Page 91 of A Mismatch Made in London

“You know he will probably run,” Dawson said as he reached for the note.

“I’m counting on it.” Jeremy didn’t give it to him. “I’ll take it myself. You wait near the house and watch and see if he tries to run.”

Dawson hit his fist against his palm. “And then we get him.”

They made their way to the house. Dawson found a place to stand, on a slightly elevated spot in the edge of the tree line, where he could watch the house. The house looked even more dilapidated from here, where he could see that the bushes had not been trimmed in a very long time, the garden had not been tended and was completely overgrown, and there was a broken window that had been crudely patched with what looked like a horse blanket.

Jeremy went to the front door and knocked. After a long wait, a servant girl opened the door.

“I wish to call on Mr. George Fairweather.”

“Mr. Fairweather is not at home,” the girl said, her eyes wide.

“Then give him this note.” Jeremy handed her the piece of paper.

She nodded and closed the door.

Jeremy went around the side of the house and into the trees where Dawson was hiding.

After several minutes of discussion, they concluded that Fairweather would not leave by foot, he’d retrieve his horse from the stable. So Dawson went back there.

Jeremy was in sight of the small inn where he’d paid for a room for the night when he noticed a man dismounting from his horse. It was Timothy Shelley.

Jeremy galloped his horse up to the inn as Shelley was handing his reins to a servant.

“It is good to see you,” Jeremy said.

“Glad you were so easy to find.” Shelley smiled and shook his hand.

They filled each other in on what had passed in the last few days over a pint of ale.

Sitting at the table in the corner, Jeremy read the letter Shelley planned to force Fairweather to sign and then publish in the well-known London newspaper,The Times.

When Jeremy finished reading it, he said, “It is a good idea and a good plan, but you may be too late. I’ve challenged him to a duel at dawn tomorrow, and Dawson is waiting at the stable for him to try to make good his escape.”

“And if he doesn’t run away?”

“Then I will let him live to sign the letter.”

They rode the short way to Fairweather’s estate and knocked on the front door. Shelley gave his name to the servant girl, who said, “He is not at home, but you may give a message.”

“I’ll wait for him to return.”

The servant looked at him a moment, then closed the door.

They stood on the front step, quietly discussing what to do next, when the door opened again. “Mr. Fairweather will see Mr. Shelley, but only Mr. Shelley.”

Jeremy thought about entering with Shelley anyway, but Shelley held up his hand, indicating he should stay outside, so he allowed Shelley to go with the servant girl.

A few minutes went by and Shelley emerged from the house.

“I got it,” he said, “but I had to promise him that you wouldn’t take any action against him, including the duel at dawn.”

Could it be that Jeremy’s dealings with Fairweather were finally at an end?

As they retrieved their horses and rode away, Jeremy had to unclench his teeth to be able to speak. “It’s not right that he isgetting away with what he did. I hope you told him that if I see him come anywhere near my sister, if he shows up at any party she is attending, and even if I just see him in the street, I will give him a fat lip and a black eye.”

“I did tell him something very similar to that, as a matter of fact, about both of us.”