AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And that was when he saw it. The moment of betrayal.
He stopped in his tracks, so utterly bewildered, so horrified, that he could not move. The truth came rushing into his mind.
Cardigan had slunk off away from the battle. He had joined the other side. Jackson could clearly see his face talking to one of the French generals atop a horse. They were whispering furiously.
Then Cardigan slowly turned and saw that Jackson had seen him.
“Traitor,” screamed Jackson.
Cardigan was a traitor. He was supplying information to the French and had manoeuvred this situation so that they would be slaughtered. They had never stood a chance. Cardigan had sacrificed his own men. The men who had been willing to die to defend their lieutenant and were only following his orders.
He didn’t know why. He didn’t know the reasons why this man had turned coats. And in that moment he did not care. He was filled with a murderous rage, beyond anything that he had ever felt.
He charged, heading towards the man, his musket raised. He was going to kill him for what he had done here today. He was just waiting for a clear shot. The traitor deserved no less.
Cardigan picked up a musket and raised it straight at him. But before he could fire, Jackson was knocked sideways by an advancing French soldier. He hit the ground hard, clawing at the mud.
He looked up. Cardigan was standing over him. And then, very deliberately, he took out a knife and sliced his face.
“You will die in agony,” the man hissed, smiling. “You should have taken your shot at me when you had the chance.”
A kick, to his leg. And he was left in the mud to die, while the battle raged around him…
He didn’t know how he survived. One minute he was in the mud, and the next moment, he opened his eyes in an army hospital tent, being tended by a surgeon. His cheek was roughly sewn up, but it never healed properly. A permanent reminder of that terrible day.
By the time he was well enough to ask, Cardigan was gone; sent to command another regiment on the other side of Spain. The traitor had escaped. And Jackson knew he could say nothing. It was his word, against that of his commanding officer. Who would believe him?
He had let him live. He had his chance to end his life, but fate had intervened. And Jackson had simply tried to let it go. Once he got back to England and his service was over, all he had wanted was to forget war and everything that had happened there.
He groaned now on the filthy floor of the house, as he remembered that dreadful day. The day that he knew what Cardigan truly was. The day that the man had sliced his face, changing his life forever.
But it wasn’t enough for the monster now. He wanted everything. He wanted his very life. His duchy, his business… and his wife.
His eyes filled with helpless tears. If only he had taken that shot. If only he had killed him. His life would have been so different. He and Patricia might have stood a chance.
But it was all too late now. Very soon, he would breathe his last. And Cardigan would win. He would claim Patricia. The thought filled him with despair.
He loved her. He still loved her. He would always love her. But they had never had a chance. And now, they never would.
* * *
Patricia ran behind the boy, trying to catch her breath. She must keep up. The end was almost in sight. As soon as they got to the Watch, and told the story, assistance was at hand.
Fear clawed her heart. Anything could be happening to Jackson. He was in mortal danger. And then there was Lord Reynolds and Lord Reading. Either one of them could be perilously hurt going into that house. Who knew what awaited them? She took a deep breath. She must be brave for their sakes. What she was going through was as nothing compared to them.
She took another deep, ragged breath and kept running.
