In 1815 the European continent and British Isles are recovering from the Napoleonic Wars. Many soldiers returned home injured; one such is Jack Tremain. We meet him learning to use a damaged arm again at his brother's fine estate, bitter about his injury and bottling up the stress of war. THE SOLDIER'S DARK SECRET is kept hidden, and he resents a houseguest who has come to sketch and paint the gardens. Celeste Marmion is half English and half French, and she privately admits that she did not care who won Waterloo as long as the war would end.

Celeste is in her twenties and chaperones are not so strictly required in the country, so Jack escorts her around the grounds where he played as a boy. Celeste eventually confides that she hopes to learn why her mother drowned herself, after sending a perplexing letter to Celeste. Jack offers to help solve the riddle it poses; he was the Duke of Wellington's codebreaker.

The tale enjoyably shows us a great deal of the day to day living in a country home, from swimming in the lake, to preserving the glut of plums and damsons. As Jack and Celeste get better acquainted, and admit that they feel attraction, they also work on resolving the puzzles which abound in Celeste's life history. Records are often destroyed during wars, or during the French Revolution which occurred when she was an infant, so the lady's memory and a few small clues are all they can use. I also loved the gardens, from the topiary and pinery to the fruit walls. As a complete contrast we partake of a regimental dinner with the Iron Duke himself and his uniformed staff.

Winding its way from the tensions of the Revolution through the Peninsular Wars to Waterloo and what we now call post- traumatic stress, the journey taken by our characters highlights a hugely traumatic period in history, but we see them from a point of safety. The drama is inward as they relive the past few decades. Lovers of history and family tree research will no doubt relish THE SOLDIER'S DARK SECRET. Author Marguerite Kaye drew on many references including the book The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes, though her primary characters are invented. Lovers of historical romance and scandalously adult behaviour will be delighted with this adventure of self-discovery and healing.