The Scent of Betrayal Read online

  That brought forth more emphatic nods from the councillors. De Fajardo de Coburrabias, whom the Ludlows thought, from their single previous meeting, lacked any knowledge of French, surprised them by speaking it now.

  ‘What a good idea, Don Felipe San Lucar de Barrameda. You can shoot some, then skittle off to sea and leave my soldiers to clean up the mess.’

  The faint noise of the remains of the crowd floated up towards the slightly open window of the chamber. ‘If your soldiers showed more élan, Don Cayetano de Fajardo de Coburrabias, we’d have nothing to fear from these French swine.’

  Had anyone else spoken, it would have been different. But after what they’d just witnessed in the street, James couldn’t help himself. He knew, as well as Harry, that they needed to be polite. He did adopt a grave expression, but a close look would have revealed the twinkle in his eye.

  ‘How I heartily agree, Don Felipe San Lucar de Barrameda. We all know how violence cows a Frenchman. They behaved like rabbits on the way here. And I recall King Louis was quite eloquent on the subject. That is, until he found out he was mistaken.’

  De Fajardo de Coburrabias grinned as much as San Lucar de Barrameda frowned.

  ‘They are a barbarous breed, Señor Ludlow,’ said de Pontalba, quite missing the point of the sally. ‘To chop off their own King’s head.’

  De Carondelet coughed. After all, the English had beaten the French to such an act by a good hundred years. De Aquivar filled the silence with a bitter denunciation.

  ‘And none are worse than those who have colonised Louisiana. They are also stupid. So stupid that they set fire, in the name of a search for what they call political rights, to their own city. Not once, Señores, but several times.’

  ‘We witnessed their anger on the way.’

  ‘Please do not misunderstand what you have observed in the streets, Captain Ludlow,’ said the Governor, managing a look that wiped the grin off de Fajardo de Coburrabias’s face. ‘We are in control here and intend to remain so. What Don Pablo de Aquivar refers to is no more than the work of a few disgruntled agitators, people whom we are anxious to isolate by giving them no cause for grievance. Patience, not violence, is our watchword.’

  San Lucar de Barramdea snorted insolently, which, in turn, earned him a glare from his superior.

  ‘They will learn in time that not only is Louisiana Spanish, but that it will remain so; that it is still ruled by a powerful King and a great nation.’

  That, accompanied by more enthusiastic nodding, caused both Ludlows to emulate de Carondelet in polite coughing. The Governor must know, as well as his guests, that the state he represented was a shadow of its former self. The nation that had dominated Europe and conquered the New World was no more. The King of Spain was a simpleton who cared only for hunting. The real ruler in Madrid was a jumped-up nobody called Manuel de Godoy, recently titled Prince of the Peace for the treaty he’d signed with France. In doing so he had deserted his ally Great Britain in the most shameful manner, and gone some way to legitimising the Revolutionary despots in Paris. The Prince, reputedly handsome, had risen from being a humble courtier to having absolute control of the Spanish government by being the simultaneous lover of both the Queen and, it was rumoured, her husband. The treaty de Godoy had signed with France in the previous year had been, as James had so acidly pointed out, a humiliating surrender, one that reflected the true state of Spanish power.

  Harry didn’t give a toss about de Carondelet’s food or his fantasies about his King. Hitherto silent, he now spoke out. He’d been dying to ask about the treasure chest since they’d entered, and given what looked like an opportunity he couldn’t contain himself.

  ‘I’m sure we will see how great a nation you represent, Barón, when you return our property and give us permission to depart.’

  ‘Señores,’ he exclaimed in reply, as though both matters were trifling, ‘it is not the Spanish custom to discuss matters of business when food is on the table.’

  That earned a grunt from Harry Ludlow. But he knew that he would be wasting his time if he asked again. De Carondelet was not going to discuss what interested the Ludlow brothers until it suited him, and it was difficult not to let it slip from their minds: the Barón might bemoan the loss of his cook but the food they sat down to was quite delicious. Highly spiced, certainly, but made from fine ingredients which represented the abundance of choice available in the delta. Without concurring, both brothers had decided they might as well take what pleasure they could. Conversation, though often stilted, did flow, as when de Carondelet or his councillors were speaking.

  De Fajardo de Coburrabias was a particularly witty dinner companion, who could sail very close to an insult without delivering one, which made the civilians and de Barrameda the butt of jokes they barely comprehended. Yet he was careful of his superior, which led Harry to the conclusion that the Governor had a sharp brain, that the soldier respected. Sat near the brothers, he explained, while de Carondelet was being bored rigid by his Cabildo members, that he’d been in Louisiana for eight years, that he liked the colony so much the thought of ever departing was unwelcome. Though not in the least boastful, he had, it seemed, prospered in his service, and was the owner of several plantations.

  ‘And gentlemen,’ he whispered quietly, ‘should you require entertainment while you are in New Orleans, I have connections with quite a good establishment just outside the north wall of the city. The Hôtel de la Porte d’Orléans. A Mademoiselle Feraud runs it for me. I will tell her of my invitation for you to visit. That will assure you of her very best attention.’

  There were longueurs, when the conversation lapsed into Spanish or simply became bogged down in the subject of most interest to their hosts. James, typically, was examining each man in turn, looking for that key to their personality which, transferred to canvas, turned a mediocre portrait into a good one. Harry fretted, gnawing at what had happened in the last two days, searching for ways to have avoided this predicament. Sometimes conversation ground to an embarrassing halt, usually when San Lucar de Barrameda chose to take part. Fernandez had the misfortune to be next to the Captain of the Navarro, a position, judging by the look on his doleful face, that required great forbearance.

  ‘Am I mistaken, Señores,’ said de Coburrabias, ‘or have Captain Fernandez’s moustaches grown longer? It takes great ability to bore mere hair so much that it tries to depart its host’s body.’

  It wasn’t certain that San Lucar de Barrameda heard the remark, but he turned to de Coburrabias and started to harangue him in Spanish. The only thing the Ludlows understood was that he’d returned to the subject of the French colonists. De Carondelet spoke sharply to him, which modified his tone. Then, after aiming one more curse in the direction of the settlers, he started to tell them a long and bloody tale about a recent slave revolt, in which he’d been personally involved. This it seemed had been put down with a degree of savagery he clearly relished.

  For once, he and de Coburrabias were in agreement. The soldier, having listened to how they’d discovered the revolt, cut in to tell the brothers how it had been concluded.

  ‘We put a stop to it, and warned anybody else contemplating revolt, by hanging all the perpetrators at various landing stages along the Mississippi River. One per post to be left till their bodies rot. The ringleader hangs, at this very moment, outside my northern headquarters at the Manchac Post.’

  ‘It does not occur to you, Captain,’ said Harry, ‘that if you chain a man up, he will always seek a way to be free?’

  Fernandez nodded. But the other four Spaniards, whose faces had held expressions of approval, looked shocked. De Barrameda, as usual wrapped up in his own thoughts, failed to see the connection between Harry’s ship and the slaves.

  ‘They lack the will and the means,’ he barked. ‘Nor do they have the wit to organise such a thing. They were inspired by the Americans, of course. We had to expel several of them for complicity.’

  ‘You might ask, why would Ame
ricans do such a thing?’ added de Carondelet. ‘Ask what have they got to gain by causing trouble here? It is particularly galling that this took place after our government had given them 25 years’ free navigation of the river.’

  San Lucar de Barrameda again snorted derisively. ‘It is a clear demonstration, Don Francisco, that giving concessions to such people only leads to more trouble. We should have gone the whole way and hanged the Americans as well. Those fools in Madrid don’t know anything.’

  That made de Carondelet go pale. The three magistrates looked at the table, as if not wishing to be seen to take sides. The two soldiers had such blank expressions on their faces that they could only be deliberate. The civilians’ heads went even lower as the Governor replied in an icy tone, still speaking French to add insult to the injury he wished to inflict.

  ‘I will take care to include such a sentiment in my next despatch home, Don Felipe. I’m sure the King, not to mention the Prince of the Peace, will be most interested.’

  De Carondelet had delivered the words with a smile. But no one at the table saw it as anything other than a threat. It mattered little, since it was wasted on the hidalgo officer. ‘I am quite capable of making my own views known in Madrid, thank you.’

  Ignacio de Lovio, who’d hitherto said little, coughed suddenly. Having been introduced first he was clearly the senior member of the civilian trio. His piglike eyes had opened wide and his fat face held a shocked expression. A jerk of the head in the direction of the Ludlows was designed to remind the others that they were close to quarrelling in public, as though such a thing had not already happened a dozen times. Being junior to the Governor, he couldn’t actually say anything. But whatever undercurrents lay below the surface of the conversation, his action had an effect on de Carondelet.

  ‘I think, gentlemen, that you could leave us now. And you, Captain Fernandez.’

  All four stood up at once. With polite bows they left the table and the room. The Governor watched them depart, waited till the doors closed behind them, then spun round to face the brothers, his face bright red from a combination of the heat and the wine he’d consumed, those huge blue eyes bulging with keen anticipation.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ‘TELL ME, Captain Ludlow. How did you know that those ingots were hidden in the sugar boxes?’

  Harry toyed with the idea of not answering. But partly through vanity, and more for the sake of the treasure, he did so.

  ‘Because they were all opened. Those that hadn’t been tipped out completely had a similar amount of the contents removed. That indicated that one or all of them had contained something hidden. Of course, I didn’t know at the time what it was.’

  ‘Were any other bales or casks opened?’

  ‘Not that I could see, although some cotton and tobacco had been disturbed and floated to the surface as the ship sank.’

  De Carondelet looked at him keenly. Harry waited to see if he would admit the obvious fact that someone who knew they were there had either removed them personally or passed the information to a third party. He waited in vain, but having the patience of Job when necessary he knew that he could return to that point at any time. Not so James.

  ‘My brother asked you before who knew of the existence of the ingots, Barón, but you declined to answer.’

  ‘And I still do, Señor Ludlow.’

  Harry smiled. ‘Which can mean only one of two things: that you asked the members of your Cabildo to depart because they knew, and are therefore suspects. I’m curious if that also applies to Captain Fernandez. Certainly you knew, and I suspect so did Don Felipe and Don Cayetano.’

  De Carondelet held up his hands to silence his two officers, and at the same time fought to ensure his expression didn’t register any emotion. But Harry took some pleasure from the way he’d surprised them. The thought had occured to him during the meal, simply because there was no other reason for those people to be present. De Carondelet might try to make it look like a purely social gathering, but it was nothing of the sort. Harry wondered if perhaps he’d expected someone, confronted with the men who found the Gauchos, to make a slip of the tongue and incriminate himself. If so it was a forlorn hope.

  ‘That is a deduction that you are at liberty to make, Captain Ludlow. It is not one I will either confirm or deny. I’m more interested in what led you to deduce that Rodrigo knew nothing of the cargo he was carrying?’

  ‘Why conceal it, Barón?’

  ‘There could be any number of reasons,’ said de Carondelet.

  ‘True. But there are other indicators.’

  ‘Which are?’

  ‘Did you know that Captain Rodrigo was carrying not only his wife, but another passenger?’

  ‘Why is that significant?’ asked de Carondelet.

  ‘If he knew about the gold and silver he was carrying, you would have been concerned that any passengers were not a risk.’ Harry looked at San Lucar de Barrameda. ‘When we first met the Navarro, Captain, you were clearly upset by the loss. You claimed Rodrigo as a friend but you made no mention of the likelihood of the Gauchos carrying anyone else.’

  The tall Spaniard, too intrigued to be rude, nodded.

  ‘And you, Barón, likewise. Nor did you mention the crew. That was another group of people who would have been carefully chosen if the cargo was known. Your sole concern was the gold. Even the most hard-hearted soul, if only for the sake of politeness, would not fail to ask a solicitous question regarding such people.’

  ‘Does your reluctance to answer questions, Barón, extend to the reasons why the cargo was hidden?’ asked James.

  ‘I should have thought, Señores, that was obvious.’

  ‘Quite the reverse, sir,’ said Harry. ‘You must know that the dream of every sailor, of every other navy in the world, is the taking of a Spanish plate ship.’

  That startled all three of their hosts, since though it was certainly true it was exceedingly rude to speak of it in such terms. Harry’s voice grew harsher as he continued. Partly to drive his point home, he was also incensed that these men, who’d blatantly stolen his property, could react as if the sin of greed was an alien concept.

  ‘And one thing every midshipman learns on joining King George’s navy is this: that no gold or silver is shipped out of the Americas unless it goes in a powerful armed convoy, its loading personally supervised by the Viceroy of Mexico. He knows, even if the day is a secret, at what time of year it departs from one of the ports of the Spanish Main. He is told, while still of tender years, that this is an edict that goes back to the heirs of Ferdinand and Isabella. It is, in short, a royal command that no Spanish official dare break.’

  De Carondelet shifted the subject so abruptly that he caught everyone else out. It took them some moments to catch up with him.

  ‘When you came to see me this morning I was in a state of agitation. If that manifested itself in any way unpleasant to you, I apologise. I admit I was even more abrupt when you enquired about the cargo loaded aboard the Gauchos.’

  ‘No more abrupt than you were a moment ago,’ said James.

  ‘I am not prepared to be interrogated by anyone. I am the Governor in New Orleans.’

  ‘That must be exceeding uncomfortable, sir, if what we witnessed on the way here is an indication of how you are perceived.’

  The Barón swallowed hard. Clearly James had got under his skin.

  ‘And really, Excellency, we would rather discuss the fate of our money than of yours.’

  ‘Even if what that ship carried was germane to the entire security of the Louisiana Territory?’

  ‘What has that got to do with us?’ asked Harry, brusquely.

  De Carondelet continued as if Harry hadn’t spoken, which made him wonder if he was listening to a prepared speech.

  ‘With the safety of this colony at stake, I will not debate with you why it was so dispatched. But I will say that I cannot describe its loss as anything other than a disaster.’

  ‘How very sorry we are
,’ James replied, without the least trace of sympathy in his voice.

  San Lucar de Barrameda cut in, his lips set in a smirk.

  ‘It was bullion, Señores. Surely you appreciate, as well as we must, the shortage of such a valuable commodity in this part of the world. Indeed we have been forced to—’

  De Carondelet cut across him abruptly. ‘Please stick to what is important, Captain.’

  ‘We are quite prepared to commiserate with you, Barón,’ Harry replied, ignoring what should have been San Lucar de Barrameda’s discomfort at the way he’d been slapped down. He was about to go on to say he knew what was coming; that any idea of his providing a loan was out of the question, even if he couldn’t actually say that the money de Carondelet had taken was the property of his passengers, but he stopped when he saw the look on de Barrameda’s face. It was one of evident pleasure, which increased perceptibly as he spoke.

  ‘Of course, Excellency. It is so important that the Barón finds it necessary to sequester the contents of your treasure chest.’

  ‘That is theft, Captain,’ said Harry coldly. He turned to Le Carondelet. ‘And one you may live to regret.’

  ‘Do not threaten his Excellency, Señor,’ snapped San Lucar de Barrameda, ‘or you will lose more than your money.’

  ‘You may very well lose New Orleans, Captain, when this larceny becomes known in London.’

  ‘A valid point, Captain Ludlow,’ said de Coburrabias.

  Harry shot him a glance, wondering if he was trying to distance himself from this decision. He didn’t get much time for thought as de Carondelet cut in.

  ‘I can understand that you do not welcome this decision. And the shock of what has just been said has caused you to let your tongue run loose. So, I will let your accusation that I am a thief pass. I take no offence, and neither will anyone else on my behalf.’

  ‘I’d be interested to know by what other name you call your proposal,’ said James.