Skull and Bones (18 page)

    He bowed and took Katty Cooper's hand, then, with astonishing grace for so grotesque a creature, he knelt to plant a gentle kiss in the centre of her pink palm.

    "Oh, my dear Mr Abbey!" she said, and for once a genuine smile shone from her pretty little face, for even Katty Cooper had been a girl once, and had memories of innocence. He bowed again, this time towards Selena.

    "And is this the sable nymph?
La belle fille noire?"

    "May I present Miss Henderson, my protegee," said Katty.

    "Ah!" said Abbey. "Let us say
Mrs
Henderson, for this is not London."

    Abbey stepped back, and gave yet another bow, this time of such extravagant and comical elaboration that it was a work of art, and Selena couldn't help but laugh. The clown clapped his hands and smiled.

    "And may I present… the amphitheatre, of which I am owner and manager!" he said. "Empty today, but all the better for you to see it. Come forward! See!"

    Selena stared. It was wonderful. The sandy circle in which they were standing was enclosed by a bright-painted barrier some four feet high. To one side was a pit for musicians, then a great proscenium arch and stage, and on the other side were three tiers of seats running in a semi-circle, with many more seats packed in at ground level around the circle.

    "A full house holds nearly seven hundred persons," said Abbey. "It is admirably adapted for spectacles - especially equestrian - and the scenery, machinery and decorations are executed by the finest artists in the country." He pointed upwards: "Illuminated by one of the biggest glass chandeliers in England, supporting over two hundred fine wax candles!"

    "One of the finest auditoriums… in the provinces," said Katty Cooper.

    Abbey winced.

    "You seek to wound!" he cried, raising his arms in self- protection. "We are mere peasants to the daughter of Drury Lane!" They both laughed.

    "So!" said Abbey to Katty Cooper, and looked at Selena. "What can she do?"

    Katty Cooper had been thinking about that all the way to England, and now they were safe arrived in Polmouth, and lodged in its best hotel, and favours had been asked of her old friend…

    "Let us first see her in costume!" Katty smiled. "As requested in my letter."

    "As in your letter!" said Abbey. "Will you follow me, ladies?"

    He took them to a private dressing room, laid out a costume, bowed and left them to it.

    Ten minutes later, Katty Cooper led Selena back, taking her to the middle of the stage and propelling her forward for Abbey to see.

    "
Ah!
" said Abbey. One syllable, short and sharp, for the "costume" could have been stored in a thimble, being engineered from one silk handkerchief and a handful of glittering stars. "Thank you, Mrs Henderson," said Abbey. "Would you be so kind as to excuse Mrs Cooper and me while we hold a brief, professional discussion?"

    They left the stage, walked to the far side of the circular enclosure and stood, looking back at Selena, left standing in mid-stage with her arms folded, tapping one foot and staring suspiciously towards them. Abbey smiled and waved. Katty smiled and waved.

    "Where
did
you find her?" whispered Abbey. "She is quite, quite,
spectacularly
beautiful. I have never seen the like. She is very lovely indeed, and I am lost for words!" He looked at Katty Cooper. "Is she in your trade, dear heart?"

    "Not yet. She's got to be shown off."

    "On the stage?"

    "Yes. Enough public performances to make her name…"

    "Followed by some select
private
performances?"

    "Then we'll be open to offers," said Katty.

    Abbey sighed. "And I suppose these performances must be in London?"

    "Of course!"

    "And the provinces are but stepping stones?"

    "Yes. An unknown girl doesn't walk straight into Drury Lane."

    "Huh!" said Abbey. "So, I ask again, what can she do?"

    "No," said Katty, stooping to kiss his white cheek. "You tell me…"

    Back on the stage, Abbey produced a small violin, which he played with tremendous skill. The sound was so merry that it was a wonder the seats didn't get up to dance.

    "Follow me, Mrs Henderson," said Abbey. "Do as I do." And he danced around the stage with Selena following and attempting to mimic his moves, which started simple and grew complex, till she strained and ached. At last Abbey put down the fiddle and clapped time, rather than playing, and danced step after step after step.

    "And
this!
And
this!
And
this!"
he cried, and seemed never to tire.

    Then he gave her a brief rest and a glass of water before taking up the violin again, this time for a simple country song.

    "Follow the tune, my dear," he said. "La-la-la if you don't know the words."

    Which progressed to more difficult works and finally to Selena singing a song of her own choosing. And then:

    "I shall speak some lines from a play. I want you to repeat them to me, as clearly as you can, and with as much passion as you can…"

    An hour later, Selena was sent back to the dressing room, where a jug, bowl and towels had been set out for her to wash the sweat off herself before she put on her own clothes again.

    "Well?" said Katty Cooper.

    "She'll never make an actress. She sings passing well. She dances with moderate grace… and every man in England will fall in love with her! She enchants the eye, she ravishes the senses."

    "So?"

    "She'll do! Songs and dances can be arranged to suit her limitations, and she should appear in melodramas and spectacles… wearing as few clothes as decency will allow!"

    "Good," said Katty. "Then you'll book her?"

    "Of course." He shrugged. "And I suppose you'll tour the provinces?"

    "Getting letters of recommendation from such as yourself."

    "And will descend upon London in triumph…"

    "Yes," said Katty. "It will take some months, but I'll do it."

    Abbey looked miserable. "And you'll show her off on stage," he said, "then sell her to the highest bidder?"

    Katty Cooper smiled with exquisite prettiness, and sighed in peaceful contentment. She nodded.

    "Oh yes," she said, "as many times as I may."

Chapter 16

Three bells of the afternoon watch

11th June 1753

Aboard Walrus

The Thames, England

    Captain Warrington stood proud at the helm as
Walrus
came up the two-mile stretch of water from Rotherhithe towards London Bridge, where the slow, brown river - swept by two tides a day - ran to mud-flats on either hand with ancient embankments shored up by massive timber piles that had been driven home when Queen Bess was a girl. To
Walrus's
people, the docks and the city they served seemed enormous beyond belief; veteran seamen though they were, they'd spent their lives out of England, and had never seen the like of London town. So all hands lined the rail and gaped as they passed row upon row of quays, wharves, warehouses and cranes, and ships whose number was beyond counting, and whose masts and spars arose like virgin forest.

    Thus all aboard were merry except McLonarch and Norton, who were down below in irons: Norton bitterly resentful at his fall from first mate's rank, while McLonarch pretended calm understanding. And all the while, "Captain" Warrington strutted the quarterdeck, and the crew jumped to his orders and raised their hats… for Warrington had redeemed himself halfway across the Atlantic.

    He did it during a heavy blow, when Norton was standing alongside Long John in the cramped master's cabin under
Walrus's
quarterdeck, testing Mr Joe's growing competence at navigation.

    Norton had just nudged Silver and nodded at the back of Mr Joe's curly-haired head, as the lad leaned over the table, stepping his dividers across the chart and making neat pencil notes on a piece of paper, calculating his latitude and the previous day's run.

    "See?" whispered Norton. "I told you!" Silver shook his head in wonderment. "He's natural born for it," breathed Norton. "Coming on at the gallop."

    "Buggered if I could do it!" said Silver, and Mr Joe never even heard, so intense was his concentration.

    "A-hem," said another voice, from the hatchway. Silver and Norton turned. It was Warrington, up from his sickbed at last, and washed into some semblance of cleanliness - even his fingernails were dark grey rather than black - though he bore a livid scar across his brow as a souvenir of the fracas that had landed him in trouble.

    "Shhh!" said Norton, frowning and pointing at Mr Joe.

    "Oh!" said Warrington, then mouthing the word "Captain?" he stabbed a grubby finger hopefully upwards a couple of times, towards the quarterdeck.

    "Pah!" said Silver. He patted Norton on the shoulder and clumped out as quietly as he could. Since there was too much wet and wind above for talking, he led the way back to the stern cabin. "Well?" said Silver, getting himself into a chair and pointing at one for Warrington, who licked his lips, blushed a bit, and sat facing Silver.

    "Captain," he said, "I have made a complete arse of myself."

    "Aye," said Silver, "nicely put, Mr Mate, for indeed you have."

    "Yes," said Warrington, "and I wish to apologise."

    Silver shrugged. Warrington had the look of a man who would be apologising as long as he lived.

    "Please yourself!" said Silver. "I got two men now as can do your work."

    "Aye," said Warrington, and sniffed, "but I have something to say."

    "Do you now?"

    "Yes. That fellow who nursed me when I was… a-hem
… ill."

    "Jobo? Dr Cowdray's loblolly boy?"

    "Yes. He said we are bound for London and told me of your plans."

    "Did he!"

    "He did, Captain." Warrington shook his head severely. "And it won't do!"

    Silver frowned mightily and Warrington wriggled under his gaze and nervously picked his nose, and wiped his finger on a cuff that was already shiny with the fruits of previous pickings.

    "And why not?" said Silver.

    Warrington took a breath. "In the first place, sir, you must assume that
Venture's Fortune
has preceded us to England and spread word of a pirate ship led by yourself…" He paused and pointed at Cap'n Flint, perched on Silver's shoulder. "And you, sir, are a man easy to describe and to recognise!"

    "Maybe," said Silver. "What if I am?"

    "Then you must establish a new identity, sir, for yourself and this ship. A history, a purpose - and all of it backed with papers. You cannot sail into the greatest port in the world like bollocky-Bill the pirate and expect to be received with open arms."

    "No?"

    "No, sir you cannot! There must be letters, receipts, and a contract from your owner establishing your authority."

    "What bloody owner?"

    "There, sir! D'you not see?"

    "See what?"

    "See that you will have to deal with officials and persons of all kinds: Customs, Trinity House, port authorities, tradesmen, guildsmen, perhaps even officers of the law. You cannot behave as you might in Upper Barbados or Savannah."

    "Can I not?" said Silver, already realising that he couldn't. He frowned and looked Warrington in the eye. "And who are you, then, what knows so much about bloody London?"

    "I was born there, sir! Born and raised, and… a-hem… after
other
endeavours, I eventually went to sea out of the Port of London, where I am… to a degree… known and trusted."

    "To a degree?" Silver laughed.

    "Bah!" said Warrington. "I am no saint, sir, and I acknowledge the bottle as my invincible foe. But I know which palms to grease in London's port, and how much grease to apply
… and I'll bet my soul that you don't!"

    Silver fell silent. He was listening to wise counsel, and he knew it. He reached for the parrot and tickled its warm feathers. She squawked.

    "Bet my soul!"
she said.

    Silver sighed. He took a breath and let out a great shout.

    "Sammy Hayden!" he roared. "Pass the word for Sammy Hayden!"