Young bloods - Scarrow Simon. Страница 78

'Some might argue that,' Arthur conceded. 'But Grattan is an opportunist, like all professional politicians. He is a public figure for as long as he plays to the baser instincts of the common people. So he milks their anger and frustration for his own ends. If he was truly a gentleman he would know that his first duty is to his country. He should be supporting the government, not playing on the frustrations of the common people and whipping them up into some kind of fervour. If they take to the streets, they'll be innocents led to the slaughter. Led there by Grattan. The man is not fit to sit in parliament. I aim to make that quite clear when I get my chance to speak from the government benches.'

O'Farrell raised his eyebrows. 'I had no idea you were a member of parliament.'

Arthur waved his hand. 'I am not yet, but in due course I aim to succeed my brother in the borough of Trim. That is why I am here – for the election. After which I aim to make Mr Grattan answerable for his folly when I face him across the floor of parliament.'

'You don't need to wait that long.' O'Farrell smiled broadly. 'The man's due to arrive in Trim at the end of February.'

'Really?'

'Surely. The good folk of Trim intend to present the Freedom of the town to Henry Grattan. He's something of a hero amongst the common people of Meath.'

Arthur frowned. This was the first he had heard of the move to honour Grattan. So, the scoundrel was already stirring up public opinion to snub the will of the authorities back in Dublin. 'I'll be damned if that man thinks he's going to get away with this!'

'Why? What can you do, Lieutenant?'

'My family seat's at Dangan Castle. I can claim our place on the board of the corporation. I'll make sure that the other members see this Grattan for the blackguard that he is.That's what I can do. It might cost me a few votes, but it'll be worth it.'

'I hope so,' O'Farrell replied with a smile. He dabbed his lips with a serviette and eased his chair back. 'Please excuse me, Lieutenant. I'm afraid I have an early start to my business tomorrow and need to make sure my affairs are in order.'

'Of course. But before you go, there's a favour I'd like to ask of you, Mr O'Farrell.'

'Oh, yes? How can I be of service?'

'It's to do with the rooms.You see, I will be in Trim until after the election and I'll need the best rooms this inn can provide, in which to meet with my supporters, and to entertain various guests. That sort of thing. I'm sure you understand?'

O'Farrell nodded with a good-natured smile. 'Yes, I do.'

'Good.' Arthur felt his spirits rise. The man was going to be quite a decent about the awkward matter of switching accommodation after all. 'Then I'm sure you'll see that it makes good sense for us to exchange rooms. I'm certain you'll find my present quarters perfectly suitable for your purposes, and I will make good use of the rooms currently at your disposal.'

'Ah, well, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you there.' O'Farrell shook his head, and gave an apologetic shrug as he rose to his feet. 'The truth is I need the rooms too.You see, I happen to be hoping to win the parliamentary seat of Trim for myself. I'll be bidding you a good night then.' He stepped round the table and gave Arthur a pat on the shoulder before he turned for the door. 'I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other in the weeks to come, Lieutenant Wesley.'

Arthur stared at the empty seat opposite him as O'Farrell paced heavily away. As the door to the dining room closed behind the Dublin lawyer,Arthur breathed out softly and whispered,'The scoundrel!'

Chapter 55

The committee room of the town hall at Trim echoed with the high-spirited conversation of the members of the corporation. Arthur paused just inside and tried to gauge its mood. His eyes flickered over the men standing in front of the long table at the head of the room. Henry Grattan stood in their midst, a commanding figure listening attentively to the local worthies, who clustered about the great man to bathe in his reflected glory. By Grattan's side stood Connor O'Farrell and he flashed a brief wave at Arthur as his bright blue eyes spotted him from across the room. Arthur smiled back, even as he seethed inwardly.

The election campaign for Trim had been under way for nearly a month and it was clear that O'Farrell had a good start on the young officer from Dublin. As Arthur travelled round the borough to court the favour of the local people eligible to vote in the coming election, he arrived in the wake of O'Farrell more often than not, and had to work hard to solicit their support. Once, when Arthur had arranged a feast, with plenty of ale, to accompany an address to the voters at one of Trim's inns, he discovered that his opponent had offered an even more elaborate spread in a neighbouring bar, without any long-winded appeal for their votes.

Now it had all come to a head at the corporation's meeting to confer the Freedom of the town of Trim on Henry Grattan. O'Farrell had placed himself at the head of the movement to honour Grattan and was going to propose the motion. If he won the day, then he would surely gather enough momentum to win the coming election. Arthur knew that this was his last chance to swing the vote towards him. He took a deep breath, and made his way over to his opponent and the guest of honour.

'Mr Grattan. Welcome to Trim, sir.' He extended his hand.

Henry Grattan turned to Arthur and scrutinised him with pale blue eyes. Then his lips flickered in a smile and he took Arthur's hand in a powerful grip and after a brief shake he held on to it as he spoke. 'You must be young Wesley. Connor has told me all about you. It seems you have a nose for politics…'

As the men around them stifled sniggers, Arthur kept his expression neutral. 'Mr O'Farrell is an excellent judge of character, and I shall miss his ready wit when I enter parliament.'

Grattan nodded. 'You'd do well, Wesley. But first you have to beat my man.' He placed a hand on O'Farrell's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 'So don't count your chickens, eh?'

'As long as you don't cry fowl when I win, sir.' Arthur bowed his head. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to join my friends.'

Arthur turned away and was almost out of earshot when he heard Grattan murmur,'That's a cool one, Connor.You face more of a challenge than you think.'

The Wesley supporters respectfully offered their greetings to Arthur and he quietly reminded them that they must do their utmost to win the day's vote. If Grattan was given the Freedom of the town then it would send a signal across Ireland that the government could be openly defied.

There were nearly eighty men present who were eligible to vote.Arthur's party numbered nearly half that, and he could count on several more votes against Grattan from amongst the more independent-minded of the corporation's members, who tended to support the establishment view without an instant's thought. However, such was the renown of Henry Grattan that Arthur was surprised, and a little angered, to find that even amongst his own supporters there were a few who announced they were minded to support the proposal. Before Arthur could deal with them the town speaker announced the presence of the mayor. The arrival of the mayor and his staff stilled tongues into a respectful silence. Once the mayor had assumed his seat at the head of the table he nodded to the speaker and the latter drew a breath and addressed the men in the room.

'Gentlemen, please take your seats.'

With muted murmurs of conversation the members of the corporation and their guests shuffled over to the neat ranks of chairs in front of the table and slowly found places to sit. When everyone was seated the speaker called the meeting to order and then backed to one side of the table and deferred to the mayor. The latter was a corpulent merchant, dressed in puritan black.The only concession to liberal taste were the shining brass buttons on his coat and the discreetly patterned trim of his collar. He raised his hand and coughed.