Soldier of Fortune

CHAPTER TWELVE

Abigail Piper was petrified. The pistol was only resting gently against her temple but it seemed to be burrowing into her skull. Her whole head felt as if it were on fire. Charles Catto removed his hand from her mouth but, even without the threat of death, she would have been unable to speak. Her mouth was dry, her heart racing and her brain numb. She had been taken in completely by the man's appearance and polite manner. The promise of a meeting with Daniel Rawson had been dangled in front of her and she had never questioned it for a second. She squirmed as she recalled how gullible she had been. In entering the tent so willingly with a stranger, she had stepped into a nightmare.

'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?'

'No, Henry.'

'Then she led you into danger.'

'Not deliberately,' said Daniel. 'Abigail was as much at risk as me so you could claim that I led her into danger.'

'You're as bad as each other. Good riddance to her, I say!'

'I'll take a rather fonder farewell than that.'

'Are you going to see her now?' Daniel nodded. 'Then I ought to come with you to stand guard. I know what fond farewells can do. I must have lost over a dozen men who went to wave off their sweethearts then never came back again.'

'There's no chance of my deserting, Henry. All that I intend to do is to wish her well on the journey. What harm is there in that?'

'Miss Piper is a woman and women are made of harm.'

'You malign the sex unjustly,' said Daniel, laughing at his friend's curt misogyny. 'But you won't be able to grumble about Abigail for much longer. This time tomorrow, she'll be miles from here.' He set off. 'I'll see you later, Henry.'

'Make sure you come without her,' Welbeck called after him.

Daniel had long ago divined the source of Welbeck's hatred of women. The sergeant came from a family that consisted of a tyrannical mother and three older sisters, all of whom made his life a misery. Outnumbered and too small to fight back, he had endured the persecution until he was old enough to run off to the army. Behind his loathing of the opposite sex was a lurking fear of them. While he would readily confront any foe in battle, Welbeck was quietly terrified of being left alone with a woman. In that respect, he and Daniel were worlds apart. His friend might flee from intimacy and hide behind his alleged contempt for women but Daniel always welcomed closeness.

After striding through the camp, he reached Abigail's tent and called out her name. It was Emily Greene who emerged to give him a token curtsey.

'Good afternoon, Captain Rawson,' she said.

'Hello, Emily. I was hoping to see your mistress.'

'She went off to your tent over an hour ago, sir.'

'Did she?' said Daniel in surprise. 'Then she must have lost her way. I was there most of the afternoon and saw no sign of her.'

'A soldier brought a message from you.'

'What message?'

'It was an invitation to join you,' said Emily, starting to worry. 'I helped Miss Abigail to get ready then the man took her off. He was a private from your regiment, Captain Rawson.'

'Well, I certainly never sent him.'

'Then who could he be?'

'That's exactly what I'm asking myself,' said Daniel, controlling his disquiet. 'It would have taken her no more than five minutes to reach my tent from here yet you say she's been gone for over an hour.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Did this man give a name?'

'No, Captain Rawson. He just passed on his message.'

'I'd never have sent a verbal invitation. I'd have done Miss Piper the courtesy of writing a short note to her. Let's go back to the start, Emily,' he advised. 'Describe this man as accurately as you can then tell me precisely what he said.'

Emily gulped. 'Do you think Miss Abigail is in trouble, sir?'

'I think we need to find her as quickly as possible,' said Daniel seriously. 'Now — what did this man look like?'

She could not believe it. Abigail Piper was surrounded by thousands of soldiers yet not one of them came to her aid. After being imprisoned in the tent for a while, she was forced to walk out on the arm of her captor. Before she did so, she let her handkerchief drop behind the box in the hope that it would be found and act as a clue to her disappearance. She prayed that the man beside her would make a mistake and arouse the suspicions of the sentries. It did not happen. Charles Catto had enough confidence to chat freely with the pickets as he and Abigail went past them. She could not understand why they did not recognise the distress she was in. Abigail was exuding fear and panic yet nobody seemed to notice. All that the men observed were her youthful beauty and her shapely figure.

Once outside the perimeter, they took a leisurely stroll in the direction of some trees. Abigail was on tenterhooks. The farther away they went from the safety of the camp, the more rattled she became. The fact that she had no idea who her companion was and what designs he might have upon her, made it even worse. The man had given nothing away. He had interrogated her about her friendship with Daniel Rawson and was very pleased when she told him that she had left England solely in order to follow the captain. Encouraged by the man, she had found herself talking more candidly about her feelings than she had done to Daniel himself, admitting how those feelings had changed somewhat in the wake of the battle.

As long as she was in the camp, there had always been an outside chance that she would be missed then sought out. It was a thought that had sustained her throughout her incarceration in the tent with an armed man. In the event, nobody seemed aware that she had gone astray and she was now taken out of reach of any possible rescue. Approaching the copse, she suddenly stopped.

'Let me go,' she pleaded. 'Im no use to you.'

'On the contrary,' said Catto, 'you are of great use.'

'If it's money you want, I have some that I can give you.'

'I need a lot more than money from you, Miss Piper.'

'Where are we going?'

'Keep walking.'

'We're not supposed to be outside the boundary of the camp.'

'Keep walking,' he ordered, tightening his grip on her arm so that he could pull her forward. 'You've behaved yourself this far, Miss Piper. If you become obstructive, I shall get very angry.'

'I just want to know what's happening!' she exclaimed.

'We are going for a pleasant walk, that's all.'

'Where are you taking me?'

'Stop asking questions.'

'I want to know what's going on.'

'Come now, Miss Piper,' he said. 'You're an intelligent young lady. You must have worked it out by now. You're being kidnapped.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

The search was systematic and wide-ranging. Organised by Daniel Rawson, teams of men scoured the camp in the fading light and looked into every tent and wagon. To his credit, Sergeant Henry Welbeck suppressed any comments he might have wished to make about the troublesome nature of women and joined in the hunt with enthusiasm. Having investigated every inch of the route between the tent where Abigail Piper had been staying and Daniel's quarters, they broadened the search. When it failed to find any trace of the missing person, Daniel was baffled.

'Somebody must have seen her, Henry,' he said to Welbeck. 'She was the sort of young lady to turn heads.'

'More than heads, from what I gather,' murmured Welbeck.

'She simply has to be here.'

'Well, we can find neither hide nor hair of her, Dan. My guess is that she may no longer be in the camp.'

'Where else can she be?'

'I've been thinking about that description you gave me of the man who may have abducted her. The beard deceived me at the start until I realised that he might have grown it since we last saw him.'

'Who?'

'That skulking deserter,' said Welbeck. 'Private Will Curtis.'

Daniel started. 'Would he be bold enough to sneak back into the camp?' he asked, disturbed by the notion.

'He was bold enough to try to behead you, Dan, and — if my guess is right — he was daring enough to fire that shot at you. Curtis is as bold as brass. It was the first thing I noticed about the bugger.'

They were still speculating on what might have happened to Abigail when a corporal brought a man over to them who wore the uniform of the Dutch army.

'This is Private Berchem,' said the corporal. 'He's a blacksmith, sir. His English is poor but he thinks he can help us.'

'Can you?' asked Daniel, speaking to him in Dutch.

'I hope so, sir,' replied the man. 'I was shoeing a horse when they went past me. They were only yards away.'

'What did you see?'

'I saw a British soldier and a beautiful young lady. I wondered why they were so close to the Dutch camp. The last time I saw them, they went towards a large tent.'

'Did you see them go into it?' pressed Daniel.

'No, sir,' said the man. 'When you are hammering a horseshoe into place, you have to keep your eyes on what you are doing. But I fancy that they might have gone into the tent.'

'Could you take us there now?'

The Dutchman nodded. 'Yes, Captain.'

Welbeck was exasperated. 'What the hell is the fellow saying?'

'I'll tell you on the way,' said Daniel.

Understanding the urgency of the situation, the Dutchman set a good pace. Daniel and Welbeck walked beside him. After a few minutes, they came to the large tent being used as a store.

'My men have already looked in there,' said Welbeck. 'It's full of stuff we captured at the Schellenburg. There's nobody in there.'

'Let's take a second look,' said Daniel.

Opening the flap, he peeped into the tent but it was too dark for him to see anything properly. He borrowed Welbeck's lantern so that he could conduct a proper search. The sergeant, meanwhile, turned back the flaps of the tent. At first, Daniel found nothing of interest but he did not give up. Holding up the lantern, he looked behind boxes, baggage and piles of equipment. When he shed some light on a large wooden box, he saw something on the ground behind it. He reached down swiftly to retrieve a lady's handkerchief. As he sniffed it, he caught a faint whiff of the perfume that Abigail had worn on the occasions when they had met in London.

'This belonged to her,' he said. 'She was here.'

'Are you sure?' asked Welbeck.

'She must have left the handkerchief deliberately. At least, we know where she was brought when she left her quarters.'

'But where is she now, Dan?'

'Abigail must somehow have left the camp,' concluded Daniel, masking his anxiety. 'We must speak to the pickets. Someone must have seen them leave. Once we know the direction in which they went, we can continue the search on horseback. Hurry,' he added as he rushed out of the tent. 'Every minute may be crucial.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

There had been no time for introductions. Frederic Seurel was waiting for them with the horses but he was only able to give Abigail Piper a brief glance before they set off. Charles Catto rode on one horse with Abigail sitting astride behind him. They cantered through the woods until they came out into the open. Light was slowly being squeezed out of the sky but they could still pick out the silhouette of a cottage that stood beside a fork in the road. Leading the way, Seurel veered off along the track to the left and rode on for miles before they came to a small village.

Candles gave off a faint glow in the windows but the street was in dark shadow. Reaching the inn on the far side of the village, they rode into the courtyard at the rear. Seurel had already reserved rooms for them. A servant came out to stable the horses while they entered the inn. Charles Catto took Abigail by the arm.

'Remember what I told you,' he said, as he guided her through the door. 'Behave yourself or you'll regret it.'

'Where is this place?' she asked.

'It's a long way from the good Captain Rawson.'

They came into the main room where a couple of local men were quaffing their ale at a table. Catto exchanged a greeting with the landlord before taking Abigail upstairs. Seurel followed and indicated their rooms. They went into the first of them, a small, untidy, low-ceilinged chamber with a musty smell and noticeable gaps between its oak floorboards. When Catto had lit some candles, Abigail saw that it was a dingy room filled with ugly furniture. Taken there against her will by two strangers, she looked at the little bed with trepidation. It took on the air of an instrument of torture.

Seurel was studying her for the first time, running lecherous eyes all over here and grinning as he did so. He spoke in French.

'She's very pretty, Charles,' he said, leering at her. 'We can take it in turns.'

'Keep your hands off her,' warned Catto. 'She's a hostage and nothing more. I didn't bring her here for your entertainment.'

'We can't waste a chance like this.'

'You'll do as I tell you.'

'I need a woman to warm my bed at night.'

'Then find yourself another one. Miss Piper is not for you.'

Seurel was resentful. An argument soon flared up and both men raised their voices. Conscious that they were talking about her, Abigail became increasingly frightened. She knew very little French and they were talking so rapidly that it was impossible to decipher more than a word or two. Nevertheless, she sensed what the dispute was about and she shuddered as she glanced across at the bed. At length and with ill grace, Seurel accepted that Catto's decision was final and withdrew into a sullen silence.

'Frederic apologises for his display of bad temper,' said Catto.

'Why did you bring me here?' she asked.

'We needed somewhere to rest. You must get what sleep you can because we'll be leaving before dawn.'

'Where are we going?'

'We have to find another hiding place, Miss Piper. You will be missed and a search will take place. By the time the soldiers reach this inn, we must be miles away from here.'

'My maid will have realised by now that something must have happened to me,' she said, 'and she will have raised the alarm. Captain Rawson will have hundreds of soldiers at his command. There's no way that you can escape.'

'He won't find us in the dark, though I daresay he'll try.'

'Those sentries saw us leaving the camp.'

'I know,' said Catto. 'They were consumed with jealousy. It's not everyone who has the chance to take a stroll with a lovely young lady. You were born to attract envy, Miss Piper. Look at Frederic, for example. He's bubbling with envy at the way I'm talking to you now.'

Abigail turned to Seurel who was gazing at her with an intensity that worried her. Though she hated being the prisoner of anyone, she preferred to have Catto as her captor than his glowering companion. She felt it safer to keep one of them talking.

'You're in the French army, aren't you?' she said.

'We were,' replied Catto.

'Why does an Englishman fight for the French?'

'You'll have to ask the Duke of Marlborough that. He learnt his trade under a French flag and so did I' He took off his hat and began to undo his coat. 'I can stop pretending that I'm a British soldier now.'

'Captain Rawson will catch you, whatever disguise you wear.'

'I look forward to meeting him.'

'He's probably leading a search party at this very moment.'

'I'm sure that he is, Miss Piper,' said Catto easily, 'but he'll not come here. Do you remember that cottage we passed near the fork in the road? Frederic had the forethought to bribe the old man who lives there. If he gets that far this evening, Captain Rawson will be sent off in the wrong direction.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

Daniel Rawson took a dozen riders with him, experienced men who were armed with muskets. It had taken him some time to find sentries who had seen a British soldier and a young lady strolling along the edge of the camp. They described Abigail so accurately that it simply had to be her. Since she had monopolised their attention, the details they were able to give about her companion were decidedly sketchy. Daniel had heard enough to lead off his search party. Some of his men carried torches but they could only create small circles of light in the darkness that now enveloped the countryside.

At the fork in the road, they paused to knock on the door of the cottage. The old man was not pleased to see British soldiers. Daniel spoke to him in German and asked if he had seen anyone riding past that evening. Given the chance to mislead them, the old man nodded.

'There were three of them, sir,' he said.

'Was a woman among the three?' asked Daniel.

'Yes, sir — there was one woman and two men.'

'Which way did they go?'

The old man pointed and they did not even stop to thank him. Cantering along the road, they went on for over five miles but the search was in vain. They passed several tracks down which fugitives could have turned and rode through woods in which they could easily have hidden. In the end, Daniel accepted defeat.

'We'll never find them in the dark,' he said, ruing the failure of the search. 'We'll try again at first light.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

It was unnerving. Abigail was trapped in a small room at night with two men, one of whom would certainly have molested her had he not been prevented from doing so by the other. Her situation was hopeless. She was in a foreign country with no chance of immediate help. Having lost all appetite, she refused the offer of food but had to watch the burly Frenchman as he gobbled his way through a meal and swilled it down with tankards of ale. The man who had kidnapped her did at least have an acquaintance with table manners. When they had finished eating, they began to talk in French and she had to guess what they were saying by their expressions.

'You can sleep in the other room,' said Catto, putting his plate back on to the tray. 'I'll stay in here.'

'So that's your game is it? I sleep alone and you jump into bed with the girl. No,' said Seurel, gesticulating, 'you're not getting away with that. If you have her, then I have her as well.'

'Nobody is having her, Frederic.'

'Then what use is she?'

'I told you before — we can trade her.'

'We can do a lot of other things with her as well,' said Seurel, running a hand across his wet mouth as he stared fixedly at Abigail. 'She's young and ripe and ready. Let me taste her. Let me teach you how a Frenchman pleasures a woman.'

'You're not touching this one,' said Catto, standing up to confront him. 'The only reason I'm staying is that someone has to guard her. I couldn't trust you to do that.'

'Why not?'

'Go to the other room.'

'This is not fair,' said Seurel, trying to sound reasonable. 'Both of us need sleep and you won't get any if you're watching her all night. Why not share the burden, Charles? You stand guard for a couple of hours then I'll take over.'

'We both know what would happen in that event.'

'I won't lay a finger on her, I swear it.'

'You can't help yourself, Frederic.'

Seurel exploded. 'A man has his needs, for heaven's sake!'

'Miss Piper deserves to be treated with respect.'

'That's exactly what I'll do,' said Seurel, shooting her a glance. 'When I've had my sport with her, I'll be sure to thank her politely.'

Catto opened the door. 'Good night, Frederic.'

'Just let me have ten minutes alone with her.'

'Good night!'

Abigail watched the silent battle of wills. After glaring his defiance, Seurel finally capitulated but he did not leave without one act of bravado. Before Catto could stop him, he suddenly grabbed Abigail and stole a kiss from her. He left the room laughing. Closing the door after him, Catto made a gesture of apology. Abigail did not even see it. She was still recoiling from the foul taste of Seurel's lips and the brutish feel of his hands. Catto resumed his seat.

'Try to get some sleep,' he suggested.

'I'm not tired,' she said, determined not to lie on the bed.

'You're safe with me, Miss Piper.'

She was scornful. 'Is this what you call being safe?'

'Would you rather share the room with Frederic?' Abigail shrank back defensively. 'No, I thought not. I'm the lesser of two evils, I can assure you. Frederic believes that women only exist for one thing but I know that they have much else to offer. Take your own case, for instance. You are a valuable asset. If I had abducted your maid, there would be nothing like the hue and cry that your disappearance will have provoked. You are a young lady of quality, Miss Piper.'

'Then treat me as such and let me go,' she begged.

'All in good time,' he told her. 'You'll certainly be released without harm — provided that Captain Rawson does what he is told, that is. In the circumstances, he will have no choice.'

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

Daniel was in the saddle again early next morning. Daylight helped him and his men to ride faster and see much better than on their previous outing. They split into two groups and went off in different directions so that they could search a wider area. The hunt was fruitless. When he returned to the camp that afternoon, Daniel was tired, apprehensive and jaded. As soon as Henry Welbeck saw him, he knew that the search had been futile.

'Send out more men, Dan,' he urged.

'I've already done that,' replied Daniel, having just despatched a fresh team of riders, 'but the man who sneaked

Abigail out of the camp had too big a start on us. He could be forty or fifty miles away.'

'I still think this is Will Curtis's doing.'

'I don't care who's behind this. My only interest is in Abigail's safe return.' He turned to his friend. 'Thank you, Henry.'

'What have I done to deserve thanks?'

'It's what you haven't done. We all know your opinion of women yet, from the moment that Abigail disappeared, you've never once used the situation to traduce the whole sex. You've been helpful.'

'I hate to see any young lady in distress,' said Welbeck, 'and there are few things more upsetting than being snatched away like that. The poor woman must be shaking with fear.'

'That's why we must rescue her soon.'

'Did you find no sign of her at all?'

'No,' said Daniel worriedly. 'Abigail obviously didn't have any more handkerchiefs with her or she could have left us a trail to follow.' He shrugged an apology. 'I'm sorry, Henry — that was a bad joke. The truth is the only whisper of evidence we have is from an inn where two men and a young lady spent the night.'

'That means Will Curtis has an accomplice.'

'All three of them left before dawn but the landlord had no idea in which direction they were heading. We pressed on until the horses tired then decided to come back here.'

They were in Daniel's tent. As he was talking, he took a bottle of brandy from a leather chest and poured out two glasses. He handed one of them to Welbeck.

'Here's to her safe return!' said the sergeant, raising his glass.

'Yes,' agreed Daniel. 'Drink to her immediate and safe return!'

They both took a long sip of their brandy. Welbeck savoured the drink as it coursed down his throat. Brooding on Abigail's plight, Daniel hardly noticed the taste. He was reminded yet again that, but for him, Abigail would never have been anywhere near an army camp. Instead of being at home in the bosom of her family, she was in grave jeopardy and he was unable to help her. It was excruciating.

'Captain Rawson!' called a voice from outside the tent.

'Yes?' said Daniel, opening the flap to look out.

'This came for you, sir.'

The private gave him a letter then waited while Daniel handed his glass to Welbeck so that he could open the missive. He read the contents and looked up at the messenger.

'When was this delivered?' he asked.

'It was handed to one of the sentries, sir,' answered the other. 'A carter said that he was paid to deliver the letter here.'

'Did he say by whom he was paid?'

'No, sir — he simply handed it over and went on his way.'

'Very well,' said Daniel, dismissing him. 'Thank you.' He went back into the tent. 'He's made me an offer, Henry.'

'Who has?' asked Welbeck.

'Whoever wrote this letter.'

'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.'