Rapscallion

"It's late; nearly six. Are you hungry? You've eaten nothing solid for a while."

"No, I'm not bloody hungry!" Hawkwood pushed himself off the bed again. The room tilted dramatically, but only for a moment or two before returning to its true axis. He took a deep breath, crossed unevenly to the wardrobe and discovered his jacket, shirt, breeches and underclothes suspended from hooks and hangers. He leant on the wardrobe door and studied them. They were suspiciously clean, considering they'd been immersed in a river, and certainly when compared to how he remembered them from the day before, following their breakneck run through the woods.

He pulled the clothes out, took off the nightshirt, and began to dress. He bent down and picked up his boots. Light-headed, he sat on the end of the bed and attempted to pull on his right boot. The knife, he saw, was still in place. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and almost didn't recognize the unshaven individual staring back at him. He had to admit he'd looked in better health. He turned away and found that Lasseur was watching him with a look of worry on his face. When he made no offer to help, Hawkwood guessed the privateer was trying to make a point.

Lasseur tried again. "Matthew, listen to me. You're not thinking properly. Morgan won't go through with the raid on the gold anyway. Not at this late stage. He daren't. If he hasn't tracked us down, he has no way of knowing if you were able to get word to your people. For all he knows, the army's going to be there waiting for him. He'll only go ahead with the theft if he can silence us first, and then only if he has time to spare. You're more likely to prevent the attack by remaining here and keeping him guessing. That way we'll all be safe."

"We won't ever be safe! Not from Morgan. We've damaged him too deeply. He'll be angry at losing face." Hawkwood reached for his other boot. "I have to do this. The bastard's that bloody cocky, I wouldn't put it past him to still go through with it. In which case, I've no choice. It's my duty to try and stop him."