The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1608: Chapter 26: Mr. Martin’s New Business

When the inspired Chief Field left Leicester Square with Officer Cao Li, Arthur was in no hurry to make his exit.

For most gentlemen with ulterior motives, Leicester Square during the day is not much to linger over. Here you can only see some exiled Poles, actors and playwrights from abroad who have come to Britain across the sea yearning to make their mark, dubious foreign rebel organizations possibly including those from Ireland, along with various big and small thieves dispirited by the sparse crowds.

It’s only when the sun sets that Leicester Square truly blossoms with the dazzling glow of vice.

If there’s a most dazzling jewel on this crown of London’s sinful delights?

It has to be the Alhambra Theater.

Speaking of the Alhambra Theater, this place actually has a tangled relationship with Arthur.

Because, during Arthur’s most glorious period in Scotland Yard years ago, this was once part of the domain of London’s Underground Queen, Mrs. Fiona Ivan, and at the same time, it was also her most lucrative spot.

However, once Arthur left, Fiona, seeing she had lost protection, wisely ”withdrew her troops” from the area, instead focusing on running the Nightingale Mansion.

Though the territory shrank a lot, and income was affected as a result, at least Fiona and her ”young brothers from Cambridge” finally bid farewell to the ”strenuous and extraordinary” era of street entrepreneurship, moving away from low-end businesses with little technical content, instead starting to serve those wealthy people who are ”hard to please.”

Fiona’s retreat soon sparked a bloody storm in Leicester Square, almost all the considerable power London ”famous courtesans” set their sights here.

Of course, Fiona’s withdrawal didn’t mean this heartless and domineering lady really wanted to let go of this juicy bit entirely.

After all, she isn’t some benevolent person, retreating from here was just a temporary measure, and if there’s hope, she certainly wants to continue monopolizing the place.

To not sever ties completely with the Alhambra Theater, Fiona made sure to partner with that respectful yet fearful proprietor of the Whitechapel tavern, Mr. Judd Martin, to secure a pub inside the theater before her retreat.

As for the investment ratio and profit sharing between them?

It always carries Fiona’s hallmark of fair and impartial distribution.

Mr. Martin bought out the pub in full and was responsible for the everyday operation and sales, while Fiona sent her people to provide safety services for the pub, and the profits were split seventy-thirty.

Of course, seventy goes to Fiona.

What?

You ask if Mr. Martin finds such allocation unfair and refuses to agree, then what to do?

Well, there’s not much, at most the pub doesn’t open.

To be clear, I’m referring to the one Mr. Martin originally had established in East District Whitechapel.

Fiona might be a woman, but she does things so straightforwardly, Mr. Martin pored over the Oxford Dictionary all night long without finding a reason to refuse.

Where do you ordinarily find such ”good fortune”?

Encounter it and sneak home to rejoice!

Mr. Martin thinks perhaps worldwide, only those ”witless idiots” would refuse Fiona’s requests.

The newly renovated oak bar counter exudes an excess of tung oil aroma, behind it Martin is polishing a whiskey glass with a white handkerchief, his gold-rimmed glasses slipping to his nose tip, like a trapped beast nailed to the ledger.

”So then, Mr. Hastings, oh... no, maybe now it’s better to call you Sir. That’s basically how I ended up moving to Alhambra...”

Arthur sat on a high stool, tapping the brass beer tap on the bar with his pipe: ”Another gin. On a side note, why didn’t you write to tell me about Fiona’s actions? Didn’t I assure you? As long as I’m in London, no one can hit your pub.”

”Wasn’t that because you weren’t in London?” Martin chuckled: ”Besides, who doesn’t know, you...”

Martin’s words suddenly halted, swallowing down the latter part ”you and Fiona wear the same pants.”

Arthur glanced at the nearby yawning bored-looking thugs and spoke: ”If it’s because they’re here, and you find it inconvenient to say something, I can have them go out.”

”No need! You’re really too serious.”

Martin waved his hand urgently, then chuckled, flattering Fiona: ”If you say I had no complaints initially, that’s impossible. After all, I was doing pretty well in East District, suddenly moving me here, there really was some reluctance. My niece, you know, though she’s diligent and capable, she can’t help being clumsy-headed. Suddenly leaving Whitechapel’s business to her, I really wasn’t reassured. But as the saying goes, people must look ahead; coming here, although it’s an uncertain change, it’s also an opportunity. Like you transferred from London to Hanover, though I don’t have such great skills, I feel our conditions are essentially similar.”

Getting to this point, Martin couldn’t help but say pensively: ”When I first came to Alhambra, business wasn’t particularly easy, even though it’s in the theater, you see that pub across the way, its business is clearly better than mine, so I’ve been pondering. You know, matters can’t withstand pondering, so as I pondered, I actually figured out the reason...”