Page 77 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
“This meeting is at an end. But, Major Hall, I must mention one last thing before you go. In future, I expect to receive all relevant paperwork from you in a timelier fashion. You are dismissed. Captain Denford, a word, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Major Hall glared at Piers, then saluted the duke before heading for the door. The stony expression on his face said it all. His hopes for ruining Piers’s life had been foiled.
The door was closed firmly. “Horrid man,” muttered the duke. He nodded at his secretary. “That is the end of the meeting. Gather all these papers and then you may leave. I will sign the minutes later.”
As soon as the secretary was gone, the duke beckoned Piers over. “Drink?”
“That would be most welcome, Your Highness,” replied Piers.
The duke collected a brandy decanter from a nearby sideboard and poured them both a generous glass. He handed one to Piers, who gratefully accepted it. He was in desperate need of a stiff drink.
“To you, Denford. Before those letters were discovered last night, I was worried that you might have to ask for a royal pardon. This has been a rather ugly business. And while I don’t agree with the way the Prince of Orange conducts his private affairs, I have even less regard for those who lie. Major Hall had no right to withhold such important correspondence.”
Piers sipped his drink, the alcohol burning his throat as it went down. “I won’t ask how the letters came into your possession,” said Piers.
“No. I wouldn’t. All I can say is that you are a fortunate man. Few would be able to achieve what your friend did and manage to get away with it. I doubt anyone has even noticed that Major Hall’s office was broken into last night. The major certainly hadn’t.”
Piers coughed, the brandy going down the wrong way. Will Saunders had somehow stolen into an office at the Horse Guards, one of the most heavily protected places in all of London. He had then broken into a desk, stolen papers, and made his getaway without anyone being the wiser.
How the devil did he manage that?
It really did pay to have friends in both high and low places.
“Now you can understand why my brother is giving your friend a knighthood.”
“What will happen to the major? I mean once he has amended the dispatch note, and after I have gone.”
The duke downed the rest of his drink in one smooth gulp, then set the glass onto the sideboard. He shook his head. “Nothing. The major will go back to sorting the records, overseeing letters to widows and families. Waiting for the next war to begin. He might not be the sort of man who thinks twice about smearing someone’s reputation, but he is exactly the kind of man the British Army needs when it comes to leading troops. Major Hall gets the job done. And that is what wins wars.”
While he didn’t exactly like what he had just heard, Piers wasn’t the least bit surprised. There would be little point in the army making an example of a decorated war hero. He didn’t want revenge; he just wanted his freedom.
“Will you allow me to vacate my office today, Your Highness? If it’s all the same to you, I would rather not spend another minute at the Horse Guards while I wait for the army to grant me a discharge. If those letters from the King of the Netherlands and the Prince of Orange had been handled correctly in the first place, I should have been released from service many months ago.” It was a request, but it held the weight of a demand.
“I think you will find that the official paperwork will be processed promptly by my office. But since I am the Commander-in-Chief, I can’t see anyone stopping you from clearing out your desk today.”
A sigh of relief escaped Piers’s lips. “Thank you. I shall do just that. If our business here is at an end, I should like very much to depart the Horse Guards within the hour. This past year or so has been difficult—my future constantly uncertain. Now I just want to leave, and then go and find the woman I love and ask her to marry me.”
The duke nodded. “Good luck, Denford, I am pleased that this is over. But I think you know the gentleman whom you should be giving the most thanks to, and it’s not me.”
After one final salute, Piers wasted no time in leaving the Commander-in-Chief’s office. Seconds later, he was out the door and racing down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. Reaching his office, he threw off his jacket and tossed it onto the desk. His pistol and decorative gorget followed. If he didn’t know that it would surely cause a huge scandal, he would have stripped off every piece of his uniform and walked home naked. He even abandoned his greatcoat.
When they did eventually arrive, he would accept the letters of commendation and army service release graciously, after which they would be stuffed in a drawer never to see the light of day again. He wanted no reminders of his military career, nor of the miserable years he had wasted serving under the command of a tyrant.
Not an hour later, his farewells spoken, the honorable Piers Denford marched out the front door of the Horse Guards for the last time, no longer a captain, but a civilian.
It was bitterly cold without his jacket and coat, but he didn’t care. Hastening his steps, he marched home to Park Place to change.
His next stop? Fulham Palace and an audience with the Bishop of London. Then he would finally be able to ask for Maggie’s hand in marriage.
Piers couldn’t wait to start his life with her.
Chapter Forty-Six
It was late afternoon by the time Piers managed to track down Hugh Radley. His impulsive journey out to Fulham Palace had been in vain. None of the Radley family were at home. But he didn’t mind. There was no pressing need for him to race back to town; the army no longer held sway over where he went and at what time. His life was finally and completely his own once again.
He was in such a happy mood, he verily skipped up the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral and into the five o’clock evensong service, ignoring the odd looks his light dance garnered from other worshipers as he went.
Once inside the cathedral, Piers scanned the crowd for Maggie. According to the head butler at the Radley family home, she would be in attendance along with her mother and sister. Rising up on his toes, he peered over the heads of the multitude gathered inside the front door.Where are you?
