"Please go on, madam," Swinford said. "You were telling us about your voyages."
"Ah yes, my brother Sidney -" she glanced at Goddard and saw that he had at last realized who she was, "- persuaded me to go on this last voyage to the West Indies because we wanted to make sure that our houses in Jamaica and Barbados were not being completely eaten by termites. They are a terrible nuisance, you know, and the houses are old, belonging to - oh, I forget how many 'greats' but to one of our ancestors. My rather strange second name -" she smiled at Jenkins, who bobbed his head, "- comes from the wife of that forebear - he was the leader of the Buccaneers, you know. He had a special rank but I can't remember . . ."
"That would be Edward Yorke, the Admiral of the Brethren of the Coast," Swinford said.
"That's him - how clever of you to know," she said delightedly. "He's always referred to as 'Grandpa Ned' in the family, although he's about fifth 'great', perhaps more. Anyway, Sidney persuaded me to go with him in the Emerald and that is how we came to be in the convoy."
"Could you describe where in the convoy the Emerald was sailing?" Swinford asked, expecting an answer full of feminine vagueness.
"Oh yes, we were leading the starboard column. You see, Captain Ramage -" she looked coolly at Goddard, "- perhaps I should say 'the prisoner' wanted a really reliable ship in that position, because the whole structure of the convoy depended on her, as you know. He knew my brother and he knew the master my brother employed. So we were leading the starboard column when the Jason approached on the starboard quarter to windward of all of us."
Swinford stood up and bowed. "Thank you, madam. Clearly you have a considerable knowledge of sea life!"
Alexis gave Swinford a warm smile before turning to Goddard as she remarked: "I have crossed the Atlantic half a dozen times, the first when I was about ten years old - which means all in wartime - but this is the first time I have seen a captain in the Royal Navy go mad."
Only Alexis could have lulled them (or Goddard, anyway) like that, with a stream of what seemed innocent chatter, amusing them and almost flirting with them, and intriguing them with the fact she knew about the sea and had made several Atlantic voyages. Then, having established herself as a knowledgeable and credible witness, she once again hammered home that vital point: Shirley was mad.
Goddard looked up warily, like a ferret emerging from a rabbit's burrow, and seemed to sniff the wind. The last time he had told Jenkins to strike out part of Miss Yorke's evidence he had unwittingly caught his head in the snare and nearly wrenched it off. Instead of saying anything he made a small scribbling gesture to Jenkins.
"To whom are you waving, Admiral?" Alexis inquired icily. "That seems to be more like an obscene gesture made by a street urchin ..."
"No, no, I assure you, madam, it was quite routine."
"Then why is that clerk crossing out what I have just said?"
"Madam, I am sure -"
"Don't argue, Admiral, just go down and look at - what do you call them, the minutes - for yourself."
"Well, madam, I am afraid -"
"And well you might be," Alexis said scathingly. "You are censoring my evidence." She held up her hand as he went to speak. "Admiral, I know nothing of court procedure, and therefore nothing of court-martial procedure but I recognize censorship when Isee it. That is the second time you have censored my evidence. No, be quiet, and listen. There are things going on in this trial which I do not understand and I do not like." She looked across at Swinford and Royce. "I do not think I am alone in my doubts. However, I do not depend upon your favour for promotion; if the Board of Admiralty is used only for ironing clothes or chopped up for kindling I do not care. But justice is a different matter. I am no Portia but don't forget Grandpa Ned, Admiral. He was establishing Jamaica when your forebears, judging from your behaviour here, were still poaching conies and making breeches out of moleskins. Please call a boat: I am leaving this ship."
Magnificent, Ramage murmured, and he heard Lieutenant Hill sitting behind him give a sigh of admiration. Both Swinford and Royce were standing and within a few moments the other ten captains were on their feet, a bewildered Goddard still sitting, his head cradled in his arms. Suddenly he was aware of the scraping of chairs and looked up to find everyone else in the great cabin on their feet, with even the Marine sentry at the door standing firmly to attention.
"Good day to you gentlemen," Alexis said to the court and swept out of the cabin, making an exit, Ramage was sure, which might have been equalled at St James's Palace but never surpassed.
The captains then sat down and Ramage realized that they were all looking at Swinford, who coughed to attract Goddard's attention.
"Sir," he said respectfully, "I have to request that you clear the court because there are certain points that some members would like to discuss."
"Ah yes, indeed, Captain Swinford. But it is late in the day and I have a statement which I have to make in open court, so I'll do that first. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Coronation, and the day after both you Captain Swinford, and you Captain Royce, have to take your ships to the dockyard. On Friday, two other ships are to be drydocked. With two different captains absent on successive days, I propose adjourning the court until the usual time next Monday morning. Having made that announcement, I now formally adjourn the court, except that the court will continue in closed session.
"Provost Marshal," he said sourly and unnecessarily, "remove the prisoner. He can remain a prisoner at large on board his own ship."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ramage sat at his desk with Southwick as usual in the armchair beside it (in deference to his age, not his rank, since he was only a warrant officer among commission officers) and Aitken and Wagstaffe on the settee.
They had returned from the Salvador del Mundo an hour earlier, had a brief meal after removing their swords and changing into older uniforms, and then met in the cabin to talk about the trial.
Ramage found himself in the unexpected role of an apologist for Admiral Goddard, because constantly he had to remind himself that he was not still a lieutenant among lieutenants who were able to abuse admirals among themselves. As a post-captain he had to maintain a semblance of discipline and respect - ironical, when he thought of the officer concerned.
"What is the court considering, eh?" Southwick exclaimed. "Those captains will never stand up to the admiral, you can be sure of that."
"Captain Swinford - and Captain Royce, too - seem to me to have had enough of him," Ramage said mildly.
"Sir, do you think they're going to blast their futures on your behalf? It's a big jump from commanding a 74-gun ship to marching around on a three-decker, and when Their Lordships choose the names, anyone about whom there is the slightest gossip might as well resign his commission and buy a half-share in a privateer."
"Don't forget that when we first served under him, we knew him as Commodore Nelson and many senior officers disliked him. Now he's Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson . . ." Ramage said.
"Aye, and even more senior officers dislike him."
"Yes, but the Board of Admiralty were more persuaded by Cape St Vincent, the Nile and Copenhagen," Ramage said.
"If you'll excuse me, sir, fiddlesticks. He was pushed forward (quite rightly) by Lord St Vincent. Don't forget the row among the admirals, especially Admiral Mann, when as a very junior rear-admiral he was given the Mediterranean Fleet. No one else could win a victory like the Nile, but after that those who disliked him now hate him because they've a few quarts of jealousy to add to the brew."