shadow of britain

Chapter 801 Vidocq was Sir Arthur's brother, close friend, and relative.
The autumn rain had just stopped, and the clouds had not yet completely dispersed. The damp morning light streamed down from the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, slanting across the newly painted three-story townhouse on the south side of Fleet Street.

Above the pale blue lintel, a newly hung bronze plaque with black background and gold lettering reads:

Breok Detective Agency (London Branch)
—Representative Office in the UK of François Vidocq, the legendary Parisian detective

Indeed, this is the latest battlefield opened up in London by the old man who once wielded great power in the security department of the Paris police, cracking down on French criminals and republicans, and who proclaimed himself a "pioneer of criminal psychology" on the Left Bank of the Seine.

The office's location was cleverly chosen: directly opposite was the editorial office of the Daily Chronicle, a few steps away was the office of The Englishman, and not far away was the printing press of The Times, which delivered its daily prints. If Scotland Yard was the heart of London's security, then Fleet Street was the lungs that shaped London's public opinion. Opening an office here was clearly not just for the convenience of handling cases, but also to be always ready to become the subject of writing.

Ever since Vidocq tasted success in Paris, he has come to understand more and more the importance of reputation to a person.

His autobiography became a sensation in Paris, and Balzac's portrayal of Vautreux, based on him, in "Le Père Goriot" further enhanced his fame.

Once people have money, they are often no longer satisfied with material pursuits.

For Vidoc, who came from a poor background, neither food nor sex can satisfy him now. He now seeks spiritual enjoyment and hopes that people can see him as a hero, not as a former criminal and a damned cop.

In reality, Vidocq wasn't exactly a bad person, though he wasn't as good as he claimed.

He is like most people in this world, with flaws but also strengths.

However, as his fame grew on both sides of the English Channel, he inevitably began to feel some idol baggage. While Vidocq's past controversies couldn't be erased, he hoped to keep them out of public view as much as possible. And now? He has begun to speak out more frequently on public affairs, condemning the inhumanity of the prison system, criticizing unreasonable provisions in the French Code, and engaging in various charitable activities.

In short, he began to become less like Vidocq and instead began to strive to become like Ptolemy from *Old Goriot*. Perhaps in his professional matters he remained as aloof as ever, but he also increasingly valued cultivating his personal charm and profound thoughts.

Right now, he has a suitable role model by his side—Sir Arthur Hastings, a younger brother who is 35 years younger than Vidock.

In Vidocq's view, although this younger brother was several generations younger than him, he really had to learn from the young man when it came to the skill of "seeking fame and fortune".

This can be seen from many "small things".

In 1832, Arthur and Vidocq, one fired a shot at the Tower of London, dealing a heavy blow to the British radicals, while the other defended Louis-Philippe's throne during the June riots in Paris, swiftly blocking the French republicans from the Tuileries Palace.

But what happens afterward?

Although both faced fierce criticism from the media, Arthur not only weathered the storm but also became a diplomat and is now a guest of honor of the British Crown Prince. Of course, Vidocq fared no better; he is now a thorn in the side of the Paris police.

That morning, the entrance to the newly opened London branch of the Breok Detective Agency was packed with onlookers, including locals who had come to see the agency, reporters from third-rate tabloids, and even an editor from the Police Gazette who had quietly mingled in the crowd with a half-page interview outline tucked between his fingers.

Someone pointed at the bronze plaque and muttered, "The name sounds like a circus, but I've heard that he actually solved a major case."

Some people winked and joked, "First the French came to teach us how to cook beef, and now the French are coming to teach Scotland Yard how to solve cases."

Someone else chimed in, "He should have opened his office on Whitehall Street, right across from Scotland Yard. Opening it on Fleet Street shows that he's actually too afraid to challenge those guys."

However, the laughter didn't last long and was quickly drowned out by a sales chart hanging at the door.

Vidocq's Memoirs

Last week's sales: 1300 copies

—The Englishman is number one on this month's bestseller list.

—Selected by London Book Monthly: Most Popular Books Among the Middle Class in the First Half of the Year

—London Housekeeping Magazine: "Contains many hidden gossips of Parisian society, suitable for reading during afternoon tea, preferably with a cup of jasmine tea."

—The Times: "If he writes lies in his book, he is a genius. If he writes the truth, he is a miracle of France."

—The Manchester Guardian: "One cannot truly understand the Parisian underworld without reading Vidocq's memoirs."

Yes, Vidocq is a sensation in London.

It became popular at a speed that seemed almost illogical to outsiders.

However, according to the chairman of the board of Imperial Publishing, Vidocq's popularity in London was not surprising at all.

Because Londoners were actually quite familiar with Vidocq; they had known about this detective in Paris for a long time through plays, and Balzac's "Old Goriot" further increased the Parisian detective's fame in London.

However, before the Imperial Publishing Company launched its full-scale propaganda campaign, most people did not know that the Parisian detective's real name was François Vidocq.

Londoners always love to follow trends and watch the excitement, especially the excitement in France and Paris.

Therefore, this book, "The Memoirs of Vidocq," like many things that were popular in London, quickly became a hot topic of discussion and a symbol of fashion in the city.

Middle-class gentlemen enjoyed reading it pretentiously in clubs, while workers gathered around tavern storytellers for its novelty and amusement. Members of Parliament's wives discussed its Parisian scenes in ladies' reading salons, and even Arthur had overheard maids commenting on it at Kensington Palace just a few days prior. Thus, François Vidocq, a former French Republic criminal, former head of the Greater Paris Police Department's security forces during the Napoleonic Empire, the Bourbon Restoration, and the July Monarchy, and now owner of the Breauc Detective Agency, made his debut on the London stage.

Needless to say, Vidocq himself was overjoyed.

While his autobiography sold equally well in Paris, even more so than in London, this was partly due to his insistence that each of his clients with whom he had lending relationships buy five copies, or he would refuse to take their cases. However, in London, those sales figures were genuine and unbiased.

To this end, he even set up a special autograph reception room on the first floor of his office. Above the fireplace hung a portrait of him wearing a top hat, holding a cane, and leaning against the streets of Paris. The walls of the reception room were also covered with many newspaper clippings. Every English article that praised him, discussed him, or satirized him in recent days was framed on the wall like a trophy, and then categorized and posted in different areas: the positive comments section, the misunderstanding section, the prejudice section, and even a small corner called the jealousy section.

It must be said that this is indeed very much in the French style.

Dumas, who had almost been captured by Vidocq and taken back to Paris, made a special trip to London to support his new book. Even Mr. Elder Carter, the third secretary of the Admiralty, reconciled with Vidocq after accepting a private dinner with him. In addition, Dickens, Tennyson, Darwin, Disraeli and other authors from the "The Englishman" stronghold also came out.

Of course, Vidocq should be most grateful to Sir Arthur Hastings, chairman of the board of Imperial Publishing Company. Without his help, he probably wouldn't have been able to get into London's literary circles so smoothly.

Sir Arthur Hastings helped him in this way, with only one small request: to help him solve a few insignificant cases and to share with the Imperial Publishing Company the files and case files accumulated by the London branch of the Brewark Detective Agency during its investigations.

In return, Sir Arthur Hastings not only greatly helped Victor in promoting his new book, but also helped him build connections within Scotland Yard. After all, Victor understood that without a local figure like Arthur's backing, it would be virtually impossible for him to establish a detective business in London.

Now, with this Scotland Yard legend mediating, he can not only operate openly in London, but also receive investigative commissions from Scotland Yard privately. These hidden benefits are something Vidocq could never have imagined when he was in Paris.

However, Victor wasn't entirely without guile when it came to working with Arthur.

Arthur originally suggested that a copy of the files from the Breok detective agency in Paris be made and stored in London, but Vidocq naturally refused such a request.

He understood Arthur's intentions perfectly well. The 6000-plus files he'd placed in Paris contained not only numerous matters of personal privacy but also many directly related to Parisian government departments. If Arthur handed over these files, he could secure a bright future, but Vidocq would be out of a job in Paris or France altogether.

Vidocq knew he had done many despicable things, but he didn't believe that doing so meant he wasn't a French patriot. Making money in London was fine, but selling French secrets to the British government was simply out of the question.

Fortunately, Arthur only mentioned it briefly. After being rejected by Vidocq, Arthur only expressed slight regret and did not insist on it further.

In fact, Arthur did not intend to hand over the intelligence to the British government. After all, only the intelligence he held in his own hands was valuable. If he packaged and sold these things, making them "open secrets" in the eyes of the government, the value of the intelligence would be greatly reduced.

Moreover, Vidocq is really a bit stubborn.

If it were that old man Talleyrand, he certainly wouldn't hand over everything either, but that's not because the old man is particularly principled. Rather, he would definitely carefully select some items that would interest Arthur, and then sell them off piece by piece at a higher price.

However, after talking to Vidocq about this, Arthur did gain some insights.

At least he confirmed that Vidocq's detective agency in Paris did indeed possess a large number of classified files, which was also a valuable piece of intelligence.

Ah……

It's worth noting that the suitcase Arthur bought when he was a diplomat still contained the contact information of Adolphe Thiers, the French Minister of the Interior.

Moreover, Arthur bet Mr. Adolf Thiers would be very interested in this news, and he would certainly be eager to get his hands on those six thousand-plus files.

Of course, Arthur, considering his good relationship with Vidoc, would never betray Vidoc to Thiers.

At least not now.

After all, Arthur is currently commissioning Vidocq to investigate Sir John Conroy's finances.

As for why Arthur suddenly became interested in Conroy's financial situation, we have to mention Princess Sofia and her illegitimate son.

As the sister of King William IV, Princess Sofia receives an annuity of approximately £16,000 from Parliament. In addition, she has received numerous small gifts over the years from her father, King George III, her brothers, King George IV and William IV, including land and various jewels.

However, even though Princess Sofia is one of the wealthiest women in Britain, perhaps because she has lived in the palace for a long time, her spending is not considered high for her social class, and can even be described as very frugal.

However, when Princess Sofia wanted to thank Arthur recently, he discovered that she wasn't as wealthy as he had imagined.

According to Princess Sofia, she only had one bank account at Rothschild Bank, where all her money was kept, and this account was managed by Conroy on her behalf.

Arthur privately hinted to Lionel Rothschild that he wanted to know exactly how much money was in Princess Sofia's account.

However, out of banker's ethics, Lionel did not reveal it directly, but he still hinted to Arthur that Rothschild Bank had a special list of customers with deposits of more than £10,000, but Princess Sophia's name was not on the list.

Lionel didn't seem particularly concerned, assuming Princess Sofia had other accounts at other banks. After all, these days, anyone with a modicum of financial acumen wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.

However, Lionel cannot be blamed for this, since no one would expect that a royal princess with an annual income of nearly £20,000 would have less than £10,000 in total savings.

(End of this chapter)