Thursday morning before the march

"I'm sorry I ain't good comp'ny right now, Tom," Cotton said. "Only, I ain't never felt like I do about Maggie, an' I really truly don't think she'd've up and gone without sayin' summat unless somethin' awful happened. It ain't like her, really it ain't."

Roper forced a grin and slapped Cotton on the shoulder. "Don't you worry, mate! She'll turn up all right, probably with some friend that took sick or sommat, probably in a hurry to take care of her and didn't have time to tell you, but the other women will know. Don't you worry. She's a good lass, your Maggie is."

He nodded, managing a real smile for once. "She is that. Worth her weight in gold, she is, an' I'm real lucky to have her, I know that much."

"Aye, and I reckon she's lucky to have you. She was right broke up about Balstrode. Are we stopping? I think we're stopping. Finally! Got sommat in my boot, a stone."

"You'm allus gettin' stones in your boots, Tom," Cotton said, wondering if he had time to nip back to the rear to see if the women had any news of Maggie that they could give him.

Roper's reply was lost in a mumble as he leaned over to extract the offending article. After successfully completing the task, he looked up to see Cotton still there, obviously trying to decide what to do. "Oh, run on back, man. I'll talk to the captain. Just go!"

"Cheers, mate, Cotton said, and turned to head back to the rear of the column.

Roper grunted with satisfaction. There were advantages of being a Chosen Man. He put his boot back on and wandered off to find Vickery, his feet enjoying the improved comfort.

Pye walked in silence as the two men talked, and when Roper turned and wandered off, he looked after him for a choice time. He saw Cotton head for the back, and once both men had departed he found himself standing in place, indecisive about where to go or what to do.

With a shrug, he smiled, mentally wished Cotton luck. Probably would be a good idea to settle down someplace and then if this was stopping for the day, he could make another visit.

Cotton finally reached the baggage, and found Sarah Palmer without too much difficulty. He pulled his shako off and ran his hand through his hair. "'Scuse me, I know I spoke to you this mornin', but have you seen Maggie since I saw you? I just got a note from her to say she was stayin' in Coimbra, though she never said for why. Did she say anythin' to you about it, mebbe? Or do you know who she might have spoke to?"

If none of the women knew anything about it, he was going to see Captain Vickery and ask - beg, if necessary - to be allowed to go back and find out why she'd stayed there with no explanation. If she really wanted to leave him, at least he could give her her locket back and try to understand why she no longer wanted to be with him.

"Oh, Gabe." Sarah looked at him with pity and concern. "I'm sorry. She stayed in Coimbra? No, she never talked to me about it. She was... She'd been saying earlier, yesterday, that I could put my bag with her things, so I know she was planning on coming. Everything was all packed up. Her donkey's in the train. But... she sent you a note?"

"She did. Just said she was stayin' in Coimbra, she was sorry and she didn't want me to worry, like. Though I am worried - can't help it." He shrugged helplessly. He should have stayed and kept looking for her. Maybe they could have talked about it a bit, maybe if there was something her he could have helped her make her mind up. Though he couldn't imagine what would have made her stay behind, and leave her things behind her, which really wasn't like her.

He shook his head, frowning a little. It felt as though he'd been frowning the entire morning since he'd found she was gone. "She just slipped out in the night. I dunno if mebbe she ran into someone or summat like that. I can't think straight any more."

"When did you get the note?"

"Couple of hours ago, on our first rest. The cove who brung it me - I know him sort of - said he couldn't find me earlier." Why did that matter, anyway? It wasn't as though he could turn around and head back to Coimbra, was it?

"What cove?" Sarah asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Bloke in the 27th Maggie and me know, sort of. Nice enough fellow - Welsh, if that means anythin' to you."

"But why would Maggie give the note to him?"

"I dunno! She couldn't find me, didn't want to disturb the Captain, I dunno. Why send a note at all?" He sighed. "No, that ain't fair. I dunno when it was she found him - we might've left already. Don't forget we march right at the front and we march faster'n the rest of the column." He remembered something then. "Only, he said it wasn't Maggie who give him the note at all, but Jenny. So... mebbe she's bin hurt or summat."

He looked at Sarah. "I can't do this. I can't go on not knowin', and the captain don't have no reason to let me go back, not really."

"But she coulda gave it to one of us. We march in the back," Sally Green protested. She had been listening in, remembering that Cotton had been worried about Maggie earlier in the day.

"I just dunno. Has anyone seen Jenny, at all? Mebbe she can say why. Though... why didn't she bring up her own self?"

"Aye, it woulda been faster," Sarah said. "Or to give it to one of us. Or one of the boys - let them run up to the front of the line and back again, fetching and carrying notes and all."

"Jenny comes and goes," said Sally, answering his question. "Depending on who she's with. Lately it's been with us, though. Young Joe Cavender is always giving her little presents, sharing his tea and all. But I haven't seen her since... I don't remember."

"I don't know any more, really I don't. S'pose I ought to go talk to the Captain. Mebbe... mebbe he'll let me go back." There was no reason why Vickery would be willing to lose a perfectly good soldier for however long it would take to return to Coimbra, find Maggie and see why she hadn't come, and then get back to the Company. It didn't make any sense, though Cotton's mind wasn't exactly on the job and he didn't think he could concentrate properly if he was picked as a scout. Not till he knew a bit more, anyway.

And the chance of finding out any more were.... shrinking fast, f they still existed. Unless something happened and the Captain did let him go back.

"Maybe," Sarah agreed, though she sounded skeptical. "But if you're looking for Jenny, you might try asking the girls who follow the 27th - try Mary or Eliza. I don't know their surnames, but Jenny sometimes walks with them. And Gabriel, try not to worry so much. She sent you a note, so she must be safe and well enough."

"It wouldn't be so bad if only she'd said why she hadn't come back," Cotton said. "Can't help thinkin' I done summat wrong, though everythin' seemed all right and she never said nothin'. She seemed to be happy, anyways." He sighed. Mary or Eliza, who might know where Jenny was, so he could ask Jenny what had happened to Maggie. It seemed an awfully confused way to do things, but then, everything seemed confused right now.

"Any idea where I can find Mary or Eliza?" he asked hopefully. Maybe, just maybe, he could get some answers from someone, instead of the awful response he'd been getting. Hearing 'I don't know' from nearly everyone he'd spoken to had got his spirits down more than he'd realised.

"Can't miss Eliza - fiery hair like a carrot," answered Sally. "She's probably back there where those children are running about. Some of those children are hers, I think."

And inded she was easy enough to spot. Her hair was mostly covered by a kerchief, but it was certainly flaming orange.