Conquest

‘If it’s of that much interest to you, then I can say it’s simple administrative matters concerning the form of mandatory returns for—’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘That might fool your flunkeys but not me. And now you’ve heard of the Xhosa.’

‘This discussion is to no account,’ Renzi said stiffly. ‘Therefore I shall bid you—’

She snapped something at her men. Two swiftly took position behind him, so close he could smell them.

‘Now. Tell me what you’re going to do about the Xhosa. Quickly!’

Renzi stood mute. He had no idea what he had come upon but it was rapidly getting out of hand.

‘You’re going south to raise an alarm, aren’t you? And you’re the only one in these parts with the authority to do so.’ She bit her lip. ‘And now I’ve to think what to do.’

‘Mam’selle, I can only suggest you do nothing reckless to jeopardise your standing in this colony.’

She ignored it, looking at him for a long moment, then made up her mind. ‘I can’t take the risk. It would ruin everything. I think this means you must disappear, Mr Secretary.’

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but she showed every sign of going through with it.

‘You’re aware I’m expected.’

‘It has to be done.’ There was no cruelty in her expression, neither was there compassion – simply the finality of a concluded decision.

He tried bluster. ‘The colonial secretary? This is absurd! It will result in such a searching of the country as you must be found out!’ With the two guards just behind him, any thought of making a break for it was out of the question.

‘Then it must be an accident. I believe it will answer should you be taken by a leopard.’

Renzi gaped.

‘Why, yes. They have the useful habit of dragging away their kill to devour in hiding. This will occupy your men for many days in hunting for your corpse – they wouldn’t dare return to Cape Town without proof.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘So foolish of Mr Colonial Secretary to wander abroad at this hour in wild country such as here . . .’

The man next to her flexed his hands, his dark eyes unreadable. There was only the breathy silence of the hot slopes, broken occasionally by the distant harsh call of a wheeling buzzard and the clink of harness as the horses fidgeted.

In a detached way, Renzi was in admiration of her quick thinking to come up with such a workable plan. His neck would be broken here and the body rapidly conveyed to the nearest precipice and thrown down, to be torn apart by roaming wild beasts. And it would achieve the delay that would ensure she was not suspected.

‘I see. Out of curiosity, might I be granted knowledge of what you’re . . . involved with, at all?’

She looked at him suspiciously. ‘You want to drag things out, hein? Better for you it was quick.’

‘Nevertheless, it would gratify me to find out before . . .’

‘You deserve to know, I suppose. It’s simple enough – the Xhosa are being given muskets. With these in their hands the balance of power on the frontier is changed. They will push the Khoikhoi and Boers aside to flood in to take the land for themselves.’

‘Is this by chance connected with any threat to Cape Town?’

‘I knew it! You’ve heard something and have come to seek it out. Well, it’s too late. As soon as this happens, your governor must send every soldier he has to stop them – and while Cape Town lies unprotected, a signal will be sent to our fleet to begin their assault.’

So no secret army – but a far better plan, one that needed only a few shipments of muskets and traditional African tribal enmity to bring about what otherwise would have taken a large army in the field to achieve.

‘Then you have some kind of harbour, perhaps a hidden base to receive your shipments?’

‘Of course, but this cannot concern you.’ She was growing impatient – at any moment someone might appear. He had moments to think of something – but he had to know—

‘How far advanced are your plans, may I ask?’

‘Within five days it will begin,’ she snapped. ‘And no one can stop us!’

‘But how will you—’

‘Enough of this!’ she flared, then stepped back and gestured angrily to the men. ‘Kill him.’

Quartered by the winds, L’Aurore gathered speed, the distant sails and grumble of guns gradually fading astern as she closed with the land once more. It would be easy enough to pick up the island by progressing down the coast but what if the brig turned out to be simply an innocent that had happened to take shelter at the same time as Africaine? Kydd realised that not only would he have to answer for it before a court-martial but – which would hurt infinitely more – he would earn the contempt of the ship’s company of L’Aurore.

His thoughts turned to Renzi, no doubt lording it as a high panjandrum in the Castle of Good Hope. This was a much more elevated situation than confidential secretary to a junior frigate captain and now his friend had a bright future. Who knew? At this very moment he might well be entertaining Therese at some high event or other.

He went below to avoid the accusing glances on deck and took refuge in carefully drafting the first part of the report to go in to the commodore, outlining his case for breaking off the action. Thank the Lord he had not been signalled to close action or received a direct order from Honyman, disobeying either of which would be very difficult to explain.

There was a knock and Bowden entered holding out some papers. ‘The midshipman’s workings, sir.’ There was