The Shadow of Great Britain

409: Chapter 235 Job Recruitment Notice (4K)_2 409: Chapter 235 Job Recruitment Notice (4K)_2 “Oh…”

Fiona was first startled upon hearing this, but then her whole body relaxed, her watery eyes blinked, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, “Dear, it seems I misunderstood you earlier.

I did say, with your taste, how could you ever fancy someone like Eugenie.

There are plenty of beautiful ladies in London, you can have whoever you want, why on earth would you choose a village woman from France?”

Arthur, hearing this, spoke again, “However…

Eugenie is going to suffer a big blow this time, so you should not take it too lightly on your end.

Here in the East End, we’ll also conduct a forceful sweep of Hackney’s Hoxton Hall and Wilton’s Music Hall.

Starting tomorrow, there will be one or two squads of police officers stationed at these two places during business hours.”

“What?!”

Fiona, upon hearing this, almost had her makeup fall off in shock, “Mr.

Hastings, these two places are where the girls of the East End can most easily make money.

The ones who can afford to attend Shakespeare plays and concerts are all wealthy targets.

If we lose this income, the girls might have to cut their monthly earnings by more than half.”

Arthur, savoring the bitter coffee, looked out at the fine raindrops and said, “These past few months, Scotland Yard has been receiving reports that there is a lot of forced buying and selling in the East End.

If the patrons who come to watch the plays do not agree to do business, they end up being cornered into alleys, and beaten to a pulp by the strong men accompanying the ladies.

Fiona, do you have any clue about this matter?”

Fiona, upon hearing this, merely chuckled softly, “Mr.

Hastings, look at what you’re suggesting.

We only have people follow the girls to ensure their safety.

You yourself have patrolled the streets of the East End before, so you should know just how dangerous it can be there.

If the girls go out alone, chances are they’ll run into some bad men.

If our escorts get into a conflict with someone, it’s certainly because he’s been disrespectful and attempted to shame the ladies.”

Of course, Arthur did not believe her defense.

He said, “We had an agreement before, that violent crime is absolutely intolerable.

When the court passes judgment, it only refers to the black eyes and broken ribs of those gentleman who have reported the incidents.

This small-scale sweep of the East End is a warning for your recent actions, if you don’t want to bring about a larger-scale inspection, then when doing business in the future, it would be best to heed the Cabinet’s call and respect the freedom of trade.”

Fiona, hearing this, could only sigh, “All right, Mr.

Hastings, I’ll listen to you, you are the real man in charge.

Lucky for that lad, had you spoken even a morning later, he wouldn’t have escaped a good beating this afternoon.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, “Lad?

What lad?”

Fiona unhappily said, “A weirdo, who likes persuading women of the night to reform.

Left hand holding a “Bible”, right hand holding a cross, and wearing a modest black suit.

He sees our girls on the streets of the East End and, rather than being enveloped by temptation like the unrighteous men or quickly passing through like the righteous, he stands there and delivers endless moral sermons to them.”

Ha, when I first heard about this matter, I thought this lad had a crazy idea, probably another straw man seeking a sense of moral achievement from us.

I was just about to teach him a lesson when, to my surprise, one of my girls tipped him off and allowed him to escape in time.”

Arthur said, “Since he’s already run off, there’s no need for you to go trouble yourself with him anymore, right?”

Fiona indignantly replied, “That’s what I thought too.

After all, we are just trying to make money, as long as he doesn’t interfere with our business, that’s the end of it.

But what I don’t understand is what this lad is thinking, starting to disrupt our business again over the past couple of days.”

“A few kind-hearted girls of mine, afraid I would send someone to beat him up, actually wanted to offer their services for free, in hopes he would be satisfied and leave quickly.

But to my dismay, not only did that bastard refuse, he also encouraged those girls to hastily leave my ‘den of iniquity’.

Doesn’t he ever consider what we would eat if we didn’t do this work?

Take Bernie Harrison for instance; Defina can earn eight to ten shillings from him for a single job, which is the equivalent of a week’s income for a female textile factory worker.

If it weren’t for me, Defina would probably be lying in a factory somewhere, dying of lung disease!”

Arthur, hearing this, suddenly remembered something, “This lad you’re talking about, is his name Gladstone?”

Fiona frowned, “You…

Have you been having me followed?

Or did someone else report to you?

How do you know his name?”

Arthur simply smiled, “Fiona, don’t forget, I am a detective.

It’s normal for me to know many things.

However, if you’re troubled about Mr.

Gladstone, then leave him to me to handle.”

“And how do you plan to deal with him?”

Arthur leaned back in his chair and said, “Have you forgotten that Scotland Yard has been carrying out sweeping operations lately?

Since Mr.

Gladstone is so fervent, I don’t think Scotland Yard would mind temporarily recruiting him for psychological counseling for the many strays that are about to come.”

“Psychological counseling?” Fiona scoffed, “Why do you men always enjoy such pointless activities?

If you really want to save them from their suffering, why not marry them off?”

Arthur picked up the hat from the table and placed it firmly on his head, adjusted his tailcoat, and began, “I don’t know, so I never engage in such matters, perhaps you should take this question to Mr.

Gladstone.”

Fiona raised an eyebrow and asked, “What if I insist on asking you?”

Arthur lifted his hat slightly and bid her a soft farewell, “Because love is not charity, it cannot be given away at will.

So, farewell, Fiona, take the opportunity while the young ladies aren’t busy, you might start getting ready for the fencing competition’s side bets.”

As he spoke, Arthur also pulled a banknote from his pocket and placed it on the table: “Scotland Yard has arranged a celebration banquet today, if I’m late, the officers will be displeased.

Order whatever you like; if it goes over this amount, charge it to my account.”

With that, Arthur stepped out, pushing the door open and exiting the coffee shop.

Before long, Fiona saw through the window Arthur’s figure, puffing on his pipe, holding a black cloth umbrella, standing in the London midday rain.

She shook her head with a sigh as she wound her meticulously plaited ponytail, then stood up and knocked on the coffee shop’s window glass.

Arthur noticed the noise and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

Fiona simply pursed her lips, shook her head, and mouthed to him, “That umbrella is so ugly, you look like a black mushroom with it up.”

Arthur just raised his hand to tap the handle of the umbrella, exhaling a plume of smoke as he retorted, “What do you know, it’s a Fox’s brand umbrella, quite expensive.”

Although she had been scolded, Fiona felt surprisingly cheerful and bade him goodbye, “Scotland Yard’s taste is always so unique.

Well then, enjoy your meal, Mr.

Hastings.”

Arthur didn’t respond to her, simply extending his hand to hail a carriage.

A mist of water rose from the churning wheels as the carriage set off, disappearing around the corner of Trafalgar Square.

Fiona kept her eyes on the direction in which Arthur had left until she was certain she could no longer see him, then she confidently pulled out from the pile of newspapers on the table the one that was at the very bottom.

It was a copy of The Times, but Fiona had little interest in current event commentaries; her attention was on the advertisement section in the far corner of the paper.

The start of the advertisement section was the usual stuff: Twinings tea bags, Whiston gramophones, and the mysterious matrimonial ads that had recently started appearing.

However, at the very end, there was still a help-wanted ad.

——Urgently hiring one or two housemaids, generous salary, 12 shillings a week, lodging and board provided.

——Job requirements: Mending and washing of clothes twice weekly, daily cleaning of a three-story residence, and other household chores.

——Work location: 36 Lancaster Gate.

——Contact: Mr.

Arthur Hastings

Holding her coffee cup, Fiona gently blew away the rising steam, her vexation mixed with a bit of blame and regret, “Mr.

Hastings, if you’re looking for a housemaid, why not come to me?

I have quite a few girls here looking to make good, and I think 12 shillings a week with room and board provided is already a decent offer.”