Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed) (27 page)

Chapter 36

F
ive hours later, Athena stared into the full-length mirror, stunned. “Kiri, you are wasted as a duke’s daughter. You could become the most expensive modiste in London if you wished.”

Kiri laughed. “I prefer to work with friends. They are less critical than paying customers would be. But you’re a very fine advertisement for my skills!”

Athena nodded, admiring the rich burgundy brocade of her gown, which brought out the red tones in her hair. No one would guess that the magnificent gold-embroidered band of material that Kiri had added to the hem wasn’t part of the original design. Athena’s elegantly upswept hair made her even taller, but not too tall for Will. “Thank you, Kiri! Now I have confidence enough for anything.”

“The last touch.” Kiri handed her a tiny gilded bottle. “One of my perfumes. Wear it if you approve.”

Athena opened the bottle and sniffed, then smiled. “Lovely! It makes me think of earth and sunshine.”

“I shall blend a custom perfume when I know you better, but I thought this would suit on short notice.”

“No wonder your boutique at Damian’s does well.” Athena dabbed the perfume on her wrists, then behind her ears. “Who will be coming tonight?”

“Mostly classmates of Will’s. My brother Adam, the current Duke of Ashton, and his wife, Mariah. Lord and Lady Kirkland. They both play the piano superbly and I shall try to persuade them to perform for us. The Randalls. Besides being a classmate of Will’s, Randall also served in the same regiment for years.”

Kiri cocked her head to one side as she considered. “I think that’s all, but Will and Damian went out together this afternoon, so I have no idea whom they might bring home. Perhaps they’ll find another guest or five.”

Athena laughed. “You’re very relaxed about that.”

“As I said, an informal dinner of friends. What matters is the company.” Kiri chuckled. “Though it helps to have a really superior chef, of course.”

Athena was about to ask if it was time to go down, when a knock sounded on the door, followed by Will calling, “Are you ready to be admired?”

“Indeed she is,” Kiri called back.

The door opened and Will stepped into the dressing room. Athena’s jaw dropped at how shockingly handsome and fashionable her husband looked in his dark, superbly tailored evening wear. “You said that a superior valet informed you that a man with your build could never be fashionable! You have proved him wrong.”

“It helps when I borrow Mac’s clothing,” Will explained. “He’s much more fashionable than I, and the effect carries over. But look at you, my dear girl! An owl in the finest of feathers!”

Athena blushed. She knew that Will liked her in anything, and best when she wore nothing at all, but the admiration in his gaze was silent proof that he would never be ashamed to have her on his arm.

He came forward and gave her a light kiss before he produced a velvet-covered box. “We visited a jewelry store because Kiri ordered me to buy you garnets. I hope you like garnets? They’ll look good with that gown.”

Athena opened the box and gasped at the splendor of the intricate necklace and earrings. “These are beautiful!”

No one had ever given her jewelry before. She tilted her head up and gave Will a kiss that was a good deal more than casual. “You are the best of husbands. Will you fasten the necklace for me?”

“With pleasure.” Will moved behind her and fastened the catch while she removed the simple gold hoops from her ears, then inserted the lovely dangly garnet earrings. Sliding his hands to her shoulders, he gazed into the mirror as she studied her reflection. “My friends will be dazzled by my good fortune.”

“I’ll settle for their not being shocked by your error of judgment,” Athena said wryly. “And now into battle, my comrades!”

Laughing, Kiri led the way downstairs to where Mackenzie was greeting guests. Introductions were made over sherry glasses, and Will’s friends were as welcoming as he’d promised. She knew that not everyone would approve of her heritage, but good friends like these would be enough.

All were profoundly happy to have Will home and safe, and they greeted Athena with enthusiasm. Kiri’s brother, Ashton, shared her exotic, mixed-blood good looks, but his wife, Mariah, was a warm and charming English blonde. Lord Kirkland was dark and contained, but clearly delighted to greet Will, and his blond wife had a quiet warmth that made Athena want to purr like a cat.

Last to arrive were the Randalls. He was a tall blond man who matched Will in military bearing, while his wife was a petite brunette who made Athena think of Sofia, though she was older and she radiated calm serenity rather than Sofia’s bright charm. With the couple was a handsome dark-haired man who looked like he might be Mrs. Randall’s brother.

Mackenzie escorted the newcomers over. Randall caught Will’s hand in a hard grip, saying, “There were times I thought we’d never both leave the Peninsula alive!”

“I thought the same,” Will said with a laugh. “And quite recently, too!”

As the two men drifted off to talk privately, Mackenzie added, “Athena, this is Lady Julia Randall and her brother.”

Another highborn lady, and this one was staring at Athena with disquieting intensity. Perhaps not all of Will’s friends would approve of her?

Lady Julia said, tension vibrating in her voice, “Forgive me, Lady Masterson, but was your father the Duke of Castleton?”

Athena flinched back, shocked. How could this woman possibly know . . . ?

Understanding came in an instant. Lady Julia and her brother looked like Athena. The shape of the features, the coloring, were reflections of what Athena saw in the mirror every morning. She swallowed hard, then nodded numbly. “I was never, ever supposed to tell anyone of the connection.”

“How very like him!” Lady Julia said with exasperation as she reached out to clasp Athena’s hand. “I’m so happy to meet you. I’ve always wanted a sister, and from what Will wrote about you, you’ve led a fascinating life.”

Athena’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t despise me?” she whispered.

“Why on earth would we want to do that?” her brother said as he offered his hand. “It’s more likely that you would want to give us the cut. My father died several months ago and he was a
most
difficult man. I’m Castleton now and I learned of the existence of a half sister when I met with my father’s lawyers.” The new duke shook his head. “He treated you abominably! I hope you won’t hold his behavior against Julia and me.”

Dazed, Athena said, “I shall forgive the sins of your father if you’ll do the same for the sins of my mother. I’m sure she was no blameless innocent in their affair.”

“Then we are free to become friends.” He gave her a warm smile very like his sister’s. “I’m quite fond of the sister I knew about, so I welcome having another one.”

“I never had a brother, but I seem to be acquiring several, your grace!” She nodded toward Mackenzie, who was watching with quiet satisfaction.

“Please call me Anthony,” her brother said. “Since you’re family.”

“You’re being so kind!” Athena lost the battle with her tears and gratefully accepted the handkerchief Mackenzie handed her.

“That’s because we take after our mother, who was a very kind woman,” Julia said with a laugh. “You must resemble your mother also, since Will never would have married a woman who had a temperament like that of my late father.” She touched Athena’s hand. “I must talk to Kiri because I want to see the baby, but may Anthony and I call again tomorrow? We have so much to learn about each other!”

Athena whispered, “I look forward to your call. I hope I don’t prove disappointing on further acquaintance.”

“You won’t,” Anthony said confidently before he followed his sister and brother-in-law across the room.

Will materialized beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. “Am I permitted to say ‘I told you so’ about your welcome by my friends?”

She laughed. “You’re permitted. I never could have imagined that my father’s other children would actually welcome me! How did that come to pass?”

“Justin saw the resemblance, and from what we knew of the late Castleton, the story was a good fit,” Will explained. “I wrote Randall and asked him to discuss your possible relationship with Julia. She and her brother had already learned that they had a half sister, so they were delighted to locate you. Neither of them has much reason to be fond of their father, and I’ve noticed that difficult parents tend to make the children draw closer together.”

“How very wise you are.” She tilted her head against his, sure that his friends would forgive the impropriety of the gesture on the grounds that she and Will were newlyweds. “Wise and kind and handsome and very,
very
patient! Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

Will caught his breath. “No, I don’t believe you have.”

Startled, she looked into his eyes and realized that in her fear and defensiveness, she’d never actually said that she loved him. “I’m sorry it has taken me so long to find the words, beloved,” she whispered. “I love you, body and soul, now and forever, till death do us part. And may that be at least fifty years in the future!”

Will gave her a smile that took her breath away. “Welcome home, my darling little owl. Finally you are where you belong.”

And with a flagrant lack of propriety, he kissed her.

Several years ago, I cruised the Douro River in Northern Portugal from Porto on the Atlantic Coast to the border with Spain, plus an excursion to Salamanca, the great Spanish university town. I saw the terraced vineyards stepping down the steep hills to the river, and was walloped with the impact of concentrated port wine scents when we visited a wine shipper warehouse in Gaia, on the opposite bank of the Douro River from Porto.

This part of the country was heavily involved in the Peninsular Wars, with French, Portuguese, British, and Spanish troops engaging. I learned of the bridge of boats catastrophe when the French invaded Porto, and I stood in the picturesque ruins of Castelo Rodrigo, a medieval hill fortress that has been restored as a market for arts and crafts. The guide on our cruise knew I was a historical writer, and she pointed down the hill and said, “That building is a convent. Wellington used it as a hospital for his men after the battle.” Is it any wonder that I’ve wanted to set a story in that part of the world?

The hero had to be Will Masterson, who was in my Lost Lords series from the beginning, but as a serving officer in the Peninsula, he was usually off stage and he only made appearances in
Loving a Lost Lord
and his half brother’s book,
Nowhere Near Respectable.

But in April 1814, Napoleon abdicated and the long wars were over. (Or so everyone thought. The emperor’s escape from Elba and his hundred days of ruling France, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo, were in the future.) Will was ready to go home, and I was ready to complicate his life enormously.

The very small kingdom of San Gabriel is fictional, and I deliberately gave it language and characteristics from both Portugal and Spain. Interestingly, there was a real microstate called Couto Misto on the border between those two countries, and it lasted until the Treaty of Lisbon in 1864 divided the land between Spain and Portugal.

I couldn’t use Couto Misto because it had its own history, and also because it was on the northern border of Portugal while I needed a setting on the eastern border. But I did borrow the country’s myth of the fugitive pregnant princess (Saint) Ilduara Eriz, who found refuge in Couto Misto and gave birth to (Saint) Rudesind Guterrie. What a great backstory for my fictional San Gabriel!

None of the events in
Once a Soldier
happened. But perhaps they could have.

If you’ve enjoyed this first novel in Mary Jo Putney’s Rogues Redeemed series, be sure to watch for
ONCE A REBEL
,
coming next October!

 

The enigmatic Gordon, known as the Westerfield Academy’s only failure, has traveled long and twisted paths before reaching a measure of respectability. Then a perilous mission into the heart of Britain’s war with the fledgling United States brings him face to face with all the dangers—and hopes—of his past.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 1815.
Upstairs and downstairs, Holbourne Abbey is abuzz with preparations for a grand ball to celebrate the year’s most festive—and romantic—holiday. For at the top of each guest’s wish list is a last chance to find true love before the New Year . . .

 

A chance meeting beneath the mistletoe, a stolen glance across the dance floor—amid the sumptuous delicacies, glittering decorations, and swell of the orchestra, every duchess and debutante, lord and lackey has a hopeful heart. There’s the headstrong heiress who must win back her beloved by midnight—or be wed to another . . . the spinster whose fateful choice to relinquish love may hold one more surprise for her . . . a widow yearning to glimpse her long-lost love for even one sweet, fleeting interlude . . . a charming rake who finds far more than he bargained for. And many other dazzling, romantic tales in this star-studded collection from the

Word Wenches . . .