Read Soldier of Fortune Online
Authors: Edward Marston
Daniel
was in the saddle again early next morning. Daylight helped him and his men to
ride faster and see much better than on their previous outing. They split into
two groups and went off in different directions so that they could search a
wider area. The hunt was fruitless. When he returned to the camp that
afternoon, Daniel was tired, apprehensive and jaded. As soon as Henry Welbeck
saw him, he knew that the search had been futile.
'Send
out more men, Dan,' he urged.
'I've
already done that,' replied Daniel, having just despatched a fresh team of
riders, 'but the man who sneaked
Abigail
out of the camp had too big a start on us. He could be forty or fifty miles
away.'
'I
still think this is Will Curtis's doing.'
'I
don't care who's behind this. My only interest is in Abigail's safe return.' He
turned to his friend. 'Thank you, Henry.'
'What
have I done to deserve thanks?'
'It's
what you
haven't
done. We all know your opinion of women yet, from the moment that Abigail
disappeared, you've never once used the situation to traduce the whole sex.
You've been helpful.'
'I
hate to see any young lady in distress,' said Welbeck, 'and there are few
things more upsetting than being snatched away like that. The poor woman must
be shaking with fear.'
'That's
why we must rescue her soon.'
'Did
you find no sign of her at all?'
'No,'
said Daniel worriedly. 'Abigail obviously didn't have any more handkerchiefs
with her or she could have left us a trail to follow.' He shrugged an apology.
'I'm sorry, Henry - that was a bad joke. The truth is the only whisper of
evidence we have is from an inn where two men and a young lady spent the
night.'
'That
means Will Curtis has an accomplice.'
'All
three of them left before dawn but the landlord had no idea in which direction
they were heading. We pressed on until the horses tired then decided to come
back here.'
They
were in Daniel's tent. As he was talking, he took a bottle of brandy from a
leather chest and poured out two glasses. He handed one of them to Welbeck.
'Here's
to her safe return!' said the sergeant, raising his glass.
'Yes,'
agreed Daniel. 'Drink to her immediate and safe return!'
They
both took a long sip of their brandy. Welbeck savoured the drink as it coursed
down his throat. Brooding on Abigail's plight, Daniel hardly noticed the taste.
He was reminded yet again that, but for him, Abigail would never have been
anywhere near an army camp. Instead of being at home in the bosom of her
family, she was in grave jeopardy and he was unable to help her. It was
excruciating.
'Captain
Rawson!' called a voice from outside the tent.
'Yes?'
said Daniel, opening the flap to look out.
'This
came for you, sir.'
The
private gave him a letter then waited while Daniel handed his glass to Welbeck
so that he could open the missive. He read the contents and looked up at the
messenger.
'When
was this delivered?' he asked.
'It
was handed to one of the sentries, sir,' answered the other. 'A carter said
that he was paid to deliver the letter here.'
'Did
he say by whom he was paid?'
'No,
sir - he simply handed it over and went on his way.'
'Very
well,' said Daniel, dismissing him. 'Thank you.' He went back into the tent.
'He's made me an offer, Henry.'
'Who
has?' asked Welbeck.
'Whoever
wrote this letter.'
'Private
Will Curtis!'
'He
was careful not to sign his name.'
'What
exactly does he say, Dan?'
'Read
it for yourself,' said Daniel, passing the letter to him. 'At least, it sounds
as if Abigail is still alive, though what state she's in is another matter
altogether.'
'He
wants to exchange Miss Piper for
you
,' said Welbeck with dismay as he
read the letter. 'No disrespect to her but the army gets the worse part of that
deal. We gain a terrified young woman and we lose the best captain in the
British ranks. That's a rotten bargain.'
'It's
one you might have to accept,' said Daniel. 'Abigail's safety is paramount. If
this is the only way to get her released - so be it.'
The
Duke of Marlborough read the letter with deep concern then passed it to Adam
Cardonnel. His secretary scanned it with equal disquiet. They were in
Marlborough's quarters. Daniel Rawson had brought the anonymous letter
regarding the fate of Abigail Piper. The two men were as disturbed as he had
been.
'This
is intolerable!' said Marlborough angrily. 'I'll not have anyone dictating
terms like this. Abigail Piper must be found at once. I'll send out a whole
regiment, if need be.'
'That
would be unwise, Your Grace,' said Daniel. 'We are ordered to call off the
search. If her kidnapper sees a large body of men hunting for Abigail, he'll
kill her instantly.'
'That
could be a bluff.'
'It
doesn't sound like one,' said Cardonnel, returning the letter to Daniel. 'From
the tone of his demand, I take him to be a ruthless and decisive man. And since
he inveigled his way into our camp, he's not lacking in guile or bravado
either.'
'It
could be the second time he tricked us,' said Daniel.
'What
do you mean?' 'According to Sergeant Welbeck, this man volunteered to join us
under the name of Will Curtis. Immediately after the death of Lieutenant
Hopwood, our new recruit disappeared.'
'We
must catch this devil!' said Marlborough.
'Our
first task is to rescue Abigail Piper, Your Grace.'
'Quite
so.'
'She
has already been in this man's hands far too long.'
'What
do you suggest, Captain Rawson?' asked Cardonnel.
'That
I abide by the terms stipulated in the letter.'
'But
that would expose you to certain danger.'
'I
know how to cope with danger, sir,' said Daniel calmly. 'The young lady does
not.'
Marlborough
was thoughtful. 'There has to be a way to get her safely back without putting
your life at risk, Daniel,' he said. 'Could you not appear to meet his demands
yet have a detachment of men within easy reach? As soon as Abigail is handed
over, reinforcements could come out of hiding and ride to your assistance.'
'They
would never get to me in time, Your Grace. A pistol shot takes less than a
second. Lieutenant Hopwood was stabbed to death and beheaded within a couple of
minutes.'
'Don't
remind me.'
'I
must acquiesce in the man's demands.'
'I
can't see you walk off to your death like that.'
'Why
not?' asked Daniel with a twinkle. 'After all this time, it must be a familiar
sight to you. I've walked off to my death in more battles than I can remember.
Fortunately, I've always walked back again.'
'This
is different.'
'I
don't see why, Your Grace.'
'If
your supposition is correct,' said Marlborough, 'this man has already made two
failed attempts on your life. He's gone to enormous lengths to get close to
you. Taking a hostage is his last desperate throw of the dice. You'd be
willingly handing yourself over to your executioner.'
'I'm
inclined to agree with His Grace,' said Cardonnel.
Daniel
was resolved. 'Abigail must be rescued at all costs,' he said earnestly. 'She
is an innocent victim. By rights, she should not even be here. As a British
soldier, I can hardly plead innocence. I've killed many men in combat and I've
worked behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. It's hardly surprising that
someone wants to see me dead.'
'That
doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself, Daniel.'
'Adam
is right,' said Marlborough. 'You're too valuable to lose.'
'It's
kind of you to say so, Your Grace,' said Daniel, 'but let me ask you this. Do
you wish to write to Sir Nicholas Piper to explain that you could not rescue
his younger daughter because you preferred to save the life of one of your
captains?'
'No,
I would not.'
'Then
I must follow my instructions.'
After
further consideration, Marlborough gave a reluctant nod. 'Whom will you take
with you?'
'Sergeant
Welbeck. We'll take a spare horse with us so that Abigail will be able to ride
back here to the camp. I see that as a hopeful sign.'
'Well,
I can't say that I do,' said Marlborough.
'If
this man means to kill me,' he reasoned, 'he could do so on the spot and allow
Abigail to return here on my horse. But his letter stressed that we bring a
mount for her.'
'There
is a glimmer of hope in that, I suppose,' said Cardonnel. 'What struck me about
this man is that he has an educated hand. His letter is crisp, well-written and
explicit.'
'Oh,
there's no question about his intelligence, sir,' said Daniel. 'It was reading
this letter that persuaded me that Henry - Sergeant Welbeck, that is - may be
right. It must have come from the fellow who posed as Will Curtis. The sergeant
told me he had too many airs and graces to serve as a private. We're up against
a clever man.'
'He's
clever and merciless.'
'He's
also very calculating. He kidnapped someone whom he knew was a friend of mine.
Look at the way he's planned to exchange us,' he continued, waving the letter.
'I have to ride across a plain so that he can see me from miles away and check
if I obeyed his orders. That's why I can only take one man with me.'
'There's
our answer,' said Marlborough. 'While you ride towards him, I sent troops
around to the rear.'
'We
can't be certain where he is, Your Grace. At the far end of that plain is a
series of hills. He could be hiding on any of them and, from an elevated
position like that, he could pick out any flanking movement with a telescope.'
'Captain
Rawson is correct,' said Cardonnel. 'This man has no intention of being
surrounded. At the first sign of trickery on our part, he'll vanish altogether
- and he'll probably cut Miss Piper's throat before he does so.'
'I
have to go,' said Daniel.
'It's
against my better judgement,' Marlborough told him.
'I'll
speak to Sergeant Welbeck.'
'Is
he willing to accompany you?'
'Yes,
Your Grace - there's no better man for the task.'
'I
hesitate to give the mission my blessing.'
'With
or without it,' said Daniel, 'I still mean to go.'
'How
do you know you can trust this fellow?' asked Cardonnel. 'There's the
frightening possibility that Miss Piper is already dead. Her name is simply
being used to lure you out of the camp.'
'Then
that's an even better reason to go. If anyone has harmed her in any way,' said
Daniel, thrusting out his jaw, 'I want to meet him. He'll answer to me.'
Concealed
behind a boulder, Charles Catto surveyed the plain through his telescope. There
was nobody in sight. Frédéric Seurel took the telescope from him and applied an
eye to it. After a minute, he handed the instrument back.
'He's
not coming,' he declared.
'He
must come - there's too much at stake.'
'Why
should he care about one silly little English girl when he can charm his way
into the bed of a general's wife? Captain Rawson can pick and choose his women
at will. He won't bother about losing one of them.'
'Yes,
he will,' said Catto. 'Miss Piper is special to him.'
'She's
special to me as well,' said Seurel, glancing over his shoulder at Abigail.
'Don't forget your promise, Charles. You told me that, if Captain Rawson fails
to appear, I could have my way with her before I choked the life out of that lovely
body of hers.'
'It
won't come to that, Frédéric.'
'It
must.
It's agony being so close to such beauty yet forbidden to touch it or taste it.
I only have to look at her to want her. Don't you have that same fire in your
loins? Don't you have that urge to—'
'Be
quiet,' snapped Catto, cutting him off. 'Miss Piper is not some tavern wench
for you to tumble in the hay. She's a lady of quality and she'll bring in a far
greater prize.'
'Captain
Rawson won't bother about her.'
'I'll
wager anything that he will.'
'How
can you be so sure?'
'Because
I exploited his weak spot - I appealed to his honour.'
Seurel
was contemptuous. 'Honour!' he said with a sneer. 'What use is that? I never
cared about honour when I was a soldier. The only thing I wanted to do was to make
people suffer before I killed them.'
'Captain
Rawson has higher ideals than you.'
'When
it comes to women, he has the same ideals as me!'
Abigail
Piper heard his crude laughter and quivered. She was sitting some yard behind
them. To prevent her escape, they had bound her hand and foot and put a gag in
her mouth. She had never felt so utterly powerless. One man had treated her
with a modicum of respect but the other merely ogled her. Unable to understand
Seurel's speech, she found his fervent glances all too comprehensible. There
would be no Emily to rescue her from a man's clutches this time. With her hands
tied behind her back and her mouth covered, she had absolutely no means of
defence.
She
was in a quandary. Desperate to be rescued, she did not want her freedom to be
at the expense of Daniel Rawson's capture. If he fell into their hands, Abigail
feared for his life. Even before her abduction, she had started to regret her
decision to flee from home in the cause of true love. As a result of her impetuosity,
she and her maid had undergone all sorts of pain and mortification and she had
finally reached the British camp only to discover that Daniel did not requite
her love in the way she had imagined.
Abigail
had not only embarrassed him, she had now put him in mortal danger. It made her
writhe with guilt. At the same time, she was praying for release from her
predicament and that could only be achieved by Daniel's arrival. Whatever
happened, one of them was going to suffer dreadfully. The conviction that it
was all her fault made Abigail quake with remorse. Tears dribbled freely down
her face. She was stuck on the horns of a dilemma. Needing him to come to her
aid, she wanted him to stay away for his own sake and the more she thought
about it, the more she felt she deserved her fate. Closing her eyes, she prayed
for strength to endure her ordeal.