Soldier of Fortune

'Have you had any reply?' said Churchill.

'Not yet, Charles, and I don't expect an immediate one. The Elector is a slippery character. He'll want to consider all his options before he commits his thoughts to paper and even then they'll be wreathed in ambiguity. At least, we've shown him what we can do on a battlefield and it's a lesson he can't ignore.'

'It was a signal victory, Your Grace,' said Cardonnel, 'and you are to be congratulated.'

'Thank you, Adam,' said Marlborough, 'though I don't expect any congratulation from the Dutch. Opprobrium is more likely. They seem to think that wars ought to be fought without a drop of blood being spilt.'

'We'll have carping critics in England as well,' warned Churchill. 'When Parliament learns the scale of our casualties, there'll be the most unholy rumpus. Have you written to the Queen yet, John?'

'Her Majesty's letter was among the first batch sent. I simply informed her of our success and told her that Secretary Harley would lay full details of the battle before her. I sent Robert Harley a long account of the action.'

'I hope that you did the same for Emperor Leopold.'

'Of course,' said Cardonnel. 'The despatch has been on its way for hours. Word will reach Vienna before it gets anywhere near London. The whole city will rejoice at the news.'

'So they should. We've saved it from a possible invasion.'

'Emperor Leopold will be the first to recognise that, my Lord.'

'Yes,' said Marlborough. 'I look for no reproach from him. He has some insight into the nature of warfare. In order for some people to live in peace, others have to die on a battlefield.'

'What about the Margrave of Baden?' asked Churchill. 'Did you tell the Emperor how well his commander-in-chief fought?'

'I heaped praise upon him, John.'

'That may turn out to have been unnecessary.'

'What do you mean?' said Marlborough.

'It seems that Baden has taken it upon himself to sing his own praises. According to whispers I've heard,' said Churchill darkly, 'he's been claiming that, but for his intervention, the battle would have been lost. He's trying to steal all the credit.'

'That's dishonest!' protested Cardonnel.

Marlborough was hurt. 'Can this be true, Charles?' he said, blenching slightly. 'When the fighting was over, Baden was gracious enough to compliment me. I recall his very words — "I am delighted your proposal has proved such a success." And it was my decision to attack when we did. I discussed it with him beforehand and Baden opposed the idea vehemently.'

'I was there, Your Grace,' said Cardonnel. 'I'm your witness.'

'Why is he making such a monstrous claim?'

'We knew from the start that he was untrustworthy.'

'This is tantamount to bare-faced deceit, Adam.'

'I'd use a stronger term than that,' said Churchill, roused on his brother's behalf. 'Baden and his troops only joined the battle after we had borne the full force of the enemy resistance. You held command throughout, John,' he said. 'It was your calmness, prudence, presence of mind and readiness to strike promptly that won the day for us.'

'Baden obviously thinks otherwise.'

'Then someone should acquaint him with the plain truth.'

Marlborough smiled. 'It's we who have been forced to make an acquaintance with it,' he said wryly. 'The plain truth is that we have to be wary of all our allies. Prince Eugene will be extremely annoyed that he was not here to take part in the storming of Schellenberg and will no doubt blame me for sending him off to intercept Tallard.'

'Which he has failed to do,' remarked Cardonnel.

'The commander who was there — Baden — is now trying to take all the glory. That pains me more than I can say. One of the wisest pieces of advice,' Marlborough went on, 'is to know your enemies. In view of what's happened, I think it just as important to know your friends.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

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?'