shadow of britain

Chapter 714 Mr. Martin's New Business
When the encouraged Inspector Field left Leicester Square with Officer Cowley, Arthur was not in a hurry to get away.

For most gentlemen with other agendas, there is really nothing worth reminiscing about Leicester Square during the day. You can only see some exiled Poles, foreign actors and playwrights who have traveled across the ocean to Britain hoping for fame and success, suspicious resistance organizations from other countries and perhaps Ireland, as well as various thieves and thieves who cannot muster up any energy due to the small flow of people.

Only when the sun sets does Leicester Square truly shine in all its sinful glory.

Who is the most dazzling jewel in the crown of London's guilt?

Then it must be the Alhambra Theater.

Speaking of the Alhambra Theater, this place actually has a complicated relationship with Arthur.

Because, a few years ago, during Arthur's most glorious period in Scotland Yard, this place was the sphere of influence of Lady Fiona Evans, the queen of London's underground. At the same time, it was also the place where she could make the most money.

However, since Arthur left, Fiona, seeing that she had no one to back her up, wisely "withdrew" from the area and instead focused on running the Nightingale Mansion's business.

Although the territory has become much smaller and the income has been affected, at least Fiona and her "Cambridge brothers" have finally bid farewell to the "arduous" street entrepreneurial period, stayed away from the low-end business with little technical content, and started serving the group of rich people whose "taste is difficult to judge".

Fiona's retreat soon triggered a bloody storm in Leicester Square, and almost all the "famous ladies" in London with some power set their sights on this place.

Of course, Fiona's withdrawal does not mean that this cruel and unreasonable lady is really willing to give up this piece of fat meat completely.

After all, she is not a good person. Withdrawing troops from here is only a temporary measure. If there is any hope, she will definitely want to continue to monopolize this place.

In order not to completely sever her ties with the Alhambra Theatre, Fiona, before retreating, deliberately teamed up with Mr. Judd Martin, the owner of the Whitechapel Tavern, whom she both respected and feared, to take over a tavern in the theatre.

As for the investment ratio and dividend distribution method of the two?
As always, it has Fiona's fair and just distribution characteristics.

Mr. Martin took over the pub in full and was responsible for its daily operations and sales, while Fiona sent her men to provide security services for the bar, and the profits of the bar were split 30% and 70%.

Of course, seven must be Fiona's.

what?
You asked Mr. Martin what to do if he feels that this distribution method is unfair and he disagrees?
That’s actually nothing, at most the pub is closed.

I am referring, of course, to Mr Martin's original shop in Whitechapel in the East End.

Although Fiona was a woman, she was so open and honest in her dealings with others that Martin spent the whole night searching the Oxford Dictionary but could not find any reason to refuse.

Where do you usually find this kind of "good thing"?

If you encounter this, just go home and be happy!

Mr. Martin believed that only a "stupid and dirty idiot" in the world would refuse Fiona's request.

The newly renovated oak bar smelled of excessive tung oil. Martin behind the bar was wiping the whiskey glass with a white handkerchief. His gold-rimmed glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose, making him look like a trapped animal nailed in an account book.

"So, Mr. Hastings, oh... no, maybe it's better to call you Sir now. That's kind of how I moved to the Alhambra..."

Arthur sat on a high stool and tapped the brass stopper on the bar with his pipe. "Another gin. By the way, why didn't you write to tell me that Fiona did this? Didn't I promise you? As long as I'm in London, no one can smash your restaurant."

"Isn't that because you're not in London?" Martin laughed. "Besides, everyone knows that you..."

Martin paused and swallowed the second half of the sentence, "You and Fiona are in the same boat."

Arthur glanced at the thugs who were yawning sleepily nearby and said, "If it's because they are here that you have something to say that is inconvenient, I can ask them to leave."

"It's not worth it! You're really putting it too seriously."

Martin waved his hands quickly, and then smiled and flattered Fiona, "It would be impossible to say that I had no complaints at the beginning. After all, my business in the East End was doing pretty well, and I was reluctant to move here all of a sudden. You know my niece, although she is hardworking, she is also stupid. I am a little worried about leaving the Whitechapel business to her all of a sudden. But as the saying goes, people have to look forward. Coming here is an uncertain change, but it is also an opportunity. Just like you were transferred from London to Hanover, although I don't have such great ability, I think the situations we are facing are actually similar."

At this point, Martin couldn't help but sigh: "When I first came to Alhambra, business was not particularly good. Look at the tavern across the street, which is also in the theater, its business is obviously better than mine, so I kept thinking about it. You know, things can't stand thinking about it, and after thinking about it, I really figured out the reason..."

Without waiting for Martin's detailed analysis, Arthur lazily revealed the truth: "Because they will provide a free beer to every beautiful lady who visits the pub, and then the gentlemen will rush into his pub like pugs to brag."

As soon as Arthur said this, Martin began to flatter him in a familiar way: "You are worthy of being a famous detective in London. You can see through the businessman's tricks at a glance."

"I'm not the famous detective." Arthur peeled the salted peanuts Martin had prepared for him. "The real famous detective is floating on the sea. But if you really admire him so much, I have a London Carnival Handbook he just wrote. If you're interested, you can add the name of your store in it."

After saying this, Arthur threw the book onto the bar.

Martin's palm brushed over the brand new cover and carefully examined the rather crudely printed "The Countryman's Mentor: More London Carnivals! Enjoying the Prosperity in the Metropolis".

Martin flipped through a few pages and immediately discovered that this book was similar to the guide to visiting prostitutes secretly published by former congressman Bernie Harrison who committed suicide. The book begins with a clear title, with the first chapter being titled "Visiting Famous Prostitutes."

However, as an old Londoner, Martin saw through Elder's tricks at a glance.

Of the seven famous prostitutes listed by Elder, two have long since passed away, one has retired for many years, one has contracted syphilis, and the other, as Elder said, "is sailing towards the shore like a burning ship, so be careful." So now there are only two left, and these two are the kind of people who are hard to find.

But no matter how amazing Elder's bragging was, Martin, who grew up under the walls of the Tower of London, had never heard of these seven famous prostitutes.

To sum it up in one sentence, this book is purely made up.

But even if it was a fabrication, it did not prevent the dirty-minded Empire Publishing Company from wanting to use this book to fire the first shot in occupying railway stations across the country.

Arthur asked, "What do you think of this book?"

Martin wanted to criticize the author's shameless behavior of taking advantage of the bad money, but he was embarrassed to mock Arthur's friend. So he could only express his point of view in a tactful way: "In my opinion, the most praiseworthy thing about this book is that the title is very good. "The Tutor of the Country Boys", this book is probably specifically aimed at those young people who think of themselves as playboys, but in fact they only dare to buy a pornographic book?"

Martin's incisive comments even stunned Arthur.

He thought about it for a while and realized that he had underestimated the category of erotic magazines. After careful analysis, he found that there were so many details involved.

Arthur folded his arms, then looked at Martin seriously and said, "Well... Jason, are you interested in working in a publishing house? I find that you seem to have talent in this area."

"Publishing house? Me?"

Martin refused with a smile while wiping the cup, "You really think too highly of me. I don't have any talent at all. I can't even write half of the 26 letters wrong. How can my arms, which are used to wiping wine glasses, hold a feather pen? Besides, I'm different from you. It's already difficult for a mediocre person like me to change my life. Alhambra's business has just started to pick up. If you're thinking about me, don't gossip about me."

Seeing Martin's firm attitude, Arthur did not force him. Anyway, this was not the purpose of his coming here today.

He nodded his head towards the small rooms at the back of the tavern. "Business is picking up? You mean those French introduction rooms that specialize in spreading French diseases?"

Martin replied tactfully, "They are just a few rooms for guests to rest. They are much cheaper than the theater boxes, so business is naturally booming. As for whether the French disease has spread... that is the privacy of the guests, and I can't control that much. Maybe you will encounter one occasionally, but there will definitely not be more than two at the same time."

Arthur chuckled unhappily and said, "You must have memorized the law by heart. If a nightingale lands on a treetop, it can be considered an individual business, but if two nightingales land on the same treetop, then that treetop must apply for a business license."

Martin blinked at Arthur and said, "You know that, don't you? Besides, everyone is doing this now. Why are you only targeting your old friend? You are not a policeman anymore."

Arthur swirled his glass. "I'm not staring at you. I just heard that a lot of actresses in London have been frequenting the French Introduction House recently. And in the Alhambra Theater, there's a bar that allows customers to communicate with the ballerinas backstage, so I came here specifically to ask you if this is true."

Martin slowed down his action of wiping the wine glass. He stared at Arthur doubtfully and asked, "Have you fallen in love with ballet recently?"

"Just barely." Arthur said, "But more importantly, I heard that the person who trained the ballet dancers for the Alhambra Theater was Miss Mary Taglioni, who starred in "La Sylphide". Can you get in touch with her?"

As soon as Arthur's words came out, Martin felt like he was struck by lightning and felt numb from head to toe.

"Well...well...Sir, it's not that I won't help you with this matter, but...you may not know, uh...Miss Mary Taglioni, that...that is a very famous ballet dancer!"

Arthur drank calmly: "I know, I saw her performance in Paris."

Martin changed his words and said, "Of course, I'm not saying that all famous actors can't do it, such as Mrs. Elizabeth Fouchette, or..."

Martin stopped talking here.

He was afraid that he would mention something that he couldn't handle, so he hurriedly changed the topic and said, "But! But! For an actress like this, you can't just offer her money. You have to say that you want to invite her to act in a private play. You have to be tactful and not rush. You have to take it step by step."

Arthur nodded again and said, "I know this too. When we were in Paris, that fat guy Alexander had already practiced it countless times in front of me."

Martin was sweating all over and looked like he had just been fished out of the Thames. "Whether she is famous or not is secondary. The most important thing is that Miss Mary Taglioni is now the dance teacher of Princess Victoria!"

Arthur lit up his cigar, "If she wasn't, then I wouldn't be that interested in her."

Seeing that his persuasion was useless, Martin immediately changed his mind and said, "Sir, you may not have noticed when you were watching the play. Miss Taglioni, of course, I am not saying that she is not beautiful, but she is not beautiful enough. There are many in the ballet company..."

Arthur interrupted him impatiently: "Martin."

Martin couldn't help but stand at attention: "What is it, sir?"

"Is it so difficult to ask you to introduce Miss Taglioni to me?"

Arthur explained, "I just wanted to get to know this lady."

Martin sneered and said, "To be honest, every gentleman told me the same thing. Besides...if you really want to get to know Miss Taglioni, you should have many more ways than me, such as salons or clubs..."

Arthur got angry when he heard the words salon and club.

If he could really enter and exit social occasions freely now, then he would naturally not come to Martin for help.

The problem is that he is currently under investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and it is not convenient for him to appear in these public occasions. Who knows whether he will run into a few people in those places who are identified as enemy spies by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It would be an exaggeration to say that all the foreign ladies at high-class banquets were spies.

But if nine out of ten people who came today are female spies, then it’s hard to say whether there are any missed ones.

Although his friend Alexandre Dumas was an acquaintance of Marie Taglioni, and although Dumas seemed willing to go through fire and water for Arthur in this regard, he and Taglioni were not close enough to arrange a private meeting with her.

If Dumas were to hold a cultural salon and send someone to invite Miss Taglioni to attend, it would be even more of a show if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs got wind of it.

Arthur Hastings, who created the Caucasus Incident, openly participated in a cultural salon held by French republicans during the investigation. He was suspected of accepting political donations to undermine the Anglo-Russian alliance and harboring the evil intention of overthrowing the monarchy.

Arthur didn't believe that if this matter was brought up, Foreign Secretary Palmerston would not take advantage of it.

Martin was the only way for Arthur to contact Miss Taglioni privately. He had no choice but to patiently explain to him: "Martin, I..."

Unexpectedly, Martin was afraid that he would continue to dwell on the matter of Tarioni, so he spoke first: "Sir, I really don't mean to evade you, but I dare say that you are so obsessed with Miss Tarioni just for the moment. I say this for a reason, because think about it, Sir John Conroy can see Miss Tarioni at Kensington Palace every now and then, but when he came to Alhambra, he never asked about her!"

(End of this chapter)