The Reverse of the Medal

The Reverse of the Medal

He saw Jack in the full north light, sitting as though for his portrait. He seemed broader than before, heavier, profoundly grave of course, and somewhat leonine; but beneath the unmoved gravity Stephen perceived a wound that was hardly affected by the news of the Surprise.

On arrival in the West Indies Jack is met by the news that a large black man has been enquiring for him – a man who turns out to be the delightful Sam Panda, Jack’s illegitimate son. Now a Catholic missionary, he is travelling to Brazil in a ship so badly sailed that Jack feels it requires ‘guardian angels working double-tides, watch and watch’ to stop it sinking. Back in England, Jack’s complicated financial affairs seem to take an unexpected turn for the better when he saves a traveller from robbery. In gratitude the stranger advises Captain Aubrey to invest in certain stocks. What follows is the most crushing blow that Jack has yet faced, more painful than the many wounds he has suffered in battle and even worse than the loss of his ship. Stephen’s subtlety and brilliance is not enough to save Jack, even if he is able to save the Surprise.

Stephen himself must face painful news – misled by rumour, his wife Diana has left him. Worse, two traitors, French agents, continue to wreak havoc within the Admiralty itself. Stephen must surmount the agony of Diana’s rejection if he is to help his friend and outwit the traitors.

Also available:

Master and Commander

Post Captain

HMS Surprise

The Mauritius Command

Desolation Island

The Fortune of War

The Surgeon's Mate

The Ionian Mission

Treason's Harbour

The Far Side of the World

The Letter of Marque

The Thirteen Gun Salute

The Nutmeg of Consolation

Clarissa Oakes

The Wine-Dark Sea

The Commodore

Patrick O’Brian prefaced many of his books with an acknowledgement of specific debts he owed to historical accounts of real events, yet nowhere is his debt so clear as in The Reverse of the Medal. The book’s central episode was modelled on the real-life disgrace of Lord Thomas Cochrane. This larger-than-life ‘fighting captain’ was the inspiration for many writers, from Marryat who served with him as a midshipman to C. S. Forester and O’Brian. Cochrane was nicknamed ‘The Sea Wolf’ by the French for his daring exploits, and he made a fortune in prize money. He became a member of Parliament, but in 1814 he was convicted for participation in the Great Stock Exchange Fraud, expelled from Parliament, dismissed from the navy, and sentenced to stand in the pillory for an hour. The Prince Regent went so far as to order a degradation ceremony at Westminster Abbey – his banner was taken down and kicked out of the chapel. O’Brian could not include this final disgrace, but he has used the structure and timetable of the real trial so that he is able to assure us that we may take ‘the sequence of events, almost unbelievable to a modern ear, as quite authentic’.