Once A Soldier Part 13

"Hope refuses to die," she said, her voice tight. "But I am not a fool. There has been no word since Baudin carried them off in chains. He might have had them shot and buried them in a shallow grave on the other side of the mountains. Or left their bodies to feed the crows." Her voice caught and she ducked her head to hide the shameful tears.

Justin moved his mount so close to hers that the horses were almost touching, and stretched out his hand to clasp hers. He held it for a long moment before letting go and moving away. "I can only imagine how difficult this last year has been for you. But from what I've seen, you are doing admirably. Your father would be proud if he could see you now."

"I'm trying to become the ruler San Gabriel needs. I don't know what I would have done without Athena." Sofia's mouth twisted. "I rely too much on her. A year ago, the main thought on my frivolous mind was whom I might marry. Athena did her best to teach me more serious subjects, but I didn't take those lessons seriously until Pap and Alexandre were taken. Now I listen when Athena teaches me how to carry the responsibilities of a queen."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "I suppose your father would have arranged a political marriage for you?"

"Since I wasn't the heir, Pap was willing to let me choose my own husband within reasonable limits. I couldn't marry a poor n.o.body, of course-it would have to be a husband who would bring some benefit to San Gabriel-but I would have had more choices." She made a face. "Now I'll likely have to marry some beastly grand duke with warts and three chins."

Justin laughed. "Surely, there are better grand dukes than that!"

"I hope so!" Turning serious, she said, "How my husband looks is not important. What matters is finding a man who will not try to take over San Gabriel because I am a mere weak woman. I'll marry Grand Duke Toad if he respects the fact I will be queen and this is my country. He will be my consort, not the king."

"Such a man will be difficult to find," Justin observed. "Men who are born to power often crave greater power."

"I know." She made an exasperated gesture with one hand. "And I don't even know how to go about looking for a suitable husband! I will discuss it with Colonel da Silva when he returns to San Gabriel. He is an intelligent and worldly man. I'll probably make him my chief minister. He will have some useful thoughts, I'm sure."

"A prosperous foreign merchant who is uninterested in power would be a good choice in some ways," Justin said softly as he glanced at her, his eyes intense. "But, of course, that would be impossible."

Emotion pulsed between them, hot and demanding. If I were free to choose, I would choose this man and never regret it. The knowledge was vivid and undeniable. She would think it absurd, except that her mother and father had felt the same certainty when they met.

Perhaps love at first sight was a mark of the pa.s.sionate Gabrileno temperament, except that Justin was British and she saw the same certainty in his eyes. Maybe that ability to love in an instant came from his Portuguese grandmother.

But her mother had been the well-dowered daughter of a Spanish n.o.bleman, a good match in terms of worldly rank and wealth. Sofia was a royal princess with the weight of her small kingdom on her shoulders, while Justin was a foreign merchant. Though she was popular, most Gabrilenos would be horrified by such a match. It would damage the country, and that she could not allow.

Trying to keep her tone light, she said, "Quite impossible, alas. I shall be required to wed one of the Archduke Toads of the world."

"There are sometimes royal love matches. I hope you have one," he said, his eyes filled with regret and acceptance. Turning back to the quinta, he remarked, "It appears that Senor Carnota has done a good job of rounding up neighbors."

"That will save us some time," Sofia said, hoping she sounded normal. Today's oblique conversation was as close as she and Justin could come to discussing the impossibility of becoming more to each other. Her duty must come before personal happiness, and that reality hurt her heart.

Yet there was some comfort in knowing that he also cared for her. That comfort would have to be enough.

Chapter 20.

A week of riding across San Gabriel, distributing food and a.s.sessing needs, had restored Athena's control. She wished she hadn't broken down and told Will about Lady Wh.o.r.e, one of the worst nightmares in her private chamber of horrors, but she trusted him not to reveal it to anyone else.

Though he'd reflexively claimed that illegitimacy and her mother's reputation didn't matter to him, he'd clearly been shocked by the picture she'd painted of social ostracism for him and any children they might have together. He was too much a gentleman to withdraw his offer, but by now he must be feeling relief.

A week of observing the problems of others had put the situation in perspective for Athena. She'd visited homes that had lost sons and husbands to the war, and hovels where the inhabitants were near starvation, but always she had been greeted with warmth and welcome. Her bruised heart was a mere bagatelle by comparison.

After visiting virtually every hamlet and farmstead in San Gabriel, she turned her small party and unburdened pack mules and headed back to the castle. She now felt capable of treating Will Masterson as a friend and no more.

With luck, he'd soon be heading for home and she'd never have to see him again.

As Will and Tom Murphy surveyed the churning waters of the San Gabriel River, the batman asked, "How old do you think this bridge is, sir? Might the Romans have built it?"

"I suspect that the bridge would still be standing if it was Roman work. My guess is that it's three or four centuries old." He glanced at the younger man. "You've worked on your share of bridges. Which were the worst?"

"The ones where the French were shooting at us as we splashed around in the mud!" Murphy said feelingly.

Will grinned. "Hard to argue with that. As bridge-building projects go, will this one be difficult or easy?"

Tom's eyes narrowed as he studied the banks and the flow of water. "It should be easier than most," he said cautiously. "The stone piers on both banks are intact, and now that the spring snowmelt has gone down, another stone pier in the middle of the river is visible and that will give good support for the center section of the bridge."

"The middle pier will make the job enormously easier," Will agreed as he calculated lengths and designs. "The beams we pulled out of the royal barn are st.u.r.dy and long, close to sixty feet each. Half of them can be used to stretch from this bank to the middle, and the other half will reach from the middle to the far bank. How should we go about this?"

"Use the barn beams to make two sixty-foot-long pontoons," the batman said promptly. "Luckily, we also salvaged plenty of planking from the barn and it should be enough to make the pontoons really solid."

"Which is important for a bridge that needs to last indefinitely, not just months. How should we get the pontoons in place?"

"To begin with, someone will need to swim out to the middle pier and pull over some heavy cable to connect the bank to the pier."

"Are you volunteering to do that, Sergeant?"

"No, sir, you're a much stronger swimmer!" Tom retorted. "Once there are cables in place between all three piers, the first pontoon should be slid in the water upstream and floated down, then raised to rest on the center and east-bank piers. Once that pontoon is secure and planked over, we can carry the second pontoon to the middle, then haul it over to bridge to the west bank. Will that work?"

Will nodded approval. "Very good. Do you think railings should be installed on the sides?"

"With people and carts and livestock crossing, definitely some sort of railing to keep them from falling off," Tom said. "Sheep aren't very clever. Be a pity to lose them to the river."

"Do we have enough wood for railings?"

"Not just now, but we could put uprights every couple of yards across both sides of the bridge and string rope between them from one end of the bridge to the other," Tom said thoughtfully. "Two levels of rope at least. Three if there's enough strong rope. Not as good as a solid railing, but it could be put in place quickly."

"That will work," Will agreed. "How long do you think it will take us to rebuild this bridge?"

"Sir, are you giving me an examination?" Tom asked suspiciously.

Will chuckled. "Of sorts. If you decide to stay in San Gabriel, it will be useful to have a skill, and I think that a good builder could be well employed here."

"Would I be able to stay here without being considered a deserter, sir?" the younger man asked, surprised. "I enlisted for twenty-one years so I'd get a pension if I lived long enough, which I didn't expect to do."

"With the war over, I can make it right for you to return to civilian life, though you won't get any pension." Will thought about that "privilege" Justin had explained to him. Yes, Major Lord Masterson could make it easy for a young soldier to stay in San Gabriel if he wished. "No reason for you to travel all the way back to Britain, unless you wish to return to Ireland?"

Tom sighed and his accent became more Irish. "It would be a fine thing to see the green fields of Ireland again and no mistake, but there's not much for me there. My mum is dead, my father has probably drunk himself to death by now, my brothers and sisters don't know how to read and write, so I've not heard from any of them in years. I don't know what I'd do with myself there."

"While San Gabriel has Maria Cristina."

Tom blushed. "It does indeed, sir."

"She seems like a lovely young woman," Will said encouragingly.

"That she is, sir. You might not know this, but the French killed one of her younger brothers when they invaded. Senora Oliviera has been hinting that another son would be welcome. Senor Oliviera seems to like me, but he'll not let Cristina marry a man who can't support her properly."

"Do you find all this approval wonderful or alarming?"

The batman grinned. "Mostly wonderful, sir. They're a fine family and they've been very kind to me, at least after they found out I was Catholic. But if Cristina and I marry, I'd like us to have a house of our own."

"That would be wise," Will agreed. "Coming from two different countries, you'll need time to adjust to each other's ways and that will be easier without in-laws staring over your shoulder and taking sides when you disagree. Noisily."

Tom made a face. "I've thought of that, but I haven't the blunt to buy a house."

"If you decide to stay and settle down, you'll be due a wedding gift after all you've done for me. A house sounds about right."

Tom turned and stared at him. "You'd do that for me?"

Will nodded, wondering if wealth and privilege were the same thing. To some extent they were. He could buy a fine house for Murphy and his bride and not even notice the cost. "You don't have to decide this minute, but think about it."

Tom's gaze swept the valley in a new way. "I won't talk to Cristina just yet. I need to consider a little more to be sure. But this is a happy country despite what they've endured." After a pause, he added softly, "It's easy to imagine living a long and rewarding life here with Cristina."

Someone might as well be happy, Will thought wryly. "You can think about it while we rebuild the bridge. Then on to the wine caves!"

"There will be a festival then and no mistake!" Tom said exuberantly.

Anything that kept Will busy was welcome. How long could her mission keep Athena away from the castle?

Too b.l.o.o.d.y long.

"I wonder where everyone is," Maria Mercedes da Silva said as they rode through town on the way to the da Silva home. A bright-eyed, energetic young woman, she was Princess Sofia's best friend and had been looking forward to a good gossip at the end of their weeklong sojourn. "Do you suppose my father and the others have returned and there is a festival?"

"Not yet," Athena said, sorry to quash Mercedes' hopefulness. Besides missing her father and brother, she and one of her father's young lieutenants were sweethearts and the girl was almost jumping out of her skin with eagerness. "We'd certainly have seen signs of a large group of men coming down the road from Spain. But perhaps there is a different festival going on."

"Maybe the bridge has been rebuilt!" Mercedes guessed. "That would be worth a celebration." Seeing the elderly gatekeeper at the da Silva entrance, she called, "Diego, where is everyone?"

"The wine caves are about to be opened!" he called back, his weathered face wreathed in smiles. "The bridge is finished and very fine it is. So the British major put the men to digging their way into the caves. They will break through at any moment and all Gabrilenos are waiting to celebrate!" He sighed with elaborate regret. "All but poor Diego."

Laughing, Mercedes said, "Alas, poor Diego! I shall see that one of the servants who is at the caves will return to relieve you before the fiesta ends so you can join the celebration."

He sighed again, even more loudly. "That will have to do, Senorita Mercedes. You are kind to a useless old man."

"You are a master at sounding ill-used, Diego! But that won't work with me. We are off to the wine caves!"

And Will Masterson would be right in the middle of things. The prospect made Athena wonder just how good her control would be when they met face-to-face; there would be no way to avoid him entirely. "I'll take the pack mules up to the castle, and the rest of you can go to the caves."

"Nonsense!" Maria exclaimed. "You and Sofia closed the caves to keep our wine safe from those wicked Frenchmen, and it is only right that you be there when they're opened again."

Athena turned to the royal servants, who rode behind and managed the now-unburdened pack mules. "Does anyone want to return to the castle now?"

A chorus of "No's!" rang out. Everyone was in the mood for a fiesta.

"The mules can be left here for now," Mercedes said. "Our splendid Diego will take them to the stables and see they have hay and water."

The gatekeeper raised his face to heaven and muttered a prayer or curse. Athena knew that this was an old game for Diego and members of the da Silva family, so she resigned herself to the inevitable. Collecting her reins, she said, "Then onward we go!"

If she couldn't avoid seeing Will, she hoped he'd be looking magnificent in his uniform. That would be compensation for her nervousness.

By the time they reached the wine caves, her nerves were under control again. Part of the population of this end of the valley had gathered and already had begun celebrating. Food and drink were laid out on improvised tables; children ran shrieking; dancers twirled to the sound of buoyant music; a tantalizing scent of roasting meat filled the air.

"A pig roast!" Mercedes exclaimed rapturously. "No fiesta has been so fine since the coming of the French."

It was a mark of how much Gabrilenos cared about their wine that a precious pig had been slaughtered for the celebration. With so many people present, no one would get more than a small piece, but the pork was a symbol of better times to come. And it smelled delicious.

The great mound of fallen earth and stone that covered the original entrances was now pierced by a surprisingly large dark rectangle with a wisp of dust puffing out. No sign of Will. She should have realized that he'd be digging away in the shaft rather than supervising from a lordly distance.

Sofia and Justin Ballard were near the entrance. Seeing Athena, Sofia waved madly to summon her to the excavation. One of the royal servants said, "Go to the princess, Lady Athena. I shall care for your horse."

Athena thanked him and dismounted to make her way through the crowd. When she reached the small, cleared area around the entrance, Sofia greeted her with a hug. "So much has been done in the last week, Athena! The bridge and now this!"

She gestured at the mouth of the shaft. The entrance was framed with crooked but st.u.r.dy timbers, and a strange contraption stuck out of the opening. Puzzled, Athena studied the wheels, the broad leather band, and the workman who was turning a ma.s.sive crank that caused the band to move outward from the shaft. "What on earth is that?"

"Will calls it an 'earth conveyor,'" Justin explained. "He saw something like it in a Yorks.h.i.+re mine. He cobbled this one together with old wheels and tanned cowhides so the dirt could be removed more quickly."

Sure enough, two buckets filled with dirt approached the end of the conveyor. The man turning the crank stopped and removed the buckets and pa.s.sed them to another worker, who carried them away to a pile well clear of the mining operation. The empty buckets were stacked and carried back into the shaft.

"Ingenious!" she said. "Have they reached the door into the first cave?"

"Yes. I wanted to see, but Will wouldn't let us in," Sofia said. "He said he didn't want us to be squashed if there is a problem."

"But it's all right if he's squashed?" Athena asked skeptically.

"There's not much risk," Justin a.s.sured her. "Will is just being careful with the safety of Her Royal Highness."

He and Sofia shared a glance rife with intimacy. Athena's heart contracted. There wasn't a hint of anything improper, but she could see that their closeness had grown while she was away. So much tender emotion, and no legitimate way to express it.

Despite the noise of the feasting Gabrilenos, she could hear clinking sounds from inside the shaft. She contemplated the entrance, her curiosity alive. She'd never regretted starting the landslide that kept the wine treasury of San Gabriel away from the French, but she'd prayed that those casks and barrels could be salvaged.

There was only one way to learn how the project was going. "I'm not royal," she said, and marched into the shaft.

Athena had to duck her head a little, but not as much as she'd expected. The shaft needed to be large to allow the largest casks to be removed. The earth conveyor ran along the wall on her right, and every dozen or so feet, a lantern hung from one of the beams shoring up the roof.

The conveyor ended at what she guessed was the midpoint of the tunnel. A short, st.u.r.dy fellow walked toward her, a bucket of earth in each hand. He grinned cheerfully, his teeth white in a dirty face. She didn't recognize him, so he was probably one of the workmen from Porto.

She heard a voice speaking Portuguese and glanced back to see that Justin Ballard had followed, and he'd greeted the workman. He smiled at her. "I'm not royal, either, and I'm irresistibly curious to see whether the wine has survived."

"I'm sorry you aren't royal," she said obliquely.

He grimaced. "So am I. But I can't regret coming to San Gabriel."