Ramage and the drum beat

'And pretty, no doubt?'

'Fairly sir, but a tiresome woman. Never satisfied with anything - always grumbling. You know the type ...'

'And this Count Pitti?'

'Cousin of the Marchesa, sir. A chaperon,’ he added hopefully, 'he never lets her out of his sight.'

'Yes - well,' Usher handed back the orders to Ramage, 'since the Commodore places such importance on the safety of your passengers and they're cramped in the Kathleen, I'll take them on board the Apollo. They'll be more comfortable, and safer, too - the Dons are out in force.

'I must say you can hardly be accused of obeying your orders, Ramage; you've taken just about every possible risk with this young lady. I can't help feeling the Commodore won't be very pleased. Yes, she must come on board the Apollo for her own safety. My mind is made up. And her cousin, too,' he added hastily.

'May I—'

'And I have to make all speed for Gibraltar, so I'll leave you to try to get the frigate in. Discretionary orders, of course - you can cast her off if you meet bad weather, and no one'll think any the worse of you.'

'Perhaps I—'

'I'll help you out by taking off all the Spanish crew and the officers you have on board and split 'em up between the Apollo and Heroine, so you won't have prisoners to worry about. And I'll give you twenty hands to man the frigate. That's the wisest plan.'

Ramage knew Usher was right. Gianna would be safe and, with twenty British seamen in the frigate, towing would be much easier. And Usher was being very generous; he could have taken the frigate in tow himself, or ordered Ramage to scuttle her, which would have meant the prize money would have to be shared or lost altogether. Usher must have read his thoughts.

'Won't affect your prize money; I shan't put in a claim because of my men - by Jove, no! That'd be dam' unsporting. My clerk'll have your orders ready by the time the Marchesa comes on board. It's a pity we both have so much to do, otherwise I'd ask you to join us for dinner.'

He shook Ramage by the hand. 'Stout effort, m'boy. I'll tell 'em in Gibraltar. Of course, I'll be making a report to Sir John and the Commodore, too. Best of luck.'

Ramage went down into the boat knowing he was sulking like a schoolboy, and he knew Jackson was curious to know what was happening, but he was in no mood for talking.

Gianna met him as soon as he climbed on board the Kathleen.

'All went well?' she asked in Italian. 'They're pleased with you?'

'Yes - they are taking off the Spaniards and sending English seamen across to the frigate.'

'Oh good - we'll get her to Gibraltar yet!'

'The captain of the Apollo, a Captain Usher, is very concerned about your safety - and rightly so.'

Gianna looked at him suspiciously. She recognized the slightly pompous tone he used when he was about to tell her something he knew she would not like.

'And ...'

'And so you and Antonio will go in the Apollo to Gibraltar.'

'We shall not!' she retorted.

'Gianna - you must.'

'No. We stay with you. You have the Commodore's orders. You must obey them and take us to Gibraltar. I insist. Antonio insists, too. We both insist. I shall tell this Captain Ushair!'

'But Captain Usher can give me new orders in the circumstances. My job was to get you both to Gibraltar safely. Captain Usher can do that better. And,' he warned, knowing it was the only thing that would end her defiance, 'if he wanted to, he could get me into a great deal of trouble over the frigate. Instead he's writing a favourable report.'

Antonio, who had heard most of the conversation, took Gianna's hand. 'It's the best way,' he said reluctantly. 'We are a - a preoccupazione for Nico. He must concentrate on towing his prize; but with us here, he's thinking always of our safety.'

Southwick came up and saluted. 'Lot's of boats putting off from the Apollo and Heroine, sir. Look as if they are pulling for the Spaniard.'

Ramage outlined Captain Usher's orders.

'Ah - so we can sleep o' nights without worrying what the Dons are doing at the other end of the cable!'

Gianna said, 'I'll go downstairs and pack.'

'Down below,' corrected Antonio.

'Humour me,' she said, 'I'm doing my best to be obedient. But I am on the verge of mutiny.' She looked at Ramage and said coldly, 'This Captain Ushair - he is handsome? Yes, I am sure he will be. I think I shall enjoy myself.'

CHAPTER TEN

Every man of the Kathleen's crew missed Gianna's lively presence. The ship was as dead as if lying to a quarantine buoy at The Nore. Already the Apollo and Heroine had disappeared into the broad purple band of haze joining sea and sky on the western horizon and in an hour it would be dark. Astern the prize was towing in the Kathleen's wake like a docile cow following a dog back to the farmyard.

For the first time in his life Ramage discovered loneliness was a many-sided thing; not simply being alone. And its worst side was being parted from someone who - and he'd only just acknowledged it - was part of himself. Now she'd gone, he knew that without Gianna he was incomplete: there was no one to share the secret joys of a glorious autumn sunset; no one else who saw the usual, almost prosaic spray sliced up by the bow as flying diamonds forming the Kathleen's necklace; her excitement had exhilarated him and her zest had put new life into the ship's company.

As he watched La Sabina, Ramage saw a boat pull towards the cutter. Southwick must have completed his work, leaving behind the Kathleen's master's mate, Appleby, to the responsibility of his first command - if that was not too grandiose a description of being the senior of twenty men in a towed prize.

Southwick was soon reporting that in obedience to Ramage's orders all casks of wine and spirit in the frigate had been staved and the liquor poured over the side, to avoid the seamen getting drunk. There was plenty of water and ample provisions but, Southwick said with disgust, 'The state of the ship, sir! Don't think she's had a scrub for weeks. Not just scraps of food on the mess decks and the galley, sir, but chunks; just like a piggery!'

'Quite,' Ramage said hastily to interrupt the recital. He could visualize it and guess Southwick's reaction to a ship which was not spotless.

With that Ramage went to his cabin (at the bottom of the companionway he almost walked forward to his former temporary berth) and slumped in the chair, staring at the dim lantern. Weariness numbed him; he seemed to exist only in his eyes while his body remained remote and detached. Yet with Appleby away in the prize, he and Southwick would have to stand watch and watch about.

As the cutter rolled the cot slung from the beams overhead swung from side to side and he saw something dark lying on the pillow. It was a long, narrow silk scarf in dark blue embroidered with gold thread. The tiny patterns were all the same, delicately sewn designs of a mailed fist holding a scimitar. Instinctively Ramage touched the heavy gold ring which - from the time the two frigates came in sight - he wore slung by a piece of ribbon round his neck, beneath his shirt. The same design was engraved on it, Gianna's family crest. She had left him a memento - or, remembering her last remark and chilly farewell, had she just forgotten it? - and he wound it round his neck, half ashamed of his sentimentality, and sat back and thought of her and fell asleep.

Ramage paced up and down the quarterdeck in the darkness: ten paces forward, turn about, ten paces aft and turn again. He had taken the first watch, from 8 p.m. until midnight, slept soundly until 4 a.m. while Southwick stood the middle, and now with dawn not far off he was shivering with cold an hour or so through the morning watch.