Midshipman Wormwood Books

I've written many stories set in the 18th Century, detailing the activities of naval heroes, as well as villains and even, I suppose, raised the odd smile. Yet there were things to wonder and laugh at as well, many more to shock modern sensibilities. It is to these I have turned in The Wormwood Saga, a series of stories in what, I hope, will appeal to the readers’ sense of humour in the same way as, when writing them, it tickled mine. Numerous books on Nelson's Navy tell of heroic deeds, as upright patriots sought to confound Britannia's enemies. Yet for every sailor committed to defeating his country's foes, there were many more with motives less upright, some expressing notions which today would be considered downright treasonous. In the late 18th Century, nothing could be gained without interest or the aid of the powerful and wealthy, while the spectre of poverty was ever-present. There were no cracks in social provision, they were chasms and one simple error could damn any man or woman to a precipitous fall.Given such jeopardy was a daily concern, it was seen perfectly acceptable to look to one's own concerns as well as, and even prior to, the needs of the nation. In the narrative of the wars against the French, these characters and their activities have been alluded to but, in truth, mostly lightly brushed over. No more!The Wormwood Saga seeks to redress this imbalance by taking you into the world of men, both civilian and serving, who saw the public purse as an extension of their own, of time serving captains and useless admirals, of the ingrates who pandered to the wishes of the rich and politically well-connected, as well as the devious activities of a lower deck often wiser and more self-serving than their superiors. But it is also the world of those foolish or deluded enough to be downright dangerous? Into this era of commonplace venality comes Charles de Vere Wormwood, scion of a rich, noble and corrupt father, a sailor by parental coercion rather than inclination. Forced to make his way, as best he can, in a profession he abhors, while also entirely lacking in even a semblance of courage, Wormwood will dissemble, lie and cheat his way up the naval ladder in the hope of rising high enough to get out of ever having to go to sea again, an aim in which he will be constantly thwarted.In doing so he will encounter some of the great figures of the age, none of whom, in his estimation, live up to the legends being created around their name. Quite the reverse: every hero has an Achilles Heel, either vainglorious or too trusting, and this is what Wormwood will seek and exploit in pursuit of his own interest. All the tropes of Naval Fiction are there in these short stories: Press Gangs, floggings, battles won and lost, acts of bravery and foolish bravado, added to the deviousness required by Wormwood to never put himself at risk. This is an aim continually ruined by a hero worshiping and eager subordinates, while being partly mitigated by the least desirable servant of the time.It was also an age of debauchery and one into which our hero will happily throw himself. Handsome and an immoral rogue, Charles Wormwood will employ seduction as well as charm and downright falsehood to bend both sexes to his needs and ambitions. Too often though, his desires and a lack of self-control will give him more trouble than pleasure, in what is known to posterity as the Age of Enlightenment.Join me as I throw a little light of the obverse side of the coin. DAVID DONACHIE

1793: Fresh from the first engagement of a new war with Revolutionary France, Lord Charles Wormwood, though he has no real idea why, is hailed as a hero. An honest man would not accept the accolade – an honest man, to Wormwood, would thus be a fool! Basking in his new found fame, the only sensible thing to do is milk it, which brings him into the sphere of Sir Andrew Braeburn, the most upright admiral in King George's Navy. It also makes him deeply attractive to the man’s daughter Kate, convinced she is both a beauty and a wit, when she is neither. But Kate has her own qualities - rampant nymphomania combined with a quite ruthless addiction to getting her own way. She also has a parent who can see only good in her and will act to advance the career of the man his daughter has set her heart on marrying. But first, Midshipman Wormwood, son of the rascally Earl of Moidart, must pass the examination for lieutenant, one set up by his Uncle Harry Hamilton, with the questions and answers provided in advance. Which would have been fine if the officers set to test him where those who arranged to attend and help him cheat. Not so, a certain Captain Horatio Nelson has stepped in to take the place of another who is sick and he's not in on the arrangement. Added to this Charles Wormwood is, thanks to the nocturnal attention of Kate Braeburn, exhausted. How can a man as ignorant of the sea, as well as technicalities of sailing a warships, pass such a test? Divine intervention? Reconnected with the officers of HMS Childers, over-consumption of their execrable wine, plus that pest of a hero-worshipper, Midshipman Pettigrew, leads him into danger. He must help press sailors into the King's Navy, a risky business, which could end in disaster and it does. Serious misfortune is only avoided by a classic Wormwood solution. Throughout, he will be advised and abuse the person he has chosen as his new servant, the grubby ex-pickpocket Kissock.

The story continues from A Hero’s Curse. Having survived another potential catastrophe, which resulted in a slight wound, Lord Charles Wormwood must concentrate on his duties as Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Dangerfield. This is no easy task when he is daily traduced and insulted by the man’s wife. Not that her husband is immune: he too must suffer abuse and, being slow to respond, is usually on the receiving end of a second affront before he’s had time to deal with the first. Wormwood doesn’t yet know whose side Dangerfield will come down on and it’s essential the man choose: no point in serving under such a superior if there is to be no gain, which for a favoured Flag Lieutenant is usually an independent command – a ship of his own, albeit a small one. The resources and deep pockets of Wormwood’s father, the Earl of Moidart, must be employed to seduce the man. A top chef is brought down to Chatham from London, adding to the provision of food and wine of the kind the indebted admiral cannot afford. Some carefully timed reflections of Wormwood’s own, aimed the character of the man’s wife, pose the question. Forced to choose who to trust, will Dangerfield put his belly before matrimonial loyalty? The day comes when they are finally off to war, so Mrs Dangerfield must depart the ship, leaving Wormwood a clear field. The fleet weighs for the Mediterranean, with the admiral, in his first independent command, full of swagger. He’s determined to meet and thump the enemy, thus earning the undying gratitude of the nation. Not if Charles Wormwood can help it. Battle means danger and that, at all costs, should be avoided. It is thus necessary to work on his superior to ensure, if fighting cannot be avoided, someone else should undertake it, as long as his admiral gets the credit. Slowly but surely he must wean his man off his dangerous intentions, which would be a lot easier if the fleet did not include Horatio Nelson as a senior captain. A battleground of ailments if not in action, Nelson constantly badgers Admiral Dangerfield to attack something and he’s not alone. This requires Wormwood to intervene and cut off access. Soon, no one can get to see Dangerfield who has not had permission from Charles Wormwood. This turns a fine fleet in to one more concerned with internal battles than meeting the French. But meet the enemy they do and, thanks to the Wormwood stoked fears of failure, it turns, for Dangerfield, into a career damning fiasco. The man is down, all fighting spirit gone. Worse the admiral has become so accustomed to his Flag Lieutenant’s largesse, he’s forgotten from where it’s coming and who’s paying. Added to which, instead of battle, the task of the fleet becomes the taking of prizes, each one of which will line Dangerfield’s pocket. And who is the most successful at this? None other than Horatio Nelson Wormwood has lost control and is no longer Dangerfield’s trusted adviser. Matters comes to a head in Genoa, leading to an argument and a complete break, which sees Wormwood decanted in to tiny HMS Petra, a sloop commanded by a drunkard called Trelawney. Worse the perennial pest Pettigrew is aboard, a spotty boy who can, without any seeming effort, get Wormwood into endless situations of great danger. Needless to say, it happens again! The last thing Charles Wormwood wants is to put his being at risk. Trouble is, he’s supposed to be a fearless hero, so he must!

Flushed with an unwarranted feeling of success, having captured a French Corvette, Charles Wormwood is treating what is no more than a scratch as a proper wound. But he must consider how to carry on the mission given his now dead superior, he now being the man in command of HMS Petra. Can he find an anchorage for the British Fleet blockading Toulon? At the same time he must discern the state of matters on the island of Corsica: is there support for Britannia or will the islanders’ actively back Revolutionary France, which will make the aims of the Royal Navy near impossible. With his capture secure and sailing in his wake, Wormwood heads for Ajaccio, one of the three important towns on the island, there to assess local feeling. On landing, with due care to his own safety, in the company of Kissock and a pair of marines, he makes for the citadel which overlooks the town, Almost convinced it’s abandoned, he is presented with the fabulous sight of a creature by the name of Pozzo di Borgo. Silk clad and gleaming with jewels, di Borgo, a nonstop talker and fluent in English, invites Wormwood to dine, feeding him a meal very rich in sauces and garlic. He is also able to inform Charles that while Paolo Pasquale, the hero of Corsican Independence, is against France, the most important local family in Ajaccio is of doubtful allegiance. Dinner over Charles emerges into pitch darkness with him, Kissock and the marines becoming separated. Lost, he is coshed and rendered unconscious. Waking indoors, Charles is being treated by a striking young beauty, any feelings of lust quickly dispelled by the grating voice of her older brother, who introduces himself as Captain Napoleone Buonaparte of the French artillery. Concussed and full of di Borgo’s dinner, Wormwood empties the entire contents of his stomach, much to the chagrin of the owner, over the soldier’s uniform coat. Thus he has come into the orbit of the numerous family members. Mother Letizia, Napoleone, plump brother Luigi as well as the two sister. The rather severe, educated Maria Anna, but most importantly, the younger and stunning to look at Maria Paola, who becomes an instant object of his lustful intentions. These, as usual, will lead Charles Wormwood into deep and dangerous waters, in which he finds himself romantically entangled with both the Maria’s, one happily, the other unfortunately. This, in turn, draws him into saving the lives of Napoleone and yet another brother, Giuseppe, seen as traitors to France and about to be guillotined. More concerned with insulting Kissock than good sense, he exposes them to danger. The pair, with the aid of Luigi, manage to prise the two brothers from their fate and get them aboard Petra. Now the problem is what to do with first the family, more importantly the sisters, to both of whom he seems to have become entangled. The solution is to take the family to France, even if one is an enemy soldier. What difference can one artillery captain make?