“A hard chastising for a small enough thing,” Moubray murmured.
“Captain,” Duckworth said, in a tone that suggested a heavy irony, “if you knew what Bonaparte plans in these parts you would be far warmer in your support. As it is, pray leave it that your superiors believe it to be the most devilish plot this age. Do you not agree, Ambassador?”
“I suppose so,” muttered Arbuthnot.
Swallowing his annoyance, Duckworth added huffily, “And I’ve given them one half an hour to reply, after which we sail against them.”
A brooding silence was broken by Smith. “As it doesn’t have to be this way,” he said to no one in particular.
“What is it, Sir Sidney?” Duckworth said irritably. “We’re limited in our manoeuvring by our instructions from Whitehall, I’ll remind you.”
“Which state objectives to be attained, the chief of which is the banishment of the French. Is not this the case?”
“Certainly. And I’d be exercised how else it shall be done, sir!”
“One quick way. I know Selim, he knows me, the wily coot. I whisper sweet reason to him and, with a battle fleet at my back, he cannot fail but to see the error in his ways. Let me go ashore and-”
“Damn it! Who’s in command here? If anyone is to go it will be me, and I’ve no intention whatsoever of putting myself in the power of that Oriental despot. Let him hear the music of our guns and he’ll come around, depend upon it.”
There was no more opposition: the fate of Constantinople was sealed.
“Very well. We being all of the same mind, let us get down to detail.
“L’Aurore frigate will close with Constantinople at dawn and deliver the note. She will wait for the stipulated half an hour and if no reply, or an unsatisfactory response, is received will report the fact to me immediately.
“The fleet will then weigh and proceed to Seraglio Point, wearing in succession to assume line-of-battle southward. Canopus will be in the van and will refrain from opening fire until all vessels are in position opposite the Topkapi Palace and other such. Targeting will be easy enough. The Turk is obliging to have all his major edifices within close gunshot of inshore waters.
“Bombardment will be continuous until all the grander buildings are brought down. No sense in leaving any standing-the beggars will believe it’s because we’re not capable enough, and in any event firing will carry on until a cease-fire is signalled by me. The fleet will then return to this anchorage to await terms.
“Any questions? No? Then my order pack with signals and so on will be waiting for you after we have taken dinner together.”
In the early morning L’Aurore prepared for her duty. As if picking up on Kydd’s mood her seamen moved sombrely as her anchor was brought to her bows and sail was spread abroad.
“I mislike this breeze, sir,” Kendall said, pursing his lips as he looked aloft. The upper sails were catching the slight wind steadily enough but the courses on all three masts were fitfully bellying and collapsing. “Unless it picks up we’ll be hard put t’ cross the strait.”
The northeaster was fair for Constantinople but looking too scant to think to challenge the strong Black Sea current that surged through the narrow strait of the Bosporus.
“Keep us with it,” Kydd told the sailing master. “There’s much depends on L’Aurore.”
The anchorage was on the Asian side among offshore islands; once they rounded the point ahead they would be in the main stream and not two miles from the city across the other side.
But as they reached it Kydd felt the tug of the current across their bows, the give-away sagging off course to leeward.
“We’ll not make it, sir,” Kendall muttered. “It’ll be a sad spectacle afore long.”
It was imperative that the note be delivered: the whole operation was now under way and the first act was Kydd’s to perform. It couldn’t be allowed to fail before it started, in a defeat by the winds and current.
To larboard was the open expanse of the Sea of Marmora, to starboard the continuous low coast of Anatolia a bare mile or so distant.
“I’ll put into the bay beyond the point and anchor, send a boat.” It would be less impressive but better than seeing the frigate carried off helpless in the grip of the current.
It took an exaggerated tacking of nearly an hour to make the bay but they found good holding there and ignored the little fort, which in turn decided to take no heed of them.
“Mr Curzon. Away my barge under the largest flag of truce you can find to the steps of the palace and hand over the note, ensuring you have a signature and recording the time it was done.” The first lieutenant took the sealed packet, so innocent-looking, so deadly.
Kydd watched the boat make off under sail. Its fore and aft rig allowed it to point higher and he saw it reach the far shore. When sail was lowered it could no longer be seen but Kydd remained on deck anxious for its return.
It was more than an hour before Bowden’s sharp eyes picked up the boat’s sails hoisted once more.
Soon it was alongside and Curzon came aboard, spluttering with indignation. “Unable to get it delivered, sir, the rogues!”
Kydd couldn’t believe his ears. “You mean they refused to take it?”
“Not even that. That rogue Kaptan Pasha in his fancy galley kept us off and when I went in anyway he fired on us.”
“With a white flag up? They can’t have seen it.”
“I gave it more’n a few tries, sir,” Curzon said stubbornly.
“Well, rig two flags and lie to until they let you go in. They’ve got to get that note.”
Well into the morning, he was back.
“No damned luck, sir. Lets me sit there until I make a move in and then they fire away.”
Kydd cursed under his breath. Curzon was not to blame and there was no future in sacrificing a boat’s crew in a gesture, but now he had to explain himself to the admiral.
“You-you’ve not even handed over the note?” Duckworth spluttered. “After wasting all this time and they’ve not got our demands?”
He went red with frustration and the other captains pointedly looked away.
“I’m disappointed in you, Kydd, and I don’t care who hears it. If you’d only-”
“He’s not to know.”
“Wh-what did you say, sir?” Duckworth gobbled.
Sidney Smith languidly raised his eyebrows. “Those who’ve been in the Levant more than a dog-watch have learned that a white flag means nothing to your Turk. They probably thought it an impertinence, with that colour topping it the sultan’s flunkey to get on shore.”
“Damn it, Smith, I’ll not hear of such tomfoolery. We’re English, that’s our tradition and they know it. This is a ridiculous state of affairs and I won’t stand for it.”
He smouldered, then rounded on Kydd. “Captain, I desire you to return and, by any means you choose, get that note in the hands of the Ottomans or you’ll answer to me for it. Understood?”
On the way back to his ship Kydd reviewed his options. Force was out of the question; a boat of marines to fire back would only start a war. To capture a native craft and smuggle the note in was not possible: there was nothing prepared to be on the water, which was as clear as a swept board.
Then he remembered the supercilious Kaptan Pasha and his enormous turban-and before he had reached L’Aurore he had a plan.
“Lay ’em out, Tysoe-as quick as you may.”
In minutes he was ready and the weary boat’s crew set out again for the shore, this time with their captain himself in the sternsheets looking grim and unforgiving.
The galley of Kaptan Pasha swept out and muskets were flourished.
“Keep on,” Kydd growled.
There were faint shouts and then the pop of musket fire.
The boat’s crew fearfully ducked below the gunwale but Kydd made his way to the prow of the boat and stood up, dignified and erect.