“You did it,” Sarah said. “You did it, you did it,youdid it. Oh, sweetie—” She used a pet name for Char. “Our luck has changed.”
Char prayed she was right.
Chapter Six
Jack woke the next morning in one of Menheim’s very comfortable beds and his first thought was of the lovely pickpocket.
After their confrontation, he’d gone out of his way to walk that particular section of the city, looking for a slender lad hiding hair kissed by the moon under an overlarge hat.
Of course he didn’t find her. She was clever enough to avoid him. And he had more important matters to consider than a petty criminal, even a lovely one.
He’d forced her out of his mind. He was singular of purpose and focused on what he needed to do... until this morning, and he wasn’t certain why he thought of her now.
Something had prompted his curiosity about her and Jack couldn’t fathom what it was.
Gavin had sent footmen the night before to the Horse and Horn for his belongings. Jack now dressed himself and, seeing the time, left his room bound for a meeting of his delegation at the inn.
Menheim was quiet when he went out the door, which was not unusual considering the ball the night before. Not even Henry, their ever-present butler, guarded the front door.
“I hear you created a stir last night,” Silas Lawrence commented in greeting as Jack sat down at his table in the public room. The Horse and Horn was a busy posting inn and accessible to wherever one might wish to go in London, or in England.
The room charges were also reasonable. Jonathan Russell, the United States chargé d’affaires to the Court of St.James, had recommended it to Jack’s delegation. He’d also warned that the United States government was notoriously slow with paying travel vouchers. Matthew Rice might have enough money to lose his purse and replace it, but Jack didn’t. He wasn’t certain about Silas’s financial standing, but the man had offered no protest at the choice of residence.
“And you heard this where?” Jack said.
“The papers.” Lawrence spread his hands over the paper he had been reading. “They are full of stories about your brother’s ball last evening. I didn’t realize you had gone missing and had been believed dead.”
“I am more resilient than most consider me,” Jack returned.
Lawrence gave him one of his tight smiles. “Apparently. I knew you were well connected but I didn’t realize there was so much family spectacle involved. You are all anyone can talk about. I’ve been sitting here for an hour and your name is on everyone’s lips.”
“I am not here to discuss my family history. Where is Matthew?” Jack nodded as the serving girl, a buxom lass with more swagger to her hips than a sailor, gestured to see if he wished a tankard. He pointed to whatever Silas was drinking. “I sent word we should all meet at this hour.”
“And I am here.” Lawrence began folding the paper. “I did notice you didn’t return last night.”
“I’ll be staying with my family.”
“Ah.” Lawrence had a way of making that one syllable sound a condemnation. “Well, our young friend may not be joining us. He is sleeping it off.”
“Sleepingwhatoff?”
“Relax, Whitridge. Matthew is young. He took in too many of the sights, if you understand my meaning.” His gaze lingered appreciatively on the serving girl as she placed a pewter mug in front of Jack.
Leaning forward to block his view, Jack said, “We are not here for enjoyment. I know you are a war hawk.” He referred to the faction in Congress that seemed always anxious and ready to declare war on Britain. “I expect you to do all you can to ruin any good I can accomplish, but let’s keep Matthew away from the whores.”
“And spoil his enjoyment of the city?” Lawrence asked as Jack took a drink of his mug and then almost choked in surprise.
“Rum? This early?”
“It is beneficial to my constitution.”
“So when we finally have our meeting with Whitehall, I have on my side a rum swiller and a green lad who wants to make a name for himself not in diplomacy but by poking every wench he sees.”
“I don’t swill all the time,” Lawrence answered. “However, it is good of us to finally have this conversation instead of our usual polite coldness.”
“Glad you feel so obliged.”
“Oh come now. If the powers-that-be—and that does not include either you or me, but most certainly your mentor Governor Strong and my good friend, Speaker of the House Mr.Clay—wished to negotiate with all the goodwill of our United States, then they wouldn’t have sent us. Some of the most noble of our statesmen have already done exactly what we plan to do, lay out the American grievances, and they failed to earn any interest from our current hosts. If nothing has been accomplished since the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair”—he referred to a naval incident where the HMSLeopardhad attacked and boarded the American ship looking for supposed British deserters among the ship’s complement—“then there is littlewecan do. We’ve been here two weeks, Whitridge, and we can’t find anyone to accept even our letters of introduction. Another sign, if you ask me, of Britain’s complete disregard for our country. War is inevitable.”
