Chapter 5 excerpt

Lydia finally decided to go into Elaine’s room after about twenty minutes and looked out of the window to see what her cousin was up to.  She was utterly amazed to see Elaine working on a musket and chatting to one of the soldiers as though she had known him for years.  She saw Elaine sight the gun in a professional manner before handing it to a soldier and picking up another.
        It dawned on Lydia that just as there was much of her own life that was outside Elaine’s experience, so there was much about her cousin’s life that she did not know.  Up until now Lydia had, for all her genuine friendship, felt some degree of superiority over her cousin.  She knew that Elaine’s family was very poor and that Elaine would be very lucky indeed ever to be much better off than her parents.
        Watching her now, Lydia wondered for the first time whether or not it might be Elaine who had the better deal.  She was relaxed and chatting to a rather good looking young man in a manner which Lydia would certainly never be allowed to do.  She was also doing something useful.  Elaine’s hands, though useless at tapestry, were amazingly skilled at practical tasks.  The repairs to SKYLARK could not have been carried out much better by the most expensive of Perth Cathe’s shipwrights.  Elaine could mend sails, tackle carpentry, make nets and, so it seemed, repair guns.
        The thought occurred to Lydia that her cousin’s horizons in life might be broader than her own whatever material hardship it might contain. To Elaine, the school and all its irritations were just an unpleasant interlude. For Lydia, the school’s regime and lessons represented the rest of her life; a life of etiquette, marriage and unproductive use of her time. And babies, of course.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of the front door as Captain Skelder strode out into the yard.
        The soldier with Elaine hastily hurried across to join his officer.  They exchanged words briefly before Captain Skelder returned into the house.  A flurry of orders followed which saw one soldier mount up and leave at the gallop.  Shortly afterwards Elaine slipped away from the yard to rejoin Lydia.
        “You managed to tear yourself away then!”  Lydia was shocked to hear the bitterness in her voice.  “Sorry, Elaine, don’t mind me. I’m just being a grump today.”
        “I didn’t mean to be so long, I just sort of got chatting,” Elaine said, dismissing the tension with a smile.  “I’ve found out heaps.  I think that the sergeant quite likes me.  I guess he’d have been for it if those muskets hadn’t been fixed.”
        “I couldn’t help noticing how well you two were getting along,” Lydia remarked mischievously. “Rather handsome isn’t he?  Married?”
“Lydia!  Honestly!” Elaine blushed as intended.  “He’s a nice chap but not my type at all.”
“Well, what is your type?  You’ve never said.  I’d have thought a handsome young army sergeant would be ideal.  You seem to have a fair bit in common – guns for instance.  What could be better?”  Elaine picked up a pillow and buffeted her cousin with it.
        “Leave it out would you? I’m not thinking of marrying just yet, alright?  When I do, which won’t be for a while, I’ll start worrying about what type of man to find.  ‘Sides, he’s engaged to someone over Pathmeet way.  He told me.”
“Oh, you did discuss it then?  Ow!”  Lydia received another energetic whack.  “OK, I’ll drop the subject…. for now.  What did you find out then?”  Elaine replaced the pillow and sat down on the bed.
“Loads.  They’re setting up an ambush to catch some smugglers.  An informant – I’m guessing Mr Creep - has told your father there’s going to be a landing tonight a few miles south of here.  The militia are going to be waiting for them.  Captain Skelder has sent one of his men to Perth Calran to get HMS Hunter to come down. She’s moved up there from Perth Cathe I gather.  Anyway, it all sounds very serious!”

Chapter 4 Excerpt

            The hall was in almost total darkness when she got to the bottom of the stairs with just a little light spilling out under the door from the waiting room to her father’s office.  Lydia was barefoot and so moved silently across the polished boards towards the dining room.  She had scarcely taken a few steps, however, when a shadow moved suddenly, from the deeper darkness under the stairs.

            “Miss D’Shan!”

            “What?”  The word came out almost as a short scream.  In the bedroom upstairs, Elaine stirred. The sense of uneasiness returned with a sudden, desperate urgency.

            “Ah!  Do not be alarmed.  I startled you.  I do apologise.”  The voice was smooth and polite.  The figure of a man Lydia had seen a few times before emerged further into the half-light.  As he spoke, he bowed apologetically in a perfect display of good manners.  Lydia took a deep breath to regain her shaken composure but remained slightly on guard.

            “You are forgiven,” she assured him, wanting to get the meeting over as swiftly as possible.  Any thought of the kitchen had gone, but the figure was between her and the stairs.  “You are?”  The question hung in the air.

            “Here to see your father, my dear,” the man replied smoothly.  “How you have grown!  There is much of your mother about you.  You have become quite a young lady I see.”  The tone was very familiar, like that of an uncle or close family friend.  As he spoke he took another step towards her.  On pure instinct, Lydia took another step back.  “But schooling helps, I daresay, and Miss Drake is an excellent teacher.  You had a pleasant trip to Perth Calran I gather.  I trust you got home without further incident?”

            “Indeed,” Lydia replied, desperately trying to think of a way to escape.  “My father is expecting you?”  This was intended as a prompt to end the conversation but it failed.

            “Keeping me waiting as ever!” the man replied with a dry laugh.  “Thus am I reminded of my humble position.  Your father likes to make a point, Lydia.”  This use of her first name brought a slight flush of colour to Lydia’s cheeks.  It was utterly impolite of the man, since she hardly knew him.  He had taken another step towards her, which she mirrored with a step back of her own.  The cold panelling of the wall was against her back now and there was nowhere to go.  “Such games can be dangerous,” the man continued.  “They have two players you see.  Your father should remember that!  I can make a point too.”  

The man’s bearing changed subtly.  He was very close to her now.  He seemed to bring a shadow of darkness with him and Lydia began to feel real fear.  “Everyone has their weakness,” he spoke softly and deliberately.  “For some, it is money.  For your father it is you.”  His hand reached out to touch Lydia on the cheek and she was so paralysed by the sudden cold terror this man’s presence seemed to cause that she remained utterly still.