‘I thought that was to be your job,’ said Adam sternly.
‘Well, I will. But she must marry some time!’ When Adam continued to regard him in the severest disapproval Tom went on, ‘She’s a very pretty little thing, too. And…and very understanding. Tolerant.’ He stopped and looked at Adam with the air of a starved puppy looking for a bone. Adam began to be amused at his persistence.
‘What is this, Tom? Why are you so keen to marry your sister off?’
‘Well, I thought…I thought that if I could find someone I could trust to look after her I might be able to think of the Army again…’
‘The idea is absurd! Give it up!’ Adam started to walk back to the ballroom. ‘Come on! It’s time we reported for duty.’
‘Well, would you think about coming down to Herriards? Just to meet her?’
‘I’ll agree to that. Not with the idea of meeting your sister with an eye to marriage, Tom—but I’d be pleased to visit you once we’re back in England. Come!’ Tom looked crestfallen, but obeyed the dismissal in Adam’s voice. Together they walked briskly through the ballroom and up the stairs to the small ‘den’ which had been allotted to the Duke’s staff.
Here they found several others, waiting for orders. Any minute now they would be given their assignments, to ride into the night with new commands for the regiments stationed in the countryside round the Belgian capital. Adam hoped he’d be given a chance to change out of his full dress uniform before leaving. White breeches, gold lace and silken sashes did not stand up well to the sort of hard riding which would be expected of him. His regiment was stationed almost as far from Brussels as it was possible to be.
He turned as Ivo Trenchard came in, resplendent in his pelisse and fur. ‘You look warm, Ivo!’
‘It must be the hottest night yet! But that’s not it, my dear boy. If I look a trifle flushed, it’s through hard work. I’ve been reassuring all the ladies that Boney ain’t going to capture the lot of them and haul ’em all off to Paris.’
‘I’m sure you reassured them every one…splendidly,’ drawled Adam. ‘Madame de Menkelen seemed particularly impressed. But does she realise that Bonaparte might not be the only danger she faces?’
There was a shout of laughter. Captain Lord Trenchard was Brussels’s worst flirt. His exploits with the ladies—who were most of them, it has to be said, only too willing—were legendary. Adam knew him for a cool, resourceful fighter, and a ruthless opponent in the field, but no one observing his indolent figure and lazy charm at work in the drawing rooms of Society would have suspected as much. He had a number of advantages, of course. He was not only rich and related to half the top families in England, but was tall, with dark brown hair, sparkling blue eyes and a slow smile which wrought havoc among the female population wherever he happened to be. Perhaps it was this ease of conquest which had made him somewhat cynical, certainly in his attitude to the fair sex. Be he never so charming, no woman had as yet managed to hold his attention for long, and the matchmaking mamas of Brussels had long regarded him as a hopeless case. But though Adam might deplore Ivo Trenchard’s more outrageous affairs, the two men were good friends. Adam found it significant that the men in Ivo Trenchard’s company had enormous respect and trust in him as a leader.
‘How is it that you’re still with us, young Tom?’ Trenchard asked now. ‘I thought you had decided to leave us to fight without you? Or have you changed your mind?’
The Lieutenant coloured up. ‘It wasn’t because I was tired of fighting,’ he began defensively. ‘I wish I needn’t leave at all—’ He stopped. Adam intervened.
‘Leave the poor fellow alone, Ivo! He really ought to be in England at this moment, but he decided to postpone his departure from the Army when he heard about Boney’s escape. Wasn’t sure we could finish this job without him, were you, Tom?’
The ready colour surged once more in Tom Payne’s cheeks. He ignored Adam’s teasing words and said, ‘But this is going to be the greatest fight ever! Boney has never faced the Duke directly before! He’s bound to lose, of course, but think of the challenge! I couldn’t have missed a battle like this. I think I’ll just slip downstairs to see if anything has cropped up. We can’t have to wait much longer. Excuse me.’ He gave a slight salute and hurried out.
The two older men smiled at the Lieutenant’s eagerness. ‘All the same, Adam,’ Ivo said, ‘the boy is right. It’s going to be a battle between Titans. Let’s hope we survive to tell the tale afterwards.’
‘We shall, Ivo, we shall. Only the good die young. But I hope Tom manages to keep a cool head. He’s apt to let his enthusiasm run away with him, and take unnecessary risks.’
‘While you, as we all know, stand back and let others do the dangerous work?’ said Ivo with a mocking smile.
‘I don’t lose my head, Ivo! I’m too old for that. But Tom… The trouble is that he’s so sick at the thought of leaving the Army that he might well decide to go out in a blaze of glory.’
‘Why is he leaving? Or am I being indiscreet?’
‘Not at all, it’s very straightforward—I’m surprised he hasn’t told you. Tom and his sister were brought up by their grandfather. They haven’t any other close relations. The grandfather died last year, and Tom really has no choice but to go back to England and look after his sister and what, from all accounts, is a substantial estate. But he put off leaving when the news came through that Napoleon had slipped the leash on Elba and was marching through France, ready for another campaign.’
‘What about the sister?’
‘There’s a governess or companion—something like that. She’s looking after the girl until Tom gets back.’
‘Let’s hope he does…’
Adam frowned. ‘Amen to that! The Payne estate is entailed. If Tom dies without an heir it goes to a distant cousin. I wonder what would happen to his sister then?’
‘If she has half of Tom’s looks and charm she will probably marry some local squire and be perfectly happy,’ said Ivo with a cynical smile. He stretched himself and yawned. ‘Lord, where the devil are those orders?’
In fact, it was half an hour before Tom returned. His eager informality had vanished, for he accompanied Colonel Ancroft, the commanding officer of their group. But underneath Tom’s rigidly correct manner Adam could see that the young man was still ablaze with excitement.
‘Well, gentlemen, it looks as if we shall all be in action tomorrow. The last checks are being made and as soon as the orders are brought you will be dispersing at speed. Meanwhile, shall we drink to Boney’s downfall? Tom?’
Tom went over to the corner table and poured out some wine. He served them all round, and they solemnly toasted the King, each other, and lastly, but most heartily, they drank to death and destruction to Napoleon and his troops. Then Colonel Ancroft nodded and they sat down. There was a moment’s pause, while they all tried to think of something to break the silence. Their commanding officer had an air of authority which came from more than his rank. Adam knew him to be not more than five or six years older than he was himself, but the Colonel’s coal-black hair had silver wings at the temples, and under the severity of his gaze was a hint of pain, disciplined, suppressed, but there. He was generally held to be a cold man. He was certainly austere. Though he had the trust of all the men under him, and was known to be absolutely fair and impartial, it was not easy to like him. It certainly wasn’t easy to make light conversation with him. But Adam had known him for a long time, and, acquainted as he was with some of the Colonel’s history, he understood and respected the other man’s reserve. However, perhaps because of the tensions of the night, their commanding officer seemed to be in a talkative mood.
‘So, what are you all planning to do with yourselves after this is over? I hear you’re leaving the Army, Tom? Reluctantly, I gather.’
‘Sir.’
‘You too, Adam?’
‘I’m afraid so, sir.’
‘Are you taking part in this wholesale exodus, Ivo? There’ll be
one or two sighs of relief among the husbands in Europe if you do!’
They laughed, Ivo as well. Then he looked down into his glass and said, ‘To be honest, I don’t know. sir. I have one or two bits of unfinished business in England. It’s time I put things right with my father, for a start.’
‘That’s good! Lord Veryan will be pleased to see you again.’
‘You think so? When I last saw him he was shouting that he never wished to set eyes on such a villainous, unnatural monster again.’
‘I shouldn’t let that deter you. People often say things in a rage that they don’t really mean.’ Colonel Ancroft stopped short. ‘And do things, too,’ he added, almost to himself. The curious little silence that followed was broken by the arrival of one of the Duke’s aides. He had a sheaf of papers in his hand which he handed to the Colonel, who read them through, then gave them out. Most of the men were to rejoin their own regiments carrying the orders with them.
‘The news is as bad as it can be, gentlemen. Napoleon has attacked the Prussians in force, and it seems likely that they will not be able to hold. To save Brussels we must concentrate our forces at Nivelles—these are the orders. God speed to you all!’
Ivo was the first to go, bound for Ninhove where the bulk of the English Cavalry could be found. Tom was given the task Adam had expected for himself, sent off to Ath to deliver the orders for the Light Divisions. His turn came immediately after.
‘Wait outside, Lieutenant. Major Calthorpe will join you in a moment.’
Adam waited while his superior fidgeted with some papers. ‘I’ve given you the hardest assignment, Adam. You’re to deal with the Belgians—the King’s generals can be touchy if they think their royal prerogative is being undermined. Tact and charm are needed, but above all they must move quickly!’ The Colonel looked up with a gleam of humour in his hard grey eyes. ‘I’d have sent Trenchard, but since his escapade with the Comtesse Leiken he’s persona non grata at the court. But you have plenty of tact—you can deal with them. Get them to accept the Duke’s commands—we can’t afford debate, they’re damned urgent.’
‘Sir!’
‘And, Adam—!’
‘Sir?’
‘You and young Payne will ride together for some of the way. Do what you can to calm him down. He’s in too much of a death-or-glory mood.’
Adam gave a nod of understanding, saluted and left.
He found Tom outside, practically hopping with impatience. Together they set off to the west.
For a while they rode in silence, concentrating on getting out of Brussels as expeditiously as possible. But then they dropped the pace to a trot to allow their mounts time to recover. The cooler air outside the capital seemed to have a sobering effect on Tom. He said eventually, ‘I’m not altogether a selfish villain, sir.’
Adam looked in surprise at him. ‘I never thought you were. What is on your mind, Tom?’
‘Asking you to consider my sister. It’s not only that I want to be free to rejoin the Army. But…but if anything happened to me—I know it’s unlikely, but it could happen—she’d be left without protection from my cousins.’
‘She would need protection? From members of your own family? Surely not!’
‘Sir, she’s by way of being a bit of an heiress. If anything happened to me, she’d be even more of one. The Payne estate is entailed on a distant cousin, but not any of the money. Henry Payne would have the house and lands, but not much to support them. I…my grandfather never trusted him and nor do I. And he has a son of my age—single and free to marry someone like Kate. I knew him at Eton—he’s a bit of a worm.’
‘Whew!’ Adam felt growing anger at the extent of Tom’s irresponsiblity. ‘In that case, why the devil did you risk staying on for this battle? You’d better make damned sure you come through it, my boy!’ He stopped before he said something he might regret.
Tom was suffering from a belated attack of conscience. ‘Kate always said I laughed too much and thought too little. I’ll go back to England as soon as the Army releases me. But if anything should happen to me, sir, would you…?’ He turned a worried face to Adam. ‘Please! If she was married to you, she’d be safe.’
Adam said in exasperation, ‘I can’t promise to marry your sister—apart from anything else, she may not want to marry me! Have you thought of that? But I’ll make sure she’s looked after. And now we must push on. I turn off at the next crossroads.’
They rode on again at speed, pausing only briefly where their ways parted. Adam wanted to urge Tom to caution, but found he couldn’t. That was no way to send a serving soldier into battle. So he merely nodded and called ‘Good luck!’ as he turned on to the road to Braine le Comte.
Behind them, on the other side of Brussels, the Prussians were fighting a losing battle against the massed forces of the French. It would soon not be enough for Wellington’s troops to wait at Nivelles. Before morning the Army would be ordered to Quatre Bras to meet Napoleon, and the final battle would be fought outside a small, as yet unheard-of village called Waterloo.
Chapter Two
July 1815
Katharine Payne stood at the window of her sitting room, a letter loosely held in her hand. The room had been hers ever since her grandfather had decided that she was old enough to leave the nursery and have her own set of rooms on the first floor. Till now, even in her most difficult or tempestuous moments, she had found calm and consolation in the view over the garden and beyond to the Hampshire countryside. But today she was blind to the flower beds, bright in the colours of high summer, the beautiful specimen trees, planted by her great-great-grandfather, the wide lawns, vividly green after a recent shower.
Tom was dead. Killed in action.
She had been told several weeks ago, of course. But throughout all the dreadful formalities, the visits from the family lawyers and all the rest, she had lived in a daze, still half expecting Tom to come bursting in through her door, his handsome face alight with laughter, mocking her for having fallen for one of his tricks. Now this letter had brought the bitter truth home to her at last. Tom would not come back. Not ever… The letter fluttered to the floor as she hid her face in her hands.
‘Katharine! My dear!’
Katharine straightened up at the sound of Tilly’s voice.
‘It’s all right, Tilly,’ she said, turning round. ‘I’m not about to break down.’
‘It might do you good if you did,’ said Miss Tillyard gruffly. ‘You can’t go on as you are, Katharine.’
‘No, I know. I must pull myself together and make some plans.’
‘That’s not what I meant! But I agree you need to think of the future.’ She came over and picked up the letter lying on the floor. ‘Is this what has upset you?’
‘Yes. It’s from one of Tom’s friends in the Army. A Major Calthorpe—Lord Calthorpe. I’ve heard Tom talk about him. It is…it is very kind. He obviously liked Tom a great deal.’
‘Was Lord Calthorpe with your brother when…?’
‘No, but he has spoken to someone who was. He tells me that Tom…died bravely.’ She paused. Then she went on, ‘Lord Calthorpe saw Tom for the last time on the evening before Waterloo. They talked of me…’ Her voice died again, and again she rallied. ‘He is coming back to England for a short while and would like to call here. He knows I have no one else and offers to help me in any way he can. It’s a very kind letter.’
Katharine’s voice broke again, but Miss Tillyard resisted the temptation to put her arm round the girl. She knew her pupil of old. When Katharine Payne was hurting, any attempt to comfort her would be instantly rejected—she would regard accepting it as a sign of weakness. So Miss Tillyard kept her distance and asked instead, ‘When will you see him?’
‘I shan’t see him at all. I don’t want to see anyone.’
‘But you ought—’
‘It’s very kind of Lord Calthorpe, but what could he do?’
‘Katharine, he has taken the trouble to write. You ought to s
ee him.’
‘No, Tilly! No! I couldn’t bear it. I shall write to thank him for the offer, of course.’
‘Don’t put him off completely, my dear. You might find you need his help in the future. Why not say that you would see him in a few weeks, when you are feeling better?’
‘He wouldn’t be able to come. From what Lord Calthorpe says, he is still on the Duke of Wellington’s staff, and on duty with the Duke in France. And I really can’t imagine what help a perfect stranger could give me. But if you think it is more polite, I’ll do as you say.’ Katharine turned back to her contemplation of the view. There was silence in the room.
Then Miss Tillyard asked quietly, ‘When is your uncle due to arrive?’
‘Any day now.’
‘Have your guardians decided what is to happen to you?’
‘General Armitage told me to wait till after my uncle has taken over here at Herriards. Sir James, of course, agreed with him.’ She added with a touch of bitterness, ‘I think those two old men are hoping that Uncle Henry will offer me a home. They wouldn’t know what to do with me otherwise.’
‘The system of entailing property is a monstrous one!’ Miss Tillyard said with uncharacteristic heat. ‘You’re the one who has really looked after the Herriards estate, Katharine—not just while your grandfather was ill, but for all the time your brother was away in the Army.’ She stopped and thought. ‘And now that I consider it, you were the one who saw to the estate when your brother was here, as well! All Tom ever thought about was the Army and how soon he could get back to it. And now, just because you are a female, you are effectively homeless, and Herriards is to go to someone who has never taken the slightest interest in it! It isn’t right!’
Katharine gave a rueful smile. ‘It’s not exactly Uncle Henry’s fault that he hasn’t ever been here. My grandfather wouldn’t let him come!’
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