Doctor Who: Big Finish - Short Trips [015] - The History of Christmas by Simon Guerrier

Author:Simon Guerrier
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
Publisher: Big Finish
Published: 2005-11-29T23:00:00+00:00

Comforts of Home

Pete Kempshall

An Adventure of the Fifth Doctor,

with Vizlor Turlough

23 December 1861

Charlotte’s hair shone in the moonlight. It was no natural lustre – fragments of glass had rained on to her head when the window shattered. She picked a shred of paper from her tongue and strained to listen for movement outside. Now that the firing had stopped, however, the silence was absolute.

Slowly, she raised first her gun, then her head, above the level of the sill. It looked like the soldiers had retreated, leaving the two dead bodies in the yard where they had fallen. Charlotte aimed at a smear of grey beside a tree trunk; the shot boomed into the darkness and her target vanished. She was quite unable to tell if she had actually hit him or not.

Ripping open another cartridge with her teeth, she held the metal ball in her mouth, keeping her hands free to pour the powder into the gun barrel. Not so long ago she had been revolted by the bitter, leaden taste of the shot. Now it was almost comforting. When Samuel had first suggested Charlotte learn to load and fire a weapon, she had been scandalised. Firearms were in no way the province of a respectable young woman. But her husband had insisted. With the Potomac mere miles away and the Union front line mustered on the far side of it, he had known there was every chance that the war would be fought literally in their front yard. Samuel was a practical man, determined that she should be able to defend herself.

He had been right, of course. Just three days previously, up the road at Dranesville, North and South had fought for most of the afternoon over Confederate supply wagons. Charlotte had heard the shots as clearly as if they’d been in the next field. Even then, she hadn’t been worried. There was still her father to protect her since Samuel had signed up.

She glanced again at her father’s body, sprawled face up in the dirt in front of the house. It was strange but she felt nothing, no emotion at all.

Without even having to think about it, she spat the bullet into the barrel of the gun and reached for the ramrod to drive it home.

Private Lucius Casler was losing his men. It hadn’t taken much to persuade them to desert after the battle at Dranesville, of course. All he’d had to promise was nice, easy pickings from a local estate. Casler was happy for them to loot to their hearts’ content, just so long as he got what he wanted himself. The moment the shooting had started, however, Odell had bolted into the night and the only thing keeping the others from doing the same was fear of Casler’s reprisals.

At first, everything had gone to plan William Watkins had welcomed Casler and his men with open arms. As a loyal Virginian, why wouldn’t he? Casler’s story had been credible. He was leading a foraging party, seeking supplies for the Confederate army, he had said.

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