The Dardanelles Conspiracy by Alan Bardos (best ereader for pc TXT) 📗

at Sir George’s desk showing him a list. They both looked up in tandem as Johnny came in.

‘Good morning Sir George, what seems to be the problem?’ Johnny paused to look at the erotic frescoes above Sir George, they really were rather good and framed the pair perfectly contrasting their puritan indignation with the carefree abandon of the East.

‘I understand you’ve been up to your old tricks, Swift. I knew you’d come a cropper, just can't help yourself.’ Sir George let that fester for a moment, before continuing. ‘Luckily this gentleman showed a bit of due diligence.’

‘You certainly take me for a fool, Swift. I can’t believe your effrontery.’ Crassus snarled.

‘I don’t follow Crassus,’ Johnny said. ‘I had your request for supplies shipped out to you.’

‘How do you account for morphine being supplied to Lieutenant Dawkin’s brigade? Sir George asked indignantly.

‘I believe it’s issued to every soldier,’ Johnny said starting to realise the trouble he was in.

‘Not in this form, as you well know.’ Crassus said angrily.

‘Well how on Earth do you know that? Did you check the entire lot?’

‘Yes of course I did, Swift.’

‘You checked the entire consignment, for the whole brigade?’ Johnny couldn’t believe anyone would do something like that.

‘It’s the first thing my father taught me, always check the delivery, ain’t so funny now is it, being a grocer?’ Crassus scoffed. Sir George looked appalled.

‘To think I signed my name on such a document. Do you know how this makes me look?’

‘Because your family were opium traders?’ Johnny asked, stone faced.

‘How dare you,’ Sir George bellowed.

‘We have no doubt that this was some plot of yours to try and make us look like black marketeers.’

‘You’re mistaken. I just got the paperwork confused. There is a lot of it and either you received the wrong consignment or the wrong items got attached to the requisition.’ Johnny said regaining his composure. ‘I’m sure Sir George would have read the documents before signing them and asking the First Lord of the Admiralty's brother to act as a witness. Especially with his family history, he couldn’t afford for it to be made known that he was shipping morphine to all and sundry, think of the scandal.’

Sir George frowned. ‘Perhaps we have been a little hasty, in this matter. I’m sure not even Swift would have tried something this reckless.’

‘Where did you get that uniform, Swift?’ Crassus asked scanning through another bundle of receipts.

‘My allowance from the War Office, came through.’ Johnny said. A cold shiver of panic embraced him.

‘Nonsense you’d never have got it that quickly.’ Sir George said, ‘what are you onto, Dawkins?’

‘Simply that you have signed a money order for it Sir George. Does rather make one wonder what else he has got you to sign. Betraying the position of trust you placed him in.’

Sir George picked up a familiar sheet of blue paper from his desk. ‘Well, I warned you what would happen, Swift. Lieutenant Dawkins, I leave it to you to discreetly bring Swift’s court martial to the attention of the authorities.’

‘Have no fear, Sir George, I’ll see that he gets what’s coming to him without embarrassing you or the First Lord’s brother.’ Crassus said gleefully.

Before Johnny could make a plea there was an abrupt knock at the door.

‘Come,’ Sir George bellowed.

A sergeant strode in. ‘Beg pardon, The Commander in Chief pays his respects and asks to see Lieutenant Swift.’

Sir George blushed. ‘What the hell!’

Jack Churchill was with Hamilton when the sergeant paraded Johnny in front of the Hamilton, with Crassus and Sir George following. Hamilton dismissed the sergeant and came round from behind his desk.

‘By God, it is him, Jack!’ Hamilton took Johnny’s hand. ‘Thank you so much for coming, Swift, I wanted to shake your hand. It was the damnedest thing I’ve seen in all my years soldiering, I can tell you.’

He turned to Crassus and Sir George. ‘What the devil do you want?’

‘I’m sorry, sir, but I need to bear witness against Swift,’ Crassus gushed. He and Sir George made no sign of leaving.

‘Who on Earth are you and what is it you wish to bear witness to?’ Major Churchill asked Crassus.

‘Lieutenant Dawkins, sir. I served with Swift in Flanders and I saw to it that charges were pressed against Swift after witnessing him commit treachery.’

‘I’m sure you did.’ Churchill gazed at Crassus, evidently shocked to hear an officer talk like this.

‘Swift wriggled out of it of course, but as the charges were never officially quashed, he can still stand trial for what he’s done.’

‘And you’ve been making it your business to see that happens?’ Major Churchill asked.

‘Yes sir, I don’t see as there is anything wrong with that,’ Crassus said finally picking up on Jack Churchill’s disapproval. ‘I have the court martial here.’ He waved the blue form.

‘Thank you, I’ll take that.’ Churchill snatched the form out of Crassus’s hand and passed it to Hamilton.

‘Don’t worry about this twaddle,’ Hamilton said glancing through the form. Any charges against Lieutenant Swift will be dropped for good conduct in the field.’ Hamilton turned to Jack Churchill to explain.

‘I've remembered where I saw you before Swift. You were perched on the back of a trawler, being tossed around by enemy shell fire and yet you somehow managed to dispatch a mine that was heading straight for our ship.’

‘You’ve done your country a great service, saved my life and that of my staff, not to mention a rather valuable cruiser. Damnedest shot. We saw you clear as day through our field glasses.’ Hamilton chuckled and tore the blue form in two. ‘If I hear anymore about you telling tales and behaving in an ungentlemanly manner, I shall take a very dim view of it, is that understood, Dawkins?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Crassus said weakly.

Hamilton turned to