Page 92 of An Extraordinary Lord

From their route west along the Strand, no traces of a riot were visible. London was quiet. Only the usual people prowled its streets, and none of them were the likes of men that Scepter would have paid to lead a mob. But Merritt knew the rioters were amassed and moving through the streets just as the three of them were, and all of them were heading in the same direction—toward the barricades.

Marcus rode lead, dressed in his old general’s uniform, complete with officer’s sword and pistol, with Pearce following behind and Merritt bringing up the rear. The sight of his two friends stirred such memories that Merritt could almost believe they were once again in the middle of the wars, once again riding to engage the enemy.Almost.Because the familiar streets were a stark reminder that they were now fighting battles at home.

So did the sight of uniformed English soldiers standing behind tall barricades that blocked the way at Charing Cross where Pall Mall, Whitehall, and the Strand converged. The exact place where Malmesbury’s mistress had told them the rioters were paid to go in their march toward Westminster.

As soon as the soldiers came into view, Marcus kicked his heels into his horse’s sides and sent the large black gelding into a canter. He rode straight-spined and tall in the saddle, the perfect image of British command and confidence.

“Attention!” Pearce called out. His old brigadier’s uniform was nearly as impressive as the general’s as he darted his horse ahead of Marcus to address the men. “At attention!”

The soldiers shifted nervously and glanced among themselves for answers to what was happening. The officers were just as surprised as the foot guards.

Pearce reined his horse into a tight circle in front of the barricade and shouted angrily at the soldiers, “Stand at attention! General Braddock has arrived to take command!”

His shout sent up a ripple of excited murmurs through the group of soldiers, some of whom now craned their necks to see past the five-foot-tall barricade at the two men.

Merritt half smiled to himself. No one cared about him in comparison, and he gratefully slipped unnoticed from his horse in his plain black patrol clothes. Only his sword gave evidence that he was there for a fight.

Marcus stopped his horse directly in front of the barricade, but there was no doubt now among the men about who he was. He ranked second only to Wellington in terms of notoriety and service to England, yet he reigned first in soldiers’ admiration and loyalty. They stared with awe, exactly as the men of the Armory had hoped.

“I’m here to replace Major-General Liggett,” he announced. Instead of dismounting, he took full advantage of the striking figure he made on horseback and raked his gaze across the soldiers. “Where is your commanding colonel?”

“Here, General!” one of the officers called out as he climbed onto the bottom step of the barricade and saluted. “Colonel Anderson at your command, sir.”

Marcus gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. “You were expecting Liggett. There’s been a change in orders.” He dismounted and tossed the reins to a private who stood guard at the front side of the barricade. “I’m in command now. You’ll follow my orders.”

“Yes, General,” the colonel snapped out in quick deference. Then he added, “We’re thrilled to have you among us, sir.”

Marcus strode up to the barricade and climbed over it, then signaled for Pearce and Merritt to follow.

The two men exchanged a knowing glance. There were no orders from the Home Office or War Department regarding a change in command, and not one of the three men still possessed his active commission. But the soldiers didn’t know that. And wouldn’t know that until after the riot was long over.

“Always better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Merritt muttered beneath his breath to Pearce as they climbed over the barricade and landed on the other side.

“You spent years studying the law,” Pearce quietly replied, “andthat’sthe lesson you learned?”

Merritt crooked a brow. “Can you think of a better one?”

Especially since that philosophy had brought them past the first obstacle in their plan—removing Liggett and putting a man they trusted in charge of the soldiers.

Now he prayed that the second part of the plan would go just as smoothly and the riot would never reach them.

But he also couldn’t help a worried glance down the dark street in the direction of the square where the rioters were told to meet, knowing that Veronica was somewhere among them. She was more than capable of taking care of herself, his head knew that. But his heart… That was a different matter completely.

Marcus finished giving instructions to Colonel Anderson and rejoined Merritt and Pearce. Every inch of him exuded power and confidence. All the soldiers around them recognized it, and Merritt welcomed it. There was comfort here among the soldiers with Marcus in command, a unified purpose that had been missing from his life when he’d returned to England. Working with the other men of the Armory against Scepter had begun to fill that void, and Veronica was helping to finally ease the pain of losing Joanna. But would he ever find peace?

“There’s another blockade farther up Whitehall,” Marcus informed them with hard tugs at his gloves. That same old habit from before every battle in the wars. In a lesser man, Merritt would have said it was nerves. “It’s there in case the rioters break through this one.”

“They won’t.” Pearce frowned at the ready muskets slung over the shoulders of the Scots Guards. “They’ll be slaughtered by gunfire here first.”

“Even so, I want you there. I want to make certain the soldiers behind us don’t do something stupid like rush forward to our position and fire on the rioters.”

“Or on us,” Merritt muttered.

“That, too.” Marcus nodded at Pearce. “Go take charge at the second barricade, Brigadier.”

“Yes, sir.” Pearce saluted smartly and turned on his heel to hurry to the rear position farther down the dark street behind them, shouting out his name and rank as he went.No onewanted surprises in the darkness tonight.

“Merritt, you’ll remain with me.”