Chapter 7

Victoria did indeed prove to be ideal to set up and stock the shop with everything that would be required. Jake blanched at some of the expenditure, but could see that it was necessary. The first thing was premises and here she quickly found what she determined was required; a major corner premises on several floors in the centre of town. Jake was convinced that these were larger than they required, but, as Victoria pointed out, they only needed to outfit the ground floor to start with, and the rent was very reasonable, partly due, Jake was sure, to the fact that the owners were unused to dealing with a a woman, and one who was determined to get her own way. He was quite sure that Victoria used her charm to get what she wanted rather than the tantrums of which he knew she was capable. She was often accompanied by Dennis, note pad in hand, and most people seemed to accept that a red headed whirlwind had passed through their lives. And so in remarkably short order the dress shop was up and open. Victoria would brook no excuses for delay, expecting, and getting, tradesmen and carriers to work or deliver as she directed.

There were a number of discussions held, often late at night in Jake’s bedroom, concerning what to call the new business. They eventually settled on ‘Victoria’s Secrets’ as giving the right image, and so the new business was unleashed upon the Ladies of Bristol. The said ladies were ... largely underwhelmed to start with. There was, however a trickle of ladies visiting the shop which gradually grew into a steady stream as word spread, and after a month or so, they could see that the business was going to be successful.

It was shortly after the Five Sisters incident that Jake was sitting in his office one morning checking through some paperwork when Dennis came in.

“There are some gentlemen to see you, Sir,” said Dennis.

“Right,” said Jake, glad of an interruption. “Show them in Dennis.”

The first man to enter was tall and slender, neatly, and very expensively dressed in black, and he was followed by a full colonel with Captain Oates and Major Humble bringing up the rear, his arm still in a sling.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” said Jake. “I am Jake White. Please take a seat.”

“Hatherly,” the gentleman in black introduced himself, “I’m with the Home Office, This is Colonel Carver, and these other gentlemen I believe you know.”

“Indeed,” said Jake. “Major Humble and Captain Oates,” he nodded to them, “so I am assuming that this visit has to do with The Five Sisters.”

Hatherly smiled. “Indeed, Mr White. You know all about the story so far, indeed, you were responsible for its discovery, and we hoped you could assist us in the next phase by using the ship to take a cargo to Dublin. There may be some danger involved, but from what I am told you would be a man to relish that. We want you to be the ship’s master and I believe you have an experienced captain on you staff who could be the mate.”

“Is this not a job for the navy?” asked Jake.

“Well yes, and no,” said Hatherly. “If we had a naval vessel nearby I’d be happy to ask for assistance, but we haven’t, and time is of the essence. If we can get the ship loaded and away in a couple of days then we stand a good chance of catching the people who are waiting for the arms shipment.”

“I see. Well I am sure that Captain Pook will be happy to assist,” said Jake.” But what about the crew? And I would hazard a guess that you want me to contact the people who were to receive the original cargo.”

“They will contact you, Mr White, we found the signal details in the captain’s cabin. As to crew, you’ll have to pick your men, and Captain Oates will be with you with a half dozen of his men in case of trouble. They won’t show themselves unless they are needed, but they’ll arrest anyone who comes on board, after you know who they are.”

In case of trouble, thought Jake, I reckon it’ll be a certainty.

“We’ll have a detachment on the quayside as well, of course, to deal with any problems there.”

“And you want to do this as soon as possible?” asked Jake.

“Leave as soon as you can get a cargo loaded, she needs to look as though she picked up one in Bristol, so it might as well be genuine. What do you say?”

“I’ve a fortnight until I’m to be married, so we’d best get started,” replied Jake.

“I’ll leave you with Oates and Humble,” Hatherly offered his hand, followed by Colonel Carver:

“You’ll take care of my men,” he said.

“I’ll do my best Colonel,” Jake replied, his mind already working on the details of the cargo.

The two men left leaving Major Humble and Captain Oates to sort out the details.

Jake yelled out for Dennis.

The door opened and Caroline swept in followed by Dennis.

The two men stood.

“Oh!” exclaimed Caroline, “I thought all your guests had left. Major Humble, Captain Oates.” She nodded, acknowledging them.

Jake was well aware that she had heard every word, otherwise she would have had no idea who Oates was. He anticipated an explosion.

“We will talk later, Jake,” she informed him, pointedly. “Gentlemen,” she nodded to the visitors again and swept out.

Later thought Jake, I shall be in deep trouble.

“Dennis,” he said, “find Captain Pook for me will you, and ask him if he could spare me a few minutes.

Ten minutes later William Pook arrived and was introduced to Jake’s visitors. Jake explained what was going on.

“So we’ll use The Five Sisters to go to Dublin, and Captain Oates will arrest the conspirators when they show up,” Captain Pook summed up. “That sounds to me like an over simplification, but it’ll be a pleasure to sail that schooner. Count me in.”

Half an hour later the meeting broke up, with Jake to organise the cargo and Captain Pook to get it loaded and sign on a couple of hands. They had agreed that two experienced men should be enough reasoning that it was only a short trip, and there were Oates men if more muscles were needed.

A little later Jake was in his office organising the cargo when Caroline returned. She entered his office, obviously not happy.

“Just what are you getting into Jake?” she demanded. “We are to be married in two weeks and you are off gallivanting across the ocean chasing dangerous men and none of it is your business. You’ve already disappeared from my life once and this time you won’t be back in time for our marriage.”

“Of course I shall be back. It’s only a short trip across to Dublin, and there really isn’t any problem. We stand to make a good profit from the cargo and I can make contacts there which will be of great value.”

“So you only care about profit, and you’ll be coming back in a coffin.” Caroline looked about to burst into tears.

Jake had walked around his desk and now took her in his arms. There was a moment’s resistance and then she collapsed in tears.

“I love you and I promise I’ll be back,” he told her. “It’s a couple of days there and a couple back, and I need you to keep things running here.”

Two mornings later The Five Sisters slipped out of the River Avon and into a brisk south-westerly breeze. They had elected to have a tug take them down the river, and rather than spend several hours tacking down the Bristol Channel they decided to retain the tug until they reached the Somerset coast off Minehead. They would then take a port tack across to the Welsh coast near Swansea, before turning onto the starboard tack to run back towards the Devon coast, after which a long port tack would clear the western tip of Wales and they would have the wind on their quarter for the run to Dublin.

Jake and William were delighted by the ship’s performance, she heeled over with the sheets hardened and the fine bow cut through the chop with bursts of spray. As they turned north and entered St George’s channel in late afternoon they saw a sail on the horizon off the port bow, and quickly determined that it was on a converging course.

“Looks like a navy frigate,” commented William.

“You’d think they’d have steam frigates by now,” Jake replied.

William grinned, “They have, but that frigate is still faster and can stay at sea longer. I dare say things’ll change soon.”

“We’ve got a recognition signal,” said Jake. “Humble gave it to me before we left. We’ll get it hoisted.”

Fifteen minutes later the frigate was still closing with them. There was a puff of smoke from one of the frigate’s forward guns, and a second or two later they heard the report of the gun.

“I think they’d like us to stop,” said William grinned. “We could outrun them to windward, but she’ll overhaul us with the wind on her quarter.”

“Better heave to then, and see what they want,” replied Jake. “I just hope it doesn’t take too long.”

Within minutes The Five Sisters lay with sails backed waiting for the frigate. The frigate closed to within a couple of hundred yards, made a smart turn into the wind and backed her sails, lying parallel to the schooner. Within seconds there was a boat in the water carrying an officer and a half dozen armed sailors.

The boat was quickly alongside and the officer scrambled aboard followed by the armed escort.

“Lieutenant Fitzherbert, HMS Swallow. I’d like to see your ships papers Captain,” the officer addressed Jake.

“By all means,” said Jake, and led the way to his cabin where he handed over the paperwork.

“We did hoist the recognition signal as I was instructed,” said Jake. “And we are on official business for Her Majesty’s Government.”

“Yes, we did see that, but Captain James was still suspicious. A clearly American schooner, flying a red ensign, when we have instructions to look out for a gun runner. And you have to admit you fit the bill. It’s also quite possible you could have obtained the signal by underhand means”

At that moment there was a knock on the door and Captain Oates entered.

“Can I be of assistance?” he asked.

Fitzherbert looked up from the papers.

“From what I read here I think everything is in order, but this is a decision for my captain. Would you two gentlemen mind accompanying me over to the Swallow? Shouldn’t take long.”

An hour later Jake and Captain Oates returned to The Five Sisters.

“Let’s get underway, Mr Pook,” he said. “And let’s set those topsails.”

Jake took the wheel whilst William and the two hands, Tom and Jerry attended to the sails. Once the topsails were set the schooner surged forward and The Swallow disappeared astern.

Once they were under way again with top sails set William came aft to talk to Jake who was still at the wheel with Captain Oates standing alongside him. Oates men were sitting on a hatch cleaning their equipment. The two hands Tom and Jerry joined them, Jerry taking the wheel.

“Problems?” William asked.

“Damned fools. Rivalry, I suppose, got a ship in it so it must be a navy job,” said Jake. “He was quite insistent that they escort us to Dublin. That would have really looked good wouldn’t it?”

“Got to be boring just sailing back and forth,” commented William. “But you obviously dissuaded him.”

Oates laughed. “Jake pointed out to him that if the whole plot failed they’d be looking for someone to blame, and if you were fifty miles away at sea then you’d be safe. Captain James spluttered and agreed.”

Jake looked at Tom and Jerry.

“I’m sorry gentlemen, I suppose we should have told you there was something afoot,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it Captain, we knew something was going on,” replied Tom, with Jerry in the background grinning. “Everyone in Bristol knows what went on with this ship, so when Cap’n Pook asked us to sign on we were happy to. We reckon it’ll give us a tale or two to tell. I mean, we’ve got three captains to start with.”

There was general laughter.

“Well when we get in to Dublin I want you chaps to do your normal jobs, tidying and getting ready to unload, but if any one comes on board you make yourselves scarce, you hear? You aren’t getting paid to get shot at, that’s what Captain Oates men are for.”

“D’ye think there’ll be shooting Cap’n?”

“I sincerely hope not,” replied Jake.

Due to the enforced stop it was nearly midday when The Five Sisters entered Dublin flying the stars and stripes from the end of her main gaff, and a small pennant at the head of the foremast, the sign that had been specified in the papers that had been found on board. William brought the ship in neatly to a berth and as soon as she was tied up a customs officer and his assistant came bustling aboard.

As soon as the customs officer had looked at the ship’s papers and confirmed that the ship had a cargo from Bristol England he lost interest and gave the ship no more than a cursory examination.

“I expect you’ll have plenty of interest in your cargo captain,” he said rather ambiguously as he left.

An odd thing to say Jake thought, as he walked along the quay on his way to visit a freight handling company that had been recommended to him.

It was late afternoon when Jake returned to the ship and made his way down to his cabin where William joined him.

“Anything happen?” Jake asked.

“Nothing at all, almost eerily quiet. How did you get on?”

“Very well. We start unloading tomorrow and then we have some cargo to load and I want to visit a linen mill to see what they have, and better, I have an appointment with a big brewer with a view to a regular collection and delivery of their stout.”

“Regular?”

“Well, I was thinking that I ought to be able to buy this ship, and if not this one then maybe a small steam ship and do a regular run. Passengers too, there’s good money to be made, after all, Bristol has a direct railway line to London.

“That could work, yes. Who had you in mind to skipper her?”

Before Jake could answer there was the sound of voices on deck followed by a clatter of boots on the companionway. Jake slid his desk drawer open exposing his revolver.

The cabin door burst open and two men entered.

“What the devil is going on? You’re not supposed to be berthed here!” said one, apparently the leader.

“I was told,” Jake said, in his best imitation of an American drawl, “that this was where I had to moor.”

“And ye’ve cargo stowed on top of the important stuff.”

“And just as well I have,” Jake snapped. “We got stopped by the British Navy patrol.”

“What? The devil you did.”

At this moment there was a shout from somewhere forward followed by the sound of a single shot, and then by a fusillade.

The leader opened the cabin door and looked out, and at the same time the other man produced a knife and seized hold of William with the knife at his throat. Almost immediately the leader turned back and pulled a pistol from his waistband. Jake picked up his revolver from the open drawer and fired. The man stopped, a look of shock on his face, he lifted his pistol to aim at Jake, who was paralysed for a moment by the noise and powder smoke in the small cabin. The cabin door burst open once again as another Irishman crashed through, the door catching the leader in the back pitching him forward as he fired. The bullet buried itself in the woodwork somewhere close to Jake’s head. In the silence that followed Jake noticed that the man who had had his knife at William’s throat was lying on the floor nursing what appeared to be a broken arm, William standing over him with the knife in his hand. Jake was also aware that the man who had crashed through the door was now standing rigidly upright. The reason for that was apparent as the form of Captain Oates became visible as the smoke cleared. The Captain had a revolver jammed into the man’s back.