Betrayal by J. Robert Janes

Author:J. Robert Janes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Published: 2014-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

The dress was white, the hair shorn, and when Caithleen O’Neill was brought before his desk, Bannerman saw that she was comely.

So this was the girl who’d been stripped and tarred, this was the girl Jimmy had threatened to set alight for withholding information. He’d take his time mentally undressing her, for there was such hatred in those sea-green eyes, such fear it gave one pleasure. There had been a time when he’d have thought of indulging in such a pretty thing should the chance have allowed at Gwen’s house in the Midlands, but that was now out. Both of the boys had been engaged to decent, lovable girls, one not quite five years older than this Irish wench. Big-breasted, high-breasted—did they breed them that way as they tried to breed their damned cows? She’d have screamed—by God, she would have shrieked that pretty head of hers off as they’d ripped the clothes from her.

‘Cat got your tongue?’ he asked.

‘Colonel, I …’

‘Mrs. Fraser, when I wish you to address me further, I will say so. For the moment, I want to hear what this one has to say about things.’

‘Nothing, sir. The army will kill me, like she says, if I stay here much longer.’

The army … ‘Caithleen, I have lost my two sons to German panzers. That is war, and I can stand it for I’ve been a soldier all my life, but what I cannot stand is this …’

‘It’s not my army, Colonel, sir. I was never a part of anything of theirs nor did I ever wish to be.’

‘But you were born to it, girl. I daresay you were suckled on it, so I’ll not have you interrupting me either.’

That lesson would never be learned. He could see it in the way the little thing tossed her head in defiance and straightened those shoulders of hers.

‘Now as I was saying, what I cannot stand is the heartless meddling of this “army” of yours with the death notices of my two sons. I don’t make deals, as Mrs. Fraser has had the gall to ask, nor does the British Army I represent.’

‘You’ve informants, Colonel,’ said Mary. ‘Aren’t deals made with them; doesn’t money change hands?’

‘By damn, how dare you interrupt me again?’

‘Caithleen can tell you nothing. I’ve a far better reason than her for Liam Nolan and Fay Darcy coming to our house.’

‘And what, pray tell, is that?’ He’d say nothing of the fact that the O’Neill girl had been, and still was being used by the rebels to twist her arm!

‘Colonel, on humanitarian grounds, if on no others …’

‘Like bloody hell I will! They invade the sanctity of my house and terrify my good wife. You warn no one of the bomb they’ve planted until after you’ve carted it off and had a look? They steal enough explosive materiel to level a good portion of this castle and release all of our …’

Trant leapt to his feet. ‘Colonel … Colonel, if I might intercede. Mrs. Fraser has come forward with an offer.

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