Page 33 of The Uprising
‘Remember what?’
‘Never mind,’ he said, shaking his head, trying not to let his mounting irritation show on his face. It wasn’t her fault she had no idea what was going on. Victoriana Cara wasn’t his quantum time travelling partner. He adored her, but he wished she was conscious of their future life together. He kept a lonely secret and the only person he could confide in was Edward, whom he hoped to see again soon.
There was a loud rap at the front door, and he heard muffled conversation.
The maid tapped on the drawing-room door, and George called for her to enter.
‘My lord, a letter has arrived for your urgent attention.’
A small envelope perched on a shiny silver tray which she extended in his direction. George stretched out his hand to retrieve the envelope and then roughly broke the seal as he thanked the girl and nodded for her to withdraw.
‘Perhaps this is what you were waiting for,’ said Cara.
‘Yes, let us hope so as I’ve become quite anxious about the poor boy.’
George extracted a sheet of notepaper and squinted as he tried to decipher the scrawled handwriting.
Have one thousand pounds ready. If you alert the authorities, we will know, and your boy will die. Meeting point to be confirmed. Come alone.
George slumped against the upholstered back of the chair, the notepaper clutched in his hand as he tried to evaluate the scope of the sudden threat.
‘Are you okay, my love? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What on earth does the note say?’
‘It’s a ransom note.’
‘Let me see,’ she said, extracting the paper from between George’s fingers. ‘Who is this from? Could it be a joke of some kind?’
‘I don’t believe so. I think it’s a real kidnapping. I shouldn’t have sent Swifty on such a dangerous errand. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
‘Who are these people?’ asked Cara.
‘You’ve heard of the Chartists?’
‘Yes, of course. Who hasn’t? They make such a song and dance; I doubt there’s anyone in London who hasn’t heard their demands.’
‘Well, one of their sinister factions must be holding the palace footman, Swifty. He is a good, loyal boy, I’m certain you would like him. Anyway, they are demanding a ransom of one thousand pounds, or...’
George didn’t want to say the ominous words aloud. The thought of Swifty in such peril because of his clumsy request was too much for him to contemplate.
‘Are you certain it’s for real? Could it not be an idle threat from someone who knows of your connection to the palace and is trying their luck for financial gain?’ asked Cara.
George ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, trying to keep a grip on his frustration and not burden his wife.
‘They are trying their luck, all right, but I can’t take any chances. The Chartists have been pushing their agenda for years and there are signs they’re growing tired of being ignored and not achieving their ends. By all accounts, most of them are decent law-abiding citizens who wish only to see the Charter demands granted so that working-class men may vote. But as is the way, there are a few of them...’ George’s words trailed off as he contemplated the awful reality of what he had got Swifty involved in.
‘A few of them...?’ prompted Cara.
George shook his head from side to side. ‘Well, a few of them will stop at nothing like all zealots pursuing their cause. There have been violent riots, and both the prince and the prime minister are urging the queen to leave immediately for Osborne on the Isle of Wight.’
Cara looked shocked at the prospect of the queen being in such danger she must flee her own palace.
‘My understanding is a small extremist group of Chartists has turned to armed uprising and aims to overthrow the monarchy. They were no doubt encouraged by what’s been happening in France. The queen welcoming her cousin, Louise-Philippe to London, has aggravated matters and heightened tensions.’
George had been reading up on the Chartists and knew his Victorian history. Ultimately, if the history books were correct, the queen wasn’t in any real danger, but like Cara in Tudorville, he had no way of knowing what part he was destined to play in making sure events unfolded as they originally had. He walked a deadly tightrope where if he took one wrong step, he risked skewing the outcome of pre-ordained events. And conversely, if he didn’t take the same action that Victoriana George took the first time around, he could destroy history as they knew it.
Was he putting the royal family in greater jeopardy by interfering? For all George knew, Swifty was only involved because of his bright idea to send him to investigate the Chartists, and now the boy’s life was in danger.
George was second-guessing his actions at every turn and panicking that he had already reset the timeline.
