“Today’s event has been marred by death, but regardless of the sorrow we feel for Lord Rookwood and his family, we must declare our winner, but before we do, His Majesty would like to say a few words.” Lord Davenport stepped back as the Prince came forwards. He stood silently for a few moments before he began speaking.
“My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have witnessed a tragic event today, one for which I hold myself partly responsible, however we also saw an act of selfless bravery that happened to save my very own life. In view of this incredible service done to me, I would like Mr. Geoffrey Talbot to step forwards.”
The crowd began muttering to one another. Some of them had seen the incident but many had not. People craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the hero in their midst and jostled forwards to gain a better view.
Giles shrugged at Alexander. Geoffrey hadn’t returned from the stables.
“Where is he?” Alexander whispered loudly.
Giles shook his head.
“He went to stable Vanquish. Charlotte took Lightning and went along with him.”
Alexander rolled his eyes and beckoned to one of the servants. With instructions to fetch Geoffrey from the stables, the man trotted off while Alexander went to explain to the Prince. It was some few minutes before Geoffrey appeared at the edge of the dais with his wife, still dressed in her shirt and breeches, her hat askew on her head. He glowered at her, daring her to move an inch before he let her hand go and climbed the steps to greet the Prince.
He bowed low.
“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I had to take care of a troubling irritation.” Geoffrey scowled down as Charlotte let out an undignified snort.
The Prince nodded.
“Yes, I saw you taking that damnable animal away. I want the thing shot. I take it that you will see my wishes carried out.”
Geoffrey drew in a sharp breath.
“I beg that you don’t destroy the animal, Your Majesty. It is not his fault that he needs training. I would be delighted to take him off your hands rather than see him sold as dog meat.”
The Prince raised a surprised eyebrow.
“You would care for an animal who dared to attempt killing me? It’s an outrage!” The Prince’s face began to turn red.
Geoffrey shook his head quickly.
“Not at all, but you have to admit that the horse may not have recognized you as his Sovereign. Horses are not known for their intelligence.” He rolled his eyes at Charlotte’s stifled laugh.
The Prince narrowed his eyes and pondered Geoffrey’s suggestion before he waved his hand dismissively.
“As you will. I’ll have transfer papers drawn up.”
Geoffrey bowed again and was about to leave the platform when the Prince spoke up again.
“I have not done with you yet, Talbot. There is the small matter of your saving my life. It was a gallant thing that you did, one for which I am sorely grateful. You will be rewarded. Kneel before me.”
Geoffrey glanced about him as though looking for some escape. He pointed his own finger towards his chest and the Prince nodded once. Geoffrey dropped down on one knee, feeling horribly self conscious and slightly foolish. He didn’t like the thought of begging for some small favour of the Prince. He didn’t want anything from the man at all.
The Prince stepped forwards and held out his hand to his guard. The uniformed man handed over his sword and the Prince touched it lightly to Geoffrey’s shoulder.
“I award you this knighthood in recognition of your unrivalled gallantry while serving your Sovereign. Arise Sir Geoffrey.”
Geoffrey nearly fell over in surprise. He staggered to his feet as the crowd applauded and shouted their congratulations. The Prince then leaned forwards and, taking a jewelled ring from his own fifth finger, slipped it onto Geoffrey’s.
Lord Davenport stepped forwards and shook Geoffrey’s hand as Charlotte bounded up the steps and threw her arms around his neck. She had kissed him full on the lips before either of them realized that silence had fallen around them. She stepped back quickly and glanced into the Prince’s horrified face.
“Good God! And in public too!” The Prince threw up his hands as his tone left the crowd in no doubt as to his thoughts on that type of activity.
Geoffrey rushed to explain as he whipped the cap from Charlotte’s head and her golden blonde tresses fell down her back.
Lord Davenport gasped out his own horror.
“GAH! A woman! Riding in my race, no less!”
Geoffrey grinned as he gave Charlotte a squeeze.
“And winning, if I remember rightly.”
Lord Davenport appeared to swell as he gawped down Charlotte.
“I’m afraid that she cannot have won. Women are not allowed to ride in my race.” He spoke with finality in his tone, but Charlotte tilted her face up to him.
“Where does it say that in your rule book? I noticed that it said a lot of things that riders can and cannot do but I don’t remember there being any mention of no women riders.”
Lord Davenport wiped his brow with his handkerchief.
“There doesn’t have to be a written rule. Women cannot complete my course. It’s impossible. They would never have the strength necess...” His voice trailed off as Charlotte pursed her lips up at him, but he soon gathered himself again. “Well, the fact that you accomplished it is irrelevant; you still cannot be declared the winner. Substitute riders are strictly forbidden and Geoffrey Talbot’s name is listed as Lightning’s rider. I am afraid that you cannot win that argument however much you try to disguise it.”
Charlotte frowned and shook her head as she moved over to where Lord Davenport had laid the book of registration.
“I agree entirely with what you say, except in the small matter of the entry being for Geoffrey Talbot.” She opened the listings and ran her fingertip down the page. She stopped at the name Lightning and moved her finger across the paper.
Lord Davenport and the Prince peered over her shoulder. Unable to stop himself, Geoffrey craned his neck to see the listing too. Lord Davenport let out a startled gasp. The Prince roared with laughter and stepped back. He thumped Geoffrey on his back with the flat of his hand, leaving him wheezing in pain as the Prince spoke.
“You’re a canny fellow with an even cannier wife! Well done, Sir. Well done indeed!” He bent to a large velvet purse on the table as he ushered Charlotte forwards. “My Lords, Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winner of this year’s Davenport steeplechase. Mrs. Charlotte Talbot.” He dropped the purse into Charlotte’s outstretched hand and walked back over to his attendants.
The crowd roared their approval as Geoffrey picked his wife up about the waist and twirled her around. Seconds later other men scrambled to look at the book. Several appeared on the point of seizure as they stared at the name on the page. Two took one look at Charlotte and disappeared quickly into the crowd. Others came forward, colour high in their cheeks as they bowed before the triumphant pair.
Geoffrey looked curiously at them as they shuffled uncomfortably. One was brave enough to speak.
“I’ll have my majordomo bring you the keys within the week. I assume that you will allow me to take personal items with me.”
Charlotte gulped guiltily, but a second man spoke before she could respond.
“My solicitors will be in touch, madam. The estate manager will have to be informed. Please let me know what you wish to do with the staff. I wouldn’t want them to become embroiled in my affairs and find themselves suddenly homeless. I hope that you will give me a month to re-house or find other positions for them.”
Geoffrey frowned down at his wife.
“What on earth are they talking about? What have you gone and done now?”
Charlotte put her hands on her hips and glared back up at him.
“I did what you suggested and placed a few bets. It’s not my fault that they put up their houses and estates as collateral. I was only offering the blasted diamond and asked that they come
up with something of similar value. I wasn’t expecting their property to cover their wagers.”
The first man took in a long breath.
“I have nothing else of that kind of value and I always honour my debts. You will have to accept it.”
The second man had paled so much that he looked as though he was about to faint. His voice quavered.
“I always honour my vowels too. I only ask that you let my mother remain in the Dower house. I have nowhere else to put her.” His request ended on a squeak.
Charlotte gasped as other men lined up behind the first two, offering their keys or notes for their solicitors. She pressed her hand against her breastbone to her still her heaving chest.
“Oh God! What have I done? Is there no way around this? I swear that I only did it to get back at Rookwood for attempting to kill my husband. You were all known to have been his friends. I assumed that you were all in on his plans to win the race no matter what he had to do.” She wrung her hands and looked up at Geoffrey in desperation.
Geoffrey was aghast.
“Good grief woman! I don’t want their property. I don’t even want their money. You have to give it all back. You cannot take all this from them.”
The pale man shook his head.
“No! We accepted the proposition offered. We have nothing else of value to give you. Though I swear that I never knew of Rookwood’s deceit or dastardly plans, I never go back on my word. There is nothing of higher value than a man’s honour.” He gave a short bow.
Geoffrey took a few breaths before he suddenly grinned.
“I have it! A man’s honour is priceless, wouldn’t you agree, Charlotte?”
She nodded vigorously, following his train of thought instantly.
“As priceless as my diamond, would you estimate?” She gave a small laugh and the gathered men gawped at her. She smiled at the first man. “So you agree that your honour is worth more than the value of your property, that’s why you insist on honouring the debt? Well, my diamond has been described as ‘priceless’ too. It appears that we all hold something of similar value. The solution is simple. I accept your honour and my husband will accept your respect in payment of your debts.”
The gathered men looked at one another as if they disbelieved their ears. One at the back pushed up on his toes to speak over the other’s heads.
“This is most singular. I’m not sure that I quite understand. Are you saying that you will accept our honour and respect as your payment?”
Charlotte looked up at Geoffrey for confirmation. They both nodded as one.
“Yes! We have the thousand guineas prize money and we already own two estates. Anymore and we will be unable to cope. Your respect is all that we ask.”
There was a few more seconds of confused rumblings before the men began to believe their own good fortune. The first man spoke up again, a flush on his cheeks as he gave a relieved smile.
“I think I can say for all of us that you both have our honour, our respect and our highest regard. You will be welcome at my home at any time and if you ever need assistance of any kind you only ever have to send word.” He bowed low, shook hands with both of them and made a quick exit. The others soon followed suit.
Geoffrey and Charlotte were left on the platform with Giles, Alexander and a rather confused Olivia.
Giles spoke first.
“I think you have made several loyal friends with that gesture. It was a wise and elegant thing to do, but I am still slightly confused. You mentioned two estates.”
Charlotte puffed out a resigned breath.
“Well, I could hardly refuse Lord Rookwood’s original stake.” She took out a paper from her breeches pocket and showed it to her friends. Colin Rookwood’s rough signature was scrawled and witnessed on the bottom of the solicitors note. He had agreed that his estate was of equal value to the Caithwell diamond and that he gave up his rights to his property if Lady Charlotte Denvers won her bet.
Geoffrey shook his head.
“You aren’t really going to take it from him, are you?”
Charlotte raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Well, of course I am. It’s not like he’ll be using it any longer. He wasn’t married and has no heirs. Besides, when we have children we might want to leave them a place of their own...He took the gamble and lost. He deserved to lose, Geoff. He would have seen you dead after those women drugged you and his men beat you, he tried to unseat me too. I might have died at his hands.”
Giles shuddered at the memories before he huffed out a breath and quirked up his lip.
“I know that you won the race, but it was hardly fair. I don’t know how you fooled Davenport and the Prince, but we all know that Geoffrey’s name was in the book.”
Charlotte pressed her hands to her hips again.
“No it isn’t. Go and take a look.”
The all moved over to where the register of horses and riders sat. Giles opened it up, raised his eyebrows and looked at Charlotte for an explanation.
She smiled back at them all.
“It happened when I checked the entry last night. You saw how upset I was. I couldn’t bear to think that we were going to lose everything because I had been so stupid as to not check the rules. It was only a couple of teardrops. I had blotted the book before I noticed what had happened.” She turned back to Geoffrey and threaded her arms about his waist. “I knew then that it was my destiny to be married to you.”
Giles held up the book for everyone to see.
In a slightly smudged hand where the bottom curl of the ‘G’ had been directly beneath Charlotte’s salty tears was the entry.
‘Lightning’ – ‘C. Talbot’
Epilogue
The house in St. George Street was quiet at last.
Giles and Alexander had said their goodbyes after making hasty arrangements to travel to Lavenham following the receipt of a sad message from Alexander’s wife, Lily. Anne’s father, the Earl of Lavenham had passed away two days previously. Arrangements had to be made and letters sent to Anne’s brother Edward, the new earl.
Charles Latham had wished Geoffrey and Charlotte well and fairly skipped down the steps in his fashionable new suit of clothes after revealing that he hadn’t acquired any estates, he had made a small fortune on the outcome of the race. He was off to find Annabel Bellingham. He had enough money and more left over to buy her a small country retreat and pay for staff of her own. He was quite excited about his new purpose and looked a completely new man.
Olivia had commandeered Callum to take her and Coalport back to Ormond where, after a short but happy discussion with Alexander, they had decided to make the Dower house their home. Olivia decreed that she’d had enough of London life and was looking forward to taking things easy with her new husband to be. Their wedding would be held in the chapel at Ormond as soon as Geoffrey and Charlotte had finished their honeymoon.
Geoffrey watched as Charlotte closed the front door behind the last of their visitors. She looked at her husband and sighed over the bruises that still marred his handsome face. She lifted her hand to his cheek and he turned his head to kiss her palm. He caught hold of her shoulders and pulled her towards him.
“At last, I have you to myself.”
Charlotte smiled up at him.
“I suppose that you want to claim your prize for winning our bet, Sir Geoffrey.” She closed her eyes and pursed her lips up at him for a kiss.
Geoffrey laughed.
“Oh no, nothing quite so simple. I was promised your first ever kiss, but you gave me that when I was still lying in bed before the race, so you will have to come up with something of equal value.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Charlotte opened her eyes again and stood with her hands on her hips.
“Yes, well I gave you a lot more than a kiss that night, all of which were ‘first ever’ experiences. I think we are pretty well quits on that point!”
His voice dropped to a husky growl.
&nbs
p; “I’m sure that I can discover something else that you haven’t done yet. In fact, I still owe you a paddling for being so reckless and putting yourself in danger.”
Charlotte squealed as he suddenly caught her about the waist, tipped her over his shoulder and slapped her heartily on her bottom. He was about to turn towards the stairs when there was a hard rap at the front door. With Charlotte still dangling over his shoulder he walked back and opened it, revealing a messenger holding a small box.
“A package for Mrs. Talbot.” The man held out the box while staring at Charlotte’s rump.
Geoffrey glowered at the man, took the parcel and closed the front door smartly. He passed it around his side as Charlotte’s scarlet face twisted around to see it. She took the box from his hand.
“Oh good! I was wondering when it would be ready.”
Geoffrey’s curiosity couldn’t be contained.
“What is it?”
Charlotte shook her head. Her blonde hair tumbled around her face and almost brushed the floor.
“I’m not telling you until you put me down.”
Geoffrey grinned and began walking up the stairs. He strode along the corridor to their room and promptly dumped her in the middle of the bed. Charlotte brushed the hair back from her face as he came to sit beside her. It took some moments to sit up, lift the lid and unwrap the layers of silk from inside the box. She took out an intricately filigreed metal sphere and a length of chain from the box and handed it to Geoffrey. He looked at it curiously for a long moment before holding it up to the light. A glimmer of deep pink could be seen inside.
“You had the diamond made into a pendant? It’s a bit large and the chain very long. I thought you didn’t want it as a jewel to be worn.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes as she took the pendant, stood up and dangled the chain before his eyes.
“It’s not a pendant. It’s our new bell pull for White Briars. I couldn’t think of what else to do with it and since you seem inclined to take my clothes off at all hours of the day or night, I can’t keep it hidden inside my chemise any longer. We had mentioned turning it into a bell pull and it seemed like a good idea. I sent the stone to the jeweller and asked him to make the cage to go around it. No one will ever suspect what it contains.”
A Gallant Gamble (Unrivalled Regency Book 3) Page 23
