A Companion Of Quality
Chapter One
November, 1811
The room faced southeast and in the morning it was full of sun and the light off
the sea. Now, in the dark of a November evening, the curtains were drawn against
the night and the room was lit by lamp and firelight. The sound of the sea could
still be heard, a faint echo through the dark. Lewis Brabant rested his head
against the back of his chair and closed his eyes.
"So you're not in any hurry to go home, then." Richard Slater put two glasses of
brandy on the table between them and resumed his seat opposite Lewis. His tone
had been mildly questioning and for a moment it seemed he would receive no
answer. Then Lewis opened his eyes and smiled a little reluctantly.
"No, Richard. I'm damnably sorry to be going home at all! Given a choice, I'd
rather be at sea. But there was no choice ..."
"That holds true for both of us - for different reasons," his friend said, the
tiniest shade of bitterness in his voice as he cast one rueful glance down at
the injured leg that still caused him to limp a little. He picked up the brandy
glass and held it up in ... read full excerpt from: A Companion of Quality ebook
