Lord Exmouth's Commission: Part 3
Feb. 24th, 2011 12:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anteros_lmcTitle: Lord Exmouth's Commission: London, Peace of Amiens, 1802
Author: Anteros
Characters: John Thomas Serres, Olive Serres, George Cadogan, Archie Kennedy, Horatio Hornblower
Rating: R
Notes: John's debts are mounting, Olive is bored by the Peace of Amiens and news arrives of events in Kingston.
By the time he had completed his Admiralty commission John Serres had little thought for the trials and tribulations of the officers of the Inshore Fleet. He returned home to find the bailiffs at his door, his wife’s name in the Gazette and her scandalous allegations a source of tittle tattle in coffee houses across the city. The money from his Brest commission was all but spent before he set foot in Falmouth and the Peace of Amiens the following year saw to it that no further commissions were forthcoming from the Admiralty. Serres eked out a living publishing marine prints but his meagre wage did little to curtail Olive’s extravagances.
Only months after the Treaty of Amiens was signed, Society declared itself bored of the peace and sought distraction in an increasingly extravagant season of balls and entertainments. Olive insisted on attending every engagement and invariably returned in the early hours professing herself bored beyond distraction.
“Honestly, who would have thought peace could be so dull? Nothing diverting has happened for weeks now. I swear I shall simply die of boredom.”
Any news or event that alleviated the terrible boredom was cause for great excitement and John vividly remembered the night that Olive flew into the house in a state of high animation.
“John you must listen,” she exclaimed as she kicked off her satin slippers and deposited herself on the sagging chaise. “We have just had the most diverting evening. There was a Marine lieutenant in our company tonight, Wainwright I believe, who had just put in to Portsmouth from the West Indies. It’s quite the most astonishing thing, there has been a mutiny on one of His Majesty’s ships! One of the officers turned on the captain, Lawyer or Sawyer or something, seized the ship and was all for handing her over to the French. Or the Spanish, I forget which. Can you imagine? An officer turning on his own captain and one of Nelson’s own at that? The coward got what he deserved though, he was court martialed and hung and that was that. Kennedy I think his name was. But anyway, that is no matter. You will not believe this John, Wainwright was giving a most entertaining account of events when up starts Cadogan, that’s George, not Henry, he’s little more than a boy really but he was all for calling Wainwright out! Started on about lies and slander. Can you imagine John? He actually confessed to having served with the mutineer and swore most vehemently that he was nothing of the sort. Well! As if he is in any position to pass judgement, have you heard about his sister Charlotte? As if snaring a Wellesley wasn’t enough she’s been sniffing round Paget again. She’s no better than a polecat that one. Apparently she….”
John, had long since ceased to listen to his wife’s distasteful gossip. He was seated at his desk pouring despondently over his accounts barely hearing Olive’s tirade when the name Kennedy brought him up short. There could be a dozen officers named Kennedy in the fleet. It was impossible that the executed mutineer could have been the loyal bright young man he remembered from the Indefatigable. John let Olive prattle on but the question nagged at the back of his mind.
“You said the mutineer was named Kennedy?”
“Indeed, I believe that is what Wainwright said.”
“And did… did the Marine lieutenant mention any other officers? One named Hornblower perhaps?” John held his breath and willed the answer to be no.
“Why yes, I do believe he did! That’s right, he was the very hero of the hour. Seized a fort or some such, regained the boat and sailed home a commander. He may have been the one who turned the dreadful mutineer over to his fate. I don’t rightly remember. Anyway, as I was saying about Charlotte Cadogan, what either Paget or Wellesley see in her is quite beyond me. She is the most….”
John felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. War does fearful things to a man, of that he had no doubt, but it was beyond comprehension that the man he had known could have been driven to such cowardice, disloyalty and disgrace. And for such a terrible act to come between Kennedy and Hornblower was inconceivable.
Serres retained a few contacts at the Admiralty who would still consent to meet with him and he wasted no time in making discrete enquiries as to events on the West Indies Station. At first he was horrified to learn that there was more than a grain of truth in Olive’s tale. There had indeed been a mutiny followed by a court martial that convicted Kennedy and acquitted Hornblower and two senior officers. Kennedy had confessed his guilt and been sentenced to hang, there was no question of that. However when John dug a little deeper rumours started to surface that the captain had taken leave of his senses, that the officers had taken possession of the ship by consensus and that the fourth lieutenant had confessed simply to exonerate his fellow officers. Whatever the truth of the matter there had been no execution. Kennedy had died of wounds received defending his ship from the Spanish.
Despite his own trials, John was unaccountably saddened by the news of Kennedy’s death and it pained him inexplicably to think of Hornblower, the companion he had forfeited his life and his name for. Without Kennedy by his side Hornblower was sure to retreat behind a wall of cold formality. John knew what it was like to present such a face to the world and he knew it was no life for a man.
The years passed and along with them any last illusion of Olive’s fidelity and sanity. John remained for the sake of his beloved daughters but when his wife gave birth to another man’s son he could thole the ignominy no longer. Even after they separated, Olive’s extravagances pushed John further and further into debt and the stain of her increasingly scandalous and unbalanced allegations ensured that the doors of Admiralty and Court were closed to him forever. Without the patronage of the Admiralty, Serres was left with little option but to scrape a living painting fashionable panoramas and instructing bored young ladies in the art of watercolour. Regardless of their separation, Olive’s creditors continued to hound John mercilessly, driving him from one debtors prison to the next. In the depths of his despair John found his thoughts returning ever and anon to two young men he recalled, once light and dark, now lost and bereft.
Historical Notes
John and Olive Serres signed a deed of separation in 1803. However John continued to be held accountable for Olive's debts and he spent time in the debtors prison in Edinburgh in 1808 as a result of her extravagances.
Charlotte Cadogan, sister of George Cadogan, Boy First Class on the Indefatigable, married Henry Wellesley in 1802. In 1809 Charlotte abandoned Wellesley and eloped with the distinguished cavalry officer Henry Lord Paget. The affair caused a public scandal with Charlotte being widely castigated for her infidelity. Paget's brother-in-law, Lord Graves, wrote a letter describing Charlotte as 'a stinking Pole Cat." After issuing repeated challenges, George Cadogan fought a duel with Paget in an attempt to restore the family honour. Despite the inauspicious start to their relationship Charlotte and Lord Paget had a long and happy marriage. The affair initially damaged Paget's military career and he was unable to serve in the Peninsular War on account of the ill feeling of the Wellesley family. However Paget went on to serve with distinction at Waterloo where he lost a leg leading the charge of the heavy cavalry.
Author: Anteros
Characters: John Thomas Serres, Olive Serres, George Cadogan, Archie Kennedy, Horatio Hornblower
Rating: R
Notes: John's debts are mounting, Olive is bored by the Peace of Amiens and news arrives of events in Kingston.
By the time he had completed his Admiralty commission John Serres had little thought for the trials and tribulations of the officers of the Inshore Fleet. He returned home to find the bailiffs at his door, his wife’s name in the Gazette and her scandalous allegations a source of tittle tattle in coffee houses across the city. The money from his Brest commission was all but spent before he set foot in Falmouth and the Peace of Amiens the following year saw to it that no further commissions were forthcoming from the Admiralty. Serres eked out a living publishing marine prints but his meagre wage did little to curtail Olive’s extravagances.
Only months after the Treaty of Amiens was signed, Society declared itself bored of the peace and sought distraction in an increasingly extravagant season of balls and entertainments. Olive insisted on attending every engagement and invariably returned in the early hours professing herself bored beyond distraction.
“Honestly, who would have thought peace could be so dull? Nothing diverting has happened for weeks now. I swear I shall simply die of boredom.”
Any news or event that alleviated the terrible boredom was cause for great excitement and John vividly remembered the night that Olive flew into the house in a state of high animation.
“John you must listen,” she exclaimed as she kicked off her satin slippers and deposited herself on the sagging chaise. “We have just had the most diverting evening. There was a Marine lieutenant in our company tonight, Wainwright I believe, who had just put in to Portsmouth from the West Indies. It’s quite the most astonishing thing, there has been a mutiny on one of His Majesty’s ships! One of the officers turned on the captain, Lawyer or Sawyer or something, seized the ship and was all for handing her over to the French. Or the Spanish, I forget which. Can you imagine? An officer turning on his own captain and one of Nelson’s own at that? The coward got what he deserved though, he was court martialed and hung and that was that. Kennedy I think his name was. But anyway, that is no matter. You will not believe this John, Wainwright was giving a most entertaining account of events when up starts Cadogan, that’s George, not Henry, he’s little more than a boy really but he was all for calling Wainwright out! Started on about lies and slander. Can you imagine John? He actually confessed to having served with the mutineer and swore most vehemently that he was nothing of the sort. Well! As if he is in any position to pass judgement, have you heard about his sister Charlotte? As if snaring a Wellesley wasn’t enough she’s been sniffing round Paget again. She’s no better than a polecat that one. Apparently she….”
John, had long since ceased to listen to his wife’s distasteful gossip. He was seated at his desk pouring despondently over his accounts barely hearing Olive’s tirade when the name Kennedy brought him up short. There could be a dozen officers named Kennedy in the fleet. It was impossible that the executed mutineer could have been the loyal bright young man he remembered from the Indefatigable. John let Olive prattle on but the question nagged at the back of his mind.
“You said the mutineer was named Kennedy?”
“Indeed, I believe that is what Wainwright said.”
“And did… did the Marine lieutenant mention any other officers? One named Hornblower perhaps?” John held his breath and willed the answer to be no.
“Why yes, I do believe he did! That’s right, he was the very hero of the hour. Seized a fort or some such, regained the boat and sailed home a commander. He may have been the one who turned the dreadful mutineer over to his fate. I don’t rightly remember. Anyway, as I was saying about Charlotte Cadogan, what either Paget or Wellesley see in her is quite beyond me. She is the most….”
John felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. War does fearful things to a man, of that he had no doubt, but it was beyond comprehension that the man he had known could have been driven to such cowardice, disloyalty and disgrace. And for such a terrible act to come between Kennedy and Hornblower was inconceivable.
Serres retained a few contacts at the Admiralty who would still consent to meet with him and he wasted no time in making discrete enquiries as to events on the West Indies Station. At first he was horrified to learn that there was more than a grain of truth in Olive’s tale. There had indeed been a mutiny followed by a court martial that convicted Kennedy and acquitted Hornblower and two senior officers. Kennedy had confessed his guilt and been sentenced to hang, there was no question of that. However when John dug a little deeper rumours started to surface that the captain had taken leave of his senses, that the officers had taken possession of the ship by consensus and that the fourth lieutenant had confessed simply to exonerate his fellow officers. Whatever the truth of the matter there had been no execution. Kennedy had died of wounds received defending his ship from the Spanish.
Despite his own trials, John was unaccountably saddened by the news of Kennedy’s death and it pained him inexplicably to think of Hornblower, the companion he had forfeited his life and his name for. Without Kennedy by his side Hornblower was sure to retreat behind a wall of cold formality. John knew what it was like to present such a face to the world and he knew it was no life for a man.
The years passed and along with them any last illusion of Olive’s fidelity and sanity. John remained for the sake of his beloved daughters but when his wife gave birth to another man’s son he could thole the ignominy no longer. Even after they separated, Olive’s extravagances pushed John further and further into debt and the stain of her increasingly scandalous and unbalanced allegations ensured that the doors of Admiralty and Court were closed to him forever. Without the patronage of the Admiralty, Serres was left with little option but to scrape a living painting fashionable panoramas and instructing bored young ladies in the art of watercolour. Regardless of their separation, Olive’s creditors continued to hound John mercilessly, driving him from one debtors prison to the next. In the depths of his despair John found his thoughts returning ever and anon to two young men he recalled, once light and dark, now lost and bereft.
Historical Notes
John and Olive Serres signed a deed of separation in 1803. However John continued to be held accountable for Olive's debts and he spent time in the debtors prison in Edinburgh in 1808 as a result of her extravagances.
Charlotte Cadogan, sister of George Cadogan, Boy First Class on the Indefatigable, married Henry Wellesley in 1802. In 1809 Charlotte abandoned Wellesley and eloped with the distinguished cavalry officer Henry Lord Paget. The affair caused a public scandal with Charlotte being widely castigated for her infidelity. Paget's brother-in-law, Lord Graves, wrote a letter describing Charlotte as 'a stinking Pole Cat." After issuing repeated challenges, George Cadogan fought a duel with Paget in an attempt to restore the family honour. Despite the inauspicious start to their relationship Charlotte and Lord Paget had a long and happy marriage. The affair initially damaged Paget's military career and he was unable to serve in the Peninsular War on account of the ill feeling of the Wellesley family. However Paget went on to serve with distinction at Waterloo where he lost a leg leading the charge of the heavy cavalry.
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no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 07:00 pm (UTC)And to me. I'm no longer sure what's real and what's fictional. Sorry it's so sad, it's not a happy story :(
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 02:11 am (UTC)Lovely writing. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 07:18 pm (UTC)Thank you for reading and commenting.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 08:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-24 07:20 pm (UTC)