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The Letter of Marque
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Image:The Letter of Marque cover.jpg | |
| Author | Patrick O'Brian |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Geoff Hunt |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Aubrey-Maturin series |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Harper Collins (UK) |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD) |
| Pages | pages (first edition, hardback) & pages 284 (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-393-02874-7, (first edition, hardback) & ISBN 0-393-30905-3 (paperback edition UK) |
| Preceded by | The Reverse of the Medal |
| Followed by | The Thirteen-Gun Salute |
The Letter of Marque, (1988) is a historical novel and twelfth in the Aubrey-Maturin series written by British author Patrick O'Brian.
Contents |
In The Letter of Marque, Aubrey, now a civilian, prepares the Surprise to sail as a privateer. He is bitter and low-spirited about his dismissal, and dreads affronts and disrespectful treatment from naval vessels and their officers. However, he is strongly supported by his crew - notably a group of smugglers and religious fanatics recruited at the little port of Shelmerston (fictional) in south-west England.
The downfall of the traitors Wray and Ledward in the previous book has restored order in British intelligence circles, and Maturin - now the owner of Surprise - plans to use her privateering as cover for a covert anti-Spanish mission to South America. The ship is therefore under official protection to an extent and Aubrey's innocence is known privately to many, though the spies are still at large and politics will make his rehabilitation impossible without extraordinary deeds on his part. They depart on a cruise, during which Maturin's servant Padeen becomes a secret laudanum addict after painful dental surgery, diluting Maturin's own supplies with brandy in order to conceal his thefts. Maturin is thus unknowingly weaned off his own addiction.
Surprise takes an enemy privateer and retrieves its valuable looted British cargo of quicksilver, then seven other rich prizes follow. These, together with his success in a cutting-out raid on the French port of St. Martin despite serious wounds, make Aubrey both wealthy again and a popular hero. He is offered the opportunity to seek a free pardon, but angrily declines on the grounds that he is innocent; his friends fear that he has missed his chance of redemption. However, Aubrey's embarrassing father, a fugitive since his part in the stock-jobbing affair, dies, and Aubrey is offered his seat in Parliament by his cousin, who owns the borough. This extra influence is enough for him to receive private assurances that he will indeed be restored to the Navy as soon as the time is right.
Maturin goes to Sweden and meets his wife Diana - he is not surprised to learn that the letter he sent to her via Wray, explaining his apparent infidelity, was never delivered. She has not been unfaithful with Jagiello, and has been supporting herself by ascending in a hot-air balloon. Maturin is seriously injured in a fall after taking his usual dose of laudanum to nerve himself for the meeting, unaware that his tolerance has been reduced by Padeen's actions. Diana nurses him and they are reconciled; when Surprise arrives, Diana embarks with him for home.
(Note: the "letter of marque" of the title probably refers to the Surprise herself, rather than the document.)
- Jack Aubrey - Captain of Surprise.
- Stephen Maturin - ship's surgeon, friend to Jack and intelligence officer.
- Sophie Williams - Jack's wife.
- Diana Maturin - Stephen's estranged wife.
- Wray - traitorous British intelligence officer.
- Ledward - traitorous British intelligence officer.
- Padeen - servant to Stephen.
- Jagiello - supposed Diana's lover.
- Surprise
"[Patrick O'Brian has] the power of bringing near to the reader...savagery and tenderness, beauty and mystery and boldness and dignity." — Eudora Welty[1]
"The Letter of Marque is both serious and light-hearted, true and sentimental, as comic opera can be." — Peter Campbell, London Review of Books[2]
- Collins; (1988)
- Fontana; Paperback Edition (1989) (ISBN 0006177042)
- HarperCollins; Paperback edition (1994)
- HarperCollins; B-format paperback edition (1997)
- HarperCollins; Paperback edition (2003) (ISBN 978 0 00 649927 5)
- Recorded Books, LLC; Unabridged Audio edition narrated by Patrick Tull (ISBN 1402578334)