#commodore hornblower

Horatio and Barbara with their new baby, Arthur William. :D 

As goldenhart's "A Political Affair" suggests: Hornblower in his pessimism failed to take into account his own celebrity; he furthermore failed to take into account Barbara Wellesley's social acumen and connections. When the Duke of Clarence made an appearance at Bush and Hornblower's wedding breakfast, thereby signaling royal approval, the moment was ripe for Society and Admiralty perception of military marriages to tip.

And it did. Slowly. Ponderously. There were still plenty of old guard who looked askance at the marriage, but they no longer held the complete sway over opinion that they once did.

Consequently, instead of being beached, Hornblower is given command of the squadron being sent to the Baltic, and is further permitted to take Bush as his flag captain. Nevertheless, Hornblower is very aware that his appointment is a test case: a chance to excel and prove the old guard wrong in their prejudices -- or, if he fails, to inadvertently set the cause back by a decade or more, making life very difficult for anyone considering following in his and Bush's footsteps.

Thus we come to the story of the Baltic mission, the overwhelming pressure on them as poster husbands, and the difficulties of navigating the twin spheres of being both spouses and commodore/flag captain, and new to both sets of roles, to boot. Remember how weird Hornblower is in Commodore about ostentatiously demonstrating to everyone that Bush will be shown no special favours? Hornblower is so determined not to let their being husbands fuck up the mission, that he risks the cascade of instead fucking up their marriage, thereby fucking up their working relationship, thereby fucking up the mission after all. (Remember the bit about Hornblower watching Bush sleep through the gallery windows? Someone got sent to sleep on the couch for being an asshole and is having regrets about it.)

from Beat to Quarters

Braun was at his station on the quarter-deck, in attendance on the Commodore, as he should be. With his hands on the rail he was gazing over at the Swedish shore; Hornblower could not see his face, but every line of the man's figure disclosed rapt attention. The poor devil of an exile was looking longingly on the shores on which he could never hope to set foot. The world was full of exiles, but Hornblower felt sorry for this one.

from Commodore Hornblower

The radio adaptation also uses the American/happy ending, but instead of having Freeman and the Clam bring Hornblower back to England, Bush throws duty to the wind, sends the squadron home on its own, and risks letting the Nonsuch become frozen-in in Russian waters, all so that he can watch over Hornblower while he has typhus.

500-word fairy tale about Hornblower and Bush: how Hornblower sees the world, and how Bush helps him.