'Do you really believe that, Dorothy?'

'Yes, I do — bide your time, sister.'

'Is that what you would do in my place?'

'It's exactly what I'd do.'

After thinking it over, Abigail elected to take her advice. She gave Dorothy a kiss of gratitude on the cheek then went out of the room so that she could be alone with her thoughts. Dorothy was glad that she had dissuaded her from hasty action with regard to man on whom she doted. It left the field clear for her. Five minutes later, it was the elder sister who was penning a missive to Daniel Rawson.

Edward Marston

Soldier of Fortune

They reached Harwich hours after the Peregrine had set sail and they had to wait the best part of a week before they could board a ship that would take them to Holland. As they made their way along the quayside, Frederic Seurel was pessimistic.

'We'll never catch up with him, Charles.'

'Of course, we will,' said Catto, taking a more philosophical attitude to the delay. 'Armies do not march fast. We'll soon overhaul Captain Rawson.'

'How can we get to him when he is surrounded by thousands of soldiers?' asked Seurel. 'It's impossible.'

'We'll lure him out somehow.'

'We do not even know where he'll be.'

'He'll be attached to his regiment and my guess is that it will never be far away from the Duke of Marlborough. There are Austrians, Dutch, Germans, Belgians, Danes, Irish, Swiss and even some renegade Frenchmen at his command but the Duke will always favour British soldiers.'

'They stand no chance against Marshal Tallard.'

'Do not underestimate him, Frederic,' said Catto. 'The Duke is an astute general. He has not lost a major battle and he recaptured all the Barrier Fortresses from us. He began last year's campaign by seizing Bonn only two weeks after the first trenches had been dug. While the garrison was preparing itself for a lengthy siege, they were overwhelmed by a sudden attack. That was bold.'