Dennis Wheatley - The Rape Of Venice

'Believe me, Sir, I fully understood how you were situated when we first spoke of the matter this morning; and in coming here I had no intention of endeavouring to persuade you to alter your decision. Moreover, I am happy to be able to assure you that the unauthorised presence aboard of this young woman is in no way due to moral turpitude on my part. Far from it. She is, I admit, a flighty, spoilt, adventurous-​minded minx and has played upon me a most wicked prank. But she is no trollop, Sir. She is my niece.'

'God bless me!' exclaimed the stalwart sailor, his prawn-​like eyebrows shooting up into his square forehead. 'This is a fine kettle of fish!'

'It is one, Sir,' rejoined Roger grimly, 'that not only causes me grave embarrassment, but is like to put me to considerable expense, and she should be punished for it.'

Captain Finch suddenly sat down, motioned Roger to a chair and said with quick sympathy, 'You imply that you did not know her to be aboard until after we had sailed. If so I can appreciate the intense annoyance you must feel. Pray disclose the whole matter to me without delay.'

At this friendly invitation Roger turned on all his charm, told the story he had made up, and put forward his proposals for dealing with the affair. When he had done, Captain Finch said:

'One must admit the young lady has shown exceptional spirit in her determination to see the East, and I trust you will not deal too harshly with her by confining her to her cabin for a while, or anything of that kind. The ladies aboard are few upon this trip, so she will make a welcome addition to our company. I would have suggested saying that on her coming aboard I showed her straight down to her cabin myself and that suffering from a malaise last night she decided against leaving it. But, unfortunately, her joining the ship at Margate and her face having since become familiar to the other servants puts that out of the question. There can be no concealing her escapade, so we must make of it the best we can. In any case, it was most wise of you to elect to spend a wretchedly uncomfortable night rather than occupy the other berth in your cabin, as many uncles would have done. Your forethought in that was most praiseworthy, as there will now be no grounds for wagging tongues. Since you wish her to retain your cabin, I'll order your luggage to be removed to another, then have hers retrieved from the hold and sent down to her. I shall look forward to your presenting her to the company when we meet for dinner.'

He coughed and added, 'It only remains now for us to arrange about her passage money.'

The officers in the Company's ships were paid only a nominal salary, but were more than amply compensated for that by being allowed, on a scale in accordance with their rank, free shipping space to conduct a private trade of their own. On outward voyages the allowances ranged from fifty-​six tons for a Commander to one ton for a Midshipman; and even the petty officers were allowed a certain number of cubic feet. On the homeward voyages the allowances were reduced by roughly one third all round but, even so, sound buying could bring them very handsome profits. In addition, while the commander was responsible for feeding the passengers, any profit he could make out of their passage money was also part of his perquisites. For the Company's Servants there were fixed rates of from £95 to £250 according to rank for the one way trip out, but private passengers had to make their own bargain with the Commanders and in a good ship, homeward bound, for which the rates were considerably higher, they often asked as much as £1,000.

Droopy had secured for Roger a passage at a cost of £500, which included £100 for the privilege of sitting at the Commander's table, where the food served was of a far higher standard than the ordinary passengers' fare. Now, Roger had no option but to enter into a bond for a further £500 to secure for Clarissa the same amenities as he was to enjoy himself. While making the transaction he was hard put to it to conceal his chagrin, and Captain Finch to conceal his delight. The latter was under no obligation to purchase a single extra chicken or bottle of wine; so if, on account of this extra passenger, his table had to go a little short towards the end of the voyage, he could not be blamed for it, and the £500 could be regarded as clear profit. A few minutes later he bowed Roger out of his cabin with the greatest affability and his assurance that he would give the necessary orders forthwith.

Within a quarter of an hour, Roger's trunks were transferred to another cabin and, shortly afterwards, Clarissa's were brought to her; so they were able to set about making themselves presentable. When Roger emerged clad with his usual elegance, he again looked in on her to tell her to remain below until he came to fetch her, then he went up on deck to carry out another and, he hoped, less tricky part of his programme for protecting her reputation.

As he had expected, most of the passengers were now on deck enjoying the sunshine; and near the quarter-​deck, a little apart from the rest, Sir Curtis and Lady Beaumont were occupying two chairs that had been specially placed there for them. Halting before them he made his bow and with a grave face enquired how they had slept.

'Not too badly for a first night at sea,' Lady Beaumont smiled, and her hook-​nosed husband added, 'Tolerably, tolerably; and I hope, Sir, you fared no worse?' Then he offered Roger snuff.

Roger accepted a pinch, flicked his lace handkerchief and replied with a sigh, 'Alas, I got not a wink of sleep, but was kept from my berth all night by the most plaguey infuriating happening that ever did befall a man.'

On their both expressing their surprise, and asking him to tell them the cause of his plight, he turned towards the judge's plump, motherly wife, and said, 'It is to you, Ma'am, that I should principally address myself; for, unless you consent to afford me your charitable assistance, I know not what I shall do.'

Then he told them the same story about Clarissa as he had told Captain Finch; and ended by saying, 'So you see, I am landed for the voyage with a wilful though, to give the chit her due, quite passably good-​looking niece. Since she is unmarried it is a certainty that she will become the centre of attraction for all the young officers abroad; and, as I entirely lack experience in handling such a situation, I fear it will prove beyond my control. Would you, therefore… could you… may I beg that you will do me the honour and kindness to act as her chaperon?'

"Why, of course I will,' Lady Beaumont replied at once. 'She certainly sounds a most wayward miss and, I trust, will not prove too much of a handful for me. But your request is a most proper one. 'Tis unthinkable that an unmarried girl of good family should make so long a voyage without an older woman to act as her confidante, and protect her reputation; so I will willingly oblige.'

Roger overwhelmed her with thanks and, declaring that she had taken a great weight off his mind, became his usual gay self again. Sitting down on a nearby coil of rope he gave the Beaumont’s an account of Clarissa's background and, on learning that she was an orphan, Lady Beaumont exclaimed:

'Having lacked a mother's care is some excuse, at least, for her unruly, headstrong act; it makes me all the more willing to take the poor child under my wing. I am all eagerness to meet her.'

'I doubt if she will have finished titivating herself,' Roger replied, 'so we had best give her another half-​hour; then I'll go fetch and present her to you, Ma'am.'

When he did go down to the cabin, he found Clarissa fully dressed but still fiddling with her hair. It had lost its curl and she had cut off the last six inches of the golden lovelocks which she normally displayed so attractively dangling over her breast. As she had no means of heating her curling irons she was in a great state about how best to dress it.