Jamie Hayworth |

“Major Lord James Heyworth, Your Grace,” said Eleanor’s butler.

The major, a great bear of a man, stopped in the doorway for a moment, sending his charming scapegrace smile across the room as an ambassador. He had no idea why she had invited him, Eleanor guessed, but had a guilty conscience and hoped to flirt his way out of consequences.

For a moment, she was tempted to investigate further. But there was probably nothing to find. Young Jamie had been at a loose end since arriving back from Waterloo, and was filling the void with alcohol and wild women. That and the untidy situation with his horrid father. But Jamie would not appreciate her interference, and would work out whatever was bothering him in his own time.

“Take a seat, Major Heyworth,” she instructed. “Tea?”

He looked at the chairs on offer and chose to sit on the robust sofa opposite her. Eleanor’s companion remained long enough to carry the teacup and a small plate of savoury tarts to the major, then left them alone as Eleanor prepared her own cup.

All the time, Eleanor kept up a light conversation: the weather, who was in Town, a coming auction for the benefit of out-of-work ex-soldiers.

Jamie continued to look uneasy as he sipped tea, the delicate porcelain dwarfed in his hand. Eleanor decided to take pity on him.

“Major, I have invited you here for your opinion on an application to a fund I sponsor. The Fund for Women Scholars, Scientists, and Artisans.”

Jamie’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline as he widened his eyes in surprise.

“Me? Are you sure you don’t want my friend Mallet?”

Eleanor smiled. “I am seeking a character reference, Major. I believe you and Major Mallet both know the couple in question, but you are in London and Major Mallet, I understand, is in Cambridge.”

“Well. Whatever I can do to help, Your Grace. Of course.” He still looked perplexed, but the underlay of guilt disappeared. Whatever had the boy been up to?

“I have two difficulties with the application. One is character, which is the reason I wished to speak with you. The couple, and particularly the proprietor of the school, have been the subject of rumours regarding their morality and their ability as educators.”

The perplexity was clearing. Jamie was clever enough to have thought about his acquaintances and guessed who she was talking about. She left him in no doubt with her next comment.

“The other, I can resolve. They have applied to a woman’s fund for a boys school. But if they are as worthy as their cause, I shall fund them myself.”

“Sergeant and Mrs Newell?” Jamie asked.

Eleanor nodded, and the major grinned. “I can certainly tell you what I know about them, Your Grace. I am happy to do so.”

Jamie knows Sergeant Newell well, as he served under Jamie’s command during the wars. Jamie has also met the former Miss Abney, proprietor of The Academy for the Formation of Young Gentlemen. All three of them, plus Andrew Mallet, plus several of the young gentlemen, plus an appealing dog and her puppies, face the terror of the storm in Caroline Warfield’s novella in Storm & Shelter.

The Tender Flood: Caroline Warfield

Zach Newell knows Patience Abney is far above his touch. But he has been enchanted by her since she raced out of the storm and into the Queen’s Barque with a wagon full of small boys, puppies, and a bag of books. When the two of them make their way across the flooded marsh to her badly damaged school in search of a missing boy, attraction deepens. She risks scandal; he risks his heart.

Storm & Shelter: A Bluestocking Belles Collection With Friends

When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.