“Then I’ll do so if needed,” Braydon said, but he had reservations. “He’s not a military man.”
“Can’t see that makes a difference, but I know some military men who are kicking their heels and could be useful.”
“No outsiders as yet. We’re to avoid alarm, and I’m not yet clear about what useful action to take. Hawkinville’s people here can undertake the routine investigations.”
Beaumont rose. “Then if I’m of no further use, I have another appointment.”
“I’m sure I’ll find more uses for you,” Braydon said with a smile. “Thank you. At the least, I need someone to talk this mess over with. Your insights have been helpful.”
“Always willing. Are you free to dine tonight? Blanche isn’t performing, and the Balls might be free.”
A cleverly presented opportunity to assess Sir Stephen.
“I’ll have to consult my wife. You may not have heard that I’m married.”
“We’d be delighted to meet her.”
“Then unless she’s managed to commit us elsewhere in the past few hours, it will be a pleasure.” Curious about the reaction, he said, “She was Mrs. Cateril.”
Beaumont’s smile was warm. “Kit Kat! Lucky man. I’ve wondered what became of her since Cateril died. I’ll be delighted to meet her again.”
He left, and Braydon wasted a few minutes probing that response like a tender tooth. Why the hell did it bother him that men lit up like beacons at mention of her? Would he rather have an unappealing wife?
No, but a treasure who’d been tucked away in the country, undiscovered, would be preferable.
He turned his mind to work. Neither he nor Sidmouth had considered that one of the royal family might be trying to do away with others. Even if Charlotte, Queen of Württemberg, wasn’t coldhearted enough to try to kill three of her brothers, her husband might be. He was known to be a very unpleasant man.
If the explosion had killed Kent, Clarence, and Sussex, that would have left only the Regent, York, Cumberland, and Cambridge.
The Regent was still married to Caroline of Brunswick.
York had been married for twenty years without issue.
Cumberland had been married for only two years, but there were no children yet and his wife was in her late thirties. Why the devil couldn’t he have married a younger woman?
Cambridge would be the only other good possibility for an heir. He lived mostly in Hanover and was effectively ruling it, but that might make him more vulnerable to attack from Württemberg.
He asked Adams if Hawkinville had people in place in the royal residences. Of course he had, so the one working in Kensington Palace was summoned. By good fortune—or perhaps good planning—he worked in Sussex’s household.
In the meantime, Braydon paid a quick visit to Sidmouth, who scoffed at the suspicion of Württemberg. “It’s radicals, I tell you.”
“We can’t ignore the possibility,” Braydon said. “I recommend that Cambridge be urged to take care. Once the princes are gone, there’s a string of sisters, yes, but Charlotte is the first. The stability of Britain will not be increased by a German taking the throne.”
“He’d be consort only,” Sidmouth objected. “We did away with joint rule after William and Mary.”
“He’s known to be a bullying tyrant. He’d rule, and everyone would know it.”
“He and Princess Charlotte have no children. It’d be a dry twig.”
So many details slipped people’s minds.
“He has four by his first wife,” Braydon pointed out, “and his first wife was the king’s niece. Care to lay odds as to whether Württemberg would try to establish his eldest son’s claim to rule after him?”
Sidmouth sat as if his knees had failed him.” I’ll writeto Hanover,” he said. “For God’s sake, Dauntry, find out the truth and deal with it.”
Braydon left wondering exactly how he was supposed to deal with Württemberg. He’d met the man once. It was rather like meeting a mountain. He was seven feet tall and was said to weigh more than thirty stone. In addition, he had a sharp, cunning mind and a very unpleasant nature. His first wife had fled for protection to Tsarina Catherine of Russia.
He focused on one question:If Württemberg had been behind it, who had been his tool?He needed to know more about that meeting.
