LoveBetrayed by Samantha Kane Page A

clear his mind. Before he could
regain his senses he was yanked out from under the hooves of his panicking
horse. A blow to the chin had him reeling again and he was vaguely aware of
someone shouting and dragging him along, through the dust and thunder of the
melee around them.
    He was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. He felt the wet
scratch of the brush on his bare hands as he crawled to his hands and knees.
Suddenly there was a popping sound and he heard a furious voice growling at
him. “…you stupid, fucking little prig.”
    He rolled to his back, arms up to defend himself, and to his
shock saw a dusty Sir Barnabas James wearing a rifleman’s uniform, crouched
behind a tree, rifle at the ready as he watched the battle not twenty feet from
where they hid among the trees.
    “What…what are you doing?” he managed to gasp. He realized
then that he still hadn’t recovered from the blow that had nearly knocked him
from the saddle.
    “You don’t engage the enemy with your back,” James said
angrily. “This is why you bloody little officers keep dying over here. If
they’d only train you the way they train the infantry you’d last longer.”
    “I’ve got to get back,” he said, coughing as he tried to
stand. “Thank you.”
    James was standing in front of him then, and Harry wasn’t
sure how he’d gotten up so fast. Unexpectedly James put a foot to his chest and
kicked him back into the dirt, knocking the wind out of him again.
    “Oh, no, you don’t,” James said through clenched teeth. “I
gave him my word you’d not die out here, and I’m not going to let your
overwhelming stupidity and foolishly noble heroics make a liar out of me.” He
made a furious sound in the back of his throat and then kicked Harry in the
side hard enough to force a grunt out of him. Harry grabbed his throbbing side.
“I wish I could shove your worthless hide out there and let a French bullet
take care of you for me. You are worse than worthless. You little bastard.”
    James turned and dropped to a crouch again, looking around
the tree. “They have the Seventh surrounded. Wellington is an idiot and an ass
and he’ll rue this day. It galls me to turn valuable information over to him,
information my agents have gathered at the cost of their lives, and have it
ignored.”
    “The French keep pulling back,” Harry said breathlessly. His
ribs were aching from James’ kick. “The cavalry is leading the Seventh back
across the plain to a safer position. The French artillery units are afraid of
us. When we charge they scatter. I’ve got to get back to my horse. Every man is
needed.”
    “Every man is going to die,” James said flatly. “Haven’t you
figured that out? You are all expendable. Wellington needs the Seventh
returned. The infantry is what’s important here. You are merely a decoy to
distract the French.” He turned a puzzled look to Harry. “What the hell are
they doing now?”
    Harry crawled over cautiously, expecting another assault,
but James just continued to watch the action on the plain in front of them. He
looked out and was as confused as James for a moment. Then James began to
laugh. “By God, they’re going to charge the artillery battery. Can they truly be
that suicidal?”
    Harry watched in horror as the Fourteenth Light Dragoons
charged a French artillery company, just as James had said. They were mowed
down by the French guns, and Harry saw his friends fall and felt it like a
wound to his chest. “I should be there,” he cried out angrily. “What the hell
is wrong with you?”
    He grabbed James, taking the other man by surprise. Spinning
him around Harry punched him. James stumbled back a step and Harry followed
him, ramming his shoulder into James’ midsection and slamming him back against
a tree. James brought his arms up, breaking Harry’s hold and then he backhanded
Harry across the face. Harry lost his balance and tripped, falling down yet
again.
    “Is that really the best