Convict Queen Read online

  She'd finished the letters and all the new convicts had been hustled below before Joshua returned. She handed him the letters and smiled wistfully.

  He perched beside her on the chest and she shifted to give him room, but they were still so close together she could touch him and smell the male scent of him, cleaner than William had ever been.

  'I know from the letter you wrote you're Molly.'

  He didn't ask what she'd done, but she told him anyway. She didn't want him to imagine even worse of her.

  'How long will we be on the ship?'

  'The First Fleet took three months.'

  'Three months! What do you mean by the first fleet?'

  'They were the ships that took the first convicts to New South Wales. Captain Gilbert, who's Captain of the Neptune – that's us – was a captain of one of those ships, the Charlotte, so he's been before. He's written an account of it. My brother was one of the sailors who went with him and he gave me a copy of his book. Since you can read, would you like to see it?'

  Molly smiled and tried to look wistful.

  'I loved reading the books my schoolmaster's wife lent me, but I couldn't keep it in those horrible cages.' She shuddered. 'The other women would damage it.'

  'Don't worry, once all the passengers have come aboard you'll be let on deck.'

  'More passengers? More convicts?'

  'Some, but we've a few gentry as well, and some free women who are sailing with us. They have cabins.'

  'Do you have a cabin? You're a corporal, aren't you, an officer?'

  'We have to share, two of us,' he told her, but slid his arm about her waist.

  Molly sighed and let her head rest on his shoulder. This was promising. He'd help her.

  Briefly she wondered whether he might help her escape, or whether she could risk jumping into the river and swimming to the shore. She had only swum in the quiet pools of the Corve river, so she swiftly abandoned that idea. This river was wide and full of boats. Bodies, too. She'd seen two of the convicts who had come aboard the previous day thrown into the river, and Joshua had told her they had died.

  He sighed and remove his arm.

  'I must leave you. I'm going ashore, so I'll send these letters.'

  'Leaving the ship?'

  If he did she'd need someone else to help.

  'I'll be back. We're recruiting more men for the Corps. There haven't been enough volunteers, so Major Grose is taking deserters who have been in the Military Prison. They'll come to avoid the lash,' he added, and frowned. 'They'll have to behave here or they'll get it anyway.'

  *

  CHAPTER 7

  Molly slept well that night. Joshua liked her, and through him she was sure she could survive this dreadful voyage. He'd at the very least help her. What more she might expect she didn't know, but to have a friend in the Corps, and one who was an officer, must be an advantage. And, she vowed, she'd do whatever was necessary to keep him interested and helpful.

  When she woke it was to the sound of timbers groaning and creaking, and the floor was doing odd things, moving and swaying beneath her.

  'What the devil's 'appening?' one of the other women asked.

  'We're moving,' another said. 'Have we started already?'

  When some of the sailors brought them water and crusts of bread for breakfast they told the women they were sailing down river to Gravesend.

  'We've more passengers to pick up there,' they explained.

  Several of the women looked pale, for the motion of the ship was uncomfortable.

  'If it's this bad just in the river, it'll be murder once we're out at sea.'

  'Where is Gravesend?' Molly asked. 'Is it still on the river?'

  An older woman nodded, sniffing.

  'Aye, on the Kent coast. If only I could get off there I'd be back 'ome in an hour. But I'll never see me 'ome again! Nor the kids and me Mom and Dad!'

  'We on'y got seven year,' another said. 'We can come back then.'

  'How? Will this bloody government pay our passages?'

  This was something Molly wanted to know, but she had been given a fourteen year sentence.

  They were thankful when it seemed the ship had anchored, and the movement was just a gentle swaying, not the up and down motion that made them feel ill. For an hour or more nothing happened, and the main deck was too far above them for many noises to penetrate. Then a party of soldiers came down, escorting some of the newcomers. Molly eyed them with interest. There were a young man in the Corps uniform, a woman in fashionable clothes clutching a shawl about her, and a girl in a drab gown she took to be a maid, who was carrying a child a few months old, swathed in so many shawls and blankets he was totally hidden. He'd be warm enough, Molly thought, and shivered. Would she ever get used to this bitter cold, far worse than winters in Corvedale? She watched the little party step through a doorway next to her cage.

  'We had to divide the cabin, sir,' one of the soldiers said, 'so I'm sorry it's so small.'

  'Small?' the woman exclaimed in disgust. 'There's barely room to lie down. And the smell is disgusting!'

  'It'll be better when we're at sea, Mrs Macarthur,' the soldier replied.

  'That's as may be, but I want to speak to the Captain. At once.'

  'I'll tell Captain Gilbert, sir.'

  'And Captain Nepean, too. He's in charge of the Corps.'

  The soldiers, having brought down a number of chests for which, the woman complained, there was no room in the cabin, departed. Molly could hear her through the thin partition which closed off their cabin, demanding that they be given better accommodation, and the man promising to see to it as soon as he could find Captain Gilbert.

  'And Nepean will not allow his officers to be housed in such deplorable conditions.'

  *

  Later some of the women were permitted on deck. Molly found her way to the corner where she had been the day before, from where she could watch for Joshua Mullins. There seemed to be even more crates on deck now, and Joshua, when he found her and came to sit beside her, explained they were goods for trading when they reached New South Wales.

  'Or, perhaps, at ports on the way.'

  Molly nodded. That did not concern her. She was watching a tall, handsome man in civilian clothes who had just come on board. He turned towards her and she saw his bright blue eyes and laughing mouth.

  'Who's that?'

  Joshua laughed. 'He's a surgeon, is D'Arcy Wentworth, an Irishman like meself, and a devil of a fellow. If he hadn't volunteered he'd be in Newgate now.'

  'In the prison? Why, what did he do?'

  'He's been accused of holding up carriages.'

  'A highwayman? But he's a gentleman!' Molly was shocked. She'd imagined highwaymen to be scruffy, unprepossessing characters, not well-dressed, handsome men.

  'He's got away with it several times before. It's the Irish blarney. And he's doing it now, look.'

  The man was talking to one of the women who had been in the same cage as Molly. Her name, Molly thought, was Catherine, and she was young and pretty.

  'There's Captain Gilbert,' Joshua told her. 'And behind him the first mate, William Ellington. Good men, I've heard, but whether they'll be able to control this crew without the lash, I don't know.'

  'The sailors? What's wrong with them?' Molly asked, shivering.

  'A lot of the first crew deserted, and I don't blame them. And it's the contractors that choose 'em, not the Captain, so we'll have all sorts of rubbish. Besides, it's not a good ship.'

  Molly shivered. She hadn't thought much about the voyage, clinging always to the hope she might escape. That hope had gone, what she'd seen so far was as bad as the prison in Shrewsbury, and from what Joshua said it was likely to become much worse.

  'How do you mean?'

  'It's old, the poor Neptune, and not been looked after. But the contractors don't care so long as they gets their fee for the convicts. They'll pile on as many as they can. I've no doubt we'll be taking on more in Portsmouth and Plymout
h.'

  'More? But the cages are already overflowing! We had to pass the ones where the men are to get to the ladders.'

  'And did you see what condition they were in?'

  Molly nodded. 'They looked half starved, and many of them seemed ill.'

  'It's being said the government want to get rid of those who are ill. Some of them will die before we sail. Some have been chucked into the Thames already. It makes room for more. And what do the contractors care? They've had their fee. And when some die at sea there'll be more food for the rest.'

  'That's wicked!'

  'It's the system. But I'll see to it you don't go short.'

  He bent forward and kissed her, and his hands began to explore her curves. Molly braced herself. She would have to endure more than this if she were to keep his interest. It would be worth it to make sure of his help.

  'We can't let you lose any weight, and those pretty curves, can we,' he whispered.

  *

  Back in the cage Molly could hear a woman's shrill voice through the thin partition that provided the Macarthurs with their cabin. She only caught the occasional word from the woman, but it seemed she was complaining of the stink from the buckets in the cages. The child was wailing piteously, and the man, whose voice was loud and peremptory, seemed even more angry than his wife. Molly heard him promise he'd force the Captain to give them better accommodation.

  Then the door opened and Molly heard more.

  'Edward isn't well, and if I lose this new babe too I'll throw myself overboard! You must help me, John!'

  'I will, as soon as I can tell Gilbert these quarters won't do.'

  The door closed again as he went away, ducking his head below the beams, and apart from the child's miserable weeping Molly heard no more. It was dark down on this lower deck, but night came early in November, and then nothing could be seen even though a few hatches were open. Molly tried to sleep. Would Joshua come for her? He seemed a decent enough fellow, better than some of the other soldiers and sailors she had seen, and he'd shown he liked her. She had decided she despised all men, but she would use them, for they had all the power in her world.

  *

  Joshua, wanting to make Molly grateful to him, though in fact she would not be able to defy him, arranged for Molly to be permitted on deck, along with a few of the other women, the following day. He squatted down beside her, where she was writing more letters, resting the paper on a crate.

  'The men have all been put in irons, for fear of mutiny.' he told her. 'It was Shapcote's order.'

  'Who's he?'

  Joshua snorted. From what he'd seen so far he didn't think much of Shapcote.

  'He's the naval agent, meant to be in charge, but he don't look tough enough for me. These irons are the old ones they used when the Neptune were a slaver. Cruel, they are, just a rigid bar, and they're so short they don't give a fellow room to move his legs.'

  The Captain was supervising some newcomers.

  'More riff raff,' Joshua said. 'Captain Gilbert's had no option but to take what they send him from the Savoy. The Military prison,' he explained when he saw Molly's incomprehension.

  The men were directed to their quarters. Sullen and slow, they shrugged and followed their guides. As the last of them departed John Macarthur, who had been watching, tapped Captain Gilbert on the shoulder. Joshua raised his eyebrows, and slid further down behind the crate.

  'About time too. I want to talk to you,' Macarthur snarled.

  His tone was curt, and the Captain's eyebrows were raised.

  'Sir?'

  'That apology for a cabin won't do. It's an insult, and far too small, and my wife is in a delicate condition. The stink from those felons is enough to bring on a miscarriage. You have to move us.'

  'Mr Macarthur, there is nowhere else.'

  Macarthur suddenly stretched out his hands and grasped the Captain's jacket. As he shook the man Captain Gilbert attempted to pull away, but was unable to break the strong grip. He pushed Macarthur's arm, but to no avail. Then he struck both arms, at which Macarthur drew back one arm and swung his fist towards the Captain's head. Soon the two were trading blows, and separated only when two of the Corps' officers pulled them apart.

  'By God, man, I ought to put you in irons!' Gilbert panted. 'I will do if you can't control yourself!'

  'You won't get away with this,' Macarthur shouted as he turned away and made for the ladder to the lower decks.

  'Oho!' Joshua muttered. 'This is not going to be a happy ship.'

  'Isn't Mr Macarthur one of your officers?' Molly asked.

  'Sure he is, and only a jumped up son of a draper in Plymouth. He was on half pay for years, till he joined the 68th, at Gibraltar, where I was. Like me, he upped to a lieutenant in the Corps. Many of us saw it as the only chance of promotion.'

  *

  Later that day, when Molly and the other women had been sent below, they felt the ship move. It had been bobbing gently up and down since they arrived at Gravesend, but this movement was much stronger, and some of the women began to complain of feeling queasy.

  'What's happening?'

  'We're off to Plymouth,' one of the sailors, who was busy closing the hatches, told them.

  Molly struggled to recall a map of England she had once seen in Mr Lewis's study. Plymouth, she thought, was in the far west, along the south coast.

  The ship rolled from side to side, and bucked wildly, throwing the women in the cage about. It reminded Molly of seeing a horse in one of the fields in Corvedale, and she had to blink back tears. She'd never again see her home, or her children, or William. The thought of her husband, whose thieving ways had brought her to this, stiffened her. He had got away, while she was probably being sent to her death in a strange land the other side of the world. Well, she wouldn't give in. Joshua would help her. Perhaps, at this Plymouth, she'd be able to escape from the ship.

  *

  The women were kept below decks during the daytime, but at night several of them were hauled out of the cages and dragged away by both sailors and men of the Corps. Molly was thankful Joshua came for her early, before the other men. He did not have a cabin to himself, but he explained he and his companion had agreed to leave it empty for part of each night.

  'He don't care who he has,' Joshua said, laughing. 'But they all know you're mine, so they'll leave you be.'

  Molly gritted her teeth and tried to be thankful. Joshua was kind, gentle even, unlike some of the others. The women reported rough handling, beatings when they protested, and some of them being used by half a dozen men each night. And they often received nothing in exchange. At least Joshua always gave her food, usually bread and cheese, or slices of meat, and she was grateful, for the rations they were handed by day weren't enough to keep a cat alive.

  When they reached Plymouth and the ship was anchored, the gentle rocking was a relief from the noise and the tossing during the journey. Even the women who had suffered most from sickness began to feel better.

  Elizabeth Macarthur had complained endlessly throughout the last few days, and soon after the ship had come to rest her husband was heard loudly demanding to talk to the Captain. He clearly had no satisfaction, for he came storming back and could be heard in his cabin shouting that the fool Gilbert was a charlatan, and would soon realise he could not treat him with contempt.

  On the following day Joshua came to tell Molly she had permission to sit on deck for a while. There she found the girl Catherine, who had moved into D'Arcy Wentworth's cabin. They sat together on a crate from where they could see some of the shore. Captain Gilbert saw them, and nodded as he went past. Catherine chuckled.

  'The Captain and that man Macarthur fought a duel,' she said. 'D'Arcy saw it, yesterday, on the Old Gun Wharf. He said they exchanged pistol shots, but only Gilbert's coat was hurt.'

  Molly had heard about duels, but all the men she knew settled disputes with their fists. A few of the better off men in Corvedale possessed guns, but they were for hunting game.
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  'Was it about his cabin?'

  'I suppose so. He's been complainin' ever since they came aboard. If it ain't that the cabin's too small, the food's not to his liking, or the hatches have been locked and his wife can't get on deck to get away from the stink. There'll be murder done if he carries on like this all the way to New South Wales.'

  The following day more convicts were brought aboard the Neptune and the other two ships in the little fleet, and the men already in the cages had to move over to make room, though they could find little enough space to lie down. Joshua told Molly the newcomers had been kept in the hulks, some of them for years, and many were diseased.

  'We'll lose a good few, no doubt.'

  There was nothing she could do. Molly only hoped the disease wouldn't spread in the fetid conditions below decks. But surely, once they were on their way and escape was impossible, the men would have their shackles removed, and would be permitted to take the air, as the women did occasionally.

  *

  There was more trouble. Joshua told Molly that night, though she didn't fully understand it.

  'Anstis – he's the chief mate – gave the hatch keys to Nepean.'

  'The Captain of the Corps?'

  'Aye. But then he gave the keys to Macarthur, who refused to hand them to Gilbert. There was another row, and Gilbert changed the locks. Anstis only gave Nepean the new keys with a written order.'

  'Why should Macarthur have them? I thought he was just one of the Corps.'

  'He is, but he's a man that can't bear to be crossed, and he makes life unpleasant for anyone that offends him or his precious wife. I suppose Nepean was keeping him sweet. while he went off to visit his family. They live somewhere near, I heard.'