Soldier of Fortune

'Do exactly as I say,' he told her, 'or I'll have no compunction about pulling the trigger. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' she croaked.

'Good.'

Keeping the pistol levelled at her, he stepped back to appraise Abigail properly. He flashed a smile of approval that sent shivers right through her. Catto gestured at a large wooden box and she moved across to sit on it, perching uneasily on the very edge. She eventually found the courage to ask a question.

'Who are you?'

'Someone who controls your destiny,' he said meaningfully.

'What do you have against me? Eve done you no harm.'

'You're about to do me a great deal of good, Miss Piper.'

'Must you point that gun at me?' she said nervously.

'Not if we come to an amicable agreement,' he replied. 'If you swear to make no attempt to escape, or even to cry out, then I'll stop waving this pistol at you. Should you do either of those things,' he added coldly, 'you'll be dead within a second.' He lowered the weapon and rested it against his thigh. Abigail relaxed slightly but remained fearful. 'There now — does that feel better?'

'Yes.'

'Do I have your word that you'll keep your side of the bargain?'

'Yes, you do.'

'Thank you.' He sat down on a box between her and the tent flap, blocking any sudden dash she might make. 'Then we can we make ourselves comfortable for a while and become more closely acquainted.'

'What are you going to do with me?'

'In the first instance, I shall take a stroll with you.'

'A stroll?' she echoed in surprise.

'Yes, Miss Piper. 'When a soldier and a young lady are seen walking together in camp, the natural assumption is that they are husband and wife or, at the very least, betrothed to each other. In short, nobody will challenge us. It all depends on your doing exactly what you are told, of course,' he went on, holding up the pistol. 'Open your mouth to call for help and it's the last thing you'll ever do.'

Abigail was bewildered. 'Why do you wish to walk with me?'

'Any red-blooded man would wish to do that. You are positively delightful. As it happens, though, I have a very special reason for desiring your company. And I know that you enjoy an evening stroll,' he said with a smirk. 'It was not so long ago that I saw you and Captain Rawson sauntering along beside a stream.'

Abigail quailed. His comment hit her with the force of a blow and she was stunned. Words tried to form themselves on her lips but no sound came out. Catto read her thoughts.

'That's correct,' he admitted. 'I was hiding in the bushes on the other side of that stream. I watched you both for some time. But I did not fire the shot at Captain Rawson,' he emphasised. 'Had I done so, he would no longer be alive. I'm renowned for my accuracy with a flintlock pistol. Please bear that in mind.'

'Who did shoot at Daniel — at Captain Rawson?' she asked.

'It was a foolish mistake.'

'He might have been killed.'

'There was also the danger that you might have been hit, Miss Piper, and that would have been a dreadful loss. The person who did fire that shot has been sternly admonished, believe me.'

'Why did he shoot?'

'He acted on impulse.'

'But why aim the gun at Captain Rawson?'

'That's a private matter,' he said blandly, 'and I don't think, in any case, that you'd care to know the details. It might damage your high opinion of the captain.'

'I doubt that,' she said, showing a little spirit at last. 'Captain Rawson is an officer, a gentleman and a hero. You'll answer to him for this outrageous behaviour.'

Catto was amused. 'Indeed?'

'I demand that you release me at once.'

'You're not exactly in a position to make any demands,' he said, holding up the pistol. 'Instead of issuing orders, your job is simply to obey them.'

'Who are you?' she cried.

'Oh, I'm not a very interesting topic for conversation, Miss Piper. You, on the other hand, certainly are. Since we have some time on our hands before we leave, perhaps you'd tell me a little about yourself. Evidently you come from a good family,' he went on, eyes roving all over her, 'and I can hear the breeding in your voice. Tell me who you are and how you came to befriend Captain Daniel Rawson.' When she refused to answer, his tone was menacing. 'I won't ask you again.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

Though the Confederate army had stayed in their camp, they were not allowed a complete rest. Soldiers in the British regiments were drilled on open ground. When he had fought alongside Marshal Turenne in the French army, the Duke of Marlborough had been struck by the superior discipline of the troops. It was not only by virtue of greater numbers, better equipment and more powerful artillery that they held sway over all other European armies. French soldiers had been trained and drilled to a degree that gave them a considerable advantage over their enemies and helped them to achieve a long series of successive victories. Marlborough had taken note. Among the improvements he had made to the British army was his insistence on thorough preparation.

It depended to some extent on the lungs of his drill sergeants and, as far as Henry Welbeck was concerned, his commander had no cause for complaint. Welbeck's voice rang out like a roll of thunder. Never daring to put a foot out of line, his troops kept to the drum-calls and went briskly through their routines. Daniel felt a pang of regret as he observed how many were now missing from the ranks. When they were dismissed, the soldiers drifted past him and he had a friendly word with several of them. Welbeck eventually came over to him.

'You certainly put them through their paces,' said Daniel. 'That was a most impressive display, Henry.'

'You have to drive them hard or they lose discipline in battle. We have to remember that most of these men didn't want to join the army, Dan. They did so under compulsion or because they had some stupid idea of being heroes. Ha!' he exclaimed. 'A lot of these so-called heroes come from the gutter or from prison. We have the dregs of London inside those red uniforms.'

'Not any more,' argued Daniel. 'You've turned them into good soldiers and responsible human beings. You converted them, Henry.'

'You make me sound like a bloody chaplain.'

'Have you never considered taking holy orders?'

'I'd sooner eat horse shit!'

'I could just see you in a pulpit.'

'Then I'd probably be setting fire to it,' said Welbeck. 'You know my feelings about religion. It's a trick played on the innocent fools.'

'I don't regard myself as either innocent or foolish.'

'And I don't you regard you as a true Christian. Oh, I know you read your Bible and attend church parades but, then, the Devil can cite Scripture for his purposes.'

Daniel grinned. 'Are you calling me a devil?'

'Well, you're certainly no angel.'

'None of us is, Henry — we have blood on our hands.'

'That's another thing,' said Welbeck. 'One of the Ten Commandments forbids you to kill. How many times have you broken that particular commandment, Dan?'

'I'm not getting into a theological argument with you,' said Daniel amiably. 'I just wanted to give you advance warning. When we've got our breath back, it seems as if we're going to cross the Danube and lay siege to Rain.'

'Why?'

'It's directly in our line of march.'

'That means I'll lose more of my men to the gravediggers.'

'Rain is not a big town, by all accounts. It shouldn't hold us up for long or cost us many lives. The other piece of news that might interest you is that Abigail Piper is leaving us tomorrow.'

'That calls for a celebration!' said Welbeck.

'You don't even know the young lady.'

'I know two things about her, Dan, and they both worry me. First, she's a woman. Second, she almost got you killed. Put it this way,' he went on as Daniel tried to protest, 'would you have gone walking alone outside the perimeter of the camp?'