by Lucy Adams
“They intend to put something into the Prince’s drink,” Lord Monteforte said. “I do not know what it will be precisely, but I must presume it will be added when the Prince does not notice that what he is drinking does not taste the same as usual.”
Lady Watt wrinkled her nose. “You mean, when the Prince is in his cups, as he so often is these days, they will give him something that will steal his life away?”
Lord Monteforte said nothing but only nodded. A silence wrapped around the room as they each looked at one another, as though seeking to find an answer to what was a very difficult situation.
“Then what must we do?” Olivia asked, a little breathlessly as everyone turned their head to look at her. “There must be something that we can do to prevent this from occurring. The Prince – whilst he may be something of a wastrel – cannot be murdered in such an odious fashion!”
Lord Monteforte bit his lip then shook his head. “Do you know the Prince’s next social engagement?” he asked quietly, looking to Lord Franks. “When will he next be here in town?”
Lord Franks cleared his throat and spread his hands. “He is here this evening,” he said quietly. “I have gentlemen from the League present with him, of course, and they will be keeping a watchful eye on anyone who tries to draw near to the Prince.”
“Where is he?” Olivia asked, her chest tightening just a little. “Where is he visiting this evening?”
Lord Franks cleared his throat. “The Prince can be found at the home of the Earl of Waterston this evening,” he said, as a bolt of lightning crashed through Olivia’s mind. “But as I have said, I have gentlemen present.”
“But they will not know to be careful of what the Prince drinks,” Lord Monteforte cried, getting to his feet in such a state of urgency that the rest of the group could only follow his lead. “Lord Waterston’s home is exactly where Lord Dayton has gone this evening. Come now, we must go there at once!”
Olivia did not even hesitate. Without even thinking about her gown, her lack of pearls in her hair, and her rather shabby slippers, she hurried after Lord Monteforte towards the front door, stopping only to pull on the cloak that Betty held out for her – having somehow known that Olivia would require it that evening. Her heart was in her throat as she climbed into Lord Franks’ carriage, with Lord and Lady Watt taking their own carriage. Within moments, the carriage wheels were turning quickly over the cobbled streets, the driver going as fast as he was able as the tension continued to mount.
“We have to be in time,” Olivia whispered to no one in particular, as her eyes stared blankly out of the dark window. “Let us pray we are in time.”
Chapter Thirteen
Phillip was not about to reveal to anyone just how painful his head was hurting at present, for such was the fervency of their present situation that he knew he could not bring a word of complaint past his lips. His heart was clamoring within him, his foolishness biting at his mind. If only he had told Lord Franks from the start that Lord Dayton was gone to Lord Waterston’s, then they might already be present within the gentleman’s home, preventing Lord Cammish or Lord Dayton from doing something so treacherous. He dreaded the moment of stepping into Lord Waterston’s home, fearing that there would be gentlemen and ladies already speaking of the collapse of the Prince, fearful that something had already occurred that could never be recovered.
“Come then.” Lord Franks threw the door of his carriage open wide just as it came to a stop, practically tumbling out of it to the ground and only just managing to catch his footing. Lady Olivia was out after him, throwing an anxious look over her shoulder as he climbed out, wincing just a little as a stab of pain caught his head once again. Her eyes sharpened as he took her arm, looking up at him still as though she knew very well what it was he was hiding.
“We cannot tarry,” he murmured, pulling her towards the door. “My own pain can wait.”
She nodded but did not say a word, hurrying after Lord Franks as the front door was opened for them. Phillip followed quickly, relived that neither he nor Lord Franks was required to explain their presence here—for the footman and staff welcomed them both in without hesitation.
Phillip’s heart pounded furiously as he stepped into Lord Waterston’s drawing room. There were naught but ladies present, it seemed, for there was a sea of gowns, with tinkling laughter being thrown from one part of the room to the next. Lord and Lady Watt joined him and they stood together, the five of them as one, looking all about the room for any sign of the Prince.
“Ah, Lord Monteforte!” Lady Waterston came forward from the crowd, her expression a little confused but her eyes warm regardless. “I did not expect you this evening. Nor you, Lord Franks.” She curtsied quickly. “Lord and Lady Watt. And…”
“Lady Olivia,” Phillip said quickly. “I believe her aunt and uncle are present this evening.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Lady Waterston answered, smiling. “They said you were unwell. How glad I am to see you recovered enough to join us.” She spread out one hand towards the crowd. “Please. Gentlemen, the others are through in the library with one very special guest.” Her eyes twinkled. “We thought it best to keep him away from the young ladies at present, given his reputation!” Laughing, she threw Lord Watt a knowing look. “Although I am sure we will not be able to keep him out of here for long.”
Phillip cleared his throat and tried to smile despite the fear climbing up his spine. “You refer to the Prince, I presume?”
“To Prinny, yes!” the lady replied, giving the Prince his nickname. “My husband was so delighted when he agreed to attend. Lord Lincolnshire has been improving his acquaintance with the Prince of late and was able to convince him to come. Although,” she finished, with a broad smile, “I am sure that if we told him the room would be filled with pretty young ladies and that the finest whisky would be on offer, then he would have had no difficulty with attending!”
“Might we join your husband and the Prince?” Phillip asked quickly before Lady Waterston could say more. “The library, did you say?”
“Indeed,” Lady Waterston smiled, clearly not put off in the least by Phillip’s interruption. “The library opens through to my husband’s study, so they will be in either one of those rooms.” She opened one arm out towards the rest of the ladies. “Lady Watt, Lady Olivia. You would be most welcome to join us here.”
Lady Olivia gave a small start, glancing up towards Phillip before looking at Lady Watt, who bore a rather strained smile.
“I fear we must be very rude indeed and attend with the gentlemen,” he heard Lady Olivia say, her voice strong and filled with such a determination that he could not help but smile to himself, thinking just how wonderful a young lady she was. “If you will excuse us, Lady Waterston.”
Nothing more was said, save for Lady Waterston beginning to stammer with astonishment over what had just been declared, whilst Phillip grasped Lady Olivia’s arm and hurried her from the room.
“I do hope we are not too late,” Lady Olivia whispered, as the door began to close behind them. “What if the Prince…?”
“We will be in time,” Phillip told her firmly. “Lord Cammish and your uncle will need to wait until the Prince is well in his cups before attempting such a thing. And whilst Prinny does indeed like to partake in fine brandy, I do not think that he will have succumbed to senselessness yet.” Every fiber of his being was taut with tension, his heart beating much too quickly for his liking as he threw a glance back towards Lord Watt, whose face held a very grim expression indeed.
Lord Franks was first at the door. “The study?” he said, looking between Phillip and Lord Watt. “To discuss matters there?”
Lord Watt nodded, but Phillip hesitated. “We should not discuss it whilst the Prince is present,” he said slowly. “You know as well as I that the Prince can often be foolish in his judgements when he has too much liquor in him. He might well be foolhardy and do something that we will then come to regret.”
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�Then let me speak to the Prince.” Lady Watt took a small step forward, her face set. “I will tell him that the ladies present would very much like to be in his company and will bring him through to the drawing room. I am sure most of the other gentlemen will follow.”
“Save for those who are in the League,” Lord Watt added, agreeing with what his wife had suggested without hesitation. “They can remain here to ensure that Lord Cammish and Lord Dayton do not escape. I will find the first.”
“And I will find the second,” Lord Franks said, looking pointedly at Phillip. “You will need to clear the study, Lord Monteforte.”
Phillip nodded. “At once,” he said, seeing how Lady Olivia’s face paled somewhat as Lord Franks settled a hand on the door. This was going to be difficult for her indeed, but he would make sure to stay beside her no matter what came to pass.
This settled, Phillip took in a long breath, set his shoulders and followed Lord Franks into the room.
The situation was settled within minutes. Phillip and Lady Olivia cleared the study without any difficulty, for Phillip’s presence was forcible enough in itself to have the gentlemen gone from the room within minutes, although Lady Olivia encouraged those who lingered to hurry to the drawing room with promises of debutantes awaiting their company.
“You should sit down, Lady Olivia,” he said, as gently as he could as he took her by the hand and led her to sit in the corner. “Not because I fear that you will succumb to a faint or any such thing, but rather because it is best for you to remain silent whilst we speak to your uncle and Lord Cammish.” He looked into her face, thinking she might argue, only for her to nod without hesitation, her hand tight in his. “I thank you for your understanding.”
“I thank you for your trust in me,” she said softly, looking up at him. “You have become my stalwart, Lord Monteforte. Whatever occurs, I know that you are a good and honest man.”
This brought a sense of peace to his spirits even within this difficult situation, and as she sat, he bent down and lifted her hand to his lips. “It will be at an end soon,” he promised, letting her hand go and turning to face the door, just as Lord Cammish and Lord Dayton strode in, swiftly followed by Lord Watt and Lord Franks. The door remained open for there was no concern that either of them would escape, given that the other gentlemen from the League remained in the library.
“What is the meaning of this?” Lord Cammish demanded brusquely. “You cannot simply force us into this study without any means of explanation!”
Phillip, who had been lingering in the shadows for a moment, stepped closer and saw, much to his amusement, the way the smile fell from Lord Cammish’s face and how his pallor turned a little grey.
“Good evening, Lord Cammish,” he said before looking to Lord Dayton, who was staring at him in confusion. “And Lord Dayton. Good evening to you also. I’d assume, from the look on your face, that you were not expecting me to be present this evening.”
Lord Dayton opened his mouth as though to say something, only to close it tightly again, shaking his head firmly.
“Whether it was by your own hand or not, I know that you knocked me unconscious and then brought me to your townhouse, thrusting me into a tiny, dark room with a locked door, where you hoped I would remain until Prinny was no longer of this Earth,” Phillip continued, taking another step forward. “But it was not so.”
“Who let you out?” Lord Dayton hissed, beginning to stride towards Phillip. “Who found you?”
Phillip shook his head, looking at Lord Dayton with pitying eyes. “You admit your guilt so easily, Dayton?” he asked, seeing the man falter, his eyes flaring for a moment as he realized not only what he had done but also what he had said. “Why did you do such a thing? Why try to hide me away?”
Lord Cammish cleared his throat, lifting his chin as he did so. “I told him that you were not to be trusted,” he said, clearly deciding that there was no need to pretend any longer. “I did not believe you when you said that you wanted to follow through with the plan. I had someone follow you.”
Phillip frowned. “But I did nothing,” he said, a little confused. “I returned home and–”
“I had you followed for a long time before that meeting,” Lord Cammish interrupted, waving his hands as though Phillip was being quite foolish. “I wanted to catch you in your pretense. I knew that if you were meeting with the likes of Lord Watt and Lord Franks, then there was no easy way for you to accept the plan to remove the Prince from his place in the monarchy. In short,” he finished, with a sniff of disdain, “I did not trust you.”
Lord Dayton shook his head, his hands firmly on his hips. “And it seems he was correct not to,” he said angrily, glaring at Phillip as though he were the one in the wrong. “I told him that I believed you to be genuine in all of your promises, I even pushed you towards my daughters, and now…”
“Now you discover that I am not the gentleman you thought,” Phillip finished, with a small shrug. “I have no particular upset at such a remark, Lord Dayton, for if I am loyal to the Crown whilst you would wish me not to be so, I fear that it is you in wrong and not I.” He held Lord Dayton’s gaze, seeing how he struggled to say something in response, his jaw working furiously and his eyes burning with anger.
“What was it you intended for the Prince, Lord Cammish?” Lord Watt asked, tilting his head as though they were merely having a polite conversation and he had found something to intrigue him. “Poison?”
Lord Cammish shrugged and looked away. “I was not the one to procure it,” he muttered. “But I would be the one to administer it, if that is what you wish me to say.”
Phillip frowned. “You are being very honest, Lord Cammish,” he said, seeing how Lord Franks narrowed his eyes. “Your honesty will, most likely have you thrown in jail, if not hung from the gallows.” He did not like Lord Cammish’s manner and felt rather uneasy at the fellow’s ease in speaking. Something was wrong and Phillip could feel it in his spirit.
Lord Cammish sighed and looked at Lord Dayton. “I speak the truth so that I might be spared,” he said, his eyes turning from Lord Watt to Lord Franks and then, finally to Phillip. “I was coerced into this situation. It was not my own initiative, you understand. I was only…”
“That is a lie!” Lord Dayton’s eyes flared wide, his face suddenly paling. “I was led by you! You were the one to first approach me, to suggest ideas that I had never even considered before!”
Lord Cammish shook his head in an almost pitying manner. “Again, you try to throw the guilt at my feet,” he said dispassionately. “But it will do you no good, Lord Dayton. You are the traitor. I was only being led by you.”
Phillip caught Lord Watt’s sharp gaze and felt himself grow confused. Lord Cammish had, to him, always been the one to show greater fervor and initiative when it came to the matter of the Prince, but then again, it had been Lord Dayton who had brought Phillip into the meeting in the first place, who had insisted that he join them. Phillip did not know either gentleman well enough to make the correct decision and, thus, found himself floundering.
“Lord Dayton,” he said slowly, garnering everyone’s attention, “you were the one who spoke of placing something in the Prince’s drink, were you not?”
Lord Dayton’s face paled. “Yes, I was,” he admitted, glancing around the room.
Phillip sighed inwardly and shot a long look towards Lord Watt, trying to explain without speaking, that he had very little suggestion as to who might be telling the truth.
“But that was only because Lord Cammish had suggested it before you attended with us,” Lord Dayton continued hastily, making Phillip’s brows draw together as he recalled precisely what had occurred. “We had come to an agreement long before you appeared, Lord Monteforte. Do you not recall? I was to place the vial in the Prince’s brandy, whilst yourself and Lord Cammish created a distraction of sorts.”
Nodding, Phillip saw Lord Franks’ brow lift. That, at least, was true. Lord Cammish and Lord Dayton had di
scussed the matter at length long before Phillip had arrived.
Another idea suddenly hit him. “You say that you did not procure this poison, Lord Cammish,” Phillip said swiftly, an idea suddenly coming to him. “Then who was it, might I ask?” He looked to Lord Dayton, who shook his head firmly. “If it was not Lord Dayton, then I must wonder how you came to find it.”
Lord Cammish chuckled darkly. “I did not say it was not Dayton who brought it,” he said, with a small shrug as though he knew he were now placing the guilt firmly on Lord Dayton’s shoulders. “You are incorrect there, Lord Monteforte.”
“I had nothing to do with it!” Lord Dayton shouted, his face suddenly a deathly white. “I was to add a few drops to the Prince’s drink so that he would be overcome, would become ill, and would not recover for some time.”
Phillip’s mouth dropped open. It was not like him to be so caught by surprise, but what Lord Dayton had just said went against everything he thought he knew. Lord Dayton looked from one man to the other, his eyes still wide with fright.
“He would be removed from his position,” he continued, his voice high pitched and tense. “Someone else would take his place, someone more worthy and, in that time, all of England would do well and our place in the world would not be looked down upon.”
Shaking his head, Phillip put one hand to his forehead. “Do you mean to say, Lord Dayton, that you had no intention of killing the Prince?”
Lord Dayton gasped, staggering back as though he had been shot. The reaction was clear enough and appeared to be genuine and, as Phillip looked at Lord Cammish, the man’s smug look had him suddenly angry.
“Let me begin by explaining my reasons for seeking to join your little group,” he said, looking directly at Lord Dayton instead of at Lord Cammish. “We had information from a Frenchman who told us that someone within your group was working against the Crown. Passing information and the like.” He sniffed, looking away from Lord Dayton only to pierce the fellow again with a sharp gaze. “You say that you had no intention of killing the Prince – but what if I do not believe you? Do you have ties to the French, Lord Dayton?”