Never Less Than A Lady | Herophine

Chapter One

Hero

London

The grand sprawl of Ashton House was a welcome sight after Hero's long journey home from Spain. The mansion was the largest private residence in London, and Hero never entered without thinking how much more impressive it was than Tiffin Manor, his uncle's London home.

Since the place was far too large for one man, the Duke of Kent had given Hero his own set of rooms for use whenever he was in London. More than anywhere else, Ashton House was home. The place where he was always greeted with pleasure.

The Butler, Harry, almost smiled. "Major Tiffin, welcome! I shall inform his grace that you've arrived."

Hero shook raindrops off his hat before handing it over. "The duke and duchess are in residence?"

"Very much so." Felix's familiar voice came from behind. Hero turned to see his friends entering the wide foyer.

Rose, blond and beautiful and glowing with warmth, swept forward and hugged Hero. "What a lovely surprise! Will you be staying in London long?"

"Long enough for you to tire of me." Hero hugged her back, thinking what a lucky man Felix was.

"Take a few minutes to refresh yourself, then join us in the family dining room." Felix took his wife's arm. "We're dining informally so no need to change, but we have a guest you'll enjoy. We can hear everyone's news at once."

With such an appealing prospect, Hero took only a few minutes to wash up and produce a general look of respectability before heading downstairs. As he entered the family dining room, a familiar dark, compact figure set down his glass of wine and crossed the room to greet him. "Morgan!" Hero seized his old friend's hand. "I assumed you were in Portugal."

"And I thought you were in Spain." Morgan Harris shook hands with equal enthusiasm, his brown eyes were bright in his tanned face. His family owned a famous port company, and he was in charge of Portuguese operations. "I had business in London and it was a good time to return. I like to remind myself that I'm British every year or two."

"The London weather will take care of that very quickly," Hero said as he accepted a claret from Felix. He could feel his tension unwinding as the warm atmosphere embraced him. It was good to be home with friends, and the buoyant Morgan was a particular pleasure. It had been several years since they had last seen each other in Lisbon. "How are things in Oporto?"

"Much better now that you army laddies have moved the war into Spain." Morgan retrieved his wineglass and took a sip. "Are you home on leave now?"

Hero shook his head. "I've recently become the heir presumptive to Damien Tiffin, so it's time to return to civilian life."

"You're selling out?" Felix asked, startled. "That's unexpected."

Hero shrugged. "Technically I'm not selling out, but giving the commission to a qualified captain without the means to pay the purchase price."

"That's generous," Morgan observed as they moved to the waiting dinner table.

"Not really. Seeing this particular captain take over my duties means I can leave with a clear conscience."

Rose studied him with wide brown eyes. "Will you miss the army?"

"There are people I'll miss," he said slowly. "But on the whole, I'm ready to leave. I've never been fond of army discipline. If there wasn't a war on, I would have been court-martialed for insubordination several times over." The others laughed, though it was more truth than a joke.