“Such as?” Cora asked, balling her fists.
“Such as calling a duke an idiot because he said a soldier’s duty is to die when the queen says so.”
Lady Kingsley shifted her weight and opened her mouth, but whatever she had to say, Cora didn’t hear.
Cora had had enough. “If you’ll excuse me. I need some fresh air.” She hurried after Ethan before Jacob could say anything.
Ethan shouldn’t leave. None of his friends should.
“Lord Stark.” She rushed down the marble stairs, catching up with him on the pavement.
“Lady Roxbury.” He removed his hat again.
In the gesture, his hair parted, revealing his missing ear. She hadn’t noticed it before. His smile had nothing of the carefully constructed charm Jacob’s possessed. It was ten times more charming for that reason.
“I apologise,” she said to the others as well. “What my husband said is inexcusable.”
Mr. Purnell shrugged. “Thank you for your concern, my lady, but we’re used to this treatment.”
“That makes the situation even worse,” she said.
“I’m sure we’ll close our eyes to the insult,” Fraser, the man with a missing eye, said, provoking a round of laughter among his friends.
Cora didn’t even chuckle. What was so funny?
Mr. Purnell clicked his tongue. “Also, the evening included a piano concert at the end. I’m afraid Ethan doesn’t have the ear for music.”
Another round of laughter burst out, but she didn’t join them. Ethan laughed louder than everyone.
“Everyone has their talent,” Ethan said to Mr. Purnell. “But you certainly don’t have a green thumb.”
And more laughter. Cora pressed her lips hard. What in the blazes was happening? What were they doing?
“Gentlemen.” She raised her voice to overcome the chatter and chuckles. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t taking the situation seriously. You said you shouldn’t be mocked for your scars, and I agree, but why are you laughing?”
Ethan stopped laughing. “We always make jokes, my lady. But that’s the difference.”
“We can,” Mr. Purnell said. “And we do.”
She wasn’t convinced, and she didn’t agree. They’d fought for their country and returned home to be shunned and made fun of by people who had never been in a battle. There was nothing to laugh about. It was a tragedy. She closed her fists, digging her fingers into her gloved palms.
“Cora.” Ethan stepped closer. The intimacy of using her Christian name stunned her. “Thank you for your kindness. We aren’t taking what happened lightly, but we’ve learnt that forcing our way into society isn’t the right approach. We wait and move at the right time, when people are ready to accept us. This is how we win our battles.”
“But it’s not fair.” She fought a sob of frustration. “The people who shun you are the same who benefit from the service you and your fellow soldiers provide. The least they can do is to be kind.” Why wasn’t he as mad as she was? Why didn’t he march back inside and demand to take part in the auction?
He gently took her hand and brought it up to his mouth for a kiss. His warmth reached her through the fabric of her glove. “Good night, my lady. Your kindness won’t be forgotten.”
He slowly released her hand, leaving a warm trail on her fingers. He and his friends resumed walking down the pavement, laughing and jostling each other. She waited until the shadows swallowed them.
She didn’t understand Ethan’s behaviour, but she understood honour, and Lord Ethan Stark was the most honourable man she’d ever met.
She decided then and there that she wanted to volunteer at the rest home.
Maybe her decision came from a sense of shame for what Jacob had said. But she wanted to do something for Ethan and his kind heart.
six
ETHAN READ AGAIN the list of patients and residents in the centre, trying to find those soldiers who could be dismissed. With the precarious legal status of the building, he had to think about reducing the number of occupants. An impossible task.
