Rob moved to his father’s side in silence. He could not think of anything to say. He wanted to throw his arms around him, to bear some of the burden of his sorrow. But he could feel the pride and solitude radiating from George like the heat of a fire, and he did not dare move. Her eyes met his, flashing with the challenge. Theo swallowed his doubts. He could never resist his sister – however many times it ended with him bending over in their father’s study.

Theo had arrived in America as an orphan. In a short time, he had become a hero in the frontier war against the French and their Indian allies. Against the odds he and his ragtag army had inflicted major damage on the French forces, winning the battle at Fort Royal, which turned the course of the war. He had fallen in love with Abigail and she became pregnant with Cal, to her family’s fury. Fame and victory had provided him with a certain amount of money, which he had invested in a merchant business from the port of Boston. The business had thrived, for Theo had learned his trade in the bazaars of Calcutta and could out-haggle even the meanest Yankee. Later, he had bought this farm in a township some twenty miles from Boston. I will pay my respects before I go,’ said Cornish. ‘But life is for the living, and we are not done yet. Let me show you what I have profited on my latest voyage.’ I will sign you on as a fo’c’s’le hand. But you will have to earn your keep,’ he warned Rob. ‘No loitering or shirking.’ Cornish studied him. He could read the look on the boy’s face, the same yearning he had felt himself at that age. He stared at Rob, ready to gut him in an instant. With his skin tanned as brown as a walnut, dripping wet, smeared with shark’s blood and naked as Adam, Rob looked like some kind of hideous sea sprite.My father was a colonialist and I followed what he said until I was in my 20s and learned to think for myself", he said. "I didn't want to perpetuate injustices so I left Rhodesia in the time of Ian Smith." [12]

Ever since Aidan could walk, he had followed his big brother like a shadow, desperate not to be left behind. When Cal learned to ride, Aidan had dislocated his collarbone trying to clamber onto the horse. When Cal started boxing with his friends, Aidan had come home with a broken arm. Sometimes, Cal appreciated the adoration. For most of the past fourteen years, he had found it intensely annoying.Interview with Wilbur Smith". 1989. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016 . Retrieved 21 March 2013. It is so good to see you,’ she exclaimed. She brushed a strand of grey hair from his temple. ‘What is this? It seems like only yesterday it was your father standing on this beach, after we had defeated that monster Zayn al-Din.’ The truth was, it had been Constance who first heard about the dancers, and Constance whose curiosity had insisted they try to peek in. But Theo would not betray her. There was still a chance she might have escaped unseen.

Theodore Courtney,’ said Meridew, in a voice that carried the full weight and dignity of the Honourable Company of Merchants Trading to the East Indies. ‘Wait until your father hears of this.’ Govender, Prega (10 July 2011). "Love story with no fairy-tale end". Sunday Times, South Africa . Retrieved 13 October 2021. Jim’s expression softened. ‘You are a Courtney, too, my love. You became one the day you married me.’ Arriving in London, Rob is seduced by the charms of the big city and soon finds himself desperate and penniless. That is until the navy comes calling. Rob is sent across the Atlantic on a ship to join the war against the rebellious American colonists.Testament, the latest in Wilbur’s bestselling Ancient Egyptian series, co-authored by Mark Chadbourn, will be published in September 2023. Following on from The New Kingdom in September 2021, and Titans of War in 2022, Testament opens with the Egyptian victory over the invading Hyksos army in Thebes and a divided Egypt in desperate need of leadership to restore its fortunes. 2024 will see a final adventure to complete Wilbur’s vision for this story arc set in the world of his beloved character Taita. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ‘I knew you would say that. Jim would have said the same.’ It was too high. He stretched on tiptoes, gritting his teeth as a flash of pain shot through his ankle. The guards were closing on him, their lamps casting dappled shadows through the rose bushes.