Read Online Mutineer by J.A. Sutherland - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J.A. Sutherland
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now that’s different — there’s but three places it’s made, do you see? The home province back on Earth, a few areas of New London, and New Glasgow, a’course.” He ran his fingers over his tablet. “Now there’s Hendly & Sons, planet-side, they import a bit of it, but I’m not sure I could have it brought up a’fore your ship sails.” He paused and looked Alexis over. “Meanin’ no offense, sir, but it’d be right dear. An hundred or more pounds the bottle for the least …”
Alexis raised her eyebrows, eyes wide. An hundred pounds for a single bottle? That was outrageous. A bottle of perfectly fine claret cost less than a pound, though she knew there were many vintages that would cost more. Still she’d never heard of anything that cost so much as that.
It wasn’t entirely beyond her means. She still had over a thousand pounds on account from her time aboard H.M.S. Merlin and the Prize Court’s odd accounting of the captured pirate ship Grapple. Though Merlin had taken the prize, Alexis had been in command of the small prize crew that was sailing her back to port. The pirates left aboard to sail the ship had managed to retake her during a darkspace storm, making Alexis and the three surviving Merlins captive. One of them, Robert Alan, had pretended to go over to the pirates, and only through his actions were Alexis and the others able to retake Grapple a second time and sail her into port.
The Prize Court, in reading about the taking, retaking, and then reretaking of the ship, had so bollixed up the events that they’d thought Alexis had been in command of a ship named Grapple that had taken a second ship, also named Grapple . They’d then awarded all of the prize money for the capture to Alexis and the three others, though Robert Alan’s award had been to his estate, as he’d been killed in fighting.
Mister Gorbett, Merlin’s elderly sailing master, the surviving spacer, Peters, and Alan’s estate had each received over four hundred pounds in the award, while Alexis, having been placed in command, had received over two thousand — the three eighths of the award normally given to the commander of a ship under Admiralty Orders and not part of a fleet, as well as the two eighths that would have gone to any midshipmen or junior warrant officers aboard. Those two eighths she’d gotten the crew of Merlin to accept as their due, since they were the ones who’d originally taken Grappel , but the three-eighths remaining had still amounted to over twelve hundred pounds.
Even after making sizable donations to the families of two marines who’d been killed aboard Grappel before she was retaken, and thus received no award from the Prize Court , Alexis had been left with a considerable sum. Added to that was her share, quite a lot smaller, of the other ships Merlin had taken while she was aboard.
And the ships Hermione’s taken add up to a tidy sum, as well. Though the Prize Courts, after a shocking display of alacrity just as the war with the Republic of Hanover had begun, had reverted to their more normal course of spending months in deliberation before rendering a judgment on each prize. Neither Alexis nor any of the other crew of Hermione had seen aught but promises and dreams from the frigate’s captures. Naught but a stack of drafts promising a share of some future decision, though that doesn’t stop the crew from selling theirs at pennies on the pound to any prize agent they come across. Perhaps the one bright point to Captain Neals’ habit of confining his crew to the ship was that they weren’t to be so easily cheated out of their future awards by the temptations of a moment’s pleasure.
“Sir?” the chandler prompted.
Ah, yes, temptations. And a ‘dark path’, indeed, Lieutenant Willard. She considered the number of glasses that had been poured in Dorchester’s the night before. Baron must pay quite a bit better than lieutenant .
“Could you, perhaps, recommend something?”
Alexis raised her eyebrows, eyes wide. An hundred pounds for a single bottle? That was outrageous. A bottle of perfectly fine claret cost less than a pound, though she knew there were many vintages that would cost more. Still she’d never heard of anything that cost so much as that.
It wasn’t entirely beyond her means. She still had over a thousand pounds on account from her time aboard H.M.S. Merlin and the Prize Court’s odd accounting of the captured pirate ship Grapple. Though Merlin had taken the prize, Alexis had been in command of the small prize crew that was sailing her back to port. The pirates left aboard to sail the ship had managed to retake her during a darkspace storm, making Alexis and the three surviving Merlins captive. One of them, Robert Alan, had pretended to go over to the pirates, and only through his actions were Alexis and the others able to retake Grapple a second time and sail her into port.
The Prize Court, in reading about the taking, retaking, and then reretaking of the ship, had so bollixed up the events that they’d thought Alexis had been in command of a ship named Grapple that had taken a second ship, also named Grapple . They’d then awarded all of the prize money for the capture to Alexis and the three others, though Robert Alan’s award had been to his estate, as he’d been killed in fighting.
Mister Gorbett, Merlin’s elderly sailing master, the surviving spacer, Peters, and Alan’s estate had each received over four hundred pounds in the award, while Alexis, having been placed in command, had received over two thousand — the three eighths of the award normally given to the commander of a ship under Admiralty Orders and not part of a fleet, as well as the two eighths that would have gone to any midshipmen or junior warrant officers aboard. Those two eighths she’d gotten the crew of Merlin to accept as their due, since they were the ones who’d originally taken Grappel , but the three-eighths remaining had still amounted to over twelve hundred pounds.
Even after making sizable donations to the families of two marines who’d been killed aboard Grappel before she was retaken, and thus received no award from the Prize Court , Alexis had been left with a considerable sum. Added to that was her share, quite a lot smaller, of the other ships Merlin had taken while she was aboard.
And the ships Hermione’s taken add up to a tidy sum, as well. Though the Prize Courts, after a shocking display of alacrity just as the war with the Republic of Hanover had begun, had reverted to their more normal course of spending months in deliberation before rendering a judgment on each prize. Neither Alexis nor any of the other crew of Hermione had seen aught but promises and dreams from the frigate’s captures. Naught but a stack of drafts promising a share of some future decision, though that doesn’t stop the crew from selling theirs at pennies on the pound to any prize agent they come across. Perhaps the one bright point to Captain Neals’ habit of confining his crew to the ship was that they weren’t to be so easily cheated out of their future awards by the temptations of a moment’s pleasure.
“Sir?” the chandler prompted.
Ah, yes, temptations. And a ‘dark path’, indeed, Lieutenant Willard. She considered the number of glasses that had been poured in Dorchester’s the night before. Baron must pay quite a bit better than lieutenant .
“Could you, perhaps, recommend something?”
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