Chapter 32
As soon as they returned to London, they rushed to the Pearler’s house.
Rachel looked terrified when she saw they had returned merely hours after they’d left. “Fave is at St. James. Nagy requested his presence at an audience with the Prince.”
“Oh no!” Arnold hissed and signaled to Greg. “Let’s run; it’s faster than the horse.”
They stormed out of the house and sprinted as they hadn’t since they were children.
The guards recognized them and granted them entrance.
Neither Greg nor Arnold needed to catch their breath after the short sprint, but they held their breath because the audience was their last resort, not a check, but a final move toward a mate.
Tall, arched windows flooded the long hall with daylight, casting intricate shadows over the rich tapestries that adorned the aged stone walls.
The guards, in their scarlet coats trimmed with gold, moved with practiced precision, leading them toward the audience chamber. Greg noted the detailed plasterwork on the ceiling above, where artful stuccoes framed the royal coat of arms, each element symbolizing the realm’s enduring legacy. Their hushed footfalls were the only sound, save the distant murmur of the courtiers’ conversations that grew louder as they approached the heart of the palace.
Polished oak doors adorned with gleaming brass fittings stood before them. The guards cleared their throats and opened the double doors in unison. Greg felt a familiar mixture of anticipation and reverence as he prepared to enter the presence of the Prince Regent, the weight of his duty as a Baron pressing heavily upon his shoulders.
“Lord Stone.” The Prince rose from his seat at a long table, and Fave, Gustav, and Richard Nagy turned to face the door.
“Your Majesty, I’ve come with a matter of grave importance.” Greg bowed and handed Steven’s will to the monarch.
As the prince read the paper, Greg spotted the golden orb on a cushion on the table right in front of Fave and Gustav.
Fave came to Greg’s side, his eyes questioning.
“Have you lost the chess game?” the prince asked, clearly amused by the will in his hand.
“I didn’t play it.”
“Your Majesty, if I may.” Nagy rose and addressed the prince. “If this is about Willowby Park, I believe Baron Stone forfeited.”
“The Black Knight?” The Prince arched a brow at Nagy.
“Yes, your Highness.”
A moment of silence passed, and the prince narrowed his gaze. Then he sputtered and laughed. “That’s nonsense, Bailiff. I’ve played with him many times, and I’m good, but the Black Knight doesn’t lose.” Then he turned to Gustav. “Isn’t this the late Earl’s daughter who…”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I remember the season,” the Prince said gravely. “I’m afraid you were the center of attention as much as she was.” He gave Greg a man-to-man stare. “I hate it when the gossips meddle in affairs that are none of their business.”
“So if they think you lost a game”—the prince suppressed a chuckle—“ who’s her appointed guardian?”
“Me, your Majesty.” Arnold bowed deeply.
“But he’s a Jew,” Nagy protested. “Your Highness, he’s?—”
But the prince held his hand in the air. “Is this about the Jewish Disability Act, Stone?”
“Yes, but not only.”
The prince looked at him as he used to when they played chess alone. It was as the Black Knight that Greg had caught the Prince’s attention and secured a spot among his entourage, but it was as Gregory Stone that he’d gained his trust.
“I understand that Jews cannot take the guardianship of a daughter of the realm.”
Nagy puffed up to emphasize that he’d been right all along.
“It’s not right, and if I had a vote, I’d lift the Jewish disabilities,” Prinny said.
Nagy’s mouth fell open, and Greg might have found humor in it, if the consequences weren”t so grave.
“Did you get a special license?” Prinny asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Fave stepped forward. “The Archbishop of Canterbury signed it yesterday.”
“But it’s invalid. She relinquished residence at Willowby Park,” Nagy spluttered.
“She was evicted by her brother’s solicitor and sought my help.” Greg tried to control his demeanor, but his veins felt as if they were freezing solid.
“Is that true?” Prinny asked Arnold, who nodded.
“So the abeyance is invalidated, and the earldom passes from the heir named in the will,” Nagy said, his cold blue eyes narrowed.
“Lord Chanteroy lost his rights to Baron von List in a chess game and Mister Nagy used the funds he held in escrow to pay off the entailed properties,” Greg said.
The prince narrowed his brows. “You withheld the money I paid for an order that I placed to clear the title of an estate that had already reverted to the Crown?”
Nagy paled and his hands turned an unhealthy shade of chalk white.
“When did I grant my permission for this nonsensical transaction?”
Nagy stepped back and began to tremble.
The prince inhaled and turned to Gustav. “Mister Pearler, I apologize for the misunderstanding and will arrange for all of the unauthorized transactions to be reverted to their prior status. And I will, of course, pay for the orb that I ordered.”
Gustav bowed deeply and mumbled his thanks.
“Now, to you.” The Prince turned to Greg. “What do you want?”
“To marry the woman I love.” Greg shoulders finally lost their tension.
“I have a wedding present for you then.”