Page 14 of Highland Jewel
Niall’s regiment had been shipped off to kill rebellious Irish once Napoleon had been defeated. Other Scottish outfits had been sent to India, Canada, and Australia. It was so clear what the government was doing. The Crown didn’t want regiments of trained Scottish fighters returning to their homeland. It was too risky.
Disgusted with their mission in Ireland and feeling a sense of general disillusionment, Niall resigned his commission, in spite of the tremendous pressure from his superiors and his fellow officers to stay.
As he reached the intersection of Upper Bow and High Street, bustling with midday traffic, he spotted Colonel Tolley walking down from the castle beside another man wearing civilian clothing. Upon greeting him, the colonel introduced his companion as Sir Rupert Burney, and the three men went into the close and up to Niall’s rooms.
Niall lit the fire and pulled up extra chairs by the hearth, gesturing for his visitors to sit. As he stood by the fire, he noted Burney’s furtive inspection of the simple austerity of his living arrangements. “I could have met you at the castle barracks. Perhaps that would have been more to your liking.”
“This is better.” Colonel Tolley leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. “As you know, rumor circulates faster than camp fever in a barracks. What we are hereto discuss with you is highly confidential. I don’t need to tell you that what we say here is not to leave this room. As I mentioned to you briefly at dinner, Sir Rupert has recently arrived from London.”
Niall remained standing and studied the visitor. He wore the title of a gentleman, but he could as easily have been selling paper in a stationer’s shop on Princes Street. There was nothing that would make the man stand out in a crowd. Medium height. Wiry build. Thinning red hair and a pinched face. He guessed Burney was at least a decade older than him, maybe more. He reminded Niall of an aging fox.
And like a fox, Sir Rupert was not a man Niall felt he’d be quick to trust. The stout walking stick he carried and held onto even now could contain a sword or dagger blade. He’d known other men like him. Men who would lie to your face and, when your back was turned, would steal anything not tied down. Or stick a knife in your back. Perhaps he was being hasty, but Niall had learned to trust his instincts. One thing he was sure of, Burney was not a military man.
“Are you an Edinburgh man, Sir Rupert?”
“More or less.” His voice was clipped, but his words were vague. “I haven’t visited in ten years, but we’ve all been busy with the French.”
“What did you do during the war?”
“I worked in London.”
“Not much fighting there.”
No change in the man’s demeanor. Only a flicker of a muscle in his lean jaw betrayed any emotion. “I served as a director in the intelligence service for the Home Office.”
A spy. Or rather, a director of spies. Though Niall was surprised by the candidness of the response, he was tempted to put an end to the meeting right then. If theoffer they were about to make involved covert intelligence gathering, there was nothing these two men could say that would tempt him. The entire business, and Sir Rupert himself, left him cold.
“I’m establishing a new office in Edinburgh.” Burney now looked steadily at Niall, trying to measure him. “But I’ll be reporting directly to Lord Sidmouth.”
Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth.
Lord Sidmouth had been waging war against his own people for years. He’d been a terrible prime minister, nearly losing the war to Napoleon in the early years. But now, as Home Secretary, he was effectively crushing all advocacy of reform. He was vocal that he would not allow the “rabble” to dictate the direction of the nation. He would not allow the “mob” to overthrow the established powers of the monarchy, as the French revolutionaries had done. Lord Sidmouth was personally responsible for the passage of the Six Acts this past month, laws that effectively robbed all British citizens of their civil rights.
Niall knew now that his instincts had been correct. Burney was no paper-pushing bureaucrat. Only the most calculating and ruthless of men reported directly to Lord Sidmouth. And that made Sir Rupert a very dangerous man.
He’d not voice his opinion here. This was not a person to be antagonized needlessly. But while it was arguably justified to use spies in fighting Napoleon, setting up camp in Edinburgh meant those tactics were now being employed against their own people. He didn’t care for that, at all.
“I’ve already secured the cooperation of Sir William Rae, the Sheriff of Edinburgh, in recruiting members.” Burney looked at the brass head of his cane and turned it slowly in his hand. The elaborately molded head depicted a coiled snake. Perfect, Niall thought, as the spymaster’s gaze again fixed on him. “We’d like you to be a leader in our operations here.”
Niall hated that term. When military strategists used the word “operations,” it meant people would die. Then again, he guessed Burney was not the kind to be overly concerned with people dying.
“I recommended that you be part of Sir Rupert’s staff,” Tolley put in. “You’re the right man to take charge of assignments.”
“What kind of assignments?”
“The Home Office will not allow the unnecessary tragedy of Peterloo to be repeated.” Burney brushed at a speck of dust on his knee. “Our intention is to root out the radicals who stir up the populous. There will be no storming of the Bastille, as it were, here in Britain. Proper laws are finally in place for dealing with traitors. We shall crush sedition everywhere in England and in Scotland. We shall identify the enemies to the Crown and remove them.”
Remove them. Niall knew exactly what that meant. Sir Rupert’s expression never changed as he spoke. His tone never altered. He might as well have been discussing the length of coat sleeves with his tailor.
Niall had no doubt that anyone who had been standing on the stage at Grassmarket yesterday would be considered an enemy. “I should think the most outspoken reform leaders are already known to you.”
“They are, indeed, Lieutenant. But we plan to go further. We shall infiltrate the vipers’ nests, persuade key members of their committees and societies that it is in their own best interests to cooperate with us. We’ll catch the treacherous dogs red-handed acting against the Crown. And then punishment will be swift and public. The people will know that sedition and rebellion will not be tolerated.”
Niall turned to his former superior. “And you, Colonel? What is your involvement in this?”
“I’ll be working closely with Sir Rupert.” The older man’s face broke into an encouraging smile. “And we came to you because I want my best officers involved in this. We want you, Campbell.”
Not bloody likely, he thought. The face of his sister, Fiona, flashed before him. Niall was not understating the dangers yesterday when he spoke with her and Maisie Murray in the carriage. Here was proof of it, though.
