Soldier of Fortune (16 page)

When she came
hurrying towards him, Daniel Rawson did not know whether to be pleased or
disturbed by her arrival. He was relieved to see that she was alive and
apparently uninjured but troubled that she would expect much more from him than
he was able to give. Her face was shining with such exultation that he could
not resist giving her a warm smile in return and offering both his hands.
Instead of seizing them in a gesture of greeting, however, she flung herself
against him and forced him into a full embrace. Watching soldiers made ribald
comments and Daniel felt self-conscious.

'How nice to see
you again, Abigail,' he said, gently detaching himself from her. 'I'd heard
that you sailed for Holland but I never imagined that you'd catch up with us.'

'I can do
anything when I set my mind to it.'

'So I see.'

'Especially when
I have someone like Emily to help me,' she said, turning to indicate her maid
who stood beside the wagon. 'Emily has been a saint. When I asked her to come
with me, she was afraid that Father would punish her for it but she came
nevertheless. I think Father will praise her for the way she's looked after
me.'

'You've caused
Sir Nicholas a lot of heartache.'

'That couldn't
be helped.'

'He wrote to the
Duke of Marlborough to tell him what you'd done. That was how I got to hear of
your little adventure.'

'Oh dear!' she
exclaimed. 'I was hoping to surprise you.'

'You've
certainly done that, Abigail,' he said. 'When I saw those troops riding up, the
last thing I expected was for you to jump out of one of their wagons. Where
have you been since you left England?'

'I've so much to
tell you, Daniel. It's been extraordinary. Is there somewhere we can talk in
private?'

'Yes, of course
- we'll go to my tent.'

'Come and meet
Emily first,' she insisted. 'She deserves thanks for getting me here in one
piece.'

Daniel walked
back to the wagon with her and was introduced to the maid. He had glimpsed her
on his visit to the Piper household in London but had spared her no more than a
cursory glance. Emily looked flushed and weary. When she shot Daniel a look of
intense admiration, he realised how much Abigail had been singing his praises.
Behind her deference and her blind loyalty to her mistress, he sensed that
Emily was a resourceful young woman, brave enough to endure the vicissitudes of
travel through foreign countries and robust enough to stand guard over Abigail.

Calling a man
over, Daniel instructed him to escort Emily to the area where the camp
followers were accommodated. The women who trailed the army in the baggage
wagons were no longer the prostitutes and slatterns of former days. Because
they caused distraction and spread disease, Marlborough had outlawed them from
his army. In their place were the wives and women friends of the soldiers,
willing to accompany their men into places of great danger and acting as
washerwomen, cooks, seamstresses and, occasionally, as nurses on the way. Emily
went off with the soldier, who carried what little luggage she and her mistress
had brought.

As they walked
together through the camp, Daniel collected many envious stares while Abigail
harvested appreciative whistles and muttered words of wonder. He was grateful
to take her into his tent and away from the public gaze. Abigail gazed lovingly
up at him then she suddenly burst into tears.

'What's the
matter?' he asked, enfolding her tenderly in his arms. 'You're safe now,
Abigail. There's no need for you to cry.'

'I never thought
we'd get here,' she said, biting her lip. 'Some terrible things happened to us
on the way. It was dreadful. What frightened me most was that, even if we did
manage to reach the army, you might not be here. Our journey would have been in
vain.'

'Why not sit
down and tell me all about it?'

'It's so
wonderful to see you again, Daniel.'

'And it's
wonderful to see you,' he said, guiding her to a stool and sitting beside her.
'Now dry your eyes and let me have a proper look at you.'

Abigail took a
handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her tears. The exigencies of travel
had left their signature on her. Some of her bloom had gone and her hair was
matted and lacking its former sheen. Her cheeks had hollowed slightly, making
her beauty a little ravaged. As he appraised her, Daniel could see all the
things that had attracted him to her but he no longer regarded her through the
eyes of a potential lover. What she now aroused were his paternal instincts.
Instead of wanting her in his bed, he felt impelled to protect her by taking on
the role of a father.

'It was your
fault,' she said quietly. 'You were responsible for my decision to come here.'

'I gave you no
encouragement to do such a thing, Abigail.'

'Yes, you did.
It was when we met over dinner that night. Lord Godolphin asked you about some
of your escapades and you said - I remember it clearly - that there were times
when you had to act on impulse and follow your inner promptings.'

'I was talking
about the heat of a battle,' he recalled, 'about decisions made in a time of
crisis.'

'That was
exactly my position,' she said earnestly. 'When I heard that you were leaving
me, I was faced with a crisis. So I did what you advised, Daniel, and acted on
impulse. I let my heart rule my actions.'

'But think of
the consequences.'

'I reached you
at long last and that's everything to me.'

'Didn't you
consider how hurt and anxious your parents would be? They must be sick with
worry - and so must your sister. The wonder is that Dorothy made no mention of
your flight in her letter.'

Abigail was
stung. 'Dorothy
wrote
to you?'

'Her letter
caught up with me in the Netherlands.'

'But she told me
that it would be wrong to write to you. In fact, she dissuaded me from doing
do, saying that it would make you think less of me if I put pen to paper. Yet
all the time,' she went on, anger reddening her cheeks, 'my sister planned to
send you a letter herself. That was vile treachery. What did she say?'

'She simply
wrote to wish me good luck,' said Daniel, hiding the truth from her. 'I can
only assume that her letter was sent before you decided to sail after me.'

'Has she written
to you again?'

'No, Abigail.'

'Are you sure?'

'I had one short
letter and that was that.'

'Have you kept
it?'

'No,' said
Daniel, 'and even if I had, I'd not have shown it to you. It's private
correspondence, Abigail. It has no relevance to you.'

'It has great
relevance,' she said, still enraged. 'It proves what a lying and deceitful
sister I have. Dorothy is not content with having her own admirers, she's
trying to steal you as well.'

'That won't
happen,' he assured her.

'Do you give me
your promise?'

'Yes, Abigail.'

'What Dorothy
did was unpardonable.'

'On balance,' he
said, 'I think that it might have been better for all concerned if your sister
had not written to me and if you had not pursued me halfway across Europe.'

Her face
crumpled. 'Aren't you pleased to see me, Daniel?'

'I'm always
pleased to see you,' he replied gallantly, 'but I'd rather do so in the safety
of an English house than in a theatre of war. You've seen the size of our army,
Abigail. The French and Bavarians will throw just as many men into the field.
It's simply not a place for a young lady like you to be.'

'I thought you'd
be touched by my devotion.'

'I am - very
touched. You've shown amazing courage.'

'Yet you wish I
hadn't bothered to come.' 'I wish it for
your
sake,' said
Daniel, squeezing her hand. 'If you stay with us, you'll witness the most
appalling things. A lot of those soldiers we saw as we walked past just now
will give their lives in battle before long. War is a cruel and repulsive
business, Abigail. I want to shield you from all that.'

'But I feel
perfectly safe now I'm with you.'

'We can't stay
together for long. I have duties.'

'I understand
that, Daniel. Knowing that we're in the same camp is enough for me.' Her eyes
moistened again. 'That's all I want. Surely, it's not too much to ask.'

He was moved by
her plea. Though he wanted to send her back home, he felt it would be too
unkind to tell her so at that moment. Abigail deserved time to recover from her
travails and a chance to enjoy some leisure, albeit briefly, with the man she
adored. She would soon see how hard and unremitting life in an army camp could
be for a woman. Harsh experience of the realities of warfare would be more
persuasive than anything he could tell her.

'No,' he said
softly, 'it's not too much to ask, Abigail. It was a treat to see your face
when you recognised me.'

She brightened
at once. 'I'd recognise you anywhere, Daniel.'

'You said that
terrible things happened to you on the way here.' 'Did I?'

'Tell me all
about them.'

'I just want to enjoy
being alone with you, Daniel.'

'You can do both
at the same time,' he said. 'If you had trouble or met with hindrance, I want
to know about it and so will the Duke. Everything you've done in the last six
or seven
weeks
is important to me, Abigail. Tell me the full story.'