Victor nodded. ‘Spoken like a true mercenary.’
Stratton shook his head wearily and walked off up the slope.
Sebastian was stroking the horse and speaking softly to it as Stratton arrived and stopped a few paces away.
‘What do you think of him . . . my horse?’ Sebastian asked.
‘It’s a beautiful animal.’
‘Are you familiar with horses?’
‘No.’
‘But you have instincts. You’re a warrior. That puts you closer than ordinary men to animals like this. Tell me what you see in him.’
Stratton studied the animal before stepping up to the fence and reaching out to touch it. The horse did not move as Stratton stroked its cheek.
‘Kindred spirits, as I said. He comes from warrior stock himself.’
The horse turned its head slightly to look at Stratton. It was a powerful and stalwart-looking beast. ‘I see pride. Dignity. He seems content.’
The old man nodded. ‘He’s a true white, as resolute as they come. There has always been a white in our family. Tradition is important, don’t you think?’
Stratton could agree with that. There was none in his family but he had learned the meaning of the word - the concept - while serving in the British military.
‘Tell me,’ Sebastian said. ‘Why have you chosen to stay here when your life is in danger?’
‘Because I was asked politely.’
Sebastian allowed himself a rare chuckle. ‘And the real reason?’
Stratton had to think about it for a moment. ‘To be honest, I don’t really know.’
‘Then examine what did not drive you away. Fear could not, because you’re unafraid. Self-interest was not enough. You came with Victor and his men to finish the job - so you are altruistic. You saved a stranger’s life, which makes you empathetic. Forgive the examination. I am interested in the instincts of animals but even more so in those of men. In times of confusion instincts are all we have to rely on . . . Have you seen much of the camp?’
‘Victor showed me some of it.’
‘You need to see it all. Louisa!’ Sebastian called out.
His daughter stepped out of a stall. Her expression went blank when she saw Stratton. ‘Yes, father?’ she said as she walked over to them.
‘Would you show our guest around? Give him a horse.’
Louisa did not look overjoyed at the prospect. If Sebastian noticed her lack of enthusiasm, he gave no sign and faced Stratton, looking him in the eye. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he said with true sincerity.
Stratton watched him head down the path towards the log cabins. The man was without doubt a member of a rare breed. Some people were born with an exceptional aura and Sebastian was one of them. He had begun and was now holding together a national rebellion by sheer force of will.
Louisa was looking at Stratton as if she’d won a booby prize.
‘I take it you don’t fancy being a tour guide today,’ he said.
‘You’re very intuitive.’
‘I’ve had enough compliments for one day, thanks.’
She gave him an insincere smile.
‘Maybe some other time,’ he said, turning away.
Louisa would have been happy to let him go but she was mindful of her father’s request. ‘Wait.’
Stratton did not respond.
‘Can I say something?’ she asked.
He slowed to a halt and looked around at her tiredly.
‘You’re my father’s guest. If he wants you to be shown around I will oblige him.’
‘Hey. Don’t put yourself out on my account.’ He continued down the slope.
‘Look . . .’ Louisa began. But Stratton was marching off at a stubborn pace. She gritted her teeth, turned away from him and stormed back to the stables.
Stratton worked on suppressing his annoyance. He could usually tolerate disrespect, choosing the diplomatic thick-skinned option that would prevent conflict and let him get on with the job. But every now and then bad manners and insults got to him. Louisa had managed to needle him more easily than another person might have and the reason for that was obvious enough. His ego had been chipped. She was beautiful and he wanted to be attractive to her but she saw him only as a lowlife.
Stratton decided that the best course of action was to avoid the woman altogether. She was only going to wind him up whenever they met. Staying out of her way for the next few hours should not be difficult.
He tried to focus his thoughts on the upcoming weapons training but Louisa had well and truly got under his skin. There was something about her that he could not shake. Stratton had avoided meaningful relationships with the opposite sex for years. It had been a rule of his, and her attitude should have made it easy to sustain. Having a love interest in his line of work was pointless. In his early days in the SBS he had had a girlfriend and there had been some great times but the difficulties and eventual heartbreak had not been worth it. The strains of maintaining a relationship when both parties were often apart for long periods only really became clear after he’d tried it. Sure, he was looking forward to getting home - but only because he didn’t want to be here. If he was offered another job by the time he got to Panama he would take it. And he wouldn’t have to make a difficult phone call to explain, in effect asking for permission not to come home until God only knew when. His pride might have taken a knock but he had to get on with the job in hand.
The sound of hooves thundered behind him and he turned to see Louisa charging his way on her horse with another one alongside her. She passed him in order to turn the snorting animals and bring them to a halt across his path.
She steadied the beasts, taking a moment to compose herself. ‘I was rude,’ she said. ‘It was unnecessary.’
Stratton knew he should have simply insisted that she forget the tour since he was leaving in a few hours but he couldn’t bring himself to.
‘After last night you had every reason to leave,’ Louisa continued. ‘You did not, which . . . it’s to your credit. My father wants you to stay and train the men. It was wrong of me to act the way I did.’
She had said her piece but without actually apologising. Stratton decided to hold out for it.
It was as if she had read his mind. She turned away so that he could not see her rolling her eyes. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
‘I couldn’t hear that,’ Stratton said. ‘What was that last thing you said?’
Louisa clenched her jaw and flashed her eyes at him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated, tersely.
He decided it was the best he was going to get and smiled victoriously at her.
‘Can you ride?’ she asked coldly. ‘This one’s a little feisty but she has a good spirit,’ she said, holding out the reins to him.
Stratton had been on horseback a few times in his life but he would not have described himself as a confident rider. He didn’t think in any case that a tour of the camp was essential. But he found that he was suddenly enjoying Louisa’s company in a weird kind of way.
‘I’m assuming you can sit in a saddle - but then, you don’t look the type to have been in the cavalry,’ Louisa said, clearly baiting him.
Stratton slung the M4 across his back, took the reins, held them fast on the saddle’s horn while he placed his boot into the stirrup and pulled himself up. He made the move successfully but sitting on a saddle felt alien immediately.
Louisa did not wait for him to settle in and she headed across the field at a trot. Before he could do anything his horse set off after her. Stratton was not in control of the animal but if it was happy to follow hers then he supposed that was good enough.
‘What were you talking about with my father?’ she asked as he came alongside her.