Massive crowds had already gathered at the venue but there was a sizeable number of well-wishers outside his house as well, waiting for a glimpse of him as he set off with his wife in the open carriage that awaited them. Wellington was the first to come into view, resplendent in his uniform and raising his hat in acknowledgement of the resounding cheers. Poised in the doorway, he turned his head in both directions so that all could see the beak-like nose.
Jane Holdstock saw him clearly. She was seated beside Ruth Levitt in a gig and she raised her whip in the air. It was a signal that brought Vincent Diamond cantering down the road on his horse with a pistol in his hand. When he got level with Wellington, he took aim and fired. From such a short distance away, he expected to score a direct hit but Wellington seemed to anticipate the shot and dived nimbly out of the way, rolling over on the ground before leaping straight up again. Diamond, meanwhile, had ridden on down the road, only to find that the gig bearing his accomplices had been stopped by a phalanx of armed soldiers and that the two women had been placed under arrest. Standing in front of the solid line was Peter Skillen, hands on hips and a challenging smile on his face. As Diamond’s horse reared up on its back heels, Peter moved forwards to grab the rider but he was kicked away. Turning his mount in a semicircle, Diamond went back in the other direction but that exit was also now filled with soldiers.
Waiting in the centre of the road was the Duke of Wellington though he looked very different now. Coat and hat had been discarded and the famous nose had been halved in size. Diamond was bemused. He was looking at someone who bore an amazing resemblance to the man at the other end of the road. Paul Skillen took advantage of the rider’s momentary confusion, rushing forwards to seize the bridle then reaching up to pull Diamond from the saddle.
‘We fight on equal terms now,’ he said, getting in the first punch.
Diamond fought back with unexpected savagery, punching, kicking and trying to spit in Paul’s face. He’d been deceived into thinking that he could shoot the Duke of Wellington when the man who’d emerged from the house had simply been his double. That realisation instilled extra venom into his blows but most of them were taken on Paul’s arms and deflected. Years of practice in the boxing ring at the gallery had toughened him and taught him all the refinements of pugilism. He took the wind out of Diamond with a punch to the stomach then proceeded to deliver telling blows to his face and body. It was not long before he’d reduced his opponent to a shambling wreck. Gripping him by the collar, Paul hurled him into the arms of a waiting soldier.
‘Take him away before I kill him,’ he said.
The celebrations went on for hours and, as the Guest of Honour, the Duke of Wellington even took precedence over His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent. Everything went smoothly and without interruption, enabling Viscount Sidmouth to sit back and receive warm congratulations from the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool. In every way, the event had been a signal of triumph.
Celebrations of another kind took place afterwards at the home of Peter and Charlotte Skillen. Paul was there and so were Gully Ackford and Jem Huckvale. Over a glass of wine, they talked about the way that the fugitives from Dartmoor had been thwarted and the agents from France had been arrested. Everyone was amazed at the accuracy of Paul’s impersonation of the Duke of Wellington.
‘Weren’t you afraid?’ asked Charlotte.
‘I was more afraid of the Duke than of his would-be assassin. It took an age to persuade him to let me act as his double. After all,’ said Paul, ‘everything depended on guesswork. We knew that someone was the target but who would it be?’
‘I thought that it would be the Prince Regent,’ said Ackford.
‘And I was certain that it would be the Prime Minister,’ admitted Huckvale.
‘No,’ said Peter, ‘it was the Duke who symbolised the defeat of France. He was always going to be the most likely victim. Thanks to my brother, the Duke escaped the attack.’ He turned to Paul. ‘It was the nose that did the trick. It was so convincing. How ever did you manage that?’
‘I have a dear friend, an actress,’ said Paul, fondly, ‘and she schooled me in the wonders of make-up. When she finishes playing Belvidera at the Theatre Royal, I intend to ask her for more instruction.’
We hope you enjoyed this book.
Do you want to know about our other great reads, download free extracts and enter competitions?
If so, visit our website www.allisonandbusby.com.
Sign up to our monthly newsletter (www.allisonandbusby.com/newsletter) for exclusive content and offers, news of our brand new releases, upcoming events with your favourite authors and much more.
And why not click to follow us on Facebook (AllisonandBusbyBooks)
and Twitter (@AllisonandBusby)?
We’d love to hear from you!
About the Author
EDWARD MARSTON was born and brought up in South Wales. A full-time writer for over forty years, he has worked in radio, film, television and theatre, and is a former chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association.
www.edwardmarston.com
By Edward Marston
THE BOW STREET RIVALS SERIES
Shadow of the Hangman
THE RAILWAY DETECTIVE SERIES
The Railway Detective • The Excursion Train
The Railway Viaduct • The Iron Horse
Murder on the Brighton Express • The Silver Locomotive Mystery
Railway to the Grave • Blood on the Line
The Stationmaster’s Farewell • Peril on the Royal Train
A Ticket to Oblivion
Inspector Colbeck’s Casebook:
Thirteen Tales from the Railway Detective
The Railway Detective Omnibus:
The Railway Detective, The Excursion Train, The Railway Viaduct
THE RESTORATION SERIES
The King’s Evil • The Amorous Nightingale • The Repentant Rake
The Frost Fair • The Parliament House • The Painted Lady
THE CAPTAIN RAWSON SERIES
Soldier of Fortune • Drums of War • Fire and Sword
Under Siege • A Very Murdering Battle
THE BRACEWELL MYSTERIES
The Queen’s Head • The Merry Devils • The Trip to Jerusalem
The Nine Giants • The Mad Courtesan • The Silent Woman
The Roaring Boy • The Laughing Hangman • The Fair Maid of Bohemia
The Wanton Angel • The Devil’s Apprentice • The Bawdy Basket
The Vagabond Clown • The Counterfeit Crank
The Malevolent Comedy • The Princess of Denmark
THE HOME FRONT DETECTIVE SERIES
A Bespoke Murder • Instrument of Slaughter
Five Dead Canaries • Deeds of Darkness
Copyright
Allison & Busby Limited
12 Fitzroy Mews
London W1T 6DW
www.allisonandbusby.com
First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2015.
This ebook edition first published in 2015.
Copyright © 2015 by EDWARD MARSTON
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1691–3
Shadow of the Hangman Page 32
