‘In that case I wouldn’t reckon on seeing him for a good long while.’

May felt a chill run through her nerves. ‘Why not?’

‘Broken the law, hasn’t he? British citizens were expressly forbidden to sign up with either side in the American war.’

‘But he didn’t sign up!’ May protested. ‘At least, I don’t think so. I think he stowed away.’

‘Stowaway or not,’ the policeman answered stolidly, ‘he’s been on board a privateer attacking harmless merchant ships. If you ask me, they are all no better than pirates, and deserve to be treated as such.’

The sound of marching feet behind her made May draw back into the shadows. As if to confirm the policeman’s opinion, a detachment of Royal Marines embarked on a small boat, which transported them to the Shenandoah. The men on board were now, it seemed to her, prisoners on their own ship. Despondently, she turned away and plodded homewards.

When she went down to the docks the next evening there had been no change in the situation. Another British warship was now made fast alongside the Shenandoah, just in case, she supposed, the captain changed his mind and tried to head out to sea.

On Wednesday the shop closed at midday and all the staff had a half-day off. This was an innovation introduced by Mr Freeman six months earlier and it was regarded by other businessmen as tantamount to commercial suicide; but it was the envy of all other shop workers in the city. As soon as the midday meal was over, May joined Patty and a group of others and headed down to the dockside. The first thing she noticed was that a small flotilla of tugs and yachts and other craft were circling the Shenandoah, packed with sightseers all craning their necks to get a glimpse of the crew.

‘Do you think we could get on one of those boats?’ she asked Patty.

‘Not a chance. They are full of ladies and gentlemen. They aren’t interested in the likes of us.’

After a while the sightseeing boats returned to shore and for some time it seemed nothing else was going to happen. Then they saw a customs boat go out to the ship and several men in uniform climbed aboard. A tug followed and went alongside.

‘Maybe they are going to let them come ashore now,’ May said.

‘Or maybe they are all going to be arrested,’ one of the young men in the group added.

* * *