Heart of Oak By Alexander Kent

The war with France ended in 1818 and Captain Adam Bolitho is given command of the newly commissioned frigate Onward. He is sent to North Africa on a diplomatic mission to accompany the French frigate Nautilus in a show of solidarity. He knows he is lucky—the voyage should be easy—but Adam longs for a chance to marry the beautiful Lowenna and settle down on the Bolitho estate in Cornwall. Instead he must deal with the envy and ambition of his officers, hidden agendas among his men, and the former enemy’s proximity