the slots and secured
the pin.
Alex ran across the beach then, and as he did so, the man
stood up, rocking the frail craft, a flintlock pistol in his hand.
Ginny saw Alex a second after Peter, the second necessary for
the pistol to appear.
" You
cannot! " She struck his wrist with all the
force of which she was capable. "He is unarmed, Peter."
For an instant the tableau remained immobile. The dinghy held
into the wind by a slim brown hand on the tiller, the sails flapping uselessly
until the hands would draw tight the sheets, push the tiller to the right, and
so catch the wind; an unarmed man on the beach, his body targeted by the
cumbersome barrel of the pistol; two men in the boat, one crouched by the mast,
incapable of action, the other holding the weapon that wavered and then dropped.
Alex moved to the shoreline where the waves lapped an inch
from his boots. "Peter Ashley," he said quietly. "It has been a
long time since last we met."
"I could have wished it had been a different time , " Peter replied.
" I,
also." Alex looked at Ginny but spoke to Peter. " You may go in peace and in the memory
of our past friendship, but Mistress Courtney remains here ."
"No, Ginny!" But even as her cousin struggled to
his knees on this cry of protest, she had swung herself over the stern.
" It
is right thus, Edmund. One day I will explain to you why. For now, you must
accept the fact. Peter, you must take the tiller."
"I know nothing of sailing." He looked at her,
aghast and frightened, and the man on the beach watched and listened.
" Edmund
will guide you. You can run before the wind out of the bay. You have only to
move the tiller to the right if you wish to turn to the left for the wind, and
similarly the other way. It is not difficult, and if Edmund turns to face the
sail, he will be able to instruct you."
Edmund swiveled around, his back against the thwart, a
haunted, desperate expression on his face as he realized how helpless he was to
gainsay her. She spoke to him in a low whisper that excluded the others.
"Fiddler's Race is not at present running too fast between here and Yarmouth, so you should cross it before then. Make for the Beaulieu River, avoiding Hurst. Beaulieu has always been safe, and you will find friends at Buckler's Hard."
"And you?"
"This is what I want. There is not time to explain all,
but we will meet again, my friend. God go with you."
"And with you, Cousin." Edmund turned his head to
lock eyes with Alex Marshall, as if to imprint him on his memory. "If I
were able to defend you, I would do so."
"I know, but there is no need for defense. I will be no
unwilling hostage, Edmund."
" You
had always a recklessness in you, Ginny. I know not why you are doing this, but
I will accept the fact out of necessity. When I am able, I will find you
again."
She brushed his lips with hers. The waves slapped gently
against her calves as she pushed the boat out. "You must drop the
centerboard, Peter, as soon as you are clear of the sandbank. Edmund will tell
you when." The dinghy's sail caught the wind. Her dinghy, her only way to
evade destiny, skipped across the calm waters of the bay.
She turned to the man standing waiting for her on the beach.
He crooked an imperative finger, and she waded to the shore, to face and make
sense of an unforeseen fate.
Chapter 3
"You were leaving me?"
" Yes."
" Why? "
" Because
I thought I must. Because last night had no place, no grounding in the reality
we both have to live. I am a Royalist and will do all I can to further the
king's cause. You are a Parliamentarian, a Roundhead, and will do all you can
to further your own cause."
"Then we must be both lovers and enemies," Alex
stated softly, watching the sailboat that had now neared the point of the
headland. "It will, on occasion, be a little uncomfortable for both of us,
but you remain a ward of Parliament, and after this day ' s work I will keep a close guard of you."
"And I will evade that guard, as and when I
the pin.
Alex ran across the beach then, and as he did so, the man
stood up, rocking the frail craft, a flintlock pistol in his hand.
Ginny saw Alex a second after Peter, the second necessary for
the pistol to appear.
" You
cannot! " She struck his wrist with all the
force of which she was capable. "He is unarmed, Peter."
For an instant the tableau remained immobile. The dinghy held
into the wind by a slim brown hand on the tiller, the sails flapping uselessly
until the hands would draw tight the sheets, push the tiller to the right, and
so catch the wind; an unarmed man on the beach, his body targeted by the
cumbersome barrel of the pistol; two men in the boat, one crouched by the mast,
incapable of action, the other holding the weapon that wavered and then dropped.
Alex moved to the shoreline where the waves lapped an inch
from his boots. "Peter Ashley," he said quietly. "It has been a
long time since last we met."
"I could have wished it had been a different time , " Peter replied.
" I,
also." Alex looked at Ginny but spoke to Peter. " You may go in peace and in the memory
of our past friendship, but Mistress Courtney remains here ."
"No, Ginny!" But even as her cousin struggled to
his knees on this cry of protest, she had swung herself over the stern.
" It
is right thus, Edmund. One day I will explain to you why. For now, you must
accept the fact. Peter, you must take the tiller."
"I know nothing of sailing." He looked at her,
aghast and frightened, and the man on the beach watched and listened.
" Edmund
will guide you. You can run before the wind out of the bay. You have only to
move the tiller to the right if you wish to turn to the left for the wind, and
similarly the other way. It is not difficult, and if Edmund turns to face the
sail, he will be able to instruct you."
Edmund swiveled around, his back against the thwart, a
haunted, desperate expression on his face as he realized how helpless he was to
gainsay her. She spoke to him in a low whisper that excluded the others.
"Fiddler's Race is not at present running too fast between here and Yarmouth, so you should cross it before then. Make for the Beaulieu River, avoiding Hurst. Beaulieu has always been safe, and you will find friends at Buckler's Hard."
"And you?"
"This is what I want. There is not time to explain all,
but we will meet again, my friend. God go with you."
"And with you, Cousin." Edmund turned his head to
lock eyes with Alex Marshall, as if to imprint him on his memory. "If I
were able to defend you, I would do so."
"I know, but there is no need for defense. I will be no
unwilling hostage, Edmund."
" You
had always a recklessness in you, Ginny. I know not why you are doing this, but
I will accept the fact out of necessity. When I am able, I will find you
again."
She brushed his lips with hers. The waves slapped gently
against her calves as she pushed the boat out. "You must drop the
centerboard, Peter, as soon as you are clear of the sandbank. Edmund will tell
you when." The dinghy's sail caught the wind. Her dinghy, her only way to
evade destiny, skipped across the calm waters of the bay.
She turned to the man standing waiting for her on the beach.
He crooked an imperative finger, and she waded to the shore, to face and make
sense of an unforeseen fate.
Chapter 3
"You were leaving me?"
" Yes."
" Why? "
" Because
I thought I must. Because last night had no place, no grounding in the reality
we both have to live. I am a Royalist and will do all I can to further the
king's cause. You are a Parliamentarian, a Roundhead, and will do all you can
to further your own cause."
"Then we must be both lovers and enemies," Alex
stated softly, watching the sailboat that had now neared the point of the
headland. "It will, on occasion, be a little uncomfortable for both of us,
but you remain a ward of Parliament, and after this day ' s work I will keep a close guard of you."
"And I will evade that guard, as and when I
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