Fortune's Bride Read Free

husband, no matter what the danger. Sabrina knew of several
such women, and she herself had been in situations of considerable peril owing
to her late husband’s diplomatic posts. She had never minded the danger, in
fact, it had exhilarated her. It was William’s personal doings that had caused
her to accept his death with so little grief.
    As for any children Robert might have, something could easily
be managed. Even if the wife Robert chose did not have a mother, or he did not
like her, Lady Moreton would gladly oversee the children. Like her son, Lady
Moreton was kindness itself. Or if Robert felt his mother would be too
indulgent, Sabrina would be glad to care for her brother-in-law’s children,
only she might not be in England. But that would not matter, for Leonie would
watch over them as Leonie would watch over her own children if God would only
allow her to have them.
    “Brina?”
    The anxious note in Perce’s voice woke Sabrina to the fact
that she was standing with her hand on the bell pull and staring blankly at the
wall behind it. She started slightly and pulled the delicate tapestry ribbon
that would ring a bell in the servants’ quarters below. Then she turned and
smiled.
    “I was thinking,” she said not quite truthfully, “that if
Spain really has rebelled against Bonaparte, it might be important to us, too,
Perce. If you were to be sent there, or to Portugal, or if we had the
expectation of such an appointment, even if it did not come through, that would
be a good reason to set our marriage ahead.”
    Perce’s expression cleared, but before he could answer
Sabrina, Robert said, “There will have to be a government not at war with
England before any diplomats are likely to be appointed. And I tell you right
now that if they replace Sir Arthur with one of those old fools from the Horse
Guards, Spain and Portugal will have to win against Boney on their own. Do you
think Castlereagh can hold out against them?”
    “No,” Perce replied, “not indefinitely, anyway, because the
Duke of York has too much influence, but they might not push the matter too
hard until they see whether Sir Arthur makes any headway. In any case, Sir
Arthur may be more fortunate to be relieved of his command than to keep it. I
know the government presently believes Spain only needs a little help to push
out Bonaparte, but I don’t think the Spanish emissaries who are here are
representing the political situation accurately. I’m afraid—”
    “I don’t care about Spain’s political situation. All I want
to know is whether Sir Arthur will keep his command.”
    Perce sighed with gentle resignation. Robert’s obsession
with military matters did not yet include the recognition that political
maneuvering all too frequently was concluded on the battlefield. Robert was not
unintelligent. He was an ardent student of the art of war, ancient and modern.
He read every book on military history and military tactics he could obtain,
and he remembered everything he had heard from Sir John and Sir Arthur about
the battles they had directed. However, he was still young enough to regard the
subjects of where and why one fought as irrelevant. In a sense he had the
perfect military mind. He was quite willing to obey orders without ever
requesting an explanation.
    “But the politics in Spain may make it very hard for Sir
Arthur to accomplish anything,” Sabrina pointed out gently. “And I’m terribly
afraid that this may be our last chance to fight Bonaparte outside of England.”
    “The navy will keep him off,” Robert said, more to comfort
Sabrina than because he had any doubts about the success of any campaign Sir
Arthur led.
    “For a while.” Perce’s voice was so grim that Robert looked
at him in surprise. “The whole problem is tied up with Boney’s fixed idea that
he has to beat Britain and his realization in 1805 that he couldn’t build
enough ships to make an invasion possible.”
    “You can’t mean that he fought