Allison; Taking Control

Chapter 13

As he stepped across the threshold, Allison immediately felt the warmth he had been anticipating. He removed his hat and momentarily closed his eyes as the more comfortable ambient air began to relieve the chill the rain had given him for the last few hours. He heard Caldwell step through and shut the door behind them. Before his eyes had reopened he heard a female voice calling out from somewhere further inside and moving closer as it spoke.

“Oh... good evenin’ gentlemen. Welcome, both of ye, to the King’s Arms.”

Allison opened his eyes and saw a reasonably well-dressed woman of middle age standing in front of him. Her graying hair was tied tightly back into a bun and a thin smile was on her lips. Despite the gentle politeness of her greeting, he could detect a hint of nervous apprehension in her manner. After glancing quickly behind her, she turned back to the two uniformed naval officers in front of her.

“I assume both of ye young men are here to see His Honor the Admiral.”

“Indeed madam,” answered Caldwell moving up to stand at Allison ’s right hand, “and we’d be very appreciative if we weren’t disturbed by anyone for a half hour or so.”

“E’s over there in front o’ the fire,” she said inclining her head to indicate they should move in the direction behind her. “Please both of ye make yourselves comfortable. Are ye quite sure I can’t get ye good gentlemen anything for the present?”

“A bottle of your finest port and three glasses, madam, if you please!” an unfamiliar voice answered from across the room.

“Yes your honor, a’course!” the woman answered. She began to move toward a side door off to the right leading into another room. “I’ll be back presently sirs,” she said before stepping through, “Do make yer-selves comfortable. Maddie! Please take these gentlemen’s wet coats. I’m sure they’d like to warm themselves after being outside in this weather.”

A few seconds later, a much younger woman, bonneted and wearing an apron, walked down a set of stairs situated a few paces away along the same wall on which the door the other woman had walked through happened to be. She approached with her hands folded in front of her, and with a pretty smile curtseyed before them. The two men removed their rain-soaked overcoats and after folding them over once handed them to the young woman, who nodded respectfully and walked out the side door.

“Shall we?” asked Caldwell, nodding in the opposite direction. Allison , unspeaking, acquiesced by beginning to walk that way. A strange feeling of anticipation mixed with a bit of nervousness began to cut through the fog of fatigue that had previously settled over him. That didn’t stop him from taking note of his surroundings, however, which up until now he had little opportunity to peruse.

The inn was obviously an establishment used to entertaining people of means and status. Tonight, though, it was all but deserted, no doubt at the behest of Lord Haig, which allowed for a better appraisal of its furnishings. He could see that the furniture in the very large common room was of high quality, with some of the immaculately polished tables and cushioned chairs possibly brought all the way from makers and craftsmen in far-away Europe. These were arranged in precise groupings which were apparently meant to accommodate the presence of several semi-private gatherings in the same large space. Paintings in heavy frames adorned the walls and thick rugs with attractively woven patterns were placed here and there at convenient places on the wooden floors. Even the ceiling beams running parallel with each other row upon row were varnished and polished to a pleasant shine. There were two rather large hearths which served to warm the common room, one of which was positioned at the far end towards which they were walking. A bright blaze was roaring away within and in one of the three large, high-backed, lavishly cushioned armchairs set near it was a partially obscured figure whose visible features were temporarily thrown into shadowy profile by the fire.

“Ah, gentlemen,” the same voice Allison had heard call for the port rang out, “Please, come over and warm yourselves. I’m sure it’ll feel quite good after coming in out of that damnably cold rain.”

A tall figure stood up from the chair and moved into clear view before Allison and Caldwell. Admiral Lord Haig was indeed a tall man, broad of stature and standing perhaps a half head taller than either of the two other officers. His powdered and queued hair framed a hard, somewhat gaunt and yet highly dignified face of a man of advancing years with a prominently aquiline nose and small dark piercing eyes. He wore an admiral’s blue great uniform complete with copious amounts of gold lace on the white cuffs, lapels and other facings of the coat. He wore a crimson sash over his right shoulder and his knee breeches were starched to the same perfect white as the lace around his neck. His black leather shoes were polished to such a shine that they reflected the firelight so brightly as to cause one to avert their eyes. On the coat’s left breast gleamed the intricate and ornate silver star of a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath.

The sight brought Allison back to thinking about the comparative shabbiness of his own damp and rumpled uniform at that time. Nonetheless he did his best to stand firmly at attention with his wet hat tucked under his arm and make the best appearance he could while waiting to be spoken to. Admiral Haig did not seem to care at all about how Allison looked, standing with his hands clasped behind him and appearing to wait for something himself while looking at Caldwell. Indeed it was Caldwell who spoke first.

“My lord, may I introduce Lieutenant Rane Allison , formerly of His Britannic Majesty’s Warship Praetorian.”

“Sir!” Allison exhorted instinctively, his heels coming together with a clack as he straightened to attention while exhibiting the drilled-in thousand-yard stare of a military man.

Haig took a step forward and offered his right hand. “A pleasure to have you here, young man,” he said in a tone that had an instantly relaxing effect on Allison who took the offered hand as a signal to break out of his formal rigidity. He clasped the admiral’s hand firmly in greeting.

“The pleasure is mine, my lord.”

Haig raised an upturned palm toward the left hand chair. “Please be seated, sir.”

Allison obediently moved to the chair the Admiral indicated while Haig sat in the middle chair and Caldwell took the one on the right. The three of them were now in a small semicircle around the hearth and Allison was instantly grateful to have the fire’s heat bear upon him to even greater effect. A pleasant spot, he thought feeling the soothing warmth and appreciating the great comfort of the soft chair as he looked around. Above the hearth was a wide lintel upon which were arranged several dishes, bowls and tankards of polished silver. Many were engraved with an ornate script that he couldn’t read from where he sat. Above these on the wall was a finely painted portrait of His Majesty King George himself, wigged and seated in stately fashion wearing a mantle of cloth-of-gold bordered in ermine upon which was worn the Garter Star.

“I must apologize for asking you here on such short notice, Lieutenant Allison .” Haig finally said, bringing Allison ’s attention back to him. “I realize you must be quite tired after journeying so far and coming straight to this meeting on the night of your arrival.”

“No trouble at all, my lord.” Allison replied, giving the obligatory negative in answer to such a question from a superior who ranked so far above him.

At that moment the proprietress, whom the lieutenants had met when they first entered, appeared with a silver tray on which was a large green glass bottle filled with dark port and three long-stemmed crystal glasses. She set it down on a small table that sat just to the admiral’s left. She still had that manner of apprehension about her that Allison had noticed when he first saw her.

“Will that be all, Your Honor?”

“Yes, Mrs. Hall, thank you kindly. Now, please, if you could make sure that none of your people intrude upon our conversation, it is necessary for us to have a bit of privacy while we talk.”

“A’course m’lord.” Mrs. Hall bowed and turned quickly to return the way she had come. It was clear now that despite being accustomed to guests who came from society’s upper echelons, Mrs. Hall was certainly not used to having her inn taken over by the military for private meetings to be held by men as powerful and prominent as Haig.

Before anything else could be said, a door leading to the outside at the far end of the long wall on which the hearth was inlaid opened suddenly admitting a red-coated officer of marines, a lieutenant by all appearances. The man quickly shut it behind him and walked toward the seated group, stopping just behind Caldwell’s chair where he could be seen by Haig. It was obvious he had been stationed outdoors in the rain for some time. His hat despite still being quite neat was undoubtedly sodden and raindrops glinted off his silver gorget in the firelight. But if he was in any way bothered by the evening’s wetness, he gave no hint of it, touching his hat to the Admiral and standing stone-faced while apparently awaiting some sign or signal.

Haig looked at the marine officer, nodded and then gestured by angling his head in the direction behind where he, Caldwell and Allison now sat. The marine took note of the unspoken signal and moved to a position directly behind their chairs looking away from them. Allison had been following this proceeding with interest and deduced that the marine officer was there specifically to spot any eavesdroppers or ward away potential intrusions.

That done, Lord Haig now took a glass in hand and filled it with port, then handed it to Allison . He proceeded to fill the other two for Caldwell and himself as he spoke. “I’m sure Lieutenant Caldwell has taken the opportunity to divulge some of the details regarding the nature of your upcoming assignment?” the Admiral asked with a slight edge of polite humor in his voice while glancing at Caldwell, whom Allison was certain had not even yet broken that ever-present smile of his.

“Lieutenant Allison has been told of his new posting, sir,” he answered, “though beyond that, I have had no further details to give him.”

“That is as it should be,” said the admiral, his voice taking on a more serious inflection, “For I fear there is precious little that can be said at this time and very tight control must be kept on anything that is. That is also part of the reason I had Lieutenant Caldwell walk you here, Mr. Allison . I wanted to lend every possible appearance of nonchalance and inconspicuousness to your arrival.”