Chapter 11

T hey arrived at Schwarzenberg’s residence at precisely four o’clock. A footman greeted them, then ushered them into a different room from where they’d met during the soiree last evening. This room, while still sumptuous, was arranged in a manner that suggested it was Schwarzenberg’s study. Three chairs had been placed close together, and an additional two chairs were facing the other three.

“The others will join you shortly,” the footman said. “Please, be seated.” He then left and closed the door.

James led Anna to the middle chair in the group of three. “Others?” she asked him softly as she seated herself.

“I haven’t any idea,” James answered quietly. He glanced at Osbourne, who only shrugged at him and remained silent.

Anna clasped her hands in her lap, but they didn’t remain still, so James reached for her nearest fidgeting hand and held it to offer her comfort.

Anna looked up at him, her eyes huge and blue and, he thought, grateful. Relief flooded him; the last thing he wished to do, after the fiasco of the evening before, was to make her feel uncomfortable once again in the presence of others, even if Osbourne had already guessed at James’s attachment to her.

The door opened at that precise moment, and Schwarzenberg and another man entered the room. Osbourne, James, and Anna all rose to their feet and greeted the duo with courteous bows andcurtsies while the prince introduced them to Captain David Manning.

They all sat.

“As we were making inquiries into the disappearance of your brother, Lady Anna,” Schwarzenberg began after they all were seated, “we quickly discovered that General Wellesley had sent his aide-de-camp Captain Manning here to Paris. Captain Manning is Wellesley’s aide-de-camp assigned to record keeping.”

“When the armistice was signed,” Captain Manning said, “the regiments were instructed to travel to Bordeaux for crossing by sea to Cork, Ireland, and from thence home to England—Bristol, to be precise. They are in the process of doing so at the present time.

“I, however, was instructed to travel from Toulouse to Paris and from thence to London,” Captain Manning continued. “While Bordeaux to Ireland is a considerably quicker route back to England for the regiments, it was deemed that travel to Paris and Calais and then on to London would get the documents to the Foreign Office sooner.” He reached for a leather case that he’d set on the floor next to his feet. “At General Schwarzenberg’s request, I have brought the lists of casualties for the 61st Gloucester Regiment of Foot. We both perused the lists but were unable to find your brother listed amongst the dead.”

Anna gasped, and James squeezed her hand.

“That being said, Lady Anna,” Captain Manning added, “we were writing these lists on a battlefield, which is not the most ideal of locations, you must understand. Therefore, we thought it prudent for you to read the lists and assure yourself that your brother is not amongst those named.”

“You didn’t find his name among the dead,” Anna whispered. “But the last word we received said he’d been injured in battle and was missing. To have been notified in such a manner led us to believe that surely the worst must have occurred.”

“There are various types of wounds a soldier may encounter on the battlefield,” the captain said. “They range, of course, from the minor to the deadly. If you received notice of his wounds, there is a likelihood that he may have succumbed after the letter was sent to your family. Or he may have needed to remain behind in order for his wounds to be treated and, therefore, may not have made the lists, as the regiment would not have known of his subsequent death. There is also a chance that he was able to recover. Where was he wounded? Did I understand correctly that it was at Orthez?”

“Yes,” Anna said.

Captain Manning looked thoughtful for a moment. “The battle there was in February. It is likely that if your brother were well enough to travel, he would have gone with his regiment to Toulouse. There were terrible losses there, including your brother’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Coghlan. Good man.” The captain solemnly looked down, as though offering a moment of silence to honor the fallen officer. “But the battle ended when word arrived of Napoleon’s abdication, so the French general agreed to a cessation of fighting. Had word come but two days earlier, there would have been no battle at all, more’s the pity, but such is the nature of war and the communications during war.”

“Which is why it is best that you check the lists yourself, Lady Anna,” Schwarzenberg added. “We shall leave you in peace. I have asked my servants to bring tea to you so you may spend your time comfortably.”

“There is one more thing,” Captain Manning said. “If your brother is alive, it is highly likely he has already crossed the Atlantic to Ireland or may yet be in Bordeaux with other soldiers awaiting their turn for transport.” And then he retrieved a separate sheet of paper folded neatly to fit in his pocket and handed it to Anna. “Should you need a contact in Bordeaux, here is the name of one of my fellow aides-de-camp. I am certain he will assist you in any way he can.”

Then Schwarzenberg and Captain Manning rose to their feet, so the rest of them followed suit once again. The prince bowed over Anna’s hand, as did the captain.

“There is much loss in war, and the effects are felt for generations,” the captain said to her. “I pray you will be spared that loss when you arrive at the end of your journey.”

“Thank you, Captain Manning,” she said.

He nodded, and then he and Schwarzenberg left.

“Well,” Osbourne said. “Good fortune, indeed, Lady Anna. There appears to be some hope after all.”

“Perhaps,” Anna said.

“There is more we must discuss, Jennings,” Osbourne continued. “I received word from Castlereagh just before you arrived. It was addressed to us both, saying he wishes us to further our service with the Foreign Office through the congress to be held in Vienna.” He pulled a letter from his coat pocket. “Here’s the letter. I had intended to tell you sooner, but there were unexpected distractions upon your arrival, I’m afraid.” He glanced at Anna.

James read the missive, which was indeed from Castlereagh. “Well,” James said. It was all he could think to say.

“And now the task turns toward holding together an alliance of jealous, selfish, and weak states and princes by a singleness of purpose when all convene in Vienna later in the year,” Osbourne said. “But if any of you claim I said anything so disparaging about the figureheads of Europe, I shall deny it.”

James swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Osbourne was trying to lighten the mood, and James couldn’t fault him for that. But a different task was preying upon James’s conscience even more than that of peaceful terms among the Coalition.

The footman brought in a tea tray, and another footman followed with a tray of pastries, cheeses, and meats, and once they’d situated the trays, they retreated from the room.

“I shall prepare cups of tea for everyone so Anna may begin reading the lists,” James said.

“Anna, eh?” Osbourne said. “Here, let me do that, Jennings,” he added, moving to the table where the tea service was. “You may assist Lady Anna.”

“Thank you, Mister Osbourne,” James said. He sat and picked up one of the lists. “Hmm, Lieutenant Avery Clifton,” he said to himself.

“Avery Humphrey Clifton,” Anna said, seeming to ignore the repartee between James and Osbourne regarding her title.

He nodded and began carefully reading the names on the list he’d taken, cognizant of the fact that each one represented someone who had given his life for king and country.

He was also keenly aware of all that Anna might have lost.

To whom did he owe his loyalty at this precise moment? Anna or Castlereagh? The question, especially after reading the letter from Castlereagh, was like a knife tearing him asunder. His heart was with Anna. Where did his duty lie?

Anna felt as though she were holding her breath with every name she read. She needed to focus on Avery right now, not on the news that the foreign secretary had asked James to extend his service in Paris and Vienna.

James . She had begun to think of him as James rather than Mr. Jennings. When had that happened?

She returned her attention to the casualty lists, which dealt specifically with the battle fought in Orthez and the battle at Toulouse, so they were the best sources imaginable for finding any further word of Avery. She couldn’t believe the miracle that had arrived in the form of Captain Manning and his lists.

Mr. Osbourne had brought her tea and a small plate with cheese and meat, but Anna had only nibbled on them and had barely sipped the tea, as anxious as she was. Now the three of them were nearly done reviewing all the lists, and they hadn’t come across Avery’s name yet. Dared she hope?

James placed his final sheet on the stack of papers they’d already reviewed. “No Avery Clifton, Lieutenant Clifton, A.H. Clifton, or otherwise on this page,” he said.

“None that I’ve found either,” Mr. Osbourne said. “Lady Anna, I suggest you write to that other aide-de-camp Captain Manning mentioned. If your brother recovered from his wounds, you might intercept him before he sails with his regiment for Cork, assuming he hasn’t already done so.”

“Not finding Avery’s name on the lists is encouraging,” Anna said. “At the very least, he isn’t a known casualty.” She rested her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands. Not finding Avery’s name among the lists was reassuring, but learning that the regiments were, at this very moment, traveling back to England created an unexpected complication she hadn’t considered. “How ironic it is that after a war that has lasted decades, the time my brother goes missing is the time Napoleon Bonaparte is exiled, bringing the war to an end,” she said to herself.

A warm hand settled on her shoulder. “Anna,” James said softly. “It is good news, not finding Avery’s name on the lists. This is a reason to hope, is it not?”

She heaved a sigh. She couldn’t help herself. Between the arduous Channel crossing, the long coach journey to Paris, and becoming a pawn in a political scheme, she was utterly spent.

“What do you wish to do?” James asked her, his hand still resting on her shoulder. “Do you wish to send a letter to the aide-de-camp in Bordeaux?”

She raised her head and looked at James and then glanced at Mr. Osbourne while James’s hand remained on her back, warm and reassuring. “It is true that we have found vital information regarding my brother,” she began slowly. “Or more precisely, we have found nothing specific about my brother, and yet this information is strangely vital. But I cannot presume that Avery is with his regiment on his way back to England either.”

Mr. Osbourne rose from his chair and moved to a far corner of the room and crossed his arms over his chest. James, by contrast, squeezed her shoulder gently and reassuringly.

“I need time to think,” Anna said.

“I wouldn’t take too much time doing that,” Mr. Osbourne said. “You may lose your chance to communicate with the other aide-de-camp and your brother if you do. And if you are considering traipsing all over the French countryside on what still appears to be rather poor odds, I would counsel you to think otherwise.”

Anna turned to look Mr. Osbourne fully in the eyes. “Mr. Osbourne, I cannot have traveled as far as I have to make the presumption that Avery is safely returning home with his regiment. I cannot simply turn around and return to London. There is too much at stake. Do you have a brother, Mr. Osbourne?”

He pursed his lips in what appeared to be irritation. “I do have a brother, Lady Anna,” he said.

“If there were any chance of finding your brother alive when you received word that he was wounded and was not accounted for on the lists, would you simply shrug and say, ‘Oh well, I pray he recovers from his wounds and returns home someday’?”

“It is not the same thing,” Mr. Osbourne said. “You have been given good indication that your brother returned to active service and the communication has simply not arrived yet.”

“It is precisely the same thing,” Anna replied. “And I have been given none of the assurances you suggest. There is nothing to indicate he returned to his regiment. Additionally, when we communicated with Avery’s regimental headquarters before I undertook this journey, their description of field hospitals and what usually happens to a soldier when he is wounded was horrifying, to say the least. While a few of the more fortunate ones may be helped by local citizens, pain, infection, and death were but a few of the things they described to our steward—things they would not tell a lady but that I insisted our steward tell me.”

“Which is why it is unwise for you to attempt this ill-fated rescue mission you seem determined to undertake,” Mr. Osbourne countered.

“I could not then and cannot now leave Avery to endure such terrible circumstances on his own,” Anna declared forcefully, her mind made up. “If there is anything I can do for my brother, I will do it , despite the hardships, whether others consider it foolish or not.”

“That is a brave choice,” James said at length. “Tomorrow we shall undertake preparations to leave for Toulouse—and I shall accompany you, if you will give me your permission.”

“Oh, James, thank you!” she whispered.

“You’ve both lost your senses!” Mr. Osbourne exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “And what of Castlereagh, Jennings? What of his request for your continued service? Are you going to defy your country’s need for your legal and diplomatic skills at the very hour that England and the Coalition are working to unite the Continent after twenty-odd years of war? What of that?”

James was silent, and Anna waited for him to speak, fully expecting that he would realize he’d erred in agreeing to accompany her into southern France and would change his mind.

“Well, Jennings?” Mr. Osbourne said.

James heaved a great sigh. “The peace of the Continent has many in whose hands these negotiations lie. My absence will have little effect on the overall outcome of the peace treaties to follow. Lady Anna, however, has but her manservant and maid to help her find her brother and save her family from desolation. By going with them, I can help assure their safety as well as provide translation services, for we both know that few of the local French will be able to understand much English and may distrust strangers. I ask you, Osbourne, Why have we been fighting all these years if not to secure our families and loved ones? Castlereagh will get along fine enough without me. Lady Anna may not.”

Anna was certain her heart had stopped beating when James had begun to speak. Now it fairly burst from her bosom with love for him. Loved ones , he had said.

Loved ones.

It was late when James and the others arrived back at the apartment after leaving Schwarzenberg’s residence since the prince had also graciously invited them to remain and dine with him. It had been a long day, and James was tired and wished to retire. He watched as Anna excused herself and went to her room, Sparks and Mary following behind her.

The moment they were out of sight, however, Osbourne turned abruptly to James.

“What the devil are you thinking, Jennings?” he hissed quietly. “This is about as foolish an endeavor as I could ever begin to imagine. You intend to follow Lady Anna all over the French countryside in what will undoubtedly see no results. At what point will she concede that this futile search for her brother needs to end? Will you search every cottage and barn between Toulouse and Orthez and the coast of France until she is finally satisfied that there is no brother to be found, either dead or alive? And what if her brother arrives home at the family estate—miracle that it would be—and his sister is not there, and he has no idea where she is? You are making decisions based on your obvious infatuation with her and not thinking practically.”

James said nothing.

“Have you no response? The esteemed lawyer and diplomat has no defense he cares to make? The man who is never at a loss for words is speechless?” Osbourne’s words were sharp as arrows.

“What would you have me do, Osbourne?” James said at last. Sometimes it was better to reply to a question with a question of one’s own. “What would you do in my place?”

“What I would have you do is come to your senses,” Osbourne replied.

“That is what you wish I would do. I asked what you would do,” James replied. “If you were in love with a lady—not an infatuation, mind you, and not just any lady but one who is honorable, faithful to her family, and fearless in her defense of them, who will undertake any means to protect them, even at the risk of her own safety—if you were in love with such a lady, what would you do?”

Osbourne’s face contorted. “That your best defense is simply to redirect the hypothetical situation back at myself only proves my point! Yes, I have a brother, and I imagine I would do what I could to find him. Thankfully, I have never had to do that for Kit. And I imagine if I loved a woman enough, I might be inclined to help her search for her brother. But both of those come with a caveat: I would do what I could within reason .”

“So you say,” James said. “And had I never met Anna, I might have responded as you just did. But I did meet her, and I am moved by her. And heaven help me, I will do what I can to stay at her side in this cause of hers. And after the harshness I directed toward her when we first met, it is my dearest hope that she not only forgive me but that I also prove myself worthy to her and earn her favor in return.”

Osbourne merely shook his head in apparent disgust.

“One day you will understand, my friend,” James said.

“I understand some things better than you think, Jennings,” Osbourne said. “Kit and I lost our parents to pneumonia. I was but twenty and two, and Kit just two years older. There was nothing we could do to arrive before their deaths and save them, though I doubt we could have saved them even if given the time and opportunity. Nothing we could do .” He spoke the last sentence slowly and with emphasis. “I learned there are times when one must let go and accept things one cannot change.”

It broke James’s heart to hear Osbourne speak of his loss. He remembered learning about the death of his friend’s parents while they’d both been attending Oxford. It had been nearly ten years since. “I see,” James replied softly. “I understand better, and I am truly sorry, my friend. But had there been any way to arrive in time to do something, anything, would you have done it, even if it had proved futile?”

Osbourne turned to stare out the window. He was silent for several long minutes, and James wondered if he would ever speak. Eventually, he turned back to look at James. “Go,” he said with a wave of his hand.

James stood, feeling hurt. “Very well,” he said and turned to leave.

“No,” Osbourne said. “I mean go . Go with your newly found love. Earn her favor. Do what you must to help her find her brother—or at the very least, find the answer. I will deal with Castlereagh. But I still think you’re on a fool’s errand, and I won’t be at all surprised if I see you back in Paris within a day or two or three.”

James strode across the room and grabbed Osbourne’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Thank you, Osbourne. I am in your debt,” James said. Then he let go of his poor friend’s hand and threw his arms around him in a great hug before letting go. “Truly.”

“Don’t thank me too soon,” Osbourne said. He sighed. “I shall miss you, my friend. Where am I to turn now for a rational thought in the midst of all the petulant peacocks who refer to themselves as sovereigns—oh, never mind, you have shown yourself to be somewhat less rational than I always have given you credit for.”

James chuckled, and Osbourne slapped him on the arm and laughed with him.

“Good evening, then,” James said. “I expect we will be off to an early start—or at the very least, I shall. I have a coach to hire for the journey ahead.”

He was nearly out of the room when Osbourne quietly called after him. “I lost a colleague in the Duke of Aylesham to a woman. And now I am losing you for the same reason. You know, Jennings, as a betting man, these odds are beginning to frighten me.”

“I daresay your day will come, Osbourne,” James said with a smile.

Before retiring to his room, James knocked quietly on Anna’s door. Mary answered.

“Please inform Lady Anna that I intend to arrange for a coach tomorrow so that we may begin the journey to Toulouse as soon as she is ready,” he said.

“I hear you,” Anna called softly from behind the door. “I just gave Sparks instructions to do that very thing.”

“He is welcome to join me,” James replied, wishing he could see her. “But I believe we may get a coach of a better quality if someone who actually speaks French negotiates the terms.”

“That makes sense. Thank you so much, James,” Anna replied.

Once again, she had called him James. Oh, how he wanted to place his hands on either side of her face and press a long kiss to her enticing lips! “Sleep well, Anna,” he said, and then he nodded at Mary when she looked at him, tacitly asking for his permission to shut the door, which she did.

Being a gentleman was blasted difficult at times.

Anna awoke early the next morning to find Mary nearly finished packing her belongings.

“Oh, you’re awake, Lady Anna! I hope I didn’t—”

“You didn’t wake me, Mary,” Anna said. She stretched her arms out to the side and yawned before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

“When Mr. Jennings said we be leaving first thing in the morning, I figured I best get us ready to leave before the first thing in the morning,” Mary said.

Anna groggily wondered how something could come before “first thing in the morning” and then decided not to contemplate it.

Mary set about finishing the packing while Anna saw to her personal needs and washed and dressed, with Mary helping her with her hair afterward.

“There now,” Mary said. “You look right fine, and we’re ready to face the day and the travel that comes with it. Sparks said he were going to fetch breakfast for us, and then we’d be off.” She tucked the brush into the last bag, closed it, and gave it a nod of finality.

When Anna and Mary left the bedroom and entered the main room of the apartment, Anna realized there was a strange gentleman seated with James and Mr. Osbourne. The three men stood at Mary’s and her entrance.

“Anna,” James said, “allow me to present Monsieur étienne le Touffe, who has agreed to be our coachman for our journey south. He is the coachman we rely upon whenever the Duke of Aylesham or Lord Castlereagh are in France, and Osbourne suggested we try to make arrangements with him first. Fortunately, he agreed. Monsieur le Touffe, permettez-moi de présenter Lady Anna Clifton.”

The gentleman bowed. “ Enchantée ,” he said.

“A pleasure, Monsieur le Touffe,” she replied.

A knock at the main door heralded the arrival of Sparks, followed by a serving girl from the dining room downstairs bearing a tray of tea, eggs, toast, and the like. She set it on a table before curtsying and leaving.

“Ah, perfect timing,” Mr. Osbourne said. “Lady Anna?” he added, gesturing to an empty chair near the gentlemen. Once Sparks had closed the door behind the serving girl, he took a chair in the corner after directing Mary to sit in the chair next to his.

James then spent a great deal of the time speaking in French, with Mr. Osbourne and Monsieur le Touffe nodding in acknowledgment. Occasionally, Monsieur le Touffe made a comment in French or Mr. Osbourne replied to James in English, but it didn’t nearly explain what details they were talking about. Anna only understood a smattering of the French words, and Osbourne’s comments in English didn’t divulge much.

Anna listened intently while drinking her tea and nibbling a croissant, but by the time she’d finished the croissant, her patience had grown thin. She cleared her throat rather loudly to draw their attention.

All three gentlemen turned their heads to look at her, all with raised eyebrows.

“Perhaps,” Anna began, deciding to err on the side of tact, even though she wished to be blunt, “as it is my brother we are seeking, you might think to translate what plans are being made on my behalf while said plans are being discussed.”

“But, ma dame , eef you weel excuse me, ” Monsieur le Touffe replied in broken English, “but eet eez my experience zat zee lady does not care about such details, only zat she travel safely.”

“Thank you for your honesty, monsieur,” Anna replied. “But I have had my fill of gentlemen making choices for me without consulting me first”—she waited as a guilty-looking James translated that much of her statement to the coachman—“and so I would prefer to understand those choices while they are being made.”

James finished translating her words, and the coachman chuckled and nodded. “Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut ,” he said.

Anna looked to James to translate, his expression changing from serious to amused by Monsieur le Touffe’s words. “What women want, God wants,” James said.

Anna smiled at the coachman and nodded. “ Précisément, et merci ,” she said to him with a smile, glad she remembered enough French to say that much.

He nodded in return.

“Now, may we get back to business?” Mr. Osbourne asked in English.

“I don’t know why you’re so concerned,” James replied. “You’re not going with us.”

“As I must report to Castlereagh, hat in hand, with unpleasant news regarding my colleague’s unwillingness to be here to assist, I would like to be able to give the foreign secretary any and all details he may wish to know,” Mr. Osbourne said.

“Five days but most likely a week or more? In a coach ?” Mary suddenly exclaimed from the corner of the room.

Anna and the gentlemen all turned to look. A clearly worried Mary had thrown her hand over her mouth, while a chagrined-looking Sparks patted her free hand, which was clenched in a ball on her lap.

Anna turned to look questioningly at James. “Come, Anna,” he said, “you must have known the journey south would be long and arduous. Why do you think I insisted on accompanying you? You must have looked at maps and realized the distance from Paris to Toulouse—and even onward to Orthez.”

“Yes, I did, but—” Her words ground to a halt. She’d been so intent on finding Avery that she knew she’d avoided acknowledging the details in preference to focusing on the goal at hand.

“You don’t have to continue,” Mr. Osbourne said. “It’s not too late to change your mind.” He looked at Monsieur le Touffe, who merely shrugged.

“What he says is true, Anna,” James said. “Now is the time to clearly understand all the details, which you yourself just adamantly claimed you wished to know. And now is the time to decide whether or not to proceed.”

Anna looked at Sparks and Mary, who were clearly waiting for her answer. She wished she could read their expressions. Sparks’s face was inscrutable, and Mary looked worried. But Mary often looked worried ...

They had willingly joined her on this journey without fully realizing what it would entail, just as she had not realized. And the next part of the journey would be much longer and more difficult.

“It’s yer decision, me lady,” Sparks said. “We come this far. We can go on, can’t we, Mary?” He looked deep into Mary’s eyes, as though sharing his strength with her.

“Yes,” Mary whispered after a brief pause.

Sparks nodded his approval.

“But go with faith, Anna, or go not at all,” James said.

Go with faith or go not at all.

It was an illuminating thought for Anna.

She took a deep breath. “I would very much like to continue the search for my brother,” she said.

“Very well,” James said, giving her a look that she would swear was similar to the encouraging one she’d just witnessed Sparks give to Mary.

And that look gave her hope.