thousand pounds, invested in the funds, available to me in full when my term of service is complete.”
All the men except the captain burst out in torrents of speech. Elinor waited patiently, clenching her shaking hands in the folds of her skirts, until she judged their outrage had died down somewhat. “Gentlemen,” she said, raising her voice to carry over the din, “you have already addressed an important point: I may well be throwing my reputation away by my actions. I must have the assurance that I will be able to support myself if I do, in fact, end up ostracized by society.”
“Fifteen thousand pounds is out of the question,” the First Lord said, his face red. “Out of the question. We are stretched to the limit as it is. Do you have any idea of the cost to His Majesty’s government of our sailors’ pay alone, young lady? I cannot approve it.”
“I am well aware England has invested a great deal of money in this war,” Elinor said. “It is one of the primary points of contention between Whig and Tory and the subject of much debate for those who care about the future of our kingdom. I am also aware that the cost of a new frigate is much greater than the sum I am requesting, and we continue to require more of those since, as I mentioned before, our enemies persist in destroying or capturing them. You might think of me in terms of…of adding another ship to your fleet, in which case fifteen thousand pounds is a rare bargain. And I will forgo my share of the prize money I would otherwise be entitled to as a, well, a sailor aboard one of His Majesty’s warships. Whatever my rank within the Navy would be.”
“It is impossible. I cannot justify such an expense.”
“My lord,” Stanhope began, “her logic—”
“Admiral Stanhope, you should be the first to argue against such an extravagance!”
“Because I am in favor of reining in our expenses? If we accept Miss Pembroke’s conditions, we save the cost of another ship as well as the time it would take to build one. I have seen an enemy Extraordinary Scorcher in action off the coast of Panama, my lord. Used wisely, Miss Pembroke’s abilities could tip the scales in our favor.”
“My lord,” Elinor said. “I realize I am asking you to take a risk. If it turns out I am wrong, and I can offer the Navy nothing, then our agreement is void.” She put her hands on the table and leaned forward to look the First Lord in the eye. “My lord, no one knows I came here today. I can walk out of this office and return to my old life if you refuse me. But I don’t want to do that. And I don’t think you want me to either.”
“My lord—”
Melville cut off the second admiral with a gesture. He ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair, revealing the secret of why it looked so disordered. “Your family cannot possibly approve this course of action.”
“I am of age, sir, and an Extraordinary. My family may disapprove, but I am free to make my own decisions.”
And I will endure when my father most certainly casts me off.
The First Lord intertwined his fingers on the desk before him, possibly to prevent himself from rumpling his hair still further. For a moment, he seemed to be looking past her, contemplating some unknown future. Then he brought his gaze to bear on her, and for a moment it contained a degree of calculation so similar to the expression she had often seen in her father’s eyes that her hands shook again. “Miss Pembroke,” he said, then went silent again. “Miss Pembroke, are you certain you understand the implications of what you offer? This is not the life you were raised to. Admiral Pentstemmon is correct; we cannot guarantee your safety, let alone your comfort. There are superstitions about women aboard ship that may cause many seamen to treat you with a lack of the respect you are no doubt accustomed to. And you may find yourself without a life to return to. I repeat—are you certain?”
Elinor took another deep
All the men except the captain burst out in torrents of speech. Elinor waited patiently, clenching her shaking hands in the folds of her skirts, until she judged their outrage had died down somewhat. “Gentlemen,” she said, raising her voice to carry over the din, “you have already addressed an important point: I may well be throwing my reputation away by my actions. I must have the assurance that I will be able to support myself if I do, in fact, end up ostracized by society.”
“Fifteen thousand pounds is out of the question,” the First Lord said, his face red. “Out of the question. We are stretched to the limit as it is. Do you have any idea of the cost to His Majesty’s government of our sailors’ pay alone, young lady? I cannot approve it.”
“I am well aware England has invested a great deal of money in this war,” Elinor said. “It is one of the primary points of contention between Whig and Tory and the subject of much debate for those who care about the future of our kingdom. I am also aware that the cost of a new frigate is much greater than the sum I am requesting, and we continue to require more of those since, as I mentioned before, our enemies persist in destroying or capturing them. You might think of me in terms of…of adding another ship to your fleet, in which case fifteen thousand pounds is a rare bargain. And I will forgo my share of the prize money I would otherwise be entitled to as a, well, a sailor aboard one of His Majesty’s warships. Whatever my rank within the Navy would be.”
“It is impossible. I cannot justify such an expense.”
“My lord,” Stanhope began, “her logic—”
“Admiral Stanhope, you should be the first to argue against such an extravagance!”
“Because I am in favor of reining in our expenses? If we accept Miss Pembroke’s conditions, we save the cost of another ship as well as the time it would take to build one. I have seen an enemy Extraordinary Scorcher in action off the coast of Panama, my lord. Used wisely, Miss Pembroke’s abilities could tip the scales in our favor.”
“My lord,” Elinor said. “I realize I am asking you to take a risk. If it turns out I am wrong, and I can offer the Navy nothing, then our agreement is void.” She put her hands on the table and leaned forward to look the First Lord in the eye. “My lord, no one knows I came here today. I can walk out of this office and return to my old life if you refuse me. But I don’t want to do that. And I don’t think you want me to either.”
“My lord—”
Melville cut off the second admiral with a gesture. He ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair, revealing the secret of why it looked so disordered. “Your family cannot possibly approve this course of action.”
“I am of age, sir, and an Extraordinary. My family may disapprove, but I am free to make my own decisions.”
And I will endure when my father most certainly casts me off.
The First Lord intertwined his fingers on the desk before him, possibly to prevent himself from rumpling his hair still further. For a moment, he seemed to be looking past her, contemplating some unknown future. Then he brought his gaze to bear on her, and for a moment it contained a degree of calculation so similar to the expression she had often seen in her father’s eyes that her hands shook again. “Miss Pembroke,” he said, then went silent again. “Miss Pembroke, are you certain you understand the implications of what you offer? This is not the life you were raised to. Admiral Pentstemmon is correct; we cannot guarantee your safety, let alone your comfort. There are superstitions about women aboard ship that may cause many seamen to treat you with a lack of the respect you are no doubt accustomed to. And you may find yourself without a life to return to. I repeat—are you certain?”
Elinor took another deep
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