Report just come in that the Zulus are advancing in force from left front of camp. – 8.5 am
Note from Lt. Col. Pulleine to General Chelmsford, 22 January, 1879
The picket came in at 8am, just as Jack was leaving the mess tent, hot with the news of Zulu activity in the north east.
Jack felt a cold tickle at his nape that had nothing to do with the grey, misty weather. He’d been in the north east last night when he’d run into those scouts.
What were the Zulu still doing up there?
He followed the picket leader to Pulleine. It seemed the picket had seen sufficient Zulus through the mist to warrant real concern.
The newly-appointed camp commander looked up at the hills, worry and indecision etching deep lines on his face. “Let’s have the men form a column in front of the camp, facing the Heights.”
Jack went to give his men the order, glad Pulleine was being prudent. He hesitated at his tent, wondering if he should go in, then cursed himself for a coward. He needed to tell Elizabeth what was happening.
She lifted her head and stared accusingly at him.
“A body of Zulus were spotted up on the Heights, in the north east. Pulleine has ordered the troops to stand in formation in front of the camp. So I’ll be gone a while.”
Her eyes widened and she strained against her ropes. “Jack—”
“I have to go now, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Wait, Jack. Damn it, come back.”
She didn’t shout, but he could hear the urgency in her voice. He nearly did turn back, but his men were waiting for him. He’d have to hear what she had to say later.
What would she have said to him? That if there were Zulus up on the Heights, then maybe Dartnell had been fooled last night. Maybe Jack had been fooled too, by Lindani and, no doubt, Malusi.
Would she have said it?
How could she not know?
All she did know was that she didn’t want him going out there with that confident, devil-may-care attitude, that belief that he was impervious.
He needed to let her go.
His anger at being tricked, his honour as an officer and his feelings for her were warring inside him, she could see it in his eyes. But he couldn’t keep her tied up in his tent for much longer, and he must know it.
He had to choose.
The minutes ticked by and she could hear the calls and orders of the officers as they formed up, and then quiet.
Perhaps it was nothing. After all, today was the day of the new moon. The dark time. The Zulus wouldn’t want to attack.
She sat still as she could, trying to hear what was happening, and her eyes were fixed on the tent entrance when a shout of laughter and the murmur of talking signaled the men standing down and going back about their business.
“Nothing?” she asked as Jack came in, but she already knew. He looked curiously relieved.
“Nothing. Or nothing we can do anything about. Pulleine has orders to defend the camp, so we can hardly go chasing after them and leave the camp vulnerable, and it looks like they aren’t coming to us.”
“Good.”
“You don’t want them to come down on us now, with half our men gone and only two guns?”
She made a sound of frustration, clenching her fists. “Of course I don’t. I don’t want anyone to have to attack anyone. But you picked this fight, after all. You can’t be annoyed if you get what you asked for.”
“Now I’m ‘you’, part of the hated Empire?”
“That is how you’re behaving.” Elizabeth leant back and closed her eyes, at a loss what to do. “Let me go, Jack. What is keeping me here going to help?”
“Do you want to go?”
She lifted her head. “Yes, I want to go. I have no future with you, and I have no life at all in England. The only thing is, I’m afraid . . .”
She trailed off at his closed expression.
“What are you afraid of?” He crossed his arms in front of him.
“It doesn’t matter. Let me go.”
“I can’t do that. Let you go where, exactly? Back into the bush? Alone? You said yourself you have no idea where the Zulu army is, do you think they’d let you within 100 yards of them anyway dressed as you are?”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t be dressed as I am. I’d have these clothes off in a moment.”
She’d finally broken through his wall. He actually gaped.
“What do you expect? I live with the Zulus. This uniform is the most clothes I’ve worn in six years. And getting used to these boots has been murder.”
“You walk around half-naked . . .”
“Yes, I walk around half-naked. And funny, but I only lost my virginity when I started walking around fully clothed and dressed as a man.”
It was a cheap shot, but she was at her limit of patience.
She saw her barb had hit its mark. His face flushed.
“Deflowered by my uncontrolled lustful advances, is that it?” He dropped his arms to his sides and stood stiffly in front of her.
“You know I was as willing as you. My point is that it isn’t the clothes, or lack thereof, it’s the– ”
“I understand your point.” For the first time he seemed reflective, the wound of her betrayal not as raw.
“Earlier, what were you going to say? What are you afraid of?” His voice had lost its harsh edge.
She rested her chin on her knees. “I’m afraid after this war, there won’t be a Zululand left.”
“Have you seen Bird, Burdell? Damned if the lad hasn’t disappeared.” Chambers hailed Jack as soon as he stepped from the mess tent.
Jack blinked. These blind men still thought his beautiful little spy was a boy.
“Just having him do a few things for me, if you don’t mind.”
He held the mug of tea he was taking to Elizabeth in his hands, wanting to get on so it would still be hot for her.
“My God— are those warriors up there?” Chambers was looking due north, to the escarpment that lay next to the Inyoni Heights in the north east. The grey, misty weather of earlier had been burned away by the sun, and the sky was almost too bright to look at.
Jack squinted. “You’re right. We’ll need to get out a watch glass.”
“They’re just standing there. Watching us,” Chambers said, shading his eyes.
“The Xhosa did that too. We’d see a group in the distance, just looking, then they’d disappear. We never saw them again. Or not that we knew.”
“Bit unnerving, eh?” Chambers kept his eyes on the Zulus. “I’ll let someone know.” He took a step towards Pulleine’s tent, then stopped. “When you’re finished with Bird, have him report to me, will you?”
“Of course.” Jack nodded and moved off, his eyes, like Chambers, unable to keep from looking at the north hills.
He lifted his tent flap quietly, and saw Elizabeth trying to undo the ropes on her feet with her teeth.
God, he loved her.
“Chambers is looking for you.”
She gave a startled cry, spat out some sisal. Then glared at him.
He knelt beside to her, and lifted the hot cup of tea to her lips. “I brought some biscuits, as well.”
She said nothing, but she drank the tea.
“I have a farm in England. Up near the border with Wales.” He tipped the mug higher. “It’s a fair size. We farm sheep, mainly, but there is an apple orchard, and vegetables. A few dairy cows.”
He leant back on his heels. “I’m resigning my commission as soon as this war is over.”
He watched her throat work as she swallowed, and felt an inconvenient heat blossom low in his gut.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m a soldier. And before that, I was a farmer. A gentleman farmer, maybe, but a farmer, nevertheless.” He reached out and touched her arm. “Neither profession has taught me a romantic way with words.”
She looked up at him, and he could see she didn’t have the first clue what he was on about.
“I’m asking you to marry me.”
“Marry you?” She choked on her last swallow of tea. “Why would you– ?”
The bugle sounded a call, cutting her off.
Chelmsford back already?
“Burdell.” One of the officers from the 1st Battalion called from outside the tent. “Pulleine wants us at his tent.”
“Coming right away.” Jack moved to the entrance, in case anyone tried to look in. He turned to her and lifted his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Untie me first,” she whispered.
He shook his head. He couldn’t let her go yet. Not without hearing an answer.
“You have to tie up all the girls you propose to, Jack?”
She called it softly as he stepped out, and he almost missed his footing. He had to hold back his laughter all the way to Pulleine.