by Abigail Agar
Percy thought she might have slept for close to an hour before Frederick and Hobart came in. Frederick squeezed Percy’s shoulder. He leaned down.
“Let me take her to bed,” he said.
He lifted her from Percy’s arms and slowly walked her out of the parlour and up the stairs.
Percy’s arms felt empty.
Chapter 8
Percy, Cecil, and Kent went to Tattersall’s in search of a horse. They decided amongst themselves that Cecil was in the market for a carriage horse. Since none of them knew much about the difference between a carriage horse and a single mount, they would need some guidance. Perfect.
The three of them wandered around the maze of stables, the track, and the paddock. They didn’t have to try very hard to look like they didn’t know what they were doing.
Percy, Cecil, and Kent milled through a crowd of gentlemen bunched together, watching stable boys lead horses around the track. Each horse had a number draped over its back where a saddle usually sat.
“I’m going to wander and listen for a raspy voice,” Percy whispered to Cecil and Kent.
They nodded and stayed together in the crowd. A gentleman approximately their age struck up a conversation with the men.
“Good day. Aren’t these animals magnificent?”
“They are,” Kent said. He introduced Cecil and himself to Lord Harold Newton.
“This is our first time here. Have you been to Tattersall’s before?” Kent asked.
“Enough. I know my way around. You’ll enjoy the auction. Very entertaining.”
They watched as the action began. The auctioneer’s voice rang in their ears.
Cecil and Kent exchanged looks. They turned to Harold.
“I can’t place him, but I swear I’ve heard that voice before. What do you know of the auctioneer?” Cecil asked.
Harold grinned. “He’s a Tattersall’s institution. Victor’s been with the old man Tattersall since the place opened.”
“Does he run the place?” Kent asked.
Harold nodded. “Everything but the books. The old man’s grandson, Reginald, takes care of them.”
Cecil looked around, “Where is he?”
Harold snorted. “Downtown. He doesn’t come here and get his shoes dirty. After the weekend is over and the place shuts to customers except by appointment, he and Victor get together and go over purchases and sales.”
Kent looked at Harold. “Sounds like Victor has free reign of the place.”
“Yes, he does. He’s the only one keeping the place together.” Harold shrugged. “It works for them. I’m moving on but before I go, do you dine at the club?”
Kent laughed. “Every night.”
“I’ll look for you there, tomorrow evening?” Harold asked.
Cecil looked at Kent, then at Harold, “We look forward to it.”
Harold walked away, and Cecil and Kent looked at one another again.
“Nice arrangement Victor has. How much you want to bet he and Barton are good friends?”
“Let’s find Percy.”
Percy made almost an entire loop around the track before finding Cecil and Kent. No wonder. They were looping around looking for him. If Percy’s stride wasn’t so long, they could have searched for one another all day.
“There you are,” he said, loud enough for Cecil and Kent to hear him ten feet away.
They turned around and waited for Percy to catch up. “Let’s find a spot where we can talk,” Percy said quietly.
Tattersall’s was crowded, and it took the three of them time to find a secluded spot. Percy thought this bode well if he decided to have Barton followed.
When they were finally alone and away from the crowd, Percy said, “The auctioneer is the voice I heard at White’s talking to Barton. Whatever they discuss here when the place is closed will be easy to pick up.
“I’ll give Frederick and Hobart the information you and I gathered, and they can do with it what they will. Frederick will have to give some thought to what he wants to do about Tattersall’s good name and his business.
*****
“Hello, Mendon,” Percy said.
Mendon bowed, “Your Grace.”
“Before I visit the ladies, can you tell me if the Duke is at home?”
“He is. Would you like to see him first?”
“For a quick moment.”
Frederick stood from his desk, came forward, and bowed. “Percy.”
“Frederick,” Percy bowed.
“Please sit,” Frederick said while gesturing to a chair nearby.
“No, thank you. I wanted to let you know I went to Tattersall’s this morning and had an interesting time of it. Could we set a time to meet with your brother Hobart as well?”
“Certainly. Why don’t you meet with the women, and I’ll call for him.”
He entered the parlour to see Emma at Louisa’s side. Both Louisa and Emma looked grief-stricken. He couldn’t read their faces when they looked up at him.
“Ladies,” Percy bowed. “Am I interrupting? I can come back another time if that is the case.”
He cast his eyes toward Louisa’s mother.
Amelia said, “Please sit, Percy. You remember Emma? Of course you do. Louisa, pour Percy some tea, please.”
Percy made small talk and asked Emma basic questions about her health and family. Both Louisa and Emma looked at each other and then at Percy and Amelia. The girls seemed unsure what to do.
“Louisa, dear,” her mother said, “maybe Percy can give perspective on the situation Rose finds herself in.”
Louisa cleared her throat and turned to Percy. “Rose was married last Wednesday. She never met the groom until she was at the church. As soon as the ceremony was over, the couple went to Plymouth. They won’t be returning to London.”
Louisa’s eyes started to tear up but no tears fell. She put her head down and continued.
“She wrote Emma, “Louisa turned and looked at Emma. “ Her husband doesn’t like her, and she doesn’t like him. They live in separate parts of the house. He avoids her, never takes meals with her, and never joins her in the parlour. The only contact they have is of a marital nature.”
She looked up at Percy. “What, if anything would you suggest she do?”
Percy shifted in his chair. “Another marriage of convenience gone wrong. Are there other members of the house? A sister or a mother she can befriend?
Can she do charity work for the village? Does she know how to sew? Will her husband allow her to buy a bolt of wool? She could get some volunteers in the village to help her make winter coats.
“She needs to busy herself. She can’t count on him for anything, apparently, so she shouldn’t count on him at all. Tell her to think of what kind of life she wants to have, and then make it happen.”
Louisa smiled at Percy. “That’s wonderful. Isn’t it, Emma?”
“Yes. Thank you, Your Grace. I will write her today. I think she will like your ideas.”
Percy smiled and gave a little bow. “Glad I could help.”
Louisa and Emma looked at one another every few minutes during tea. Percy could tell they weren’t interested in sitting still. He put his cup down and opened his mouth to tell the ladies he was leaving, when Louisa’s mother spoke.
“Girls, go to the writing desk in the library and pen your letter to Rose. I fear you won’t stop fidgeting until the letter is done.”
She could see Percy preparing to leave. “I will keep Percy company, so don’t worry about him.”
Louisa and Emma rose, curtsied, and left.
“They must have liked your suggestions. You could tell they were almost bursting at the seams?”
“Yes, I did notice that.”
“Percy, I wanted you to stay because I am interested in your opinion. Men in the marriage mart. How do they view a young lady who is being abandoned halfway through the season?”
Percy thought carefully before answering. “The men in the marriage mart are also
members of White’s. As you know, the gossip mill at White’s rivals any the women of the ton may have.
“The men in the marriage mart know why Jack left town. Your daughter is not looked on as the fault of his departure.
“However,” Percy paused, looking directly into Amelia’s eyes, “there is the question of why Jack was targeted and bullied into leaving. There is an unwritten rule among men about keeping aspects of their lives best left hidden. Men don’t usually walk into situations where there is a chance someone will try to expose them.
I’m afraid that as long as the threat exists, your daughter will pay the price.
“I think you will need to be prepared to answer her if she were to ask why no men show her any interest. Or prepare to answer why you will spend the rest of the season at your estate.”
Amelia seemed angry, “What are you all doing about this? Have you found any way to stop the vile creature?”
Percy sighed, understanding Amelia’s outburst. “There is not a moment during every day where I am not thinking of how to extricate Louisa from this. And there are times when I am physically working on the problem.
“I did, this morning. I worked on a lead and spoke to Frederick about it before I came in to see you just now. I am sure you don’t doubt my commitment and the commitment of Frederick and Hobart to making this person go away. It will happen. And soon.”
*****
Percy said goodbye to Mendon and was walking down the stairs to the pavement when he heard a man shout.
“Percy,” Hobart yelled.
Percy turned and smiled. He waited for Hobart. “Perfect timing. You can turn around and go back up those stairs. We have things to do.”
Percy laughed. “Maybe luck is on my side today after all.”
Hobart clapped his back, greeted Mendon, then walked into Frederick’s office.
Greetings dispensed of, drinks in hand, seats taken, Percy was asked to update Frederick and Hobart.
He told them of verifying the raspy voice that belonged to the auctioneer, who had complete control over Tattersall’s, including the books.
The grandson in charge of the books was too lazy to go to the stables to find out what’s going on. It would be easy to pull off something that wasn’t legitimate but also easy to catch the perpetrators if followed.
“I’ll get some of my men to check the place out when it’s closed. I’ll also put a tail on Barton and Victor. If they talk, we’ll hear it,” Hobart said.
Frederick sighed. “I hate to do it, but I think I need to pay a visit to Tattersall. His good name hasn’t suffered yet, but it could.”
“Not yet,” Hobart said. “As soon as this is over. Until then, you’d just be tipping them off as soon as Tattersall sits them down.”
Percy rose. ”Let me know what you need of me. I think we’re close. That is, I hope we’re close.”
Hobart said, “We’re closer.”
Frederick stood and bowed, “Thank you, Percy.”
Percy bowed, “You’re welcome,” then left.
Hobart raised an eyebrow. “He’s good. Very helpful. Is there any reason we should not trust him?”
“None at all. He’s loyal to Louisa and would do nothing to hurt her or the family.”
Hobart nodded. “If necessary, should we ask for his help again?”
Frederick smiled. “Absolutely. Nothing physical like throwing a punch or holding a knife mind you, but absolutely.”
Chapter 9
Percy’s stable boy took a job with Tattersall’s. One of his most loyal servants, Joey convinced everyone at the Pemberton stables as well as at the Tattersall stables that he was moving on because of a pretty girl who worked in the kitchen of the townhouse. His Grace supposedly suggested he might be better off somewhere else and gave him an excellent reference.
In truth, Joey couldn’t be more excited to spy on Victor. Percy gave him quite a bit of coaching on how to accomplish his mission. The last think Percy wanted was an overeager boy pelting every stable hand with questions. Just like everyone else on this mission, Joey needed patience.
Frederick went to Hobart’s warehouse to talk about the next shipment’s status, but all he wanted to talk about was Barton. He told Hobart what Joey was doing and asked Hobart to assign someone to be Joey’s go-between because he couldn’t exactly tell Mendon he was there to see the Duke.
“I’ll take care of it today,” Hobart said. “Is he in place?”
Frederick nodded. “He’s been coached, but your man may be able to give him some pointers.”
“I’ll see to it. So, this is what I’m thinking. We have someone go in there and ask to buy a horse, but not at auction. He wants the largest, most powerful horse Tattersall’s can find. Nothing like the horses they sell to the gentlemen of London. He hints to Victor that the horse has to outrun another horse running after him.
“Victor finds a horse. I’m curious where he finds this horse, brings it in, the man comes to see it and starts to haggle with him. That’s when we see what Victor does.
“So, there are three parts of this transaction we want to explore. First, Victor doesn’t care if the horse is to be used illegally. Second, he has sources to get the horse. Third, how much does he expect to profit from the side deal.”
“That wouldn’t be surprising since it’s his business. I wonder if he uses the same sources for legitimate transactions.”
“Unless I’m mistaken, Barton only comes on auction days and drives up the prices of the horses through his ‘expert opinion’ on the superiority of a horse. He and Victor probably take equal cuts. I think Victor has a side business of private deals. He likely takes all the profits from them.
“This is my question to you, Frederick. If someone is talked into a value of something, anything, and overpays for that item, is that illegal? I don’t see how we can show any wrongdoing from someone being stupid enough to overpay for something.”
Frederick smiled. “If that were true, every woman in this town would be locked up for overpaying for something. Remember, Hobart, he and Barton are taking a cut from driving up the price. If they weren’t, the buyer is the only one at fault. Because they are profiting from the deception, they are guilty.”
Hobart nodded. “I should know that; I do know that. It’s just that if these men are overpaying, they have no one to blame but themselves.”
Frederick laughed. “That’s because you’ve never overpaid for a thing in your life. Can we talk about our next run now? How are you doing with the crates?”
Hobart put his hands on his desk and lifted himself up. He moved to a table against the wall and grabbed a pile of parchments Frederick thought looked unorganized. Then he remembered losing Barton’s insurance policy and vowed never again to call his brother unorganized again.
“So, this is what I have so far.”
*****
Percy entered the parlour and greeted the ladies. Louisa still looked pale, and she still had circles under her eyes, but she somehow looked better.
“Louisa, would you accompany me for a walk? The weather is perfect, and the flowers are in full bloom. It’s a rare day in London when conditions are as they are today.”
She looked at Percy, her face blank. “No, thank you, Percy. It was kind of you to ask.”
“We could take a carriage ride to the other side of Hyde Park if you’d like privacy. No one goes there, and it is still just as beautiful as St. James’s Park.
“We’ll get out and walk. A short walk if you prefer. Then return as soon as you like. I took the carriage over. Londoners will see my crest on the carriage, not yours.”
Amelia gushed. “May I join you, Percy? It’s been ages since I’ve been to the west side of Hyde Park.”
Percy smiled. “We would love your company, wouldn’t we Louisa?”
Louisa said nothing. Amelia and Percy looked at each other, then to Louisa. They waited.
“I never hear of anyone going to Hyde Park. Not when there are beautiful ga
rdens so close by. You think we won’t run into members of the ton?”
Percy grinned. “I can’t guarantee it, but I’d be surprised if we did.”
Amelia spoke. “Louisa, let’s go get our bonnets.”
The women rose and left Percy alone.
“Good job.”