The Blue Diamond by Joan Smith

Author:Joan Smith [Smith, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 1981-11-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“The news has finally come,” Castlereagh said, waving a letter under Moncrief’s nose. His listener sat tense, waiting to hear whether they discussed war, a settlement of the boundaries, the escape of Napoleon or some less important matter.

“I am to return to England. Wellington is on his way here to replace me. I shan’t be sorry to get home, I can tell you. I have had enough of this business—more than enough—to satisfy me; You will report directly to the Duke. I shall brief him before I leave, of course, but I want you to give him all the help possible. You will let him know from day to day who is not speaking to whom, and so on. He comes at a poor time.”

“How is that?” Moncrief said.

“Why, with Lent about to begin, the Waltzing Duke will not be so lavishly entertained as we are accustomed to. But then he does not come to dance, but to work.”

“The parties are getting out of hand—it’s time to let up on them. Metternich’s sleighing party was a joke in poor taste. Velvet upholstery and gold fringes and gold sphinxes and ostrich plumes—it was more like Astley’s Circus than anything else.”

“We have overstayed our welcome, certainly, in the view of the common people here.”

“Having their wages taxed to the tune of fifty percent to pay for it all was bound to have that effect. When do you leave, Sir?”

“I’ll stick around ten days or so to break Wellington in. I mentioned that blue diamond to him in my last dispatch, and he is concerned about it. Whatever else you do, Moncrief, for God’s sake don’t let it be sold to foot the bill for Boney’s return. You had no luck in getting hold of it?”

“None—I am still working on it.”

“Good,” Castlereagh said, but Moncrief knew as surely as he sat there that his new boss would not be so easily put off. The Iron Duke was not one to waste time. He would expect results.

“Oh, by the way,” Castlereagh went on, “I have got that report on Chabon. Little is known of him. He appears to have popped up from nowhere to accompany Talleyrand to the Congress. They say he was included because he speaks half a dozen languages, and had an aunt who knew a prince, and so on."

“No family history of dealing in gems?”

“No family history at all so far as Hager could discover. A bit of a playboy, companion to actresses, sometime gigolo. That sort of thing.”

“Pretty high company he is keeping—the Krugers. I wonder the old boy tolerates his dangling after his daughter.”

“Oh as to Kruger, he hasn’t two pence to rub together either. Von Rossner has no use for Chabon. It would not surprise me much if Kruger were running some rig in tandem with Chabon. It was before your time, Moncrief, but I was discussing Kruger with Clancarty the other evening, and he mentioned an affair that had quite slipped my mind. Some years back, Kruger palmed a forged painting off on Lord North.

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