James pivoted on his heel to face Oscar since the man had his arm. “You know as well as I do that Edward has always been a peg above us,” James said reasonably to the man. “Your father is a magistrate, and Augustus, he barely qualifies as a member of society with his merchant father. You have seen how he looks down on me and makes fun of me for my own title even if it is just a bit below his.”
Oscar’s hand dropped as the man seemed to contemplate what James was saying. “I guess I always tried to think the best of him,” Oscar said, “but I guess now that you mention it, maybe he has always treated us a bit below him.”
“I never have, though,” James said silkily. “Who was always there with invitations to the best events or taking you on adventures in London?”
A smile spread across Oscar’s face. The man always liked a simple answer, and this one was the simplest of all. “That would be you, of course,” Oscar said certainly. “You never hesitate to bring Augustus and me along.”
“That is right,” James agreed with a nod. “I am not ashamed of my friends.” James smiled as he saw the idea taking hold in Oscar. The man was easily swayed, but he liked things simple. James was better for Oscar financially. That was as simple as it got.
Oscar patted James on the shoulder. “And a good friend you have been to me.”
“Just remember that in the coming days,” James said with a sigh.
***
Oscar put down the sack of supplies he had been moving and stared at Edward. Edward took a deep breath and said firmly, “What are you doing with that?”
“I am moving, what does it look like?” Oscar snapped back.
Several soldiers nearby turned their heads to look at Oscar and Edward. Edward had hoped it would not come down to him having to reprimand one of his friends, but Oscar was clearly carrying a bag of supplies that did not belong to his troop. Ration hoarding was strictly prohibited due to the nature of a wartime camp.
“I am asking you again, who told you to move that supply sack?” Edward was praying that Oscar would see reason and just give him the name of the person who had told him to do it. Yet, Edward could see the way Oscar held himself and the man’s defiant gaze. “Fine,” Edward said, “you are pulling duty by the latrines.”
Oscar protested, “I was not doing anything to get a citation for, your majesty.”
“I asked you who told you to move it. You did not state your case then, you do not get a say now,” Edward said firmly. He turned on his heel and headed back towards the field officer tents. He had had enough of the camp for the moment, not that the tents were much better. Edward just needed to be away from the look in Oscar’s eyes that seemed to accuse him of something.
The colonel was just stepping out of his tent as Edward was walking by to go to his own tent. “Ho there, Edward, you look like someone has drowned your cat,” the man said with a cocked eyebrow at Edward.
Edward reluctantly slowed his pace and came to stand before the colonel. “Not at all, Sir,” Edward said as he put a smile on his face just as he had done a thousand times when he was upset but his father told him to buck up. The man always said that Edward did not have to be happy, but the world did not always need to know why.
“Are you certain about that? You look like my Aunt Mabel when my uncle was a particularly bad boy,” Colonel Ainsley said. Edward noted the colonel did not have his usual hat on. The man almost always wore his peaked hat. Today he was without it, and Edward saw that the man’s hair had a faint red tint in the sunlight.
Edward sighed. “I have just been experiencing some of the less touted parts of being a field officer, Sir.”
“Ah, having one of those days then.” Colonel Ainsley nodded sagely. “Well, nothing for it. You need to come in and have some tea.”
Edward could not help laughing even if he did try to stop himself. “You are having high tea, Sir?”
“Well, it is more like low tea, but yes,” Colonel Ainsley said as he waved Edward inside.
Edward stooped and went through the tent door. Edward saw a tray with a teapot on the man’s table. Colonel Ainsley came in and motioned for Edward to take a seat. Edward took the cup of tea that the man offered him and sipped it. He grimaced a bit, and Colonel Ainsley chortled with laughter.
“I ran out of the good stuff a bit back, my boy,” Colonel Ainsley said. “This is a local brand. It is a bit bitter but not horrible once you get used to it.”
Edward took another sip and grimaced again. “I will have to take your word for that, Sir.”
“You do that,” Colonel said as he chuckled and lifted his own cup. “Now I was about to drink tea when I heard some words that sounded raised in anger. Was that you then?”
Edward nodded slowly. “Not so much anger, as frustration,” Edward admitted. “I do not know if I am cut out for being a major, Sir.”
“We all have our doubts when we get thrust into situations that we never intended to happen. Mantles are sometimes placed on us that we never wanted.” Colonel Ainsley sipped his tea and shrugged lightly. “Just because you never set out to be a higher rank does not mean that you are not well-suited for it.”
Edward shook his head. “It would be easier if I did not have friends in this troop. I fear that I may not have friends for much longer.”
“Well, then you will not have this horrible confliction,” Colonel Ainsley said in amusement. The man softened at the look on Edward’s face. “I thought you very much like your friend, Captain Winchester when your group first arrived. You both had your commissions, unlike your two other friends. Yet, you are not like him, Edward.”
Edward looked at the colonel in confusion. Colonel Ainsley continued, “I am sure you have heard the rumour of how Captain Winchester left two men to die, have you not?”
“I do not place much stock in hearsay, Sir,” Edward said. He was uneasy talking about James in such a way. It felt like he was betraying his friend.
Colonel Ainsley gave Edward a grin. “That is what sets you apart from your friend.” The colonel sighed. “The rumour is just this once true. I had to personally reprimand him. I could not punish him too severely because his troop, or part of them, vouched that the situation was too dangerous for them to attempt a rescue.”
Edward closed his eyes and nodded. He could almost certainly guess which part of the troop had sided with James. “Is there anything I can do to help Captain Winchester?” Edward looked at Colonel Ainsley earnestly.
The colonel rubbed his chin as he set down his teacup. “I can only hope that some of your discipline rubs off on him. Like it or not, Edward, not everyone is made to be in a position of command.”
***
Edward left the colonel’s tent downhearted that James had not come to him. Edward had dismissed the rumours as James always seemed to have some rumour about him going around. James actually went out of his way to do things to encourage people to spread rumours sometimes.
“Edward,” Augustus said as Edward stood pondering whether he should go and try to talk to James.
Edward turned towards the man with a bit of trepidation. He did not know if Augustus would be angry with him for punishing Oscar. “Augustus, I have not seen much of you around camp,” Edward observed as he put a smile on his face.
Augustus shrugged. “Haven’t been around much to be seen,” he said. “Heard about what happened with Oscar. He’s been in a terribly bad mood lately.”
“What is going on, Augustus? Is there something I can do to help?” Edward asked the question earnestly. If he could somehow make whatever was going on with his friends better, then he would do it. He owed them that much.
“I do not know,” Augustus said quietly. “I came back from patrol, and Oscar was acting oddly. I asked him about it, but he just said that he was tired of being pushed around.”
Edward shook his head. “I think this war is getting to everyone, perhaps it is weighing on Oscar more than most. I fear that my talking to him would do little good at the moment.”
“But James might listen to you,” Augustus said. “He has been in Oscar’s ear. I want everyone to be as we were.”
Edward agreed, “I can try. James has been terribly irritable as of late, but I will try.” Edward started to go towards James’ tent, and then he stopped and asked, “The colonel just told me that the rumour about James leaving those men was true. I never believed it until Colonel Ainsley vouched for it. What happened out there, Augustus?”
“It was war,” Augustus said with a sad expression. “There was so much noise and chaos. I do not know what more we could have done.”
Edward nodded and put his hand on Augustus’ shoulder. “I never believed that James would leave those men out of malice or cowardice.”
Augustus nodded and said hesitantly, “Yeah, not our James.”
***
James was sitting in the tent staring at an ant crawling across the ground. Odd how no matter where you went, the creatures that crawled beneath your feet always seemed the same. He pondered the little ant before crushing it beneath his boot with a small amount of satisfaction.
“James,” Edward’s voice called, and James looked up at Edward’s face.
James fought to keep the scowl off his face. Instead, he plastered on a smile. “Edward, I am so sorry about how we left things when you moved tents. I must say it is a bit too quiet here with you gone.”
“I must admit that it is terribly quiet in the new tent without you around, James,” Edward agreed. “I did not think we left things too badly.”
James shrugged. “Maybe that is just my paranoid state of mind then.”
“Can I talk to you for a moment about Oscar?” Edward asked.
James was not at all surprised that Edward had come to him. He nodded and waved his hand graciously to the other bedroll in the tent. Edward sat down carefully. James asked, “What has Oscar done now?”
“It is not about anything he has done. Augustus is just concerned that Oscar has not been acting like himself. Have you noticed anything off about Oscar?” Edward gave James a truly concerned look that James relished.
Giving the matter due thought, James pursed out his lips and hummed. “Now that you mention it, he has been a bit gruff. He thinks you are too big for your breeches now that you have that fancy title.”
“My promotion changes nothing between Oscar and me,” Edward said adamantly.
James scoffed, “Of course it does, at least in Oscar’s eyes. He sees it as you leaving us behind.”
“How do I make all of this better?” The look of anguish on Edward’s face was rewarding enough for James, but he could not stop himself from rubbing it in just a bit more.
James said with a sigh, “I do not know if you can, Edward. It was not anything you did in particular. You cannot change that you got the promotion. You just have to do your job.”
They sat there for a moment as James watched Edward nod slowly. Edward said finally, “I suppose you are right.” Edward looked at James then. His eyes held an intensity that made James uneasy. “I never believed that rumour against you about the two men that got left behind, James,” Edward said as if he very much needed James to know that.
James did not need, nor want Edward’s absolution for his sins. James had done what he had to do, and that was just how he viewed it. “I do not care if people talk about me; you know that better than most, Edward.”
“Which is exactly why I did not pay any attention to the rumours,” Edward said with a nod. “However, the colonel told me of it. I wanted you to know that while I do not know what happened out there, I believe that you would never willingly leave men behind without a good reason, James.”
James bristled at the very idea that it should matter to him whether or not Saint Edward believed in him. James certainly did not believe in Edward for one moment. “That means a great deal to me,” James said with false humility. “Thank you.”
Edward gave James a sad smile. “Some adventure this has been, eh?”
“Yes, it is quite the disappointment,” James said with hollow bravado. The sights they had both seen during the fighting were enough to haunt men. James could scarcely sleep at night sometimes due to seeing the faces of men stained with blood. Still, they were here, and James would make the best of it.
Edward said, “I should get back and get on with my duties.”
“I hear we are moving to a new location soon,” James said as Edward stood up.
Edward nodded. “I did hear one of the other officers say something to that effect. If I find out more, then I will let you know.”
“I would appreciate that,” James said honestly.
Edward left, and not more than a few minutes later, Oscar came in scowling. “What did he want?”
“Oh, to talk about your behaviour,” James said with a shrug. “Worry not, I vouched for you.”
Oscar nodded at James then frowned. “Augustus will not believe the worst of Edward. He still thinks he is a noble soul.”
“So be it then,” James said resolutely. “We tried to warn him. He shall just have to find out for himself.”
***
On the battlefield, the rare communication from England was a reason to celebrate. Edward had written to Emily several times over the last few months, but the replies had been spotty at best. Edward did not think the worst of Emily for it. He wagered that her replies were probably getting lost in the confusion of military post.
They had indeed moved a few months back to a town that a forward regiment had needed help taking control of. Now that the town was under British control, the other regiments had moved on, but their regiment had been ordered to stay behind and hold the town. Edward did not much like having to sit on his hands, and there was not much to do in the town as all the townspeople were pretty compliant with the takeover.
Edward read the letter from Emily that he had just received and was thankful that at least being bogged down in this billet as they were they got post with more regularity. She was relaying her happiness at hearing of his promotion, and he smiled. He had gotten used to his new rank, but her outlook on it made it seem new again even to Edward.
Dear Edward,
How I have missed your voice and the touch of your hand. It has only been months? It feels as if it has been years. I am thrilled to hear of your promotion. I knew that you would do well, though. You always do so well at anything you try. Being a major must be so exciting.
I do hope that the boys are well. You mentioned that you are moving. I hope that means my letters can get through. It is so hard to get letters to you, Darling. Please tell Oscar, Augustus, and James that I miss them as well.
I will keep this brief as my longer letters always seem to get lost or returned. Be safe, Edward, and remember your promise to me.
With love,
Emily.
“Love letters again?” James asked as he walked up to the table in the dining room of the inn they were currently occupying.
With a sigh, Edward looked up at James. “It was delayed getting here,” Edward said as he shrugged. “Emily was just relaying her congratulations on the promotion. She asks how you and the others are.”
“I am surprised she remembers our names,” James said with a snort as he sank down into one of the chairs across from Edward.
Edward frowned. “Of course she remembers all of you. You, Oscar, and Augustus are her friends, after all. She worries about you all.”
The Revenge of the Betrayed Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 5