Edward Marston - Drums of War

Daniel grinned. 'There were one or two other people who helped to achieve that victory,' he said. 'It wasn't entirely my doing.'

'I'm sure that you played a crucial part.'

'All the plaudits should go to His Grace.'

'Have you enjoyed being part of his staff?'

'Yes and no,' he replied. 'Yes, in the sense that it's placed me at the very centre of events.'

'That must have been very exciting.'

'It was, Amalia, but it also kept me away from you for a long time and that was irksome. The months I spent in England seemed like years.'

'I'm just so pleased to see you again,' she said, touching his arm. 'When I heard about the battle, I feared that you might have been injured or even killed.'

'Nothing would keep me away from you.'

'Good evening, Captain Rawson,' said Emanuel Janssen as he joined them. 'I had a feeling you'd try to monopolise my daughter. Not that I have any objection to that, mind you.'

'I'm glad to hear it,' said Daniel.

'I've just had a brief word with your commander-in-chief. He tells me that you distinguished yourself on the battlefield yet again.'

'I was only one of thousands.'

'You're always so modest,' said Amalia.

'Would you rather I told you that I'd won the battle single- handed and that I deserved — at the very least — an earldom for my services to Queen and country?'

They shared a laugh but it was the last thing they were able to do. A gong sounded and guests were directed to their seats. Daniel was on the top table, seated beside Marlborough. He was sorry that Amalia and her father were so far away from him. It was difficult to see them properly at the far end of the table. Simply having Amalia in the same room, however, had transformed the occasion. What he'd envisaged as a dull, formal event now took on the aura of a very special day in his life. The meal was excellent, the wine plentiful and the speeches interminable. Some were in English but those in Dutch required translation.

Toasts were even more plentiful than the speeches. A number of civic dignitaries felt it incumbent upon them to rise to their feet, glass in hand, and blurt out a toast. Daniel took particular interest in a member of the States-General who proposed a toast, noting that his name was Johannes Mytens. His interest sprang not from the fulsome remarks made by the man but from his dazzling companion. Mytens sat next to a handsome, poised, full-bodied woman in her twenties. At an assembly dominated by men, she had real presence. Dressed in the French fashion, she turned many heads in the course of the evening, Marlborough's included. She looked too young to be Mytens' wife and he would hardly parade a mistress at such a function. Daniel was certain that she wasn't his daughter. In appearance and manners, she stood out from the more restrained and staid Dutch women around her. At one point, she caught his eye and gave him a quizzical smile.

When the dinner was over, guests adjourned for drinks in an adjoining chamber. Daniel was desperate to speak to Amalia but at first he couldn't see her in the crowd. Only by standing on his toes did he finally pick her out. Before he could make his way to her, a hand grasped him firmly by the wrist. He turned to face the woman whom he'd noticed during the dinner. She was even more striking at close quarters and her perfume had a bewitching aroma. She spoke in French.

'Captain Rawson?' she asked with another quizzical smile.

'Yes,' he replied.

'I couldn't help noticing that you were acting as the Duke of Marlborough's interpreter this evening. I took the liberty of asking for your name.'

'I see.'

'I'm Helene du Vivier and I have a special reason to be grateful to the Duke. Thanks to his success against the Lines of Brabant last year, I recovered a sizeable estate commandeered by the French. Several hundreds of acres were involved as well as a fine mansion. I was able to move back into my own home again. I only wish that my dear husband — who was somewhat older than I — had still been alive to experience the joy of regaining what was ours. Until it was occupied by the French, the estate had been in his family for generations.'

'I'm glad that we were able to help you, Madame,' he said.

'Is there any way that I might be permitted to speak to the Duke?' she went on, talking now in passable English. 'As you can hear, I do have some knowledge of his language.' She squeezed his wrist. 'I would love to have the opportunity of thanking him in person. It would only take two minutes, if that. Would you be so kind as to introduce me to him, Captain Rawson?'

'I'd be happy to do so, Madame.'

'Thank you.'

Her voice was a soft purr and she momentarily stroked the back of his hand before releasing it. Daniel was stirred. Had he not met Amalia and come under her spell, he would certainly have tried to develop this new acquaintance. Helene du Vivier was patently a woman of the world. Though her husband had died, he decided, she was no grieving widow but someone leading an independent existence. She searched his eyes. In any other woman, he would have found it almost brazen. In her, however, it seemed teasingly sophisticated. Daniel was curious.

'May I ask how you come to be here?' he wondered.

'My uncle, Johannes, brought me,' she explained. 'He was one of the many people who proposed a toast. He's a member of the States-General.'

'That would be Johannes Mytens, then.'

'You know him?'

'I remember him introducing himself when he gave us the toast.'

'Then you have an excellent memory, Captain.'

'Some things are impossible to forget,' he said with a smile. 'If your uncle is here, why doesn't he take you to meet His Grace?'

'Uncle Johannes had to leave, I'm afraid,' she said. 'My aunt is not well and he was anxious to get back to her. This was an occasion he could not miss so I took Aunt Jenifer's place at his side. Her loss was my gain.'

People were already departing and the crush had thinned out considerably. Daniel could see Marlborough in a corner, talking to his brother and a couple of Dutch officers. It seemed like a convenient moment to interrupt him. He took Helene du Vivier across to the group and introduced her. When she began to tell Marlborough why she held him in such high esteem, Daniel slipped away. He didn't get very far. Amalia had come looking for him.

'I thought you'd sneaked off,' she said.

'I'd never do that without speaking to you first, Amalia.'

'That's what I hoped.'

'You've made a tedious event into a joyful one.'

She giggled at the compliment. 'Thank you, Daniel.' She glanced towards Helene du Vivier. 'I saw you talking to that lady.'

'I was talking to her but thinking of you.'

'Then you were the only man in the room doing so. All the others were staring at her — even Father. In fact, he was the one who recognised her eventually. I thought there was something familiar about her but I couldn't put her name to her face.'

Daniel was interested, 'You recognised Madame du Vivier?'

'That wasn't her name when we saw her in Paris.'

'What was it?'

'I can't remember and neither could Father. What was carved into our memory, however, was her performance. I'd never been to the theatre before,' she admitted, 'and had no idea what a wondrous place it could be. Most of their names have gone but I do recall that the playwright was a gentleman called Moliere.'

'Let me understand this, Amalia,' he said, wanting the facts confirmed. 'You went to the theatre in Paris and saw Helene du Vivier onstage?'

'Yes, Daniel — she's an actress.'

The startling news made him swing round to look at the woman. Marlborough was clearly enthralled by Helene du Vivier. Whatever she was saying, it made him smile graciously and nod enthusiastically. His companions were equally fascinated. Daniel wondered how many other women would, on first acquaintance, have the elegance and aplomb to hold the attention of such important military figures. They hung on every word and reacted to every gesture. She was giving another well-rehearsed performance. It was abruptly interrupted. A loud scream rang out on the other side of the room and there was general commotion. Everyone looked in the direction from which the sound had come. Daniel and Amalia were among them. Word quickly spread that someone had just fainted, causing a shocked woman nearby to scream. The tension slowly faded away.