‘COLONEL, GOOD TO see you again.’
‘Captain Wyland.’ Ash greeted the eager young officer warmly.
‘I believe I have you to thank for my appointment as ADC. So thank you, sir. It meant a lot.’
The lad had been a second lieutenant in one of Ash’s units when Ash had marked him out as a potential high-flyer, and a possible aide-de-camp for a general. It was satisfying to see his instincts had been right. Not that he was about to say that to the Captain.
‘You were the one who put the extra effort in, so you don’t need to thank me,’ Ash replied firmly. ‘You worked for this promotion and you deserved it.’
‘Still, thank you, Colonel.’
Ash dipped his head in concession.
‘Anyway, General Delaunay is just finishing up on the phone,’ the Captain apologised. ‘We’re running a little late, I’m afraid.’
‘Right,’ he offered grimly.
Just about refraining from pacing the office, Ash considered his approach. He’d already pulled a considerable number of strings to get an audience with the General without the added complication of time constraints. He knew the man well enough on a professional basis, but turning up without an appointment to ask the General for his niece’s hand in marriage was a completely different thing.
Not that it mattered—whether the older man approved or not wouldn’t change Ash’s feelings for Fliss. But, for her sake, he knew she’d prefer to have her uncle’s blessing.
‘You can go straight in now, sir.’
The Captain’s voice permeated his thoughts as Ash straightened his hat, black with its red band, having swapped his usual combat attire for semi-formal dress for the meeting. Satisfied, Ash marched into the office, coming to attention in front of the General’s desk, where he saluted and stayed at attention.
He hadn’t done an Army meeting like this in a long time. And he hadn’t met a girl’s parents, ever. It seemed that Fliss’s effect on him was more far-reaching than even he had realised. He suppressed a grin, knowing the General wouldn’t be too impressed.
‘Colonel Stirling, twice in as many days?’ He quirked an eyebrow. ‘I have to admit I was rather surprised to see your name in my diary for today. Please, take a seat.’
Removing his hat in surprise, Ash sat in the indicated chair as the General called through to his ADC, ‘Captain, we’ll have that coffee now, please. And you may close the door as you leave.’
Ash couldn’t resist. ‘Is this because we brought the trophy home yesterday, General? I’m afraid this meeting is of a more personal nature.’
‘I rather thought it might be.’ The General nodded. ‘You’re dating my niece.’
Dating? Ash thought as the Captain came back in with the coffee. That was one word for it. Still at least that was one thing he could improve on.
‘I’d like to marry her.’
‘I see.’
A hush blanketed the room for several minutes as both men fell silent, punctuated only by the sound of the tea being poured and the clink of the spoons against the china cups.
‘Thank you.’ Ash came to, taking the proffered item.
The General crossed the room again, unhurried, deliberate, picking up his own cup and returning to sit down opposite Ash.
‘So, you want to marry Felicity?’
‘I do.’ Ash wasn’t intimidated. He’d held his own enough not to worry about a general, but he did respect the man. ‘I love Fliss. And I know that your blessing would mean a lot to her.’
‘And I’ve always had you pegged as an Army man through and through.’ The General’s voice was careful, as though he was holding back.
Unable to put his finger on it, Ash decided not to overanalyse and instead offered a rueful shrug. ‘I always had me pegged as an Army man through and through, General. But then I met Fliss.’
‘Do you think she loves you?’
Placing his cup and saucer down on the coffee table, the General rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his face. A silent invitation.
With anyone else Ash might have felt riled. He might have decided to leave. But the General was a man he respected and, more than that, he was Fliss’s uncle. Ash was determined to do this right.
‘I know she does,’ Ash answered simply.
Another moment of silence.
‘I’d be inclined to agree with you.’
‘Sir?’
‘I heard about what happened with her mother, and that Felicity finally stood up to her. I can only assume that’s in no small part down to you.’
‘I just told her what I thought.’
‘Indeed. And I’m grateful. But that doesn’t mean I think you’re the right choice for my niece.’
The words swiped Ash’s legs out from under him.
‘Then you’re wrong,’ Ash asserted calmly. ‘I’m exactly the right choice for Fliss. Not some surgeon who’s more interested in advancing his own career than in Fliss advancing hers.’
‘Of course not,’ the General scoffed. ‘The man was a Muppet. But that doesn’t make you a good match for her.’
‘Is that so, General?’ Cool, direct, Ash fought to control the icy fury threatening his own sanity.
‘I’m sorry. I know you as a selfless, loyal, courageous soldier, an inspiring leader of men and an honourable individual. You’re someone I would be proud to fight alongside. But you and I both know, Colonel, that those qualities don’t necessarily translate to being a good husband, or dependable family man.’
‘I would have thought they were definitely transposable,’ Ash refuted steadily.
‘Colonel… Ash…’ The General softened his words, looking almost apologetic. ‘You’re a maverick; you’re known for it. Look at the sacrifice you were prepared to make when that grenade was thrown at your men. And that’s only one of many. Sometimes I feel you seem to go seeking the most dangerous route. So what happens when you aren’t a single man any more? If you make the ultimate sacrifice and leave behind a devastated wife. Maybe even a baby one day.’
‘It’s called the ultimate sacrifice for a reason,’ Ash pointed out, flattening his palm against his knee to stop himself from clenching his fist in frustration, his mind seeking a way to pull the conversation back. Things weren’t going at all as he had envisaged.
‘Then you’ll understand me when I say you’re exactly the kind of soldier I want as a commanding officer, but you’re not the kind of husband I want for my niece. Felicity will marry you whatever I say, if that’s what she wants. But, as you said before, neither of you actually need my permission, and I wouldn’t dream of standing in your way. In fact, I’m happy you love each other that much. I just can’t, in all good conscience, tell her I’m happy that it’s an infantryman she’s chosen.’
Despite his conviction, the older man sounded as though he was genuinely sorry. But still, Ash had to school himself not to react. Even though he had considered all of this himself, it was still difficult to hear.
He sucked in a breath, his chest tight.
‘I do understand what you’re saying, General. Which is why I’ve already applied for a transfer. Give me a role in your headquarters and I’ll take myself off the front line.’
The words hung there between them, heavy and ominous. The General eyed him with concern.
‘I don’t think you’ve thought this through. I’m not trying to give you an ultimatum, Asher, I’m trying to help you. And Felicity. In the only way I know how.’
‘General—’ Ash cut across him ‘—I have thought this through. Ever since I realised I was in love with Fliss. I do understand why you’re concerned about your niece marrying a front line soldier. We both know how close I came to the end the day that grenade was tossed through that window, and we both know what can happen in a firefight out there. We also both know that I’ve been offered some great postings based back home in the past, but I’ve never wanted to take them.’
‘And now you do?’ The General shook his head. ‘That’s commendable, Asher, it really is. But it’s also naive. What happens in a year? Five years? When you miss being in the action, the adrenalin rush, the feeling of victory? However well-intentioned you are now in giving it up for Felicity, ultimately you’ll start to resent what you had to give up. You’ll start to resent her.’
‘You haven’t,’ Ash pointed out calmly.
‘Say again?’
‘You were a formidable major on the front line, General. I’ve heard the stories about you, sir. Who hasn’t? But you gave it up for Felicity, partly because she was your niece and you love her but also partly out of familial obligation.’
‘And I’ve never once regretted that.’ The General’s tone changed, became short and clipped, but Ash had never been easily intimidated.
‘Exactly my point. Now I’m prepared to give up a job I used to loved because I’m in love with Felicity. Not out of obligation but because I want to be with her. And not because it’s a grand gesture, but because since your niece swept into my life like some kind of blonde-haired, blue-eyed tornado, I’ve felt more settled and content than I ever have before. Because the job I loved up until a month ago no longer holds the same draw, not since Fliss showed me a different life. So this is my way of proving to her how much she’s changed me.’
‘I rather think, Asher,’ the General mused, ‘that you have changed yourself.’
Ash suppressed a rueful smile. The more time he spent with the General, the more he sounded like Rosie and Wilf.
‘Then it’s with the right person nudging me.’ He smiled wryly.
‘Indeed.’ The General rose slowly to his feet. ‘Well, I think you’ve made your argument very successfully, Ash.’ He outstretched his hand. ‘Welcome to our little family.’
‘Thank you.’ Ash nodded. ‘Now, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask you to do.’