Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
MORRIGAN
Two weeks later
The duke’s ship was expected to arrive in the harbor any time now, and the past few days had been a whirlwind of activity. Everything was in place, however. At least, Morrigan hoped so.
Inviting Sir Rupert Burney to dine with Niall Campbell, Maisie, and Aidan at Searc’s house in the Maggot gave Morrigan the distinct feeling that they’d invited the fox into the henhouse.
But because the dinner was being held with the added company of Colonel Wade from Fort George, the Lord Mayor of Inverness, Captain Kenedy, and the surgeon Mr. Carmichael, there was at least some sense of safety in numbers.
Cinaed and Isabella had remained at Dalmigavie; they were both still wanted as enemies of the Crown by the Home Office.
As she looked around the table now, Morrigan was reminded that so many people in the room had suffered at the hands of Sir Rupert. Once he arrived, the tension in the room was barely restrained within the paper-thin veneer of civility.
For her part, Morrigan had promised Aidan that she wouldn’t cut the man’s throat.
She stayed true to her oath when she was introduced as Mrs. Grant, and the news of their recent nuptials was shared.
Her foe stared at her with a look that insinuated he’d not given her the permission to be anyone’s wife.
In recent weeks, the two of them had remained at loggerheads. She wanted her father’s letter from him. Sir Rupert wanted to know the location of the meeting between Cinaed and the duke. After tonight, Morrigan guessed none of it would matter.
Searc had strategically arranged the seating so Niall would not sit anywhere near the Home Office official.
The former lieutenant would certainly take Burney’s head off with a butter knife at the slightest provocation.
The bad blood between the two men was prodigious since, on one side, Niall’s sister Fiona had been imprisoned for months by Sir Rupert and, on the other side, the Highlander had been a vital player in the reunion of Queen Caroline and Cinaed, an event that sent Burney’s career spinning off course.
In the process, Niall’s efforts had cost Sir Rupert the service of an entire network of spies.
As course after course of food was served, Morrigan noticed Sir Rupert taking in his surroundings with an expression of understandable surprise.
The dining room was grander than anyone would imagine, looking at the house from the outside.
The finest crystal and silver gleamed in the light of hundreds of candles, and attentive servers circulated with the finesse one might expect only in the households of Britain’s aristocratic elite.
It was all part of the facade that the master of the house delighted in.
A diamond had many sides, and so did Searc Mackintosh.
“Are you a first-time visitor to this wee oasis in the Maggot, sir?” Captain Kenedy asked of Sir Rupert, who was sitting beside him.
“I am, sir.”
“Mackintosh is known for his hospitality and for spoiling his guests.” The ship owner raised his voice, addressing the host. “If you would only improve the outside of this place, then we could be entertaining His Grace, the good Duke of Clarence, here instead of at my humble abode across the river.”
“Humble, you say.” Searc snorted. He raised his glass in return.
“You’re entertaining His Grace?” Sir Rupert asked. One would never have guessed from his expression that the fox knew anything about it.
“Aye, that I am. In three nights. A great honor, I don’t mind saying. I’m only hoping that the weather holds, and his ship comes to port in time.” Kenedy paused. “I’d have assumed that you would be accompanying His Grace?”
“Those arrangements will be determined once the duke arrives.”
“This will be an historic meeting,” Colonel Wade said from across the table.
“You know about the meeting, sir?” Rupert asked, unable to keep a hint of accusation out of his tone.
“I learned of it here this evening,” the officer replied. “But can you imagine, Sir Rupert, a prince of the Hanover monarchy and the scion of the Stuart dynasty breaking bread together? History in the making, indeed.”
“More like treason in the making, sir,” Sir Rupert responded sharply. “A sworn enemy of the Crown meeting with the brother to the king? With no knowledge of the Prime Minister or the Home Office? The king will not be pleased. Or Lord Sidmouth either.”
“Lord Sidmouth maintains his position by creating enemies for the Crown,” Aidan retorted. “Fear and hatred in the realm simply mean more influence and control for him, I’d say. Any meeting arranged to create lasting peace will not please him.”
“What do you know about peace, Mr. Grant?” Sir Rupert huffed. “You who endanger lives by putting criminals like the Chattans back on the street.”
“Have you forgotten, sir? You were too afraid for the case to reach its conclusion. Not I, but courts of law free men—like the Chattan brothers—who are unjustly accused. I only provide my services to protect the innocent against the plotting of men who clutch at power with both hands, men like you and your master Sidmouth.”
“What plotting?” Burney scoffed.
“The Home Office lures innocent people into committing crime. You entrap them with your agents. You create the very crimes that you prosecute men for.”
“Take care, Mr. Grant. We create nothing. We identify, we expose, we prosecute. We drag the vermin from their holes and show the public their twisted plots.”
“How miraculous that you happen to discover these plots prior to any actual crime being committed. In case after case, you arrest reformers and political foes. You charge them with crimes that are nothing more than thoughts. Only you call it conspiracy and depict these men as dangerous extremists.”
“And that’s a credit to our organization. To our brilliance. We are everywhere. We hear everything. We are in people’s homes. We know the crimes they are willing to commit before they take the first step.”
“You pit friends against one another, Sir Rupert. You tear families apart.”
“We do what we must to protect the Crown. King and country. Certainly you’ve heard the phrase, even if you don’t know what it means.”
“You are a stain on the honor of king and country. You’re a threat to free people whose lives you manipulate and destroy through your schemes.”
“Save your speeches for the election, Mr. Grant. With radical opinions such as those, you’ll never be elected to Parliament.” He sent a sly look in Morrigan’s direction. “Not that you’re electable any longer anyway.”
Morrigan put a hand on Aidan’s knee to stop him rising to his feet. They’d been married such a short time, and already her temper had been passed on to her husband.
“Let me understand you, Sir Rupert,” Searc said. “You’re in favor of imprisoning men for crimes they may never have committed, but for your efforts to entrap them. For the sake of protecting king and country, as you say.”
“Absolutely. We must stamp out threats before they come to fruition.”
Before anyone could respond, the sound of pounding on a distant door was followed by raised voices. Searc was on his feet when the door of the dining room opened and a servant came in apologizing.
“They’ll not go away, master. And they say they’ll wait not another minute.”
“Who are they?” Searc barked. “How dare they interrupt me and my guests?”
“The constable, sir. And four of his deputy constables. They’ve got a wagon and all in the lane.”
“What do they want?”
“They’re here to arrest someone.”
“That’s preposterous!” Searc pushed by him, shouting down the hall. “What is this nonsense about?”
A moment later, the constable entered, with his men close behind him. He was waving a document, and he bowed at the sight of the Lord Mayor.
“Explain yourself,” Searc demanded curtly.
The constable’s men spread out. They were armed with cudgels and looked ready to use them.
“We’re here to take Sir Rupert Burney into custody.”
Silence fell over the room.
“On what charge?” Burney burst out. “I am an official of the Crown. You have no right to take me anywhere.”
The constable drew the warrant from his coat, pointing it at the accused.
“Sir Rupert Burney, you’re charged with conspiracy to commit an act of violence against the person of a member of the royal family.”
“Of all the . . . this is absurd,” he sputtered. “Where did you get such a notion? I serve the royal family, and there is no member of—”
“Tonight, we arrested twelve individuals, hired by you, who were arming themselves for the purpose of breaking into a dinner at the home of Captain Kenedy three days hence. Their instructions from you were to murder His Grace, the Duke of Clarence and—”
“It’s a lie.” Burney jumped to his feet.
“We have confessions already from the men we took tonight.”
Sir Rupert turned to the Lord Mayor. “These imbeciles work for you. If you don’t take this in hand immediately, the Home Office will respond. This will not end well for you, that I swear.”
Morrigan was impressed with how unperturbed the Lord Mayor appeared. He looked apologetically at his host before addressing Sir Rupert.
“I suggest that you go with these men so that any misunderstanding can be handled without any disturbance to our host or the ladies.”
Burney swung around and pointed at Colonel Wade, who was already on his feet. “Do something. You represent the Crown.”
“Such a charge is quite serious, Constable.” The colonel crossed the room and took the paper from his hand. He read through the charges. “What you are saying is that Sir Rupert has committed acts of treason?”
“Aye, sir. You might call it that. And there’s more to it.”
Everyone waited while Colonel Wade thought for a moment before handing the warrant back. He gestured to the deputies.
“Arrest him.”