Page 51 of The Moonstone Hero
“What happened to change that?”
“That deceitful arse, Governor Fulke. He was there to line his pockets and enrich himself and his friends. He was the Crown representative, but he did not give a damn about any interests other than his own. He insulted the chieftains. Made unreasonable demands. Stirred up trouble in the hope of fabricating a reason to seize the Ashanti mines and farms. He wanted to hand them over to the men who had bribed him…my grandfather included.”
“Senseless,” Cormac muttered.
“Venal, cruel. He had to know this hatred he was stirring up would end with men being killed. Indeed, he knew it and sent us off anyway. To this day, I rack my brain wondering what I could have done differently. We were riding into a massacre. Fulke knew it, and had given us false information about the strength of the Ashanti forces awaiting us. I should have known better than to trust him.”
“He was supposed to be on your side,” Cormac said.
“Fulke was ever only on the side of Fulke. He simply did not care about anyone else. In hindsight, it is easy to see what he hoped for…a bloodbath. This way, he could further his own selfish aims by showing the Ashanti to be murderous savages. Not that I am absolving them either. They did not just kill my men, they…”
Caden broke off, appalled to realize his tears were flowing.
He buried his face in his hands and tried to compose himself. He was not embarrassed about his tears, for he trusted Cormac to understand exactly what he was feeling and respect it. Still, it wounded his pride to be sitting here and crying like an infant.
Cormac watched him quietly, not a hint of mockery on his face.
As the tears continued to fall, Caden saw the compassion in Cormac’s eyes and the patience in his expression. The dam that had been holding back his anguish now burst, and all his pain came flooding out. “They mutilated the bodies of my men, obviously intending to show their disrespect of Fulke. But these weremymen. They were good and honorable. I tried to stop the Ashanti. Finally, their chieftain put a halt to the carnage. But it was too late. There were no survivors…just me.”
“Why did they not kill you, Caden? There had to be a reason they spared your life.”
He nodded, using the sleeve of his uniform jacket to dry the last of his tears. “It was because of an incident several weeks earlier. Fulke, that bastard, had taken on mercenary soldiers as his private guards because he knew those of us in the Royal Marines hated him and would not do his dirty dealings. Some of those mercenaries were in the village one day, bored and drunk. They attacked a group of women and children, dragged them behind their saloon, and meant to have their way with them…even the little girls. Sick bastards. I saw what was happening and immediately put a stop to it.”
“You alone?”
Caden nodded. “Yes. I used a simple military tactic.”
“What was that?”
“I put a pistol to their leader’s head and threatened to blow his brains out if he did not call off his men at once. Drunk as those mercenaries were, they were not going to mess with me, commander of the local British forces.”
“Impressive.”
Caden snorted. “No, just lucky. Any one of them could have blown my brains out and Fulke would have covered it up for them. But they were too drunk to think of it. Since their leader wanted to keep his brains intact, he ordered his men to put down their weapons. They backed off, and I escorted the women back to their homes. I apologized for the actions of Fulke’s mercenaries. As it turned out, one of those women was the chieftain’s wife. Two of the children, both of them little girls, were his as well.”
“And this is what saved you?”
Caden nodded. “I did not realize it at first. I could not understand why they killed men all around me, but left me alive. They cracked my skull open. They shot me in the leg. They broke my ribs and wrist. I did not think I was that hard to kill. They could have put a spear through my heart, for by that time I was the only man left standing.”
Cormac continued to listen attentively.
“I thought perhaps they wanted me to report back to that rat, Governor Fulke, how fierce the Ashanti fighters were and how we would all die if we ever went against them again. But it wasn’t that at all. It was only because I had saved the lives of his wife and children.”
“Your humanity saved your life,” Cormac murmured.
“But it only savedmylife. Not that of my men. And that spawn of Satan, Fulke, is still there to sow discord and enrich himself. Do you think my grandfather or those generals are going to let me talk about that? How fast do you think they will turn on me and shut me down? Their hero,” Caden said bitterly. “What a jest. I am nothing more than their puppet.”
“You are no man’s puppet,” Cormac said with surprising fervor. “This is what has them so scared. They know they cannot control you. The Duke of Malvern will be back home soon. This incident and the issues raised are something he and I can bring forward in the House of Lords. We’ll go to London, seek an audience with His Majesty.”
“No. Getting Ella’s family involved is exactly what I do not want have happen.”
“We are grown men and can make our own choices, Caden. Do you think to take them all on by yourself? Why? There are others who believe as you do and are willing to help you bring this change about. I am not only referring to me and Cain.” Cormac grinned. “As for our changing times, Ella told me about your helper, Elmer Angel. So you know his cousins have married high-ranking peers. Lord help us, but this country could soon be governed by Angel offspring. Although that is probably not a bad thing. They are so damn cheerful.”
Caden managed a smile. “Elmer certainly is. He greets each day with such enthusiasm.”
“My point is, his cousin Cara is married to the Duke of Strathmore, and Brenna is married to the Duke of Claymore. This is just the sort of battle these dukes will gladly take on. I know this because it is something we have already discussed over after-dinner port. By the end of today, I can guarantee you will have three dukes, a marquess, an earl, and a viscount rallying to your cause.”
Caden eyed him dubiously.
