Redemption - Leon Uris [321]
He stuffed his pipe and grunted in dismay as he brought it to a light. “Am I boring you?”
“Of course not.”
“If you are in the military, ambitious, and an Ulsterman, certain holy commandments govern your life. Your life is the regiment. Lust was not considered a sensible option.”
“Yes, poor Roger used to say that growing up in men’s clubs, men’s schools, the Army, that hard sport and a cold shower took care of one’s urges.”
“Problem is, that’s no joke,” Llewelyn answered. “Our other holy commandment is the sovereignty of the empire. To govern what we were endowed to govern, we produced the kind of officers who held our mission sacred. Therefore, I never became a rounded man, a scholar of other than field marshals, or a cultured man, or a political man, or even one who gives a damn about his rose garden. Out in the colonies one has a little leverage for sport with a mistress, or whatever.”
“And in Ulster it’s a no-go,” Caroline said. “You’re the most important man in Ireland and I won’t be responsible for seeing a brilliant career go up in smoke. Once upon a time when I was an improper young lady, I adored this kind of intrigue. Freddie always caught me because I wanted him to, to make him angry. My situation with Gorman is that we’re improperly proper. No one even bothers to gossip about us anymore.”
The mention of her constant companion annoyed him.
“I used to watch a promising colonel or brigadier toss it all away over some woman beneath him, and I simply could not understand it. God, I envied Roger Hubble when you two were married, and every time I’ve seen you since.”
“Seems like we’re star-crossed,” she said. “With this situation there is absolutely no one I can confide in,” she said.
“A general is even lonelier,” Brodhead opined. “Well, we surely can’t run off to the continent these days,” he said, with a sting of black humor. “I’m so tied to my command I can’t even take off a long weekend to do a little fishing. I’ve been dying to go to Donegal for a shot at the salmon. I’m told they’re running in the thousands.”
“Wait a moment. What did you just say?” Caroline asked.
“A fishing holiday without a dozen staff climbing up my back.”
Caroline became intense as discovery worked its way up through her. “Of course. How stupid of me. Strange how you turn things inside out to find a solution that has been in front of your face, all the time.”
Lord, is this true! he wondered.
Caroline let out a little squeal of delight then reached over and gave him a lingering kiss, and quickly wiped the lip rouge from him.
“The hunting lodge,” she said. “It hasn’t been used since I left Hubble Manor. It’s completely removed.”
“I’ve been there time and again with Roger. He showed it to me after you did it over. Rather…exciting…but what about the gamekeeper and his wife?” he asked.
“They retired several months ago and I sent them to America for a year to visit relatives. I’ve not appointed a new warden.”
His heart was racing at the possibility of a woman of Caroline’s stature. No one before her remotely gave him cause to toy with regulations.
“No matter how we plan it, it still carries some risk,” Caroline said.
“Maybe not,” he replied, turning on the “battle” plans.
“Will you be able to get there by yourself?” she asked.
“Let me think about that,” he answered. “Of course, I can take a weekend at Brodhead Abbey. At that point, send staff to Londonderry Barracks and tell them I’m going fishing alone. I might mention I’m heading south, in the opposite direction, to throw them off.”
“Well now,” Caroline said, showing outward nervousness, “shall we do it?”
“Yes.”
“My, this is exciting. I could go up ahead and tidy things up and get a turf fire going and lay in some necessities. Here’s the number of my private phone at Rathweed Hall…tell me when, I’ll be there waiting.”
“We don’t want to go in by horseback?”
“Do it the simple way. Drive to the north gate of the earldom. I’ll have unlocked it. Drive in for about nine miles. There is an unmistakable path at the foot of the big hill with