Andrew Swanston - The King's Exile

‘Awaited by whom, captain?’

‘It does not say, but the order is signed by Sir George Ayscue.’

‘May I see it?’ The captain held out the order. The signature was indeed that of Ayscue. ‘Has there been a truce?’

‘That I do not know. Now kindly make haste. The longboat will take you ashore. You will have an escort.’

Accompanied by two armed sailors, Thomas descended the rope ladder and settled into the boat. It was still raining and the sea was choppy, but he hardly noticed. An order from Sir George Ayscue did not augur well. If Willoughby had capitulated, Agatha had not delivered the message or it had been disbelieved and his principal secretary would hang. Rush would get his way.

The trip to the harbour did not take long. Thomas was helped on to the quay by his escort, put into a carriage with two guards and taken to Bridgetown. At the Assembly House they left him in charge of another guard, who showed him to a small antechamber, closed the door and stood to attention outside it. Thomas sat down and waited to learn his fate.

When he heard voices approaching, he stood up. The door was thrown open and Lord Willoughby, resplendent in full ceremonial dress and followed by Charles Carrington and Adam Lyte, swept in. ‘There you are, Thomas Hill. I am much relieved to see you safe.’ His lordship offered his hand. Thomas’s mind went blank and he only just managed not to kiss it.

‘Your lordship, my relief is greater even than yours. I understood that Sir George Ayscue had ordered me to be brought here and feared the worst.’

‘Indeed he did. The Rainbow is, after all, his ship. I doubt that his captain would have paid much heed to an order signed by me.’

‘Stop looking as if you’ve seen a ghost, Thomas,’ said Charles, ‘or I’ll have you sent back to the ship.’

‘And you’ve got work to do,’ added Adam, ‘so collect your wits.’

‘Is there another message to be decrypted?’

‘No, no, nothing like that,’ replied Willoughby. ‘As my secretary, you are needed this afternoon for an important task.’

‘May I enquire what the task is?’

‘You may. At two o’clock this afternoon, Sir George Ayscue with Colonels Drax and Modyford will present himself here to discuss and agree the terms of a truce. A condition of the meeting was that my principal secretary be released immediately so that he could record it properly.’

‘When Ayscue objected, I advised his lordship to throw you to the wolves,’ said Charles with a grin, ‘or should that be the sharks? Luckily for you, his lordship ignored my advice and pressed the point. Ayscue eventually decided that Tobias Rush would not get his way.’

‘And here you are,’ said Adam. ‘Mary will be pleased. I had sent word that you were a prisoner with little hope of escape.’

‘I thank you all, gentlemen. I am in your debt.’

‘You are in no one’s debt, Thomas Hill,’ replied Charles firmly. ‘You saved Mary’s life not once but twice, you decrypted a vital message and you managed to get word to us about the squadron. It is we who are in your debt.’

‘So Agatha found you. I doubted she would.’

‘She did, and, armed with the information that the squadron carried settlers, not reinforcements, we were able to persuade Ayscue to agree a truce. Clever of you to tell her to mention the Gibbes. I might not have believed her otherwise. And the message also told us where you were.’

‘I won’t ask how you managed to persuade her, Thomas,’ said Adam. ‘You can tell us later.’

‘So there’s been no fighting?’

‘None. The rain saw to that. It hasn’t stopped for six days. Any battle would have had to be a wrestling match and a muddy one at that. Then Agatha arrived.’

‘Enough of this, gentlemen,’ announced Willoughby. ‘Let us prepare ourselves for the meeting. The future of Barbados hangs on it.’

Of the seven men who sat down at the table in the governor’s study at two o’clock that afternoon, Colonels Drax and Modyford were seated either side of Admiral Sir George Ayscue, Charles Carrington and Adam Lyte opposite them and Thomas Hill beside Lord Willoughby, at the head of the table. Thomas was equipped with a stack of excellent rag paper, half a dozen sharp duck-feather quills and a pot of English oak-apple ink. It had been agreed that he would record the terms of the agreement, which would be enshrined in a ‘Charter of Barbados’.

With typical skill Willoughby proposed that they begin the meeting with each man making a brief personal statement. He knew that this would not only allow grievances to be aired and disposed of but would also encourage a spirit of cooperation, as views expressed in private are invariably moderated in public. Willoughby himself then made a fulsome speech thanking Sir George and his fellow officers for attending the meeting and expressing the fervent hope that agreement on all important issues might be reached. He concluded by saying, ‘It seems that our Lord did not wish a battle to take place on this island and sent us enough rain to ensure that it did not. Let us try our utmost to heed his wishes.’

Ayscue’s reply, although less eloquent, expressed a similar wish. A battle that had looked inevitable had been avoided. Let them try to reach an agreement. Drax spoke again of what he called his betrayal and insisted upon the immediate return of all his property. Modyford made an unconvincing attempt to justify his defection in the interests of peace. And Charles Carrington said that as they wanted to go home, they should reach a speedy agreement and do so.

Four hours later, they had. The Charter of Barbados, written out in Thomas’s neat hand, ensured for the island’s inhabitants freedom of religious belief and worship, the independence of their courts and Assembly, freedom of trade, the return of all lands and possessions to those unjustly deprived of them, indemnities for past deeds and actions and a ban on future sequestrations without due course of law. It also outlawed incitements to violence, guaranteed that no citizen would be expected to swear an oath of loyalty of any kind, recommended the restoration to Lord Willoughby of his estates in England, guaranteed the safe return of any man banished by previous governors, required the disbandment of all forces and the immediate release of all prisoners on both sides. Finally, it was agreed that the governor of Barbados would be appointed from time to time by the States of England, that the governor would be empowered to choose his Council and that the Assembly would continue to be elected by popular vote. It would be recommended that Sir George Ayscue would replace Lord Willoughby as governor.

By nine o’clock that evening, a final version had been agreed and signed by all those present. It had only to be ratified by Ayscue’s Council and Willoughby’s Assembly.

Their work done, Ayscue and his two advisers rose to leave. Willoughby and Thomas escorted them to the door and walked outside with them. Their guard stood smartly to attention. ‘Thank God that more bloodshed has been avoided,’ said Willoughby, ‘and just in time.’

‘Just in time?’

‘You haven’t noticed, Sir George? The rain has stopped.’

Admiral Sir George Ayscue, carrying the commission of Parliament to assume the governorship of Barbados, yawned. It had been a long day.

Lord Willoughby turned to Thomas. ‘Thomas, unless you would like to stay on as my principal secretary, Adam will arrange for the next available ship to take you to England.’

‘Your lordship’s offer is a generous one, but my family are in England.’

‘So be it,’ said Willoughby, extending his hand. ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’

‘Just one thing. I would be grateful if you would give Sir George five sovereigns for the man Ned who looked after me on the Rainbow .’