Page 38 of The New Earl’s Convenient Wife

‘Valiant, the backbone of the army, but not numbered among the lofty, except for those on Wellington’s personal staff,’ the Duchess amended.

‘That’s better,’ the Duke allowed. ‘And yes, let it be “Hart” and “Claire”, “Rafe and Juliana.” If your lady will permit.’

‘I must, before my husband argues for even greater informality and gifts you my childhood nickname,’ Juliana said wryly. ‘Mouse,’ she added at their inquiring looks.

‘Mouse?’ Claire echoed. ‘Either he was a great jester as a youth, or you’ve changed markedly! “Juliana” is much more fitting.’

‘That’s settled, then,’ Duke said.

‘You must stay and dine with us tonight,’ the Duchess—Claire—said. ‘Especially since your own establishment is not sorted out yet.’

‘It certainly isn’t,’ Hart said. ‘To my knowledge, Ian never opened up the townhouse after he inherited and the neglect shows. Nor have we a proper cook—a long story I won’t bore you with now. Our current cook, Jane, still very much a beginner, was awed almost to tears by the set-up at Thornthwaite House on Upper Brook Street, which apparently my mother modernized before her death. In addition to which, we’d need an army to clean the whole place properly.’ He sighed. ‘It might have been easier to rent rooms, but I didn’t want to spend the blunt to do that now—but you don’t need to hear about that, either. We’d love to stay for dinner, wouldn’t we, Juliana?’

‘That would be very kind,’ she said, halfway between comforted by the obvious friendliness of Hart’s former army mate and his wife and a lingering anxiety about dining with a duke and duchess.

‘Before we go any farther, you must have the latest news about the army. Have you heard from Charles?’

‘You know Napoleon abdicated in April?’ At Rafe’s nod, he continued, ‘The former emperor arrived in Elba last month. Our army units are just now returning. Charles was slightly wounded at the final battle of Toulouse but should be coming back to England soon. Last I heard from him, he was going to rejoin his unit at Calais; Horse Guards tells me they are to set sail for England in July.’

‘Praise the Lord! Then it’s over at last?’

‘One hopes so. The luminaries are going to gather this fall in Vienna to carve up the spoils.’ He laughed. ‘It will be quite an act of diplomacy to keep all the players happy. Russia and Austria want back the lands Napoleon conquered, with Italy returning to the Hapsburg fold. And nobody’s worried about poor little Poland, who was promised its independence by Napoleon.’

‘Now, I know you two old soldiers want to talk about the army and exchange war stories. Why don’t you repair to the library and find some brandy while we ladies chat over tea. If that’s agreeable to you, Juliana?’

Juliana felt a little dismayed at losing the reinforcement of Rafe’s presence, but she had been anticipating talking with this former lieutenant’s wife about following the drum—the main reason she had been cautiously looking forward to meeting the Duchess when she was not eager to meet anyone else in London. She was still hungry to learn anything and everything about Rafe, anything and everything that could help her bind them close enough that he would continue to want her daily company. Surely, this lady who had experienced life with the army could broaden her knowledge about this significant period of his life.

Besides, the Duchess had thus far been nothing but kind and welcoming, as understanding and non-judgemental as Rafe had promised she would be. Though sitting beside this elegant, accomplished woman, she felt all too much like the ‘Mouse’ Rafe used to call her. Even as little as she followed fashion, it was obvious that her braided coiffure looked like a schoolgirl’s and her gown was out of style as well as rather worn.

Hart dropped a kiss on his wife’s head as he and Rafe rose. ‘We won’t bore you with soldier talk, then. But we won’t abandon you for too long.’

Rafe gave Juliana a wink before he strolled out with his friend.

‘Now, we may be comfortable,’ the Duchess said.

Juliana wasn’t so sure about that, but gamely launched into the topic that most interested her. ‘If it’s not too impertinent, I would like to talk with you, Duch—Claire—about your time with the army. Rafe told me some of his adventures while on campaign, but I’m sure he exaggerated the delights and minimized the discomforts. We’ve been friends since we were children, but I know very little about what his life was like during his army years. I’d like to know what it was truly like to live on campaign. I must add, I admire you so much for having gone with your husband and endured what must have been at best a difficult existence.’

‘Difficult at times, yes. But also interesting, rewarding, even exciting. But in return, you must tell me all about yourself as well.’

Juliana made a minimizing gesture with her hand. ‘There’s not much to tell. Before moving to Thorne Hall, I lived my whole life at Edgerton Manor, west of Carlisle in the Lake District. Except for a few months in London when my older sister was presented.’

Claire shook her head. ‘There’s much more than that, I know. Rafe has written to Hart about you. I must say, you’ve made him very happy.’

A little shock of mingled delight and disbelief went through her. ‘Why do you say that?’

‘I can see it, just looking at him. He’s relaxed, his eyes bright with hope and purpose, his manner carefree. I was halfway expecting him to be tense, weary, and obviously worn down by the burden of his inheritance. Unlike my husband’s property, which had been smoothly run, he’d written to Hart that the estate was in a shambles. He said you had been an immense help in sorting out what needed to be done. Obviously you have been.’

Juliana flushed, pleased that Rafe had complimented her to his friend, embarrassed by feeling she didn’t deserve such high praise. ‘I hope I have been. I’m nowhere near as expert at running an estate as you are; I understand you managed Steynling Cross almost single-handedly before the new Duke’s arrival. Rafe is making progress in bringing Thornthwaite back into fighting trim, mostly through his own efforts. I’ve only guided him. I spent a lot of time around the estate while I was engaged to his brother, especially during his last illness. I had no authority to order things as I might have liked, but I did learn a lot about what needed to be done.’

The Duchess nodded. ‘Both men are intelligent, capable and driven to do their duty. The soldier in them, I suppose. I imagine Rafe is taking over the reins as competently as Hart did.’

‘He is doing well. He’s a fast learner and much more…approachable than his late brother, who was rather distant and reserved, in addition to having little interest in the day-to-day working of the estate. The tenants appreciate seeing Rafe riding out among them every day, actively managing the land and clearly interested in their welfare.’

‘Traits of a good military officer,’ Claire said. ‘Also like Hart. So you were engaged to Rafe’s elder brother? It must have been…devastating to lose him.’

Juliana nodded, ready to offer Claire some explanation, but with no intention of confiding the whole story. ‘I understand you were widowed, so you know what it’s like.’

‘True. But I had years to recover before I eventually fell in love with Hart. Were you…agreeable to marrying Rafe? Of course, Hart believes him a paragon and thinks any female must be thrilled to become his wife. I hope you weren’t…obligated into it.’