"Though he has a reputation for wealth and success, the reality is rather different. He's undeniably clever, but too often rash. If it were not for the income from his illegal enterprises, he might have gone bankrupt some time ago."
The lawyer opened a new file. "In the last eighteen months, he has made a number of bad decisions and is now overdue on repaying several personal loans. The bank holding his paper is nervous, but assumes he will recover soon. It helps that Weldon recently announced his betrothal to an heiress, Lady Sara St. James. They will marry quite soon. Perhaps you have met her at one of your social affairs? She's the only child of the Duke of Haddonfield."
"I've met her." Eyes narrowed, Peregrine lifted the shade from the candle lamp and lit his cigar. "What would it do to Weldon's financial situation if the betrothal ended?"
Slade's brows rose. "It certainly wouldn't help him. Do you have reason to believe the marriage will not take place?"
"I'm sure it will not." The prince drew in a mouthful of smoke, then slowly exhaled it. "You may drop a few discreet hints in financial circles that Lady Sara, who is a woman of taste and perception, is in the process of reconsidering her decision to marry Weldon."
The lawyer regarded him thoughtfully. "I have a feeling that the less I know about that, the better. Rest assured that soon it will be known that Weldon might not receive the financial settlement he is planning on. Of course, he can find another heiress, but these things take time, even for a handsome man with a distinguished reputation."
Peregrine tapped the cigar on the edge of the glass ashtray and watched the charred tobacco fall off. "Once the marriage is in doubt, do you think that the bank holding Weldon's loans might be interested in selling them to someone else?"
"Quite possibly. But if you buy Weldon's loans, you will take a heavy loss if he doesn't recover."
"I don't care," Peregrine said brusquely. "I want those loans. Buy them through that dummy company you set up so that my name isn't associated. Now what about the L & S Railway?"
"Taking it over is the cleverest thing Weldon has done in years," Slade said, unable to withhold an approving nod. "The financial community is very excited about the new management and the company's prospects. When new stock is issued next week, it should sell quickly. You'll make a good profit on the money you invested."
"Did you find out the true story on the legal problems Weldon told me about?"
"I was coming to that." The lawyer gave him a reproving look for his impatience. "As you know, the parliamentary bill that incorporates a railroad says that the company can take the land it needs in return for proper compensation. The original L & S management was undercapitalized to begin with, so they tried to appropriate land for less than a fair price. Not surprisingly, a number of landowners filed suit for more money, led by a yeoman farmer in Hampshire named Jethro Crawley. There was considerable bitterness between the company and the landowners."
Slade peered over his glasses. "This is where it gets interesting. Though it isn't commonly known, Crawley dropped his lawsuit after a mysterious fire on his farm. A most unfortunate incident in which someone died, I believe. After Weldon took the railroad over, a number of the other landowners settled their cases for amounts of money not much greater than they had been offered in the first place."
"You think Crawley was the victim of arson and the other landowners decided to take what money they could get rather than risk the same thing happening to them?"
"It is certainly a possibility," Slade agreed. "I thought I'd go down to Hampshire this week and talk to Jethro Crawley, see if I could learn what really happened."
"I want to do that myself." Peregrine drew in a mouthful of smoke, then blew out several perfect smoke rings. "If he hasn't formally signed over the railroad right-of-way to the L & S, perhaps he will sell it to us instead. It would have to be done through another dummy investment company, so Weldon won't know who is behind it until it's too late."
"Then what?" Slade said, looking alarmed.
Peregrine's eyes gleamed. "Weldon will find himself with a new lawsuit on his hands, possibly accompanied by criminal charges that the railway has been brutally intimidating innocent landowners. Wouldn't the newspapers love that? It would make a lovely scandal and probably bring construction of the railroad to a halt again."
Slade frowned. "You've invested a sizable fortune in the L & S. If you mean to block construction, it will be very expensive for you and a lot of other people as well."