Chapter 5
A Story

 

 

            “You didn’t have to throw it overboard,” Granby said glaring at Tharkay.

            “I did not throw anything overboard,” Tharkay said coolly and he moved away from the cabin door set down his bag.

            “Why do you walk around with that?” Granby said, he was still rather vexed and his tone sounded accusing—suspicious.

            Tharkay only smiled and moved to unsecure the small table in their room and move it into the center.  Granby followed him still glaring from the vantage of his hammock.

            “You could try to be helpful, you know,” he said with derision as Tharkay moved the still empty locker to make another seat.  “If she and Temeraire had an egg she’ll give me less trouble on our return.”

            Tharkay stood and looked up at Granby with a shrug, “Come down from there and join us.”

            “Who’s coming?” Granby asked, but he jumped down and moved a stool that had been tied to the bulkhead.

            “Captain Riley was gracious enough to allow Laurence to visit for a bit of respite.  I imagine it isn’t so comfortable so near to the gaol and your dragon is so disruptive.”

            “She is not,” Granby said defensively.  He paused and then he chuckled, “Well… maybe she is…”

            There was a knock at the door and the two of them stood and turned to look.  Tharkay finally moved to open it and nodded a greeting to Laurence and the marine escorting him.  Both men came in and sat down.  Laurence introduced the marine as Mattias Jones and the marine grunted his greetings and sat on the floor in the corner.

            The three of them sat at the small table and Tharkay produced three cigars, “Compliments of Captain Riley,” he said passing them around.

            Laurence watched Granby as he cut an end off awkwardly with a small folding knife and opened the lantern set in the center of the table.  He suddenly felt profoundly touched.  Here he sat, a convicted traitor, and there were friends enough to show him such kindnesses.  Laurence waited until Granby was lit and then lifted the glass and leaned in to light his own.  He sat back in his chair and stared at the orange light of sunset coming into the open porthole.  He felt a pang of reminiscence as he was brought back to evenings like this on his own ship;  the quarters were better and the company perhaps a bit more auspicious, but this was not too far for a match.

            Tharkay was still holding the remaining cigar in his hands.

            “You can borrow my knife,” Granby said, puffing away happily.

            “I don’t need it,” Tharkay said and he ran the cigar under his nose before tucking it away in the folds of his coat.

            “Tharkay,” Laurence said, “You don’t—“

            “Too grand a luxury for me,” Tharkay said, “But tobacco can be very useful.”

            Neither Granby nor Laurence could think of a worthy argument for that and let him be.  Laurence had his battered deck of cards and Granby frowned as he started to sort out the extra cards and then shuffle them.

            “Do you think that Catherine really loves him?” Granby said suddenly.  The other two men just looked at him.  “I mean because he seems very worried most of the time.  I tried to tell him how difficult a thing it is in the Corps… You know, raising a proper family and all that.”

            Laurence chuckled, “I’m sure Captain Harcourt might’ve prevented their marrying if she was so against it.”

            “She resisted,” Granby said, “but it was such a disappointment that the babe was a boy.  I suppose it’s lucky that he’s signed on for a second chance.”

            Laurence, surprised that Granby would take the conversation so low rebuked him with a look, and then he said, “I’m sure they are both capable of making their own decisions on the matter.”

            “Granby is bothered that your dragon isn’t nearly so pragmatic about it as our Captain Harcourt and Captain Riley,” Tharkay suggested glancing at the cards Laurence had tossed his way.

            “John,” Laurence said with a sigh, “I don’t want to pressure him so.  I find myself constantly telling him no.  Ordering him and cajoling him over so many other matters, I don’t want to add to that the pressure of an egg.  He doesn’t like Iskierka, and I don’t think the close quarters are going to cure him of that…”

            “I think the romances would’ve worked,” Granby said stubbornly as Laurence lost another play to Tharkay, “Iskierka liked them very much.”

            Laurence laughed, “I’m sorry Granby.  None of us on deck were very fond of Shakespeare.”

            “It’s Shakespeare!” Granby said blushing, “Everybody likes Shakespeare!”

            “Shakespeare is good,” Tharkay interjected, “But perhaps you should’ve stayed with the sonnets and avoided Romeo and Juliet.”

            “I didn’t think they had Shakespeare in China,” Granby said churlishly as Laurence took a trick from Tharkay.

            “Perhaps some of us aren’t very used to getting female attention,” Tharkay said.

            Laurence was staring at the card Tharkay had laid down and did not seem to notice how red Granby’s ears had gotten.  “Are you calling me a buh—“

            “Sit down Granby,” Laurence said, “Don’t provoke him, Tharkay.”

            “Romeo and Juliet is not romantic at all,” Tharkay said, but Granby was shaking his head and muttering curses under his breath.  Laurence’s brow was deeply furrowed as he eyed the tricks Tharkay had taken and left face up on the table, counting the number of cards in both their hands.  Finally he set down a card and Tharkay took the trick.

            “Love, kept apart by the hatred of their families, following each other into death,” Tharkay said leading the next trick, “Dreadfully sad—don’t you think?”

            “Hmph,” Laurence said, eyeing the card.

            “But that’s why it’s romantic,” Granby said chewing the end of his cigar, “they are so in love that they would follow each other into death.  Isn’t it implied also that perhaps love transcends death and is shared in the afterlife?”

            Tharkay shook his head and took the trick after Laurence had put down his card, “Tell me, how does that appeal to a dragon?  Iskierka wants an egg of Temeraire and he is refusing simply because he does not like her.  Reading them tragedies while stuck in the middle of the ocean won’t make them want to—you know.”

            “Is that why you threw my book overboard?” Granby said huffily and even Laurence looked up from the card game.

            “I threw it overboard,” Laurence said, “But only because Iskierka had set it on fire, I didn’t want to risk the ship.”

            “What?” Granby said, “But I thought Iskierka liked—“

            “I’m not sure what happened exactly,” Laurence said, “but as the crisis has been averted, I didn’t feel the need to start inquiries—especially with the risk of getting the two of them fighting again.”

            Tharkay glanced meaningfully at Granby and Laurence dropped his final card on the table with a frown.  Laurence set his cigar down in a bit of tin and leaned back to look at the marine who was sleeping in the corner.  Tharkay had gathered the cards and started to shuffle them.  Granby looked at Laurence with a frown.

            “I’m going to be in the colony for a long time, aren’t I?” Laurence offered a tight-lipped smile of sympathy.

            “I wish I had more that I could say to Temeraire on the matter, but alas, I have only been betrothed once and really it wasn’t more than a promise among children.  Any experience I might have had was not love nor intending anything more substantial than the release of… well pressure and longing, I suppose.”

            Tharkay had set the deck on the table and was eyeing the other two and the little table became decidedly uncomfortable.

            “What was her name, your paramour?” Granby said finally, breaking the silence.

            Laurence hesitated and then he said, “Edith.”

            Tharkay started shuffling the deck again his dark eyes trained on the task.

            They sat without speaking for a long space of time, only the soft patter of the cards breaking the heavy silence while Tharkay shuffled.  Laurence frowned a bit and then he stretched his shoulders and smiled at Granby.

            “And you John?” He said, “Have you ever been in love?”

            Granby blushed as he sat back in his seat and set down his cigar.  He shook his head.  “Don’t have too much time for that in the Corps,” he said gruffly.  Tharkay snorted.

            “I suppose you’ve got a story, do you Tharkay?” Granby said taking up the cigar and pointing it at him.

            “I thought, perhaps, that you’ve answered your question regarding the problem of the dragons,” Tharkay said deftly avoiding Granby’s question.

            Laurence was staring at Tharkay now suddenly curious.  Would he be prying if he asked?  After all it was just the three of them and they were friends?  Perhaps?  Tharkay met Laurence’s eye and set down the deck again.  Granby was puffing at the cigar again and glaring at Tharkay.  Laurence swallowed, he wanted to know for sure, he wanted to ask about Sara Maden.  Tharkay lifted the deck and placed it in front of Laurence.

            “Go on Tharkay,” Granby said, “Give us a story.  Two poor blokes who haven’t had time for the finer things in the world.”

            Tharkay’s brow furrowed slightly.  Laurence cut the deck and pushed it back toward Tharkay who dealt the next hand.  Laurence turned to Granby and gave him another hard glare, and said very softly, “John, careful that you do not take things too far.”

            Tharkay was looking at the two of them surreptitiously while sorting the cards in his hand.  They fell into the game and played the full hand and were halfway through another before Granby interrupted by putting out his cigar.

            “It was only a little jab, I meant nothing by it,” Granby said under his breath.  Tharkay looked at him and smiled at the apology.

            “Most of the stories that people tell of love are like Romeo and Juliet—tragic…” He looked at Laurence directly, “Do you think a dragon is very interested in tragedy?”

            “No, I don’t think they are interested in tragedy,” Laurence said.

            “And you Granby?” Tharkay said.

            “I guess not.”

            “So why do you think plying them with stories of human love—human tragedy—will convince Temeraire that he ought to give in to Iskierka.”

            Laurence set down a card and he and Granby both looked at Tharkay, who seemed very amused with himself.  Tharkay took the trick and set the cards to the side.  They were still staring at him while he took several moments to decide which card to lead with and set it down.  He looked up at Laurence.

            “Well,” Laurence said.

            “What?” Tharkay said.

            “Human love is not always a travesty,” Granby said gruffly and leaned back in his stool—far enough that the front leg lifted from the deck.

            “Isn’t it?” Tharkay said staring hard at the card laid on the table, the queen of hearts.

            Laurence chuckled, staring at the card on the table and took the trick.  Tharkay smiled, “and good riddance to her.”

            “It’s a rather sad way to look at the world,” Granby said.

            “You’ve never had your heart broken,” Tharkay said but he smiled slightly and Laurence wondered whether he was serious or merely baiting Granby.

            Granby cleared his throat and sat forward, and the leg of the stool struck the deck with a thump.  “Give us the story then, Romeo.”

            Laurence swallowed watching Tharkay’s face, which remained impassive.  Tharkay looked at Laurence directly, “Your lead.”

            “Oh,” Laurence said and stared at his cards.

            “I told this story to Arkady once,” Tharkay said rolling his shoulders while his eyes followed Laurence’s hand.

            “There was a Mughal Emperor in India, long ago.  His name was Shah Jahan and he was called the king of the world—“

            “Don’t change the subject—“ Granby interjected but Laurence silenced him with a look.  Tharkay dropped a card on the table winning another trick.

            “So, Shah Jahan was married to Mumtaz Mahal—well he was a Muhammedan—so he had three wives, and a harem.  She was his third wife, but he loved Mumtaz best of all.  She was the mother of ten or so of his children, and she accompanied him where ever he went—conquering other nations.”

            Tharkay paused and rearranged the cards in his hand.  Granby was leaning on the table with his cheek cradled in his hand.  Laurence’s brow was furrowed again as he stared at the cards and tried to follow the story.

            “His reign was one of the most successful, and the Mughals grew very wealthy and they were deferent to the arts and to the building of great monuments.  Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth.  In her honor he built her the greatest mausoleum the world has ever seen—Taj Mahal.”

            Laurence smiled, “A true story.”

            “Yeah, that wasn’t romantic at all,” Granby said and Tharkay laughed at him.

            “Add the bit about his peacock throne—worth 10 million pounds—and surely you well get a dragon’s attention.”  Tharkay dropped a card on the table.

            “Have you ever seen it?” Laurence asked

    “What?  The Taj Mahal?  I have.  When I was a very young man—and you are kaput,” Tharkay said sliding the last trick from the table.  Laurence shook his head incredulously.

            “I am finished,” Laurence said.

            “Not quite,” Tharkay said, “there’s another hand.”

            “John, will you play the winner?” Laurence asked.

            “No,” Granby said, and then turned to Tharkay, “I think you cheat.”

            “What motive does he have for that?” Laurence said defensively.

            “You do have another hand,” Granby said standing, “I say we should toast.  I dare say I’ll need some fortification if I have to play this devil.”

            Laurence shook his head as he shuffled the cards.  Granby left the room to find a bottle for their toast and Laurence and Tharkay were alone with only the snores from the marine for company.

            “You were in India?” Laurence said after the door closed behind Granby.

            Tharkay shrugged, “My father certainly didn’t climb a mountain to find my mother.  Bengal is a very large Presidency and people were mixing all the time there.”

            Laurence chuckled.  They sat quietly sorting their cards after the deal.

            “Edith poured coffee for us in London,” Tharkay said.

            Laurence’s head shot up and he looked at Tharkay but Tharkay kept his eyes on his cards.  “Yes,” Laurence said finally.  He hesitated again and then added softly, “It was over when I harnessed Temeraire.”

            “I’m sorry,” Tharkay said.

            “I wouldn’t give him up for anything,” Laurence said.  He smiled to himself, knowing it was true.