1635: A Parcel of Rogues by Flint Eric & Dennis Andrew

Author:Flint, Eric & Dennis, Andrew [Flint, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Alternative History, General, Action & Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781476781099
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2016-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

“That’s not—”

Colonel Alexander Mackay had started up in such evident shock that his horse had stopped in utter confusion. It was no intellectual heavyweight among horsekind either—a cheap rental from a stable in Leith—so the beast didn’t take much confusing.

“Lennox!” His wife’s squeal of joy dislodged earwax for yards around. Her mount was in no wise confused, the dun gelding pony did as he was told as she urged him forward into a trot. Get the job over with and get this madwoman off my back seemed to be the order of the day.

Darryl had only the vaguest notion of who Lennox was. He’d seen the guy around the Thuringen Gardens a few times, and sort-of knew he was one of Mackay’s old Green Regiment buddies, but he wasn’t one of the ones he’d gotten to know well. He’d been coming the other way up the street, riding one horse and leading two others as they were shopping around for accommodations. Julie was already up to him, talking excitedly—too fast for Darryl to follow at this distance—while Alex got his beast back on the move to tender a more sensible greeting.

“Do you know this fellow?” Cromwell asked, halting his own mount next to Darryl’s.

“One of Alex’s veterans from the old wars,” Darryl said. “He was with him when he came upon Grantville back in June of ’31. He went off to Italy with Tom Stone and his boys later, but he seems to be home from the fighting now.”

“Yup,” Gayle said. “Looks like Captain Lennox is home at last. Never thought he would, he hates ships.”

“You know the guy?”

“Yup. He was on the course on radio I taught for guys transferring into the modern forces from the old-style regiments. Smart guy, for all he got shorted in the education department. Won’t say he took to Radio 101 like a duck to water, but he’d just grind away at stuff until he got it. He was a sergeant in the old forces, which is about like a lieutenant in an up-time force, and he’d been doing that for years. You gotta figure a guy who can do that job has got some smarts.”

“Well, we’ll wait long enough for tact and then remind Mrs. Mackay we want to find new lodgings before sundown,” said Cromwell. “Which is not a long away, at that. I’ll let Stephen and Vicky know what’s happening.”

He turned his horse and trotted back to where Vicky and Stephen Hamilton were sharing the cart they’d hired with the two carters that came with it. After he left, Darryl nodded. “Even as slack as this place seems to be about folk comin’ an’ goin’, they’re likely to pay attention if we’re still up and about at night. Lennox doesn’t have any bags with him so maybe he’s found some good accommodations.”

Gayle chuckled. “Hope so. Oliver’s getting impatient.”

Darryl looked back at Cromwell. “How can you tell?” When it came to life’s assorted little frustrations, the man was cool personified. Maybe you’d see a little flick of the head if he was being really annoyed.

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