he returns."
"He will be disappointed," he said.
"He would be more so," she told him, "if I married him. I do not believe I would be an easy woman to live with, Lord Rosthorn, even if I loved with all my heart. Captain Gordon does not love me. He loves theidea of me-a duke's daughter who has just made her come-out and is very wealthy. There is nothing else."
She was doing herself a gross injustice, he thought. But she looked up at him suddenly, her eyes stricken.
"He may die," she said. "Howstupid all this is, Lord Rosthorn. Stupid and deadly serious. How could I have sent him away with the truth ringing in his ears? I allowed him to believe that I feel as he does, that I will wait for him, grieve for him for the rest of my life if he does not return. And perhaps I will too. Who knows?"
Her eyes filled with sudden tears.
He reached across the table and set one hand over hers. She turned her own beneath it and clasped his hand tightly while she dashed at her tears with her free hand.
"I do not want this to be happening," she said fiercely. "Any of it. Can no one understand that war solves nothing? There will always be war,always in the name of freedom and peace. How can there be freedom when men die senselessly? How can there be peace when men have to fight to attain it? Humanity will always run in pursuit of those two desirable states and never ever find them." She looked at him with flushed cheeks and passionate gaze.
Two couples entered the room, took one look at them-and at their clasped hands-and backed out with muffled apologies. Lady Morgan appeared not even to notice.
"I daresay," he said, "Caddick will take you away from Brussels in the morning. Within a week or so you will be back in England with your family and life will seem less tumultuous again."
"It will not," she said. "Please do not patronize me, Lord Rosthorn-not you of all people. I would rather stay here. I would ratherknow . I would rather suffer with everyone else. But even if the Earl of Caddick does not insist that we all leave, Alleyne will. He has been in Antwerp, but he will return tomorrow. He told me before he left that he would insist I leave then if the situation had not improved. It has worsened." She sighed. "What willyou do, Lord Rosthorn?"
"Stay here," he said. "I am not a military man, but perhaps there will be some way in which I can make myself useful."
"That is what I would like to do," she said. "I would like to make myself useful. You cannot imagine how helpless one feels as a woman in a situation like this-or in a thousand other circumstances, for that matter. But I daresay I will be leaving here tomorrow."
"I am on the Rue de Brabant," he said, and he gave her the house name. "If by any chance you have need of me, will you send for me?"
She half smiled at him.
"Because I am too weak to manage on my own? But it is a kind offer and I thank you for it." She looked down at their clasped hands, seemed to notice the connection for the first time, and slid her hand away to rest in her lap. "I believe I have been prattling. I tend to do that when I feel passionately about an issue. I feel passionate about war. It would seem strange, then, would it not, that I felt constrained to come here to Brussels even though my brother did not wish to give his consent? We ought not to be here alone, ought we? But nothing is as it should be tonight. Will you escort me back to Lady Caddick?"
He stood and offered his arm.
"The wars will be over," he said, "at least for a while. And your dream of love will surely come true in time,chérie . You will be happy again."
She laughed softly. "Is that a promise, Lord Rosthorn?"
"Ah, but dreams cannot be captured with promises," he said. "Like water, they elude our grasp. But water is the staff of life. Ibelieve your dream will come true if only because you will not compromise on it and let it go too lightly."
She laughed again. "I have not even asked you about your dreams," she said. "How
"He will be disappointed," he said.
"He would be more so," she told him, "if I married him. I do not believe I would be an easy woman to live with, Lord Rosthorn, even if I loved with all my heart. Captain Gordon does not love me. He loves theidea of me-a duke's daughter who has just made her come-out and is very wealthy. There is nothing else."
She was doing herself a gross injustice, he thought. But she looked up at him suddenly, her eyes stricken.
"He may die," she said. "Howstupid all this is, Lord Rosthorn. Stupid and deadly serious. How could I have sent him away with the truth ringing in his ears? I allowed him to believe that I feel as he does, that I will wait for him, grieve for him for the rest of my life if he does not return. And perhaps I will too. Who knows?"
Her eyes filled with sudden tears.
He reached across the table and set one hand over hers. She turned her own beneath it and clasped his hand tightly while she dashed at her tears with her free hand.
"I do not want this to be happening," she said fiercely. "Any of it. Can no one understand that war solves nothing? There will always be war,always in the name of freedom and peace. How can there be freedom when men die senselessly? How can there be peace when men have to fight to attain it? Humanity will always run in pursuit of those two desirable states and never ever find them." She looked at him with flushed cheeks and passionate gaze.
Two couples entered the room, took one look at them-and at their clasped hands-and backed out with muffled apologies. Lady Morgan appeared not even to notice.
"I daresay," he said, "Caddick will take you away from Brussels in the morning. Within a week or so you will be back in England with your family and life will seem less tumultuous again."
"It will not," she said. "Please do not patronize me, Lord Rosthorn-not you of all people. I would rather stay here. I would ratherknow . I would rather suffer with everyone else. But even if the Earl of Caddick does not insist that we all leave, Alleyne will. He has been in Antwerp, but he will return tomorrow. He told me before he left that he would insist I leave then if the situation had not improved. It has worsened." She sighed. "What willyou do, Lord Rosthorn?"
"Stay here," he said. "I am not a military man, but perhaps there will be some way in which I can make myself useful."
"That is what I would like to do," she said. "I would like to make myself useful. You cannot imagine how helpless one feels as a woman in a situation like this-or in a thousand other circumstances, for that matter. But I daresay I will be leaving here tomorrow."
"I am on the Rue de Brabant," he said, and he gave her the house name. "If by any chance you have need of me, will you send for me?"
She half smiled at him.
"Because I am too weak to manage on my own? But it is a kind offer and I thank you for it." She looked down at their clasped hands, seemed to notice the connection for the first time, and slid her hand away to rest in her lap. "I believe I have been prattling. I tend to do that when I feel passionately about an issue. I feel passionate about war. It would seem strange, then, would it not, that I felt constrained to come here to Brussels even though my brother did not wish to give his consent? We ought not to be here alone, ought we? But nothing is as it should be tonight. Will you escort me back to Lady Caddick?"
He stood and offered his arm.
"The wars will be over," he said, "at least for a while. And your dream of love will surely come true in time,chérie . You will be happy again."
She laughed softly. "Is that a promise, Lord Rosthorn?"
"Ah, but dreams cannot be captured with promises," he said. "Like water, they elude our grasp. But water is the staff of life. Ibelieve your dream will come true if only because you will not compromise on it and let it go too lightly."
She laughed again. "I have not even asked you about your dreams," she said. "How
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