Ramage & the Renegades by Dudley Pope Read Free Book Online

has those eighty men building a house for one of his friends—using Navy Board wood.”
    â€œProbably,” Ramage said. He had seen long ago that corrupt transactions would be rated normal by the Navy Board; honest work was the exception. “Now, all the officers are invited to lunch with us—providing you can supply enough chairs from the gunroom. Kenton, Martin and Orsini could use a form. And was that hamper of food brought on board from the yawl? Ah, there it is; Jackson and Rossi are carrying it below. My mother has packed enough for a ship o’ the line.”

CHAPTER THREE
    T HE family’s visit to Chatham was still being talked about by Gianna, who had been excited at seeing again the men who had rescued her from the Tuscan shores and then sailed with her in Ramage’s first command, the
Kathleen
cutter.
    The Times
and the
Morning Post
were delivered early that morning and Hanson brought them in on a silver salver, offering the Earl his choice. He took
The Times,
saying: “I know you prefer the
Post,
Nicholas.”
    The Countess pushed back her chair and stood up. “You men will want to read your papers. Gianna wishes to visit her dressmaker again, so unless you want it, John, we’ll use the carriage.”
    â€œGood Heavens!” the Earl muttered. “Sit down a moment dear … Does the
Post
mention this?” he said to Nicholas without raising his head.
    Ramage nodded but was engrossed in what he was reading. The Countess looked surprised and then slightly alarmed, but when she saw that Gianna was about to ask questions she held her finger to her lips.
    Finally the Earl said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice: “Bonaparte’s done it, the scoundrel!”
    The Countess sighed, needing no more explanation, but Gianna said excitedly: “What is it? Read it out!”
    The Admiral looked across at his son. “You read it, Nicholas: I’d like to compare it with
The Times
report.”
    Nicholas flattened the page of the paper. “Well, peace has been signed.
The Post
says:
    â€œâ€˜We are officially informed that yesterday, the 1st day of October, the preliminary articles for a peace between Great Britain and France were signed in London between Lord Hawkesbury, His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and M. Louis-Guillaume Otto, Commissioner for the Exchange of French Prisoners in England.
    â€œâ€˜It is understood that ratifications will be exchanged within two weeks, and that they will be followed by a Royal proclamation in which His Majesty will order a cessation of arms by sea and land.
    â€œâ€˜According to the preliminary articles, five months from the date of the exchange of ratifications will be the longest period during which hostilities can exist in the most distant parts of the globe.’”
    As soon as he stopped reading, Gianna said: “It gives no actual details, then? Just that the preliminaries have been signed?”
    â€œThere is a second article, which may or may not be official. The writer simply says ‘We understand …’ That’s often a way the government flies a kite to see how Parliament will react; sometimes it is simply gossip.”
    â€œRead it out, anyway,” his mother said.
    â€œI’ll just tell you the main points. As far as I can see, we return to Bonaparte and his allies everything we’ve taken and he keeps everything—except Egypt. Anyway, starting with the West Indies: we return every island we’ve captured from the Dutch except Dutch Guiana but we don’t return Trinidad to the Spanish.”
    The Earl sniffed: “That’s Bonaparte punishing the Dons for making peace with Portugal without his permission!”
    Nicholas nodded. His father understood the broader sweep of world affairs better than he. “Denmark gets back the islands of St Thomas, St Croix and St John …” For a moment his memory flicked