Jack Steel Adventure Series Books 1-3: Man of Honour, Rules of War, Brothers in Arms. Iain Gale

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СКАЧАТЬ and his face was flushed with the exhilaration of victory. There was blood on his sword. Kretzmer winced. Steel pocketed the papers.

      ‘We’ve done it. They’re on the run. It was a damn close thing though. Lost a few men. What happened here? See any action. Oh, I say, Steel. You appear to have cut yourself.’

      Steel wiped his hand across his cheek and felt the blood. ‘We saw them off.’

      Jennings stared at Steel, then saw Kretzmer.

      ‘So, do we have what we came for, Mister Steel?’

      ‘The flour, Sir? Yes, we have the flour.’

      ‘Then our business here is done, Lieutenant, is it not?’

      ‘So it would seem, Sir.’

      Jennings looked at his sword and noticing the blood, picked up a linen tablecloth which lay across the top of a chair and wiped it clean before sheathing it. He turned to Steel.

      ‘Now, Lieutenant, you will take yourself off up the hill and ascertain as to whether your burial detail has finished interring those poor villagers. Then you will find another burial party from the Grenadiers and bury the dead from the later encounter.’

      ‘Sir?’

      ‘You have a problem, Steel?’

      ‘I am to find the burial party from the Grenadiers alone.’

      ‘Why certainly. My men are far too exhausted for such work. They have just fought a battle, Steel. Besides, you pride yourselves on being the biggest and the fittest men of the army. Most certainly you shall find the burial party from the Grenadiers. Now if you please, Mister Steel.’

      Steel, feeling the rage rise inside him, managed a nod towards Jennings and left the room. The Major relaxed in triumph and turned to Kretzmer.

      ‘Now, Herr Kretzmer. I have a question for you. You came here with something more than flour, yes?’

      Kretzmer eyed him carefully. Unsure how to answer.

      ‘Yes. That is true.’

      ‘You have a paper. A parcel, for which we are to pay you.’

      ‘Yes, Herr Major. But you have already done so. The Lieutenant …’

      Jennings brought his fist hard down upon the table. ‘Damn the man to hell!’

      Kretzmer shied away from Jennings’ fury.

      ‘I am sorry, Major. Was that not right? He knew about the paper. He had the money.’

      Jennings stared at him. ‘You fool. You stupid, stupid little man.’

      For a moment the terrified merchant thought that Jennings might be about to hit him. Instead, the Major turned on his heel and began to walk quickly from the room. At the door he paused and hissed back at Kretzmer:

      ‘Tell anyone of this, and you’re a dead man.’

      Outside in the town square, red-coated soldiers were busy collecting weapons and equipment from the dead. Jennings walked towards them, his hands curled tight by his side in clenched fists.

      Since being rescued by Steel he had not held out much hope of being able to purchase the papers. So now, he thought, he would have to go to the trouble of putting his plan into action. He scanned the figures in the street and at length found the man he was looking for: ‘Sergeant Stringer.’

      ‘Sir?’

      ‘I have a proposition for you. I propose to make you a very rich man.’

      The Sergeant flashed a smile.

      ‘You will recall our conversation on the matter of Captain Stapleton’s gold and the fact that I was to pay Herr Kretzmer to procure the papers?’

      ‘Sir.’

      ‘There has been a change of plan.’

      Stringer’s weasel eyes narrowed.

      ‘As Mister Steel contrived to speak to Herr Kretzmer before us, it would appear that he has taken the papers for himself and thus we can no longer buy them from that gentleman. In short Herr Kretzmer is no longer of any use. Lieutenant Steel, on the other hand, is vital to our plans. And here is the rub. If you are with me in this, Stringer, which I perceive from your expression you are, we must contrive some means of relieving Mister Steel of those papers. The gold of course now belongs to me. Or rather us. For if we return to Major Stapleton with the documents he will expect the gold to be forfeit. And who will say that we did not pay Herr Kretzmer?’ Stringer furrowed his brow in thought.

      ‘Mister Steel, Sir?’

      ‘Mister Steel, Stringer. Our only problem is Mister Steel. What would you say we should do to solve that problem, Stringer?’

      The Sergeant thought again and then, as the solution came to him drew close to Jennings’ ear:

      ‘Kill him, Sir. Settle him for good.’

      ‘Yes, Stringer, I do think for once, that you may be right.’

       SIX

      Steel eased himself forward in the saddle and shifted position. Damn this leather. Surely, he should have learnt by now that anything bought as a bargain on campaign would quickly prove to be an utter waste of what little money he had. He moved again, carefully, lest the men should notice. There was a particular piece of the hard hide, just below the cantle, that kept on digging into his thigh and chafing the skin. He swore quietly and turned to the rider on his right. They sat at the head of the great column that wound for more than half a mile behind them through the sun-dappled Bavarian countryside.

      ‘You know, Tom, I sometimes think that we’d all be better off marching with the men than stuck up here on horses. What d’you say?’

      ‘My uncle says that the first duty of an officer is to maintain respect, Sir. Without respect, he says, there is no such thing as an officer.’

      ‘And a very wise man your uncle is, too. But what do you think?’

      ‘I think that I agree, Sir. I think that we should ride.’

      ‘Then I dare say that you and your uncle may be right. Although as you’ll learn, Tom, there is a good deal more to being an officer than merely keeping the men in order. They’ve got to trust you. How can they trust you if all they ever see of you is your horse’s backside? Eh? They may call Marlborough ‘Corporal John’. May even thank him nightly in their prayers – if they say them – for all he does to comfort them. But we must never forget, Tom, that they’re all scum at heart. They are a parcel of rogues and mercenaries. Lewd and dissipate creatures all. Where but the army would they find clothing, pay, and food? We give them all they could want. And in return they give us their lives. Marlborough knows it. You know it.’

      The young Ensign smiled. Over the past week he had grown to like Steel and to value his companionship and advice СКАЧАТЬ