‘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.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
‘WHAT ARE WE doing here?’ Fliss glanced around the Army camp as her uncle’s vehicle drove slowly through the gates.
‘You’ll soon find out.’
Fliss snapped her head back in surprise, unaccustomed to her uncle’s tone. He sounded almost...mischievous? It had been this way for the last hour, when he’d arrived at her home and asked her to come for a ride with him. She’d been intrigued—she was used to his commanding air, his empathetic side, and his quietly contained fury, but she couldn’t remember her uncle ever having such an uncharacteristic air of mystery about him.
Slowly the four-by-four pulled over into the old FIBUA she remembered telling Ash about back in Camp Razorwire and her heartbeat began to pick up a steady rhythm.