Read Online Moment of Truth by Michael Pryor - Free Book Online Page B

that would have to do. Weather? Troop numbers? Logistical supply chain? Not terribly relevant. But there was one thing he could look for, one thing that any commander would be grateful for.
    Allies.

    He stood outside Lady Maria’s door and adjusted his jacket and tie. He pushed his hair back and wished that he’d already had a service haircut; his grandmother would have liked it.
    He lifted each foot in turn, rubbing his boots on the back of his trousers, hoping that this would make them shiny enough for her. Finally, he knocked on the door, waited for her invitation, and entered.
    Lady Maria looked up, and closed the notebook she’d been writing in. ‘Ah, Aubrey. I thought I’d be seeing you again.’
    â€˜Grandmother.’ He kissed her on the proffered cheek, then busied himself with drawing up a chair. ‘I need to have a word with you. Another word.’
    Lady Maria glanced at the letter in her lap. Very deliberately, she folded it and slipped it into the open drawer of the table by her side. ‘Go ahead.’
    â€˜I have something to tell Mother and Father, and I thought I’d talk to you first.’
    â€˜And what is this weighty matter that needs such groundwork?’
    â€˜I’ve joined up.’
    â€˜Good. When?’
    Aubrey hesitated. He’d been expecting surprise. Instead, his grandmother had simply taken his bombshell for granted. ‘This morning. Just after I saw you.’
    â€˜Which regiment?’
    â€˜Ah. That’s a little tricky.’
    â€˜Don’t tell me you joined the navy. Ghastly folk, sailors.’
    â€˜No, not the navy. A special section.’
    â€˜Military intelligence, then,’ Lady Maria said dismissively. ‘We can’t have that.’
    â€˜I beg your pardon?’
    â€˜Secret service will do you no good in the long run because it stays secret. The army is the place for you. After you lead your troops successfully and win medals, your future will be assured.’
    Aubrey glanced out of the window. Two of the gardeners were trundling out a lawn roller. He’d once heard someone ask Lady Maria how to get a lawn as good as the one at Maidstone. She’d sniffed and explained that it was straightforward: simply sow grass seed, then cut and roll for three hundred years.
    â€˜I hadn’t thought of it like that,’ he said, which was true.
    â€˜Of course not. Now, let me talk to some friends and I’m sure I can make arrangements. The Cliffstone Guards, of course. I’m sure they will be needing some good junior officers.’
    Aubrey rubbed his forehead. So he had an ally in the joining up business, but it was like seeing your ally appear on your left flank then, without warning, go galloping off without looking at the battle plan at all. He was sure she could arrange a commission. Her network of friends, acquaintances and people who simply owed her favours had been built up over decades.
    It wasn’t what he wanted.
    â€˜Grandmother, I think I might need to explain myself a little better.’
    It took some time, and a welcome pot of tea, before Aubrey reached a level of understanding with his grandmother. At first she was insistent, taking her customary stance of knowing best, but Aubrey didn’t give up. He stood firm. He’d never been successful with his grandmother before, and it was like moving a monolith an inch at a time, but he wondered if it wasn’t a sign of his growing up that he didn’t back down.
    Finally, Lady Maria fixed him with a look that Aubrey, with some hesitation, decided held a measure of respect. ‘I’ve never seen you like this, Aubrey.’
    â€˜I don’t think I’ve ever been like this.’ Aubrey was both exhausted and proud of himself. Lady Maria was like a force of nature as far as getting her own way was concerned, and yet he’d stood his ground.
    â€˜Hmm. I’d tell you that you’re reminding me of your