HMS Aurora: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 3) (2 page)

Captain Charles Mullins, a serving officer in the Royal Navy, after returning from a mission to North Africa, has returned to London, where he is recovering from a serious wound. After their ordeal with the highwaymen on the trip, Captain Mullins is faced with the task of having the coach repaired, a rather expensive and lengthy proposition.

In the belief that her employer would be more comfortable in a well-sprung coach, Mrs. Cooper had borrowed the vehicle from a neighbor. This neighbor, Mr. Whitbread, had been trying to persuade Mullins to appoint his son midshipman and take him to sea. Mullins had been ignoring the man’s requests, hoping other paths for the lad’s advancement might be found. Under the present circumstances though, Mullins decided, after nearly destroying the fellow’s coach, he was obligated to take the boy to sea.

However, the ride had indeed been much more comfortable than it would have been on the post coach, and he had arrived safely, except for the disagreement with the highwaymen.

Of course, they had to tarry to attend the hanging of the two surviving felons who had attempted to rob their coach. The only problem he had now was the incessant fussing over him by the various female members of his establishment. While he was ambulatory, he could not walk far and he looked forward to the day when he could get around freely.

His situation was not at all that bad, he thought. Doris especially, was a breath of fresh air. If only she did not hover over him like a bird over her brood. The remembrance of her standing with her gown torn away during the affair kept him awake at night. Left to his own resources, he might have let nature run its course and explored the possibilities here. Doris was his employee though, and he must act responsibly toward her. It would be simpler if she were some casual shop girl with whom he could enjoy himself.

Captain Mullins did not regard himself as an invalid, requiring constant care. A musket ball to the thigh a few months before had left him in danger of losing his leg, but the surgeon aboard his ship had managed to save the leg and an Army surgeon at Gibraltar had induced him to exercise his limb. By walking about, first with crutches and soon without, his mood elevated from the depression with which he had first been afflicted. He had damaged his leg on the trip from exertion but now it was on the mend.

The background sounds of the house wakened him early this day, and he was already up and dressed when Doris came to his door with a coddled egg on toast, her idea of breakfast for an invalid.

With something rather more substantial on his mind just then, a thundercloud started to form to his mind. Before he could express his displeasure of the paltry breakfast though, saner thoughts came. He really did not wish to distress this young woman, who was after all, doing her best to please him.

Instead of snarling at her, he swallowed his temper and meekly accepted the offering. He explained to her that he did not really like to take breakfast in his room and asked her to lay a plate for him at the table for future meals.

The concerned young woman explained that Mrs. Cooper had pronounced him incapable of navigating the stairs and had instructed her to deliver all of his meals to his room. She intended to keep him in his bed until he was fully recovered.

Mullins had the greatest fondness and regard for Mrs. Cooper. His own mother had passed when he was a small child and Mrs. Cooper had filled the void. She was always there when he needed assistance of any kind. She had been devastated when his father had sent him to sea as a young boy.

She did however, act as a mother hen sometimes, and this was not the first time he had felt the need to escape her supervision. In the rear of the large closet in his room, was a door, leading to a narrow stairway that led downstairs. An idea had come to him during the night and he wished to test the possibilities.

Originally meant for servants to deliver linen and clothing to this upstairs bedroom, it had been disused for as long as Mullins was aware. Too narrow and cramped to be really useful, it was no longer in use. As a young boy, Charles Mullins had early on discovered this stairway led to the servant’s dining room, where a large table blocked its door.

As a boy, he had used this route as a means of escape whenever he wished to go exploring outside without the housekeeper noticing. If he opened the door to the servant’s room while they were all absent, he could push the table aside and exit the house through the rear entrance. When he returned, after again pushing the table aside, he could enter his passageway and use a string tied to one of the table legs to pull it back into position.

He was musing over the present possibilities when Mrs. Cooper came to the door. She was astonished and dismayed to find him dressed in his street clothing. She decided Doris could relieve his boredom by reading to him, with the door open, of course. She was sure he would enjoy the reading of Emily Clark’s new novel, the Flower of Caernarvon.

Mullins thought Doris was a lovely woman and had no objections to her spending time in his room, but her reading to him with the door open was not one of his favorite fantasies. He told Mrs. Cooper he did feel a little tired and thought he might take a nap, instead.

Nodding her agreement, she backed out of the room, telling him she would make certain none of the other servants disturbed his sleep.

He waited impatiently for a bit, in case Mrs. Cooper might return, then got up and went into the closet. Behind an old trunk, he found the old door. It was smaller than he remembered, barely large enough to allow a full-grown man to enter. The staircase was narrow, steep and filled with cobwebs. The passage had probably not been used since his last excursion outside as a boy.

At the door to the servant’s room, he put his ear to the door and listened. Hearing nothing, he gave the door a push. It was solidly immobile. Fearing at first the door may have been sealed, he put his shoulder to it. With a protesting creak, he felt it give a little. Another shove opened the door. Repeated coats of paint over the years had caused the difficulty with the door.

With nobody in the servant’s room, he closed the door and replaced the table, before escaping through the rear door. Making his way behind the house, he entered the stable. His father no longer kept his own horses here, since he was rarely in town, but an old cob and cart remained for the cook to take on her shopping expeditions and he kept on his old hostler as a general handyman.

Mullins remembered Simmons from his boyhood days but was astonished at the change in the fellow. Completely toothless now, he was bent over and walked with a cane. He did however, remember Mullins as soon as he entered.

“Young Master Charles, as I live and breathe! I hear you were shot in the war. How do you do, now?”

After some time spent reassuring Simmons of his well-being, he brought up what had been on his mind. “Simmons, while I do feel just fine, as I just said, I find myself a little lame. I would like to travel a bit around the city without the necessity of depending upon others for transportation.”

“It seems to me the purchase of a good horse and chaise might be the thing to do. Would you have any advice to give me on the subject?”

Simmons looked doubtful. “Does Mrs. Cooper know of your plans?”

Mullins smiled, “No she does not. I thought I would give her a surprise. I thought I’d wait until after the deed was done before I tell her.”

Simmons grimaced, “Sir, you are going to get me in trouble with Mrs. Cooper. If she thinks I have encouraged you in this, she will let me go. I do not know where I would get another position at my age.”

Mullins disagreed, “Simmons, I will remind you Mrs. Cooper works for my father and myself. If it does happen she is able to discharge you over this matter, I will take you on myself, for the remainder of your days. You will always have a place to stay.”

Simmons agreed to assist him, although asking him to report to Mrs. Cooper that he had had no say in this matter.

The old hostler had to go to the kitchen to tell Cook he was taking the cob and cart on a trip to the livery to see about ordering fodder. With previous instructions to keep silent concerning the actual reason for their trip, Simmons left.

The cob was older than Mullins and had only one gait, a very slow walk. He was used to Cook’s marketing trips and was determined to follow the memorized route. Simmons had to get forceful with the animal to convince him they were to travel in a different direction.

The livery was on the outskirts of the city, and had numerous animals in pens. Besides horses and mules, there were a few cows and goats for those who wished to have their own access to fresh milk.

The elderly driver with his cane and the young man dismounting from a rickety cart did not seem to be important custom to the proprietor, but after Mullins and Simmons spent some time examining a pair of mares, a young man was sent out to see what they wished.

After Mullins expressed an interest in a good horse and well-kept chaise, the proprietor emerged and proceeded to show them his stock. A chaise was an easy enough purchase, but the animals were a different story. Thankfully, Simmons was well versed in the perils and pitfalls of horse trading and led him back to one of the two mares they had originally examined.

Harness was brought out and the mare was put to the chaise. With Simmons at the reins, they set out on a local tour, with the proprietor beside them on a powerful hunter. They were not able to find any serious fault with either the vehicle or mare. The mare seemed a bit timid, but Simmons thought that was simply due to having a stranger at the reins. One wheel on the chaise had an annoying squeal, but the liveryman assured them he would put that to right before they paid him a penny.

Back at the livery, an assistant brought out a jack and lifted the offending wheel before removing it and liberally applying grease to the hub. With everything back together and the linchpin securely in place, there was no longer a sign of a squeal.

Mullins wanted to pay for his purchases with a note of hand, but the proprietor was reluctant, this customer being a stranger and he told Mullins he preferred hard money. The total expenditure nearly exhausted his purse, so after taking their new equipage on the street, Mullins instructed Simmons to return the cob and cart to the house, while he took his new chaise to his bank to replenish the purse.

He was late returning home and Mrs. Cooper was livid. Simmons had been thoroughly dressed down for his part in the adventure. Cooper assured Mullins she was seriously considering letting Simmons go, since he should have known this trip would have been against her wishes.

Calling the worried hostler over to stand beside him, Mullins told Cooper he had ordered Simmons to accompany him. He reminded her that his father owned this house and paid her salary, but if she felt she was indeed impelled to discharge Simmons, he would take on the man himself. As for himself, he was prepared to leave the house immediately, if that was her wish.

Mrs. Cooper broke into tears, sobbing that she meant no harm; she was merely trying to protect him. She thought he might break his health driving around town in this new vehicle, but if he was determined, she would put no more obstacles in his way.

She reminded him of the puddings he had been fond of a boy and assured him she would have Cook make one just for him. She begged him to forget this matter.

Captain Mullins regarded the mare and chaise to have been an inspired purchase. He was able to leave the house whenever he needed to get free of Mrs. Cooper’s attentions. It became necessary to take on an assistant to Simmons, who found his infirmities made it difficult to handle the additional work.

When, one morning, Mullins encountered an emaciated youth on the street begging for food, he tossed the lad a sixpence. There were several street peddlers nearby, and he expected the boy to run to the cart dispensing gin. Instead, he watched the boy go to the pie man’s and purchase a meat pie, which was demolished in a few bites.

The boy looked at his change and was obviously considering purchasing another pie, but pocketed the pennies and returned to his post. Thin and undernourished as he was, Mullins thought he might be able to give Simmons some necessary assistance, so he approached the youth and asked if he was available for some work.

He was indeed, so Mullins bought the boy another pie and had him sit in the chaise. While making their way back to the house, the odor of the boy became rather noticeable. Thinking it would never do to take this boy home as he was, Mullins stopped at a barber’s, and had him shorn and washed down from head to foot. The rags the lad had been clad in were undoubtedly lousy, so on the advice of the barber; he left them to be burned and visited a rag shop down the street.

There, he found a collection of clothing that looked as though it might fit the boy. Buying the lot, he took the bag back to the barbers where the worried boy was just finishing his bath. As he donned his new clothing, he confided his name was Bob Archer. Washed and dressed, his prize looked like a new person.

On the way to the house, Mullins explained to Bob Archer what his duties were apt to be. He had been hired to assist the hostler, but doubtless the women of the house would also find work for him to do. He told Bob he would sleep in the stable and eat in the kitchen. In addition, for the present, he would be paid sixpence every day.

Mrs. Cooper was visibly annoyed at Mullin’s adding to the establishment as he had. In light of their previous disagreement though, she kept her silence. Mullins tried to assuage her misgiving by explaining he would pay the lad himself, besides giving Cook extra funds to meet the additional costs. When he left to go back to sea, he would take Archer with him.

The winter passed without incident. An acquaintance he met at a club took him to a theatre where they watched a play. Mullins was not at all impressed by the performance, but he was most impressed by the young actress he was introduced to afterwards.

Jane Harris in her turn, was impressed by his chaise when he invited her out for a drive. Only people of substance could afford to keep a horse in the city, and Mullin’s mare was a beauty. For some weeks, they confined their meetings to the occasional drive and an occasional theatre performance, but the day came when Jane confided she was embarrassed financially and had been asked to give up her rooms.

Mullins knew just what he must do, as he turned the horse down a street that he knew had several buildings offering rooms. While Jane waited in the chaise, Mullins inquired at several establishments and found what they were looking for. The rooms were neat and came with respectable furnishings. It passed Jane’s inspection and she moved in straightaway.

As it seemed she had quite a collection of belongings to move, he was forced to hire a drayman to remove her items, as well as pay her former landlady the two months she was in arrears on her old rooms.

At first, it seemed he had an ideal situation, he could spend a few days at the town house, until the constant attention he received there became too cloying, then he could spend a few days with Jane, where he received another kind of attention.

In time though, he found that Jane was a serious drain on him, both physically and financially. It seemed every time he visited her, it would be necessary to take her on a shopping excursion. He had no idea what use a woman could make of all of her purchases. When one day he had a difficult time loading her booty on the chaise, she began hinting he should buy a carriage. She thought it would be so much simpler for them to shop, with the extra capacity of a carriage close by.

His troubles mounted when Cook saw them together in the shopping district. Not a word was said, but Cook made her report to Mrs. Cooper and he was subjected to an interrogation when he went home that evening.

Choosing to forget he was an adult officer in the Royal Navy, she gave him the explanation a father might give his young son of the perils of associating with women of uncertain origins. Mullins would have liked to express his indignation of her choosing to speak to him like this, but he well knew she was right.

While a ship commander, he had listened to many a surgeon’s report, detailing the numerous cases of disease returning crewmen brought on board after a run ashore. So, he kept his silence while Mrs. Cooper expressed her dismay. “What Doris would say if she knew of this, I would really not like to know.”

This was another kettle of fish. He definitely did not want Doris Walker knowing what he had been up to this winter.

Mrs. Cooper went on. “Master Charles, having you with us has been like a breath of spring. I do so love to have you in the house. But, you are destroying yourself here. I think you should go back to your Navy and work out your frustrations against the enemy for a while. Perhaps, when you return, we can go back to what we had before.”

Mullins thought over the matter that night, then called for Bob Archer. While waiting, he wrote a note to Jane, enclosing a note of hand for one hundred pounds. He explained to her how much she had meant to him, but it was now time for him to go back to sea. He wished her the very best.

Bob entered from the kitchen, clad in his best clothing. He often drove Cook around in her cart, and Mullins usually allowed him to take the reins when driving in the chaise. The lad was becoming a proficient driver. Handing him the note, he asked him to take the chaise and deliver the note to Jane. Bob knew very well who Jane was and where she lived. There had been much talk about the situation in the servants’ quarters. It appeared that Doris was the only servant who was not aware of the escapades of young Master Charles.

His mind settled on this new course, Mullins waited for the return of Bob. Assured the lad had placed the note in the hands of the young lady herself, he told Bob their next destination would be the Admiralty. Upon arrival, he gave Bob money and told him to take the vehicle to a nearby livery, then return here on foot to wait for him to exit the building.

Mullins had assured Mrs. Cooper the Navy would take him as soon as he made his appearance at the Admiralty, but he personally was not so sure. The problem was his rank. As a commander, he was only entitled to command ships in the sloop-of-war class. To command anything larger would necessitate a promotion to post captain. He well knew, this would not likely occur. There were still those who remembered his early commissioning from midshipman to lieutenant at a disgustingly early age, and considered the promotion to commander due solely to parental influence.

Unless a suitable unrated ship appeared, Charles Mullins might well end his career on the beach in half-pay status. It could well be necessary for him to find another means of keeping himself busy.

Entering the familiar waiting room, Mullins was surprised to see how many seats were available. On previous visits, the place had been crowded with hopeful officers awaiting a ship. Giving his name to the porter, along with a coin to help convince the fellow not to ‘forget’ him’, Mullins sat down and occupied himself with an old paper someone had left.

He sat there only an hour before the porter fetched him. Mullins was led to a tiny cubby of an office where a corpulent official held a sheaf of papers on a desktop.

Introducing himself as Cornelius Harding, the official admitted to being curious when the porter announced Charles Mullins was in the building to see about a ship. “I have heard many things about you, young man. One school of thought portrays you as a dissolute youth who has made it to his present position by the efforts of his father, Lord Yarley.”

“Of course, the other school says you are more productive than any six other captains and you should be given a third rate, immediately.”

“So, what is a man to do with you, young man?”

Realizing this was a question meant to be answered, Phillips said, “I hope you will give me a ship, sir. Anything that floats will do.”

“My problem, Captain Mullins, is what is available. I do have a fine frigate needing a captain, but if I give her to you, my job here would be forfeit before the end of the day. What you need is a sloop-of-war, and I do have one, but it too has a problem. She is a recent capture and has been much battered about. Hopefully the yard has put her back together, but only time will tell. She was a twenty-two gunned corvette when taken, which presents another problem.”

“Formerly, we would just call her a sloop-of-war and give her a commander. Now though, anything of 20 guns or over is a sixth-rate and is a post-ship, to be commanded by a post captain. Few post captains today will accept a 22-gun post ship. They all want fifth-rates. So, we have played a little game with Aurora, as she is called. She is a sloop-of -war with only 18 guns. Four of her guns were removed. She still has ports for 22, and some future unscrupulous commander may well acquire some extra of guns and arm her so.”

“She will still be a sloop-of-war though and will be below the rates. At this moment, she is going begging, although that will likely change when the mass of unemployed commanders now on shore find what we have. So, if you want her, you may have her. At this moment, she has no crew, although the Impress Service will be looking for hands for her this day.”

Hearing enough, Mullins accepted the command, and left the building with his commission under his arm. Bob was awaiting him outside, and Mullins walked with him back to the livery. On the way, they discussed Archer’s prospects.

Mullins told him of his new command and said he would be moving on board the ship any day now. He asked Bob what his own wishes were.

Archer said he’d like to go to sea if he could. He worried if he stayed in the house, Cook and Mrs. Cooper, between them, would run him ragged with their demands. Mullins assured him that life at sea was no bed of roses. He would have to start out as a landsman, the lowest form of life on the ship, and bosun’s mates would run him about as efficiently as Mrs. Cooper or Cook. If he chose to go to sea though, he would be welcome aboard.

Mullins had the youth drive down to the quay and showed him Aurora anchored a safe distance from shore. She had recently been removed from ordinary and was not an impressive sight, compared to some of the others. Given instructions to return the mare and chaise to the home stable, he was to return to the quay, where he would be met by a ship’s boat and pulled out to the ship.

A signal from the shore tower brought a boat from Aurora to fetch her captain. As he waited for the few hands aboard to be called aft, where he was to read them his commission, he wondered whether he would ever see Bob Archer and the chaise again. The lad could easily take the mare and chaise and go into business for himself transporting people about. He had almost forgotten the lad when the bosun, near dusk, reported a fellow onshore was waving his shirt as though he wanted to come aboard.

Focusing a glass from the binnacle rack on the subject, he saw it was no other than Bob Archer.