“Follow her about London? I can’t think of anything worse than trailing about after a wild, spoiled marchioness—”
“And you’re a Captain in the 10th Royal Hussars, London’s most gallant regiment,” Ellie rushed on, as if Julian hadn’t spoken. “A hero—”
“Hero?” Julian made a disgusted face. “Hardly.”
“But we’ve heard such stories. All of London’s heard them.” Ellie’s mouth turned down at the corners. “I do hope you’re not going to say they aren’t true.”
“All right.” Julian dropped back into his chair. “I won’t say it.”
“The gossip has it you carried mangled bodies on your back across raging battlefields, saving men in your regiment from certain death despite the great risk to your own safety.”
“Rot. I helped a few wounded men to a field hospital. That’s all.”
Cam sipped at his whiskey. “Ah, yes. Well, I can certainly see how that’s different than what we heard.”
“Damn it, Cam.” Julian reached out a stiff arm and set his glass on the sideboard. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
“It’s well past the end of the season, Julian.” Ellie’s voice was quiet. “But Charlotte refuses to leave London. Unfortunately, a good many of thetonlinger as well, hoping for a grand scandal, and it’s only a matter of time before they get one.”
“I’m sorry,” Julian said again. “But I don’t have time to chase Lady Hadley from one London whorehouse to the next. I’m in London for a few weeks only, to… Well, you’ll know soon enough, I suppose. I’m betrothed.”
Cam stared at him, his mouth open. “You’rebetrothed? How can you be betrothed? You’ve just returned home. Who is she?”
Julian frowned down into his glass. “Her name is Jane Hibbert. Her brother, Colin, was a Lieutenant in my regiment, and one of my friends. My best friend.”
Cam searched his face. “Was?”
“Yes. Was.” Julian drew in a quick breath. “He was killed at Waterloo.”
Cam ran a hand down his face. “Julian—”
“Jane is Colin’s younger sister. Their mother died years ago and their father passed away unexpectedly while Colin was in France. Now that Colin’s gone she’s alone, aside from an elderly aunt.”
Cam seemed not to know what to say to this. “I see,” he managed after a long hesitation. “Is she—what’s she like?”
Julian shrugged. “I’ve never met her.”
There was a shocked silence, then Ellie said, “I don’t understand. You’re betrothed to a lady you’ve never met?”
“I wrote to her, after Colin…” Julian cleared his throat. “It wasn’t proper, of course, but Colin made me promise I’d write to Jane if the worst should happen, and I couldn’t bear for her not to know how he spent his final days. In any case, we struck up a correspondence. She’s a kind, decent young lady, and I doubt she’d understand if I became entangled with a notorious marchioness.”
Ellie gazed at him for a moment, her expression unreadable, then, “Does Miss Hibbert know you’re in London?”
“Everyone in England knows I’m in London, thanks to the newspapers.”
“Have you called on her since your return?”
“No,” Julian admitted. He could see where this was going, and he didn’t like it.
“Well, then. Write her and explain you have urgent family business to attend to, and you’ll come to her when it’s concluded.”
Damnation.“But Idon’thave urgent family business to attend to.”
“This situation with Charlotte is urgent, Julian,” Ellie said. “We travel to Bellwood at the end of this week, with or without her.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “You can’t be as concerned for her welfare as you pretend, then, if you’ll leave her in London alone.”
“We don’t want to leave her,” Cam said, “but we haven’t any choice.”
