Undone Read Online Free Page B

ceilings. Gold-woven rugs—opulence both inside and out—while decomposing bodies line the route to his ostentatious castle!”
    So many wasted lives… Simon felt sick inside. And responsible. “Our peasants have never before been in such a desperate state.” In all the carnage he’d been a party to during their war with Spain, nothing—absolutely nothing—had been more horrific than the devastation he’d witnessed since his return. Infants cold in death at their mothers’ breasts. The rotting flesh of countless forsaken souls. People of his own class.
    It wasn’t all that long ago that he was just like them—helplessly impoverished.
    “Simon, the peasants have always experienced hardships.”
    “Hardships, yes. Decimation of this magnitude, never .”
    Robert was born into nobility and privilege. He was a good man—in fact, there were few like him in his class—but he didn’t nor could he truly understand what it was like to be destitute—hopelessly trapped in poverty.
    Always at the mercy of the upper class.
    All Simon had ever wanted was never again to be vulnerable to the upper class the way commoners were. It was the reason he’d pursued social status long after he’d attained wealth, for wealth alone wasn’t enough to safeguard him. However, while chasing his ambitions, he hadn’t intended to impose suffering on those who had already suffered enough.
    He should have heeded the niggling doubts he’d had about Fouquet since his appointment as Finance Minister. He should have seen the signs of corruption sooner. Now he could practically trip over the glaring evidence of it.
    “Those poor souls are at the mercy of a Superintendent of Finance whose excesses are without conscience or limit, and whose actions go completely unchecked. And I”—Simon jabbed his finger into his chest—“have helped that serpent slither to the top.”
    “All you have done is what was expected of you—your duty.”
    Simon set his palms down on the table and looked Robert in the eye. “I’ve ordered men into battle and had them die in a war that is about nothing but profit for Fouquet and Mazarin. I want no part of Fouquet’s nefarious plans of grandeur. I’ve been chasing a fool’s dream. I want no part of any of this anymore.”
    How could he have been so foolish as to believe that hard work and dedication could ever earn him an elevated position from men such as these?
    “Giving up will not make it better for the lower class, I assure you,” Robert said. “Without the money you contribute to the Treasury, Fouquet will make it worse for them. For as long as Fouquet and Mazarin maintain their powerful posts, you must continue. Fouquet will not allow you to simply walk away.”
    Simon slammed his fist down on the table, unable able to stem the fury that boiled in his blood. “ I know . The accomplishments I believed would have elevated me from commoner and afforded me an officer’s commission are the very deeds that hold me bound to him now.”
    The older man held up his hand. “Enough,” he said with finality. “This talk is mad and suicidal. I’ll continue my efforts to bend the king’s ear. In the meantime, rise above this. Remain focused on the prize you seek. You have earned it! For the love of God, don’t do anything to defy Fouquet. You will be arrested and executed for treason—and likely your men as well. Think of them…”
    Simon sat back down, feeling weary. “I do think of them, Robert. They have fought, risked their lives, died —and for what?”
    “For France. For the people. For honor.”
    “ Honor? Where is there honor in any of this?”
    “There is honor in fighting for your country! And we have fought hard and true during this war! There is honor in you , in having the courage to reach beyond what life handed you at birth. Look at where you came from, and look at where you are now. The son of a fisherman is today a privateer commander of fourteen ships, seven of which are rented