‘Brig-sloop Laertes made her number, desires an army officer to board and speak with you.’
‘Bloody cheek! Tell ’em to lay off until four bells like everyone else.’
‘Er, the officer is one of rank as I saw, sir.’ Unless he was mistaken the figure on the quarterdeck in dark green and gold epaulettes was a general at the least.
‘Very well. Hoist him in, and I’ll see whoever he is here.’
He reached for a cup of coffee, which had swiftly appeared, and waited sourly for the officer, sure to bring unwelcome demands for this or that army deficiency, or claim for ships.
‘Sir, Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley.’
Rowley glanced up. ‘Do sit, sir. I shan’t be a moment.’
He made play of closely inspecting and shuffling his papers, the image of a busy admiral.
‘While you are about your business, sir, I have a fleet of invasion about its own.’
The voice was distant but had an edge of restrained ferocity that had Rowley start with surprise.
‘A fleet? What can you mean, sir?’
‘Sufficient attention to your orders will tell you that lately the government of Great Britain has seen fit to set to sea an expedition of force intended for the relief and support of forces in opposition to the French in the Iberian peninsula. I am in command of that force.’
‘Yes, yes, I’d heard of this – but it’s going to Spain and therefore does not concern me.’
‘It does. For various absurd reasons, I’ve been unable to make landing in northern Spain. My orders give me discretion to divert to Portugal, in particular Lisbon, if possible. At the moment my transports and escorts are floating about in a muddle, awaiting a destination.’
‘A … destination? What is this to me, sir?’
‘I require of you a suitable place of landing for my expedition on this shore, sufficiently sheltered to allow my boats to go in through the waves that bedevil this coast. Not too far from a road to Lisbon and, of course, sir, free of enemy interference as we land. Do you know of such?’
Rowley blinked in confusion. ‘This has never been in contemplation, sir, and – and – no, sir, I do not.’
Wellesley’s haughty, patrician manner carried an air of authority that perturbed Rowley, with its overtones of easy familiarity with Whitehall and politics.
‘Then who does, if not you, pray?’
‘Oh, well, our ships-of-the-line never venture so close and the minor craft that do are commanded by officers of low rank. I rather fancy it’s among my frigates that you’ll find your answer.’
‘So …’
‘Which are all out on a cruise, sir.’
‘Get one, if you please.’
‘Er, that is not so easily done. It were better to wait for one to return – shall we say the first that reports?’
Wellesley rose abruptly. ‘Then, sir, I shall be obliged should you let me know the very instant this happens. My ships have been at sea these several weeks and my men and horses are declining in condition with every day that passes. Good day to you.’
Chapter 48
Kydd brought Tyger into the anchorage north of the Tagus estuary between Inferno and Mortal where Rowley’s squadron had their mooring. There were the usual minor vessels, no other frigates, but Conqueror bore her rear admiral’s pennant – Rowley was aboard and Kydd was soon standing before him to report.
‘What the devil are you doing, Kydd? To cut short your cruise – what is your explanation, sir?’
Why was Rowley so transparently annoyed?
‘Oporto has risen and now lies free of the French.’
‘So?’
‘I rather thought it would interest you to know one part of this kingdom is standing proud for its liberty. A chance for intervention?’
‘It’s not yours to top it the high strategist, Kydd,’ Rowley said cuttingly. ‘Leave all that kind of thing to me.’
Kydd held his temper. ‘You have my intelligence, sir. I’ll return to station and-’
A hurried knock at the door and the flag-lieutenant was leaning into the cabin with an anxious expression. ‘Sir, it’s-’
Wellesley thrust in. ‘This is your frigate captain?’ he rapped, eyeing Kydd.
‘It is a frigate captain, this is true. But a very junior one. I counsel we wait a little longer for-’
‘I know you, sir,’ Wellesley said crisply. ‘The Copenhagen business, was it not?’
‘Aye, Sir Arthur,’ Kydd replied. He had recognised the tall figure immediately.
Ignoring Rowley, the general asked, ‘You’ve had any experience in conjunct operations, Captain?’
‘I have, sir. Minorca in the last war, with Abercrombie at the Nile, the Cape in the year six and Buenos Aires to follow-’
‘Splendid!’ Wellesley said. ‘And you’ve been on this coast some little time since?’
‘With respect, General,’ Rowley said huffily, ‘Captain Kydd is under my command and your questions should properly be directed to me.’
Kydd glanced at Rowley, then answered Wellesley, ‘I believe I know this seaboard as well as any.’
‘Then I trust you’ll give as good advisement as I shall find from any in this vicinity. Now, sir, I have at sea this hour a fleet of force intended for the Spanish insurgency, which I find is not practicable in the particulars. My orders allow a diversion for the same purpose in Portugal, the final object being Lisbon.
‘My question to you is, have you knowledge of any point on this territory that will furnish a suitable landing place for my army, bearing in mind that Lisbon be accessible by road yet the landing be not harassed by the enemy?’
‘I do, sir.’
Kydd’s instant answer goaded Rowley into snapping, ‘Have a care, Kydd. How can you know this, for God’s sake?’
‘I took the precaution of looking out such a place after the Oporto affair was settled, thinking it to be a likely need.’
‘Ha! A fine officer-like act, sir,’ Wellesley exclaimed.
Rowley, taken aback, was not to be beaten. ‘This is an operation of the utmost importance,’ he growled. ‘How can you know that your activities in discovering it did not attract attention and by now the French have drawn up defensive works against us?’
‘There is a fort in full command of the beach and river both, out of which the French have been ejected. I took the liberty of making garrison in it with all the Royal Marines at my disposal. They stand in need of relief and reinforcement, I believe.’
‘How dare you act in this way without orders?’ Rowley spluttered. ‘Your want of respect and-’
‘Well done, Captain,’ Wellesley said, with a frosty glare at the red-faced admiral. ‘In virtue of the orders I bear, I require that you and your frigate be placed at my immediate disposal to make rendezvous with my fleet in preparation for a landing.’
‘Sir.’
‘In the meanwhile those marines will be reinforced, then, Admiral?’
‘Sir, I must protest! I haven’t troops of any kind to undertake such a service.’
‘Then could I make suggestion that you strip your fat battleships of such marines as they have and send them?’ Wellesley said, with a heavy patience.
He and Kydd left companionably together.
Chapter 49
Within an hour Tyger was under way for the north and the rendezvous line, the general’s gear transferred from Laertes into her more spacious accommodation, the sloop following on. Wellesley and his staff had made Tyger their headquarters command ship during the operation.
It was an honour to ship the noted general aboard, but if her officers expected an affable guest with anecdotes of a distinguished military life, they were disappointed. Sir Arthur was cold, aloof and short with any he thought light in the article of intelligence.
He did, however, expand on the background for what was afoot. The eruption of feeling against the French had caught Parliament unprepared, even more so the patriotic roars of support from the English people, demanding direct military assistance for the brave Spanish hurling themselves at the tyrant’s hordes.