Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed) Read Free Page B

coffee in his army years, though he was still English enough to enjoy tea equally. “Impossible to imagine a regency with Napoleon lurking in the background waiting for a chance to take over France again.”
    “Exactly.” Gates topped up his own coffee. “He’s to be exiled to Elba, a little island off Italy. He can have a court and his own guard, but it will all be in miniature.”
    Will’s brows arched. “Is it safe to cage him so close to Europe? I’d prefer to see him sent to Botany Bay.”
    “The Royal Navy will patrol the island, which should keep Boney from causing more trouble.” Gates raised his mug in a toast. “To the end of an era!”
    Will clinked his mug against the colonel’s. “For better and for worse. I’m not sorry for my army years, but I’m ready to go home.”
    “And so you will, Major Masterson.” The educated English voice belonged to a lean, dark man who stepped into the tent. “May I join you?”
    “Of course.” Gates swallowed the last of his coffee and got to his feet. “Will, Colonel Duval is the main reason I called you here this morning. He’s army intelligence, and he wishes to speak with you about a special mission. I know the general outlines, but I’ll leave you to discuss it privately.”
    Will stared at the newcomer for a moment, wondering if memory was playing tricks on him. No, he’d never forget the men he met that night. He rose and offered a hand. “Unless you have a French twin, I believe we’ve met.”
    “So we have.” Duval’s gaze glinted with amusement and he spoke with no trace of a French accent. “A memorable night.”
    After shaking hands, Will reclaimed his chair. “You didn’t mention that you were in the army, and you seem rather more English today.”
    “Half French, half English,” Duval explained as he helped himself to a cup of the coffee. As he stirred in chunks of sugar, he continued. “I didn’t mention the army, and you didn’t mention that you were a peer of the realm, Major Lord Masterson.”
    “Titles don’t seem relevant when one is about to be executed.” Will studied the other man, thinking that Duval must have interesting tales to tell about the intervening years. “Should I be concerned that you have a special mission in mind for me?”
    “Nothing too alarming,” Duval assured him. “Are you familiar with San Gabriel?”
    “A tiny country in the mountains between Spain and Portugal. It’s the smallest kingdom in Europe, isn’t it?” Will replied. “But I’ve never been there, nor do I know anything else about it.”
    “The Gabrileños have been staunch allies in the war against Napoleon,” Duval explained. “They contributed first-class troops to the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Wellington. Now they want to go home.”
    “What sane man doesn’t?” Will said. “I assume there is some problem with this, or you wouldn’t be talking to me.”
    Duval nodded. “Their infantry units were in the thick of the battle for Toulouse and took a lot of casualties, so they won’t be fit to march back to San Gabriel for some weeks. But there’s a small troop of Gabrileño cavalry, and they’re ready to leave now. They need an officer to take charge and keep them out of trouble on the way back.”
    “Why me?” Will asked. “I speak Spanish and Portuguese, but I don’t even know what the language of San Gabriel is.”
    “It’s a dialect that falls between those two languages. You won’t have a problem with it,” Duval assured him. “The Gabrileño commanding officer, Colonel da Silva, will have to approve you, but he will.”
    “And? Surely, there’s more to the matter.”
    Duval frowned. “We’re concerned over the condition of San Gabriel, and I’d like firsthand information. It’s never been a rich country, but under the Alcantara family, it has been stable and well run, and as I said, they’ve been solid allies in the fight against the French. Then last summer, the French general Baudin crashed