True Soldier Gentlemen (Napoleonic War 1) by Adrian Goldsworthy

On the ground she was only a few inches shorter than Pringle and Hanley.
    ‘I suspect the captain’s orders did grant you the liberty of addressing me.’ Her accent was unusual. Pringle had grown up in Liverpool and recognised it as from one of America’s Southern states.
    He coughed again. ‘My profound apologies, Mrs MacAndrews.’ The other three chorused similar regrets. ‘It is just that I did not expect someone so young.’ Again there was an echoing chorus.
    Esther MacAndrews looked offended at such forwardness. Immediately the young gentlemen fell silent. Williams and Redman were blushing, and even Pringle and Hanley were worried. She had known many subalterns over the years and understood just how to work them. For a few seconds she let them squirm, then unleashed a smile, showing her still very white teeth.
    ‘Flattery, however insincere, is always welcome. It is good to know that my husband has under his command such fluent and generous liars.’ This provoked the expected confusion, the half-smiles as they tried to work out whether they were being complimented or insulted. Redman’s mouth was hanging open until Pringle noticed and gave him a nudge with his boot.
    The lieutenant finally rallied, at least to a level of coherence if not his usual ease in the company of women. ‘May I present Ensigns Hanley and Redman, and Mr Williams. I am Lieutenant Pringle, ma’am, and we are all at your service.’ He bowed, and the gesture was quickly followed by a general bobbing of heads.
    ‘That is delightful, I am sure that I do not know how I have managed without it,’ drawled Esther MacAndrews. She stepped to one side and looked back over her shoulder. ‘Now may I in turn present my daughter.’
    In the last minutes it had been hard for the grenadiers to notice anything other than eir captain’s lady. Williams gasped aloud as they all looked up at the doorway of the carriage. A young woman stood there. She was dazzling.
    Miss Jane MacAndrews looked nothing like her mother. She was small, little more than five foot high, and slightly built. Her dress was a dark blue, with a lighter jacket with black lace ribbons and braid that fitted snugly. Her bonnet was also blue, again with a black ribbon, but from beneath its edge unruly wisps of red hair were trying to escape. Apparently lacking her mother’s supreme self-confidence, she cast her blue-grey eyes downwards, although this was also to help her negotiate the carriage steps. One hand held tightly on to the carriage door, and the other grasped her dress and raised the hem so that it did not get in the way. On her dainty feet were black shoes fastened with little buckles. Her ankles – even a few inches above them were visible – were sheathed in white silk stockings.
    The young gentlemen were staring wide eyed at the sudden vision. Only when the coachman proffered Miss MacAndrews a hand to help her down did they start to recover. All four surged forward. Pringle and Redman stopped short immediately to save themselves from walking into Mrs MacAndrews, and before the other two could arrive, Jane had taken the coachman’s hand and lightly jumped down the last long step to the ground. She straightened her dress, looked up and nodded thanks to the coachman, and treated Hanley and Williams to the briefest of smiles, before once again looking demurely down.
    Again there was a round of introductions. Jane offered the merest touch of three fingers to the proffered hands. Each time one of the gentlemen was presented to her, she curtsied and they bobbed down. The girl’s eyes flicked briefly past their face before looking high above them. After the introductions she resumed a close inspection of the ground around their feet. She could be no more than eighteen or nineteen, with smooth and flawlessly white skin.
    There was no doubt that Miss MacAndrews was beautiful. Williams was already in love. His gaze soon began to mirror the young lady’s, focusing either high or