The crafty Sunderland, master of all labyrinths of intrigue, advised his kinsman that in the event of his finding Blood intractable, or judging for other reasons that it was not desirable to enlist him in the King's service, he should turn his attention to the officers serving under him, and by seducing them away from him leave him so weakened that he must fall an easy victim to Colonel Bishop's fleet.
The Royal Mary--the vessel bearing that ingenious, tolerably accomplished, mildly dissolute, entirely elegant envoy of my Lord Sunderland's--made a good passage to St.Nicholas, her last port of call before Jamaica.

It was understood that as a preliminary Lord Julian should report himself to the Deputy-Governor at Port Royal, whence at need he might have himself conveyed to Tortuga.

Now it happened that the Deputy-Governor's niece had come to St.Nicholas some months earlier on a visit to some relatives, and so that she might escape the insufferable heat of Jamaica in that season.

The time for her return being now at hand, a passage was sought for her aboard the Royal Mary, and in view of her uncle's rank and position promptly accorded.
Lord Julian hailed her advent with satisfaction.

It gave a voyage that had been full of interest for him just the spice that it required to achieve perfection as an experience.