"To whom are you waving, Admiral?" Alexis inquired icily. "That seems to be more like an obscene gesture made by a street urchin ..."
"No, no, I assure you, madam, it was quite routine."
"Then why is that clerk crossing out what I have just said?"
"Madam, I am sure -"
"Don't argue, Admiral, just go down and look at - what do you call them, the minutes - for yourself."
"Well, madam, I am afraid -"
"And well you might be," Alexis said scathingly. "You are censoring my evidence." She held up her hand as he went to speak. "Admiral, I know nothing of court procedure, and therefore nothing of court-martial procedure but I recognize censorship when Isee it. That is the second time you have censored my evidence. No, be quiet, and listen. There are things going on in this trial which I do not understand and I do not like." She looked across at Swinford and Royce. "I do not think I am alone in my doubts. However, I do not depend upon your favour for promotion; if the Board of Admiralty is used only for ironing clothes or chopped up for kindling I do not care. But justice is a different matter. I am no Portia but don't forget Grandpa Ned, Admiral. He was establishing Jamaica when your forebears, judging from your behaviour here, were still poaching conies and making breeches out of moleskins. Please call a boat: I am leaving this ship."
Magnificent, Ramage murmured, and he heard Lieutenant Hill sitting behind him give a sigh of admiration. Both Swinford and Royce were standing and within a few moments the other ten captains were on their feet, a bewildered Goddard still sitting, his head cradled in his arms. Suddenly he was aware of the scraping of chairs and looked up to find everyone else in the great cabin on their feet, with even the Marine sentry at the door standing firmly to attention.
"Good day to you gentlemen," Alexis said to the court and swept out of the cabin, making an exit, Ramage was sure, which might have been equalled at St James's Palace but never surpassed.
The captains then sat down and Ramage realized that they were all looking at Swinford, who coughed to attract Goddard's attention.
"Sir," he said respectfully, "I have to request that you clear the court because there are certain points that some members would like to discuss."
"Ah yes, indeed, Captain Swinford. But it is late in the day and I have a statement which I have to make in open court, so I'll do that first. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Coronation, and the day after both you Captain Swinford, and you Captain Royce, have to take your ships to the dockyard. On Friday, two other ships are to be drydocked. With two different captains absent on successive days, I propose adjourning the court until the usual time next Monday morning. Having made that announcement, I now formally adjourn the court, except that the court will continue in closed session.
"Provost Marshal," he said sourly and unnecessarily, "remove the prisoner. He can remain a prisoner at large on board his own ship."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ramage sat at his desk with Southwick as usual in the armchair beside it (in deference to his age, not his rank, since he was only a warrant officer among commission officers) and Aitken and Wagstaffe on the settee.
They had returned from the Salvador del Mundo an hour earlier, had a brief meal after removing their swords and changing into older uniforms, and then met in the cabin to talk about the trial.
Ramage found himself in the unexpected role of an apologist for Admiral Goddard, because constantly he had to remind himself that he was not still a lieutenant among lieutenants who were able to abuse admirals among themselves. As a post-captain he had to maintain a semblance of discipline and respect - ironical, when he thought of the officer concerned.
"What is the court considering, eh?" Southwick exclaimed. "Those captains will never stand up to the admiral, you can be sure of that."
"Captain Swinford - and Captain Royce, too - seem to me to have had enough of him," Ramage said mildly.
"Sir, do you think they're going to blast their futures on your behalf? It's a big jump from commanding a 74-gun ship to marching around on a three-decker, and when Their Lordships choose the names, anyone about whom there is the slightest gossip might as well resign his commission and buy a half-share in a privateer."
"Don't forget that when we first served under him, we knew him as Commodore Nelson and many senior officers disliked him. Now he's Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson . . ." Ramage said.
"Aye, and even more senior officers dislike him."
"Yes, but the Board of Admiralty were more persuaded by Cape St Vincent, the Nile and Copenhagen," Ramage said.
"If you'll excuse me, sir, fiddlesticks. He was pushed forward (quite rightly) by Lord St Vincent. Don't forget the row among the admirals, especially Admiral Mann, when as a very junior rear-admiral he was given the Mediterranean Fleet. No one else could win a victory like the Nile, but after that those who disliked him now hate him because they've a few quarts of jealousy to add to the brew."
Aitken said: "I think you're wrong Southwick. Obviously your general criticism is correct, but there are exceptions. Lord Nelson is one; Rear-Admiral Goddard might be another -"
"Not in the same breath!" exclaimed Southwick. "Please!"
Aitken grinned and explained: "I'm talking about the exceptions, who can be heroes or scoundrels. Seems to me that here we have one of each. Just as Lord St Vincent stuck by an unpopular commodore and put him in the way of promotion, someone has stuck close to Rear-Admiral Goddard, although I don't know who -"
"The Court," Ramage interposed quietly.
"So we have the King against us," Aitken mused.
"All this talk doesn't get the evidence down in the minutes," Wagstaffe pointed out.
"We were talking about what influence those twelve captains will have," Ramage reminded him.
"I'll put a little money on Captain Swinford," Southwick said. "He was a good man when he commanded the Canopus and he was standing up to the admiral at times."
"My oath!" exclaimed Aitken heatedly, "none of them were really standing up to him. We still have only one mention of the broadside in the minutes and not the slightest hint of Captain Shirley's madness despite Miss Yorke. In the minutes, remember that. Nor anything about the Jason's officers being locked up in their cabins. In fact I don't know what the devil was left in the minutes."
"Don't worry about the minutes," Ramage said calmly, "minutes are for commanders-in-chief and the Admiralty to read after the trial - which means after the verdict. No matter what anyone might say and however much presidents might order stricken out, minutes are only useful as records, and for appeals. No matter what happens, I shan't appeal."
"So the only thing that matters is the verdict, 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty'. And that verdict is going to be decided by those twelve captains."
At that moment Kenton arrived at the door to announce that Mr Yorke's boat was within hail, having approached in the lee of a 74-gun ship and out of sight, and he would be on board in a couple of minutes.
The moment Sidney Yorke walked into the cabin, preceded by the lugubrious Marine sentry's announcement, Ramage knew that something had happened: the man's face was drawn and the tropical tan now turned the skin an unhealthy yellow.
The young shipowner greeted the four men in the cabin and then nodded towards the coach. Ramage stood up and led Yorke into the smaller cabin, shutting the door behind them.