But sleep eluded her. She rose heavy-eyed in midmorning. In Spain, she had usually been close enough to the action to have some idea what was happening. Here there was no news, and it made the day one of the longest of her life.

Sensing the tension, the children were quarrelsome. The servants gathered in knots to talk in hushed whispers, and one of the Belgian maids asked for her wages so she could return to her family in a village north of the city.

As Catherine and Anne ate a late luncheon, the distant rumble of cannons rolled ominously across the countryside. Battle had been joined. They stared at each other, not daring to speak, before silently returning to their bowls of soup.

When they could bear the inactivity no longer, they went up onto the city ramparts, taking all three children and Anne's pretty young Scottish nursemaid. Hundreds of others were gathered on the walls, staring to the south. Rumors were flying, but of solid news there was none.

At ten o'clock that night, a sharp rap on the door brought Catherine and Anne at a run. Anne swung the door open and found her husband's dust-covered batman, Will Ferris, standing on the steps. She went white. "Oh, my God! Is Charles-"

"No, ma'am!" he said swiftly. "Just the opposite. The master sent me to say that he and Captain Melbourne are fine."

As Catherine ushered Ferris toward the kitchen, he continued, "There's been a nasty fight against Marshal Ney at Quatre-Bras, but the cavalry didn't arrive until the very end, so we were hardly touched. They say the duke was almost captured by a party of French lancers. Had to leap a ditch full of Gordon Highlanders to save himself." Ferris shook his head. "The Highland regiments were cut to pieces, poor devils."

Catherine laid out cold meats and ale, thinking sorrowfully of the gay young Scots who had danced the night before. How many still lived? "What was the outcome of the battle?"

Ferris shrugged cynically. "I don't know if either side won, but at least we didn't lose. They say Napoleon himself went after the Prussian army. Blucher had more men, so if he and his lads did well, the French may be retreating by now."

"I hope you're right," Anne said fervently. "What about the Rifle Brigade? And Colonel Kenyon's regiment?"

"The Rifles were in the thick of it, but Captain Wilding came to no harm." Ferris paused for a swig of ale. "Nor did the 105th-they were held in reserve and never got into the fight."

Probably that was because of the regiment's inexperience-Catherine hoped the 105th would continue to be used as reserves rather than frontline troops. Perhaps Michael and his men would find that disappointing, but she would not.

After eating, the batman excused himself to visit Elspeth McLeod, Anne's young Scottish nursemaid. The two were courting. He spent half an hour with his sweetheart, then saddled up again for the long ride back to the army.

Catherine's spirits were heavy when she went to bed. It would be wonderful to believe that the French had been broken, but in her heart, she knew the worst was still to come.

The proof of the previous day's battle came the next morning, when Molly looked out an upper window and called excitedly, "Mama, there are wounded soldiers in he street!"

Her cry brought most of the household running. From he vantage point of the upper window, they could see into tie Rue de Namur. Injured men who had walked through the night were beginning to stumble into the city through le Namur Gate.

White-lipped, Catherine said, "I'll get my medical kit."

"They'll want water." Anne looked down at her children, who were pressed against her skirts. "Molly, it was very clever of you to see the soldiers. Jamie, may I borrow your wagon so I can take out buckets of water?" He nodded bravely.

Elspeth said, "I'll come, too, ma'am. I have six brothers,I know something of fixing injuries." The other servants also volunteered to do what they could.

Anne ordered her children to stay in the house with the cook. Older and more determined, Amy did not bother to ask if she could help; she simply accompanied Anne with the little water wagon. Catherine considered telling her to go home, but decided against it. Her daughter was no stranger to painful sights.

By the time their party reached the Rue de Namur, the street had turned into an impromptu hospital. Besides the walking wounded, wagonloads of injured men were rumbling through the gate. Citizens of Brussels and foreigners poured from their homes to work side by side to alleviate the suffering in any way they could. Some helped wounded men to their billets while others provided blankets, straw, and parasols to shield men from the hot sun. Catherine saw a nun and a girl who looked like a streetwalker aiding a Belgian boy who had collapsed against the railings of a house. The pharmacies freely gave away supplies.

Catherine's Peninsular experience stood her in good stead as she cleaned and dressed less serious wounds. After the horrible suspense of the previous day, it was a relief to be able to do something. Since Amy was a reliable dispenser of water, Anne fetched a notebook and took last message and mementos from dying men who wanted word sent to their families.

Catherine was picking fragments of fabric and gold lace from a gory, mangled arm when a familiar Scottish voice said, "Trust you to be in the middle of this, lassie."

She looked up to see the prematurely white hair and blood-stained shirt of her surgeon friend, Ian Kinlock. "And trust you to come all the way from London for the chance to see more carnage," she said unsteadily. "Thank heaven you're here, Ian. This sergeant needs more than I can do."

Kinlock knelt beside her and examined the wound. "You're in luck, Sergeant. There are two balls in your arm, but no bones are broken, so amputation isn't necessary. Catherine, hold him while I take the balls out." He pulled instruments from his bag.

Catherine braced the injured right arm. The sergeant gave one anguished gasp and sweat covered his face, but he scarcely moved during the long minutes it took to locate and extract the balls. When the probing was over, Catherine sponged the sergeant's face with cool water while Ian bandaged the wound.

"It's grateful I am to you both," the sergeant said with a rich Irish brogue. He pushed himself to a sitting position with his good arm. "If you'll help me up, sir, I'll be on my way."

"You'll do, Sergeant," Ian said as he complied with the request. "Are you going to the hospital tent over by the gate?"

The Irishman shook his head. "I've a billet where they'll take care of me. Don't understand a word they say, but they treat me like a prince." Before the sergeant had taken ten steps, an elderly priest came to help him to his destination.

Noticing that it had darkened, Catherine glanced up to see heavy clouds covering the sky. The wind was rising and lightning flickered on the horizon. "Lord, a thunderstorm is coming. That's all we need."

"And coming fast. A good thing the hospital tents are up." Ian repacked his instruments. "That will give these poor fellows some shelter."

Catherine looked around and found that the street was almost empty. The first wave of wounded had been tended or moved under cover. Anne had left half an hour earlier, gray with fatigue.

The lightning crackled much closer, illuminating the street with garish brilliance. As Catherine stared numbly at the fat raindrops splashing onto her stained skirt, the surgeon asked, "How long have you been working out here?"

"I don't know." She wiped water from her brow. "Hours."

"Go home," he ordered. "You can come to the hospital tent when you've had some rest."

"Will you be working there?"

"Aye." He smiled wryly. "Sleeping there, too, I expect."

"Stay with Anne and me." Catherine pointed out her house. "We have ample space, and you'll rest better than in the tent."

"I'll take you up on that, most gratefully."

Lightning blazed across the sky, followed immediately by a deafening roll of thunder. As the rain intensified to a torrent, Catherine grabbed her medical kit and went to collect Amy.

Her daughter loved storms, and now she was staring aptly at the sky. "Wellington weather, Mama," she said,raising her voice above the thunder. "There's going to be a battle."

"Very likely." Catherine took Amy's hand. "But now let's go inside before we drown!"

Catherine took Amy to the nursery. Then she changed to dry clothing and came down to the hot tea and sandwiches Anne had ordered. They were just finishing when a knock sounded at the front door. A minute later, the parlor maid brought Lord Haldoran into the morning room. Water cascaded from his greatcoat, and his fashionable detachment had been replaced by urgency.

"Mrs. Melbourne, Mrs. Mowbry." He made a quick bow. "Have you heard the latest news?"

"I'm not sure," Anne replied. "Please tell us."

"Yesterday the Prussians were badly mauled at Ligny. They had to retreat almost twenty miles, so Wellington is falling back also to maintain his lines of communication. I understand he's setting up his headquarters at a village called Waterloo."

"Dear God," Anne whispered, her face white. "That's only ten or twelve miles from here."

"Napoleon is on Brussels' doorstep," Haldoran said bluntly. "It's anybody's guess whether Wellington will be able to stop him with his ragtag assortment of troops. Every foreigner who can leave the city is going or gone."

Catherine set down her teacup carefully. "I would put my money on the duke, but this is not good news."

"I didn't come only to frighten you," Haldoran said more moderately. "Last week I took the precaution of hiring a barge to take me to Antwerp if the fighting went badly. There's room for you and your children and a servant each. But if you wish to come, we must leave right away."

Catherine gave him a startled look. It was a remarkably generous offer. Perhaps she had misjudged him.

"I… I can't abandon my husband." Anne unconsciously pressed her hand to her swelling abdomen. "What if Charles is wounded and he is brought home?"

"If matters go well, you can return in a few days." Haldoran's gaze went from Anne to Catherine. "But if they don't, would your husbands want you to risk the lives of your children?"

Catherine bit her lip. She was willing to take her chances,but dare she do that with her daughter? "There is a solution." When the other two looked at her, she said, "I have more nursing experience and Anne has more children, so I'll stay here and keep the house open while Anne takes the three children to Antwerp."

Anne exhaled with relief. "If you're willing, that would be perfect. Though I hate leaving, we'd be fools to pass up a chance to take the children to safety when the French are so close. Lord Haldoran, it will take half an hour to get everyone ready. Is that acceptable?"

Catherine saw a flash of sharp irritation in Haldoran's eyes, and realized that his offer had been less generous than it appeared on the surface. It was her that he wanted, probably with the hope that the distraught officer's wife might be in need of comfort. No matter; his help was welcome, and he was too much of a gentleman to withdraw it merely because Catherine wasn't coming.

Quickly concealing his irritation, he said, "Half an hour will be fine, though I wish you were coming also, Mrs. Melbourne. Brussels might be dangerous." He got to his feet. "I'll write down the address of my bankers in Antwerp. You can reach me through them if necessary."

"Thank you. It's very good of you to go to such lengths for people you've only known for a few weeks," she said with a hint of dryness.

"It would be criminal to waste the space on the barge," he said piously. "With both of your husbands risking their lives for their country, it seems right to extend my protection to you."

The next half hour passed in a flurry. When told she was going to Antwerp, Amy begged, "Please, Mama, let me stay. You've said often what a help I am."

"You are, my love. But I will not be able to stop myself from worrying about what might happen to you." Catherine smiled ruefully. "I can't help it, I'm a mother. When you have children of your own, you will understand."

Amy capitulated, with the stipulation that she be allowed to return as soon as it was safe.

The pretty young nursemaid Elspeth McLeod also asked to stay. Knowing the girl wanted to be near Will Ferris, Anne agreed, taking Catherine's maid to help with the children.