A War by Diplomacy Read online

  “I suppose that he will leave me in the same position when he dies.”

  “I would expect so. You can publish notices that you will not honor debts on notes extending more than two quarter days* after his death, or some such terms.”

  “Can you arrange to have the notices placed, Mr. Snodgrass?”

  “I can, my lord, but it will alienate your father.”

  “That’s of no concern to me. We could hardly be farther apart.”

  “Very good, my lord.”

  “Now, I will have Mr. Edwards pay all the debts for me. Just send the needed documents to him. I don’t like paying the gambling debts, but I suppose I really have little choice. I imagine that the notes backed by the income from Ashton-Place estate can be paid as the income comes in.”

  “Might I make a suggestion, Lord Aston?” Daphne intervened.

  “Yes, my dear?”

  “It might be better if you paid the notes based on Ashton Place as well. Your spare funds are invested in consols*, yielding four percent, while Mr. Snodgrass said the notes are at fourteen. It will be much cheaper for us to pocket the extra ten percent.”

  “Of course, you are right. I will so instruct Mr. Edwards. I think that we are finished, Mr. Snodgrass. I will look into the subject of the London lease or have Mr. Edwards do so. Are you also the executor for my brother Thomas?”

  “Yes, I will read his will to you now, if you wish. It is much simpler.”

  To Giles’s surprise, Thomas’s will left everything to him as well. “Originally, he was going to leave whatever he had to his sister, Marianne, but he came in a while back and told me that you were assuming her expenses. He then said he would leave it all to you, since there was no point in Lady Marianne double dipping, as he put it. There isn’t much, I am afraid. Some debts of course, and unpaid bills, mess bill too, probably, maybe some gambling debts and some that may be owed to him. There is, of course, his commission. I don’t know what that might be worth.”

  “Mr. Edwards may know the ins and outs of disposing of an army commission. We do things differently in the Navy. I am surprised that neither of my brothers left anything at all to Lady Marianne Crocker. She was their sister, after all.”

  “That may be because they knew that there was nothing really to leave. Captain Thomas Giles, as I mentioned, knew that you were looking after her expenses.”

  Bidding Mr. Snodgrass farewell, Daphne and Giles made their way back to the Strand and from there they took sedan chairs to Mr. Edwards’s offices in the City. It was quite evident from his greeting that Giles was a very valued customer, and that he regarded Daphne as someone who had to be taken very seriously in her own right. He was glad that she had come with Giles: if any financial decisions had to be made, he was sure that Daphne would understand.

  “I am sorry about your brothers, Captain Giles. It is a sad time.”

  “And a nuisance. We have just been to see Mr. Snodgrass and I seem to have inherited more debts and problems than assets.”

  “True enough. Did you get everything straightened out?”

  “Yes, except this mysterious matter about the lease on the London house. And how to sell Thomas’s commission. Do you handle such sales?”

  “No, but I have a good friend who can manage it for you. Now, to the problem of that lease.”

  “Yes?”

  “There is more than one lease, my lord. The one that Mr. Snodgrass knows about, and then another one having rather different terms for the tenancy and how the rent will be paid. “

  “Yes?”

  “It mentions services and some duties owed to a Mrs. O’Brien and a Mrs. Marsdon, and alternative ways of clearing the rent required by the lease. It came to light after the first one, and Mr. Snodgrass doesn’t really know what it means nor does my solicitor, but he is really only familiar with legal matters having to do with prizes and ships, not real property and leases.”

  “It sounds very complicated. What do you think, my dear?”

  “I don’t know,” stated Daphne. “I think you would have to learn more about the circumstances and the property and how the lease is involved in it. Mr. Edwards, could we go there now?”

  “I don’t believe that it is a place for a lady, my lady. It is not an entirely respectable area and I am not sure how proper the activities that have been taking place there are,” said Mr. Edwards.

  “Oh! Well, I am not going to fall down in a faint if things are a bit ugly, you know. I suspect that you are referring to something to do with…ugh ... with …ugh … strumpets. I am aware that they exist, and that they are not very savory, but nor is a cow berthing and I have attended that in the past and will no doubt do so again. If it is something unpleasant about Ashton’s whore that is involved, maybe a woman is needed to sort it out. It sounds like the sort of a problem that only a man would concoct and then not be able to see the way to rectify. Richard, what do you say? The house is close to our hotel and we could go there on our way back to Nerot’s.”

  “Are you sure you want to be exposed to the nastier side of London life?” Giles asked. He wasn’t at all sure that Daphne could handle revelations about the seedier side of London life with aplomb. It was certainly completely outside her own experience.

  “If your brother got involved in it, I think it is up to us to sort it out. If you didn’t have to leave first thing tomorrow, you could go by yourself, of course, as would be much more proper, no doubt. However, we have to leave early tomorrow so let’s do it now on the way back to the hotel. Can you come, too, Mr. Edwards?”

  “I am afraid not, Lady Giles. I would be available tomorrow or some other time. I would very strongly advise against your going, my lady. It is not a fit place for a respectable lady.”

  “I don’t see how it can harm me, Mr. Edwards. I will be quite safe with Captain Giles to protect me and my virtue. Let’s go now, Richard,” Daphne suggested. “If we can’t sort it out, you will have a better idea of what is involved and I may be able to deal with any problems after you have sailed.”

  Giles and Daphne took a wherry* back to Westminster Bridge and from there a hackney cab to the address in Arlington Street. The house was even closer to their hotel than she had guessed from the address. Apparently, in London, quality establishments of an impeccable reputation rubbed shoulders with ones of much more dubious purpose. She idly wondered just how many houses of ill repute she might have passed on her shopping trips the previous time she had been in London. This was certainly one of them, if Mr. Snodgrass’s and Mr. Edwards’s beating about the bush when talking about them was any indication. Until very recently, she had not even been aware that they existed! She was also aware that she still had only very vague ideas about what might go on in them. Her father’s explanations about parts of Shakespeare that her governess did not seem able to discuss had left her with only a partial knowledge of what might be involved.

  The house was a four-story gray-stone building, with possibly an additional attic floor above the parapet. It had a large, enameled, green front-door which was adorned with bright brass fixtures. Giles and Daphne ascended the steps and Giles used the well-polished knocker to seek admission. The door was opened by a footman, dressed in a gold-colored coat and white knee britches and stockings with a white, powdered wig. He stared with some surprise at Daphne.

  “Do you have an appointment with Mrs. Marsdon, sir?” he asked Giles.

  “No. I have come about the lease on this property.”

  “I am afraid, sir, that you will have to make an appointment with Mrs. Marsdon. Just send a note to this address, and she will inform you when you may visit, sir.” With this brush-off, the supercilious footman started to close the door. His actions were halted by Daphne having placed her boot in the way.

  “I believe that you have misunderstood the situation, my good man,” Daphne declared in a loud, affected voice. “Captain Giles is the owner of the lease on this property, and if your Mrs. Marsdon will not see him immediately, he will have no c
hoice but to get the bailiffs to remove her --- and you.”

  The servant backed down immediately, swung the door open, directed them to a large parlor on the ground floor and announced that he would inform Mrs. Marsdon that they were here. What names should he use?

  Giles answered before Daphne could respond, “Tell Mrs. Marsdon that Captain Sir Richard and Lady Giles are here to see her about the disposal of this property.”

  When the footman had left, Daphne asked, “Why didn’t you introduce yourself as Ashton?”

  “I was afraid it would be confusing since Ashton is the title by which my brother was known here. Also, it would give this Mrs. Marsdon less warning about who is actually here.”

  The room they were in was furnished with several settees and chairs with small tables scattered about. It featured a pianoforte, with music set on the rack that indicated that the instrument was well used. On the walls were hung framed copies of cartoons that depicted aspects of London’s seamier haunts. Over the fireplace hung a portrait of a striking woman. It was the highlight of the room.

  After a short wait, a woman came bustling in. She was quite tall and slender, with dark blond hair, arranged loosely to fall down her back, and icy-blue eyes. She was dressed in a long gown made up of layers of diaphanous material that matched her eyes. It was tied just below her bosom and then allowed to flow freely. The gown was lightly draped over her shoulders leaving her arms bare and featured a wide and revealing cleavage. The effect was somewhat spoiled by her face being heavily painted in a way that largely prevented her exhibiting any expression. She was clearly the subject of the portrait over the mantle, but the artist had smoothed out the harsher features of her face, and in the portrait there was no evidence of the artificial make-up that rather spoiled her good looks.

  The woman stared at Daphne pointedly, from head to toe, before turning to Giles, who received a similar examination.

  “You wanted to see me,” she began.

  “Yes. I am here about the lease on this house.”

  “You have been misinformed. The house is already rented.”

  “You misunderstand me, madam. I have inherited the lease and am examining the terms and the use to which the property is being put.”

  “You have inherited the lease? I know that Ashton is dead, so I was expecting to be contacted by his heir, but you are not Captain Giles. I know him. A better ‘swordsman’ than Ashton, though not as daring. You are not Captain Giles.”

  “I think you have me confused with my other brother who was a captain in the army. My other half-brother. I am afraid that I have to inform you that he also is dead, and as a result, I have inherited his estate, including anything he might have received from my oldest brother’s will, which, in fact, was nothing. In reality, I only inherited debts from Lord Ashton, and the lease on these premises.”

  “I see.” Mrs. Marsdon stated thoughtfully. She turned to call through the door which she had left open on her entry. “Jacob, go and summon Mrs. O’Brien. Tell her that Ashton’s heir is here.” This was followed closely by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

  “You are correct that Lord Ashton -- I suppose that you are Lord Ashton now, but it will prevent confusion if I address you as Captain Giles – that Lord Ashton had a lease on this property from the Earl of Knockingdon. I understand from the Earl that the rent is in arrears, so he will be glad to get your payment. You must be aware that the property is also covered by assignments and contracts that Lord Ashton made concerning the continued use of the property by myself and that details in these documents specify the interest that Mrs. O’Brien also has in the property.”

  “Mrs. O’Brien?” questioned Giles.

  “Yes, Mrs. O’Brien. You must have heard of her. A prominent arranger of entertainments for gentlemen. She is very well known among the ton*, you know,” Mrs. Marston added condescendingly, “the most elegant part of Society. I have asked my footman to summon her, since she has as much of an interest in the use of these premises as I do. Of course, as Ashton’s heir, you will have to honor these other agreements as well as the terms of the main lease.”

  Giles seemed to be at a loss for words as it dawned on him that Ashton seemed to have become enmeshed in a web woven to ensure that his half-brother’s and now his own hands were tied tightly in dealing with the debts and other obligations associated with the lease.

  “Mrs. Marsdon,” Daphne broke in. “Do you have copies of these documents?”

  The woman spun towards Daphne, her movement causing one of her breasts to pop out of its covering. She seemed to have little interest in quickly returning it to its proper place. Daphne noticed, and was both intrigued and shocked to discover, that the nipple was rouged, something she had never even thought would be done.

  “Of course we do. I have just sent my footman to Mrs. O’Brien who has the documents. She will bring copies – notarized copies, not that it is any of your business. If you think you can poke into our affairs, or participate in them, you are quite mistaken. We won’t allow it. Mrs. O’Brien is very particular about who she will employ and what activities will occur. She and I are in charge. We were in Lord Ashton’s time and these documents will guarantee that we are in future.”

  Before Daphne could reply to this statement, a rather disheveled man thrust his head into the door. “April, my dear, I must be going. Very good romp today. I’ve left the gratuity on the night stand.”

  “I apologize about this interruption, Teddy. I hope to see you again soon, dear,” Mrs. Marsdon replied.

  When he had left, Daphne remarked in a shocked voice, “Why, you are nothing but a common whore.”

  “Not common, my dear, not common at all. I only take the most elevated gentlemen. Like that one, who I’ll have you know is Sir Edward Farthingale. Five guineas a time they pay, but they get the best ride in London.”

  Before Daphne could reply to this outrageous claim, the door opened to admit a rather buxom woman, expensively dressed with hennaed hair and a heavily painted face.

  “Whoever you are, you are not Captain Giles, sir,” the newcomer accused Giles. “And who is this country mouse?”

  “Madam, I most certainly am Captain Giles, Captain Sir Richard Giles, Viscount Ashton. And this lady, who in my opinion is the height of proper elegance and true, unblemished beauty, is Lady Giles, Viscountess Ashton. I am the heir of my half-brother, the late Viscount Ashton. I require information about the lease on this property, which I am beginning to suspect, involves a most shameful contract. And who might you be.”

  “Why, I am Mrs. Hilda O’Brien, of course. Well-known, I would have you know, in all the most elegant circles.”

  “No doubt only among the gentlemen. I have heard of you Mrs. O’Brien. The names of common bawds are well known among naval men. Mrs. Marsdon here tells me that you have documents adding to the lease on this property that prevents me simply throwing her and her entourage out onto the street immediately.”

  “I do, indeed. The originals are, of course, kept in a safe place, but I have brought true copies of the papers as witnessed by a notary public. You will find that they bind you as Ashton’s heir to maintain Mrs. Marsdon in a proper style and establishment. You may, of course, use her services yourself or, to a specified extent, employ them to raise funds at specified amounts and reimbursement to Mrs. Marsdon and myself. You have no choice about that, though I am sure that you will find Mrs. Marsdon a very skilled partner and a most pleasant change from your lady here.”

  Giles was taken aback by this attack on Daphne, but before he could respond she intervened in an icy voice.

  “Are these documents signed by you, Mrs. O’Brien?”

  “Of course, they were signed and notarized by Lord Ashton, Lord Knockingdon, Mrs. Marsdon and myself. Lord Knockingdon is the owner of this house. All the contracts are in order, and quite unbreakable. Here are the copies.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Daphne spat out as she intervened to take the documents herself.
A quick examination, more for show than for information, led to her continuing, “It looks to me that these documents will provide prima facie evidence that you are all involved in criminal activities and now a conspiracy to defame Viscount Ashton. Lord Ashton will give them to his man of business and solicitor and you will hear, in due course, what actions they recommend against you leeches. Come along, Lord Ashton. Our business here is finished.”

  Daphne turned to leave the room in a most imperious fashion and the startled footman only just had time to open the front door so that she could sweep through it followed by a rather flummoxed Giles. He had never seen this side of her before. Daphne was down the stairs and had turned towards their hotel before he caught up to her.

  “That was magnificent Daphne!” he chortled. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  “Neither did I. But she made me so angry presuming that she had you firmly caught in her spider’s web so that you would have to partner in her … her … her brothel just made me very angry.” She was silent far a few moments before continuing in a joking tone, “At least, I hope that you were not wishing to explore her suggestions.”

  Giles laughed. “Of course not. I already told you that my father and Ashton cured me of all wishes to engage with ladies of pleasure. It is not as if I was unaware of what was available in London. The midshipmen’s birth in old Euryalis had a very well-thumbed edition of Harris’s List*, so we all knew what was on offer in London, and I suppose in other ports as well.”

  “Harris’s List?”

  “Yes. There used to be a catalogue of the available ladies of pleasure and what they would do. I don’t think it is published any more. I imagine Mrs. O’Brien would have been featured in it. I read it, of course, but was never inclined to pursue its wares.”

  “I seem to be learning more and more about this disgusting side of life. What a family you do come from, Richard! I suppose that it is only thanks to your mother that you and David have turned out to be real gentlemen. Your older half-brother, just like your father, seems to have been totally despicable. I wonder what we will find out tomorrow about Thomas.”