The Homeless Heiress

by Anne Herries

  Mrs Feathers came to call. She seemed complacent, assuring the ladies that there was no need to panic.

  ‘Wellington will have it all under control,’ she said. ‘My husband has gone off somewhere. He told me to stay put and not panic whatever I hear. He is confident that the Allies will win the day.’

  However, as the next couple of days passed, rumour of battles lost and defeat started to circulate. One day there was even talk of the French overrunning Brussels. When the first wagonloads of wounded came in, a mood of panic began to spread. If there were so many killed and wounded, the Allies must have been defeated.

  Mrs Feathers sent a note telling them not to worry, reminding them that Wellington was a brilliant commander, and warning them to hold their nerve.

  In the town opinion was divided. Some of the towns-people were fleeing, packing up their belongings, stunned by the news that the French had got this close. The streets were jammed with carriages and wagons as some tried to flee from what they thought was a disaster.

  Georgie asked Henderson if Lord Maddison was fit to travel.

  ‘No, Miss Georgie, he is not,’ he told her with a grim shake of his head. ‘His fever is a little better, as you know—but it might start again if we tried to move him. I know the captain would say you should stop here for the time being. As yet I haven’t heard anything that tells me the defeat is certain. I think it may have been just a setback.’

  ‘All those wounded men,’ Georgie said. ‘They are coming back by the wagonload, as well as those that can walk. They say the lists of the dead are circulating. Do you think…?’ She swallowed hard. ‘How can we find out if Richard is on them?’

  ‘I’ll do that for you,’ Henderson said. ‘Stay in the house with her ladyship, miss. I’ll see what I can find out.’

  Georgie waited patiently for his return.

  Henderson had been gone for three hours. When he returned the news for her was not good.

  ‘The captain was last seen taking a message for Wellington, Miss Georgie,’ Henderson said. ‘No one saw him come back—but the news of the war is better. Wellington did retreat, but only to a position of advantage at Mont-Saint-Jean. Far from being beaten, it is the French who were broken. It is over for Bonaparte. They say he is in retreat towards Paris and some of our men will follow and finish it.’

  ‘I am glad that the Allies were successful,’ Georgie said. ‘But it is Richard I am anxious for. Where is he and is he alive or dead?’

  ‘I do not know.’ Henderson frowned. ‘He would have me stay here—but Lord Maddison is recovering at last. I am no longer needed. I shall go to look for him.’

  ‘And I shall come with you,’ Georgie said. ‘No, do not look like that, Henderson. I shall wear my youth’s clothing and ride astride so I shall not hamper you. I brought it in case it was needed, and I am glad I did.’

  ‘The captain will not like it, miss.’

  ‘If he is hurt, I must find him,’ Georgie said. ‘I cannot wait here when he may be lying injured by the side of the road. If you do not take me with you, I shall go alone.’

  ‘The devil you will!’ Henderson shook his head at her. ‘You would too, miss. You had best go and change because I shall be ready to leave in ten minutes.’

  ‘I’ll be with you in less,’ Georgie promised, and she was.

  They had been riding for nearly three hours. Georgie’s heart was breaking as she saw the stragglers making their way back to Brussels. Some had bandages around their heads, some were limping, others had their arms in a sling. They were the ones with slight wounds, men who could make their own way back. Others lay moaning in hastily set-up tents where they were treated by hard-pressed doctors and local women who had come out to help.

  Once they saw a line of bodies lying on the ground. Set out neatly, there were men of several nationalities side by side, Allies and enemies united in death. Henderson refused to let Georgie look, but came back to her with a shake of the head after he had made an inspection.

  ‘He isn’t there, miss.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, her face pale. ‘What will happen to those poor men?’

  ‘If no one comes to claim the bodies, they will be buried together. It can’t be helped, miss. It is the way things work in war.’

  ‘Richard isn’t going to be buried in a grave with no name,’ Georgie said fiercely. ‘We have to find him, however long it takes.’

  ‘We’ll try, miss, but he could be anywhere. You mustn’t get your hopes up…’ His voice drained away as he discovered that he was talking to thin air. Georgie had scrambled down from her horse and was flying across a stretch of land to where several wounded men were grouped, sitting or lying on the ground. ‘Wait for me, miss! You never know what they’ll do for a horse.’

  Georgie didn’t look back. She had seen a man sitting with his back to a tree. He had a bandage round his head and there were bloodstains on his breeches, but instinct told her that she had found the man she sought.

  ‘Richard,’ she cried. ‘Richard, my darling…’

  He glanced up, staring at her for a moment as if dazed, but then as she flung herself to the ground beside him, her arms going about him, he made a little grunting sound low in his throat.

  ‘You shouldn’t be here…dressed like that,’ he said, but even as he spoke his tears trickled down his face until he brushed them away. ‘Troublesome girl! Damn it! I must be mazed in the head. I thought I might never see you again. We saw some of the citizens fleeing and I thought you must have left the city when the news was bad.’

  ‘Edward could not be moved when everyone was fleeing,’ she said, wiping his tears away with her fingertips. She kissed his brow, her hands running lightly over his beloved features. ‘But the news is not bad, my love. I do not know when you were wounded, but Wellington won the day. The French are fleeing back to Paris with their tails between their legs and some of our men are following. They will finish it for good this time.’

  ‘God be praised,’ Richard said and tried to push himself up, but his head spun and he fell back. ‘Damn it! We made an attack and I was wounded. I was unconscious for a while and someone found me, brought me this far and then left me. I couldn’t raise enough energy to move on.’

  ‘Well, you do not need to now,’ Georgie told him with a smile. ‘Henderson is with me. Do not blame him for bringing me with him, dearest, because I told him I should come alone if he did not.’

  ‘I can imagine,’ Richard said, giving her a stern look. ‘I’ll deal with you when I have my strength back, but I must admit I am glad you came to look for me. I might have sat here for days. They are taking the seriously wounded first.’

  Henderson came up to them then. He stood looking at Richard for a moment. ‘You can’t ride in your condition, captain. I’ve agreed to swap our horses for a wagon and a carthorse.’

  ‘The devil you have! Have you any idea what they cost me?’

  ‘They were purchased for war,’ Henderson replied. ‘You’ll not need them again. What you need now is something to get you back to Brussels.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right,’ Richard agreed and looked at the other exhausted men lying on the ground nearby. ‘Have we room to take them too?’

  ‘Aye, I dare say,’ Henderson said. ‘You’ll have to sit on the box with me, Miss Georgie, but I dare say you won’t mind that?’

  ‘You know I won’t,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘I don’t care about anything now that we have found Richard—and these poor men need help too. We must get as many of them back as we can.’

  ‘Aye, well, I dare say we can manage these and maybe come back for more once the captain is settled.’

  ‘It’s no more than a scratch,’ Richard told him. ‘It is just that I can’t stand up by myself at the moment. I dare say it is the shock.’

  ‘Mebbe,’ his manservant said with a stern eye. ‘But you’ll go back to Belle’s and you’ll stay in bed until I tell you you can get up.’

  ‘Yes, you will,’ Georgie agre
ed. ‘And I shall make sure you do!’

  ‘Well, there’s one way you can do that,’ he replied, giving her a look that made her blush. ‘I think I have told you before that you have a very fetching rear in those breeches.’

  ‘Richard!’ Georgie said. ‘Behave yourself or I shall think that the wound to your head has turned your mind.’

  Richard grinned as he was assisted to his feet and helped into a wagon that a farmer was bringing to them. He muttered something about an old nag in exchange for prime cattle, but was ignored both by Georgie and his servant. They exchanged glances, but remained silent as he was helped into the back of the wagon, which had a mattress of straw already stained with the blood of the wounded.

  Once Richard was settled, Henderson went to help the other men climb up. Some of them were in better case than Richard, but exhausted by all they had endured, all pathetically grateful for the transport back to Brussels and somewhere they could receive rest and treatment.

  The wagon was soon filled, and they were forced to leave others they passed on the journey back to Brussels, but they saw other wagons and carriages coming out from the city and knew that people were daring to venture out in search of the wounded. Now that the news of the Allies’ victory had reached them, the people were no longer afraid of being ransacked by the French army.

  It was a journey she would never forget, Georgie thought as she looked about her. She was happy that she had found Richard, but tears came to her eyes as she thought of all those men that would not return to their wives and families.

  ‘I think I shall get up this morning,’ Richard said two days later as she entered his room carrying a tray of soup and fresh bread. ‘You should leave this to one of the maids, Georgie. You do not have to wait on me.’

  ‘But I want to,’ she said and smiled at him. ‘When we go home I can be the wealthy Mrs Hernshaw, and play the society lady, but for this time I just want to be the woman who loves you, Richard—as indeed I am.’

  ‘You know that you will be Lady Hernshaw one day,’ he said. ‘The Regent has decided that I am to be made a Baron for services above and beyond the call of duty.’ He gave a moan of frustration. ‘The sooner I can get out of this bed and make an honest woman of you the better!’

  Georgie made a little curtsy and laughed. ‘Yes, Sir Richard. Mrs Feathers called earlier this morning and told me that everyone was talking about you. Apparently, you have been quite a hero, my love. Wellington mentioned you in dispatches, and you have been summoned to London to report to the Regent himself.’

  ‘Damn it!’ Richard said. ‘Henderson brought me the letter a moment ago. How does that woman know?’

  ‘Mrs Feathers knows everything,’ Georgie said, her eyes bright with mischief. ‘To hear her talk, you would think she was an aide to the Iron Duke himself. I think she has been everywhere with her husband and seen all there is to see. It was she who told us to stand firm when most were panicking.’

  ‘At least in that she was right,’ Richard said. ‘But I would have preferred to tell you my news myself.’

  ‘Well, you did, but she told me first,’ Georgie said and her laugh was husky and delightful. ‘Do not look so cross, my love. She likes to talk and there is no harm in her. She has been of great help to us one way or another.’

  ‘Then I shall forgive her,’ he said. ‘Providing that you take that pap away and tell Rose to bring me bread, cold beef and pickles—and a glass of good red wine.’

  ‘Are you sure you should, Richard?’

  ‘I am perfectly sure I should,’ he retorted. ‘And it is the last meal I shall eat in bed. When I have eaten it I shall get up and come downstairs. If I am summoned back to England, the sooner I am on my feet again the better. I have enough of this damned business! I want to marry you and take you home, Georgie—to my home.’

  ‘And so you shall, my darling, just as soon as you have done your duty.’

  ‘Damn my duty,’ he growled. ‘I want to be with you. And I want to be home, my love.’

  ‘I want that too,’ she replied and then gave him a teasing smile. ‘But I think I have a fancy to be Lady Hernshaw.’ She threw him a mocking glance as she went out and down to the kitchen where she found Henderson and informed him of his master’s wish to have cold roast beef.

  ‘The wonder is he hasn’t demanded it before,’ Henderson told her. ‘If you had not been so insistent, he would have been up before this. He would not stay in bed this long at my behest.’ He grinned at her. ‘I think the captain is in for some shocks once you are Lady Hernshaw. You will run rings round him, my lady.’

  ‘I’m not a lady or even a wife yet, Henderson,’ Georgie said and laughed. ‘Though Richard is impatient to make an honest woman of me.’

  ‘I know that, but it’s my chance to use the title,’ Henderson said. ‘I haven’t told the captain yet, but I shall not be coming back to England with you, my lady. Belle has asked me to stay here and help her run a boarding house. She’s got a taste for it, and with my help she can buy something bigger.’

  ‘Henderson…’ Georgie was half-dismayed, half-amused. ‘We shall both miss you but…are you going to marry her?’

  ‘Yes, that is part of the bargain,’ Henderson said and frowned. ‘I never thought to see the day when I was petticoat-led, my lady—and I never expected to leave the captain. I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t known he was in good hands. You’ll keep him right now.’

  ‘I hope he means to give up his work and settle down now,’ Georgie said with a little frown. ‘I believe he does, but—’ She broke off on a sigh.

  ‘You tell him it’s what you want and he’ll do it,’ Henderson said. ‘He loves you—and I never thought I’d ever say those words either. He was always a loner and I couldn’t see him changing, but he has—and that’s your doing. I’ve likely shown you more familiarity than I should, but you are a lady and the captain is lucky to have you.’

  ‘That is very kind of you, Henderson,’ Georgie said. ‘And you have always shown me respect. More than that, you’ve given me friendship. Captain Hernshaw will miss you too.’

  ‘He will and he won’t,’ Henderson said. ‘We’ve been together through thick and thin, but we’ve both had a bit of good fortune and that’s why we’ll go our separate ways.’

  The wedding took place two days later, as soon as Richard was able to stand straight long enough to walk down the aisle of the church. It was a brief service with just Henderson and Jenny, who had left her husband’s bedside long enough to be a witness.

  ‘This is not the way I intended to marry you,’ Richard told Georgie afterwards. ‘But when we are home we can have a blessing in an English church and invite all our friends to witness it and share a feast with us.’

  ‘I shall be happy to invite our friends to a grand affair to celebrate our wedding,’ Georgie told him with a teasing look. ‘But I do not care what kind of a wedding we have—as long as it is legal?’

  ‘Oh yes, it is legal,’ Richard said and his arms tightened about her. ‘You are mine now, Georgie—and I have no intention of letting you leave me ever.’

  ‘Then it is fortunate that I have no wish to leave you,’ Georgie said. Her eyes were bright with mischief as she tipped her head to one side to look at him. ‘It took me long enough to get you, Richard—but now I have you—and I can be quite as stubborn as you, my love.’

  ‘You have no need to tell me that,’ Richard replied, giving her a rueful look. ‘I have met my match in you, my darling. From the start I knew that you would be a troublesome girl and it seems that I was right.’ He laughed and ducked the blow his new wife aimed at his ear. ‘But it was worth it just for the pleasure of seeing you in those wretched breeches.’

  ‘Well, that is over, my lady,’ Richard said as they looked at one another in the comfort of their well-sprung carriage. ‘We’ve seen the Regent, received his thanks and I’ve resigned my work for the government. We’re going home at last, and the next time we come to London it will simply be f
or pleasure.’

  ‘Oh, Richard,’ Georgie said. ‘We are so lucky, my dearest. When I think of all the women who lost their husbands…Jenny has her darling Edward back and I have you. We could easily have lost you both.’

  ‘I bear a charmed life,’ Richard said, glossing over the slight matter of a dozen lives saved because of his own bravery in leading a charge to get them when they were cut off from their own side. ‘Edward should never have been out there. I tried to dissuade him, but he would not listen. I believe he knows how fortunate he was to get away with it this time and in future he will not stray far from Jenny’s side.’

  ‘I do hope so,’ Georgie said. ‘She was quite determined to follow him, you know. At first we intended to take two of the grooms with us to Brussels, but when we met Mrs Feathers Jenny sent them home. I think she thought we could manage for ourselves—but we are not all as intrepid as that lady. She told us about hiding in cellars and riding on donkeys when they had to flee from the enemy in Spain.’

  ‘An intrepid campaigner indeed,’ Richard said and reached for her hand in the carriage. ‘But even she might have balked at dressing in a youth’s clothing and setting out to look for her husband alone.’

  ‘I had Henderson,’ Georgie demurred, but her eyes sparkled. ‘Poor Henderson—I wonder how he will like living with Madame Bonner and running a boarding house.’

  ‘I dare say he will be in his element,’ Richard said, his mouth quirking. ‘I told him that he always has a place with me, but I doubt he will use it. I dare say that when we go to visit in a year or two he will have become the perfect innkeeper, very French—or Belgian, perhaps.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps.’ Georgie giggled at the picture his words brought to mind. ‘Can you see Henderson in a white apron?’