"Teazer was fitting out when we put t' sea," Kydd responded. "I'm t' receive m' orders after we complete." This was probably a deployment with Cornwallis's Channel Squadron off Brest.
"Yes," Massey said slowly. "But hold yourself ready for service anywhere in these waters. Our islands lie under as grave a threat as any in the last half a thousand years. No more Mediterranean sun for you, sir!"
At Kydd's awkward smile he added, "And for prizes the Western Approaches can't be beat! All France's trade may be met in the chops of the Channel and on her coasts you shall have sport aplenty." A look suspiciously like envy passed across his face before he continued. "But of course you shall earn it—it's not for nothing that the English coast is accounted a graveyard of ships."
"Yes, sir."
"And a different kind of seamanship, navigation."
"Sir."
"You'll take care of yourself, then, Mr Kydd. Who knows when we'll see each other again?" He rose and held out his hand. "Fare y' well, sir."
Kydd resumed his seat and let the thoughts crowd in.
"Admiral Lockwood will see you now, sir." The flag-lieutenant withdrew noiselessly, leaving Kydd standing gravely.
"Ah." Lockwood rose from his desk and bustled round to greet him warmly. "Glad you could find the time, Kydd—I know how busy you must be, fitting for sea, but I like to know something of the officers under my command."
Any kind of invitation from the port admiral was a summons but what had caught Kydd's attention was the "my." So it was not to be the Channel Fleet and a humble part of the close blockade, rather some sort of detached command of his own. "My honour, sir," Kydd said carefully.
"Do sit," Lockwood said, and returned to his desk.
Kydd took a chair quietly, sunlight from the tall windows warming him, the muted rumble of George Street traffic reaching him through the creeper-clad walls.
"Teazer did not suffer overmuch?" Lockwood said, as he hunted through his papers.
"But three days in dock only, Sir Reginald," Kydd answered, aware that in any other circumstance he would be before a court of inquiry for touching ground in a King's ship. "Two seamen hurt, an' a lady, I'm grieved t' say, has lost an arm."
"Tut tut! It's always a damnably distressing matter when your civilian is caught up in our warring."
"Aye, sir. Er, do ye have news o' my L'tenant Hodgson?"
Lockwood found what he was looking for and raised his head. "No, but you should be aware that a Lieutenant Standish is anxious to take his place—asking for you by name, Mr Kydd. Do you have any objection to his appointment in lieu?"
"None, sir." So Hodgson and the four seamen were still missing; the lieutenant would probably end up exchanged, but the unfortunate sailors would certainly spend the rest of the war incarcerated. As for his new lieutenant, he had never heard of him and could not guess at the reason for his request.
"Very well. So, let us assume your sloop will be ready for sea in the near future." The admiral leant back and regarded Kydd. "I'll tell you now, your locus of operations will be the Channel Approaches—specifically the coast from Weymouth to the Isles of Scilly, occasionally the Bristol Channel, and you shall have Plymouth as your base. Which, in course, means that you might wish to make arrangements for your family ashore here—you may sleep out of your ship while in Plymouth, Commander."
"No family, sir," Kydd said briefly.
The admiral nodded, then continued sternly, "Now, you'll be interested in your war tasks. You should be disabused, sir, of the notion that you will be part of a great battle fleet ranging the seas. There will be no bloody Nile battles, no treasure convoys, and it will be others who will look to the Frenchy invasion flotillas."
He paused, then eased his tone. "There will be employment enough for your ship, Mr Kydd. The entrance to the Channel where our shipping converges for its final run is a magnet for every privateer that dares think to prey on our shipping. And in this part of the world the wild country and filthy state of our roads means that four-fifths of our trade must go by sea—defenceless little ships, tiding it out in some tiny harbour and hoping to get their hard-won cargo up-Channel to market. Not to mention our homeward-bound overseas trade worth uncounted millions. Should this suffer depredation then England stands in peril of starvation and bankruptcy."
"I understand, sir," Kydd said.
"Therefore your prime task is patrol. Clear the Soundings of any enemy privateers or warships, safeguard our sea lanes. Other matters must give best to this, Mr Kydd."
"Other?"
"Come now, sir, I'm talking of dispatches, worthy passengers, uncommon freight—and the Revenue, of course."
"Sir?"
Lockwood looked sharply at Kydd. "Sir, I'm aware your service has been for the most part overseas—" He stopped, then continued evenly: "His Majesty's Customs and Excise has every right to call upon us to bear assistance upon these coasts should they feel overborne by a band of armed smugglers or similar. Understood?"
"Sir."
"Now, I say again that I would not have you lose sight of your main task for one moment, Mr Kydd."
"Security o' the seas, sir."
"Quite so. For this task you are appointed to a command that puts you out of the sight of your seniors, to make your own decisions as to deployment, engagements and so forth. This is a privilege, sir, that carries with it responsibilities. Should you show yourself unworthy of it by your conduct then I shall have no hesitation in removing you. Do you understand me, sir?"
"I do, sir."
"Very well. No doubt you will be acquainting yourself with navigation and its hazards in these home waters. I suggest you do the same soon for the other matters that must concern you."
"I will, sir."
The admiral leant back and smiled. "But then, of course, you will have a splendid opportunity in the near future."
"Sir?"
"I shall be holding a ball next month, which the officers of my command will be expected to attend. There will be every chance then for you to meet your fellow captains and conceivably learn much to your advantage."
He rose. "This I'll have you know, sir. Your contribution to the defence of these islands at this time stands in no way inferior to that of the Channel Fleet itself. If HMS Teazer and you, Mr Kydd, do your duty in a like manner to the other vessels under my flag I've no doubt about the final outcome of this present unpleasantness. Have you any questions?"
"None, sir." Then he ventured, "That is t' say, but one. Do ye have any objection to my shipping Mr Renzi as captain's clerk? He's as well—"
"You may ship Mother Giles if it gets you to sea the earlier," Lockwood said, with a grim smile. "Your orders will be with you soon. Good luck, Mr Kydd."
So this was to be Teazer's future: to face alone the predators that threatened, the storms and other hazards on this hard and rugged coast, relying only on himself, his ship's company, and the fine ship he had come to love—not in the forefront of a great battle fleet but with an equally vital mission.
Poulden brought the jolly-boat smartly alongside. The bowman hooked on and stood respectfully for Kydd to make his way forward and over Teazer's bulwark as Purchet's silver call pealed importantly.
Kydd doffed his hat to the mate-of-the-watch. The etiquette of the Royal Navy was important to him, not so much for its colour and dignity, or even its flattering deference to himself as a captain, but more for its outward display of the calm and unshakeable self-confidence, rooted in centuries of victory, that lay at the centre of the navy's pride.
Purchet came across to Kydd. "I'll need more hands t' tackle th' gammoning, sir, but she's all a-taunto, I believe."
Kydd hesitated before he headed below; the view from where Teazer was moored, opposite the dockyard in the spacious length of the Tamar River, was tranquil, a garden landscape of England that matched his contentment.