Soldier of Fortune (22 page)

Darkness
was falling as he dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to Frédéric
Seurel who remained in the saddle of his own mount. The two men were in a copse
that shielded them from the pickets on the fringe of the camp. Charles Catto
took his bearings before turning back to his companion to issue an order.

'Meet
me here at the same time tomorrow.'

Seurel
was worried. 'What if you don't come back?

'Oh,
I'll come back,' said Catto with supreme confidence. 'Have no qualms on that
score, Frédéric. I'll come back and I won't be alone.'

Emily
Greene had been delighted to hear that they would be returning to England
before long. The effort of looking after her mistress for so many weeks and of
sharing endless tribulations had taxed her. Being in the camp had cheered her
at first because it seemed like a haven of peace. Now that she had had her
first glimpse of war, however, she found the place unsettling. All that she could
think about was escape.

'When
will we be leaving, Miss Abigail?' she asked.

'Very
soon, I hope.'

'Have
we been given no date?'

'Not
yet,' said Abigail. 'Captain Rawson spoke to His

Grace,
the Duke of Marlborough, and everything is in hand. We'll leave when there's a
wagon available and an escort to take us.'

Emily
brightened. 'We're to travel in a wagon, then?' she said. 'I was afraid that
I'd have to ride a horse again.'

'You
managed pretty well on the way here.'

'It
was agony.'

'One
gets used to the discomfort.'

'I'd
never get used to it, Miss Abigail.'

'It's
only a question of practice, Emily.'

The
maid lowered her head and Abigail realised that her comment was misplaced. When
they got back home, Emily would never get anywhere near a horse. Riding was a
privilege from which her station in life excluded her. During their time
together, the two women had grown so close that Abigail sometimes forgot that
Emily was simply a domestic servant. They were in the tent where they would
spend another night together. Such familiarity would be unthinkable in London.
Abigail would have the luxury of a large and well-appointed bedchamber there
while Emily occupied a small, bare room with two other servants.

It
was a moment for Abigail to show her gratitude and affection.

'I
could never have done any of this without you, Emily,' she said. 'It was the
certainty that you'd come with me that made me decide to leave England in the
first place.'

'I
have to be honest,' said Emily. 'I'd rather have stayed home.'

'There
were times when I never thought to see home again.'

'The
voyage was the worst bit for me, Miss Abigail.'

'We'll
have to endure it again, I'm afraid, but perhaps the sea won't be quite so
rough next time. What I really want to say,' she went on, touching Emily's arm,
'is how indebted I am to you. I'll never forget the way you've helped me and
kept my spirits up. When all this is over, I'll be able to reward you
properly.'

'I
fear that Sir Nicholas will do that,' said Emily glumly. 'Your father will
reward me by throwing me out.'

'That's
not the case at all.'

'I
ran away with you, Miss Abigail.'

'That
was my doing. I was headstrong. I've told you before that Father won't hold you
responsible. He said so in his letter. He wants you to stay in our employment.'

'I
wonder if he's just saying that to persuade you to go back. I'm not
complaining,' Emily continued. 'I did what I did and I'm ready to suffer for
it. My first duty was to you and not to Sir Nicholas.'

'Thank
you,' said Abigail, kissing her on the cheek.

'It's
always been a pleasure to serve you.'

'There
hasn't been much pleasure so far, alas.'

'I'd
do anything for you, Miss.'

'Would
you?' teased Abigail. 'In that case, I'll travel in the wagon and you can ride
behind.'

'No!'
protested Emily. 'That would be cruel!'

'I
was only joking. There may be days when I prefer to ride.'

'Then
I'll enjoy watching you.' They began to undress by the light of the candles.
Emily was curious. Before she could stop it, a question popped out. 'Are you
happy, Miss Abigail?'

'Happy?'

'That
we came, I mean - that we finally caught up with the army and that you met
Captain Rawson again.' 'I'm very happy, Emily. Why do you ask?'

'I've
no right to talk to you like this,' apologised the other with a deferential
smile. 'Forget that I ever said anything.'

'I
want to hear what prompted your question.'

'I
was being nosey.'

'There's
something behind your interest. What is it?'

Emily
licked her lips before speaking. 'It's just that you've been a little strange
today, Miss Abigail.'

'Have
I - in what way?'

'Your
mind seems to wander off somewhere. I've spoken to you a couple of times and
you never even heard me.'

'That's
because I was thinking about those wounded soldiers we saw. They keep coming
back at me. I can see all that blood and smell that revolting stench again.'

'We
should have turned our backs on it all.'

'No,'
said Abigail. 'I was meant to see it.'

'No
woman should ever look at things like that.'

'Many
of them have no choice,' Abigail reminded her. 'Think of the wives whose
husbands have been maimed or blinded in battle. Those women will have to gaze
at those war wounds for the rest of their lives. I feel for them.'

'They're
so brave and loving.'

Emily
wanted to ask something else but she felt it would be too intrusive. Since they
were both in their night attire now, it was time to turn in. Abigail got into
her camp bed but Emily had to sleep on a blanket laid out on the ground. When
they had both pulled their respective sheets over them, Abigail blew out the
candles and plunged the tent into darkness. She then said her prayers and
offered up a whole series of heartfelt supplications. When she opened her eyes
again, she could sense Emily's unspoken question hanging in the air.

'Yes,'
she said quietly. 'It did affect me, Emily. It affected me very deeply. Seeing
all those terrible injuries and understanding what happens on a battlefield has
made me look at Captain Rawson in a very different way.' There was a long
pause. 'Good night, Emily.'

'God
bless you, Miss Abigail.'

Years
of service in the army had habituated Daniel Rawson to an early start. Though
the next day was set aside for rest, he was awake before dawn and dressed
before most of the camp had even stirred. Since his face was still tender, he
delayed shaving until later. The weather was fine for a change and he was
encouraged to take a stroll in the morning air. Mindful of what had happened
when he strayed to the edge of the camp at a previous site, he contented
himself with walking in the area designated for his battalion.

Tents
were conjured out of the half-dark and the occasional soldier could be seen,
putting a kettle of water on the fire or slipping off to the latrines. Birds
were heralding dawn with full-throated song. Daniel did not begrudge his men
their additional sleep. It had been well-earned. Even those who had escaped
injury during the storming of the hill and the capture of the town had been
exhausted by their efforts. In Daniel's opinion, soldiers who had collected
minor wounds deserved an even longer rest. When they had recovered, every one
of them would be needed.

He
had always liked the atmosphere of an army camp. It was his natural habitat. He
relished the idea of a large body of men gathered together for a common purpose
that was based on a compound of bravery, patriotism and sheer physical
endeavour. While the troops were at rest, there was nevertheless a sense of
latent power in the camp, weapons laid aside but within easy reach of the
sleeping soldiers. He could hear banter from inside a few of the tents and a
lone voice was actually singing a welcome to the new day. But, in general,
there was a tranquil air to the camp.

It
soon changed. Daniel went around the angle of a tent to be met by unexpected
danger. A figure jumped out to accost him. Arms spread wide, the man was in a
menacing crouch, ready to spring. Daniel reacted with lightning speed,
grappling with him as his attacker lunged forward then flinging him violently
to the ground. It was only then that he realised the man was a friend of his.

'That's
enough,' said Henry Welbeck, hands up high in mock surrender. 'I give in, Dan.
Help me up, you big bully.'

'What
were you doing?' asked Daniel, hauling him to his feet. 'I thought you'd try to
kill me.'

'I've
got more sense than to try that. No, all I wanted to do was to make sure you
were on guard. You've had two attempts on your life already. I proved that
you're ready for a third one.'

'You're
getting slow, Henry. There was a time when you'd have thrown
me
to the ground.'

'I
was only pretending to attack you.'

'Well,
it felt real enough at the time.'

'It
was meant to, Dan,' said Welbeck, dusting off his coat. 'I'm glad that nobody
else is about or I could be reported for striking an officer. Mind you, one or
two of the buggers
need
striking.'

Daniel
chuckled. 'I can't disagree with that.'

'What
are you doing up at this hour, anyway?'

'I
might ask the same of you, Henry.'

'I
always like to get up well before the men. It breeds respect.'

'My
excuse is simple - I fancied a stroll.'

'Remember
what happened the last time you did that?'

'I
had no company with me on this occasion,' said Daniel.

Welbeck
smirked. 'Has the lass turned you down, then?'

'If
you must know, Miss Piper is going back to England.'

'Good
news at last!'

'I
think she found army life a little too raw for her taste.'

'Women
are poison,' said Welbeck roundly, 'and the worst of it is that the poison
comes in such appealing little bottles. No wonder men are led off the straight
and narrow path.' He held Daniel's gaze. 'How do you feel about the lady
going?'

'I'm
relieved, Henry. If I'm honest, I'm delighted that she's made this decision.
Miss Piper and her maid will have safe conduct all the way home. As long as she
was here, I'd be worrying about her.'

'Lusting
after her, more like!'

'That's
one way of looking at it,' said Daniel with a laugh.

'It's
the only way. Save your strength for fighting the Frenchies.'

'I
will, Henry.'

'And
those bloody Bavarians.'

'There
was a time when we hoped they'd be on our side.'

'Well,
they weren't on our side at the Schellenberg!'

Daniel
rolled his eyes. 'I noticed that.'

'So
- what do we do next?'

'We
await orders.'

'What
kind of orders, Dan?'

'Your
guess is as good as mine.'

'You're
on speaking terms with Corporal John,' said Welbeck. 'You must have some
inkling of what the old fox has in mind.'

'We'll
cross the Danube, that's all I know. Having fought so hard to secure the
crossing, I'm sure we'll make full use of it.' They walked on together. Daniel
nudged him with an elbow. 'And don't you dare jump out of me like that again,'
he warned with a companionable grin, 'or you'll get a lot more than you
bargained for, Sergeant Welbeck.'