A Principle of Honour

Chapter 27

Lady Harrington came in and sat next to her on the bed. She took Verity's hand in hers and said, 'come down, my dear, and take a little tea with Harry and me. You will feel a lot better after a cup.' Verity nodded, but she doubted Lady Harrington's statement about the tea. It was unlikely that a cup of a warm milky liquid would make her feel any better.

Verity spent the rest of the afternoon in the drawing room with Lady Harrington. They sat opposite each other in silence, listening to the sound of artillery that thundered continuously in the distance. Lady Harrington filled the time with her embroidery, while Verity picked up a book and kept it open on her lap. She occasionally glanced down at the same page and read the same sentence over and over again.

Lord Harrington left soon after tea, leaving the two women alone, and he did not return until much later that evening, just as Verity and Lady Harrington were preparing to go to bed. 'It is all over,' he said to them as he entered the drawing room, 'Napoleon has been defeated.'

Lady Harrington went over to her husband. 'That is good news,' she said, relief in her voice.

'Wellington is reported to have said that is was a damn close-run thing.' Lord Harrington said as he took his wife's hands in his.

'What about casualties? Lady Harrington said with concern, 'did we lose many men?'

'Far too many,' Lord Harrington said quietly, 'and many were severely injured.'

Lord and Lady Harrington then began to talk about their acquaintances that had been injured or killed during the battle. Their conversation was a blur to Verity. She could not concentrate on the long list of names that Lord Harrington was recalling. She just sat staring at the dancing flames of the fire.

'What about Colonel Mitford?' Verity whispered, 'did he...' Verity could not bring herself to finish the sentence. Lord Harrington hesitated and looked at his wife. Verity knew from the expression on his face that the news was bad. And for the first time, since she had heard about her brother's death, tears began to well up in her eyes. 'Is he dead?' she eventually said in a whisper.

'No, my dear,' he replied, 'he is alive, but...' There was a long pause before he added, 'he has been severely injured.'

Verity stood up quickly and said, 'injured, how?'

'Late this afternoon, he was shot in the shoulder. But, he refused to leave the field. It was not until he passed out that he was made to retire from the conflict. He was brought back to Brussels this evening, and I do believe he was taken to his brother's house. Do not worry, my dear,' Lord Harrington said gently, 'he has the best surgeons in attendance.'

Lady Harrington went over to Verity and put her hand on her shoulder. 'Come, my dear, it is time for bed. You need to rest. Tomorrow, Lord Harrington will enquire after him.'

Lady Harrington helped Verity to bed and gave her another sleeping draft. At first, Verity refused the glass of hot milk that she knew was laced with laudanum, but Lady Harrington had eventually persuaded her to take the draft. 'Come, my dear,' she had said, 'drink this, you will feel a lot better in the morning after a good night's sleep.' After Verity had drunk the draft, she put her head on the pillow and soon drifted into unconsciousness.

It was late the next morning when Verity eventually awoke. Just like the previous night, she had had a dreamless sleep, and she felt as though she had not had any rest. As she tried to lift her head from the pillow, it felt like a lead weight, and it took her several attempts to sit up straight. Once she had eventually got out of bed and walked over to the windows, she opened the shutters to let in some sunlight. At first, the light almost blinded her, and she put the back of her hand over her eyes to shield herself from the sun's rays. Once she had blinked a few times, and her eyes had become accustomed to the late morning sun, she looked out of the window into the garden below.