With Horses, 25 May

The Portuguese would be set free, against the crime that they had commited? Willoughby saw the injustice of that decision, though they could do little for it. When their own soldier attempted something of the sort, they were severely punished. But their allies seemed on this aspect to receive some leniency. Though he was against the decision, he thought, rather smartly, to keep his tongue. He looked at the woman, knowing she was safest with them now.

He regretted not allowing her a more thorough attack of one. With this though he found himself that he was pitying the enemy, feeling anger against the Portuguese who were allies, and yet worry for a French person, which belonged to the enemy. In his defense though, she was a civilian with a child, and thus in some ways did not fall under the same equation as the rest.

"..Yes, sir." He turned, ready to relax the order to the troopers standing or sitting sentry.

"Has she anything to say?" Gaines asked, not for the first time cursing the fact he had never troubled seriously to learn French. He could get by in Spanish well enough but that scarcely helped him here.

Timothy turned towards their French captive and translated what Gaines had first said, and then waited to translate back to Gaines, should he have something to tell him. He did not feel fully at ease to speak in the foreign language with an officer about, but since his service of the language had begun earlier, he could not become mute now.

She listened to the young man's translation. Naturally she would remain with her baby. Did they think she would abandon him? And she was willing to stay near the veterinary surgeon as long as he felt the need to monitor her son. He obviously knew how to care for wounded infants. But when would she be able to return to the French army? She told the hussar to ask the officer.

The situation was now out of Matthew's hands, and he couldn't add much that was helpful. He was dismayed to see the Portuguese going loose without any consequences for their action - they had assaulted a woman and an infant! And it was obvious what they had meant to do to the woman - or what they had done; he did not know for certain, but her clothing was nearly ripped completely off of her, if she hadn't been holding it shut for modesty.

Matthew's eyes lingered on the irregulars, in a hard, angry stare, but he could say or do nothing. Gaines was the real officer here - Matthew was only a veterinarian with a nominal rank. The hussar captain knew what needed to be done.

"She would like to know, sir, when she might return to the French army." Willoughby translated what she had said, and glanced at Broderick briefly. He knew that if she was to return, it would have to be within the sight of the Enemy, and it would have to be watched so that the Portuguese might not snatch her up. A precarious thing as any.

He spared the irregulars a simple quick glance before he looked at Gaines again.