‘For which I heartily thank you.’
‘I cannot see you are making this easy for me,’ Emily protested, aware of the irony in his tone. ‘But what I propose is for the best. For my reputation and your own as well as the future of our unborn child. Do you want the world to know how our offspring was conceived?’
‘I don’t care what the world knows.’
‘Well I do, and I regard it as somewhat selfish if you seek to burden our child with a stigma before it is even born.’ The voice softened. ‘Our future happiness may be delayed, John, but it will be comfortable. In the cabin is a chest containing my husband’s papers and I must tell you I see no testament.’
‘Which means?’
‘That lacking one somewhere else I am going to be left in very comfortable circumstances and that, of course, will, when we are wed, include you. We shall have a home and all the creature comforts we require without worrying about money.’
‘Ralph Barclay’s money, Emily.’
‘And if it’s mine now? We will have the means to be happy.’
Emily enthused then, about the kind of house they would live in, a country one close to her family, people he would come to love as much as she. And there would be more children to grow and surround their perfect life. He could give up the navy and live the life of a country gentlemen, while she could become a lady the locality would hold in respect.
The sun was going down, turning the sky orange and in her reverie of their shared future Emily did not see his expression. The picture she painted was not being received with unalloyed joy by a lover who was being told he would be required to wait a very long time before they could enjoy the intimacy he had come to treasure.
‘And if I were to say to you the life of a country gentlemen does not appeal?’
‘John, how can it not when our life together will be perfect?’
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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 of 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 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
Written as Jack Ludlow
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
Copyright
Allison & Busby Limited
12 Fitzroy Mews
London W1T 6DW
allisonandbusby.com
First published in 2015.
This ebook edition first published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2015.
Copyright © 2015 by DAVID DONACHIE
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.
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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 978–0–7490–1827–6
The Perils of Command Page 29