James set down his newspaper and spoke to his wife. “Without Lady Sommerset in Town, is there really any reason for us to venture there?”
Joanna grinned. “Of course there is. I can give you the most important reason.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you say mascarpone ice cream, I will personally have Sir Armand send enough to last you the entire summer at Burhleigh Park.”
Joanna, who had opened her mouth, closed it quickly.
Amelia couldn’t help her chuckle. “Surely you can think of another reason, Joanna.”
As usual, her sister recovered quickly. “I can. James, I don’t know why you would think I was going to mention ice cream. Actually, we need to go because our students are expecting outings and discussions during the season. We’ve already missed the first month because of Amelia’s wedding, and I heard from Elsbeth just yesterday that there is a new scene at the panorama.
James frowned. “You didn’t tell me you heard from my cousin.”
“Well, there are only so many hours in a day.”
Amelia’s concern for their cousin on the continent had her speaking up. “Speaking of Elsbeth, have you heard anything from Teddy?”
“I did.” Joanna finished the last piece of her toast and took a sip of tea before elaborating. “He’s enjoying himself far too much. I don’t think he even remembers Elsbeth.”
“And he’s safe?”
Joanna waved her hand as she lifted the paper once again. “He’s in Paris enjoying the pleasure of Montmartre.”
Amelia exchanged a look with Andrew, who started to grin. He obviously thought Teddy was enjoying the women and wine of the quarter. He could be right, but she still couldn’t think of him as a man grown. Before he’d left, he’d become so melodramatic.
She actually didn’t mind if she missed the season this year. She was still learning her role as Countess Sommerset, getting to know the staff and she’d already met two tenant families, who praised Andrew with heartfelt gratitude. It had given her a feeling of pride in him that she hadn’t experienced before. He really did care about his people, or rather,theirpeople as he insisted.
There were also fewer distractions at Lyonsmere, which allowed her to paint. In just a week, she’d—
“Oh, my Lord!” Joanna exclamation from behind the newspaper had them all staring at her.
She was the first to recover. “What is it?”
Joanna looked at her over the paper. “I…it’s…”
James leaned over and Joanna pointed. He read.Marcus Stratton, younger brother to Lord Jacob Stratton, Viscount of Blackmore, who inherited the title after the sudden death of his older brother and wife last winter to open Ravenridge in Northampton Parish this week.
Her own heart stopped, and she stared at Joanna. “Mariel’s Marcus? Alive?”
Joanna nodded.
At Andrew’s warm hands on her shoulders, she breathed deeply before looking up at him. “What should we do?”
“I believe you must tell her.”
Joanna shook her head. “But he died on the battlefield. I myself was with Mariel when we checked the scrolls. It must be an imposter.”
“Not necessarily.” Andrew squeezed her shoulders. “Battlefields are messy. Surgeon tents are chaotic. If the man was unconscious and moved to a hospital, no one would be the wiser. If anyone saw him fall, they would have listed him as dead.”
Joanna looked to her husband. “Is this true?”
He held his hand out to Andrew. “I have little knowledge in this area.”
Amelia looked up at her husband. “How do you know so much?”
“While I traveled the continent, I became friends with a former officer from Portugal. He was collecting paintings of the battles, which is how we met. He explained to me the realities of war and which painters truly captured them.”
She laid her hand on his and he grasped hers. She was thankful that he had never actually experienced battle. “But why would he have not sought out Mariel?”
