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By Root 1417 0

After thirty-seven years in his post, he believed that he had turned a minor ambassadorial post into a major one. He thought himself essential and could not believe that the government would not accede to his request to take a sabbatical of a year or two and then resume the position when he pleased. Maria Carolina, whom Sir William had welcomed from Austria thirty-two years before, begged her husband to protest to the Foreign Office. Ferdinand did not write, but his intervention probably would not have carried much weight in any case. The British government wanted to distance itself from the controversial reprisals after the rebellions. The new envoy, Arthur Paget, only twenty-nine years old, had promised to represent the interests of his country rather than those of Maria Carolina. Lord Dalkeith teased him that he should not only take Hamilton's place but "occupy Lady Hamilton too, a place you are much better fitted to fill than the old knight."6 After fending off similar schoolboy jokes, Paget arrived in April to find that Sir William not only refused to present him at court but also appeared to have destroyed his files. All the records and correspondence had vanished. Paget would resign within a year.

Desperate to grasp a few last moments together, Nelson and Emma planned a voyage to Syracuse and Malta on Nelson's ship, setting out on April 23 with Sir William and an assortment of English tourists. The ostensible purpose was to join the ships blockading Malta. In reality, the ship on which Caracciolo had been sentenced now hosted a honeymoon cruise of, as Nelson put it, "days of ease and nights of pleasure." On the journey out, Emma claimed to be suffering from palpitations. Nelson consoled her ardently. Soon her declarations of illness were excuses for them to escape the other guests and languish in the cabin. Emma celebrated her thirty-fifth birthday on the way and recovered sufficiently to throw a party, with toasts and songs.

In Syracuse, Nelson and Emma wandered around like teenage lovers, leaving Hamilton alone with the other guests. Sir William struggled with his thoughts: he hoped that the affair might wane, but he also knew that now he was retired, staying friendly with Nelson was his only chance of retaining some influence back in England.

Emma fell pregnant after only a few weeks of unprotected sex. The baby was conceived between late April and early May, either on the cruise or just before departure. Emma wanted to give Nelson a child, and she threw away every worldly advantage she had gained in order to do so: her respectable status as Sir William's wife, her chances of social advancement, and her "virtue." If she had not become pregnant, no one could have proved her affair was anything other than the friendship that she and Nelson declared it to be. Emma's first baby caused her nothing but stress and heartache. Her second would change her life.

After a few days in Syracuse, the party sailed south to St Paul's Bay on Malta's north coast. Now built up with high-rise hotels and cafés, the bay was then a quiet fishing port. As Foudroyant entered, the blockading ships fired off spectacular welcoming salutes, and villages across Malta were illuminated. After a week, Nelson and Emma sailed to the capital, Valetta, hurrying off when they were fired at to join the southern blockade at the scenic Marsa Sirocco Bay. They returned on June 1 to hear that Ferdinand had pardoned all those who participated in the Neapolitan rebellions. Sir William added to his debts by hosting a sumptuous banquet at the Palazzo Palagonia in honor of the birthday of George III. Unwilling to part with her friend, Maria Carolina decided to visit her daughter and son-in-law, the Empress and Emperor of Vienna, accompanying the Hamiltons as far as Leghorn.

When Emma had first arrived abruptly in Naples, she thought it was merely a holiday destination. Now she was about to leave her dear queen, many close friends, and her home for thirteen years to return to London.

CHAPTER 36

Baron Crocodile's Road Show

When he heard that Nelson