Storm Tide: The landmark 50th global bestseller from the one and only Master of Historical Adventure, Wilbur Smith

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I understand a boy your age will have certain… interests,’ Mansur said awkwardly. ‘But you cannot embarrass us like this. Our family is not so secure here that we can afford to antagonise the Company.’ Of course. But–’ Theo was not a coward, but he had a practical streak. Painful experience had taught him that if they got caught, it was he who would feel the strength of their father’s anger. Theo stood on the doorstep between two sepoys. Meridew waited beside them, red-faced with fury. A large gathering of Indians and Englishmen crowded behind them. Jim stirred. In his old age, he fell asleep in his chair so often the others sometimes forgot he was there. But now he rose, gripping his cane with iron determination. Perhaps next time I call, lad,’ he said gruffly. ‘It is a hard life on this continent. You must not grudge your father for wanting you by his side.’

He broke into my garden, clambered on to my roof and interrupted a private entertainment I was hosting for the most eminent citizens of Madras,’ said Meridew. Smith stayed with the Courtney family for Power of the Sword (1986) (up to World War II), Rage (1987) (the post-war period up until the Sharpeville massacre), A Time to Die (1989) (the war in Mozambique) and Golden Fox (1990) (the Angola War). It was so close, he could see every detail. The dark stripes down its flank, the open jaws, the yellow teeth pointing sideways like the blade of a saw. From a boat, Rob had once seen a tiger shark bite clean through a turtle’s shell. This one was a juvenile, but it was already bigger than Rob. It must have swum in to hunt in the shallow waters of the bay. The terrace was now awash with light. The music had stopped; merchants were hanging out of the upper windows to see what was happening. Below, the terrace which had been empty a few moments ago was crowded with onlookers. Every servant in the house had come to witness the commotion. Rob Courtney has spent his whole life in a quiet trading outpost on the east coast of Africa, dreaming of a life of adventure at sea. When his grandfather Jim Courtney dies, and the mysterious Captain Cornish calls into the fort, Rob takes his chance and stows away on Marston's ship as it sails to England.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.

Rob loved ships. They had fascinated him all his life. How many times had he climbed to the top of the bluffs with his father’s spyglass to watch a distant sail scudding past? He had made his father tell him all the names until he knew them in his sleep: proud Indiamen and stout brigantines, Arab dhows from Zanzibar, and Bermuda sloops with their triangular sails. Most of all, he loved the men of war, the frigates and line-of-battle ships he occasionally saw beating up the coast from Cape Town, the red ensigns streaming from their sterns. Once – the most thrilling moment of his life – he had witnessed two frigates trade broadsides for nearly three hours, just a few miles off the coast. He had never forgotten the sight of the guns running out like rows of teeth, or the wall of flame as they fired in perfect unison. Moss, Stephen Moss (2 April 2005). "Stalking an old bull elephant". The Age . Retrieved 14 March 2013. 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.’ There was nothing Rob could say. He watched the pinnace row out to the Dunstanburgh Castle, the topmen running along the yards to loosen the sails. He imagined how the world would look from that height, balanced on a thin spar with nothing except a hundred feet of air between him and the ocean. The crew fitted the spokes to the capstan and began hauling up the anchor. As the ship prepared for departure, it seemed as if his whole future was about to sail away.Smith then met a young divorcée named Danielle Thomas, who had been born in the same town and had read all of his books, and thought they were wonderful. They married in 1971. [42] Smith later said "she manipulated me. I was making a lot of money and she spent it by the wheelbarrow load... she had intercepted letters from my children. She destroyed my relationship with them because she had a son from a previous marriage and wanted him to be the dauphin." [41] Down in the bay, the Dunstanburgh Castle sat at anchor, ready to sail on the morning tide. The calm water around her gleamed like a mirror. There was a small dugout canoe drawn up above the tidemark. Rob dragged it to the water’s edge and stowed his bag. He was about to get in, when suddenly a voice behind him said: Smith was working for his father when he married his first wife, Anne Rennie, a secretary, in a Presbyterian Church on 5 July 1957 in Salisbury, Rhodesia. [36] "We got on well in the bedroom but not outside it", Smith said. "On our honeymoon, I thought: "What have I got myself into?" but resigned myself to it." [37] There were two children from this marriage, a son, Shaun, was born on 21 May 1958, and then a daughter, Christian. [ citation needed] The marriage ended in 1962. [ citation needed] He would never know. The handle was released, the shadow moved on. George walked away up the corridor. Tap. Tap. Tap. Rob heard the creak of his father’s bedroom door, then silence.

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.’

But be careful,’ Louisa warned him. ‘Before Tom came to Nativity Bay, not one of the Courtney men lived out their full years. Tom’s father, his grandfather, his three brothers . . . they all met violent, untimely ends. Fort Auspice has been a paradise for us, a place where the family can live in peace. I fear what will happen to you if you leave it.’ Smith was born in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, (now Zambia), as was his younger sister Adrienne, [2] to Elfreda (née Lawrence, 1913 – ) and Herbert James Smith. He was named after the aviator Wilbur Wright. [2] People". The Australian Women's Weekly. 8 December 1976. p.14 . Retrieved 25 January 2015– via National Library of Australia. Keeping low, he ran to the house and flattened himself against the wall. It was a grand building, as befitted the richest merchant in Madras, designed in the fantastical style that was unique to the British in India. A broad verandah was supported by Grecian columns; onion domes flanked classical pediments. It stood about half a mile from the walls of Fort St George and Madras, though near enough to hear the surf crashing on the beach.

From the sounds within, Theo guessed the party was taking place on the first floor. He recalled a grand ballroom there from his one visit to the house, trailing along behind his father. I have seen how you look at me.’ George tapped his wooden leg. ‘Your father the cripple, the stay-at-home. Could not hold a candle to the great Jim Courtney.’ Cal returned for supper, as he had promised. He stared at his plate, made no conversation, and retired to bed early. Aidan followed. Shortly afterwards, Theo and Abigail extinguished the cIf sons grew up believing everything their fathers told them, the world would never change. He must become his own man – as you did at his age.’ I am sure the entertainment must have cost a great deal of money,’ added Mansur. ‘If you send your man to my office in the morning, I will see you are properly compensated.’ Theo ran. Each step was agony, but he forced himself to go on, spurred by the fear of what his father would do to him if he were caught.