Daughter of the Rebellion

Chapter 11

~~~~~RICHARD~~~~

The smile on my face remained firmly in place once I was away from the tent. What would Charlotte say if she could see her big brother now? Apparently, I tended to wear a perpetual scowl, and so she had affectionately dubbed me General Jolly. I didn't usually notice, but I suppose I hadn't found much to smile about. Until now.

I felt like a dog for finding joy in her great misfortune, but I couldn't believe my dumb luck at acquiring Cecily. I never even began to hope for someone as sweet and likable as she is. And smart! She knew I planned to berate Hall for his negligence, but she was compassionate enough to beg me not to.

What a difference from every other girl I had ever known!

She honestly believed I wouldn't want to marry her? If I'd realized that there were girls like Cecily out there, I might not have been so adverse to the idea of marriage for so long.

Mother wouldn't approve, of course, but that would hardly be unusual. Even the most acceptable of brides wouldn't please her. Not really. She had never liked Margaret, even though she gave her a grandchild. Although, in Margaret's case, I could hardly blame Mother.

But perhaps her view of Margaret had changed now that Mother wasn't in danger of losing all of her prized possessions to her daughter-in-law. Poor Cecily would probably receive the brunt of Mother's fear-induced coldness now. Given some time, though, she would see that Cecily was not the spoiled, greedy thing that Margaret was. Eventually, perhaps she would even grow to like her.

It was an unlikely scenario, and I found myself chuckling at the absurdity.

Sounds of a girl's pitiful cries along with a man's laughter wiped the smile from my face and halted me in front of the tent that the noise originated from.

Hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, I employed all of my willpower to force myself onward, leaving the cretin alone.

The longer I knew Cecily, the harder it seemed for me to do nothing in these situations since I couldn't help but picture her in the unfortunate girl's place.

What I wouldn't give to go in there and rip him to shreds. Him and every other scoundrel in this hell hole.

I'd start with Shields. He had to be the one who harassed Cecily. He was the only one I knew of with that sort of vicious zeal who could claim the title of captain. The louse would have never made the ranking by the former standards, but apparently he was the type of miscreant that the military valued now.

He might have a few skills with a sword, I could admit, but he had no leadership qualities whatsoever. He was ruthless and manipulative, and apparently too idiotically arrogant to believe that I didn't see through his schemes for a promotion.

If I had my way, he'd be the first in a long line of men awaiting court martial with severe penalties. And so help me, if he laid a hand on her....

My fury must have given me extra speed because before I knew it, I was glowering down on Private Jeremiah Hall as he relaxed outside of his tent.

Glancing up, the surprised and suddenly nervous boy quickly stood at attention. "General!"

My instinct was to cut him down at once, but remembering Cecily's request, I hesitated. Taking note of the twenty or so other men who looked on, uncertain of whether they ought to join Jeremiah and stand at attention, I decided that the fewer people who were witness to this conversation, the better.

"A word, Private," I said sharply before walking to a less public area, trusting him to follow.

When I was satisfied with the isolation, I turned back. Private Hall was right behind me as expected. He stood, eyes front, chin up and shoulders back, once again in perfect form. Understanding was in his eyes as to why I was paying him this unusual visit and to his credit, he didn't cower.