The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 919: Chapter 26 You French folks!_3

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Balzac and Mrs. Bellamy were whispering sweet nothings like lovers, yet what they didn’t know was that in the room next door, another ‘couple duo’ of an older man and a younger one had already observed their every move.

Victor looked through a small hole drilled just a few days ago in the back of the wardrobe, watching the momentary passion next door between the ‘mother and son,’ and couldn’t help but let out a playful whistle: “Ha! Who would’ve thought there’d be such an unexpected gain.”

Arthur, on the other hand, sipped leisurely on a pot of red tea, enjoying the Parisian afternoon sunlight: “I didn’t originally understand, but after witnessing the relationship between Balzac and Mrs. Bellamy, I completely grasp why Benjamin is always searching for a ‘mother.’ Compared to ordinary young girls, such wise and strong women excel in every aspect.”

“Benjamin?” Victor recalled: “Is he an officer from your Scotland Yard? To grasp such a principle at a young age, it seems this lad has a promising future!”

“No, Benjamin is not one of our officers, but you’re right about his promising future.”

Arthur took a sip of tea: “Three years ago, Benjamin was a debt-ridden, notorious Jewish lad, but after meeting Mrs. Sykes, his financial situation greatly improved, and now he’s already become an indispensable figure among the rising forces of the Tory Party.”

Victor smiled and sat back at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea as well: “Remember what I told you before when I was in London? Our former boss, Duplacey, at the Great Paris Police Hall rose in the same way, though he wasn’t as talented as Balzac, so he had to rely on his decent looks and frequent audacity to get close to the commissioner’s wife. But you, my brother, not only have Balzac’s talent and Duplacey’s looks, the delightful thing is, you also excel in music and natural philosophy, and even early on earned the title of a knight through hard work. If you just pay a bit of attention in this area, I’m sure you could quickly regain your position in London.”

Hearing this, Arthur only raised an eyebrow and said: “Mr. Victor, perhaps it’s because you’re quite the expert in affairs of the heart, you always make it sound so easy. I can’t coordinate the relationships between various ladies, it’s like walking a tightrope between the Bonaparte Party, Orthodox Party, and republican, one false move and you’re playing with fire.”

“Haha.” Victor chuckled slyly: “You say you can’t play it well? I don’t believe you. Brother, managing relationships with various esteemed ladies is a compulsory course for diplomats; even just so you can better fulfill these duties, you have to cover this weak spot, don’t you think? It’s not as if you have to get married, just find a few lovers. For you, that’s a piece of cake.”

Hearing this, Arthur merely blinked: “You French people, I’ve really seen the sights on this trip to Paris. While high society in London is no cleaner than Paris, I’ve never seen anyone so brazenly conduct their affairs.”

Victor, unconcerned, laughed: “And what’s this called? This is called hypocrisy, you British Protestants love these superficial things. If one didn’t look deeper, people might actually believe the people living there are all saints. Brother, don’t tell me that saints could come up with such a scheme as to have someone book this room days in advance, drill holes in the wall to peep on others, even the Security Department wouldn’t pull off such a stunt.”

Arthur merely shrugged: “I would love to do what the Security Department would, barging in without official permission and then signing an arrest warrant afterwards, but the judicial procedures in Britain are too strict and rigid, so Scotland Yard often has to find ways to gather evidence first. And evidence isn’t going to waltz onto the street for us to collect, so we’re forced to resort to these tactics repeatedly.”

Victor raised an eyebrow: “Since that’s the case, why not have ‘Pan’ or ‘Tallman’ drill a hole on the right side wall? After all, it’s only the right-hand room that’s next to the room rented long-term by Mr. Vini and Miss Dovar for their rendezvous. If someone’s watching them, it must be from the right-side room. Why do you insist on drilling a hole in the left wall too?”

To this, Arthur didn’t offer much explanation, he simply smiled and raised his teacup for a light clink with Victor’s: “You know, in our line of work, one must be cautious, just to be on the safe side.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course.” Arthur quirked an eyebrow: “When reasonable and logical, I also like to satisfy my insignificant curiosity as much as possible. My hobbies aren’t too many, but gathering all information about everyone happens to be one among them.”