Dead Reckoning (38 page)

“I thank your Royal Highness for the honour you have been pleased to bestow on me. I hope your Royal Highness will allow me the further honour of presenting Captain the Hon. Stephen Northmore and Captain Topley, both recently of the frigate
Minerva.
”

The two officers bowed in turn and stepped back, the First Lord then motioning them aside as the next candidate for presentation—the Sheriff of York—came forward. So far as Delancey and his officers were concerned, the ceremony was over.

“Congratulations, Sir Richard,” said the First Lord, leading the way to his carriage.

“By your leave, sir.” said Delancey, “I am bound in the other direction, for St James's Square, only a short distance away, and I shall be there sooner on foot.”

“Very true,” said the First Lord, looking at the traffic. “I'll say farewell then. Perhaps these two officers will come with me to the Admiralty, however. We shall need to discuss their future employment.”

Delancey parted from the others, walked into St James's Street, and was soon back at Colonel Barrington's house. He was shown up to the Colonel's bedroom and explained to his host that he had just received the honour of knighthood.

“What did I tell you, Delancey? The Regent thinks as highly of you as I do! I wish we could celebrate the occasion as we should once have done. I have to go easy these days, you know, and I dare say my physician does well to keep me on a tight rein. But it does me good to hear of merit being recognized, and especially the merit of a friend. I'll tell you what, though, I shall come down to dinner, if only to have the pleasure of drinking
your health. Yes, we must dine together—perhaps for the last time—and I'll give orders to put the champagne on ice.” The Colonel then pulled a cord by his bedside and there was a faint sound of a distant bell. The Colonel's valet appeared.

“Now, Dobson, you must know that Captain Delancey has just received the honour of knighthood. He is now Sir Richard Delancey. Please inform the other servants so as to ensure that they address him correctly.”

After some further conversation and reiterated congratulations, Delancey took his leave—seeing that the old Colonel was tired—and went along to the drawing room, from which he could look down into the square. Would she arrive in the course of the day? He told himself that the idea was absurd. He would leave for Portsmouth in the morning and would find her at the George. What if they passed each other on the way, though? It seemed all too possible. He turned away from the window and picked up the newspaper which a footman had brought him. What was the news of the Peninsula? There was the sound of a carriage in the square but he had learnt to ignore that, for there were carriages passing all the time. He looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was only the half-hour after noon. How would he spend the day? Restlessly, he went to the window again and at that moment a footman threw open the door and announced, with a certain emphasis:

“Lady Delancey!”

Fiona was in his arms, her tears wetting his cheeks, her voice a mere whisper.

“Fiona!”

“Richard!”

“You are much more beautiful than I had remembered . . .”

“You are no older than when you sailed for the East . . .”

“How long it has been!”

“Let's never be parted again!”

“Never again, Lady Delancey!”

“Does that mean—I thought perhaps the footman had made a mistake—are you really?”

“I was knighted this morning.”

“And no one ever deserved it more. I've only just realized what you did in that action. All this hand-to-hand fighting should be left to more junior officers! And you were wounded, too! How proud I was to read the gazette letter but I shuddered to think of the needless risks you ran. Old Captain Savage told me what it means for one ship to fight two. He thinks you are the cleverest man alive and so you are! There are already ballads about you and the
Minerva
and I was shown a broadsheet in Portsmouth with a woodcut supposed to be of you but first intended, I expect, for Admiral Keppel. You are famous, darling, but you have done your share of the fighting and must stop now before you are more seriously hurt.”

“Agreed, my love. And now to deal with our immediate plans: Colonel Barrington has asked us to dine with him and he is getting up for the occasion. He has also invited Northmore and Topley and maybe some ladies as well. We are to dine at two. Your maid will have unpacked for you by now and there will be plenty of time to dress for dinner.”

“All the time in the world, my love.”