La Maréchale d’Aubemer, Nouvelle du XVIIIème Siècle, or The Widow of Field Marshal d’Aubemer: A Novella of the 18th Century, posthumously published in 1867, is a novel by the author and memoirist Madame de Boigne, born Adélaïde d’Osmond (1781-1866).   Mine is the first English translation, available here for the first time anywhere.

In Chapter 9, Henri d’Estouteville helps Lionel de Saveuse hatch a plan.  Perhaps he has one of his own?

THE WIDOW OF FIELD MARSHAL D’AUBEMER: A NOVELLA OF THE 18TH CENTURY

CHAPTER NINE

Plans for Strategic Gallantry

Hardly had he returned to Paris when Lionel hastened to keep his engagement to attend the exquisite luncheon — to which invitations were highly sought after by all the most elegant young men — that Henri d’Estouteville gave on Mondays.  The habitual guests were a little startled by this new recruit, but d’Estouteville was their king and could be permitted any eccentricity.  The luncheon finished, Lionel expressed his regret at not being able to attend the next one.  He was going away.

“Where are you going?” inquired Henri casually.

“To take Mme de Saveuse back to her mother, but I shall come back immediately after for important business that will keep me here for a long time.”

Henri looked at Lionel fixedly with a sort of bantering amazement that began to embarrass him.  Then, throwing himself back in his chair, he broke into laughter: “You have important business in Paris and you take Mme de Saveuse back to Limousin!  Oh, country innocence!  You are nowhere more evident than in this! Truly, old chap, I thought you were really one of us.  But you see, gentlemen, we insulted his ingenuousness in thinking him so clever.”