A Certain Threat (The Merriman Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

must confess I’m famished.”
    Over the meal the story of Merriman ’s progress in the navy was re-lived.  From his appointment as midshipman at the age of twelve to a frigate commanded by Captain Edwards, one of his father’s friends, his good fortune to be on Admiral Rodney’s flagship at the battle of The Saintes and his passing the examination for lieutenant at eighteen.  After that his steady progress from fifth officer to third officer, dead men’s shoes really and then his appointment, with Rodney’s recommendation, as second officer on a frigate sailing for India.
    As the servants quietly moved about removing the dishes and lighting fresh candles, young Matthew burst out , “James, I have been patient long enough. Can’t we hear how you were wounded and lost your ship?”
    “ Indeed you have, young man, and now you shall find out, but I think that your mother and sister should retire, as this is a tale of killing and bloodshed, not fit for a lady to hear.”
    “ James is right,” said his mother, “Come along Emily, we shall leave the men to it.” As the ladies left the room, the men settled themselves more comfortably, their glasses recharged, and Merriman began.
    “ You know that I was captain of the Conflict for nearly four years, employed only to carry despatches and such, as fast as possible between England, Gibraltar, Jamaica or anywhere else the Admiralty directed.  An uneventful and boring time it was until last April, when we were returning to Gibraltar from Cape Town.  My orders were to make the fastest passage I could as the documents we carried were of extreme urgency.  I was to avoid all other ships.”
    “ It was a glorious day and I had every sail set.  The ship was fairly flying along, crashing through the waves with the spray bursting over the rail in clouds.  I remember standing watching some of the hands helping the sailmaker stretch out a sail for repair; others were splicing, painting or doing some of the endless work needing to be done on a ship of war and we had even organised a shark fishing contest.  Life aboard was going well, there had been no punishments for over three weeks and none of us had any idea of what was about to follow, but it happened this way......

Chapter 3 : Merriman’s Court Martial
     
    The scorching sun beat down from an almost cloudless sky and sparkled from the waves and spray as His Majesty’s brig Conflict crashed through the long Atlantic swell, the legacy of the north-westerly gale which the ship’s company had fought for the last three days.
    The wind had since veered to the south west and Conflict was making good the time lost.  The sunlit scene, and the strong wind on the larboard quarter made for conditions which should have delighted the heart of any seaman, but the officer dressed in grubby white trousers and faded, salt stained coat saw none of it.
    Lieutenant James Merriman stared gloomily and unseeingly along the length of the main deck .   When he took command of the ship he had such high hopes, and since then there had been nothing, absolutely nothing to break the monotony of life at sea.   Oh, he knew he did his job efficiently, keeping the ship and crew ready for any eventuality, but all he and the ship had done for four years was to carry despatches.   God, he was bored.
    He contemplated the earlier years of his career.  There had always been plenty of excitement and action to keep a young naval officer ’s life interesting, indeed the last action of note he had been involved in was the capture of a French brig off the Malabar coast by the frigate Calcutta..   The captain of Calcutta had sent him with a prize crew to Cape Town where he had been confirmed in command of the brig, renamed Conflict.
    So lost in thought was he that a t first he did not notice his First Lieutenant Alan Jones hovering nearby, obviously not wanting to break into his captain’s reverie.  Lieutenant Jones was a stocky, red haired young man,