unmannerly of me!"
"I am far too old for them," he said as he led her back into the ballroom, sparsely populated now.
It was perfectly true. He had dreamed powerful dreams as a very young man, and he had fully expected that most of them would come to fulfillment. But his youth had come to a premature end nine years ago. He had lived firmly within the realm of reality since then.
"But you must have dreams," she told him, "or life loses its focus, its passion, its very meaning."
Wasthat what had happened to his life? he wondered.
Lady Caddick was on her feet, watching their approach with an air of distraction.
"Ah, there you are, Lady Morgan," she said. "We are ready to go home."
Lady Rosamond Havelock at her side looked as if she had been weeping. She cast herself into Lady Morgan's arms, and they hugged each other tightly.
CHAPTER VI
ON THE MORNING AFTER THEDUKE OFRichmond's ball, there was a general exodus from Brussels to Antwerp of those foreigners not connected with the military. By midday the roads were clogged with them and with their carriages and horses and baggage carts.
The Caddicks and Morgan were not among them. Rosamond had awoken with one of her infrequent but crippling migraine headaches. It was indeed more than a headache-it half blinded her, caused nausea and numbness down her left side, and made light and even the slightest sound or movement quite intolerable to her. Despite all the danger of remaining in Brussels and despite the urgings of her husband, who had never suffered from migraines as she herself had and therefore could not imagine how totally incapacitating they were, Lady Caddick remained adamant. Rosamond must remain where she was-quietly shut up in her bedchamber-until the worst of the indisposition was over. Sometimes these bouts lasted for three, four, even five days.
Lord Caddick offered to find someone willing to chaperon Morgan and take her to safety, but she assured him that Alleyne would be back from Antwerp soon and would make suitable arrangements for her himself.
Common sense told her that she should go as soon as possible, even if doing so meant traveling with near strangers. But it was hard to behave with common sense under such dire circumstances. The fact was that she could not bear to leave. She had acquaintances and even a few friends among the officers of the Life Guards and their wives. Most of the latter were remaining. Why not she, then? How could she leave and not know what happened to any of those acquaintances?
She had spoken the truth to Lord Caddick. Even so, she hoped that Alleyne would not return from Antwerp in time to send her on her way today. Perhaps by tomorrow there would be more news from the front. Perhaps the hostilities would all be over by then and she would not need to leave at all.
Alleyne had still not come by midday.
During the afternoon, restless and wanting to leave the house as quiet as possible for poor Rosamond, Morgan obtained permission from Lady Caddick to visit Mrs. Clark, wife of Major Clark of the Life Guards. She lived just a ten-minute walk away, and Morgan promised to take her maid with her. It was while she was taking tea with Mrs. Clark that she heard what at first she took for distant thunder. But Mrs. Clark smiled rather tensely when Morgan expressed the hope that there would be no torrential rain to increase the discomforts of the troops.
"That is the sound of heavy guns," she explained.
Morgan could feel the blood drain out of her head.
"They are far away," Mrs. Clark told her. "It is more a feeling, a vibration, than a sound, is it not? And who is to know where exactly it is coming from or who is involved in the action? Or indeed whether they are our guns or those of the French?"
Morgan half expected that Alleyne would come for her before it was time to leave. But she walked home with only her maid for company.
Alleyne had not called at the Rue de Bellevue. He did not call there for the rest of the day.
During
"I am far too old for them," he said as he led her back into the ballroom, sparsely populated now.
It was perfectly true. He had dreamed powerful dreams as a very young man, and he had fully expected that most of them would come to fulfillment. But his youth had come to a premature end nine years ago. He had lived firmly within the realm of reality since then.
"But you must have dreams," she told him, "or life loses its focus, its passion, its very meaning."
Wasthat what had happened to his life? he wondered.
Lady Caddick was on her feet, watching their approach with an air of distraction.
"Ah, there you are, Lady Morgan," she said. "We are ready to go home."
Lady Rosamond Havelock at her side looked as if she had been weeping. She cast herself into Lady Morgan's arms, and they hugged each other tightly.
CHAPTER VI
ON THE MORNING AFTER THEDUKE OFRichmond's ball, there was a general exodus from Brussels to Antwerp of those foreigners not connected with the military. By midday the roads were clogged with them and with their carriages and horses and baggage carts.
The Caddicks and Morgan were not among them. Rosamond had awoken with one of her infrequent but crippling migraine headaches. It was indeed more than a headache-it half blinded her, caused nausea and numbness down her left side, and made light and even the slightest sound or movement quite intolerable to her. Despite all the danger of remaining in Brussels and despite the urgings of her husband, who had never suffered from migraines as she herself had and therefore could not imagine how totally incapacitating they were, Lady Caddick remained adamant. Rosamond must remain where she was-quietly shut up in her bedchamber-until the worst of the indisposition was over. Sometimes these bouts lasted for three, four, even five days.
Lord Caddick offered to find someone willing to chaperon Morgan and take her to safety, but she assured him that Alleyne would be back from Antwerp soon and would make suitable arrangements for her himself.
Common sense told her that she should go as soon as possible, even if doing so meant traveling with near strangers. But it was hard to behave with common sense under such dire circumstances. The fact was that she could not bear to leave. She had acquaintances and even a few friends among the officers of the Life Guards and their wives. Most of the latter were remaining. Why not she, then? How could she leave and not know what happened to any of those acquaintances?
She had spoken the truth to Lord Caddick. Even so, she hoped that Alleyne would not return from Antwerp in time to send her on her way today. Perhaps by tomorrow there would be more news from the front. Perhaps the hostilities would all be over by then and she would not need to leave at all.
Alleyne had still not come by midday.
During the afternoon, restless and wanting to leave the house as quiet as possible for poor Rosamond, Morgan obtained permission from Lady Caddick to visit Mrs. Clark, wife of Major Clark of the Life Guards. She lived just a ten-minute walk away, and Morgan promised to take her maid with her. It was while she was taking tea with Mrs. Clark that she heard what at first she took for distant thunder. But Mrs. Clark smiled rather tensely when Morgan expressed the hope that there would be no torrential rain to increase the discomforts of the troops.
"That is the sound of heavy guns," she explained.
Morgan could feel the blood drain out of her head.
"They are far away," Mrs. Clark told her. "It is more a feeling, a vibration, than a sound, is it not? And who is to know where exactly it is coming from or who is involved in the action? Or indeed whether they are our guns or those of the French?"
Morgan half expected that Alleyne would come for her before it was time to leave. But she walked home with only her maid for company.
Alleyne had not called at the Rue de Bellevue. He did not call there for the rest of the day.
During
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