‘I won’t be able to ride, you can. The shooting has begun and it won’t stop.’
‘Wrong way round, your honour,’ Joe Lascelles cried out. ‘Dutchy, Cocky, get him mounted.’
Brazier, despite his feeble protests, was grabbed and lifted, his cries of pain ignored. They got him in the saddle and put the reins in his hands, even if he was laying over Bonnie’s neck and they hung loose. Peddler smacked her rump and set her in motion which, in a slight panic, became a very fast trot.
There was no direction and, if asked, Edward Brazier would never have been able to say how long he managed to stay mounted and where his horse took him. He became delirious, talking to himself about things that made no sense. Eventually he slid out of the saddle, one hand still gripping the reins, to roll onto his back and look up at the stars, cursing all and everything. He had fought many a battle; how could it come to this, to die in a field and not at sea?
As he lay there he heard gurgling water, a soothing sound that was close enough to wind-driven waves. With that in his ears he closed his eyes to slide into oblivion.
We hope you enjoyed this book.
Do you want to know about our other great reads, download free extracts and enter competitions?
If so, visit our website www.allisonandbusby.com.
Sign up to our monthly newsletter (www.allisonandbusby.com/newsletter) for exclusive content and offers, news of our brand new releases, upcoming events with your favourite authors and much more.
And why not click to follow us on Facebook (AllisonandBusbyBooks) and Twitter (@AllisonandBusby)?
We’d love to hear from you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAVID DONACHIE was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the Roman Republic, and under the pen-name Jack Ludlow has published a number of historical adventure novels. David lives in Deal with his partner, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook.
By David Donachie
THE CONTRABAND SHORE SERIES
THE JOHN PEARCE SERIES
By the Mast Divided • A Shot Rolling Ship
An Awkward Commission • A Flag of Truce
The Admirals’ Game • An Ill Wind
Blown Off Course • Enemies at Every Turn
A Sea of Troubles • A Divided Command
The Devil to Pay • The Perils of Command
A Treacherous Coast • On a Particular Service
A Close Run Thing
THE NELSON AND EMMA SERIES
On a Making Tide • Tested by Fate • Breaking the Line
THE PRIVATEERSMAN SERIES
The Devil’s Own Luck • The Dying Trade • A Hanging Matter
An Element of Chance • The Scent of Betrayal • A Game of Bones
THE LAST ROMAN SERIES
Vengeance • Honour • Triumph
THE REPUBLIC SERIES
The Pillars of Rome • The Sword of Revenge • The Gods of War
THE CONQUEST SERIES
Mercenaries • Warriors • Conquest
THE ROADS TO WAR SERIES
The Burning Sky • A Broken Land • A Bitter Field
THE CRUSADES SERIES
Son of Blood • Soldier of Crusade • Prince of Legend
Hawkwood
COPYRIGHT
Allison & Busby Limited
11 Wardour Mews
allisonandbusby.com
First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2018.
This ebook edition published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2018.
Copyright © 2018 by DAVID DONACHIE
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–2111–5