Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Hero Fiennes Tiffin was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside. Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Josephine Langford to ask Hero Fiennes Tiffin to help sav...
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Half the guests at the ball wanted to stop Hero to welcome him home. Besides friendly greetings, he also received three blatant propositions and five broad hints; a good thing he had left Josephine with Lucien. Not that he minded her jealousy; he found it rather endearing. Every day Josephine was becoming more and more a woman, and less and less the virtuous schoolmistress.
By the time Hero reached the card room, Michael Kenyon was long gone, if indeed he had ever been there. Hero asked several men if they'd seen Lord Michael, but no one seemed sure. Finally, in frustration, he went back to find Josephine and Lucien.
As he passed through the entry hall, he saw a man covered with travel dust admitted and hasten over to the Duke of Candover, who was still receiving latecomers. On hearing the message, Rafe gave a whoop, then turned and raced up the stairs two at a time. Hero tried to guess what could have aroused such a reaction in a man whose legendary calm rivaled Lucien's, but imagination failed him. With a shrug, he went into the ballroom, where a quadrille was in progress.
It took several minutes to locate Josephine, but Lucien's height and bright hair made a good beacon. As Hero approached them, the music abruptly stopped in the middle of a measure. In the sudden silence, Rafe's voice boomed out over the ballroom. "My friends, I have wonderful news."
Hero looked up and saw that the duke was standing in the gallery with the small orchestra. In a voice pulsing with excitement, Rafe announced, "I've just received word that Napoleon has abdicated. The war is officially over."
At first there was a stunned silence. Then a single voice raised a wild cheer. More and more people joined in to produce a roar that rattled the rafters of Candover House.
Adding his own exhilarated shout to the din, Hero pushed his way toward Josephine; kissing her was a perfect way to celebrate. To his intense disgust, Lucien, who was closer, beat him to it with a jubilant embrace that swept Josephine from her feet.
After Lucien returned her to the floor, Hero gathered her into his own arms, saying to his friend, "I suppose it would be churlish to cut out your liver, but next time find a girl of your own."
Unintimidated, Lucien grinned and pounded him on the back. "The war that has been going on since we were in short coats is over! By all things great and wonderful, we've done it!"
Giddier than he'd ever seen her, Josephine wrapped her arms around Hero and kissed him exuberantly. When she came up for air, she said with awe, "Even though Napoleon's forces have been on the defensive for the last year, it's hard to believe that the end has arrived. Finally, finally, we'll have peace."
Hero thought of the war-ravaged areas of Europe he'd seen, and his arms tightened around Josephine. "Thank God the fighting never reached British soil. Our losses were light compared to what most of the nations of Europe have suffered."
