Leaving Lisbon

"That he certainly can," Leat said, twisting round in his chair. "Simmons! Take the doctor's clothes and hang them by the galley stove to dry. And bring the gentlemen some coffee as well."


Having spent the best part of a minute sniffing the doctor's hand - there were some quite interesting smells lingering about him besides the salt - Emily took another pace, forward, bumping her head against his hand in encouragement.

"Why, hello there puisín," Stephen murmured, and scratched the top of the cat's head. "Thank you," he handed the soaked bundle to the steward. "Am I allowed to ask where you next sail to, Lieutenant?"

Raoul noticed the Lieutenant's hesitation and grimaced. "If I may," he said, "I will go on deck. I am sure no one will stow me in the hold." Even in chains, he thought. He had come aboard of his own free will, and would surelybe allowed to leave in the same way.

"As you wish, sir," Leat said, smiling at Raoul as he left to go up on deck. Then turning his attention back to the doctor he frowned at Emily, who was now purring quite loudly and walking up and down the table under Maturin's caress.

"Pay no mind to her, sir," he said apologetically. "She is an absolute whore when it comes to attention."

"If you wish to, Capitaine, I am sure that would be permissible..." Stephen said, hurt by des Sablières' sudden and apparently urgent desire to be out of his company.

He turned back to Leat, forcing a smile. "Like all cats, Mister Leat - it would be highly illiberal of me to say 'like most women', which in any case is often not true. But cats love attention, to be sure. Is she the ship's?"

"Nominally," Leat said, somewhat awkwardly. "The Bosun brought her aboard originally, but for some reason she seems to have attached herself to me. She sleeps in my cabin now, and shares my breakfast most days."

"Well, give you joy of the acquisition of a new companion." Stephen stroked along the cat's back. "Is she a good ratter?"

"Incredibly good, though she is so small," Leat said, perhaps a little jealous that Emily was showing such affection to Maturin. She arched her back, her eyes closed in ecstasy, and rubbed her way up his arm, tailing shaking. "Leaves them for me when she's caught a big one. I think should we start getting low on stores I shall have to donate them back to the lower decks."

"Ah, the infamous millers," said Stephen with a smile, finding a spot on the back of Emily's neck that she appeared to enjoy having scratched. "I kept rats on the Surprise, as part of an experiment with madder - I was indisposed for a week, and when I returned to the ship I discovered that my hand-reared rats had been stolen and eaten - by the midshipmen's berth, it later emerged. Little brutes, but the madder worked the punishment for me."

"It did, sir?" Leat asked, bearing a worried expression.

"It did. I wished to see if the root dyed the bones of the rats, but in addition to it dying properties madder also has an opening quality."

"Oh."

Leat suddenly felt very sorry for the poor midshipmen. Eating rats was one thing, but falkling pray to the doctor's wrath and experiments was not something that should happen to any man.

Stephen shrugged. "There was nothing I could do about it, save wait for the effect to wear off. But I said there would be no need for further punishment - their thieving punished them more then enough in itself."

"Quite, sir," Leat said, then paused for a moment. Emily's purrs punctuated the silence.

"How long are you to remain in Lisbon, doctor? I thought, being with the army for now, you would have left with them long ago."

Stephen looked down, gently knuckling the cat's neck. "I intended to, but a captain of my acquaintance was sadly robbed and beaten, and so I cannot leave until my patient is well enough to journey. I fear I will be in Lisbon for some time yet - he is recovering, to be sure, but it is a long way north on horseback, and with only three of us traveling - for Capitaine des Sablières is to accompany us - I cannot in all conscience risk it until my patient is better than he is now."

"You plan to head north?"

Leat was quiet again, then hesitantly cleared his throat.

"Doctor, I do not know whether you would consider such an offer impertinent, but I believe that in this we might be able to assist you. Your friend asked where we were headed - we shall in fact be sailing to Oporto, to give protection against the French reinforcing their numbers by sea. I do not know whether your patient is well enough to travel at all; but should you think it suitable, I believe Captain Bolitho would not object to three passengers..."

Here the lieutenant turned hopeful eyes to Crozier.

"Nor Mister Crozier some educated company..."

"Porto?" asked Stephen, hope building in his chest. "I do not know when the army will reach Porto, but that is certainly where they are headed... My patient would be well enough to travel by ship, I am sure - I have traveled thus in a much worse state, you will remember... Your offer is more kind than I can say but we could not possibly impose on you in such a way..."

"It would be no imposition, sir; not in the slightest! We are headed that way, and you know that we do not mind giving lifts to friends in the Navy. It would be no trouble at all."

No more walking about the city in pairs, constantly looking over his shoulder. And a short journey on a ship, instead of weeks of walking through dangerous country - of the three, he was the only one who could be expected to fight should they encounter any Frenchmen, and they could be away tomorrow - tomorrow! "I shall have to ask my patient," Stephen began carefully, "but I predict he would be extremely grateful to be reunited with his fellows, and for myself I can say that it would be the most welcome offer, most welcome. We would be no trouble to you - we would be happy to stay entirely out of the way, below deck - if you are sure we would not be the least burden to you."

Raoul climbed the second set of stairs and came out just beneath the raised deck at the stern. The ship was gently rocking, but nothing too serious - he had been on rougher river crossings. The seamen had gone back to work after the excitement of their arrival, and Dr Maturin's rescue. He would have liked... He looked around in the hope of recognising Billy Barrow, but instead found himself face to face with a young boy who had just emerged from the stairs behind him.

The uniform coat marked him out as one of the young officers in training - curly, fair hair had been recently and ruthlessly combed and brushed, but was already springing back out of control. Raoul recognized the type - he had been friends with a couple back in England, as ready for a laugh as for excitement. But then he met the boy's eyes, and flinched. He had seen that look often enough these past few days, in the mirror. Some strong emotion - a grief, a problem too big to solve, a mistake that could not be put right - eating like rust through his cheerfulness. How, he thought, had no one realized. Then the boy's face changed, as he assumed the cheerful smile that belonged there naturally. He lifted a hand to his hat to salute the stranger, then to salute the quarterdeck, before walking forrard along the gangway, the sailors making way for him with smiles and respectful gestures.

Amongst the sailors was the boy of similiar age to young Yates. He too had stepped away, but looked less cheerful than the men about him. He didn't spare more than what was required, towards the midshipman and was quick to return, hefting one of the heavy bundles into the hands of the next sailor.

Once the boy had passed the same young sailor glanced again at him, and there was a look of envy on his face, quickly turning to the attention of his next burden he was to carry accross.

"There you are, cap-- er, captain," Crozier said, approaching him with a smile. He did not wish to draw undue attention to his visitor by addressing him in the French manner. "I managed to rouse out some cake that Mrs. Grose gave to me. I had packed it away and couldn't find it, but I have it now. Will you come below and have some with me? Please don't mind Mister Leat in the wardroom. I'm sure he is full of curiosity, but he's a good man."

"I thought they would talk more freely without my presence," Raoul said, responding to Dr Crozier's kindness. "Now, I can always be tempted by cake."

[OOC: and by dinner, which is now nearly ready.]

"Oh. Well we don't have to share it with them if you'd rather not," the surgeon responded with a smile. "I have to admit, Doctor Maturin makes me feel..." He paused, trying to understand just what it was he felt. Daunted? Awkward? Foolish? "Young. Much too young." He stared down into the water with an embarrassed smile.

"I do not mind - I left them because ... It is difficult. I am not to be trusted because I am an enemy, but it is difficult for someone to say that to me - as if I would take it as an insult. So I thought the Doctor and Lieutenant Leat would talk more easily if I were not there. But if you want to share the cake with them, I would be happy to return to the wardroom."

He turned to lean back against the rail. "Dr Maturin seems to be known and respected by many of your sailors - but so are you. You are young, but already they speak well of you. And you will age, and regret it."