Europe / British Empire / London (Pembroke Residence / Ainsworth Estate): June 8th, 1817.
It was a ugly morning for the world. The birds were chirping their songs as mankind went about their daily routines with smiles on their faces at the beauty of the city, but also sad looks on their faces at the horror of it whether it be financially, emotionally or physically, yet if you were to look closely in london. To be more specific, inside two noble estates separated by several streets, several fortunes and one rapidly growing hatred. You would see two men reading pieces of paper that could ruin lives if placed in the correct hands.
The atmosphere smelled like old dirt being disturbed.
(Julian's POV)
"Read it again."
The study was silent.
The man in the brown coat stood in front of julian's desk with a folded document in his hands.
His name was henry hensley.
A forgettable name.
A forgettable face.
The sort of man nobility paid precisely because people forgot they had seen him.
Hensley adjusted his throat and said with creased eyebrows "My lord, I have already read it twice."
Julian looked up from his whiskey and said softly "Then consider this your third opportunity to improve on it."
The room became silent.
Hensley lowered his eyes and said "Yes my lord."
He unfolded the document.
"The memorandum was copied from correspondence received through russian diplomatic channels two days ago. The original report was filed in st. Petersburg following the disturbances near sennaya square and kronstadt." Said hensley with q shakey tone as sweat started to form on his forehead.
Julian's eyes narrowed.
Hensley adjusted his throat and said "May seventh. Several imperial guards engaged with two male suspects believed to be connected to the disgraced ainsworth family."
Julian leaned back into his seat while cross his right leg over the left and said "Believed."
"Yes my lord." Said hensley with a nod and shakey hands.
Julian was silent for a moment and said calmly with a wave of his hand "Continue."
"One suspect described as unusually tall, blind, pale eyed. The other as tall, dark haired and physically powerful. Witnesses claimed the second man discharged a firearm at imperial personnel during pursuit." Said hensley with a shakey tone as he swallowed his spit.
Julian's fingers tightened around the glass.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Any deaths." Asked julian calmly.
Hensley looked down at the paper in his hand and said "Four confirmed imperial guards in the immediate disturbance. Several civilians injured. The suspects are believed to have escaped through sewer channels leading toward kronstadt."
The study went completely silent.
Julian's mouth slowly curled as he said "Four."
"Yes my lord." Said hensley Immediately.
Julian chuckled and said with both of his arms spread "And our charming blind gentleman stood beside the queen two nights ago announcing marriage into one of england's oldest families."
Hensley said nothing.
Smart man.
Julian gestured with two fingers and said while taking a sip from the glass in his hand "Continue."
Hensley swallowed.
"The report also contains mention of baron ivan theodore fletcher. Russian officials believed fletcher had prepared to leave the country shortly before the incident." Said hensley with a serious look on his face.
Julian's eyes hardened as he said "There it is."
Hensley continued.
"And there is a reference to an unregistered narcotic product circulating under the street name grave smoke." Said hensley as he turned the paper towards julian for him too see.
The fireplace cracked softly.
Julian looked toward it.
Blood.
Imperial guards.
Sewers.
Fletcher.
Grave smoke.
Then london.
Titles.
Land.
Queen.
Marriage.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Julian stood slowly and moved toward the window while asking calmly "How reliable is this."
"The copy came through a clerk working with the russian mission. He demanded seventy dollars." Said hensley with his eyes lowered.
"That is to cheap." Said julian Immediately.
Hensley was silent for a moment and said "He was frightened."
"Fear lowers prices when properly timed." Said julian with a uninterested look and wave of his hand.
Hensley said nothing.
Julian looked down at the street.
Carriages passed.
Servants moved.
London looked entirely unaware that a russian scandal had just crossed the channel in folded paper.
Perfect.
"Can the original be obtained." Asked julian calmly.
Hensley was silent for a moment and said with a nod "Possibly. It would cost more and carry risk."
Julian turned toward him and said "I did not ask about cost."
"I will attempt it." Said hensley with a bow of his head."
Julian smiled and said with bloodshot eyes "Do not attempt. Acquire."
"Yes my lord." Said hensley Immediately.
Julian went back toward the desk.
He picked up another paper.
A list.
Ainsworth estate.
Five newly purchased pleasure houses.
Bamburgh.
Greenland.
Fletcher registry.
Rothschild credit inquiries.
Stafford engagement.
Julian's eyebrows creased and said "Nobody does this in two weeks without money already prepared."
Hensley nodded and said as he adjusted his throat a little to loudly "That is my thought as well, my lord."
Julian looked up and pointed at him while saying "No it was not. It was mine. Do not steal from your employer."
"Yes my lord." Said hensley as his mouth tightened.
Julian sat at his desk and said "One of their houses opened last night."
"The velvet bell." Said hensley dryly in the background.
Julian's eyes lifted and said calmly "You already know the name."
"Yes my lord. Wapping. High traffic but discreet." Said hensley with a nod of his head.
Julian smiled slowly and said with cold eyes "Send someone."
Hensley hesitated and asked "To observe."
"No." Said julian Immediately.
The room was silent.
Julian leaned back and said calmly "Observation from the outside sees walls. I want what happens behind them."
Hensley understood.
"A customer. I want a believable one. Not one of ours they can connect. Pay someone with debt. Men with debt remember money more clearly than loyalty." Said julian as he swirled the glass of whiskey in his hand.
Hensley nodded.
Julian looked at the russian memorandum again and thought with bloodshot eyes "Mordred ainsworth"
Then smiled.
His hand moved unconsciously toward his stomach.
The pain was nearly gone.
The humiliation remained perfect.
"I wonder how calm you will sound when the room knows what crawled out of those sewers" Thought julian with bloodshot eyes and gritted teeth.
(Ainsworth Estate / Mordred's POV)
"Pembroke contacted the russian mission."
The study was silent.
Margaret stopped tapping ash into a tray.
Vladimir lowered the piece of bread he had been eating.
Ivan's smile disappeared.
I remained seated and said with a mutter "Hm…"
The report had come from one of margaret's runners.
A dock clerk.
A carriage boy.
A girl in the velvet bell.
Three separate threads.
All pointing in the same direction.
Good.
Very good.
Vladimir swallowed the bread and asked "How the hell did he move that fast."
"Pride." I said calmly.
Margaret squinted her eyes but said calmly "You keep saying that like pride makes him stupid."
"It does." I said Immediately.
The room was silent.
I ran my fingers across the edge of a document and suddenly said calmly "It also makes him persistent."
Ivan leaned against the bookshelf and said calmly "Russian records could be inconvenient."
"Inconvenient is a leaking roof. Written evidence that we were present when imperial guards died is a weapon." I said calmly while tilting my head slightly.
The room became quieter.
Vladimir's jaw tightened.
Margaret looked toward him.
Ivan was silent for a moment and asked "Do you think he has it."
"Not ye…" I said calmly but trailed off.
I stopped and remained silent for a moment and said calmly with a sigh "Or not enough."
Margaret's eyebrows rose slightly with a curious look on her face as she asked "How do you know."
"Because if he already possessed something complete, he would not still be asking dock workers about fletcher." I said calmly while leaning back in my seat.
The room was silent.
*Tak*
I tapped the desk and said "He's connecting pieces."
Vladimir was silent for a moment and asked "So what do we do."
"Change…make nothing visible." I said while rubbing my chin.
He stared at me.
"Nothing." Asked vladimir with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing visible." I said, correcting calmly.
Margaret grinned and said with her arms spreading "There he is."
I ignored her and leaned forward and said while stretching "The first house remains open. The second opens on schedule and grave smoke continues only through controlled customers."
"And what about the storage." Asked Ivan calmly from out of nowhere, his arms folded behind his back.
"Separated. No single worker knows the origin, route or destination. If someone asks about russia, they hear three different stories." I said calmly, glancing at Ivan's white silhouette in the corner of the room.
Vladimir nodded and started picking his nose.
Margaret chuckled and asked with squinted eyes "Which ones."
I smiled and said calmly "One. We were minor landowners ruined by political retaliation. Two. Svyatapolk lost everything because of gambling. Three. Ivan rescued distant relatives after hearing of our poverty."
Vladimir started laughing loudly while saying "HAHAHA…BOOHOO."
Ivan stared at Vladimir's retardedness fir a long moment and looked back at me and asked with his eyebrow raised "One of those is almost respectable, do you think it will be the most believable."
"That is why it is least believable." I said calmly with closed eyes.
Margaret laughed loudly.
The study door opened.
*Boom*
Abigail entered.
She looked tired.
"Why are you all laughing." Asked abigail with a tired look on her face.
"Your father lost the family fortune gambling." Said vladimir immediately while pointing at her as he choked slightly on his own air from trying to hold back his laughter.
Abigail stared for a moment and said "What."
"False story." Said margaret while still laughing in the background.
Abigail closed her eyes and said while rubbing her forehead "I hate meetings in this house."
"Then stop entering them." I said calmly while gesturing toward the direction of the door. It unknowingly being the window.
She looked toward me.
I ignored her.
"Vladimir." I said suddenly.
"Waddup dawg." Said vladimir while running his hand through his slicked back hair that complimented his clean black suit and shades he placed on his face.
"Move two guards from the first house to the second tonight. Replace them with men not used before." I said calmly while grabbing a glass of whiskey and took a sip from it.
Vladimir spun and hit a michael jackson stance and said with a high note "...WOO"
"Margaret." I said suddenly with squinted eyes.
"What." Said margaret with a thuggish puckered lip.
I was silent for a moment and said "Have the girls listen specifically for russian accents, men asking about grave smoke, fletcher or sennaya square."
Margaret's grin faded as she said with a serious tone "Done."
"Ivan." I said while glancing at his silhouette in the corner of the study.
Ivan's silhouette straightened.
"Find out which clerk at the russian mission can be purchased. I want them to disappear if they become a problem and be more discreet from now on." I said with a cold look on my face.
Ivan smiled and said "Now that sounds like my language."
"Buy the clerk if possible. If not, ready the grave stones." I said with a wave of my uninterested hand.
Abigail looked disgusted and asked with even more clarity in her tone "Do you even hear yourselves right now."
"Constantly. My hearing is excellent." Said margaret while placing her tobacco pipe in her mouth.
Vladimir coughed to hide laughter.
Abigail glared at him.
I reached for another paper and said "Julian has stopped being merely offended."
The room became quiet.
I leaned back in my seat and said "He is now useful enough to treat seriously."
Margaret's eyes narrowed and asked with gritted teeth "You want him dead."
"Yes." I said calmly.
Everyone stared.
I rubbed my smooth chin and said "Effective Immediately."
Vladimir smiled.
Margaret smiled wider.
Abigail looked disturbed.
Ivan laughed under his breath.
"A man digging through our history tells us exactly which parts of our history can still hurt us. Killing him now destroys the cancer before it starts to spread." I said calmly with a wide smile.
Margaret nodded slowly and said "Hm. Let him die."
I picked up my cigar and placed it in my mouth and said "When he touches something dangerous enough, we will know."
The flame caught.
Smoke entered the room.
Abigail looked toward me and asked quietly "And what happens to him then."
I inhaled.
"He dies." I said while exhaling.
The study was silent.
Excellent.
(Margaret's POV)
Margaret leaned back and watched the little freak smoke like a sixty year old crime lord trapped in a seventeen year old body.
Then remembered.
He basically was.
"Hahaha." Said margaret, laughing loudly.
Mordred slightly turned his head and asked "What."
"Nothing. I need to check the house." Said margaret while standing up slowly.
Mordred reached toward a folded note on the desk and said calmly "Take this first."
Margaret stared and asked with squinted eyes that look back up at him "For who."
"Mary stafford." Said mordred calmly.
Margaret's grin appeared immediately and said "Oh. What do we have here"
Vladimir looked over and said "Ohhhhh..."
Abigail frowned.
Ivan looked entertained.
Mordred's expression remained flat and said "It concerns her accident."
Margaret took the note and opened it.
Her eyes moved across the short message.
She started laughing.
"What did he write." Asked vladimir with a nosy look on his face.
Margaret cleared her throat dramatically and said with a grand tone "Tomorrow. Stafford carriage house. Eleven in the morning. Wear clothing unless you do not mind becoming dirty. Do not be late. Mordred."
The room was silent.
Vladimir blinked and said "That's your romantic letter. It sucks ass"
"It is not romantic. It is professional now get out of my face." Said mordred with a wave of his hand.
Margaret put a hand over her chest and batted her lashes as she said "No flowers."
"Useless." Said mordred calmly.
"No poem." Asked vladimir with shock.
"I would rather die." Said mordred calmly.
"No 'my dearest mary.'" Asked Ivan in the background with a serious look on his face.
"I would rather she die." Said mordred calmly.
Abigail stared at him.
Mordred inhaled from the cigar.
Margaret laughed harder and said while taking the quil pen "I'm adding something."
"No." Said mordred Immediately.
Margaret already grabbed the pen.
Mordred's head turned sharply and asked "What did you write."
Margaret folded the note and said with a smile "Nothing. Ohhh…nothing at all."
The room became silent.
Mordred's eyes narrowed as he said with a firm tone "Aunt margaret."
"I think I saw my late husband." Said margaret with glazed eyes as she waddled unevenly toward the door.
She hurried toward the door with a speed unnatural for a woman her age.
*Tak* Tak* *Tak* *Tak*
"Old woman.You never married." Said mordred calmly.
Margaret opened the door and said with a middle finger "Blind bitch boy. "
*Boom*
She disappeared.
(Vladimir's POV)
Vladimir stared at the closed door.
Then looked toward mordred.
"What do you think she added." Asked vladimir with a wide grin.
Mordred remained silent.
Abigail rubbed her forehead.
Ivan smiled.
"Maybe she wrote 'bring your pretty ass." Said vladimir with a smooching grin as his hips moved side to side hardly in a passionate making love motion.
Mordred slowly turned his head toward him.
The room was silent.
Vladimir's grin disappeared.
"I'll go move yhe guards general mordred." Said Vladimir with a serious look on his as he saluted and made his way toward the door with a stiff army walk.
He left.
Immediately.
*Boom*
(Unknown POV / The Velvet Bell)
Night settled over wapping.
The velvet bell opened again.
Music moved behind the windows.
Men entered.
Men left.
Secrets moved with them.
Near eleven o'clock, a average looking gentleman in a grey coat stopped outside.
He had no title.
No recognizable crest.
No remarkable face.
Exactly as he had been chosen.
He checked the folded twenty dollar note in his pocket.
Then looked at the building.
A woman opened the door.
"Evening sir." Said rosalie with a kind closed eyed smile.
The man smiled back and said "My first time."
Rosalie stepped aside and said with a kind smile as her eyes opened subtly "Then we'll make sure you remember it."
The man entered.
*Boom*
Several streets away, henry hensley sat inside a carriage waiting.
The first thread had entered the web.
…
THE END…