The medicine worked? ' she asked.
He nodded, too embarrassed to reply. She had administered a purge the evening before, for as a surgeon she could dread the effects of a pistol ball through a full bowel or through a belly loaded with breakfast.
She touched his forehead. 'You are warm, you have not taken a chill? ' She felt protective towards him, like a mother almost, for he seemed once again so young and untried. I wondered if we might pray together. ' His voice was so low that she barely caught the words, and she felt a warm, almost suffocating rush of affection for him.
Come, she whispered, and she took his hand.
They knelt together on the bare deck of the tiny cabin, still holding hands, and she spoke for both of them, and he made the responses in a soft but firm voice.
When they rose stiffly at last, he kept her hand in his for a while longer. Miss Ballantyne, I mean, Doctor Ballantyne, I cannot tell you now what a profound effect meeting you has had on my life.'
She felt herself blushing and tried feebly to disengage her hand, but he clung to it. I would like to have your permission to talk to you again in this vein after, he paused, 'if this morning goes as we hope it will. 'Oh, it will, ' she said fiercely. 'It will, I know it will.'
Hardly knowing what she was doing she pressed herself swiftly to him and reaching up kissed him full on the mouth. For a moment he froze, and then clumsily he crushed her to him so that the brass buttons of his coat dug into her bosom and his teeth crushed her lips until she felt them bruising. My darling, he whispered. 'Oh, my darling.'
The strength of his reaction startled her, but almost immediately she found she was enjoying the strength of his embrace, and she tried to free her arms to return it - but he misunderstood her movements and released her hurriedly. Forgive me, he blurted out. 'I don't know what came over me.
Her disappointment was sharp enough to turn instantly to Annoyance at his timidity. Buttons and teeth notwithstanding, it had felt very pleasant indeed.
Both boats left the two ships at the same time, and they converged through the thin pearly morning mist as their crews pulled for the low lines of breaking surf and the pale outline of the beach in the dawn.
they landed within a hundred yards of each other, surfing in on the crest of the same low, green wave and the oarsmen leapt out waist-deep to run the boats high up the white sand.
Both parties moved separately over the crest of the sand bar and then down to the edge of the lagoon, screened from the boat crews by the intervening dunes and the stands of tall fluffy-headed reeds. There was a level area of firm damp sand at one edge of the reeds.
Mungo St. John and Tippoo halted at one end, and Mungo lit a cheroot and stood with both hands on his hips staring out at the crests of the hills, ignoring the activity about him. He was dressed in black tight-fitting breeches and a white silk shirt with full sleeves, open at the throat to reveal the dark curls of his body hair. The white shirt would give his opponent a fair aiming point, he was observing the conventions scrupulously.
Robyn watched him covertly as she stood beside Clinton Codrington at the further end of the clearing. She tried to capture the hatred she felt for St. John, to hold on to her outrage at the way he had abused her, but it was a difficult emotion to sustain. Rather, she was excited and with a strange sense of elation, the satanic presence of this man heightened the feeling. She caught herself staring openly and dragged her eyes off him.
Beside her Clinton stood very erect. He wore his blue uniform jacket with the gold lace of his rank gleaming even in the soft pink light of early dawn. He had scraped the sun-bleached hair back from his forehead and temples and bound it at the nape of his neck, leaving clean the purposeful line of his jaw.
Zouga went forward to meet Tippoo who carried under his arm the rosewood case of pistols. When they met in the centre of the level ground, he opened the case and proffered it, standing straddle-legged and attentive, while Zouga took each weapon from its velvet nest and loaded it with a carefully measured charge of black powder before ramming home the dark-blue leaden ball and setting the cap on the nipple.
The sight of the long-barrelled weapons reminded Robyn forcefully of that night aboard Huront and she bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably. Do not fret yourself, Miss Ballantyne. ' Clinton mistook her emotion, and whispered soothingly to comfort her while he unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged out of it. Beneath it he also wore a plain white shirt to give St. John a fair aim. He handed her the jacket and would have spoken again but Zouga called.
Will the principals come forward.'
And Clinton gave her another tightly strained smile before he strode out, his heels leaving deep prints in the damp yellow sand.
He faced Mungo St. John, holding his gaze steadily, both of them completely expressionless. Gentlemen, I appeal to both of you to settle this affair without bloodshed. ' Zouga went through the ritual attempt at reconciliation. 'Captain Codrington, as challenger, will you tender an apology? ' Clinton shook his head once, curtly. Mr. St. John, is there any other way in which we can avoid bloodshed? ' I think not, sir, St. John drawled as he carefully tapped half an inch of grey ash from his cheroot. Very well, ' Zouga nodded and went on immediately to set the conditions of the meeting. 'At the command 'Proceed' each of you gentlemen will take ten paces, which I will count aloud. Immediately after the count of ten I will give the command 'Fire' upon which you will be at liberty to turn and discharge your weapon.'
Zouga paused and glanced at Tippoo, there was a longbarrelled m-17 loading pistol thrust into the waistband of his baggy breeches. Both seconds are armed. ' Zouga laid his right hand on the butt of the Colt pistol in his own belt. 'If either principal attempts to fire before the command to do so, then he will immediately be shot down by the seconds.'
He paused again looking from one to the other. 'Is that clearly understood, gentlemen? ' They both nodded. 'Do either of you have a question? ' Zouga waited in silence for a few seconds then went on. 'Very well, we will proceed. Mr. St. John you have first choice of weapon.'
Mungo St. John dropped the cheroot and ground it into the sand with his heel, before stepping forward. Tippoo offered him the rosewood case and after a momentary hesitation St. John lifted out one of the beautifully inlaid weapons. He pointed at the sky and cocked the hammer with a sweep of his free hand.
Clinton took the remaining pistol and weighed it experimentally in his hand, settling the butt deeply into the vee formed by thumb and forefinger, turning half away and lifting the pistol at full stretch of his arm to aim it at one of the black and bright yellow bishop birds that chattered in the reeds nearby.
