“Why don’t you have a valet?” Petra was curious. In many ways Guy was a typical wealthy member of the landed gentry, an aristocratic gentleman about town, but in many other ways he scorned the conventional trappings of that privileged life.

He shrugged. “I learned to look after myself in my travels many years ago and I’ve never liked the idea of a manservant dedicated to my needs.”

“You never talk of those travels,” she said, her curiosity still rampant. It was rare the opportunity arose to dig a little into his past.

“Oh, I found myself caught up in a little squabble in Macedonia,” he said lightly. “Very important if you were living in Greece or Bulgaria a few years ago, but it didn’t resonate much outside that part of the world.”

“Oh.” Petra leaned forward. “Did you fight? Surely not.”

“Why surely not?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I don’t really know, it just doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing you’d do. You don’t seem like a soldier, not like Rupert at least.”

“Lacey chose to fight the Boers,” Guy told her. “He chose the life of a career soldier. I certainly had no intention of living that life. However, I fell in with a group of Greek guerrilla fighters.” He shrugged. “It was for love of a woman, if you must know, my dear. I’ve always been hopelessly susceptible to the charms of the fair sex, as I imagine you realize by now.” He leaned over her and kissed her. “It was a long time ago.”

“What happened to her?”

“She fell in love with a fiercely bearded Greek and out of love with me,” he responded with a laugh. “And I left the mountains of Macedonia and came back to England to assume the life I was supposed to live.” He straightened. “I have to love you and leave you, sweet Petra.”

Petra blew him a kiss as he left the bedroom. That was an interesting nugget of information. She was not in the least troubled by the idea of his fighting in a foreign conflict for the sake of a woman. It struck her as rather romantic, and Guy was not in the general run of things particularly romantic. He was stimulating and amusing, a wonderful lover, courteous and generous, a little too fond of his own way but that was annoying her less now. She just wished he would tell her more about himself, what he was thinking, the experiences that had made him who he now was.