Perilous Siege

by C. P. Odom

  Fitzwilliam gave a bark of laughter at this, and even Darcy smiled. But it was Georgiana who said gently, “That is more than twice my brother’s yearly income, Major. Twice.”

  Of course! McDunn thought in embarrassment. Austen said Darcy had an immense fortune of ten thousand a year! What an idiot I am!

  He looked at his tablet and did a search, after which he leaned back and whistled appreciatively. “I’m not totally certain about these conversions, but that amount seems to be more than twenty million in 2045 US dollars.”

  He looked at the others with a serious expression. “So, it appears I’ll be a wealthy man, which is certainly a good deal better than being penniless. But I’m still worried about being able to fund what I want to do. When I figure out what that is, of course. I just don’t have any experience in business matters. All my training was in technology, not in monetary affairs.”

  “I have been thinking on that topic, Major,” Darcy said carefully. “When all of your gold is converted to pounds and invested in the Funds, it will prove somewhat difficult to move money in and out. It would be better for me to make the purchases from my own income. Then you can reimburse me when the total becomes large enough to make a withdrawal worthwhile. I am so interested in your projects, I would like to be a part of them. In fact, I think I would like to share the risk with you in equal measure.”

  McDunn regarded Darcy silently for some moments, his mind racing as he digested what his friend had just offered and its possibilities. Finally, he said, slowly and carefully, “Let me make sure I understand you correctly. You’ve already offered your estate as a location for my investigations and even some experiments when I get to that point. Now you’re offering to participate in my projects by advancing the funds needed for purchases to be paid back later. In addition, you offer to share the risk with me. Would that be a correct summary?”

  “Of course,” Darcy said with a smile. “But you phrase it so formally when your usual mode of expression is quite informal.”

  “It’s because I’m in uncharted territory. My training is in science, but I never had a chance to gain any practical experience. But I do know this: I cannot simply accept your proposal without offering anything in return. I believe you should benefit from whatever we do together.”

  “I see,” Darcy said though clearly he, in fact, did not see at all.

  “Yes. If I accept your generous offer, my plans can’t be just my plans anymore. They have to be our plans. And you need to have a voice and a vote in how we do things as well as benefit from our successes. It cannot just be an Edward McDunn endeavor. It must become a joint endeavor.”

  McDunn turned suddenly and looked at Fitzwilliam, who had only been listening politely.

  “In fact, we also need to include your cousin since the time will come when we need his help with the military. In short, my friends, I’m afraid you both must enter the world of trade. We must form a partnership.”

  Darcy looked taken aback. “A partnership?”

  “Yes, indeed. Darcy, Fitzwilliam, and McDunn, Limited or something similar. I’m a bit hazy about how corporations work at this time. In fact, I read something on my tablet indicating England outlawed anything other than individual liability for debts. It may leave you holding the bag liability-wise, Darcy, if things go very wrong, and we can’t have that.”

  “Holding the bag?” Fitzwilliam said. “Liability-wise? The first must be one of your Americanisms, of which you seem to have an unlimited number.”

  “Possibly so,” McDunn said, smiling broadly. “My point is, we’ll need some legal advice, which I hope Darcy can arrange. We’ll also need assistance with things like bookkeeping, and I’m certain there are legal forms we’ll have to generate and submit. But if you’re going to support my work financially, Darcy, you must have a say in what we do and also benefit from whatever financial benefit we accrue. The same is true for you, Fitzwilliam, though I hope you’ll not take it amiss when I say your share will necessarily be less than that of your cousin and me.”

  “Of course,” Fitzwilliam said, “but I have to say I am rather enthralled by how fast events are moving this afternoon, especially since I only accompanied Darcy today to be polite. We all know I cannot contribute what the two of you can, so I shall be more than happy to trust in whatever you decide.”

  “Good man,” McDunn said, clapping Fitzwilliam on the shoulder. “But don’t worry. We’ll figure out something equitable.”

  Turning back to Darcy, McDunn said, “We’ll have to do everything with a handshake at first while we have someone check on the legalities. And we don’t want to do anything that might enable a creditor to go after your personal fortune, which means no borrowing for now. If we can’t do what we want with the cash you or I have, we won’t do it. We don’t want to put Pemberley at risk in case events turn sour.”

  “No, I do not,” Darcy said slowly. “I have to admit, I was a bit surprised you did not welcome my offer wholeheartedly, but that is not the case at all, is it? Instead, you are trying to make sure the Darcy family is protected.”

  “Exactly. But I’m an amateur when it comes to business, and I still have so much to learn about such matters in your times. We need to find some good people and employ them to give us a hand, but we want to do so without giving them any way of taking control of our partnership. I’ve read about how sharp operators and outright thieves have done similar things in my time, but I haven’t a clue how we can protect ourselves today.”

  “I see.” After a moment, Darcy smiled and extended his hand. “About that handshake—”

  McDunn seized his hand and pumped it forcefully, with a broad smile of his own, and then did the same to Fitzwilliam. “Welcome, partners!”

  Georgiana, who had been listening with wide eyes, could no longer contain herself. “Oh, this is so exciting! What shall be my role in this partnership?”

  McDunn and her brother stared at her in silence for a moment while she beamed happily at them.

  “Well, she makes an apt point,” Darcy said resignedly.

  “True, true. And now we can bind her to secrecy legally. But what should we put her to work doing?”

  “Perhaps keeping records and accounts?”

  McDunn nodded thoughtfully. “She can become the Chief Financial Officer.”

  “I was very good at my sums at school! And my penmanship is excellent,” Georgiana said happily.

  “The work will be very boring,” McDunn said, his face deadpan but his eyes full of mischief. “And your hand will cramp from writing down all the figures. Perhaps we should think of another task.”

  “Nonsense!” she said, with a disdainful sniff. “I know all of you too well by now. If I do not keep the records correctly, you will never be able to figure out what has been done and who is owed money.”

  A thought struck her, and she spoke with a bit less certainty. “Though it might be a good idea to find someone to assist me. Someone with some experience…”

  Her voice trailed off though her eyes lingered on Fitzwilliam, who clapped McDunn on the shoulder. “That seals it, Major! You have a volunteer who is both eager and willing to learn, and all she needs is a bit of assistance from an older and wiser head, which fits me perfectly! What could be better?”

  And perhaps, Georgiana thought, I will not have to be presented at court, come out into society, and have my Season. As she did not voice it aloud, none of the others knew her secret.

  Chapter 8

  Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

  — Theodore Roosevelt, American adventurer,

  war hero, and twentieth US president

  Friday, November 3, 180
9

  Pemberley, Derbyshire

  “I’m still not sure this is a good idea,” McDunn said, staring doubtfully at the large, dark-brown horse Darcy and Fitzwilliam called a “hunter” that was being saddled in preparation for his first riding lesson. “I know I agreed, but it was in a moment of weakness. I kind of hoped you’d forgotten about it.”

  “Nonsense, Major,” Fitzwilliam said. “Every gentleman needs to know how to ride.”

  “But I’m not a gentleman, and this thing is immense. I’m going to break something if I fall off—something I’m going to need.”

  “There is nothing to fear, old stick!” Fitzwilliam said, showing all of his teeth in a fierce grin. “Why, Pollux is so gentle, Georgiana could ride him! And he is barely fourteen and a half hands! My own Pennington is a full hand higher.”

  “Whatever,” responded McDunn, clearly less than convinced, and both his tone and another of his Americanisms brought a laugh from the other three.

  “You will make a splendid rider once I get through with you,” Fitzwilliam said cheerfully. “His Majesty’s cavalry has developed excellent techniques to teach recruits to ride. Officers, being gentlemen, are assumed to know already and have to bring their own mounts. But the other ranks usually have no experience and need instruction.”

  “Excellent techniques, is it?” Darcy said teasingly. “What, pray, are these excellent methods?”

  “We do it by a set of rules, you know,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “Rule number one: when you fall off your horse, immediately rise and get back on—after you catch him, of course.”

  “And rule number two?” McDunn asked suspiciously.

  “Follow rule number one,” Fitzwilliam said, cracking not even a hint of a smile. Darcy gave a bark of laughter, but McDunn’s response was a groan.

  “Come, come, McDunn!” Fitzwilliam said, now grinning openly. “Would you not prefer to ride to battle than to walk? It is not only more gentlemanly but far less work.”

  “I regard sitting up on top of one of those massive beasts while galloping about the battlefield primarily as a way to provide an excellent target for the bad guys. My skin crawls at the very thought of it, and my hard-earned survival instincts tell me I should get down flat on the ground and behind some solid cover so I can shoot with a lot more safety. Even better would be a fighting hole so I wouldn’t be so vulnerable to artillery.”

  “Ha! Artillery is frightening, I admit, but musketry, especially French musketry, is pathetic. We lose a few troopers to musketry but not many.”

  “That’s now. Smoothbore muskets are wildly inaccurate except at very short range, but it’s going to change in the not-too-distant future.

  Fitzwilliam mulled over this unpleasant comment. “From what you have told me, warfare in the future sounds exceedingly unpleasant.”

  “I’ve seen it, and I hate it even more than you,” McDunn said forcefully. “The only reason I was a marine was because someone needed to defend civilization against the bad guys. Anyway, I think we’ve had more than enough morbid conversation. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”

  “Excellent suggestion. Now, the first thing you should note is the saddle. When I was first learning to ride, my grandfather’s horse master made me saddle my horse repeatedly until I had blisters on all my fingers and could do it in my sleep. I thought it best to pass over that particular task.”

  “And a good thing you did, Fitzwilliam, else I’d have instantly forgotten my agreement to learn to ride and would be striding manfully back to the house.”

  “But you should at least note the following about this particular saddle, which is the type my regiment uses. It is derived from the kind made famous by the Hungarians though some are starting to call it the English saddle.”

  McDunn’s eyes glazed over as Fitzwilliam pointed out the various parts of the saddle, and he stifled a yawn when Fitzwilliam moved on to other salient points such as mounting, correct posture astride the horse, use of the reins, starting and stopping the animal, and dismounting. The cavalryman was just warming to other less critical topics when McDunn held up his hand.

  “For Heaven’s sake, Fitzwilliam, stop! How am I supposed to remember everything? Nothing more, please! I agreed to learn to ride, so let’s get to it.”

  “But do you not find the topic interesting?” Fitzwilliam asked in genuine surprise.

  “Not nearly as engrossing as you do.”

  “Very well,” Fitzwilliam said. Then, unable to hold back any longer, he pointed at the clothes McDunn wore and burst out laughing.

  “I know, I know,” McDunn said as he looked down at his grey imitation-BDU trousers and his grayish-white T-shirt, both still damp from his morning exercise. “I’m dressed most unfashionably, but I wanted to get my run completed before trying to ride this monster. Since I may well be paralyzed after this morning’s adventure, I wanted to be able to remember I could once run for three miles without even breathing hard.”

  “Oh, Major, you are so amusing!” Georgiana said lightly.

  “I’ll have nothing out of you, young lady,” McDunn said, trying to adopt the firmness of an older brother. “I remember the part you played in talking me into this hazardous enterprise!”

  Somehow, this just made all three—especially Georgiana—laugh harder. At last, when the merriment subsided, McDunn pointed to his feet.

  “All of you comedians will note I did change from my running boots to my newly delivered riding boots. And I brought my gloves. I realize I’m not nearly the splendiferous example of sartorial elegance you and other members of the gentry usually display, but you must remember I’m—”

  “—an American,” all three finished for him in unison.

  “What, pray, is that on your head, sir?” Darcy asked.

  McDunn took off his camouflaged USMC soft hat, which bore a certain resemblance to the caps used by baseball teams in his time. He had found it among the items in his pack when he did his inventory.

  “It’s just my regulation utility cover.”

  “Cover?” Georgiana asked in confusion. “Why on earth do you call it a cover? It is just a hat, is it not?”

  “A cover is what we marines called our headgear no matter what type it was, whether full dress or utility dress like this one,” he said, feigning infinite patience. “As for why it’s called a cover, I haven’t a clue. Why do you call the vest you’re wearing a wes-kit, Darcy? I happen to know it’s spelled like waistcoat.”

  “I have not a clue,” Darcy said, attempting to control his expression but having to forsake the effort as the other three laughed.

  “But see here?” McDunn said, pointing to an insignia inked on the front of his cap above the bill. “This is the famous Marine Corps eagle, globe, and anchor that you’ve all seen before on my stuff. And I even pinned my gunnery sergeant chevrons on my cover. I thought it looked pretty spiffy when I checked myself in the mirror. If I’m not to survive this morning, you see, I wish to be buried in suitable attire.”

  “I am sure you will do well today!” Georgiana said with certainty.

  “So you’ve said before. But you have to admit, Miss Darcy, I’m a lot more comfortably dressed than your brother or your cousin. If I do take a fall, I’d rather be free to tuck and roll without having to worry about splitting a seam like your menfolk would.”

  Fitzwilliam drew himself up into a haughty pose. “I do not plan to fall.”

  “Of course, you don’t. Now, how do we get this show on the road?”

  “Pardon me?” Fitzwilliam asked and then at once perceived the sense of the saying. “Ah. I see. Getting the show on the road. That is a good one, Major! Mind if I steal it?”

  “Not in the slightest. I didn’t invent it.”

  “Thank you. Now, use the step to mount your horse. It is possible to do so with th
e stirrup, but it is easier with a step. Ah, very good. Yes, boots in the stirrups and the toes pointed up as I told you. Excellent.”

  “Fitzwilliam, this is a lot higher off the ground than I thought it would be.”

  “You will become accustomed to it. All new riders do. Now, let me examine your posture. Back upright and straight, good. Shoulders up a bit…good. Now, bring your legs forward. You want to have a straight line from your ear through your shoulders and hips down to your heels, your legs in a solid position to support you as you move from a walk through a trot and canter. Galloping will come later. We shall start at a walk today and move to a trot. But we will not spend too much time trotting. Beastly uncomfortable. A canter is much more comfortable. Now, after Darcy and I mount, we can be off.”

  McDunn was surprised at how much more he could see. He was so used to seeing everything from the vantage of an infantryman that the different aspect from the back of the horse made him understand why officers in the armies of 1809 always wanted to view the ground while mounted.

  And though the motion of his horse was initially disconcerting as the three of them left the stables, it was not as disturbing as he had anticipated. Later on, he found Fitzwilliam had been correct about a trotting horse. A trot felt like someone was pounding a hammer up the line of his spine. He was relieved when Fitzwilliam told him to kick his horse up to a canter. That was much better, though they only maintained the pace for a minute or so before dropping back to a walk.

  The lesson continued for another hour, moving through various elements of riding, before they turned for the house.

  For McDunn, the biggest surprise came when he dismounted.

  “Ow!” McDunn exclaimed. “My back hurts low down. And the fronts and insides of my legs are killing me. But how can that be? I’m in good shape, and I was warmed up and loose.”

  “I am not surprised,” Fitzwilliam informed him. “I have seen you run, and riding uses different muscles. It will pass as you get more practice.”