Page 59 of An Extraordinary Lord

The man slapped Merritt on the shoulder as he shook his hand. “A great loss to the British army.”

“A great loss to the French, I’m afraid,” Merritt drawled.

The teasing self-deprecation earned him a laugh from the general, but Veronica knew Merritt well enough to recognize that his joking was forced. Something about the way he’d tensed, how his expression hardened… Merritt did not like this man.

He stepped back to take Veronica’s arm and bring her to his side. “General, may I introduce you to Miss Veronica Chase? Miss Chase—” He paused. Only a heartbeat’s hesitation, but she noticed. “Major-General Horatio Liggett.”

Liggett clicked his heels in exaggerated formality, then gave her a shallow bow and a wide smile. The man was certainly in a good mood, and he hadn’t yet reached the party. “Miss Chase, a pleasure.”

“General.” As she dropped into a curtsy, she took a sideways glance at Merritt. Based on his expression,nota pleasure at all. And no longer any of her concern. Her heart still begged to flee and put this night behind her. “If you two will excuse me, I’ll just go—”

“Stay,” Merritt whispered into her ear. He tightened his hold on her arm and refused to let her leave.

Liggett smiled politely at Veronica, and she forced one in return so he wouldn’t see her distress. But she couldn’t stop the shiver that swept visibly over her. He was just another guest of the regent’s, just another of the many important and powerful men who would crowd into Carlton House tonight, yet an inexplicable chill swirled down her spine at meeting him.

Merritt dragged the general’s attention away from her by asking, “So you’re attending tonight’s party?”

“Not of my own choice. Damnable royal affairs,” Liggett grumbled as he nodded toward the palace. “But every field marshal, the War Secretary, and even Wellington himself are all here tonight. If I want my orders, it seems I have to mix business with pleasure.”

“What orders would those be?” Merritt forced out a good-natured ease that belied his tension. “Last time I checked, we’d won the wars.”

“And now we must win the peace.” The general glanced across the courtyard at Carlton House, all ablaze with light and pulsating with music and laughter. His smile never changed, but Veronica sensed the same tension in him that radiated from Merritt. “And regain the faith and trust of all Englishmen by showing strength and resolve, not frivolity, wastefulness, and weakness.”

“How do we do that exactly?” Merritt asked.

“We begin by putting down the riots.”

He squeezed her elbow in a silent signal.Thiswas why he’d wanted her to stay.

“Those are my orders,” Liggett explained. “I’ve been brought in to stop them before more damage is done.”

“So why aren’t you out tonight? Good weather for a riot, I would think…not that I know about those things.”

Veronica fought to keep from rolling her eyes—and kept looking for any opportunity for escape. Military matters were none of her concern. Not anymore.

“There won’t be a riot tonight,” Liggett assured him.

“You’re awfully certain.”

“I’m awfully good when it comes to matters of civil unrest. Soldiers will be positioned to stop the next mob when it takes to the streets.” He smiled smugly, as if the potential for lost lives was of no concern. “And I’ll be there to lead them.”

“With restraint, I hope.”

“With necessary force. I have the authorization to use all resources at my disposal.” He glanced at Carlton House with disdain. “While the regent has been wringing his hands over the Riot Act and been afraid to engage the rioters, Whitehall has been as decisive as I have. Mark my words, these riotswillbe stopped, and Londoners will once again feel safe in their homes and on their streets.”

“How safe will the rioters feel to have their own countrymen firing upon them?” Merritt challenged quietly. “There will surely be innocents among the crowd who are there only to have their voices heard.”

The general’s face turned hard. “There are other ways of being heard. Any innocents among the crowd know the crimes they’re committing by taking part, just as they know the consequences.”

“I hope you’re right, General.” But Merritt’s voice lacked all conviction.

“I will beprovenright.” Liggett dismissed the conversation with a nod and a stilted bow to Veronica. “Miss Chase, it was indeed a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you, sir.” Her eyes fell onto an unusual piece pinned to the general’s chest, one crafted of metalwork and enamel that was half-hidden among his other medals. It was a pin in the shape of a key that she couldn’t remember seeing on any other British officer she’d ever come across, and God knew she’d come across plenty during the wars. “That’s a very interesting medal you have there—that key.”

“This?” He glanced down at his chest and flicked it dismissively. “Just a symbolic piece.”

“And what does it symbolize?”