“I’m fine,” he said, not even turning his head from the window.
“Well, of courseJoshuais fine.” Her mother sniffed. “He’s probably been in all sorts of weather as a soldier.”
“I dare say he has,” her brother remarked. “Weren’t you at the glorious Battle of the Nile, Wolfe?”
At last he turned his gaze from the window. “Yes,” he said tersely. “And it was hardly glorious, trust me.”
Thorn shifted on the seat to gaze more fully at the major. “The British won spectacularly, didn’t we? I’d say that’s glorious.”
Major Wolfe grimaced. “We lost nearly two hundred men on our ship, many of them my fellow marines. So forgive me if my image of the battle is colored by the blood I saw running on the decks of theMajestic.At one point, theMajesticwas between two of the French ships, which is how we lost our captain and two of our masts, not to mention how our hull became severely damaged. It did not feel very glorious at the time.”
“All the same,” Thorn persisted, “Sheridan told me last night that you are quite the war hero. That you were promoted to captain on the strength of your performance in that battle alone. I had no idea.”
Neither had Gwyn. How it must chafe the man to be brought so low as to be a gamekeeper. No wonder he was always grumbling.
“Is that where you were wounded?” Gwyn asked, eager to hear anything he might say about his time in the Royal Marines.
A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Given that the Battle of the Nile took place ten years ago, no. I haven’t been languishing in Sanforth as long as all that, your ladyship.”
“Forgive me,” Gwyn muttered. “I don’t know that much about the war against France.”
“Clearly,” Thorn drawled.
“To be fair, Iwasliving in Berlin at the time,” Gwyn shot back.
“And we all know newspapers don’t exist in Berlin,” Thorn said caustically.
Mama glared at them, then turned her attention to Major Wolfe. “You know, Joshua, you needn’t speak so formally with us. As my nephew, you’re family.”
“Ah, yes, my good chap,” Thorn added, “I meant to mention that yesterday. You’ll stand out like a green lad in society if you keep using ‘your ladyship’ and ‘Your Grace’ and such. I know Gwyn and I aren’t actually related to you, but as Mother says, you’re part of the family, especially now that your sister has married our half brother. Besides, you’re the grandson of a duke yourself. So stop with the honorifics, for God’s sake.”
“I tried to tell him that two days ago,” Gwyn said, “but he wouldn’t listen.”
The major lifted a brow. “Forgive me, Lady Gwyn, but it was hard to keep up with the many instructions—and requests—you were giving me.”
He was veering dangerously close to mentioning her wish to be taught to shoot. Judging from the glint in his eyes, he knew it, too.
“That’s Gwyn for you,” Thorn said. “Always instructing people.”
“Me!” Gwyn said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You were the one going on and on about his clothing.”
“Hush, both of you,” Mama said. “I don’t want to listen to this bickering all the way to the Golden Oak Inn.”
Thorn rolled his eyes. “We’re not children anymore, Mother, and haven’t been in some years.”
“You could have fooled me,” she said. “My nephew is the only one behaving with some decorum.”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever accused me of behaving with decorum, Aunt,” the major said. “Not even my sister.”
The mere mention of Mother’s favorite niece softened her. “I meant to tell you—it is such a sweet thing you are doing, attending Beatrice’s debut ball. Does she know you’re coming?”
Major Wolfe slanted a querying look at Gwyn. When she gave a small shake of her head, he said, “It’s a surprise.”
“That’s even better!” Mama exclaimed. “Oh, I can’t wait to see her face when you stroll into the town house.”
“Then I shall attempt to stroll, if only to please you, Aunt,” he said without rancor, although he wouldn’t meet Gwyn’s gaze.
The remark went right past Mama, as excited as she was at the prospect of surprising Beatrice, but Gwyn noted it at once. It made her heart hurt for him. How many times in a day did people speak such things heedlessly? How often did he have to pretend not to notice their slips?
