The Rape of Venice (42 page)

‘Nothing can now convince me, Sir, that Mrs. Brook left me of her own free will. But there is a sure way to find out if it is you or I who are in the right of the matter. It is that the Rajah of Bahna should be required to produce her, and that, after an interval sufficient to free her from Malderini's malign influence, she should be asked to speak for herself.'

‘The Rajah might well refuse to comply, maintaining that this is a private issue, and no concern of his. What then?'

‘Colonel Gunston would then act upon the further instructions that your Excellency would have given him—namely to recover her by force.'

The Governor raised his long knobbly hands and gently tapped the tips of his fingers together. ‘Come, come, Mr. Brook. We are no longer living in the age when Troy was besieged on account of Helen. You cannot seriously expect me to involve the Company in a war on your behalf because your beautiful young wife has run away with another man.'

Angered by this assumption of Clarissa's guilt, Roger went slightly pale, but he kept his voice level as he replied, ‘This is no question of personalities, but one of principle. The honour and safety of an English woman are involved.'

‘You have not yet convinced me that she is in any danger. And, if she is, she has brought it on herself. There can be no justification for calling on men to fight in such a cause; and I have no intention of placing the lives of perhaps several hundred people in jeopardy on account of a truant wife.'

Roger saw now that patient argument would get him nowhere; so he replied with sudden acidity: ‘Such righteous sentiments would no doubt be mightily applauded at a meeting of Puritans; but the parable of the strayed lamb would make them difficult for any true follower of Christ to justify.'

Sir! Do you presume to lecture me on my religion?'

‘No. Your Excellency's religion holds no interest for me.' Roger's tone had again become mild, but the way in which he steadily returned the Governor's angry stare through half-closed eyes showed that he was now in a highly dangerous mood. He went on quietly, ‘I am concerned only with justice, and the prestige of my King and country. As regards the first, you are guilty of a gross injustice condemning my wife unheard. With regard to the second, am I not right in believing that your real reason for refusing me your assistance is because
you are anxious not to give offence to the Rajah of Bahna?'

‘I am under no obligation to reply to such a question,' Sir John replied stiffly. ‘But as I know myself to have been much criticised on that head, I will do so. I am the Servant of the Company. The instructions of their Honours the Directors are that I should avoid all cause for war with the native Princes, and resort to arms only should it be necessary to defend the Company's vital interests. It is my task to carry out those instructions to the best of my ability; not to question them.'

‘I disagree. You are ignoring the revolutionary change that has recently taken place in the Government of India. The setting up of the India Board by Parliament has given you two masters. You are now responsible not only to the Company, but also to the Crown. And it is your duty to put the interests of the Crown before those of the Company. I propose to show you a certain paper, and then.…'

His ugly face twitching spasmodically, the Governor jumped to his feet and cried: ‘How dare you attempt to teach me my business!'

‘I pray your Excellency to be seated. When you have seen this paper, I think you will alter your tone.'

‘Mr. Brook, you go too far. I'll not read your paper, nor will I discuss these matters with you one moment longer. This interview is ended.'

‘On the contrary,' Roger retorted angrily, ‘we are but just come to the essentials of it. I, too, have held His Majesty's Commission as a Governor; and, since you clearly need it, I intend to give you the benefit of my experience.'

‘You … you! Your insolence is beyond bounds!' Sir John pointed with a trembling hand towards the door. ‘Leave the room instantly!'

‘I shall leave it when you have written and signed the instructions I came here to get from you; not before.'

‘You force me to extreme measures. I see that I must ring for my people and have you arrested.'

Roger made no move to rise. He knew that if he once left the room he would never be given another chance to see Sir John Shore alone. He was fighting for Clarissa's sanity and, perhaps, her life. If he failed now to wring from the Governor authority for the help he needed, all hope of saving her would be done. He had hoped to prevail by argument, but had come prepared to stake everything for her sake. By the step he was now about to take he would, unless he succeeded in breaking
the Governor's will, find himself hauled before a court and given a long prison sentence. But it was the only way in which he could force Sir John to listen to him. Without batting an eyelid, he took the plunge, and said sharply:

‘In my pocket I have a small pistol. It is loaded and, if your Excellency's hand moves an inch nearer that bell, the Company will be under the necessity of appointing a new Governor.'

Sir John's hand remained poised in mid-air; then he cried, ‘This … this is an outrage!'

‘It will not be unless you force me to make it one.'

‘You are mad, Sir! Mad! The loss of your wife has driven you out of your mind.'

‘No, I am in full possession of my reason. But it happens that my own interests coincide with those of His Majesty's Government. And, since you are neglectful of the latter, I regard it as my duty to see those interests safeguarded.' As he spoke, Roger put his hand into an inner pocket, and Sir John exclaimed with a sudden show of courage:

‘I'll sign nothing; nothing! Not even at the pistol point!'

‘I'd be a fool to force you to,' Roger replied, taking out a folded parchment, ‘for if you did, you could issue an order for its cancellation within five minutes of my leaving you. I wish only to convince you that, where affairs of State are concerned, there are times when some people put a certain value on my opinion.'

‘I should be much surprised ever to find myself among them.'

‘That we shall see. You will recall that half an hour back I told you that it was owing to my duel with Malderini that I had to leave England. This letter was brought out by Colonel Wesley, and it is the clearance for my return.' As Roger laid the letter on the desk, he added casually, ‘No doubt you are acquainted with the handwriting of the Prime Minister?'

‘The Prime Minister!' echoed Sir John, his mouth dropping slightly open.

‘Why, yes. Mr. Pitt has been my master for many years; and as you will see from that he looks upon me as a trusted friend.'

Sir John adjusted his steel-rimmed spectacles and his glance ran swiftly down the parchment. After a moment, Roger said, ‘Permit me to direct your Excellency's special attention to the postscript.'

‘I have read it.' The Governor's voice was sharp and querulous. ‘May God give me patience. To think that Mr. Secretary Dundas should intend to ask you for a report on the state of
things in India. What can you know of this vast country? You who have been in it less than a week for every year I have spent here!'

‘Three months in a country is more than enough for anyone to learn if its government is strong or weak.'

‘You can have formed your judgment only from malicious tittle-tattle, and that is no proper basis to go upon. Even if you were better qualified, that a Minister of the Crown should seek information behind the Company's back in this way is positively scandalous.'

‘Your Excellency appears to forget that, as Chairman of the India Board, Mr. Dundas is responsible to His Majesty for the security of British interests in India. From having been a servant of the Company for so many years, your loyalty to it is understandable. But you must not expect me to share it; and it does not excuse British prestige having fallen so low during your stewardship. You talk of tittle-tattle, but it is far more than that when over their wine every night of the week men damn you for policies that bring shame upon our nation. Your betrayal of the Nizam of Hyderabad destroyed throughout India all faith in the British word, and but three nights ago a petty princeling, only a score of miles beyond the frontier of Bengal, treated your name with derision, declaring to me that you would not dare to lift a finger against him.'

‘Enough! Enough!' cried the tortured Governor. ‘I have followed the instructions of my masters. I have brought in many excellent reforms. I work far longer hours than any of my staff. I have near wrecked my health in service to the people of this country. And what is my reward? To have you, who are ignorant of all this, hold me up at pistol point in order that you can fling these terrible accusations at me.'

Roger shrugged. ‘I have no pistol. I pretended that I had one as the only means of preventing you from having me thrown out. I endeavoured to show you that letter earlier, but you would not let me. Your seeing it was my only hope of bringing you to reason.'

‘And now that I have,' the Governor gave a bitter laugh, ‘I am faced with not a pistol but a cannon. Clearly you are offering me the choice of doing as you wish or, should I refuse, returning to England and doing your utmost to hound me out of office.'

‘Say rather that, as in the case of Mr. Warren Hastings and with far better reason. I will have you impeached for treason.'

‘This is no less than blackmail.'

‘It could be, but it happens that I have scruples.' Roger told the glib lie because he wished to save the wretched man's face. ‘I'll put no pressure on you, and give you my word that when I make my report to Harry Dundas it shall be a fair one, un-tinged by malice. I ask only that your Excellency should consider the advice which I propose to offer you.'

Sir John looked at him in astonishment and, after a moment, replied: ‘In view of what has passed between us, you are now acting with considerable generosity, Mr. Brook. Having read this letter, too, I must concede that you are a man of much more consequence than I thought. I would that I had let you show it to me earlier, for it is a clear testimony that the highest personages set value on your opinions.'

Now that the tension was relaxed, both men again sat down, and Roger said: ‘It may on first thought seem an impertinence for one who has been Governor only of a West Indian island to air his views to a man of your Excellency's exalted station and far great experience; yet I am convinced that the art of government remains the same whatever the size of the state.

‘When I arrived in Martinique, it had recently been taken from the French, and nine-tenths of its white population are of that nation. The island was in a state of acute unrest, and a revolt aimed at turning us out could be anticipated at any time. My predecessor had resorted to fiercely repressive measures, but that had led only to further antagonising the inhabitants and paralysing the trade of the island.

‘I reversed that policy and, like yourself, initiated one of appeasement. In every issue I went as far as I could to meet the wishes of the French. I revoked many restrictions that irritated them, bettered the lot of the workers, and stimulated commerce. In fact, I ruled with a velvet glove. But I kept a hand of steel inside it. The least infringement of my orders and the offender got no second chance. Those who were caught talking sedition against the British rule I treated without mercy. It may well be that I had hanged a score of innocent men; but by that I stopped revolts which might have led to the deaths of many hundreds.

‘May I suggest, Sir John, that you have been ruling with the velvet glove, but without the steel hand inside it?'

The tired man on the other side of the desk nodded slowly. There is much in what you say. But my instructions from the Company.…'

‘Let us forget the Company,' Roger cut him short, ‘and think only of what British rule should be. Justice, the freeing of the people from oppression by the native rulers, the introduction of better methods of agriculture, the stabilisation of currency, and encouragement of the exchange of goods between provinces; all this, but also death for those who foment discontent or, through personal amibtion, threaten the progress of peace and prosperity.

‘In the matter of Bahna, you have to your hand a situation which, if you handle it rightly, can rehabilitate you in the eyes both of your fellow countrymen and the native potentates. This vicious young Rajah owes the Company twelve lakhs of rupees. He has refused to pay it, and is confident that you will not dare to use force to collect it. I suggest that you should order Colonel Gunston to advance on Bahna and demand both the money and my wife. I go further. I suggest that you should entrust me with an order to depose Jawahir-ul-daula and appoint a suitable successor. For him to pay at this late date is not enough. Only by occupying his capital and making an example of him will you receive the full credit for having acted, however belatedly, with real resolution to restore your lost authority. Do this and the news of it will run round India in a week. From Kashmir to Travancore it will be realised that you are not, after all, a man to be trifled with.'

They argued the matter for another half-hour, but in the end Roger got his way. Sir John Shore penned a despatch giving fresh instructions to Gunston, and signed and sealed for Roger a commission as an agent of the Company authorising him to make such changes in the government of Bahna as he saw fit. Apart from policy, the question of reinforcements for Gunston was outside his province, but he gave Roger a letter to the Commander-in-Chief, informing him of his decision to reduce Bahna to obedience, and requesting that British troops should be despatched as soon as possible to strengthen the force that Gunston was commanding on behalf of the Company.

Mentally stimulated by his triumph after this long battle, Roger took leave of the Governor and had himself carried in a chair through the noisy, crowded, smelly streets to the Red Fort, in which General Sir Alured Clarke had his headquarters.