The Perils of Command (Paperback)

Paperback. John Pearce, having negotiated the highly questionable sale of the two French prizes taken in The Devil to Pay, has left HMS Flirt, as well as the crew and the wounded Henry Digby, in Brindisi and is now headed for Naples to see his lover. In an uncomfortable journey he seeks to work out a way to best both Admiral Sir William Hotham and Captain Ralph Barclay, men who are his sworn enemies. All his calculations are thrown into turmoil when he discovers that Emily is pregnant which, while it is a cause for joy, is also a reason to worry; she is still married to Ralph Barclay and by the laws of the time he can claim the child as his own. After situating his previous crew in comfort, John Pearce charts his return home to his pregnant darling Emily. He is tasked with outsmarting his enemies Admiral William Hotham and Emily's husband Captain Ralph Barclay who can legally claim Pearce's child as his own. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…