Inferno

Chapter 85

Bray was visibly disturbed when they came aboard. ‘Sir, it’s been two days and more! We were right fretful, which is to say knowing you’re ashore in these heathen parts, and no orders left.’

‘Hmm. We were but detained a mite longer than planned,’ Kydd said, flashing a warning glance at Dillon. ‘But we came away with an intelligence of the utmost importance.’

‘Sir.’

Kydd thought quickly. They were going to fulfil their mission, nothing was more certain, but that would mean leaving his allotted station off Rugen with Lapwing, a serious disobedience of Keats’s orders: the commodore would assume he was still there when it came to calling for reinforcements in some important engagement.

His judgement was that, in this case, his move was justified, but should he first find Lapwing and tell her? There was no knowing how long that would take and time was running out.

No. It had to be now.

‘Mr Bray. Shake out all sail – take us out to seaward and catch a wind, then course nor’-east. I’ll tell you more later.’

‘Aye aye, sir.’

‘Oh, and stand down Halgren. He’s to get an immediate double tot and off all duties for twenty-four hours.’

What his shipmates would make of his story, if ever they could get it out of the taciturn Scandinavian, would be put down to a fine sailor’s yarn.

Kydd insisted Dillon come below for a restorative, and while Tysoe fussed at the state of his uniform, over a hastily conjured meal of pork pie and pickles, they shared a fine claret and let the tensions of the last days ease.

As he reached for a second glass he was taken with a breaking wave of tiredness that threatened to fell him. He looked up, saw Dillon’s red-eyed exhaustion, too, and grinned. ‘In this wise we’re neither any use to His Majesty. Shall we get our heads down?’

The last thing he was conscious of as he slipped into a deep sleep was the gracious sway to starboard as Tyger took up to a strengthening north-westerly.

He’d let the world take care of itself until he’d claimed his rest.