The Sailor's Rest : A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Don Jacobson

Author:Don Jacobson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Not in Amazon Library, To Transfer, Alternate Universe, Persuasion - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms, Pride and Prejudice X-Over
ISBN: 9798379314149
Published: 2023-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

***

Persephone

All had seemed normal until Walinsham had made his way onto the quarterdeck. Then, commands became contradictory and muddled. The ship’s movement lost any semblance of fluidity until she seemed to wallow from one tack to the next; she hung up in the eye, refusing to pass through.

Every sailor on deck froze and willed the ship to continue through her turn.

’Twas not to be. Acres of sails did nothing but hang loosely from the sticks.

Persephone was all but dead in the water, skidding across the swells, refusing to answer her helm.

The howls of chain shot—that devilish combination of two balls joined by a length of linked iron—penetrated the gundeck. As the ship lost way, the sound of parting rigging and falling blocks twisted Wentworth’s insides.

He lifted his head and sighted their soon-to-be tormentor as she edged off Persephone’s centerline. A small blessing, although attenuated by what was to come. “She’s making a run past to larboard!” There would be no forced scramble to load the starboard guns protecting Persephone’s other flank.

But that would be cold comfort. The French had all the other advantages. The English could not even hope to present her with a moving target, eliminating one factor in the ballistics equation, although that was more art than science.

Another glance through the stern windows showed nothing but an empty sea. Wentworth uttered the sailor’s prayer, “Lord, for what we are about to receive….”

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