Regency Debutantes: The Captain's Lady / Mistaken Mistress

Georgiana shrugged her shoulders slightly in a dismissive gesture. ‘Yes, but not as fearful as the thought of those of you facing the storm up on the deck. When I heard that Mr Hartley had been washed overboard…’

‘His rope snapped, carrying him over. Fortunately we were able to retrieve him.’

She smiled at him. ‘It seems that on this occasion luck was on your side.’

‘Luck plays her part, but experience, skill, a decent ship and a good crew of men are the foremost defences against a stormy sea.’ He raised his brow, and the corners of his mouth tugged up in a crooked smile. ‘I sound to be singing my own praises, but that isn’t my intention. Your acclaim should be for the men who did their jobs so well in the face of the storm.’

Laughter played on her lips. ‘Captain Hawke, an arrogant man? Who would have thought it?’

His eyes creased with the boyish grin, but beneath it she could see the toll fatigue was taking upon him.

‘There’s a tiredness in your face. You’re bone weary and should rest.’ The thought was spoken aloud. She glanced down in embarrassment, unwilling that he should guess the truth of her feelings for him. ‘Forgive me, Captain, I shouldn’t have spoken.’

One long tanned finger gently tipped her chin up. He was still smiling. ‘Could it be that my nephew has a thought for my welfare?’

Georgiana could not prevent the colour that flooded her cheeks. ‘Yes…no…I …’ then exclaimed, ‘You’re teasing me again, sir. I should be about my duties.’ She made to pull back, but he stopped her.

‘Maybe so, but not before you’ve answered your captain’s question, ship’s boy Robertson.’ Nathaniel’s eyes shone wickedly.

He had not removed his hand from her chin, and in truth had no compulsion to do so. What was it about the dark-haired girl before him that attracted him so? Even during the long hours of work he had found himself desiring her company, to hear her clear voice, watch the rose blush grow in her cheeks when he teased her, witness her enthusiasm for learning anything and everything she could about the ship. She had a good mind, that much was evident. A mind wasted as a third-class ship’s boy. And the marriage mart of today would view it as a mind wasted on a woman. But Nathaniel did not think so.

When she looked at him her eyes were a cool, calm grey blue. ‘I’m concerned for every man upon the Pallas, including her captain.’

‘Even Mr Pensenby?’ It seemed he was willing to say anything to prolong the conversation, anything to prevent her leaving. He had missed her these past days. The realisation hit him with the force of a mid-Atlantic gale.

The light in her face dimmed and a frown crept between her eyes. ‘My concern is about Lieutenant Pensenby rather than for him.’ Her fingers stole to worry at the lobe of her ear. ‘It would seem that the second lieutenant does not quite believe our story. There’s something in the way he looks at me, as if to say he knows something is amiss. Perhaps I’m just being fanciful, but it leaves me uneasy.’

‘Yes.’ Nathaniel looked pensive. ‘My thoughts flow in a similar direction. We had best have a care where Pensenby is concerned. He has a scholar’s mind for analysis and a passion for a puzzle. The sooner that his focus is trained on Bonaparte’s forces, the better.’

They looked at each other, without further speech. And within each breast stirred disquiet and beneath it something else warm and joyous.

He touched his thumb to her cheek with gentle reassurance. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let him discover our secret, whatever it takes.’

A sense of unity blossomed between them, as if it were just the two of them together, against the world.

The severity of his gaze softened.

A knock at the door revealed Mr Fraser.

‘There you are, laddie. If you’re finished with the boy, I’ll be off with him, Captain.’

Captain Hawke nodded his compliance. ‘Go ahead, Mr Fraser.’ But the dark eyes did not leave Georgiana’s slender frame until she had departed his cabin.

‘Mr Fraser,’ he called as the grizzled head disappeared around the door.

‘Aye, Captain?’

He looked at his valet meaningfully. ‘Keep the boy within your sight at all times.’

Fraser’s lone eye glared unblinkingly back. An unspoken understanding passed between them and he nodded. ‘That I certainly will, sir.’

And he was gone, leaving Nathaniel to contemplate how best to deal with Lieutenant Pensenby.

Chapter Six

It was not long before they arrived in the warmer waters of their destination. Despite it being so late in the year the seas surrounding the Azores were clear and calm and of such a bright coloration that Georgiana never ceased to marvel at their beauty. The cold dark skies of England had been left far behind, replaced instead with a cloudless expanse of blue. Even more incredible was the temperature, for, as those novice members of the Pallas’ crew discovered, it was pleasantly warm. Indeed, such was the sun that an awning was positioned over the quarterdeck each morning to protect the officers about their work. The men did not take such precautions from the heat, preferring instead to divest themselves of their shirts at any excuse. On first sight the exposure of masculine flesh rather shocked Georgiana, who tried to avert her eyes from such indecency. She was thus engaged one morning when she tripped over a large coil of rope, landing face down on the swabbed and holystoned deck. Mr Fraser had hauled her up, dusted her down and given her a good tongue lashing for not watching where she was going. Thereafter, Georgiana had learned to take the seminaked sights in her stride, much to Captain Hawke’s disapproval.

As they travelled further south past Madeira, the sun grew stronger and the smothering heat sapped the strength of them all. Even Nathaniel wilted a little beneath the dark blue wool of his dress coat, perspiration soaking through from his shirt to his waistcoat. And as Mr Fraser put it, with the captain having such a peculiar compulsion for clean clothes and bathing, Georgiana was kept busy with the laundering. Not her most favourite of duties. Indeed, she could steadfastly avow to the truth of Mr Fraser’s earlier prediction concerning the pungency of the stale urine. It was while filling her basin with the well-matured fluid that Georgiana heard the captain’s voice suddenly close behind her.

‘Just what do you think you’re doing, Master Robertson?’ he demanded in a whisper. His annoyance was plain.

Georgiana, who had been daydreaming sweet and pleasant thoughts as a diversion from the rather distasteful task at which she was employed, jumped as if she’d been scalded. This had the unfortunate effect of spilling the aromatic contents of her basin down the length of her, soaking her jacket, waistcoat, shirt and culottes. Even her feet did not escape the frothy brown deluge.

A yell wrought forth. She spun round to see Nathaniel looking at her, an expression of undisguised horror set clearly on his face. ‘Captain,’ she ground out through gritted teeth. ‘I didn’t hear your approach, sir.’

‘Evidently not,’ uttered the captain.

If looks could kill, Nathaniel knew without a doubt that he would have lain mortally wounded upon the deck. For Georgiana was eyeing him with an accusing look of ‘it’s all your fault'.

The urine dribbled down the bare flesh of her stomach and was soaking its way through her bindings. She grimaced at Nathaniel. ‘You wanted to know about my actions, sir?’

‘This is not your duty,’ he hissed.

Georgiana opened her eyes wide and stared at him incredulously before muttering drolly, ‘I beg to differ, sir, but it surely is.’

By this stage Mr Fraser was travelling towards them at a fair rate of knots for an elderly retainer, and several of the crew had noticed the boy’s state.

‘I’ll speak to you later,’ was all he managed before the valet was within earshot.

‘Laddie!’ Fraser bellowed. ‘I turn my back for two minutes and you’ve landed yourself in mischief!’ As he stepped closer the stench assailed his nostrils. ‘In the name of …’ He retreated rather quickly, his eyes watering. ‘You’d best stand down wind of us, laddie, the captain’ll not be wanting to smell that.’

Georgiana pressed her lips firmly together and moved to where Mr Fraser was pointing. ‘I wouldn’t want to inflict anythin’ so horrible on the captain, sir.’

Nathaniel did not miss the murderous glint in her eye, even if Mr Fraser remained oblivious.

‘Quite so, laddie, quite so.’

The baking heat of the sun caused steam to rise from Georgiana’s sodden clothes, magnifying the smell acutely.

Nathaniel coughed once and Mr Fraser set about a loud and raucous choking sound.

‘Have someone else finish this job, Mr Fraser, I rather think that Master Robertson is in need of a change of clothes.’ A smile twitched at his face. ‘Either that or we’ve found the perfect weapon to inflict upon our enemies.’

Guffaws sounded all around.

Georgiana’s eyes darted daggers. ‘Yes, sir, right away, sir,’ she muttered, and made her way below, leaving behind a trail of smelly wet footprints.

‘Beast!’ the word escaped Georgiana as she huddled within the hip bath, washing her limbs with cold seawater. Anger had given her the strength to fetch and fill the bath herself. With the chair wedged firmly beneath the handle of the interconnecting door of her cabin—or should she say the captain’s cabin?—she stripped naked and balled the stinking wet clothes in the corner, ready to be rinsed once she had removed every last trace of the offensive odour from her own person. If he thought he could just come upon her and cause such a mishap … How she fumed. He was rude and uncaring, the antithesis of a gentleman, and … And he was none of these things. Georgiana plummeted off her high horse and acknowledged the truth. Nathaniel Hawke was everything to be respected in a good man. It was only her pride that was smarting, as well it might, having been soaked in the stale urine of one hundred and eighty-five burly members of the King’s Navy. Ugh! She shivered at the very thought. And no matter how hard she scrubbed, it seemed that she could detect the faint whiff of that unsavoury excretion. By the time she had completed her ablutions, the tablet of soap was very small and she was once more fragrant and cleansed. Her clothes lay clean and ready to be hung out on deck. At least they would dry quickly in the warm breeze. All except her bindings, which she could not risk revealing to any other eyes. They dripped alone, a saddened state in the corner.

Georgiana looked down at her newly donned shirt and took a sharp intake of air. It would not do, it just would not do at all. Pulling on the waistcoat and jacket she inspected herself further. The problem still manifested itself in a rather obvious way. She would have to wait some time before facing the crew of the Pallas once more.

There was a tap at the door.

‘George.’ Nathaniel’s voice sounded through the wooden panels.

She did not answer.

The handle shifted beneath Nathaniel’s hand, but the door stuck fast. ‘George,’ he persevered. ‘I shouldn’t have laughed at you. It was an unfortunate accident. You’re not hurt, are you?’

‘No. I’m quite recovered from the incident, sir.’

‘Open the door, I wish to speak with you.’ His voice sounded a little impatient.

Georgiana’s gaze scanned the empty cabin. ‘I cannot.’

‘Why not?’ She could hear his perplexity.

She paused, thinking quickly. ‘I…I’m not suitably dressed.’

‘Well, put some clothes on and be quick about it.’ Nathaniel Hawke could be a persistent man when it suited him.

A pool of water was collecting on the floor beneath the bindings. It would be some hours before they would be dry enough to wear again. Neither Captain Hawke, nor any other member of the crew, would believe that it took that length of time to bathe and dress. ‘It will take some considerable time, sir.’

‘I’ve letters to write. Come out when you’re ready.’ He listened for her reply, as his boots echoed across the wooden floor to his desk.

There was nothing else for it. She would have to tell him the truth. ‘Captain Hawke, are you still there?’

‘Yes.’

She pictured him sitting serenely at his desk, quill in hand, a sheet of paper in readiness before him. ‘Are you quite alone, sir?’

She felt his gaze shift from the paper to the door. ‘Yes. Is something the matter, George?’

A small silence.

‘Yes, sir.’

The boots had risen and were making their way back over to the other side of the doorway. ‘George?’

More silence.

Then, ‘I cannot leave the cabin until tomorrow, sir.’

‘Why ever not?’

She chewed on her lip. ‘It’s rather difficult to explain, sir.’

Nathaniel’s apprehension was mounting by the minute. The girl must have hurt more than her pride. Worry pulled at his brow. ‘Open this door at once, George.’

‘I cannot.’

‘If you don’t, I’ll take the whole damn wall down.’ What the hell had happened to make her afraid to open the door? Had Pensenby accosted her? Nathaniel felt suddenly apprehensive at the thought. ‘George!’ The door handle rattled uselessly in his fingers. He contemplated dismantling the flimsy structure—it was, after all, designed to be removed into storage during battle situations.

Georgiana leapt up off the bed and placed her hands against the door. ‘Please do not, sir. I beg of you.’

The girl was clearly distraught. He forced his voice to sound calm, reassuring. ‘I cannot help you if you won’t speak to me. Just open the door.’ And all the while the knot of worry within his stomach expanded.

Silence.

She sighed. It was no use, her rebuttals and half-explanations were just making things worse. For all his efforts, she could hear the unease in his voice. Slowly she removed the chair and opened the door.

‘Georgiana,’ Nathaniel uttered with relief and stepped through the portal. Nothing seemed to be amiss. She appeared fully dressed and uninjured. He grasped her shoulders and scanned her face. ‘What’s wrong? Why wouldn’t you open the door?’

He watched the rosy hue rise in her cheeks as she would not meet his gaze. It was quite unlike her normal behaviour. ‘Georgiana,’ he whispered again and pulled her into an embrace. He touched a kiss to the top of her head and soap and seawater tickled his nose. His hand slowed its caress across her back as he looked down into her eyes. ‘Is it Pensenby? Has he questioned you?’

The blush deepened. ‘Oh, no, nothing of that nature.’ She tried to pull away, but his arms only tightened around her. She swallowed hard. ‘Perhaps, it’s not so much of a problem as I’d imagined if it’s not apparent to you.’ Easing herself away from him, she stood back and, despite the mortification she was suffering, held herself open to his perusal. ‘Do you notice no change in my appearance, sir? Please be truthful.’

His brow wrinkled in puzzlement as he scrutinised her hair and face, his gaze dropping to examine her newly donned clothes. Was it his imagination, or had she, was she…? Brown eyes met blue and a dark winged eyebrow raised its enquiry. ‘Take off your jacket.’

‘No, indeed I will not!’ Two pink spots burned brighter upon her cheeks.

At last Nathaniel experienced a glimmer of understanding of his ship’s boy’s strange behaviour. ‘Come now, George, it’s better if I see the full extent of the problem.’

Embarrassing though it was, she supposed him to be right. The jacket was quickly thrown upon the bed. ‘Perhaps it’s not as obvious as I’d thought. If I were to keep my jacket on—’

‘It would not hide the fact that you have a most admirable figure, nephew George, a fact that would not go unnoticed by the entirety of the company.’ He raised appreciative eyes to hers. ‘Yes, I believe I understand your dilemma.’

She snatched the jacket back against her breast. For, once freed of its restraining bindings, Georgiana’s bosom was clearly apparent and in complete defiance of her ship’s boy status. The reappearance of the hitherto forgotten attribute rendered Miss Raithwaite uncomfortably self-conscious. ‘Captain Hawke, if you would kindly refrain from staring,’ she said.

‘I do beg your pardon, nephew George,’ replied Nathaniel, executing a small bow in her direction. ‘But the view is uncommonly good.’

‘Nathaniel Hawke!’

A broad smile spread across Nathaniel’s face. ‘Forgive me, George. It’s quite clear you must remain cabin bound until your, um, bindings are wearable once more.’

‘That,’ said Georgiana with some exasperation, ‘is what I’ve being trying to tell you.’

‘I’ll inform Mr Fraser that you’re assisting me with my letter writing and we’re not to be disturbed.’

A shiver tickled at the nape of Georgiana’s neck. The prospect of remaining undisturbed in the company of Captain Hawke seemed remote indeed.

The white of the marine sentry’s crossbelts and facings stood out starkly against the scarlet of his coat. He gripped his musket and looked at the second lieutenant indifferently. ‘Orders is orders, Lieutenant Pensenby. If the captain says no disturbances, that’s what he means.’

‘I beg your pardon!’ Cyril Pensenby was annoyed to find the captain could not be interrupted. ‘I’m quite sure that the order did not include Lieutenant Anderson or myself, and—’ he puffed his chest out in self-importance ‘—given the importance of my news, he will want to know.’

The sentry looked unimpressed.

‘Has he someone in there with him?’ Pensenby snapped.

The marine’s shoulders shrugged, and he scratched at his head beneath the brim of his tall black hat. ‘Only the servant boy Robertson. But it makes no difference to my orders, sir.’

Cyril Pensenby’s face took on a sharpened expression. ‘Indeed. Well, I’m afraid I must override your orders and insist upon seeing the captain. There’s no time to waste, man.’ Without further ado, Lieutenant Pensenby rushed past the marine and straight into Captain Hawke’s cabin.

Everything around the cabin seemed perfectly in order. In the middle of the room the polished mahogany of the cleared dining table glinted in the sunlight. Six ornate chairs were tucked beneath it, awaiting the time it would be set for dinner. The desk was positioned closer to the windows lining the back wall of the cabin, its surface littered with papers and charts. Three pens lay beside the inkwell, a small sharpening knife in front of them. The red leather captain’s chair behind the desk was empty. Nathaniel was standing, arms behind his back, peering out of the stern windows while he dictated a letter. Ship’s boy Robertson was seated at the near side of the desk, neatly transcribing the captain’s words on to paper. Both faces shot round to stare at him.

The marine stumbled in at Pensenby’s back, musket raised towards the lieutenant. ‘I told him you wasn’t to be disturbed, Captain, but he wouldn’t listen.’

‘Mr Pensenby?’ Captain Hawke turned a glacial eye upon his subordinate and moved swiftly to shield Georgiana from the men’s view.

Georgiana’s hand surreptitiously stole to cover the front of her neatly buttoned jacket as she shifted in her seat to present both the second lieutenant and marine with a fine view of her back.

‘Forgive me, Captain Hawke,’ Pensenby looked over the captain’s shoulder at the rear of the boy’s head. ‘I thought you would wish to know that the look-out has sighted two French frigates heading in our direction.’

‘Very well, Lieutenant.’ Nathaniel hid the shock well. ‘I’ll join both Lieutenant Anderson and yourself on the quarterdeck shortly. That will be all.’

He waited until both men had left the room before turning to Georgiana. She looked so young, so vulnerable. He ignored the urge to take her in his arms, protect her for ever. ‘Lock yourself in the night cabin—’ a key passed between them ‘—and open the door for no one except myself. I’ll instruct that it should be left intact when we ready the guns. Do you understand?’ He wondered at the degree of concern he felt for her. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

A brief nod before she touched her hand to his arm. ‘Be careful.’

They looked into each other’s eyes before Nathaniel swept a feather kiss to her lips and was gone.

Through the magnification of the spyglass he could see that they were both large frigates, loading forty guns apiece, with the French tricolour fluttering boldly at the stern and a pennant at the topmast. He glanced at Pensenby, saw the shadow of fear in his small shrewd eyes. The stiff northwesterly wind would lead them directly to the Pallas, of that there could be no mistake.

‘They’ll be within range in approximately one hour, sir.’ Lieutenant Anderson was pale, but his blue eyes glittered with excitement.

Nathaniel knew what he must do. ‘Let out each canvas in full, we move with top speed in a southeasterly direction.’

‘But that would take us towards Santa Cruz and the Canary Islands, both of which are held by Spain.’ Lieutenant Pensenby frowned his disapproval.

‘Indeed, it will, Mr Pensenby. It’s what they’ll least expect. Before reaching Santa Cruz, we’ll turn and head out towards the mid-Atlantic, before sailing back up to the Azores.’

John Anderson was looking somewhat crestfallen. ‘We are to run?’ In his mind’s eye he was already valiantly engaged in the dramatic glory of battle, annihilating the French ships, and all for the sake of King and country.

Nathaniel saw the slumped shoulders and read the reason correctly. ‘In a straight confrontation we don’t stand a chance against them. They each carry forty guns to our thirty-two, both are made of oak to our pine. The Pallas simply cannot withstand the pounding she would receive. Hit for hit we would suffer vastly more damage than they, not to mention the injury to the men from the splinters. They would have us down in a matter of minutes.’

‘Then all is lost and we should strike our flag,’ said Lieutenant Anderson miserably.

‘Quite the contrary, Mr Anderson. We must look to our advantages and make the best use of them.’

Pensenby piped up, ‘But you said that the Pallas is no match for them in battle.’

Nathaniel closed the spyglass with a snap. ‘No, Mr Pensenby, that is only the case in direct confrontation. There are many other types of battle.’

‘But we’re to run.’ John Anderson looked puzzled.

‘For now, until the conditions favour us rather than our enemy.’ Both men regarded him in silence. ‘The Pallas is smaller, and at only 667 tonnes, significantly faster. She should easily outrun them. Then it’s simply a matter of waiting until the timing is right.’

Lieutenant Pensenby seemed reassured by this. He was not a man suited to the bloody physicality of war, and the prospect of escaping what would undoubtedly prove to be a crashing defeat beckoned appealingly.

Captain Hawke strode across the quarterdeck to shout orders to the ship’s master. He paused momentarily, looked back over his shoulder, and said, ‘Rest assured that I’m not Byng, Mr Anderson.’

John Anderson thought of Admiral Byng who had been executed for failing to engage the Spanish Fleet with sufficient vigour. No, he did not doubt Captain Hawke’s courage. He would do better to watch and learn.

With the sails set fully to capture the wind the Pallas skimmed across the surface of the water with a deftness of speed that could not hope to be matched by her bigger, bulkier opponents. Heading further south into Spanish waters, they had lost sight of the two large French frigates before Nathaniel gave the order to change direction.

Georgiana could feel from the rolling motion that the ship was fairly flying across the waves, and concluded with relief that they were fleeing from the French. Although she did not know the size or manner of the enemy, common sense warned her that two against one did not offer good odds of a favourable result. This, coupled with what she had learned: the Pallas was experimental in design, being unusually small for a frigate and built entirely of lightweight pine rather than sturdy English oak. It did not take a genius to surmise that any big gun fire would tear the ship apart.