served with Bolitho during the American Revolution when they had both been lieutenants. Their reunion might present pleasure or otherwise, he thought. Commander Inch of the dizzily swaying Harebell had commanded a bomb vessel with the old squadron, here in the Mediterranean. Of Buzzard's captain, Raymond Javal, he had learned little but gossip. Hasty temper hungry for prize money. He had all the makings of a typical if awkward frigate captain.

He let his gaze rest on the Osiris once again and tried to conceal his irritation. She was almost a twin to the Lysander, and her destiny was firmly in the hands of Captain Charles Farquhar. All those years ago. It was like another fate which had somehow drawn them together once more, to serve under the same Richard Bolitho. Then it had been in the frigate Phalarope in the West Indies during the Americans" fight for independence. Bolitho had been his captain, Herrick his first lieutenant and Farquhar one of the midshipmen. Arrogant, high-born, Farquhar never failed to prick Herrick's resentment. Even looking at his – Osiris did nothing to help. Her ornate gingerbread and other carving at poop and beakhead displayed a lavish use of real gilt paint as.an outward sign of her captain's status and prosperity. So far they had avoided meeting each other, except when Farquhar had reported his arrival at Gibraltar..

Any sort of fresh beginning had faded as Farquhar had drawled, "I say, you don’tseem to have spent much on the old ship, eh?" That same maddening smile. "Our new lord and master won’t like that, y"know! 'suddenly, the lower line of black gunports opened along Osiris's sloping side, and with perfect precision the whole battery of thirty-two pounders trundled into the weak sunlight. As one.