Read Online The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1) by E.G. Foley - Free Book Online

sir, I did. He was.” He did not think it prudent to tell them the earl had claimed to be his uncle.
    The magistrate stared at him for a very long moment. Then he set down his pen. His face was getting redder by the second, and when he spoke, his voice trembled with barely contained wrath. “Jake Reed, you are a dangerously misguided boy. This time, you go too far with your wild tales. You are under oath of perjury—and yet you would speak such slanderous lies against one of the greatest philanthropists in London! Now I know you are lying! Order in the court!” He banged his gavel as the audience exclaimed in shock over Jake’s accusation against the earl.
    Jake turned to Dani, shrugging as he mouthed the question, “What’s a philanthropist?”
    “A person who gives lots of gold to charity!” she enunciated back.
    “Oh, great,” Jake muttered.
    “Lord Griffon is a fine man, practically a saint, and he happens to be the chief patron of the Police Pensioners’ Alms House!” the judge nearly stammered in his righteous fury. “Why, he gives more each year to support our retired bobbies in their old age than the greatest merchant houses in the City!”
    “Well, he still tried to kill me,” Jake growled.
    The beak was fuming, all his world-weary joking cast aside. “Order in the court!”
    “Your Worship!” Constable Flanagan called above the noise of the scandalized murmurs from the audience. “There’s something else that you should know, sir.”
    The beak settled back into his chair and gestured to the policeman to speak.
    “The boy thief we were chasing this morning on behalf of Harris the Pieman…was Jake Reed.”
    The whole courtroom burst into cries of astonishment and whoops of hilarity.
    The judge turned to Jake in utter fury.
    “I suppose that’s what he meant when he says he was ‘minding his own business,’” Flanagan drawled. “He got away from us at the time, but the flower-seller saw him sneaking past with something, and let’s just say, my officers know his face.”
    The judge glared at him, but finally found his voice. “Jake Reed, you are a terrible boy! You have disrespected this courtroom and me, coming in here and lying to my face, after I’ve already given you two chances to better yourself! I don’t know who might’ve promised you what to get you to come in here and tell these brazen lies, let alone to slander a fine, upstanding pillar of society like Lord Griffon, but this time, by Jove, you will learn your lesson!” He banged his gavel. “Send them both to Newgate!”
    “Jake!” Dani cried in horror, but Jake stood there frozen.
    “Jake Reed, you will give us thirty days detention for your thieving, and as for you Derek Stone, you are hereby remanded to Newgate, as well, to await your trial—for murder!” Bang! With a whack of his gavel, the angry beak dismissed them.
    He was now so out of temper that he adjourned the court and marched out, taking refuge in his chambers.
    Teddy was barking at the chaos that erupted and Dani was yelling supposedly helpful advice, while Jake, in a panic, tried to dart away from the officers coming to arrest him.
    Unfortunately, there were bobbies in all directions, and this time Flanagan was too fast for him. He grabbed hold of Jake’s arm. “Don’t even try it, you young scamp. You’re on a bad path, Jake. You better mend your ways.”
    “I didn’t do it!” he cried, merely out of habit.
    “Bah! I saw you bolting off this morning with my own eyes. I know you’re hungry, lad, and it’s too bad you ain’t got a proper father to show you any discipline, but you’ve got to learn your lesson somehow.”
    Jake glared, trying to hide the fact that he was terrified. He looked over his shoulder as they clapped the handcuffs on him. “Don’t worry, Dani, I’ll be seeing you soon!” he called, sending his friend a meaningful look as they began dragging him away.
    Dani usually understood what he meant without him having to spell