Page 124 of A Duchess to Fight For
Chapter 33
Frederick was let into John Tattersall’s parlour expecting to see faded furniture and cobwebs in the corners. Instead, he walked into an airy room with bright flowers in vases and brighter pillows scattered on the furniture in the room.
It vibrated with life. The longer he was waiting, the more he noticed. Unusual pieces of artwork and an interesting off-centre clock on the mantle, plant stands made of intricate metal designs. John entered the room before he had an opportunity to explore more.
“Your Grace,” he said, then bowed.
Frederick turned to see an older gentleman who looked like he could beat him in a match of arm wrestling.
“Sir John,” Frederick greeted.
“Have a seat. I’ve called for tea.”
“Thank you, Sir John.”
“You caught me between trips. I just got back from a wonderful safari in Africa. In a few weeks, I head to the continent, the eastern continent. I have heard I must see Prague. And so I will. Ah, the tea.”
Sir John acted as host, passed Frederick tea, and drew his attention to a rather eclectic plate of refreshments. Thinly rolled bread and some kind of filling. Avocado covered in some sort of green leaf then rolled in rice. Four other offerings Frederick never saw before. No doubt, foods he learned of from his travels.
They talked about Sir John’s penchant for travelling while Frederick wondered if he was wrong. Maybe Sir John knew exactly what happened at his stables.
Both Sir John and Frederick knew it was the time in the visit where Frederick told him why he was there.
“Sir John, please forgive me if I overstepped my bounds, and you are aware of the practice of horse-trading on the side that goes on at Tattersall’s. I thought to bring it to your attention on the chance that you were unaware of the practice.”
Sir John leaned in. “I’m not sure without learning more. Please, go on.”
Frederick repositioned himself in his chair. “Quite by accident, I learned that your auctioneer, Victor, was engaged in a practice where he and a plant in an auction group drove up the price of inferior horses.
“The plant used his ‘expertise’ to convince the auction group around the horse that it was a superior animal or at least an animal far above its actual worth.”
Frederick stopped to let his words sink in. Sir John was pale, and his teacup was frozen midway to his lips. Frederick waited, hoping to find the appropriate time to continue.
Sir John gave a short shake of his head and put his cup down. “Pardon me for asking, but did you see this practice, or have you only heard that it exists.”
“I saw it. My brother saw Victor and his plant, Barton, splitting the excess money.”
“Barton, you say? Barton St John?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“Oh, I know him. Many years back, he and I had words over a horse I sold him. I remember the horse well. A beautiful, strong gelding. I suspected he went home and treated the animal more like a dog than a horse.
“He brought the animal back to me, accusing me of selling him an inferior horse. As I said, we had words. I took the horse back because I didn’t want it to continue to be mistreated. But I refused to sell him another horse.”
Frederick continued, “When I saw what was happening, I asked the horse seller a friend knows to take a look. He said there were horses being sold that should be put out to pasture.
“Instead, they were being sold, would come up lame, and be put down. This horse seller, Donny Williams, was upset that horses were ultimately put down that should be out to pasture. I know you value the name and reputation of Tattersall’s. Donny values his integrity as an integral part of his business.”
Sir John’s face brightened. “Donny Williams? Is his father Danny Williams? A nice man. A man with a heart. Loved his horses.”
Frederick nodded. “He sounds like Donny. May I ask, Sir John? Does your travel keep you from Tattersall’s? I think Victor and Barton have been working together for some time.”
A low growl came up from Sir John’s throat. “I passed the reins of the business over to my grandson. He sends me money every month like clockwork, and he tells me everything is fine. It seems I have been remiss in meeting with the boy.”
Frederick changed his position in his chair again. “It is said he doesn’t come to the site because he doesn’t want to get his shoes dirty.”
Sir John shut his eyes. Frederick sat very still.
