CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sir Charles was true to his word and as soon as he returned home he composed a letter to the Earl of Preston requesting a meeting with him in at Jockey Club headquarters in Newmarket in three days’ time. Since Sir Charles always had business to attend to in Newmarket, he repaired there the day before his appointed meeting with Preston, spent some time speaking with the track groundskeepers, had an excellent dinner with Lord Meryon at his Newmarket Stud, and went to bed. Early the following afternoon he was sitting in his office going over some studbooks when the Earl of Preston walked in.
It was a brief and deeply unpleasant meeting. The earl sat on the opposite side of Sir Charles’ desk and said irritably, “What can be so urgent, Bunbury, that you must summon me in such an extraordinary manner?” The earl looked around the empty room. “And where are the other stewards?”
Sir Charles slowly closed the thick book then said, “This is not a matter that concerns the other stewards, Preston. This is a matter that concerns you alone.”
The earl’s iron gray brows rose in surprise. “I cannot conceive what you might be talking about.”
Sir Charles sighed. He had not been looking forward to this interview. “Your son, Lord Longford, came to see me a few days ago,” he began. “Apparently he has become friends with Daniel Dereham and….”
Sir Charles’ words were cut off by the sound of Preston’s hand slamming down on his side of the desk. “Damn! What did I ever do to deserve such a son? When he’s not digging around in the dirt, he’s making up to that scoundrel Dereham!”
The earl’s face was alarmingly red. Sir Charles said mildly, “What have you got against Dereham? He seems to be a decent sort. He’s interested in helping the mill…”
His words were cut off again, this time by Preston’s shouted reply: “He parades himself around London, passing himself off as my son! He’s not my son, he’s a bastard! I made it clear to his mother that I wanted nothing to do with her or with her brat! And now my legitimate son, my heir, is cozying up to the scurrilous bastard. Well, I won’t have it, I tell you. I won’t have it, Bunbury! I won’t have my blood associating with that…that piece of garbage!”
Sir Charles had listened to this tirade with an impassive face. If he had harbored any doubts about Lord Longford’s accusation, they were put to rest by the look on Preston’s face. He was so enraged that the veins on his neck were bulging. Sir Charles waited a moment, then said, “Longford told me that Mr. Dereham has been troubled by several attempts on his life.”
“It’s a shame that they failed!” Preston said forcefully. His face was the color of puce. “We can only hope the next attempt will be more successful!”
Murder was looking out of the Earl of Preston’s blue eyes. Sir Charles said mildly, “Lord Longford is very concerned about his brother.” As the earl began to object to the use of the word brother, Sir Charles held up his hand. “He is also concerned about you, Preston. He does not want his father to go to prison for conspiring to murder Daniel Dereham.”
Some of the high color drained from the earl’s face. “Longford said that? He actually came to you and said he believed I was trying to have Dereham murdered?”
“He did.”
“That miserable, crawling piece of shite. He doesn’t even like horses. He’d rather dig in the dirt. Can you believe that, Bunford? A son of mine who doesn’t like horses? I don’t know why I’m surprised he cozied up to Dereham. They’re two of a kind – a disgrace to the blood that runs in their veins.”
“Are you admitting that you have tried to have Mr. Dereham murdered?” Sir Charles said.
The earl’s head lifted, like a horse that smells danger. “I didn’t say that.”
“No, you didn’t, and I am not going to try to get you to say it. What I am going to say, Lord Preston, is this. If anything should happen to Daniel Dereham, if he should in anyway be maimed or killed, I will make certain that no English gentleman will start his horse against you ever again.”
Silence.
“You can’t do that,” Preston said finally.
“We did it once to the Prince Regent,” Bunbury pointed out.
Color flooded back into the earl’s face. “You wouldn’t dare. You would never accuse me – a lord of the realm! – of murder. No one would believe you.”
“The Jockey Club doesn’t have to publicize a reason for what we do, we can simply do it on our own authority. And I have no doubt that the other stewards will follow my lead, Preston. You know they always do.”
Preston shifted in his chair, then said in an agitated voice, “I am not trying to have Dereham killed! I don’t like him, I’ve never made a secret of that, but I’m not trying to have him murdered.”
“Then you will have to pray that the person who is responsible for the attacks is not successful.”
The earl cursed, long and fluently.
“Do we have a bargain?” Sir Charles asked when Preston finally ran out of words.
The earl rose to his feet. In a tight, furious voice he said, “I am sure that in the future, Daniel Dereham will be quite safe. Good day to you, Sir Charles.”
The earl stormed out of the room, his boots very loud on the unpolished wood floor.
# # #
While they were waiting to hear the results of Sir Charles’ meeting, Matthew insisted that Daniel move out of the Pulteney and join him at his sister’s house in Berkeley Square. Daniel had refused at first, but Matthew had been unrelenting. “Louisa and Westport aren’t in town at this time of year, and there’s only a skeleton staff on duty. You won’t be putting anybody out, and I want you in a safe place until we hear from Bunbury.
Daniel had finally given in, more to placate this half-brother he had become fond of than to protect his own safety. The two young men spent their time playing cards for a guinea a hand. Daniel also learned a great deal about geology, which he found very interesting. For his part, Matthew learned a great deal about India and Daniel’s life there, which caused him to regard his younger brother with a great deal of respect.
Finally, on the morning after Bunbury’s meeting with the Earl of Preston, a messenger came to the door of 17 Berkeley Square with a missive from Sir Charles: Meeting successful. There will be no further attacks. Mr. Dereham is safe.
Finally, Daniel was free to go home.