Page 74 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
“I expected you would be here, sir. You did write the dispatch report, and that is the subject of today’s hastily convened meeting.”
Not that you have ever let me forget that it was you who put me in this situation.
Major Hall gave a derisive huff, and Piers quickly stepped to one side as his superior officer pushed past. He fell in behind the major.
Will’s personal note informing him that a meeting with the Duke of York and Albany had been arranged for eight the next morning had arrived at Denford House just before the hour of midnight. At the Horse Guards, the official notice had only been handed to Piers at ten minutes to the hour of eight. It was clear that someone was determined to ambush him.
But today, he was going to have his voice heard. If the army was going to try and tear him down, Piers Denford was not going to go quietly.
Once inside the Duke of York’s office, Piers was shown to a chair positioned in front of a large oak table. Major Hall made his way around to the other side. They both stood waiting for the head of the British Army.
The door at the far end of the office opened and the duke appeared. A civilian secretary trailed behind him. The Duke of York and Albany walked with the self-confidence and purpose of a man who had been born to the high rank of prince.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” said the duke.
Piers and Major Hall both saluted, then stood stiffly to attention.
The duke stopped at the end of the table, took one look at Major Hall’s chair, and frowned. He turned to his secretary. “This isn’t right.”
The secretary stepped forward, made a hurried apology, and picked up Major Hall’s chair. He moved it to the side of the table where Piers stood. It might have been but a minor change in furniture arrangement, but it spoke volumes as to how his royal highness viewed his position. They may all be officers in the army, but only he was of royal blood.
“Gentlemen, take a seat,” said the duke.
Major Hall cleared his throat. “Your Highness, I must protest. You cannot expect me to sit on the same side of the table as the accused.”
The duke shot him a look of disinterest. “This is not a military court-martial, Major Hall. Captain Denford has not been charged with any offense. We are simply here today to get to the bottom of the matter. The only protest I wish to hear is my own, which is that you have let this matter drag on for as long as it has. It should have been dealt with at least a year ago.” He motioned to the chairs.
Piers sat, placing his satchel on the floor beside him. He kept his eyes focused forward. At the same time, he sent a silent prayer to heaven, hoping that Will Saunders had come through for him.
“The business of the army doesn’t stop just because the guns have fallen silent,” grumbled Major Hall.
You might want to hold your tongue; I hear the duke has a decent temper.
It was obvious that the major had been rattled by the sudden early morning summons to meet with the duke because a calm and rational man wouldn’t dare to talk back to the commander of the British Army in such a disrespectful manner.
The secretary stepped forward and placed a large, bulky folder of papers on the desk in front of the duke. The duke nodded, then waved the man away. “Have a seat out of the way, but make sure you take accurate minutes of the meeting.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Piers tore his gaze away from a spot on the wall and glanced at the voluminous amount of paperwork. Where had it all come from? He couldn’t fathom how a minor misunderstanding on the battlefield could have turned into something so big.
“Major Hall, take a seat. I won’t ask again,” said the duke.
Major Hall wisely sat in his chair.
The duke banged his hand down on top of the enormous pile of papers. “I had plans to enjoy the evening with a lady of my acquaintance last night, but instead, I spent many hours going through these. And what I uncovered disturbed me greatly.”
Major Hall shifted in his seat. “With respect, Your Highness . . .”
A raised hand from the duke silenced him. “I don’t think you understand what the word respect means, Major Hall because the original papers which I finally received from you only last week didn’t include all the relevant documents. A man who respects his superiors wouldn’t have made that mistake.”
You dirty swine. You waited until I was out of London to finally push for me to face charges and a court-martial.
The major’s easy acceptance of Piers’s request to accompany Maggie to Coventry now made sense. With Piers out of the way, the major could make his move.
But in the last day, things had changed. The worm was surely turning.
Hope flared in Piers’s heart, but he resolutely pushed it down. Too many times he had thought that the end of the nightmare was in sight, only to have his expectations dashed.
