have preferred Hyde Park, as it was much closer to his house should one or both of them be wounded, but the risk of discovery was much greater there.
He stepped out of the carriage .
“Smith, where’s your second?”
“Second?”
The boy had no idea what he was doing and obviously hadn’t understood what Finch had told him. Meldon was tempted to call a halt to the thing there and then, only the fear that Smith would call him a coward held him back.
“ Your second. A man you trust to make sure everything is done properly and to look after you should you be injured.” Had his voice really shaken at the thought that he might hurt the boy? He hoped not. He had tried not to think about accidentally killing him, but pistols were so unpredictable.
“I have no second. Mr Finch did explain, but I’m new in London and duelling is illegal. There is no one I trust that much.”
“Then you are a fool.” He was angry. He had been right that Smith knew enough about duels to know how to call him out, but not enough to know how to proceed with the duel itself. “Finch, you’ll have to do it.”
“But, Meldon...”
“Enough. Make sure Mr Smith knows what he has to do. I don’t want this to be murder.”
Smith paled and Meldon hoped that his blunt speaking would cause him to withdraw his challenge, but the boy straightened and bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you, my lord. I should be very grateful for Mr Finch’s assistance. And the other gentleman, is he the referee?”
“It is usual to bring a doctor to a duel. Perkins is not a doctor, he’s my valet, but he knows enough to look after either one of us if we’re wounded and to keep his mouth shut. And, before you ask, the carriage is at your disposal should I merely wound you and not kill you. Should I kill you, we will use it to remove your body from this place.”
Satisfied that he had laid out the possible outcomes of the duel well enough to scare the boy, he took Finch aside and said quietly, “Try to talk him out of this.”
Finch nodded and went to Smith. Meldon watched from a distance as Finch explained. Occasionally the boy looked in his direction and Meldon hoped that he was starting to reconsider.
Philpott arrived in his carriage and went straight to Meldon.
“Are you trying to get a reputation as a duellist?” he asked as he approached.
“I’m the one called out.” Meldon did not bother to hide his frustration at this situation.
“Yes. Finch said it was for cheating at cards.” The older held Meldon’s eyes as if daring him to look away.
“Yes.”
“Damn! You have faults enough, but cheating is not, as far as I know, one of them.”
“Nothing has changed since the last time we met in that regard.”
“Don’t make a joke of it, boy, this is serious.”
Philpott had been a friend of Meldon’s father and had known Meldon all his life, so Meldon was not offended that he was being treated as a wilful child.
“I know that well enough. There’s every chance that I shall be dead in ten minutes time , sir. Smith doesn’t fence.”
Philpott shook his head sadly.
“It’s not as if your father didn’t tell you often enough that you should improve your skill with a pistol.”
“And he was correct.”
“I’ve never understood how you manage to fence so well with that leg.”
“Neither have I, sir, but I should be a lot more confident of surviving if we were fencing.”
He would have been more confident of finding a way for them both to survive if they had been fencing. It was easier to hide a deliberate mistake with swords than with pistols. Fortunately Lord Philpott knew that Meldon could not shoot well, so would not be surprised when the shot went wide. Meldon’s only worry, apart from being killed by Smith’s shot, was that even shooting wide would be dangerous for the boy; he really had no idea how to make the shot go where he wanted it to go.
“Let me introduce you to Smith.”
“Why’s he talking to Finch?”
He stepped out of the carriage .
“Smith, where’s your second?”
“Second?”
The boy had no idea what he was doing and obviously hadn’t understood what Finch had told him. Meldon was tempted to call a halt to the thing there and then, only the fear that Smith would call him a coward held him back.
“ Your second. A man you trust to make sure everything is done properly and to look after you should you be injured.” Had his voice really shaken at the thought that he might hurt the boy? He hoped not. He had tried not to think about accidentally killing him, but pistols were so unpredictable.
“I have no second. Mr Finch did explain, but I’m new in London and duelling is illegal. There is no one I trust that much.”
“Then you are a fool.” He was angry. He had been right that Smith knew enough about duels to know how to call him out, but not enough to know how to proceed with the duel itself. “Finch, you’ll have to do it.”
“But, Meldon...”
“Enough. Make sure Mr Smith knows what he has to do. I don’t want this to be murder.”
Smith paled and Meldon hoped that his blunt speaking would cause him to withdraw his challenge, but the boy straightened and bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you, my lord. I should be very grateful for Mr Finch’s assistance. And the other gentleman, is he the referee?”
“It is usual to bring a doctor to a duel. Perkins is not a doctor, he’s my valet, but he knows enough to look after either one of us if we’re wounded and to keep his mouth shut. And, before you ask, the carriage is at your disposal should I merely wound you and not kill you. Should I kill you, we will use it to remove your body from this place.”
Satisfied that he had laid out the possible outcomes of the duel well enough to scare the boy, he took Finch aside and said quietly, “Try to talk him out of this.”
Finch nodded and went to Smith. Meldon watched from a distance as Finch explained. Occasionally the boy looked in his direction and Meldon hoped that he was starting to reconsider.
Philpott arrived in his carriage and went straight to Meldon.
“Are you trying to get a reputation as a duellist?” he asked as he approached.
“I’m the one called out.” Meldon did not bother to hide his frustration at this situation.
“Yes. Finch said it was for cheating at cards.” The older held Meldon’s eyes as if daring him to look away.
“Yes.”
“Damn! You have faults enough, but cheating is not, as far as I know, one of them.”
“Nothing has changed since the last time we met in that regard.”
“Don’t make a joke of it, boy, this is serious.”
Philpott had been a friend of Meldon’s father and had known Meldon all his life, so Meldon was not offended that he was being treated as a wilful child.
“I know that well enough. There’s every chance that I shall be dead in ten minutes time , sir. Smith doesn’t fence.”
Philpott shook his head sadly.
“It’s not as if your father didn’t tell you often enough that you should improve your skill with a pistol.”
“And he was correct.”
“I’ve never understood how you manage to fence so well with that leg.”
“Neither have I, sir, but I should be a lot more confident of surviving if we were fencing.”
He would have been more confident of finding a way for them both to survive if they had been fencing. It was easier to hide a deliberate mistake with swords than with pistols. Fortunately Lord Philpott knew that Meldon could not shoot well, so would not be surprised when the shot went wide. Meldon’s only worry, apart from being killed by Smith’s shot, was that even shooting wide would be dangerous for the boy; he really had no idea how to make the shot go where he wanted it to go.
“Let me introduce you to Smith.”
“Why’s he talking to Finch?”
Similar Books
