shadow of britain

Chapter 745: The Fire at Westminster

If large water storage stations were not built next to all strategic fortresses and important public facilities to solve the problem of fire water sources, and if there were no effective organization to prevent fires before they happen, namely the fire police, then people's best efforts to build palaces and towers would be sadly in vain, because fire would eventually devour everything they have built.

--George William Manby, "The Fighting and Prevention of Destructive Fires"

When the carriage drove out of Kensington Palace, it was gradually getting dark. The sky of London was covered with a chaotic yellow gray, which was so low that it almost pressed down to the roof. The air was filled with the disgusting smell of coal smoke as usual.

However, compared to the coldness of the previous few days, the atmosphere this evening makes people feel a little warm. Of course, this may also be Arthur's illusion.

After all, after a few busy and intense days of work, nothing could be more satisfying than the smooth progress of plans, nothing could be more gratifying than the fact that Scotland Yard will be reborn from the ashes after the memorial service for Chief Inspector Culley, and nothing could make the Scotland Yard legend feel that his trip was worthwhile more than helping the old department establish a solid position in the upcoming Victorian era.

He wanted to let the officers at Scotland Yard know that his portrait wasn't hung at the entrance to the hall for nothing.

Arthur Hastings is different from other guys who get incense for free. He is much more effective.

I'm talking about when he was alive, of course.

The carriage creaked as it turned past the King Street intersection and rolled over the wet cobblestones. Some puddles of water were thrown up from the wheels and hit the body of the carriage, like some kind of belated applause.

The dim carriage was lit only by a small oil lamp covered by thick glass.

Rowan was half leaning to one side, his uniform collar half open, his silver hair slightly disheveled, and in his hand he was holding a cigar that had already burned to the end.

The tense official atmosphere of the past few days was no longer in the car. If no one knew the identities of the two passengers, they would probably think that they were two old friends who had just returned from watching a play in the theater.

The carriage jolted slightly, and the clatter of the iron wheels rolling over the cracks in the road interrupted the brief silence between the two.

Rowan suddenly spoke up, his voice deeper than usual: "Why did you remain silent in Kensington Palace just now? This is your script."

Arthur smiled softly: "It's not that I have nothing to say, but I'm afraid that once I open my mouth, it won't be just polite words."

Rowan thought Arthur was mocking him again, but he didn't take it seriously this time. "I'm not someone who only knows how to say nice things. Last year I was planning to find a job as an actor in a theater in the West End. The manager of the Astley Roundhouse thought there was a role that must be played by me."

"Actor?" Arthur half-jokingly took out his cigarette case and stuffed tobacco into his pipe. "I don't see that you have any talent in this area. I think the job of police chief is more suitable for you. But I'd like to know what role they plan to ask you to play?"

Rowan took a puff of his cigarette in silence, then suddenly blurted out, "The police chief in The Hastings Mysteries who only caused trouble for the great detective Hastings."

Arthur hadn't expected Rowan to bring this up. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "That role is not one that requires any acting skills. Is the role still waiting for you?"

"How could they still be waiting for me?" Luo Wan leaned back in his chair and exhaled a puff of smoke: "I have already asked them to find someone else."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is it because of this character that you attacked the Police Intelligence Bureau? If so, then I apologize to you. Please understand that literature and art sometimes require a certain degree of... uh... in-depth processing of the image of the prototype character."

"Perhaps. But please understand that sometimes management methods have to go to extremes to achieve the desired effect." Rowan did not bother with Arthur about this detail: "But... I didn't expect the Whigs to do things so drastically. After the Cold Baths incident last year, Mayne and I submitted our resignations to the Ministry of the Interior. As a result, Viscount Melbourne hypocritically tried to retain Mayne and me, saying that he hoped we could double our loyalty to the police force. He also said that this police agency was founded by the two of us, and if Mayne and I abandoned it, then this agency would most likely no longer exist."

Arthur's happy smile gradually disappeared when he heard this.

He didn't think Rowan was lying, because with Arthur's network of relationships, he could easily find out whether Rowan and Maine had submitted their resignations.

Moreover, with Rowan's rank of colonel and his combat performance in the Napoleonic Wars, it would be quite easy for him to find a job in the army. Even if he was unwilling to suffer in the army, he could maintain a fairly good life just by relying on the annual pension.

And Arthur was also very clear that not only himself, but also the police officers who had served here since the establishment of the department had some feelings for Scotland Yard.

Although this job is dirty, tiring and not very decent.

Soldiers threatened to beat up the police who wore different uniforms from them, firefighters fought with them for positions at the fire scene, and horse-drawn carriage drivers laughed at them in contempt for traffic rules. And on the streets at night, there were many more insidious and cunning enemies lurking.

Countless Scotland Yard patrolmen felt their patience and courage had reached their limit as a result of the abuse and violence they had endured.

In just five years since Scotland Yard was founded, more than 4,000 police officers resigned and more than 3,000 were fired for violating internal discipline.

You know, the number of staff in Scotland Yard this year is only more than 4,000. In just five years, the staff in the bureau has been almost eliminated twice.

The police officers who can survive five years in this low-pay, high-demand environment have basically become one of the 423 chief police officers of the Greater London Police.

If Viscount Melbourne had really hinted that the Home Office would disband Scotland Yard if Rowan and Mayne resigned, Arthur would have certainly picked up his best stick of civility and given him two thumps with the stick.

Of course, from a basic logic point of view, not to mention the royal title on Scotland Yard, even without the "royal" as a talisman, Arthur does not think that the Home Office will disband such a department that has made great contributions to the improvement of London's law and order.

But considering that they deliberately provoked the conflict between Scotland Yard and the magistrate, and then after Rowan and Mayne were humiliated and resigned because of the "cold bath incident", they kept them with open enthusiasm and covert threats...

Anyone can figure out what the Whig Party is thinking!

All they wanted was for Scotland Yard to bow its head and become a lapdog that succumbed to the demands of the Whigs.

Regardless of whether this request is reasonable or not, first of all, it violates the rules and regulations of Scotland Yard, because it is clearly written in black and white that Scotland Yard must strictly maintain political neutrality.

Rowan did not delve further into this issue. He was a person who was too lazy to explain. If Arthur's recent performance had not been so outstanding, which greatly changed his impression of this former capable subordinate, Rowan would not even care that Arthur continued to hate him. "I have seen everything you have done in the past six months since you returned to London. Not everyone can change the reputation of an organization overnight, and not everyone can turn a mystery into a political revival on the streets, in newspapers, or even in the palace."

He paused, stubbed out his cigar in the small copper box in his palm, and said, "I was thinking, if you hadn't been hit by that bullet, or if I hadn't rushed to Woolwich with the Mounted Police on the day of the London riots, if we had swapped positions, the final result might have been much better. At the very least, you could still stay in Scotland Yard, and the incident at the Cold Bath wouldn't have been so pathetic."

The wheels rolled heavily over a rain ditch at the turn, and a dull sound was transmitted into the carriage.

"But things are not too bad, maybe there is still a chance to save the situation..." Rowan murmured to himself, as if trying to convince himself. He looked out the window at the gradually clearer Whitehall Street. Under the smoky gray sky, the echo of the Parliament clock tower could be heard in the distance, and the light was filled with a restless orange-yellow color.

Suddenly, Rowan asked, "Arthur, while public opinion is turning for the better, why don't you just come back?"

"I?"

"Yeah." Rowan nodded, his eyes sharp. "After His Majesty the King dissolved Parliament, I've heard that several groups of people have been active in the past two days. On the Whig side, John Russell's faction is in chaos, and Melbourne itself is on the verge of collapse. On the Tory side, Peel has the support of the Duke of Wellington. It's only a matter of time before he comes back to form a cabinet."

Rowan was worried that Arthur might misunderstand him, so he said very frankly, "Of course, I'm not talking about resuming my duties as special representative or temporary consultant. I'm talking about coming back to replace me and taking over the position of police chief, right now."

Arthur was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

It was not a polite smile that was just for the sake of perfunctory response, but one that was slightly emotional yet frank.

"Do you really think so?"

"I'm not just saying this. I'm not young anymore, as you know. I've worked hard in the past two years, but to be honest, my butt is getting less and less suitable for that chair. After you came back, I saw the series of things you did, whether it was the use of telegrams or the manipulation of public opinion, I couldn't do it, and no one in Scotland Yard could do it."

Arthur shook his head slightly. "Don't say that again, sir. I came to Scotland Yard not because I miss your chair, but because there are things I can't stand."

"You mean you don't want to?"

"I am willing to help you, Scotland Yard, anytime and anywhere." Arthur's tone was gentle, but firm: "But the river cannot flow backwards, it is not appropriate to take your place."

Rowan wanted to persuade him, but Arthur raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "I don't follow the rules, I don't get along with my superiors, I'm too close to reporters, and I talk too much to Whitehall. Even if I can stabilize the situation for Scotland Yard in the short term, it may not be a good thing for the game in the long run."

At this point, Arthur gave an example: "Scotland Yard is a government department after all. If I pissed off Whitehall, they could only scold me. They can't retaliate against the University of London, right? Apart from the teaching charter that was issued just a few years ago, the University of London has never received any favors from the government, let alone a penny of government funding. However, if I were not the provost of the University of London, but the leader of Scotland Yard, Whitehall would have many more ways to use against me."

Luo Wan didn't say anything, he just tapped his knees slowly with his fingers a few times.

Arthur's tone was not harsh, but it sounded like a stone hitting a puddle. "My current position is a position where I can take action but I don't have to take responsibility. To put it bluntly, if I throw a stone at the window of the Ministry of Internal Affairs outside, they will at most curse 'Damn Hastings', but it's different at Scotland Yard. You know better than me that when something happens in the police department, it is the fault of the entire system. After those people curse in the newspapers, they will force you to write a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs the next day, saying things like we attach great importance to it, strengthen rectification in the near future, and must seriously rectify it. This is not a job I want to do. In my opinion, my current position is pretty good. I will take action where it is inconvenient for you. You will take action where it is inconvenient for me to take action."

Rowan thought about Arthur's words, then smiled helplessly: "That's true, and you may not be interested in this chair in Scotland Yard now."

As soon as Luo Wan finished speaking, the light outside the carriage suddenly became brighter, and then there was a violent explosion. The coachman pulled the reins hard, and the carriage stopped suddenly with a sharp brake sound, and the wheels left a long white mark on the stone bricks.

"Sir! Ahead... Westminster Palace seems to be on fire!" The coachman's voice was filled with panic, and it was carried into the carriage with the evening breeze.

Arthur and Rowan were both stunned. They opened the curtains almost at the same time and saw that the direction of Westminster Palace in the distance had been engulfed in red flames. The flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half of the sky red, and turning the entire London sky into a fiery red.

Close-up of the Fire at the Houses of Parliament, painted by William Turner in 1834, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
"Distant View of the Houses of Parliament on Fire", painted by William Turner in 1834, now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art
Arthur looked up and realized that the car had entered Whitehall Street and the familiar Scotland Yard building was not far ahead.

The afterglow of the burning Westminster Palace illuminated the exterior walls of Scotland Yard, as if this building, a symbol of London's law enforcement power, was also stained with the color of war by the sudden fire.

He just stretched out his hand to push the door, ready to get out, but saw that the door was already wide open. Rowan had rushed out without knowing when, his cloak fluttering in the wind.

"Someone! Ring the bell! Call down everyone in the bell tower!"

"What the hell? Son of a bitch! Who the hell started this fire?!"

"Send someone to the bridgehead to check the situation and see if the road is blocked!"

"Where's the fire brigade? Has anyone seen that bastard Barks? Isn't he the one who's in charge of liaison with the London Fire Brigade?"

The street in front of Scotland Yard was suddenly boiling because of Rowan's roar.

The patrolmen on duty, the police officers who had just finished their shift and had not had time to take off their uniforms, and the teams preparing for night patrol were all attracted by the director's roar. Some of them were still holding their riding boots, while others simply ran out holding their belts and batons.

Arthur also naturally unbuttoned his cloak, took off his hat, and stepped out of the car.

He walked to the door and turned his head slightly to see several familiar figures. "Bring me the map, the one with all the water pumps in London marked on it. I asked the Police Intelligence Bureau to draw it the year of the cholera outbreak. By the way, ask Whittaker to take people to Westminster Abbey to evacuate the crowd. Send someone to London University to tell the police academy not to sleep anymore and to send the training team out as well. They will take over the blockade of the streets on the east side."

Several young police officers from the Police Intelligence Bureau were originally in a panic, but when they saw Sir Arthur Hastings' face, they seemed to have found their backbone. They straightened their backs, raised their hands to salute, and turned around and ran to carry out the order.

"Arthur!" Deputy Director Sir Richard Mayne strode out, his face flushed from running and excitement. "The fire is quite big. I just sent someone to inquire. It is said that it started from the Library of Parliament. The flames spread very quickly. A corner of the tower has collapsed. All the staff in the hall have been sent out to put out the fire. Please go to London and call out the people from the insurance company's fire brigade!"

(End of this chapter)