Page 39 of Lady Edith and the Registry Office
A few days later, Nathaniel noticed Cooper in a dark corner of the ship whispering something to one of the enlisted men before handing him a small packet.
“Can I be of help?” he asked, walking closer to where the men stood near the ship’s bow.
“I require no assistance, Lt Harbury.” Cooper smiled easily. “Just a minor personnel matter.”
Nathaniel stayed until the lower-ranking man shuffled off.
“We will be in port for a few more days.”
“Are you going ashore?” he asked the other man.
“What with the nasty weather, the captain isn’t sure who he will allow off the ship.”
“Is that seaman going ashore?"
Cooper shrugged. “I don’t know. The man was stumbling along the deck, and I spoke with him to ascertain whether he was foxed. He is merely tired.”
He didn’t believe the lieutenant in the slightest. They chatted for a few more minutes before Cooper strode away in the opposite direction, whistling.
Nathaniel followed the path the crewmember had taken around the bow, never approaching the man, although he did ask a sailor he passed who the crewmember was. Lt. Cooper had handed the man something. If Nathaniel had any say in the matter, neither the crewmember nor Cooper would leave the ship before theCressyset sail.
After he’d acquired the crewmember’s name, Nathaniel spoke with the captain. “I can’t tell you why, but I want the sailor detained. He is not to go ashore.”
The captain agreed. He knew Nathaniel was on his ship on a mission for the Foreign Office. The Commander Pater had the crewmember taken directly to the brig for observation, and the packet found on his person was confiscated.
Nathaniel deciphered the sloppily coded message quite easily. It detailed how many ships would leave the port together and where they were headed.
Nathaniel stayed as close as he could to Lt. Cooper the next day.
“Harbury, there you are again. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were watching me.” He paused. “The captain wants me to remain onboard until we leave port.”
“I think that is a good idea. The last thing we need is for you to be at liberty. The message you slipped Seaman Flynn will not be delivered to your contact on shore.”
The lieutenant’s face drained of all color. “If that message isn’t delivered, I’m a dead man.”
“And if it is delivered, how many Englishmen will die?”
Cooper ran from him along the deck and skidded to a halt near the stern. He looked about wildly, realizing he was trapped on the ship. The lieutenant leaned over the side of the vessel and grabbed a piece of rigging.
“Don’t do it, Cooper. You can’t make it to shore. The current is too heavy, and the water is freezing.”
“I have to try.” The man vaulted over the side of the ship, shimmying down the mooring line until he reached the water. He let loose the rope and swam for the shoreline.
Nathaniel knew Cooper would never make it. The island was nearly a mile away.
Cooper swam several strokes before stopping abruptly in the freezing water. His head went under the surface only to reappear. He went under again as Nathaniel sounded the alarm, and sailors rushed to his side. Cooper’s head went under again and did not resurface.
The incident had been reported as an accident. Nathaniel was the only person who witnessed Cooper jump into the water.
Lt. Cooper’s father, the Earl of Norwich, attacked Nathaniel verbally whenever the men crossed paths in London.
The earl’s face would inevitably grow purple with rage. “Did you throw my boy into that water?”
Nathaniel had wrestled with the idea himself that he was in some way responsible for Cooper’s death as he’d been assigned to determine whether the lieutenant was a spy. “I would never have done such a thing.”
“I’ll have you investigated! Have you tossed out of the Navy!” The earl shook his fist at Nathaniel.
“I’ve already retired, Lord Norwich.”
