Page 61 of The Moonstone Hero
“I was hoping for a little more information from you, perhaps an exclusive story.”
“Maybe, Mr. Stafford. You’ll have to earn my trust first.”
“How about if I start now? I saw the way you were looking at Lady Ella. But I shall keep quiet about her for the moment. You needn’t worry that I will include her in my story.”
Caden’s expression hardened. “You shall keep quiet about her now and forever. There is no negotiation on that. I don’t know what you think you saw, but let me just say that all the women in Moonstone Landing are remarkable. Intelligent, talented, compassionate. You will not find better in all of England.”
“But Lady Ella is not from Moonstone Landing. She is atondiamond, raised in London. She made quite an impression on everyone last year. Obviously, she has made an impression on you. The public loves a romance. They would eat up one between England’s hero and a diamond like her. We could not print enough newspapers—they would sell out too fast.”
“Mr. Stafford, if there is a shred of decency in you, then do not print a word about Lady Ella. You saw what my grandfather did to me within five minutes of our heartwarming reunion. What do you think he and his business associates will do to her reputation the moment they decide to bring me down because I am damaging their interests?”
“Are you saying you intend to damage their interests?”
“I intend to shed light on government policies that are badly conceived and need to be addressed.”
“Lord Mersey, put that way, you will have everyone snoring within five minutes of your getting started.”
“Write it up however you wish,” Caden said, truly hating the politics of it all. “Their policies killed my men, so if it grabs everyone’s interest to call me an avenger, then do so. I want those culpable brought down. Say what you will about me, but do not let them hurt Lady Ella.”
“You know, I did not get where I am by being decent.”
“Try it. You might find it refreshing.”
“Perhaps I will,” Stafford said, laughing softly. “If I do, would you give me the exclusive story on how you managed to survive when all around you perished? You do not strike me as a coward who stands in the background and hides while your men take up the fight.”
Caden wanted to grab the man and slam his head against the wall. Him, a coward?
“Battlefield commanders do not lead from the rear,” he said with barely leashed rage. “Anyone who has ever fought alongside me will tell you I never ask more of my men than I am willing to give. Insult me like that again and I will knock your teeth out.”
“Like your grandfather tried to do to you?”
“No, not like my grandfather. He would have already knocked out all your teeth.” Caden walked out to find the generals and others in the entourage. Were all the reporters going to be as base as this fellow?
So much for his “I am abloodyhero” tour. It was going to completely implode before the day was out.
Stafford scurried after him, having to run to keep up, even though Caden was using his crutches. “Lord Mersey, I owe you an apology. It is my way to poke and prod, ruffle feathers and get enraged responses. This is how I get honest answers. The truth has a way of coming out in anger. But I’ve given you the wrong impression of me. I do respect decency and valor, and may I say, you reek of those traits. Your Lady Ella is safe from the ravages of my reporting. She will not be mentioned by me.”
Caden was not sure he believed the man, but he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Thank you, Mr. Stafford.”
They spotted Caden’s grandfather and his entourage being escorted through the last of the wards by Major Brennan. As Caden strode in, the soldiers called out to him and in turn saluted him. Then one of them rose from his sickbed and began to clap, soon followed by others, until all the soldiers were applauding for him. Those able to get out of bed did so and stood at attention.
Caden was taken aback. Had someone orchestrated this little scene?
But he saw the truth in the eyes of those men and knew it had not been planned. It was just something that sprang from their hearts.
Instead of heading to the generals, he stopped by the bed of each man and acknowledged their compliments. The reporters among the group were scribbling furiously in their notepads. The generals and his grandfather did not know what to make of him.
They had come up with this bright idea of hailing him as a hero, but it had to be obvious they were not in control of him, or the public’s response. Dealing with the generals was going to be easy, he now realized. However, because he truly was politically inept, it had taken him a while to figure out they were his natural allies, military men who needed to regain control of operations from the hands of politicians.
Of course, dealing with the politicians would be far more difficult. They were not about to concede their power, especially when many of them had their hands in the pie and were profiting from whatever bad rules and unworkable processes they had put in place.
Lord help him, he was not the right man for this task. How could he be? He had no tact or finesse.
He knew about tactical assaults and outflanking the enemy. But he also understood how easily the enemy could outflank him, starting with twisting the arms of these very reporters who thought to laud him as the next Wellington. But threats from a few powerful businessmen and government officials would have their editors slashing their stories and looking for all the dirt they could dig up on him.
Stafford was once again studying him closely.
Bollocks.
