Drums of War (27 page)

'I'm
not sure that I'm old enough, Hugh.'

'Of
course, you are,' said Dobbs. 'I was only fifteen.'

There
was no escape. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Hillier brooded on what lay
ahead. Two of the other drummers were joining the escapade. As he listened to
them trading memoirs about previous visits to brothels, Hillier felt even more
unready for the challenge. The time eventually came for them to set out. The
camp was in darkness. Dobbs took the lead because he'd already reconnoitred the
position of the picquets. They followed him in single file with Hillier at the
rear. Dodging between the bushes, they reached the stream and paddled across
it. Hillier caught up with his friend.

'My
breeches are soaked, Hugh,' he complained.

'They'll
have plenty of time to dry when you take them off,' said Dobbs. 'Now stay close
and keep your voice down.'

Only
when they were well clear of the camp could the four of them relax and talk
freely. Hillier still worried about the consequences of leaving camp without
permission but the others were obsessed with what lay ahead. Their language
became cruder, their expectations more colourful. Hillier was made to feel like
a callow outsider. Dobbs poked him with a friendly elbow.

'Don't
worry, Tom,' he said. 'If you lived on a farm, you probably fucked a sheep or
two in your time,' he added jokingly.

'We
kept dairy cows.'

'Then
you must have seen them mounted by a bull. What they did was only natural. It's
the same with a woman. You're the lusty young bull mounting a warm, welcoming
cow with lovely udders to play with and suck. I'll wager that you love every
second.'

Hillier
did not share his confidence. When the town was at last conjured out of the
gloom, his mouth went dry and sweat broke out on his face. Dobbs clearly had an
excellent memory. He picked his way through the streets as if he'd been raised
there. Candles flickered in some windows but most houses were dark. Dobbs
stopped outside one where a finger of light could be seen between the shutters.

'This
is it,' he announced, rubbing his hands.

Hillier
looked up at it with apprehension. The house was large. Built of local stone,
it had a thatched roof with prominent eaves. From inside they could hear the sound
of muffled voices. As if in proof of its credentials as a brothel, the door
suddenly opened and two soldiers tumbled out, laughing happily as they did up
their uniforms. They rolled off down the street on their way back to camp.

'There
you are,' said Dobbs, 'I told you they always give you what you want. Knock the
door, Tom.'

Hillier
quailed. 'Me?'

'You
must be first.'

'I'd
rather wait, Hugh.'

'Stop
arguing and knock the door.'

'Yes,'
said one of the others, 'we want our money's worth.'

Hillier
stepped forward and tapped on the door, scared of what he might find on the
other side of it. The door was opened by a woman holding a candle. He could see
that she was fat, middle- aged and raddled. She wore a silk dress with a low
decolletage and bared her snaggly teeth in a welcoming grin.

'Don't
just stand there, Tom,' said Dobbs, pushing him over the threshold. 'Manhood
awaits you.'

For
the second time in a row, Daniel chose to spend the night sleeping upright in the
coach. It stood beside the stables in which their horses had been stalled. The
inn was fairly remote but he took no chances. Two loaded pistols were at hand
in case of nocturnal intruders. The brush with the highwaymen had been
unpleasant but it had yielded rewards. They now had three horses at their
disposal and had found a substantial amount of money in the saddlebags. Daniel
was sitting on top of it.

He
came awake periodically to check that all was well then returned to his
slumbers. It was when he opened his eyes for the third time that he thought he
glimpsed movement in the darkness. He reached for one of the pistols and stared
through a window. Nothing was there yet he was convinced he'd seen something.
Deciding that it must have been a dog or even a fox, he put the pistol aside.
Almost immediately he snatched it up again as he heard footsteps.

'Daniel,'
called a voice softly. 'Are you there?'

It
was Amalia, wrapped up in a cloak. When she reached the coach, she smiled in
through the window. He opened the door and helped her in.

'What
are
you
doing here at this time of night?' he said.

'I
wanted to speak to you.'

'There
are more convenient moments to do that, Amalia.'

'We're
never really alone during the day.'

'Sit
down,' he invited, moving over so that she could perch beside him. 'Beatrix
will raise the whole inn when she realises that you're not there in the bed.'

'She's
a heavy sleeper,' said Amalia. 'You'd have to fire a pistol to wake her up once
she dozes off.'

'What
did you want to say to me?'

'I
owe you an apology, Daniel.'

'That's
not true at all.'

'It
is,' she insisted. 'After all you'd done for us, I didn't trust you. When you
told that man where we'd hidden our valuables, I thought you were only trying
to save your own skin. Instead, you merely wanted to distract him.' She gave a
shrug. 'I'm ashamed that I thought so badly of you at the time.'

'Not
at all,' he said, stroking her arm. 'Your father and the others must have felt
exactly the same. Kees had managed to undo the rope around my wrists. I needed
Gustave's attention elsewhere so that I could untie my feet. You know the
rest.'

'That's
the other apology I must make.'

'What
is?'

'I
was shocked at what you did to that man. There was a moment when I actually
felt sorry for him even though he was so repulsive. I'd never seen anything
like that before.'

'I
hope you never have to do so again, Amalia.'

'It's
been in my mind ever since,' she said. 'I was lying in bed thinking about it.
Looking back, it was so unjust of me. It was almost as if I was blaming you for
what happened whereas you
had
to do what you did. That man deserved it. We both know what he had in mind for
me and Beatrix. The horror was unimaginable.'

'No
apology is necessary,' he told her.

'I
believe that it is. I thought ill of you.'

'To
save lives, you often have to take one, Amalia. It's a rule of military life. I
wasn't going to let that oaf molest you. He'll get no sympathy from me.'

'Nor
from me,' she said.

'Are
the others still sickened by what I did?'

'Beatrix
will never get over it. She talked of nothing else until she fell asleep. She
began to wonder what you did to that man who was watching our house in Paris.'

'It's
just as well she wasn't there at the time.'

'Father
was upset,' Amalia went on, 'but more for my sake than his own. He was hurt
that I should've been forced to watch but I'm not as delicate as he seems to
think. What happened to us in Paris has made me a lot stronger.'

'Adversity
can often bring out the best in people.'

'As
for Kees, I fancy that he was as revolted as the rest of us.'

'I
hope they'll all forgive me in time.'

'They
admire
you, Daniel, but you did upset
them.'

'Everyone
likes pork on their plate but nobody wants to see the pig being killed.' She
recoiled in surprise. 'I'm sorry,' he said, 'that was a rather vulgar way of
putting it.'

'Nevertheless,
it was probably accurate.'

'You
must go back to bed, Amalia.'

'Are
we still friends?' she asked, quietly.

'We're
very good friends,' he told her. 'Nothing will change that. Do you feel any
better for speaking to me?'

'Yes,
I do.'

'Then
go back to your room. I'll walk you to the door.'

'There's
no hurry, is there?'

'We
both need our sleep.'

'I'm
enjoying it here, Daniel.'

'You
should be resting in a proper bed.'

'Can
I stay just a little longer?'

'It's
late, Amalia.'

'I'll
go in a few minutes,' she said, snuggling up against him. 'You won't send me
away, will you?'

He
put an arm around her. 'It would never cross my mind.'

'Thank
you, Daniel.'

They
fell asleep together.

It
was a revelation. The woman was young, shapely, compliant and experienced. She
made Hillier feel wanted and unthreatened. Her skin was smooth, her hair silken
and her lips sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted before. His only regret was
that it was over so quickly. What pleased him most was that it was very
different from the way his friends had described it. Instead of the wild
rutting they'd all talked about, Hillier had enjoyed a gentle encounter, full
of soft caresses and tenderness. During the short time it had taken, he'd been
madly in love with the woman, wanting to make her his own. It was only when he
left the room and Dobbs went straight into it that he realised he was merely
sharing her with others.

The
walk back to camp gave them a chance for comparison. Hillier's friends were
loud-mouthed and boastful. He didn't join in the banter. They seemed to be
talking about something that had never happened to him. Dobbs tried to prompt
him.

'Did
you enjoy it?' he asked.

'Yes,
Hugh.'

'Do
you feel any different now?'

'I
do,' admitted Hillier.

'We
picked the right girl. Have you ever felt such a body? 1 rode her for ages. Why
didn't you stay longer?'

'I
had what I wanted.'

Dobbs
giggled. 'Did she take you in her mouth?'

'I
had what I wanted,' repeated Hillier, refusing to be drawn.

While
the others went into details of their respective couplings, Hillier held his
peace. He was still uncertain whether to feel ashamed or exhilarated. Visiting
a brothel was something he'd looked on as anathema before. In losing his
virginity, he'd also sacrificed his respectability. But he was a drummer now,
able to grab the passing pleasures of a soldier's life. The pleasure in this
case had been indescribable. He could still feel the blood bubbling in his
veins and taste her luscious kisses. A sense of remorse intruded. He wondered
what his parents would think of him if they knew what he'd done. It would be
seen as sordid, immoral and unbecoming. They would be badly wounded. His
pleasure was tempered by repentance.

Another
question suddenly loomed and it had a frightening immediacy. What would his
uncle, Henry Welbeck, say?

'Shall
we go again tomorrow night?' Dobbs asked him.

'I
don't know, Hugh.'

'But
she
liked
you, Tom. She told me.'

'I
haven't any money,' said Hillier.

'Borrow
some. That's what I'll do.'

'I'll
see how I feel in the morning.'

'How
do you feel now, that's the main thing? Are you glad that you came with us?
Didn't I say it'd be the making of you?'

'It
was good,' said Hillier, warmed by the memory. 'Thank you for taking me. It was
very good.'

They
ambled along in the darkness until they saw the campfires ahead. Dobbs hushed
them all into silence and took over the lead, trying to find the route by which
they'd left earlier. They went in single file with Hillier at the rear.
Reaching the stream, Dobbs went along the bank in search of a place to cross.
The youth directly behind Dobbs suddenly tripped, bumped into him and burst out
laughing.

'Be
quiet!' hissed Dobbs.

'I'm
sorry, Hugh.'

The
damage had already been done. Hearing the noise, two of the sentries came to
see what had caused it. In response to their challenge, Dobbs took to his
heels.

'Run!'
he called.

The
other three raced after him, running along the bank until they reached a point
where it dipped down low. Following their leader, they plunged into the water
and splashed their way across. Hillier kept up with them until he'd almost
gained the other bank. His foot then caught in some weeds and he fell headlong
into the stream. By the time he'd disentangled his foot and got back up again, it
was too late. The sentries were waiting for him. He found himself looking at
the barrels of their muskets.

Fine
weather and an early start allowed them to make good speed on the following
day. Janssen rode well and Amalia proved herself a capable horsewoman, handling
a spirited mount without undue difficulty. Dopff, too, was developing into an
able coachman though he still had trouble controlling the horse's speed. Daniel
kept leaving the others so that he could ride ahead and act as a scout. There
was nothing to delay them this time. Hours passed by without incident. During a
period of rest, Janssen took him aside.