Haunted Ground by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Historical Romance, Horror, Romance, Gothic, Historical, Ghosts, Genre Fiction, Literature & Fiction
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2014-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

Edward Sexby pulled his hat lower over his eyes to shield them from the brightness of the afternoon sun. He loved these rare days when everything seemed just a little brighter and more intense; the senses in tune with nature. It was a feeling second only to being in battle, when one felt unbearably alive knowing that any moment could bring death. Those were the moments he lived for, the moments when he felt as if he was exactly where he was meant to be. Many men took up arms, but few really enjoyed the clash of steel, the screaming of frightened horses, and the exquisite feeling of driving a blade into a man, his eyes full of shock and disbelief as he realized that he’d just been killed.

Sexby prayed every night that he would die in battle and not as an old man sitting by the hearth with a rug over his aching bones waiting to expire. Death on a battlefield was honorable; death of old age was feeble, especially if one died alone with no wife or children. Once in a while, Sexby regretted not having married or siring a son or two, but everything he’d seen in his thirty-four years led him to believe that surrounding yourself with love could only lead to unbearable loss. He wasn’t a man given to pity, but even he could feel something shifting in his heart as they slaughtered the Catholics in Ireland; men, women, and children whose only crime was to worship in a way different from those of the invaders. Sexby, himself, didn’t believe in God. What kind of God would tolerate the horrors that people inflicted on each other, but then again, who was he to question the ways of divinity? Maybe it was all part of a greater plan, and one day people would look back on this period of history and declare it a time of enlightenment and change — not slaughter and chaos.

Edward Sexby threw the reins of his horse to Will Barnett and unlaced his breeches to relieve himself. Barnett had picked a picturesque spot by a lively stream to set up camp for the night. The lad had quite a romantic streak when he wasn’t murdering people. There were still a few hours of daylight left, but Sexbydidn’t mind stopping early. He’d volunteered for his assignment for one reason and one reason only— to get a break from the fighting. No matter how much a man loved his wife, he still needed to fuck someone else’s from time to time, and Sexby needed a change of scenery.

He’d chosen Will to accompany him for a reason as well. Besides having no conscience, the boy hero-worshipped him and was very eager to please, which was a rare convenience when traveling. Will took care of the horses, prepared food, and best of all, left Sexby in peace as they made their way south. At eighteen, Will had been a mercenary for several years, and a good man to have at your back in a fight.

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