The Reinvention Of Rudd Carter. A Western Action Adventure Novel (13 page)

Being a few minutes early when he reached the house, and a bit nervous when he knocked on the door, he was not prepared for the sight of Elizabeth. Suddenly, the door opened and she was standing on the open threshold, even more beautiful and radiant than when he last saw her.

“Rudd, it’s so good to see you,” she cried out. “Come in.”

As he entered, she closed the door, kissed him on the cheek, and led him into the living room. She showed him to a sofa and sat down next to him.

“May I get you some tea?” she asked.

“No, thank you.” He turned his head and listened for a moment. “I don’t hear anyone in the house. Where are your husband and children? Are we alone? I thought we were having lunch together.”

Reaching over, she took his hand in hers. Her eyes welled. “My husband… thought it would be good, since we’ve not seen each other for so long, that we have a couple of hours alone together.” She hesitated again. “I feel so strange sitting here with you, feeling the way I do about you, talking about Robert this way. He is a very loving, understanding husband and father.”

Rudd could see how difficult it was for her to tell him these things, and he was overwhelmed with his feelings for her. He fought to control himself and hear her out.

She looked deeply into his eyes. “He has been very good to me, and I care for him very much. Before we were married, I told him about you and our son, James. I told him that I was still in love with you.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “And that I would always carry my feelings for you, but I didn’t know where you were or even if you were alive. I told him that I cared for him and thought he and I were good together. I said I would marry him if he could understand how I felt about you. He has known about you from the beginning. I think he thought you would fade away over the years, and I suppose I thought so, too.” She stopped to wipe her tears away. “But you haven’t faded a bit, and now that you’re here, I realize how strong my feelings still are for you.” She began to weep.

“So when I told Robert I was your cousin from England, he knew that we were once lovers?”

She nodded.

“Amazing, he didn’t bat an eye.”

She fought to stifle her tears. “When he told me you were coming today, I think he sensed my excitement and offered to take the children out for a while. Before he left with the children, he told me that he did not want to lose me, and he would fight to keep me. He said he knew in the end that we would do the right thing.”

Rudd waited a few beats before asking, “Does James know anything about me?”

Shaking her head slowly, she answered, “No. He thinks Robert is his father, and Robert treats him as if he were his own flesh and blood.”

Holding her hand tightly, Rudd inched closer. “You have a good man there. Everything you tell me about him shows me how much he cares for you.” With tears in his own eyes, he pulled her to him and kissed her. “My God, you‘re so beautiful. I didn’t realize how much I missed you and what you still mean to me until this moment. I wake up with you and go to sleep with you. You never leave my thoughts. You’re always with me.” He hugged her and held her close for a moment. “I had no news and didn’t know what had happened to you until my mother wrote me a short while ago.” He sat back and drank in the vision of her. “I had to see you again and know that you were safe… and tell you that I have never stopped loving you.”

He stood and pulled her to her feet, held her in his arms, and the two of them rocked back and forth, weeping together. Caressing her hair with his lips, he said, “I can tell by the way you are with me that what was once between us is still there and will always be a part of both of us. It makes me ache to think of life without you by my side.”

“All you have to do is ask, and I will leave with you this afternoon,” Elizabeth cried out, tears dampening her face again.

“I want to take you away with me for the rest of our lives, but the future of your family depends on what we do here this afternoon,” he said softly. “Could the two of us really just take off and abandon your children at such tender ages? How long could our love hold up against the guilt of such an act? Right now, what exists between us is pure and honorable and can remain so as long as we feel it and want it. There is always the future, but now is not to be our time together, and we both know it.” He drew her close and kissed her once more. He could feel her passion and knew she wanted him. He stepped back. “My darling, my angel, if I don’t walk out that door right now, I won’t be able to leave without you. Just know that I will always love you.”

He turned and exited through the door and strode onto the street, feeling as if he had left his heart and soul behind. But at least he felt released from the anxiety of not knowing what had happened to her. The two of them could now get on with their lives with the knowledge that they still loved each other and would continue to do so for the rest of their days.

He had thought that if he could see her once more, he would know she was all right, and that knowledge would somehow lessen the pain of losing her. Although with each step he took, the pain increased to the point of devastation. As he walked, he thought to himself,
Aside from knowing she is well, it would have been better if I had never come here.
Walking faster, he thought about setting sail for Hong Kong and returning to Ming Li. He knew now that he needed to be far from the sight, touch, and scent of Elizabeth. Over the years, the two of them would stay in touch, but it would never be the same. Never again would they relive the way it had been in their forest paradise long ago.

June, 1900, Hong Kong

Within three years of joining Colonel Jeffers’ paramilitary group, Rudd had participated in a dozen operations and distinguished himself as a soldier as well as a superior squad leader. He was promoted to the rank of Captain and commanded the respect of every man in the group.

By now, he knew he had found his true path in life. Eventually, when the time was right, it would become his life’s work. Being part of a covert military organization where every operation differed from the previous appealed to him, contrary to working at the bank where every day was the same as the day before and every tomorrow would be the same as today, in an endless cycle.

For the next two years, Rudd contented himself in working and advancing upward in the executive ranks of the bank. He found the days at the bank more and more tedious and boring, causing him to jump at any invitation he received to join a military expedition. He stayed at the bank because of the comfortable living it provided, but he looked forward to the day when the income from his military excursions and tournament fights would allow him to pursue these two lines of work exclusively.

In the second week of June, 1900, Rudd received a note at his office from Colonel Jeffers, inviting him to his home for a meeting that evening. Arriving at the colonel’s home at eight o’clock, he was met at the door by a butler who led him to the drawing room to await Jeffers’ appearance.

The colonel came right to the point. “You’ve no doubt heard of the Boxer rebellion?”

“Yes. I’ve heard about it—but I don’t actually know much about it,” Rudd answered.

“The Boxers are a group who originally practiced ritual boxing—not as a martial art—but as an activity associated with healing that has grown into a ritual to protect against the power of the Christians. They have become openly hostile, and clashes between the Boxers and Christian converts have broken out in the northern provinces. The Boxers now want all the foreigners driven out of China. The uprising has gotten out of hand in Northern China. Over forty missionaries and their families have been murdered in the provinces, and things are looking very bad in Peking. Admiral Seymour has made an attempt to reach Peking with two thousand troops, but the Boxers cut the rail line between Tianjin and Peking, forcing the admiral to withdraw. There are very few foreign troops in the area to fight the Chinese army if the Empress Dowager throws in with the Boxers.”

Showing concern, Rudd began to pace. “Colonel, there must be a way to bring in relief forces to calm things down a bit.”

“All of the foreign legations have called for help from their respective countries, but no one can get there for at least thirty days or more. This is why I’ve called you to this meeting.”

“How can I be of help, sir?”

“The British government is asking me to send a covert military group to Peking to destabilize the Boxers as much as possible until reinforcements can get there. Rudd, to show you how much I want you to lead this mission, I am promoting you to the rank of Major with a healthy raise in pay. Pick your fifty best men. You will leave this coming Saturday morning.”

Arriving at home that evening Rudd announced to Ming Li, “I have great news. I‘ve been asked to lead a mission to Peking. We’re leaving this coming weekend.”

She embraced him. “As always, I will miss you while you are away. It pleases me to see you so excited about your coming adventure.”

He didn’t tell her about being promoted to Major and the accompanying raise. He wanted time to ponder what this could mean for their future. The next morning, he went into work early, needing time to think things through. Sui Yen came into his office and found him looking anxious.

“Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

Rudd regarded Sui Yen for a moment. “Yes, there is. I need you to listen to me for a while. Today is a pivotal day for me. What I do by the end of the day will affect the rest of my life.”

Sui Yen pulled up a chair and sat down. “I’m all ears; tell me about it.”

“Yesterday, I was given a mission to take a paramilitary group to Peking to help with the Boxer situation. Colonel Jeffers promoted me to Major and gave me a generous raise.”

“Well, this is good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” he said excitedly. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for. With this raise and the money I earn in fighting tournaments, Ming Li and I can live comfortably without the need for me to continue working at the bank.”

“What is it you want from me?”

“Your support. Unless you can talk me out of it within a few minutes, I’m going in and resigning.”

“Have you thought about the consequences that might arise from leaving your family’s business?” Sui Yen asked. “You know, of course, that you are going to make some people very unhappy.”

“You mean my father,” Rudd said angrily. “He and the family are already unhappy with me. If I’m independent financially, what kind of reprisal can I expect? They want me to spend the rest of my life at the bank. It’s like a prison sentence and takes everything in me to get up in the mornings and drag myself in here.”

Sui Yen glanced around at the expensive mahogany paneled walls of Rudd’s office and then down at the deep-pile handmade Indian rug on which he stood. “I know you well enough to understand that you are not cut out for a banker’s life. It’s safe, it’s secure, but that’s not you. You have the heart of a soldier of fortune. You live for adventure. Colonel Jeffers told me a few months back that you were the most gifted soldier he has ever seen. He also told me that he is preparing you to take over this military group when he retires. I personally think that you have to follow your heart in this decision or you’ll be miserable for the rest of your life.”

Rudd rose from his chair, came around his desk, and offered his hand. “Sui Yen, as always, you’ve been a good friend in a time of need. I’m going in and resign right now.”

Shaking his friend’s hand, Sui Yen said, “I’ll be interested to know how it goes.”

Fifteen minutes later, Rudd strode into the office of his second cousin, Roger Carter, first vice-president of Carter International Bank, Hong Kong Branch.

Roger rose to his feet, shook hands with him, and offered him a seat. Studying Rudd for a moment, he said, “What a pleasant surprise to see you this morning. We haven’t talked in a long while. I’ve been hearing good things about you.”

Over the seven years that Rudd had worked at the bank, he had become quite fond of Roger. Roger let him know that he followed his fighting career with admiration and was well aware of his military accomplishments through his friendship with Colonel Jeffers at the British Club. Rudd had become a legendary figure with many of the Brits in Hong Kong society. Roger had managed to keep the flame of interest focused on Rudd and himself by reminding the Brits from time to time that Rudd was the son of Lord Carter, member of the House of Lords and owner of the Carter Bank.

“I wanted to come in today to talk with you about something very serious,” Rudd said.

Roger folded his hands in front of him and leaned forward. “You know you always have my attention. Let’s hear it.”

“First, I want you to know how much I appreciate all you have done for me since I arrived in Hong Kong. The last thing on earth I want is to do something that would harm our relationship. You mean a great deal to me,” he said, clearing his throat. He locked eyes with Roger. “I hope what I’m about to tell you doesn’t anger you. I have decided to resign from my position at the bank. Although I’m grateful for the experience, the banking business is not for me.”

Roger appeared dazed by what he had just heard. “What is it that you want to do? You’re very good at banking. Your career is guaranteed at a high income for the rest of your life. What more could you want?”

“That’s the point!” Closing both fists and clenching his teeth, Rudd said, “I don’t want to get up every morning knowing that every day is going to be the same for the rest of my life, like traveling through a long, lifeless dark tunnel for eternity.”

“And, you would rather do what?” Roger asked in a challenging tone.

“I know this is going to be hard to understand. I have been ordered to take a covert military group to Peking to help defend the foreign legations from being overrun by the Boxers.”

Roger looked at him with a puzzled expression. “But won’t that put you in a rather perilous position? I understand that the Boxer Rebellion is a large, violent, popular movement that is intent on throwing all the foreigners out of China.”