The Scarred Duchess by Barry S Richman EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
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- Authors: Barry S Richman
- Language: English
- Genre: Historical Romance
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Longbourn, February 2, 1776
Thomas,
I regret to inform you that our father’s illness has progressed to a
point non-plus. As recommended by his physician, we are preparing
an extended stay for him in Bath.
As I work with our steward, economies of expenditures are taking
place rapidly. All we Bennets are thus affected, some more than
others.
The enclosed document is a certified copy of a lieutenant’s
commission purchased for you. With the successful completion of
your education at Oxford, the estate has, as promised, finalised its
support.
I forward the best wishes from the Longbourn servants:
Hodgeson, Cook, and those wishing to be remembered by you.
Lieutenant Bennet, how well that sounds!
Benedict Bennet
A lieutenancy? Alone in his chambers at Oxford, Thomas Bennet chuckled
wryly; his brother did not miss an opportunity to remind him of the lack of
value of a younger brother’s existence. Never mind that; he had grown
accustomed to proving his worth and would not shy away from the need to
do so again.
Five years later, Captain Bennet lay still behind the protruding root of a
large maple he hoped was aiding in his concealment. He attempted to keep
his heavy breaths silent. He did not want to be found; his life depended
upon his remaining undiscovered. The sounds of nature all about him
announced their presence with verve; he was the lone dissenter.
No one I know in England would recognise me now, he mused. His face
had been dulled by American dirt and grime, all the better to blend into the
surrounding woods of Johnstown, New York. He lay motionless, all but
unrecognisable. The small world of the forest lived around him but was
oblivious to him as an intruder, as he had joined them as one of their own.
The sight of blood was nothing new to him. As a captain in the King’s
Royal Regiment reserve, he had experienced his fair share of battles and
seen many men die. He had witnessed the rebels’ courage as they were
being overrun and watched them fight with the savagery of animals. He had
seen them sacrifice their very lives for their homesteads. The previous day’s
disastrous defeat, including the capture of his armourer and batman,
illustrated how the upstarts excelled at changing from a defensive fighting
position to attacking strategic assets.
As the sun set, he made his departure. He crept through the underbrush,
keeping close to the trees for cover, and quietly made his way west, out of
the enemy’s sight. He knew that if he could make it to the landing on Lake
Oneida, he could rendezvous with his commander, Major Sir John Ross.
After three days on foot, moving from abandoned farmhouses to rickety
lean-to trusses, the repetitive boom of artillery alerted him of an altercation.
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