Page 108 of Exile's Return

When Kit’s stentorian breathing assured Agnes he was asleep, she said, ‘Daniel, I’m frightened.’

‘I have survived worse than this tangle,’ Daniel said, stroking her disordered curls. ‘There was a time on theArchangelwhen we were after a Spanish galleon and had just about closed with her when three warships loomed up out of the mist.’

‘What did you do?’

‘We decided on discretion and quietly melted away,’ Daniel said.

‘You haven’t talked about your time as a privateer.’ Talking about anything other than their current predicament seemed a welcome distraction.

‘Most of the time it was just hard work and boredom,’ Daniel said. ‘I would never be a sailor by choice. Give me the solid earth beneath my feet.’

‘So why stay with them?’

‘I had nowhere else to go. Besides, I rather enjoyed beingLe Loup Anglais.’

‘The English Wolf, Was that your nickname?’ When he grunted assent, she said, ‘How on earth did you earn that?’

‘A wolf stalks its prey, doesn’t it? There was this one occasion when Broussard was laid up with a fever and gave me command of theArchangel. I had word of a Spanish treasure ship out of the New World. We caught sight of it just out of St. Lucia and we stalked it for five days, just to make sure there was no risk of its escort spotting us. They were separated in a storm, leaving theChristabelby itself. That’s when we took it. The sword I carry was a gift of the captain of theChristabel.’

‘Why did you decide it was time to come home?’

‘We took an English ship and I found a broadsheet in the captain’s cabin with the news of Cromwell’s death. I talked it over with Broussard, who said it was time to return to France for repairs, and so…here I am.’

‘Here we are.’

Agnes shivered and Daniel slid his arm around her, holding her closer.

‘Daniel, what is it like to face death?’ she murmured.

His lips brushed her hair. ‘It’s a strange thing,’ he said. ‘Hope is the very last thing to go.’

‘Did you ever give up hope?’

He shifted slightly and his chest rose and fell in a deep, silent sigh. ‘Never once,’ he said, ‘and I’m certainly not going to abandon it now.’

The sound of voices outside and the turn of the key in the lock brought them both to their feet. Kit muttered something but did not move.

The door opened and the light from a lantern temporarily dazzled them. Turner’s voice came from out of the dark.

‘Some friends to keep you company.’

The door slammed shut once more, plunging them into the dark.

‘This is unfortunate,’ Jonathan’s voice sounded disembodied in the blackness. ‘Mistress Truscott, I do hope you are not hurt.’

Sarah’s voice. ‘No, sir. I’m fine.’

Daniel groaned. ‘What happened?’

‘Ah, you are in here,’ Jonathan said. ‘Let me take your arm, Mistress Truscott.’

The sound of boots on the flagstones marked Jonathan’s progress across the floor.

‘I can see you now,’ he said, his shadowy form looming out of the dark.

‘Where’s Auntie?’ Sarah asked.

Agnes reached out for the girl and drew her into an embrace. ‘She’s dead, Sarah. Her heart gave out.’