The Rakehell Regency Romance Series Boxed Set 5

by MacMurrough, Sorcha

  Castle began to step backwards and fired his gun wildly. Oliver reeled off a shot right through the pocket of his coat.

  With a growl of fury and a stream of curses in French the likes of which Viola had never before heard him utter, George fired his pistol and launched himself at her captor. Oliver the spy, attempting to flee from George’s ire, was clipped in the thigh and fell.

  George pummelled Castle unmercifully, and grabbed Viola before either man could get off a second shot or try to stop him. He kept firm hold of her elbow, and urged her, "Double quick now. Don’t run, but we’ll alternate sides of the street. They start to fire, dive into a doorway. They could be up in the windows too."

  A couple of shots rang out, pinging the wall near Viola’s head.

  "Merde! Vite!" George gasped out. Dragging her into the nearest doorway, he fished his handkerchief out of his pocket and clapped it to his left arm.

  "Here, let me help." She tied it as tightly as she could around his taut bicep.

  "Come now. Alistair will be beside himself, and might do something stupid if we don’t get you back to him. We get onto the main road and get a cab. Once inside the cab, you load my pistols. You don’t get out of the cab until we’re sure Philip and Alistair are safe."

  "Aye, sir."

  George flashed her a grin. "Cheeky to the last."

  "Where’s Sebastian?" she asked quietly.

  "Laying low until all of this is over."

  "Why are you helping me? Castlereagh will have your guts."

  If he was surprised at the mention of the Head of the Foreign Office he gave no sign. "Because it’s the right thing to do. And because I think you can guess who and what I am."

  "In part. I never really understood it all before until now, when you lost your temper. I’ve never seen you angry."

  "No one hurts what’s mine. You and Sebastian are the only family I have left. And I never had a sister."

  Viola leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Even in the darkness of the shadowy doorway she could sense him blush.

  "I’m sorry."

  "For what?" he asked gruffly.

  "All you’ve suffered. You need to tell me what you’re looking for. Maybe we can help. Alistair has friends who can—"

  "You and Alistair need to watch your backs until this trial is over," he said firmly. "My friends were supposed to be on you, but they can’t be everywhere at once if you take silly risks. One man, either side of you, and they should keep hold of you at all times. With any luck Sidmouth won’t be so foolish as to try again so close to the trial. And certainly not after. He can’t run the risk of a mis-trial. When is the court date set?"

  "The day after tomorrow."

  "In that case, if you have room for two more in that big mansion of yours, it would be an honor to call upon you, Madame."

  "And Sebastian?"

  "I think he’d make a fine clerk. Much better than a tart. And maybe he’ll meet the right girl and settle down."

  "Maybe. I’d love to be an aunt, and you an uncle."

  George stroked his hand down her cheek tenderly, then patted her shoulder in a more hale and hearty manner to disguise his emotions. "So long as you’re happy."

  "I’m sorry," she said again simply.

  "Never did get a chance to kiss the bride."

  "Permission granted."

  He drew his good arm around her, and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Well, come on, Sis, before that man of yours thinks I’ve been tiddling you. Stay close."

  "Just try to stop me."

  They moved from doorway to doorway. The shots came perilously close a couple of times, but they succeeded in getting around the corner and made a dash for the main thoroughfare. Once there she hailed a cab. They were back at Newgate in no time, to face a furious Philip and a nearly hysterical Alistair as they unbolted the door from the outside which they had been trying to break down from within.

  "Thank God you’re all right!" her husband gasped, embracing her as though he’d never let her go.

  "Thanks to George here. And I still have all the papers and depositions." She flourished the briefcase proudly.

  "Bugger them. I’m just glad you’re all right," he said, hugging her tightly.

  "Watch you’re language in front of the lady," George said primly, earning an incredulous look from Alistair and a laugh from Viola.

  "Darling, George is going to be staying with us for a few days, and Sebastian is coming home soon," she said with a smile.

  "Good. Very good." Alistair stuck his hand out for the other man to shake. "Thank you, George. I owe you more than I can say. If you want to break free from Castlereagh you have only to say. I’ll find you a —"

  He shook his head. "I have a good life at The Three Bells. Wine, women and song, don't you know. What more could a man ask for." Despite his hearty tone the words sounded bleak even to his ears, and his expression was equally so.

  Alistair fixed him with a hard stare once they were all seated in the carriage. "Tell me what he has on you," he demanded.

  George sighed. "Two brothers. I need to find them."

  "Are you sure they’re still alive?"

  He nodded. "I’m sure. They all worked for Castlereagh. He wouldn’t let them go. They were and probably are too important. But never mind that now. We have a trial to get ready for."

  "If we can help—"

  "I’ll let you know," George said curtly. "Right now, I want you to promise me you’ll get Sebastian out of the game. This lark was nearly his last."

  "He can find work with any number of our friends, or stay with me, be a clerk, whatever. I promise."

  "Then I consider myself more than repaid."

  "No," Viola said. "I still owe you, George. One day I hope to be able to pay you back. For the moment, it’s back to the clinic to get you patched up."

  "Remind me to make another huge donation to the clinic. Poor Antony Herriot might as well be a seamstress with all the sewing he’s been doing for the Rakehells these days," Alistair said with a sigh.

  "It’ll be over soon, I promise," George vowed, his dark eyes glittering.

  "Sidmouth tried to strike a deal with us. Not that I ever really trusted him, but still, I had some hopes. Now I know it’s a no-holds-barred match to the death."

  Viola gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You’ll just do the best you can."

  Philip nodded. "We all will," he promised.

  Alistair gathered her close, and prayed their best would be enough for the poor accused men.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Alistair thought he was as ready for the trial as he could be. But Attorney-General Sir Robert Gifford’s opening was one of the most shocking things he had heard in his life. He and Viola looked at each other in alarmed disbelief.

  Gifford began, "Arthur Thistlewood had for some time conceived the wicked and nefarious plan of overturning the government so long established in this country. It will appear to you that several, nay, all of the persons mentioned in the indictment, were participators in the same design.

  "They got intimation on Saturday the 19th February that on the Wednesday following, the opportunity would occur when they would be able to effect their purpose, by finding that His Majesty’s ministers would be all assembled at the same house.

  "On Tuesday the 22nd of February, a meeting took place again, in the morning, at John Brunt’s, and upon that occasion, one of parties communicated to some who were present that he had discovered by the newspapers, that a cabinet dinner was to be given again on the following day, Wednesday, at Lord Harrowby’s in Grosvenor Square.

  "On the Wednesday morning, great preparations were made. Arms were brought by Brunt in great abundance to the stable in Cato Street. They consisted of sabres, swords, guns, pistols, and other destructive instruments of offence.

  "But one of the most terrific instruments, and calculated for the most deadly purposes, and which they prepared themselves, was what was called a hand grenade, used by the gr
enadiers in the recent wars on the Continent."

  A gasp went up around the courtroom which the presiding judge silenced angrily.

  "On 22nd February, the conspirators held a consultation at the house of Brunt. Everything was on this occasion considered as finally arranged. After the first blow was struck of destroying the ministers, the principal barracks and various public places were to be set fire to.

  "Thistlewood sat down and wrote two proclamations in anticipation of the success of his diabolical scheme. He wrote an address to the following effect, intended for the people generally: ‘Your tyrants are destroyed. The friends of liberty are called upon to come forward. The Provisional Government is now sitting.’

  "After Thistlewood had written this, he proceeded to form a proclamation to the soldiers, calling upon them to join their friends in liberty, and promising that they should be rewarded with full pay and a pension for life! That they would take possession of London, and be its masters. This is the man and his co-conspirators that you see before you now, awaiting justice for this nefarious plot."

  Alistair tried to hold his temper throughout this recitation, but it was difficult. At last it was his turn for his opening remarks.

  Viola held her breath as he stood up, looking resplendent in his robes, and began.

  "My learned colleague has given a great deal of detailed and damning testimony against my eleven defendants. He has in particular singled out Mr. Thistlewood and Mr. Brunt. He claims that Thistlewood was seeking nothing less that control of the entire capital. With only a handful of men? And a couple of weapons? The possession of London?

  "I should have thought that any man who has ever seen the march of a single regiment would have said at once, there is nothing less probable than that you would have taken possession of any one parish in London, of any one populous street, let alone the entire city.

  "But let us see who was not mentioned in his opening statement, except obliquely. The name of the man who had pointed out the newspaper item in the first place."

  Several of the jurors looking interested in what he was saying, leaning forward slightly. It gave Alistair hope that at least some of the jury had not been bought and might be interested in a fair trial.

  "I have looked to the list of witnesses for the Crown and I find the name of one Edwards. George Edwards. He is not a prisoner, not taken up upon this charge, not tainted as an accomplice by government. There is charged no treason that we know of against him.

  "Yet he was a man cognizant of all the facts. A man present at all the conversations. The very man man who pointed out The New Times newspaper article, and saw and knew and guided everything. Yet that man is not called. The spy is not called because the contrivance would have been made evident by his cross-examination."

  Once again, a gasp went around the courtroom.

  "Any more outbursts, and I will clear this room!" the judge bellowed.

  Alistair pressed on, "If all the circumstances could be investigated, it would prove that the treasonable part is altogether the brewing of a spy and an informer, to implicate in a charge of high treason, a man who had gone far enough towards losing his own life, but not to the length of that greatest of crimes.

  "It is impossible to know how far the higher members of the Government are involved in the guilt of their infernal agents. But this much is known, that so soon as the whole nation lifted up its voice for parliamentary reform, spies went forth. These were selected from the most worthless and infamous of mankind, and dispersed among the multitude of famished and illiterate labourers.

  "It was their business to find victims, no matter whether right or wrong. And John Stafford, and Lord Sidmouth know all about them. I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt in 1817 at the Spa Fields trial that the Home Office was using these men as agents provocateur.

  "Now they have been at it again. Castle was there the night of the arrests. Edwards was the one who encouraged the men inside the hayloft to fight, and outside the hayloft for the constables to charge. There can be no trial without a clear iteration of what Edwards did and incited to do.

  "Moreover, we will show that Edwards systematically worked on Thistlewood ever since he joined the Spenceans a not inconsiderable time ago. He was there only to incide and betray, and then report back to Stafford and Sidmouth."

  Even the judge looked shocked at this.

  "I have numerous witnesses who can prove this, including George Ruthven, who led the charge of the special constables into the Cato Streey hayloft, and who was also there spying amongst them for years. So let us waste no more time, and set about offering you proof of all I have just said. Let us summon my first witness, please."

  Alistair was pleased on the whole, for the testimony of his men would be able to show that the plan had been in the offing for months, not only a couple of days as the government had claimed, due to the fact that Edwards had been inciting everyone he met to take part in some great scheme to avenge Peterloo.

  Watson was now brought forward. Gifford the prosecutor scowled under his heavily powdered wig but said nothing.

  "One night at the White Lion in Camden, Edwards insisted, ‘You are all cowards. Let us try what can be done with physical force.’

  "I argued that it was no use until the country was ready. I said I would be glad to lose my life as well as the rest, but until that time came, it would only exposing ourselves to ruin.

  "Then Thistlewood pointed out, ‘We shall all be hanged.’"

  "So there was never any doubt in your mind that Edwards wanted you to rebel, with arms and weapons."

  "Yes, he also incited us to arms, gathering or making them, despite the fact that he claimed he really just wanted peace at long last."

  Alistair and Viola looked at one another, and gave encouraging nods.

  This clear testimony was supported by Davidson, who said that there were many ancient battles fought where one troop had been vastly outnumbered, and yet had still emerged victorious. "Edwards encouraged them to violent rebellion. Thanks to him, Ings bought twenty-four poles for pikes. In the evening Bradburn sawed the ends square to get ready to put the metal tips on them. Harris showed me nine swords that he had been sharpening on the Sunday morning.

  "Far from the whole uprising taking place in only a couple of days, three or four at most, as Mr. Gifford asserted, they were being goaded into it for weeks before."

  Alistair then cited the testimony that had been obtained from John Castle at the time of the Spa Fields trial, which had been so damning that the men had been let go.

  "Castle said, ‘Mr. Stafford introduced me to Mr. Beckett the Under-Secretary at the Home Office, who did assure me my safety on condition that I told the truth, which was a great ease to my mind, and from that moment I entered into confidential communication with Mr. Stafford. I shall get away with it if I can, but if I should be taken I expect to be protected. I know I run great risk of assassination, but I am determined to go through with it and report everything.’

  "When he was cross-examined during James Watson’s trial in June 1817, he admitted that Mr. Stafford had even bought him the very garments he was wearing, given him an allowance, even paid for his wife to go down to Yorkshire because he feared for her safety. All of these actions are not the behaviour of an honest man."

  But the Lord Chief Justice Lord Eldon halted his line of question. "Mr. Castle is not on trial here. Nor is Mr. Edwards."

  "Why is Edwards not on trial?" Alistair demanded. "Why is he not here as a witness at the very least? And what have these two men, Adams and Monument, been offered in order to help their former friends hang?"

  "That’s enough! There is no evidence that they talked treason. They admit to being in the loft and nothing else."

  "Ah, well, jolly good then. My clients will also happily plead guilty to being in the loft, the ones who were found there, of course, and we can all go home! Four of them weren’t even found there!"

  Eldon scowled blackly.

  "Call Thist
lewood to speak on his own behalf."

  Alistair tried to stare him down. "But you just said—"

  "Mr. Grant, I will not tell you again. And these antics can only do your clients harm."

  "But you have just said they admitted to being in the loft. Thistlewood was not even in the loft. He was peacefully sleeping in bed at a friend’s house when he was dragged out of the house."

  "Call him!"

  "There is no eyewitness testimony save that of Edwards to say that Thistlewood was even at Cato Street. Not unless one of your backstabbing traitors wants to declare it to be so and ensure he hangs."