Once Upon A Regency Christmas: On a Winter's Eve / Marriage Made at Christmas / Cinderella's Perfect Christmas. Louise Allen

attempting to mollycoddle your hangover. A woman’s instinct is to wrap sufferers up in blankets and administer beef tea,’ Julia said sweetly.

      That provoked the snort of amusement it deserved. ‘I find it difficult to imagine you doing any such thing.’

      ‘Certainly not the beef tea. The cow is a sacred animal in India. I found it a shock when I was served it in England again.’

      ‘One gets accustomed to anything.’ Giles shaded his eyes to scan the surrounding fields. ‘I ate rook and squirrel stew once, in the mountains. There might have been the odd rat added for extra body.’

      ‘Was it delicious?’

      ‘Anything is if you are starving. Although if you boiled a brick and a rook together, I suspect the brick might be the more tender.’

      ‘I had thought battles must be the worst part of soldiering. It sounds as though simply surviving day to day was horrible.’

      ‘The battles are merely the punctuation.’ Giles rode on in silence until she thought that was all he had to say. ‘I have never tried to explain it to someone before. Or to myself, come to that. The tactics, the organisation, the detail and the wider picture are all fascinating. Learning to lead men, learning the craft of warfare or how to light a fire when everything is wet and the enemy are so close you can almost hear them breathing or how to communicate with a Spanish partisan who is half-inclined to cut your throat are all interesting. The camaraderie is…important.’

      The most important thing, she guessed. ‘And you gave it all up.’

      ‘I inherited land, and debts and people who relied on that land. And a woman with twin baby daughters into the bargain.’

      ‘So, duty?’ Giles nodded. ‘And are you expected to marry the woman with the daughters?’

      ‘I hope not!’ He glanced at her sharply. ‘I have no intention of doing so. I’ve never met her.’