Noble Duty

17. Betheson Estate

After Charlie and James had gone ashore to the office, Jenson approached, shaking his head. "What a strange mind Sir Cedric has. He demanded to examine the holds, and when he saw the casks of rum, he said he must take its proof."

"What? I told him it is not being landed. There is no need to assess its strength."

"As I reiterated to him. But he insisted." Jenson shook his head again. "John, his obsequious minion, took me aside and said that Cedric cannot smell strong drink without wanting some."

"Smell?"

"A closed hold traps and concentrates all that breathes through the barrel staves."

"Yes, of course. So, what did you do?"

"While John distracted his master with counting the casks, I went to our pantry and fetched a glass of malt whisky."

I chuckled. "Excellent enterprise. Did it appease him?"

"He threw it back in one swallow, puckered his face, belched and called it fine rum." Jenson blew a deep breath. "Then, he ordered me to land a cask of it to Customs House to satisfy the port fees."

"Dear God! Piracy under the guise of his Crown appointment. But the rum is not ours to give him; it is the property of Mister Nelson."

"Mister Nelson? Who is he, sir?"

"One of the passengers, a wine and spirits merchant. What did you tell Sir Cedric?"

"That it is too late in the day to arrange it."

"Ah, what an excellent stopgap. Well done."

"Thank you, sir."

"We will examine our options on the morrow. But this evening, the Baroness and I have been invited to dinner with the Bethesons, and I must away. I will leave the ship in your hands."

A few minutes later, after instructing Jenson, Charles and I descended the accommodation ladder, and at the bottom, he pointed northward. "It is less than eight minutes on foot, around the point and a short distance beyond."

As we walked along the wharf, I asked, "Is that the oaf's typical behaviour?"

"Nothing about him is typical. But demanding a cask does not surprise me. His power seems to have gone to his head."

After telling Charles about Gillian's studies of the illnesses of the mind, we discussed the possibility of her finding ways we might deal with Sir Cedric. Then, a distance along the road beside the strand, I pointed to the water and questioned, "You call that the East River, but our chart shows it as a strait of the sea separating Long Island from the remainder of the New York colony. Is the chart incorrect?"

"No, the cartographer has not erred in this. The error is from the early settlers of New Amsterdam, who had mistaken the configuration of the waters. The name is a translation from the Dutch, and through its habitual use, the word river has stuck."

I nodded. "And the Dutch? Do many of them remain here?"

"Indeed, yes, they are about one-quarter of the free population, though they tend to keep to themselves."

"Free population?"

"Nearly half of those in the city are slaves or indentured servants."

I winced. "Almost as bad as it has become in the Caribbean, Carolina and Virginia."

Charles nodded. "I cannot understand their continuing importation. Many freemen here are without gainful employment, and we have our pick of the best among them."