to request the Danes to cede custody of their fleet to us for the duration of the war, nothing more. No territorial demands, forced alliances or any other form of coercion. They shall then be left in peace to conduct their trade and relations as they see fit. A firm and decisive move that, I have no doubt, will give heart to all those who groan under the tyrant’s yoke. Upon this point therefore I would ask the secretary of state for war to produce plans for an expedition such as we’ve been discussing with a view to their implementation in the very near future.’
A dignified robed figure at the end of the table stirred. ‘Prime Minister, there is a compelling matter to dispose of before we embark on a course of action in this tenor.’
‘Yes, Lord Eldon?’ Portland said warily.
This was the lord high chancellor of England, senior law lord and one who could make things very difficult for a government bent on rapid but contentious measures.
‘I’m obliged to point out that any operation of a military nature by His Majesty’s arms must necessarily be undertaken in his name. What this meeting is here contemplating is an act of force, of compulsion if you will, against a legally blameless neutral. I insist, sir,’ he declared, with ponderous deliberation, ‘that the wishes of His Majesty be known in this before anything further is committed.’
‘An astute and, may I say, prudent course, Lord Chancellor. I shall seek audience with the King at the earliest possible time.’
Chapter 31
Canning stood warily in the doorway. ‘You wanted to see me, Prime Minister.’
‘Yes. Please come in, sir.’ Portland gestured absently to a seat opposite in the empty Cabinet Room. ‘We have a little, ah, difficulty to face.’ He looked up with a frown. ‘His Majesty has scruples concerning this action that are wholly to his credit. He conceives that a descent on Denmark without warning will bring down odium on Great Britain from friend and foe alike.’
‘You impressed upon His Majesty the doleful necessity of so doing, of course.’
‘I rehearsed the reasons both strategical and political and was graciously accorded a fair hearing. While acceding to the grave imperatives of our circumstances, he nevertheless wishes that every avenue for a diplomatic settlement be made before we-’
‘In course you told him that we’ve deployed every argument, persuasion and threat in our possession but the damned Danish are mesmerised by Bonaparte and will not yield an inch.’
‘Nevertheless he insists that, before any display of aggressive intent, we take positive steps to ensure that the Danish court is made fully aware of the consequences.’
Canning’s face tightened. ‘Prime Minister! He must be made to see that any delay – even of days – can result in our surprise being set aside, resulting in Bonaparte making a pre-emptive attack. I implore you, sir, if-’
‘Foreign Secretary! I beg you will remember whom you are talking of. His Majesty is well aware of the cost of delay but is suggesting a different mode from the diplomatic, more a personal approach.’
‘Personal?’ Canning choked.
‘Quite. May I bring you to remembrance that the King of Denmark, Christian VII, married his sister? King George has every desire and cause to preserve amity between our two crowns. He proposes the immediate dispatch of an emissary charged with laying the facts before His Danish Majesty, one untainted by motives of politics or statecraft in any form. In short, a noble of impeccable ancestry who will speak plainly and discreetly and in courtly form.’
‘Where will you find such a paragon, sir? I demand to know!’
‘Leave that to me, sir,’ Portland said smoothly. ‘To achieve his object I would have thought it most necessary that he not be seen to be associated with your office in any way.’
‘Be damned to it! How will I know what he’s up to if he’s not reporting to me?’
‘The answer is simple. You may mount your expedition, sail the armada to the Sound and lie in dreadful array, but His Majesty will not countenance any motions against the kingdom of Denmark until the emissary specifically reports that he has failed.’
Chapter 32
Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, England
It seemed he was not to be suffered to rejoin his ship without the most punctilious ceremony. Watched by a gathering crowd, and accompanied by the martial thump and clash of a military band, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd boarded his barge at the steps of the harbour.