Page 40 of Baron in Check
Greg turned and saw the faces of the other club members. Forks in mid-air, luncheons went cold, and they held their breath to see the challenge played out. If it were a duel, Greg knew all too well he couldn’t have refused on his honor.
But this was a wager on his friends’ livelihoods. If the Pearlers lost their clients at White’s, their business would be diminished. Or worse, Prinny might withdraw their appointment as Crown Jewelers if the Ton didn’t agree they were the best. As usual, however, this wasn’t a question of being the best. It wasn’t even about whether they were good. Jews rarely got the chance, and when they did, as the Pearlers had, they could lose it within a moment. All it took to destroy generations’ work, goodwill, and fortunes was a challenge from an anti-Semitic prick like List.
Plus, if List gained a hand over Greg at the club, he had a chance to sway the vote in parliament against Greg. It was a first round, a trial run. The club’s membership was almost symbolic of the Jew’s right to be equal citizens. This was how quickly chess became a battlefield for life’s trials.
“Let me know when I should be there,” Greg said.
List’s mouth fell open in surprise as if he hadn’t expected Greg to take the challenge.
Greg turned back to Fave and Arnold and left with them. The next time he’d come to White’s, he wanted his friends to be treated as equals. His barony meant nothing in a country where his peers had no respect for fellow citizens. It just wasn’t right.
CHAPTER 19
“Hermy?” Greg’s voice resonated through the house as soon as she heard the door open. “She’s probably upstairs. Oh hullo!” Greg looked up the stairs as Hermy came toward him.
“She won’t like this,” Fave mumbled as he handed his hat to the butler, followed by Arnold.
“You didn’t need to accept,” Arnold said.
Hermy descended the first few steps of the staircase to Greg’s great hall at Kirby Place, and the three men looked up at her making her feel like the same girl she was at seventeen during the summer when Greg, Fave, and Arnold were home from Eton. They treated her as a valued human being, and she liked herself better when she was with them.
“Good afternoon,” she said with a smile when she’d reached the landing at the half point.
Arnold swallowed hard and Fave furrowed his brows.
Oh no! Something was wrong. She slowed and took in Greg’s gaze. He looked a little guilty like Gambit when he tore a throw pillow apart.
“We have an engagement this evening, and I was hoping you’d accompany me,” Greg said.
Fave elbowed him, so he continued. “Well, I need you to come and help me.”
Hermy had made it to the bottom of the staircase and recognized that the boys—sorry—men, had gotten themselves into trouble. “What sort of engagement?”
“A chess game and drinks. After dinner,” Greg said.
“Will Rachel and Hannah come, too?”
Fave and Arnold looked at each other and then at Hermy.
“I’m afraid not,” Arnold said.
“I don’t think Greg should go either, nor you,” Fave added and bent down to greet Gambit, who was strutting into the hall with a sleepy waddle. Growing up, Fave had been touted as the golden boy of the Ton and Hermy saw he had retained his charm as an adult. In less than a few seconds, Gambit had turned on his back and stretched his paws in the air, letting Fave rub his belly.
“He never lets people do this,” Hermy marveled.
“I’m not just anyone.” Fave chuckled as he shifted onto a kneeling position to tend to his new furry friend.
“And that’s why I have to do this,” Greg said. “You’re not just anyone and you’ve proved it again and again.”
“So we will prove it yet again,” Arnold said, resignation and concern coloring his voice. “It’s not worth risking your career?—”
“For yours? For your livelihood?” Greg blew the air out of his cheeks as he usually did in frustration. “I made it my career to go after worthwhile causes. Justice and equality rank high.”
“What’s this about chess and drinks, and how is that a matter for justice and equality?”
A quarter of an hour later, seated in Greg’s study, Hermy agreed with him as Fave and Arnold paced the room. Gambit followed Fave’s every footstep.
“It’s a terrible idea. He’s risking his career and his reputation,” Arnold warned.
