Gornt said and trained his own binoculars. Her smoke was pulled at right angles to her path.

In the bay the rest of the fleet and merchantman were at anchor. A few whitecaps. Norbert's glasses went to Prancing Cloud. Nothing untoward there. Then the flagship. Nothing. Back to the frigate. They waited. Pearl was coming in quite fast, bow wave churning. Again the flagship, nothing. The frigate. Norbert could just discern Angelique standing next to a man who must be Struan.

"Look," Gornt said, his voice picking up excitement. "There. Can you see the signalman?"

"Where? Ah yes."

"He's semaphoring the flagship. First flags are the standard opening," Gornt said quickly.

"Captain of HMS Pearl to Admiral.

Message reads... Message reads: A-Go-Rather-Every-Every-Do That-O Rather-Every-Quite-Us-Every-So-T." Perplexed he stared at Norbert for a moment. "What does that mean?"

"Watch the flagship for any reply!"

Gornt obeyed. "Where the hell you learn to read Navy flags?"

"In Norfolk, Virginia, suh. When I was a kid I used to watch the ships, ours and the British. It became like a hobby.

Then my pa acquired a book, one American and another British, with most of their standard phrases and some of their codes. I used to win bets for my pa when he would entertain officers, usually at cards. He, my mother and him, he used to entertain a lot, lavishly, that was before the cotton crash and he lost most of his money."

"Can you read any flags? Any codes?"

Norbert asked quickly, wondering if he could use Gornt's knowledge. "Could you read Struan flags, ship to ship or ship to shore?"

"If they used standard international flag codes but probably, like Brock's they have special ... Just a moment, message from the flagship: Standard opening: "To Captain of Pearl from Admiral Ketterer." Next standard: "Return to your moorings at once." Next: "When tied up and sea safe, report to the flagship at once," adding the letters "Will-I-That-Have Have-I-More". Last standard: "Acknowledge."" Gornt glanced back quickly, ""With him", Mr. Greyforth? Would that be Struan?"

"Bull's-eye."

"Standard acknowledgment." Gornt put down the glasses and rubbed his eyes, the concentration had given him a headache. "Bull's eye? You know what it all means?"

"What's aboard Pearl that's so important? Captain bloody Marlowe, R.n." It took Norbert no time at all to explain.

"Married?" Gornt burst out. "You're brilliant, suh!"

"Never thought Ketterer would agree but it seems he has. Why? He gains nothing." Norbert was puzzled, then smiled spitefully. "Unless... unless he's ordered Struan and Marlowe aboard, to mat Marlowe, and undo the deed right smartly-- to jam the knife further into Struan, to torture him some more."

"Can he?"

"That bugger can do what the hell he likes if the truth be known," Norbert said and spat into the spittoon, then threw the butt of his cheroot into it as well. "Every man jack aboard the fleet's duty bound to obey him, and they would!"

"You mean he could order them to go against the law?"

"Let's put it this way: they've to obey immediately or suffer the consequences--which range from the cat to hanging to keelhauling. If he wanted he could hang you from one of his yardarms, then plead he'd been misled by juniors--he'd beat any court-martial. Meanwhile you're dead."

"Then how could you be so... so opposed to him, to his face, Mr. Greyforth?" "Because, Ketterer's law-abiding, they breed 'em like that for the Royal Navy, special, to obey orders from the next above, but mostly because we've Wee Willie--that fiesty little bugger's the one above. He's our real protection from Ketterer, the General, Jappos and every other bloody enemy--but that won't protect young Struan from Ketterer's phlegm."

"So, Captain Marlowe, Mr. Struan's peculiar request was for you to go out of sight of land --and to marry him to Miss Angelique Richaud?"

"Yes sir." Marlowe stood at attention unable to read the Admiral's face. Ketterer was flanked at the table in the great cabin aft by the flagship Captain. Behind them, his aide-de-camp, the Flag Lieutenant, stood equally frozen.

"And you did, knowing them to be minors?"

"Yes sir."

"Please give me a report, in writing, by sundown, specifying your reasons, exactly, and what occurred, exactly. Dismissed."

Marlowe saluted and began to leave as Ketterer turned to the Captain, a weathered, craggy, ugly man renowned for the toughness of his discipline, and worship of Naval Regulations. "Captain Donavan, perhaps you'd research the legal position, eh?"

"Yes sir." His blue eyes were merciless.

"Good, that's all then--for the moment." This was the last thing Marlowe heard before he closed the door and his heart seemed to begin again.

Struan was waiting in the anteroom outside.

Two marines stood guard suspiciously.

"Christ, did you get stick?"

"No, not at all." Marlowe tried to sound calm. "The Admiral, correctly, wants a written report, that's all. I'll be getting back to my ship. See you later." Before he could leave, the cabin door opened and he died a little more. Captain Donavan brushed past, hardly acknowledging him or his salute. At the doorway, the Flag Lieutenant said, "Mr.Struan, Admiral's compliments, would you kindly step in, please."

Struan hobbled into the cabin. Flag did not follow, but closed the door and waited within shouting distance. Before leaving, Marlowe caught his eye but that told him nothing--of course neither would say anything in front of the marines.

Ketterer, now alone in the cabin, motioned Struan to be seated. "On the one hand may I congratulate you," he said with grim formality and put out his hand.

"Thank you, sir." Struan shook hands, finding the Admiral's grip firm but his palm soft. "And on the other?"

"On the other it seems you are going to have your work cut out to keep your promises."

"Sir?"

"You seem to have stirred up a snake pit of venom amongst your fellows. Sir William is besieged with complaints."

"As I said, I'll do my best."

"You must do more than that, Mr. Struan."

"Sorry, but what does that mean, Admiral?"

"It means nothing more or less than what you've already promised to do."

In the small silence, Struan decided not to be overpowered, or crushed, or to lose sight of the fact that this man had made his marriage possible--no, not possible, he corrected himself, had "allowed" it to be possible. John Marlowe had had the balls to take the initiative. "Captain Marlowe's not in any trouble is he?"

"Captain Marlowe is subject to Naval Regulations."

"Yes, naturally, but I believe he married us within Naval Regulations, sir. I read the paragraph meticulously beforehand, and there was no age limit or mention of ages."

"Regulations also state that any such marriage is subject to immediate review if feasible. In this case it is."

"So I'm married but not, is that what you are saying?"

"I merely point out, Mr. Struan, as in all matters in the Navy, unusual happenings are subject to review."

Struan forced a smile. "Correctly so.

My..." He almost used "reading," but judiciously changed the word. "... My understanding of the order, sir, gave him permission."

Ketterer raised an eyebrow. "Captain Marlowe showed you a sealed order from me to him?"

"As I understood it, sir, the order gave him a qualified permission, sir--I confess I went out of my way to ask for the exact wording, and to persuade him that was the case."

"I rather thought you would," the Admiral said dryly.

"Then it was a qualified permission?"

"My order was stated clearly: If you should ask a peculiar favor, he might grant it if he wished. Last night, didn't you mention something about wanting to go out of sight of land?