Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed) by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online

go well with the local cheeses and sausage.”
    “Ambrosia.” He took a seat and transferred samples of everything to his plate. “I’ll try not to act like a starving wolf. It’s been a long day.”
    As the major bit enthusiastically into the bread and cheese, Athena took the opposite chair. “My first and most important question is whether King Carlos and Prince Alexandre are on their way home. Have you heard anything about them?”
    Masterson shook his head as he neatly cut a pickled onion into smaller pieces. “There was no word before we left Toulouse. Their fate is a mystery, though the man who sent me here is investigating what became of them. It doesn’t look good.”
    “I was afraid of that,” she said, wishing her pessimism had been misplaced. “Most people don’t know that San Gabriel exists, so who sent you? And why?”
    “I was asked to visit by a British Army intelligence officer who was concerned about conditions here.”
    “I’m glad to know that someone is concerned for San Gabriel,” Athena said tartly. “What does he want you to do?”
    “Observe how the country is faring after the ravages of the French,” Masterson said succinctly. “And if aid is needed, determine what kind.”
    She stared at him. Grave gray English eyes, not dark brown. “Someone actually wants to help? The situation is difficult, and we haven’t known where to turn.”
    “San Gabriel contributed a great deal to the fight against Napoleon, particularly given the size of the country,” Masterson explained. “War is expensive in all ways. Lives, pain, treasure. Now that Napoleon is gone, it’s time to start picking up the pieces. Since there was no fighting on British soil, we’re in better shape to help our allies.”
    “That’s a fine and noble sentiment,” she said, hopeful but a little wary. “There is no self-interest in this?”
    He smiled a little. “There is always at least some self-interest in politics. The man who sent me here fears that if San Gabriel is dangerously weakened, it might become the target of lawless guerilla bands that are at loose ends now that the war is over. Having a valued ally displaced by a bandit kingdom is not a pleasing thought.”
    Athena bit her lip. “That possibility has occurred to me. Your intelligence officer is right. With the king and the prince imprisoned or quite possibly dead, San Gabriel is vulnerable. Were you threatened by such guerilla bands as you crossed Spain?”
    “Only fools would attack a troop so well armed and disciplined, and the guerillas I’ve known were not fools. But we did hear stories of attacks on remote villages,” he said soberly. “We drove one such band away from a village west of Vitoria.”
    She shuddered as she remembered the assault of the French troops. “I’ve prayed that the mountains would protect us, but they weren’t enough to save us from Baudin.”
    “That will change when the rest of the Gabrileño troops return in a few weeks,” Masterson said reassuringly. “They are well-trained fighters and their commander, Colonel da Silva, seemed very competent. Unless you think he might institute a military coup when he returns, displacing the princess?”
    “What an appalling thought!” Athena exclaimed. “I haven’t seen Colonel da Silva in some time, but he and his family are famously loyal to crown and country. He would have had to change beyond imagining for that to happen.”
    “He didn’t seem like a man plotting to overthrow his established government,” Masterson agreed. “Speaking of his family, I promised to call on his wife when I arrived. He said they live just outside the town?”
    Athena nodded. “It’s not far. I’ll take you over tomorrow morning.”
    “Thank you. After calling on her, will you have time to take me on a tour of the valley? I want to see for myself what conditions are like.”
    “I’ll be glad to. But before seeing Señora da Silva, you should make a courtesy call on the