Behind the Walls by Nicola Pierce Read Free Book Online Page B

part-timers sharing the burden.
    Daniel voiced his concerns to his father. ‘We don’t have enough men or guns.’
    His father asked him a question in turn, ‘Have you heard about the noble Spartan warriors?’
    Daniel nodded his head, remembering his history. Sparta was sometimes a trustworthy ally of Ancient Greece and sometimes her deadliest enemy. Nevertheless, when Persia attacked Greece, it was Sparta who leapt to her defence. Daniel smiled, guessing where his father was going with this.
    ‘That’s right,’ said Mr Sherrard. ‘Three hundred brave warriors held off the monstrous Persian army, thanks to a decision to make their stand in a narrow pass between two steep mountains.’
    His son nodded. ‘There were too many Persians for the narrow pass so it didn’t matter what size the army was, the three hundred held them off.’
    ‘Exactly,’ said his father. ‘They had the mountains and we have our walls.’
    Daniel knew that the three hundred Spartans had died in the end but only because they had been deceived by a ‘friend’ who showed the Persians how to surround the defenders. Neither Sherrard mentioned this part of the story; it was more important to remember the noble and courageous battle of the Spartan warriors. They had never faltered in their belief about their combined strength.
    By the time Daniel returned with the buckets of water his mother was up, preparing the breakfast. Alice was in her crib, finally fast asleep, and his mother placed a finger to her lips, warning him not to make a sound. The water sloshed merrily as he edged himself around the furniture, taking care not to knock over a stool.
    Mrs Sherrard shared her younger son’s nervousness, despite her husband’s unshakeable belief that no massacre would take place today. The previous evening when he had sought once more to reassure her, she had asked, ‘Are you saying that the Comber letter was a forgery then?’
    Her husband had never lied to her. ‘Well, I don’t know for sure, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t.’
    This had not been good enough for his wife. ‘So, youdon’t know for sure that our lives aren’t in mortal danger come the morrow?’
    All Mr Sherrard had been able to do was sigh and shrug his shoulders. He knew he did not believe in a massacre but he also knew he had no sure evidence to offer his wife. Therefore he lacked the means and maybe even the confidence to attempt to convince her. Because what if … what if he was wrong?
    Not surprisingly, neither of them had slept too deeply though Mr Sherrard had told her that the bells of St Columb’s would ring out if the walls were in any danger of being breached.
    As Daniel took his place at the breakfast table, Mrs Sherrard enquired, ‘Was there many about?’
    Daniel shook his head. His mother went to check on the bread she had baked the night before. The smell of it lingered in the air.
    Sunday mornings were usually quiet but this one had come with its own brand of stillness. Daniel had been glad of Horace’s company to the well and back. Hearing his and Horace’s every footstep was unnerving in a way he had never noticed before. Horace’s overgrown nails noisily struck the cobbled stones and then, on hearing rats or cats, he would dash off down a dark alley, leaving Daniel bereft. The boy waited, ill at ease, not wanting to move until Horace was back by his side.
    He was actually surprised and even a little hurt that his parents were happy enough for him to go out alone on this particular morning. Although maybe he was to take comfort from this, that there really was nothing to fear from today.
    The previous evening, he and the others had attended an open meeting in the Town Hall to discuss, once more, what to do about James’s army. Some of the churchmen still advocated allowing them into the city, repeating the same reason over and over, that it was treason to do otherwise.
    Deputy Mayor John Buchanan offered, ‘We should let the soldiers in