Soldier of Fortune

'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.'

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

Concealed behind a boulder, Charles Catto surveyed the plain through his telescope. There was nobody in sight. Frederic 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.'