breath, Turnbull set off in the direction of his wife.
âYou both should be ashamed of yourselves,â Eliza said. âAnd if I were your wife, Lord Saxton, Iâd push you in front of one of these racehorses.â
He gave her an injured look. âEliza, is that any way to talk to me? I thought we were friends. In fact, I thought we wereââ His face suddenly turned as green as his racing colors. âExcuse me, butâbut I think Iâm about to be ill.â Without another word, Saxton ran off, cradling his stomach.
Higgins looked at Eliza. âAre we done here?â he asked in a long-suffering voice.
But theyâd gone no farther than twenty feet when Eliza was waylaid by an overenthusiastic Cockney fellow by the name of Billy Grainger. A friend of the Doolittles from the East End, he near talked their ears off before Higgins was able to drag Eliza away. When they finally reached Lord Saxtonâs private box overlooking the racecourse, Colonel Pickering greeted them with a scowl.
âAbout time the pair of you arrived,â he said. The viewing box was now a muddle of empty chairs and trays of discarded tea cakes. âDetective Inspector Shaw and I thought weâd have to send the police out looking for you.â
Jack Shaw stood leaning against the box railing, arms crossed. âThis story about the man with the gun better be good, Lizzie. I wonât be happy if youâve wasted my time.â
She hurried to give her cousin a hug. âJack, thank you for coming. I know youâre on duty and trying to keep an eye out for suffragettes and all, but the Professor saw a man with a gun. Heâs so upset, he wonât stop talking about it andâoh look, the Gold Cup has started!â
Jack threw his hands in the air. âI give up. How about you, Professor? Have I been summoned here to watch another race, or will someone tell me about the man with the gun?â
âHang the race.â Higgins joined the detective at the railing.
Feeling a bit guilty, Eliza divided her attention between the horses and the conversation about the gun. The Colonel stood next to them, listening. None of the Donegal Dancerâs owners or their wives had returned to the box. They must still be at the parade ring.
Although she hadnât placed a bet on this race, Eliza found herself caught up in the excitement nonetheless. As the horses made the turn, she got to her feet. The roar of the crowd rose to fever pitch. Tracery was in the lead as the horses hit the straight mile headed for home.
She heard Jack ask, âBut what exactly did this Harold Hewitt look like? What was his approximate age? And what was he wearing?â
âCome on, Tracery,â she murmured. âRun. Youâre almost there. You can beat that Prince.â
Suddenly a man burst from the shrubbery along the track. Eliza couldnât believe her eyes as he ran onto the racecourse. She let out a cry as the horses thundered toward him. The same tragedy that occurred at the Derby two weeks ago was going to happen again. Someone was about to be trampled!
âLook!â She pointed at the man who now stood in the middle of the course, the galloping horses almost upon him. They would never be able to stop in time.
Higgins and Shaw jumped to their feet. The man waved a flag in one hand and what looked like a gun in the other.
âBloody hell!â Higgins shouted as the horses reached the man.
Several swerved wildly to avoid him, hitting other animals. But Tracery rode right over him. Eliza screamed as the man fell beneath the horseâs hooves. Another horse kicked him as it raced past. Tracery went down immediately. His jockey somersaulted over the animalâs head and crashed to the ground.
Pandemonium erupted. Many spectators hissed and booed that anyone dared run in front of the horses again. Once the other racehorses galloped past, dozens of people dashed onto the field. The man