The Shadow of Great Britain

99: Chapter 59 Assistance of the Knights of the Round Table 99: Chapter 59 Assistance of the Knights of the Round Table Across from the Greenwich Police District, Eld was animatedly discussing the latest news with Darwin in the café.

“Charles, did you see the news?

Louis Philippe of Orleans has succeeded to the throne of France—those Frenchmen must be out of their minds.

They got rid of one king only to install another.

What was all the fuss about then?”

While reading a book, Darwin absentmindedly replied, “I thought France was full of republicans.

Are they satisfied with having a king in place?”

“Of course, they’re not satisfied!”

Eld said, “I read in the newspaper that lately a group of radical republicans planned to stir up trouble in Paris, but they were discovered before they could start.

Those involved were either imprisoned or exiled.

For all we know, there might be a few French republican exiles right here in this café.”

After saying this, Eld began squinting as he scanned the café’s patrons.

Just then, the bell over the café door rang, and Arthur pushed the door open and smacked the back of Eld’s head.

“What are you looking at, boy?”

Eld replied seriously, “I’m checking if there might be any French people in this café.”

Arthur sat beside him and poured himself a cup of tea, “French people?

Even if there are, there’s at most one here.”

“Why?”

Arthur took a sip of tea and replied, “If there’s one Frenchman, he’s just a common lecher.

If there are two Frenchmen, they’d draw guns and duel.

And if there were three, the café would be in the midst of a revolution by now.

A revolution going on, and you can still sit here sipping tea so calmly?”

After hearing this, Eld burst into laughter and said, “That’s true, but it seems we’re not much better here, are we?

We might not engage in revolutions much, but we sure have plenty of protests and demonstrations.

And speaking of duels, didn’t the Duke of Wellington publish a challenge for a duel with the Earl of Winchester in the newspaper last month?

What got into him?

He’s over sixty years old for heaven’s sake, why is he still so hot-tempered?”

Arthur grimaced, “It’s nothing really, just over the Catholic Emancipation Act.

The Earl of Winchester publicly refuted the Duke of Wellington’s defense of the bill in the House of Lords, even accusing him of ‘conceding to the Holy See and the Pope.

The fearless Wellington of Waterloo has died, and the Wellington now in Parliament is nothing but an unabashed coward.’”

The Duke of Wellington was so infuriated by this that he issued the challenge to the Earl of Winchester in the newspaper.”

Putting down his book, Darwin asked curiously, “I remember hearing that the Duke of Wellington is a poor shot, whereas the Earl of Winchester is a dueling expert.

Isn’t he asking for trouble by challenging him to a duel?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Scotland Yard thought the same initially, so on the day of the duel, we sent a few policemen and doctors over, planning to rescue him once the duel ended.

But it turns out, the duke had thought far deeper than we policemen had imagined.

In the duel, the duke shot the earl’s coat, while the earl fired his shot into the sky.

It was later understood that just before the duel began, the duke, seemingly possessed by Shakespeare, wrote dozens of letters in one breath to distract his opponent.

After the duel, both gentlemen expressed mutual respect for each other’s bravery, greatly relieving the doctors and policemen.

Probably the only ones unsatisfied were the British journalists who had traveled from afar, hoping for a sensational news story.”

Listening, Darwin couldn’t help but shake his head, “Truly, it’s no surprise for someone who has fought at Waterloo.

It seems the Duke of Wellington is well versed in handling such situations.”

Eld, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but ask, “Speaking of Waterloo, Arthur, do you think we might have another war with the French?”

Arthur, hearing this, looked up with a sigh, “I called you here today because I’ve already clashed with the French.”

Eld frowned and asked, “How did you get involved with the French?”

Arthur, upon hearing this, recounted the case of the indentured servants and the disappearance of the Frenchmen to Eld.

After listening to Arthur’s narration, Eld couldn’t help but express his amazement, “Fred still dares to do such business?

Kidnapping people to North America, he really is bold!”

Arthur nodded and said, “I also don’t think he has the guts, so I wanted to ask you if the Royal Navy isn’t involved in this matter, right?”

Eld, with a slight smile, said, “Arthur, what are you thinking?

How could the Royal Navy engage in such business?”

Darwin nodded slightly, “Exactly, I believe they should still have that basic decency.”

However, hearing this, Eld couldn’t help but shake his head, “The Royal Navy doesn’t get involved in this business not because of decency, but because we don’t have enough people ourselves.

The Royal Navy never trafficks people; we only kidnap them to serve as sailors!

And even if we kidnap people to become sailors, we certainly wouldn’t kidnap a French sailor!”

Upon hearing this, Arthur’s thoughts also began to connect.

Just as he was pondering what this was all about, Eld suddenly slapped the table and exclaimed, “Arthur!

If Fred went to such lengths to kidnap a Frenchman, could that person be a wanted French republican?

Looking at the timing, it actually could match.”

“Republican?”

Arthur thought carefully and then suddenly realized.

He immediately grasped the seriousness of the issue.

If that person were an ordinary Frenchman, even if he fell into Fred’s hands, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

But if he were a French republican, once he was transported back to France, this would constitute a serious diplomatic problem.

The Duke of Wellington’s Cabinet was already in a precarious state, and if news broke out now that the French government was capturing people in Britain, the Cabinet could completely collapse within days.

And if the Cabinet collapsed, then Sir Peel’s promised reform of the “Anatomy Act” would also fall through, and the Greenwich Police District, as the location of the incident, would not be able to escape blame either.

He quickly stood up and, while donning his bowler hat, said to Eld, “During this time, help me check the cargo ships heading to France and North America; I need to rush to the Home Office immediately.”

But just as he was about to leave, the bell of the café rang again.

A familiar face stood there, that of the guilt-ridden Officer Dennis Lloyd, who had not shown his face to Arthur since he had betrayed him to Wilcox the last time.

Dennis looked at Arthur’s face, clenched his fists in struggle, bit his teeth, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind to speak.

“Arthur, I know I wronged you before.

But this time it’s different.

You have to believe me.

I must report to you some of the things Police Chief Jones has been doing recently.

That man is a bit off, some of his actions seem not quite right.

This involves that old bastard Wilcox and the previous corpse selling case.

Also, have you been investigating Fred lately?

I…

I secretly followed Chief Jones for a while, he went to the Blackpool Detective Agency in Whitechapel today…”