Chapter 4

Sergeant Ignacio de Soto was currently stationed in Barcelona and had now been in the Army for eight years. By this time he knew all the tricks, all the excuses used by lazy soldiers and he tolerated no idleness from his troops. It was during this time that he met the beautiful wife of his commanding officer, Colonel Vicente de Alvaro.

Doña Carolina de Alvaro was a young, wealthy and a very bored military wife, who loved everything she could get from life and flirted outrageously with her husband's fellow officers. She was not in love in Vincente, it had been an arranged marriage with the older officer. Vincente was fifteen years older than her, who had been a close friend to her family and had never married.

Carolina soon discovered the real reason for his reluctance to marry and ever since then, they had agreed to a certain freedom within their marriage. As long as she gave him a male heir, to ensure the future generation of the de Alvaro and their wealth, she was free to pursue other interests as was he. She was shocked at first but soon found her freedom thrilling. She had given her husband his heir, in the first year of their marriage and even since, they both enjoyed their liberty and as long as each was discreet, there would be no reproach for their behaviour.

When the de Alvaro's moved back to Barcelona, she met up with some of her old friends, who had no problems with her behaviour, in fact a number of them were having liaisons of their own. But Carolina was bored with her affairs, she wanted something more, something different. She wanted some excitement.

One warm afternoon, Carolina was at the barracks watching a graduation ceremony with two of her friends, Doña Elvira and Doña Teresa, when she noticed a tall, fair-haired, rather good looking Sergeant, whose stance showed a slight arrogance about him.

Doña Elvira noticed and shook her head. "Really Carolina, you must be feeling low if you are staring at a common soldier like that."

Doña Teresa looked in the same direction. "Si, you wouldn't be considering him Carolina, I mean there are plenty of young handsome officers to choose from, there's no need to go to the lower ranks."

Carolina sighed. "You know I am a little tired of the pompous officers, they are all the same but..." she stopped.

The two ladies exchanged a knowing look and shrugged.

"He's just a common soldier Carolina, what would he know about our class?" Elvira repeated.

Teresa snorted delicately. "You could always educate him in the ways of society."

She turned her attention back to the Sergeant. "Perhaps." She was selective about whom she had liaisons with, she had to ensure the gentleman's silence to protect both herself and her husband. In ten years of marriage, she had flirted with many men but had only taken three lovers, none lasting for longer than two months. Before she would make her decision, she wanted to meet him first.

It was a week later that she got her chance. She was on the way to visit her husband in his office, when she came across the fair-haired Sergeant bawling out a new recruit.

"You will stand in the middle of the grounds, in full kit until I tell you otherwise, understand recruit?" he shouted.

"Si Sergeant." replied the hapless recruit.

"Well just don't stand there gaping at me, get going NOW!" he roared.

"Si Sergeant." the young trooper fled.

"What has the poor fellow done to deserve your wrath Sergeant...Sergeant?" a soft feminine voice came from behind him.

He turned around and found himself looking at a tall, auburn haired, beautiful woman. "de Soto, Ignacio de Soto ma'am." he bowed slightly.

"Well Sergeant De Soto, what was his crime?" she smiled at him.

Ignacio smiled back, although a little wary, he knew who she was. "Just a minor infringement ma'am, nothing for you to worry about."

Carolina nodded. "I guess I don't have to bring it up with my husband then?"

"No ma'am, there's no need to involve the Colonel, for such a small incident." he stared intently into her blue eyes and she stared back.

"I'm glad, my husband is a busy man. Well Sergeant de Soto, I won't keep you any longer, you must have plenty of work to do. Perhaps we shall meet again."

Again they stared at each other. "Perhaps we shall ma'am."

Carolina nodded. "Goodbye Sergeant."

"Goodbye ma'am."

Ignacio followed her with his eyes and thought hard. The reputation of the Colonel's beautiful wife was known in the barracks but the rumours of her liaisons were only with wealthy officers, never with lower ranks. He frowned slightly as he walked towards the firing range, did she want a liaison with him or was he simply reading too much into it? He shook his head, he couldn't imagine that she wouldn't lower herself to take a common soldier as her lover.

Carolina thought about the Sergeant as she walked away. He was younger than she first thought, that fair hair which could almost pass for white, had deceived her. She had seen more handsome men before but he was definitely good looking, he seemed to be in his early twenties and to achieve the rank of Sergeant so fast gave her an idea of his ability or at least his ambition. He spoke politely enough to her and kept direct eye contact, which someone of his rank would never do. She did notice the slight arrogance in his stance, as though he wasn't easily impressed by her position. He would be a challenge to tame that was for sure, she thought to herself. She smiled as she entered her husband's office and decided to meet again with Ignacio de Soto to make her final decision.

A week and half later Carolina had another chance meeting with Ignacio. Her mare had thrown a shoe and she had bought her horse to the army blacksmith and just as the blacksmith began his work, Ignacio walked by on his way to the stables.

"Ah Sergeant De Soto isn't it?" she said softly.

Ignacio turned at the soft feminine voice and bowed his head slightly. "Yes ma'am." again he looked directly into her eyes without flinching. "Is there something wrong with your horse, ma'am?"

Carolina smiled warmly. "Si, she threw a shoe as we rode through Ciutadella Park. Do you ever ride through Ciutadella, Sergeant?"

Ignacio shook his head. "No ma'am. I don't have a lot of time for such activities."

She boldly took a step closer. "That is a shame Sergeant, you never know who you might meet in the park." She had decided to have a flirtation with the young soldier and if it developed further, well she wouldn't be averse to taking him to her bed.

He raised an eyebrow in speculation of her words, did she mean?

She continued. "I exercise my horse every Tuesday and Fridays in the park and sometimes catch up with old friends, sometimes meet new ones."

Ignacio swallowed hard, felt his pulse race as the realisation hit him. She did want him, he mused to himself. Well he wouldn't be unwilling to amuse himself for a while with her. "It's good to know that you exercise your horse regularly."

Carolina nodded. "I assume that you would exercise your horse within the grounds of the barracks, perhaps a change of scenery would do you good. I mean you wouldn't want your horse to become bored with the same route all the time."

He looked her straight in the eye and said without flinching. "It is sound military tactics to train in different locations."

She felt a tiny shiver of excitement of his hidden acceptance. She had a feeling that a liaison with Ignacio de Soto was exactly what she needed.

Then she saw that the blacksmith had finished. "I won't keep you from your duties Sergeant, perhaps we shall meet again." she smiled at him.

"Perhaps we will, ma'am."

Again they stared at each other, knowing what the other wanted.

"Adios Sergeant."

"Buenos dias ma'am."