“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t stand a chance against someonelike Trueman.”
“Well, he may not be around much longer tochallenge me,” Macy said with some pride.
“And why is that?”
“He and I are going to duel tomorrowmorning.”
Constance’s jaw dropped. “You’re crazier thanI thought.”
“The lady doesn’t think so.”
“Well, then, you’re welcome to her.”
Constance got up and put her coat on. “I seeI shouldn’t have come here after all.”
At the door she said, “That woman is wicked.Somebody should do something about her.”
***
The sun rose on a clear, cool morning, except for atouch of ground mist that was soon burned off. Horace Macy andLionel Trueman arrived with their seconds at the cricket grounds onthe north-west edge of town. The grounds were surrounded by maturetrees, which afforded the duellists a modest amount of cover forthe clandestine, and illegal, activity. Each man had brought hisown pistol, and the weapons were now being examined by the seconds.Macy had brought his clerk with him, and Trueman a close friend.The seconds pretended to scrutinize the weapons with an experteye.
“Everything seems in order,” said the clerkconfidently.
“I agree,” said the friend.
“Each man will step off ten paces, thenturn,” said the clerk. “When I drop the handkerchief, each man willfire.”
“And may the best man win,” Macy said.
“I trust you are prepared to die,” Truemansaid. “And my honour will be satisfied.”
“You are without honour,” Macy said.
“Gentlemen,” said Trueman’s second, “do notrestart the quarrel we are here to adjudicate.”
“Ten paces each,” the clerk said.
With their backs to each other and pistolscocked, the two duellists began to pace away from each other,counting the steps aloud. At ten they turned and held their pistolsup. A handkerchief fluttered in the breeze.
“That’s enough, gentlemen. Put the pistolsdown.”
All eyes turned towards the new arrivals. Itwas Detective-Constable Cobb in plain clothes and a uniformedConstable Ewan Wilkie.
“This isn’t what you think,” said the clerk,dropping the handkerchief.
“How do you know what I’m thinkin’,” Cobbsaid, coming up to him but keeping a wary eye on Lionel Trueman’spistol. “But I know a duel when I see one.”
“Why can’t you mind your own business andleave us be?” Trueman said.
“Illegal duellin’ is my business,”Cobb said. “And if you don’t want me to haul you off to jail,you’ll put that pistol away right now.”
By this time Wilkie had reached Trueman, andhe took the man’s pistol and fired it into the air.
“Do the same with yours,” Cobb ordered Macy.“And don’t go killin’ no birds.”
Macy, looking scared, shot his pistol offharmlessly.
“Now get over here all of you. I gotsomethin’ to say,” Cobb barked.
Macy and Trueman joined the seconds in themiddle of the grounds.
“I’m gonna pretend I caught you two havin’target practice,” Cobb said, “if you’ll swear off this foolishnessfer good. If I’d’ve been a minute later, I’d be chargin’ one of youwith murder. One dead and one to be hanged. Is that what youthought you were up to?”
“How did you find out about it?” Macyasked.
“Your clerk got to boastin’ about it in thepub last night, too close to one of my snitches. And lucky fer youhe did.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Trueman said.“You’re not a gentleman.”
“And damn glad I ain’t,” Cobb said, usheringthe gentlemen off the cricket grounds.
***
When they reached Queen Street, Trueman and Macyfound themselves walking side by side.
“That was a close call,” Macy said.
“Cobb was probably right. One of us wouldhave been dead and the other a candidate for the gallows,” Truemansaid.
“Leaving the lady with neither of us,” Macysaid.
“And she is seeing both of us, isn’tshe?”
“I thought her intentions were all on myside.”
“I thought the same. She led me to believeso.” Trueman stopped walking.
“She is leading both of us on, isn’t she?”Macy said.
“I believe so.”
“And who’s to say there are not others weknow nothing of?”
“You could be right. Have we both beenfools?”
“We’ve both been fools,” Macy saidbitterly.
“She almost got us killed,” Trueman said.
“Is it just a game with her?”
“Are we nothing but her pawns?”
“The woman has no conscience.”
“She’s using her money and standing in thecommunity to make fools of men.”
“Somebody ought to put a stop to her littlegames.”
“Yes, and quickly.”
“Well, I’m through with her,” Macy saidemphatically. “Money or no money.”
Trueman nodded his agreement, and the two mencontinued walking together, who just moments before had beenprepared to shoot one another.
***
The hustings, as usual, had been erected in front ofDanby’s Inn, the area as a whole known as Danby’s Crossing. It wasa mile north of the city and a quarter mile east of Yonge Street.The inn was an elaborate two-storey affair with a wide verandah infront. Completing the square were a general store and liverystables opposite Danby’s, and on the eastern side a smithy and aharness-maker. The inn boasted an elegant foyer and a bustlingtavern.
While Louis Fontaine, Gilles Gagnon, FrancisHincks and Robert Baldwin rode up to the crossing in a brougham,Marc came along behind on a sturdy mount he had hired from Frank’sLivery in Toronto. Just in case there was any trouble, he wanted tobe mobile. Not that they were expecting any, since they hadreceived assurances from Humphrey Cardiff that all would bepeaceful. Besides, the nomination meeting included the candidatesfrom both the Reform and Conservative parties, and the crowdtherefore would contain supporters from both sides. It was ineverybody’s interest to have an orderly set of nominations. Themeeting was to start at two o’clock.
It was just after one when the brougham drewup to the hitching-post in front of Danby’s Inn. Already the spacebefore the hustings was beginning to fill up. People, farmers andtheir wives mostly, had driven, ridden or walked many miles throughthe bush to be here. Not all of them would be voters – certainlynot the women – but all were interested in what the variousspeakers would have to say. These were tumultuous times in thehistory of the province. An armed revolt had taken place not fouryears before – over deeply set grievances that could not beaddressed under a system of government where all the power lay withthe governor and his appointed minions. The Rebellion, here and inQuebec as well, had settled little definitively, except to promptthe British government to experiment with some fundamental changesto its fractious colony. These included uniting the two provincesinto one (or two halves) with a single Parliament. The grievanceshad not yet been dealt with, and responsible, cabinet governmenthad only been partly achieved. Moreover, it remained to be seenwhether these grievances – the Clergy Reserves question, the flawedbanking system, the blatant patronage and de facto rule of theFamily Compact elite, and the stagnated economy – would be helpedor hindered by tossing French and English into the same stew-pot.Certainly, the alliance of LaFontaine’s rouge and Baldwin’sReform was a positive start. But of course it could only succeed ifthey could get Louis elected to the Legislative Assembly. RobertBaldwin had taken the fourth riding of York by two hundred voteslast April. He had high hopes that Louis’ campaign in the sameriding would be a cakewalk.
Danby himself was on the verandah to greetthem.
“Welcome, gentlemen,” he said. “Do come intothe lounge and take a glass of Champagne.”
“You go ahead,” Marc said to Robert. “I’mgoing into the tavern to test the lay of the land.”
“All right, Marc. A good idea.”
“Your counterparts have already arrived,”Danby said.