‘I’d rather it stay here,’ said Vendome.
‘Then I must overrule you,’ insisted Burgundy, taking the sword and examining it before handing it to one of the guards. ‘See that this goes with Captain Rawson,’ he said, curtly. ‘It may well be that His Majesty uses it to cut off his head.’
Henry Welbeck had spent the night in a tree before. Accustomed to sleeping rough, he’d always done so in the company of other soldiers. Now that he was alone, he was more aware of danger. Darkness brought the wood alive and he heard all sorts of threatening noises in the undergrowth. Perched on one of the lower branches of a tree, he eventually managed to doze off. He was roused from his slumber at dawn by melodic birdsong and was immediately aware of the cramp in his limbs. Descending to the ground, he stretched himself to ease the pain then searched for breakfast in a saddlebag.
There was a rivulet nearby and he allowed the horses a drink before using the water to wash his face and to bring himself fully awake. Tethering the horses once more, he returned to the thickets adjoining the road and maintained his vigil. On the previous day, he’d been irritated by Daniel’s failure to return swiftly. Any irritation was now swamped beneath his concern for his friend’s safety. Welbeck used the telescope to scan the road in both directions then pointed it in the direction of the French camp.
It was hours before his patience was rewarded. A patrol came round the bend towards him, a dozen soldiers riding in pairs at a brisk trot. It was not their disciplined riding that interested the sergeant. His attention was fixed solely on the cart that rattled along with them. Trussed up, and seated in the rear of it, was Daniel.
‘A pox on it!’ muttered Welbeck, removing his eye from the telescope. ‘What the devil am I supposed to do now?’
Jonathan Ainley was writhing with embarrassment. Summoned to Marlborough’s quarters, he’d hoped for an assignment that showed how much he was valued by the captain general. Instead, he was being admonished for his lack of perception.
‘When did this happen, Your Grace?’ he asked.
‘Some time during the night,’ replied Marlborough. ‘Clearly, Mademoiselle Prunier could not escape without assistance. It remains to be seen who actually provided it.’
‘Are you certain that the lady was a spy?’
‘Why else would she depart so abruptly?’ said Cardonnel. ‘It seems that we were all duped by her.’
‘Not all of us,’ observed Marlborough. ‘Miss Janssen was deceived by her at first but it was she who actually sensed that our French guest was not the harmless victim she claimed to be. Her suspicions were communicated to my secretary but, by that time, it was too late. The bird had flown.’
Ainley winced. ‘I feel such a fool, Your Grace.’
‘You were not to know her true intentions. We, too, accepted her at face value and so did Captain Rawson. The lady was devious.’
‘I should have been more alert when Mademoiselle Prunier asked to see our artillery. What woman likes cannon?’
‘One who’s offered the chance to count their number for the benefit of the enemy. In future,’ said Marlborough, ‘make it a rule never to conduct any stranger around the camp. I’m sure that you did it out of courtesy and — because the stranger in this particular case was a beautiful woman — no whisper of doubt was heard in your ear.’
‘No,’ confessed Ainley. ‘I was gulled.’
‘Learn from the experience, Lieutenant.’
‘I will, Your Grace. What can I do to make amends?’
‘I can tell you that,’ said Cardonnel. ‘You can help to find the person or persons who aided her escape. Since Mademoiselle Prunier had quarters near your regiment, the likelihood is that someone from the 24^th Foot was also in the pay of the French. Find out who is missing and report back to us.’
‘I’d sooner lead a patrol in pursuit of the lady,’ said Ainley.
‘One has already left camp,’ Marlborough told him, ‘but I suspect that she will have too good a start to be overhauled.’ Seeing his extreme discomfort, he felt a pang of sympathy. ‘Comfort yourself with this thought, Lieutenant,’ he went on. ‘Sophie Prunier learnt nothing that Ralph Higgins had not already discovered. She will merely confirm intelligence already supplied.’
‘That’s no consolation to me, Your Grace. I failed.’
‘You were misled by a pretty face,’ said Cardonnel. ‘That is all.’
Marlborough gave a wry smile. ‘It’s happened to every one of us at some time or other, Lieutenant,’ he remarked. ‘You suffered the fate of all mankind.’
Because he had so few advantages, Henry Welbeck made the most of them. The map that Daniel had given him was accurate enough to spark an idea. He should be able to get well ahead of the patrol. It was keeping to the road and moving at a moderate pace. By riding across open country at a gallop, Welbeck believed that he could rejoin the road at a point where it looped south, and arrange some kind of ambush. His pistol could only account for one soldier and there were a dozen guarding Daniel, not to mention a driver who would have some sort of weapon. An indifferent horseman, he didn’t even notice the pounding of the saddle in his crotch and the lurching sensation in his stomach. The hectic journey gave him thinking time and that proved critical.
How could he stop and disable a French patrol? How could he rescue his friend? How could he ensure that Daniel was unharmed? How could he retrieve the sword? How could they get back to the safety of the British camp? These were the questions he kept firing at himself but the answers were elusive. As he sped along, his eyes were raking the terrain ahead for a suitable place, somewhere where he could make use of natural features. Occupying his mind like a dead weight was the image of Daniel, tied up, defenceless and bouncing in the rear of the cart. He knew that the one thing sustaining the prisoner in his hour of need was the conviction that Welbeck would come to his aid. The sergeant couldn’t let him down.
Unable to answer any of the questions that continued to besiege him, Welbeck asked himself another one. If their roles were reversed, what would Daniel Rawson do in the same circumstances?
It was tantalising. Seated in the cart with his hands securely bound behind his back, Daniel was only feet away from his sword. It was travelling with him and had been placed nearby as a visible taunt. He endured plenty of other taunts from the two soldiers riding behind the cart but he ignored their jeers. They would soon tire of mocking him. All that concerned Daniel were the whereabouts of his friend. He knew that Welbeck would have spent the night in the wood but wasn’t at all sure that the sergeant had witnessed the patrol as it passed by. His friend might still be in the clearing with the horses, wondering what had happened. Daniel couldn’t rely on him.
The sword was his only means of escape. Indirectly responsible for his capture, it might also be his salvation. If he could get close enough, its sharp blade would soon cut through his bonds. Somehow he had to distract the soldiers riding behind him. As long as they were there, he had no hope of reaching the weapon. The road was pockmarked with ruts and holes, making the journey a painful one. As the wheels of the cart explored each ridge or depression, Daniel was tossed helplessly to and fro. Whenever he fell sideways onto his shoulder, he had to haul himself upright again. His antics provided endless amusement for the two soldiers.
Emerging from the wood, the patrol kept up a steady pace for the next few miles. Daniel saw nothing of what lay ahead. The only road that he could see was the one that he was facing. When he heard sounds of commotion behind him, therefore, he didn’t at first know what had caused them. Horses neighed, men shouted and the cart came to such an abrupt halt that Daniel was thrown sideways. He could smell smoke and hear the rumbling sound of a small avalanche that descended on the patrol. One of the horses behind him reared and unseated its rider. The other horsed neighed frantically and danced out of the way of the cascading stones.