SGB Chapter 327

## Chapter 327: The Port Authority’s Secret

The ballroom downstairs was a whirlwind of vibrant colors, intoxicating music, and the youthful energy of the dancing crowd. The air buzzed with an almost tangible aura of hormones and unrestrained excitement.

But ascend to the second floor, and the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The jovial ambiance of the dance floor was replaced by a more subdued, almost conspiratorial vibe.

In the second floor’s entertainment room, a group of elderly gentlemen huddled around a fireplace, their faces obscured by the swirling smoke of expensive cigars and the reddish glow of their brandy glasses. The only sounds were the clinking of glasses and the rhythmic slap of playing cards on the table.

“John, did you deliver the little gift the Association wanted you to give Mr. Hastings?”

“No rush. Let him enjoy the party first. A bit of wine, a dash of feminine allure – it helps young men figure out what they truly desire in life.”

“Didn’t you arrange for some suitable ladies to entertain him? Maybe glean some information men wouldn’t be able to get?”

“Oh, Robert, you old clockwork, I can hear the gears turning in your head. I’m not like you. The Gladstone family business operates with transparency. I get the information I need, and what I shouldn’t, I won’t even listen to.”

“None of you sent anyone to keep an eye on him? I should have sent someone myself if I knew you wouldn’t. I heard this London lad hasn’t been seen all day. Instead of staying at the inn, minding the accounts, where did he disappear to?”

“Not everyone is clueless, we just have our limitations. Henry sent someone. His carriage company is perfect for this kind of thing.”

“Henry, any news?”

“My men followed him for a while. He didn’t go anywhere special, just wandered around Liverpool, then had a drink at the Monroe Tavern.”

“He’s living the good life! Seems our Mr. Hastings isn’t so difficult to deal with after all. All that tough talk at the Customs meeting, just for show?”

“The Royal Navy didn’t take his words lightly. They sailed all their ships out last night. Looks like they were cooped up on land for too long, got a little hungry.”

“The sailors might be after the smuggled goods, but the captains might have other motives. Everyone knows there are at least three shore-based captains waiting for each ship’s captain position. Maybe the Admiralty isn’t so good at controlling the sailors, but they can easily manipulate the officers.”

“I don’t care how the Admiralty sees it, but we need the Trade Commission to explain their port quarantine policy. If they want Liverpool’s tariff revenue to be halved like during the Napoleonic Wars, then they can go ahead and enforce the forty-day quarantine. But if they still want to hold onto this golden goose, then they’d better be more flexible with their policies.”

“You’re right. Britain spent centuries securing its dominant position in trade with America and the Levant. We understand the Cabinet’s decision back then, when Napoleon, that plague of Europe, caused losses in Liverpool. But now, to give up all this hard-earned trade share just because of a little cholera, that’s just ridiculous!”

“Quiet, Henry, you’re being disrespectful to Napoleon. You might not know this, but our Inspector Hastings’ sidekick is from Napoleon’s family.”

“He’s from Napoleon’s family?!”

“Yes. If Napoleon and his father were still alive, that young man would be the first in line for the Dutch throne.”

“How did you find out about this?”

“Simple. I received a letter from Viscount Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, this afternoon. He informed me about the current situation in London and explained Mr. Hastings’ background.

Basically, the Viscount’s opinion is that we should be patient. The quarantine policy won’t last long. The Foreign Office also thinks forty days of port quarantine is excessive, especially since it’s causing panic in other countries.

Many countries have now designated Britain as a major epidemic zone. This means that our ships, when departing from Britain, must be quarantined upon arrival in other countries. The duration of quarantine varies depending on each country’s policy.

This has caused a major uproar among the big companies with monopoly rights, like the West India Company, the East India Company, the Moscow Company, the Levant Company, the African Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Not doing business is just a vacation for us, but these companies have a lot of people to feed. So, protest letters have been flooding the Foreign Office and the War and Colonial Affairs Department like snowflakes. Even if they can hold out for a while, or decide to defy the public with the help of the High Court of Justice,

When the new Parliament opens, the positions of Foreign Secretary and Secretary of War and Colonial Affairs will likely change hands. We all know how many brothers and nephews of the MPs are employed in these companies. They’re fed and given high salaries on a daily basis. Now that it’s crunch time, these lazy bums should contribute to the company.”

“Mike, why are you so confident? Does Palmerston’s word give you that much reassurance? Don’t forget, he has a history of this. He was the one who signed the order to send cavalry to Peterloo to suppress the riots. He was also one of the main proponents of the Six Acts. He talks a good game, but won’t the Whigs change their minds?”

“They have to be able to change their minds! Prime Minister Earl Grey is at odds with the Duke of Wellington over parliamentary reform. The Duke, although now in opposition, still holds the titles of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Commander-in-Chief of the Army. If the Cabinet wants to use force, the Duke won’t agree. Who do you think the army will listen to?”

“I guess the Cabinet will send someone to St. Helena to dig up Napoleon’s coffin and bring it to London.”

“We’re the ones handling the transport for that deal. As long as the Cabinet doesn’t make me enforce the quarantine policy.”

“Of course they won’t quarantine it. Quarantine a corpse for forty days, it’ll be crawling with maggots by the time it reaches shore.”

“Open the cargo hold, and the whole place will be filled with miasma.”

“Ah… so cholera was caused by Napoleon?”

“What else could it be? The French disease is what’s afflicting Britain.”

The old men erupted into laughter, their top hats falling to the floor in a flurry of amusement.

Suddenly, a knock sounded from outside the entertainment room.

Gladstone entered the room. Before he could speak, old clockwork, Mr. Roswell, asked with a mischievous smile, “Oh, my dear William, did you have a pleasant evening?”

Gladstone, slightly flushed, nodded, holding his glass. “It was enjoyable, Mr. Roswell. I had a delightful conversation with my friends about music, literature, art, and of course, the Bible.”

Roswell just stroked his chin and shook his head. “William, you’re talking too shallowly. You could discuss something deeper.”

“Uh…” Gladstone hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Do you mean I should talk about the recent announcement of interest rate cuts by the Bank of England and Baring Brothers?”

The other old men in the room chimed in with a chorus of agreement.

“William, yes, talk about that, we’re interested.”

“You could also talk about your views on overseas trade, and how the quarantine policy will have a devastating impact on the price of cotton and linen.”

“And while you’re at it, share your thoughts on the overseas political situation. That Egyptian Pasha Muhammad Ali in the Ottoman Empire has been getting a little too restless! Hopefully, he won’t affect my business in the Levant.”

Roswell quickly silenced the boisterous old men.

“William, don’t listen to them. If you don’t want to talk deeply, talk about something superficial. Latin, Spanish, French, anything. Oh, and the piano! I didn’t hire a tutor for nothing!”

Old Gladstone finally snapped. He had always looked down on old clockwork, the nouveau riche who had risen from street peddling.

Though Gladstone himself was only from the middle class, it didn’t stop him from finding Roswell, the watchmaker, crude and unbearable.

He gathered the cards in his hand and asked, “William, is something wrong?”

Gladstone leaned down and whispered in his father’s ear, “I just saw Mr. Hurst, the Port Authority Director, go into the smoking room. Mr. Hastings is there too, and they’ve been in there a bit too long.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Old Gladstone threw his cards on the table, lit a cigar, and excused himself from his friends. “Playing cards all the time is bad for your health. Give me time to dance, I’ll be right back.”

…

In the smoking room, Arthur sat in a chair, his pipe clenched between his teeth, watching Mr. Hurst, the Port Authority Director, flip through a document.

“Mr. Hurst, I had Mr. Mill from the East India Company take a quick look at the report you submitted. The problems it reveals are truly alarming. The issues are all too apparent.”

Hurst feigned ignorance. “Mr. Hastings, the Port Authority does have some shortcomings in its operations. But I’m sure under your guidance, we can quickly rectify these flaws.”

Hurst’s attitude was clear. The Port Authority was willing to cooperate with Arthur, but how and where they cooperated depended on what Arthur uncovered.

The Liverpool Association had prepared nearly twenty thousand pounds in readily available funds to smooth things over. But, following the principle of spending as little as possible, if Arthur’s appetite wasn’t too big, they could afford to throw in some empty promises.

Seeing Hurst’s unyielding demeanor, Arthur knew he needed to present some evidence.

After all, even on Scotland Yard’s turf, Arthur needed a warrant to arrest someone. This was someone else’s territory.

Hurst’s confidence stemmed from the fact that he had a whole network of backers.

There were indeed problems with the port expansion project, but he wasn’t the only one profiting from it. If the sky fell, Goliath would hold it up. Besides, were the West India Dock project in London and the upcoming Thames Tunnel project really so clean?

Arthur didn’t know about the West India Dock project, but he knew about the Thames Tunnel project. After all, he held nearly a thousand pounds worth of Tunnel Company stock.

So, since they were all in the same muddy puddle, Arthur had no intention of making things difficult for him over the port project.

Besides, that was a matter for later. He just needed to start with an appetizer.

But while Arthur wanted to serve an appetizer, he didn’t have any small, “foreplay-level” leverage.

Fortunately, thanks to the meticulous work of Mill and the other apprentice accountants like Price, Arthur had found a minor but significant problem in the Port Authority’s annual expenditure report before attending the dance.

This problem didn’t affect anyone else, but it was enough to nail Mr. Hurst, the Port Authority Director, once and for all.

Arthur raised his hand slightly and called out, “Louis.”

Louis pulled a document from his briefcase and placed it in front of Mr. Hurst.

“Mr. Hurst, our audit team noticed that there’s a strange expenditure item labeled ‘Healthcare’ in almost every annual report since you became Port Authority Director five years ago. The amount also fluctuates, sometimes as low as a few pounds, sometimes as high as hundreds. After interviewing some Port Authority staff individually, we found that the Port Authority has never covered their medical expenses. So, can you explain where this money went?”

“This…” Hurst, his voice suddenly uncertain, stammered, “There are indeed some shortcomings in the Port Authority’s healthcare coverage. We’ve been piloting it in management first, and if it proves successful, we’ll consider expanding it.”

“Oh… special benefits for management?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Okay, I understand. After all, you and the Port Authority leadership are busy people, and some special treatment is understandable. But I want to know why this amount fluctuates so much? And can you tell us about the healthcare program and the hospital responsible?”

“The hospital…” Hurst’s confidence crumbled, “Well, the hospital isn’t fixed.”

Arthur, with a knowing smile, asked, “Really? Mr. Hurst, you might want to think again. My Sergeant Charles Field happened to contact a doctor who provided services to the Port Authority. According to her, the designated treatment hospital for the Port Authority is actually quite stable.”

Hurst’s heart almost leaped out of his chest. This was such a small item, and the people below didn’t know what the money was for, so they let it slide. When Hurst submitted the report to Arthur, he didn’t even pay attention. But who would have thought that even this small detail would be caught?

This kind of false accounting, making some dirty money, had happened in Britain a few years ago. The culprit was Viscount Goderich, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the time, Goderich almost resigned as Chancellor over this case.

Although he was eventually saved, his political reputation never recovered. If even the Chancellor could fall, what chance did a Port Authority Director have?

Hurst’s hands clenched tighter. He hesitated for a moment, then squeezed out a smile and asked, “Mr. Hastings, these are just minor issues. Let’s talk about smuggling. That’s the real issue.”

(End of Chapter)