for yourself, lovey, but the Sharps… Well, the name says it all, don’t it?”
“You’re not wrong,” Kit agreed.
“Mightn’t be a bad idea to get rid of the club, though, you know,” Mabel added, looking away to offer the walnut to Nell Gwyn. The bird took it gently.
“What do you mean?” Kit said.
“Well, you don’t want to be running that place forever, do you? You used to always say that you’d build it up, sell it, and retire to the country.”
Kit quirked a half-smile. “I did used to say that.”
“Don't you want that anymore?” Mabel asked curiously.
Kit sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. I used to imagine myself setting up as a gentleman farmer or some such thing. But now I realise—well, I wouldn’t have the first idea what to do. I’m more of an alley cat than a farmyard one.”
“Pah! If you’ve got money you’ll be fine. You can always buy expertise. But whatever you decide to do, my advice would be to consider selling up sooner rather than later. I wish I’d stopped earlier—if I’d got out five years before I did, I’d’ve avoided that business with Jem Bailey and been able to sell out for twice or three times as much.”
Mabel had hired Jem Bailey as a doorman for the Lily. He’d been a hot-headed sort. After deciding he was in love with one of the girls, he'd assaulted a wealthy customer who’d been enjoying her favours on the premises. The incident had brought all sorts of trouble to Mabel’s door, and she’d ended up selling the Lily for a sum she’d always insisted was considerably less than its true worth.
“Look at it this way,” Mabel said. “The value of your club ain’t going up any more. You can’t go bigger without losing members—it’s the fact that it’s discreet that they like. You should get out now, while the going’s good.” She shrugged and the sudden movement made Nell Gwyn flap and squawk for a few moments before settling down again. “I reckon you’ll do nicely if you’re smart about it, but I’d be quick if I were you. Especially now there’s a Sharp hanging about. From what I remember of old Lenny Sharp, if you didn’t give him what he wanted when he asked, he wouldn’t wait too long before taking it without your blessing.”
“I’ll think about it,” Kit promised.
“You do that,” Mabel replied. “Now, tell me what all the gossip is, and don’t hold back.”
8
Henry
On Thursday evening Reid called in at Curzon Street as promised.
“Well, your grace,” he said, once they’d greeted one another and sat down, “I have some information for you, if not the whole answer quite yet.”
“That’s good,” Henry said. “You did not seem hopeful of that earlier.”
“There are some things that can be quite quickly established.”
“Such as?”
“Such as the fact that the owner of the house has not changed in twenty years.”
Henry stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“The house is yours,” Reid said calmly. “It never left your estate.”
Henry blinked. Of all the possibilities he’d entertained, this was not one of them. He’d been prepared to purchase the house back from its current owner, no matter what it might cost, just so he could give it to Christopher. To learn it was still his was unexpected.
“I don’t understand.”
“The title remains in your name. It has been so since you bought it. There’s a tenant in occupation who I spoke with this afternoon—he tells me he’s lived there these last thirteen years, and before him there was another tenant.”
“Thirteen years!”
“Yes. And the lease is with none other than your good self.”
Henry frowned. “He pays rent, this tenant? I am quite sure there was no income that we missed.”
“Quite so,” Reid agreed. “The rent did not appear anywhere in your accounts. According to the tenant, he’s paid up every quarter without interruption during the whole period of the lease—but the payments have been made to a firm of solicitors in Lambeth called Davies & Gillingham. Has your family used that firm before?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
Reid nodded. “I’ll look into that further and report back once I know more.”
“It’s unfortunate there’s a tenant,” Henry said. “I can hardly throw him out on his ear after so long. Do you think he might agree to leave, in return for a compensatory payment? Or perhaps I could sell the property with the tenant in place and give Christopher the proceeds…” He trailed off, only then becoming aware of Reid’s penetrating gaze.