Blown Off Course (26 page)
Authors: David Donachie
Allison & Busby Limited
13 Charlotte Mews
London W1T 4EJ
www.allisonandbusby.com
Hardback published in Great Britain in 2010.
Paperback published in 2011.
This ebook edition first published in 2011.
Copyright © 2010 by
D
AVID
D
ONACHIE
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–4032–1
ENEMIES AT EVERY TURN
Having been caught on smuggling charges, Lieutenant John Pearce escaped incarceration when two of his Pelicans ‘volunteered’ for service in his Majesty’s Navy; now, Pearce is determined to get them back. Aided by fellow Pelican Michael O’Hagan, Pearce heads to Dover to attempt a rescue, but not everything goes quite as planned. They are trailed across Kent by a gang of thugs who want revenge on Pearce for stealing their goods.
Having fled to London, Pearce and O’Hagan discover that their friends have already shipped out, under the command of the Lieutenant’s old adversary, Ralph Barclay. Convinced that his old nemesis would never willingly let his two friends go, Pearce and O’Hagan fear that all hope is lost - until the offer from First Minister Pitt himself seems to turn their luck around. The chance of a ship and crew might be just what Pearce needs to escape his pursuers, rescue the Pelicans and earn himself a small fortune … so long as his past doesn’t catch up with him first.