‘There’s a job to do first, Edwin,’ replied Searle, ‘and you’re just the man to do it. Find a spade and bury that stupid Welshman before he starts to stink. And if anyone else is thinking of pulling a dagger on me,’ he warned, ‘remember what happened to Ianto Morgan.’
The Confederate army was on the move again, responding to French deployment by heading south of Hal, thereby blocking the approach to Brussels. Glad that the earlier rain had eased off, Daniel rode at the head of his regiment, proud that the 24^th Foot was near the front of the long cavalcade. Somewhere behind him, Henry Welbeck and the other sergeants made sure that their men marched at a brisk pace. Jonathan Ainley rode beside Daniel, eyeing the woods in the middle distance with some trepidation.
‘That would be a good place for an ambush, Dan,’ he said.
‘Our scouts have reported nothing suspicious.’
‘They could have sent out troops to harass us.’
‘I doubt if they’d take the risk, said Daniel. ‘They won’t commit enough men to trouble an army this size. I think it would be suicidal. Vendome never sacrifices manpower if he can help it.’
‘Neither does His Grace.’
‘Every soldier is important to him.’
‘Why can’t the French just come out and fight?’
‘It’s not in their nature.’
‘Not even when they have a numerical advantage?’
‘They’ll wait until they can choose the right moment. In the meantime, they’ll be manoeuvring for position. They want to test us out,’ said Daniel, ‘and play a few games with us.’
‘I still think they could be hiding in those woods.’
‘Then we’ll need to keep our wits about us.’
When they got within a hundred yards of the trees, they slowed their speed, intending to proceed with caution. In fact, they never even reached the woods. There was a low, rocky outcrop to their left and it was from behind this that the French onslaught came. Scores of blue uniforms that had been lying flat on the ground suddenly appeared and muskets began to pop, sending up wisps of smoke. There was momentary bewilderment then Daniel ordered his men to spread out and return fire. While the 24^th responded with its first volley, he tried to assess the size of the enemy, keeping his horse on the move so that he didn’t present a stationary target. French and British soldiers kept exchanging fire with deafening effect. A number of Daniel’s men had been wounded in the surprise attack and a few had been killed outright but the French were starting to suffer casualties as well. Indeed, when they saw the speed and accuracy of the British retaliation, they decided to beat a swift retreat. They’d done what they came for, using the woods as a decoy while lying in wait behind the rocks. They’d drawn blood. It was time to withdraw. After less than fifteen minutes, the skirmish came to an end and the French soldiers vanished from sight.
Daniel led his men up the incline in pursuit but the enemy had too big a start. Horses had been waiting to spirit them away and they were riding hell for leather. There was no point at all in chasing them towards their camp because they’d have massive reinforcements to call upon there. It was all over. The regiment was left to lick its wounds and count its losses. Returning to the main track, Daniel was alarmed to see Ainley, kneeling on the ground with blood on his face. He dismounted and rushed over to the lieutenant.
‘Are you all right, Jonathan?’ he asked with concern.
‘Yes,’ replied his friend, gamely. ‘It’s only a scratch.’
‘You need to see the surgeon.’
‘No, Dan, I’d feel I was wasting his time when there are far more serious wounds for him to look at.’ He used a handkerchief to stem the blood. ‘I was grazed by a musket ball, that’s all.’
‘Then you were very lucky.’
‘It’s not a question of luck. I survived by willpower.’
Daniel was amused. ‘Is such a thing possible?’
‘Yes, it is,’ said Ainley, seriously. ‘I have to stay alive for six months at least because I’m getting married at Christmas. Elizabeth would never forgive me if I let myself get killed. That’s why I’ve resolved that it won’t happen.’
‘I wish it were as simple as that,’ said Daniel. ‘Unfortunately, we don’t have our destinies in our own hands.’
‘I do, Dan. I promised Elizabeth that I’d meet her at the altar.’
‘Then I hope you’re able to keep that promise. Will you tell her about the narrow escape you had today?’
‘Oh, no — it would only upset her. When she reads my letters, she likes to hear good news.’
‘There’s been precious little of that recently.’
‘You’ve got a short memory.’
‘Have I?’ Seeing the other’s grin, Daniel understood what he meant. ‘I hope you haven’t been telling her tales about me.’
‘I just mentioned that one of our officers went behind enemy lines to abduct a French major, steal his uniform and return to camp with details of enemy plans. If that isn’t good news, then what is? You’re a hero, Dan.’
‘I don’t feel too heroic today, Jonathan,’ confessed Daniel. ‘I let us walk into a trap. When I saw those rocks, I should have sent scouts on ahead to take a look behind them. They seemed too low to conceal anyone. I hadn’t realised that the ground falls away sharply at the back of those boulders. Like you, I was too busy worrying about the potential danger in the woods.’ He glanced back along the line of soldiers. ‘As it is, we came off relatively lightly — and, whatever you may claim, it was not because of willpower.’
‘It was in my case,’ asserted Ainley. ‘I’ll tell Elizabeth that I came through the skirmish untouched. That’s the sensible thing to do. A white lie will prevent any tears from her. But what about the letters you send?’ he asked. ‘How much of the truth do you tell Amalia?’
‘Very little, I suppose.’
‘Women are such delicate creatures. It’s incumbent upon us to conceal the horrors of warfare from them. I’m just grateful that Elizabeth is hundreds of miles away from here. I need to feel that she’s completely safe.’
‘It’s the same with me,’ said Daniel, wistfully. ‘Because of my commitments here, my letters to Amsterdam are few and far between. Whenever I write one, however, I console myself with the knowledge that Amalia is out of harm’s way.’
Respected by his men as a brilliant soldier, Vendome liked to review his troops at regular intervals. Simultaneously, it fed his sense of importance and kept the men on their toes. As he watched them march past in serried ranks, he was pleased with what he saw. Even though many new recruits were on display, the soldiers were well drilled and primed for action. When the parade was finally over, he turned round to find Valeran waiting patiently for him. The lieutenant offered him a letter.
‘We have the answer you wanted, Your Grace,’ he said.
‘Excellent,’ replied Vendome, taking it from him.
‘I had it decoded for you.’
‘Well done, Raoul. Let’s see what we’ve discovered about the gallant Captain Rawson, shall we?’ As he read the letter, he smiled. ‘So his weakness has a name, does she? All we need to do now is to put a face to that name.’ His smile broadened into a grin. ‘I look forward to meeting Amalia Janssen.’
CHAPTER NINE
It was a long ride and they didn’t reach their destination until evening shadows were lengthening. Waiting under cover of some trees, they watched until the farmyard was completely deserted. Through the open shutters, they could see candles burning.
Edwin Lock was impatient. He grabbed his cousin’s arm.
‘Let’s go, Matt,’ he urged.
‘It’s too early,’ decreed Searle.
