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twice my age.  I couldn’t afford to be friendly with them for fear of losing my authority.  It wasn’t easy for them to be ordered about by an inexperienced teenager.  I did befriend a few other officers, but during a time of war , you must remain detached.  Friends have a tendency to die and you either become numb to it or go mad with grief. 
    Most of the men I had become close to are no longer with us.  They died fighting for a cause most of them didn’t even care about.  It’s all about who sits on the throne of what country and who benefits from it.  It’s not something the common man worries about.  They just take the King’s shilling to support their families; they don’t always realize they will be dying a gruesome death on a foreign battlefield ; denied even the comfort of knowing that they will have a grave that their family can visit to mourn their passing .  Now there are hundreds of thousands of widows and fatherless children who ’ ll not be comforted by the thought that the Bourbon Monarchy has been restored to the throne of France.  The king of France will not feed or clothe the families of the people who fought and lost their lives to put him back in power.”  Jeremy looked bitter as he hurled another stone into the waves, turning back to Elizabeth. 
    “I ’m terribly sorry , Elizabeth .  I have spoken out of turn.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “I ’ m not upset by you telling me about it, I ’ m upset by how horrible it all is.  We are so sheltered here, away from the real world.  It must have been awful.”  Elizabeth wanted to reach out and take his hand, but she drew back , not wanting to embarrass him. 
    “I never knew that such carnage was possible.  Now England and France will sign a new treaty and all will be forgotten.  It will be as if all those people never were.  They have already been swallowed by the tides of history.”
    Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to say.  She could feel Jeremy’s pain and bitterness, but how could one take away ten years of death and suffering?  It would take time for him to come to terms with what happened and move on with his own life.  “Surely you ’ re looking forward to seeing your father.”
    “Not particularly.  My father never cared for me.  I was sent away as soon as I was old enough.  He loved my mother, but I never felt his affection.”
    “But you ’ re his only son . ” Elizabeth couldn’t understand why her husband, who wasn ’ t a cruel man , would be so cold to his only child. 
    “If my father has his way , I won’t be an only son for long.”
    Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow flushed with embarrassment .  Did Jeremy know Sir Henry was trying to get her with child , or did he just assume that she would eventually have a baby?  Why else would Henry take a young bride if not to get her with child?  Elizabeth was suddenly mortified at the thought that Jeremy knew exactly what his father did to her when he visited her bedroom.  She turned away to hide her shame , and pretended to look for her things.
    Elizabeth walked back to her shoes, waiting for Jeremy to turn around while she put on her stockings and slippers .  It was time to go back.  The sun was riding high in the sky , and it was getting hot and humid, making her feel sticky and irritable.  Jeremy pulled on his boots and offered her his arm , as they climbed back up the steep incline.  They were just walking back across the lawn when they saw Sir Henry’s barouche in front of the house , the horses obviously tired from the long trip .  Elizabeth won dered how long he ’ d been back, but he must have just arrived, since the carriage was still in the drive . 
    Jeremy stiffened visibly next to her , making her feel a rush of affection for him.  His life hadn ’ t been easy , and now he had to face a father who obviously wouldn ’ t be happy to see him.   She saw the tubby figure of her husband emerge from the house and gaze in