Redemption of a Fallen Woman(14)

Now that his face had imposed itself on her mind she was in no hurry to dismiss it. He was unlike any man she had ever met and he aroused her curiosity. Although he had told her a little about his home and his family there was so much more she would have liked to know. Was he married? Was there a wife waiting for him in England? It seemed likely. Such a man could have his pick of all the noble ladies in the land, but he did not seem to be a womaniser. His heart would not be easily won, but the woman who succeeded in doing that would have it for ever. She sighed. Once she had dreamed of something similar but the dream was ashes now. Her former betrothed might have had one of the oldest and most respected names in Spain but he had turned out to have feet of clay as well. With hindsight she suspected he could never have made her happy no matter how prestigious their marriage. Happiness now was not concerned with such things, only with reaching England and finding some pleasant spot where she might live in peace.

* * *

Harry leaned against a tree, listening, but apart from the gentle chirring of cicadas and the occasional rustling sound that betrayed a small animal in the grass, he heard nothing to disturb him. Having relieved Jack of the watch some time ago he could have expected a lengthy period of tedium. As it was he had plenty to occupy his mind. When he had set out for Spain he had anticipated difficulties, but nothing of this magnitude. All his concerns were centred on the past; never in a thousand years would he have imagined the advent of Elena Ruiz or the thoughts her presence would evoke. Since Badajoz his contact with women had been restricted to polite social intercourse and that by choice. All thoughts of romance were gone along with Belén. War lent intensity to love; since the future was uncertain there was always a sense of wanting to make the most of the present. At the same time was the hope that there would be a future, a home, a family. They’d made so many plans...

A twig snapped behind him, jerking him out of thought. He swung round, pointing the rifle in the direction of the sound. Then a familiar figure stepped out of the darkness.

‘Elena. What are you doing here?’

‘I have come to relieve you of the watch, of course.’

‘Oh.’ For a second or two he was completely taken aback. Then, as the recollection of their earlier conversation returned, he felt a twinge of guilt. Temporary consternation had caused him to speak rather more harshly than he’d intended. Besides, leaving a woman alone in open country in the middle of the night went right against the grain. ‘There’s no need.’

‘I think there is.’

‘We can discuss it tomorrow. You must be tired. You’ve had a long ride today.’

‘So have you,’ she replied. ‘Besides, we made an agreement, did we not?’

‘Well, yes, but...’

‘Then I think we should start as we mean to go on.’

For a moment he was silent, then reluctantly nodded. ‘Very well.’

‘Concha will take over from me later.’

In spite of himself he smiled. ‘You seem to be well organised.’

‘I have always found it helpful. Then everyone knows where they stand.’

‘Yes, quite.’ He paused. ‘I’ll leave you to it, then.’

‘Goodnight, my lord.’

He turned to go, then checked mid-stride. ‘Since we’re going to be spending a lot of time together we can dispense with formalities. My name is Harry.’

With that he left her. For a moment Elena stood staring after him, then smiled to herself.

‘Goodnight, Harry,’ she murmured.

On his return to camp Harry rolled himself in his blanket and settled down to sleep. However, in spite of fatigue it proved elusive. The thought of Elena alone in the darkness didn’t help, but it was clear she wasn’t going to be dissuaded. She’d been part of a guerrilla group for two years so he knew he could trust her with the job. The ground rules had just been established: she and Concha were not expecting any preferential treatment. They were comrades-in-arms and nothing more. It was undoubtedly the right decision. If this new-formed partnership was to succeed there could be no suggestion of flirtation or anything untoward. It would be better for all concerned if he continued to think of Elena as a nun. Better and safer. He sighed. If only she’d looked the part it would be easier. As it was, the nun had beauty enough to waken the dead and was disarmingly easy to talk to. No matter how he looked at it, the future seemed beset with difficulty.

* * *

They broke camp early the next day to make the most of the cool morning hours. Harry eased his horse alongside Elena’s, eyeing it critically.

‘Is that beast from your uncle’s stable by any chance?’ he asked.