## Chapter 224: Continental Showdown (5K8)
“Behave yourself, or I’ll shoot you!”
In the second-floor box, the moment the gun barrel was shoved into Eld’s mouth, the Royal Navy cartographer finally realized something was amiss.
“Huh?”
The blindfold covering Eld’s eyes was ripped off, and he discovered that the charming Coconut Tree Miss he had been admiring was gone. In her place stood a French ruffian with short, choppy hair.
Coconut Tree glared, eyes wide with fury, “Tell me! Where is Alexander Dumas? I’m warning you, don’t try any tricks in front of me, or I’ll send you to meet God!”
Eld woke up from his daze. Whether it was shame or anger, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he burst into a tirade.
“You… you fucking dared to deceive my feelings!”
“Deceive your feelings?” Coconut Tree was furious. “You’re the one who played with my body!”
“Huh?” Eld was surprised. “So, we’re even then?”
“What the hell kind of logic is that?!”
Lying under the bed, Dumas and Tom overheard the argument. They couldn’t help but mutter to each other.
“What’s going on? They’re fighting?”
“I told you, no one would ever fall for Eld. He probably just wanted to extort some money.”
“Should I go out and mediate? It wouldn’t be good if they started making a scene here.”
“No, leave him alone. He got himself into this mess, let him deal with it.”
Just as Tom was hesitating about whether to go out, there was a knock on the door.
A creak, and the door opened. A familiar voice immediately rang out.
“Coconut Tree, just beat him up a bit, no need to kill him. He’s still Hastings’ friend, after all. We’re here for Dumas, so don’t go overboard and offend him.”
Coconut Tree gritted his teeth and glared at Eld. If it weren’t for the position of Chief, would he be in this situation?
He sighed heavily and replied with a face full of humiliation, “Boss, don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Vidocq just glanced around the room. Soon, his gaze fell on the two chairs placed by the window.
A playful smile suddenly appeared on his face. He glanced at the bed in the room, then at the two chairs, “I remember this is Mr. Hastings’ personal lounge, right?”
Coconut Tree nodded. “Yes, he knows how to enjoy himself. Bed, furniture, just tidy it up a bit and he can live here directly.”
Vidocq turned to his companion, Vacour, and asked, “I remember we investigated before, Mr. Hastings doesn’t seem to have established a special relationship with any lady yet, right?”
Vacour nodded. “Boss, as you instructed, we assigned our brothers to follow him as soon as we arrived in London. The guy has a fixed routine every day: Lancaster Gate, Whitehall Street, Whiston Musical Instruments. His schedule hasn’t changed for days. He lives such a disciplined life, and there are no women at Scotland Yard, so he definitely doesn’t have time for romance.”
Coconut Tree couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t it true that you told me a few days ago that Hastings was with a lady in a cafe…?”
Hearing this, Vacour’s heart jumped into his throat. He hurriedly winked at Coconut Tree, but it was too late.
Vidocq’s sharp, terrifying gaze instantly locked onto Vacour. “What’s going on?”
Vacour felt his throat dry. He swallowed hard and said, “Boss, it’s really nothing serious. Just an insignificant woman. Mr. Hastings just sat with her in the cafe for a while.”
Vidocq immediately grabbed Vacour’s collar. “Damn it, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Didn’t I tell you that all information, no matter how small, should be reported to me?”
Vacour forced a smile. “Boss, that’s what I said, but I thought it’s better to investigate everything thoroughly before reporting it to you. After all, you’re quite busy, aren’t you?”
“Then have you investigated thoroughly?”
“This…” Vacour stammered, “I sent people to follow the girl for two days. On the first day, she went to the Russian Embassy. The second day… the second day, she disappeared…”
“You lost her?!”
“No, no, it’s not the girl who disappeared…”
“Oh, that’s good…” Vidocq’s heart just eased, but instantly, Vacour’s words raised his blood pressure again.
“It’s the people we sent to follow the girl who disappeared…”
“Useless!” Vidocq felt a sense of unease. “That girl is definitely not a good person. You’ve been discovered! Wait, you just said she went to the Russian Embassy. Could she be a Russian?”
Vacour quickly tried to make up for it. “Boss, you are indeed wise! We later found out that the girl seems to work at the embassy.”
Vidocq was so angry that he slapped Vacour. “So, our people are in the hands of the Russians? Do you know what Tallien would do if he knew about this? He’d kill us!”
Vacour panicked when he heard this. He tried to distance himself from the situation, “Mr. Vidocq, the guy who disappeared was just a local thug I hired. Even if the Russians caught him, they wouldn’t get anything out of him. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Vidocq looked at Vacour’s face, taking a long time to suppress the anger in his belly. He waved his hand impatiently, “Forget it, let’s finish this job first. We’ll deal with the consequences later.”
Agareus, who had been watching the drama unfold from the window, just covered his mouth and chuckled. “Oh, our Fiona is quite a capable woman. If Arthur, that little rascal, knew that Fiona not only kept someone hidden in secret, but also kept it from him, then the one tied to the bed wouldn’t be Eld today.”
Eld listened to the French men chattering, and perhaps because his feet were off the ground, his passion subsided, and his clever intellect returned.
“Wait, you’re going after Alexander? Are you the new French assassins?”
Vidocq just smiled kindly. “Sir, don’t say it so harshly. We’re simply doing a favor for someone, to bring Mr. Dumas back to Paris.”
Eld was casual. “Back to Paris? You’re quite merciful to him. I thought you were going to take him back to the plantation. But you’re out of luck today, Alexander isn’t at the theater.”
“Is that so?” Vidocq glanced at the two chairs by the window, slowly leaned down, and looked towards the bottom of the bed. “Maybe not.”
His eyes met Dumas’ face.
For a moment, the air fell silent. The two looked at each other, and Dumas simply turned his head slowly, propped his head with one hand, and only showed his broad back to Vidocq.
But this attempt to deceive was obviously useless.
Soon, he, Tom, and Eld were tied up and thrown to the ground.
“Eld, look at what you’ve done! You not only ended up with a man, but you also dragged me into this mess!”
“Why don’t you talk about yourself! Who brought the flies today? Oh, God! Look at what I’ve done! I actually touched a Frenchman’s ass, and it’s a man’s! Tom, you should just shoot me later. I’ve already made enough of a fool of myself today. If I die in the hands of a Frenchman, my life will be a complete disgrace. Please, don’t let me tarnish the honor of the Royal Navy.”
“Mr. Carter, haven’t you noticed that I’m tied up here too?”
“Yeah! Why are you tied up here too? Where’s your gun?”
“Mr. Vidocq just bet that my gun wasn’t loaded.”
“What happened?”
“He won.”
“Then why weren’t you carrying bullets? Are the Scotland Yard’s pistols used as firewood?”
Tom felt a little wronged. “Mr. Carter, you don’t know. The gun control regulations at Scotland Yard are really strict. Arthur has been stripped of his real power, and ammunition is managed independently by each district. If he wants to get some bullets, he has to go through a document with Rowan Hall. But you know, they’ve had a little disagreement lately, so the document approval might not be so smooth.”
Vidocq sat in the chair, leaning down to look at the three clowns. He held his pipe, lifted his skirt, crossed his legs, and while Vacour went to call a carriage, he still had the leisure to chat with them.
“Oh, Mr. Hastings’ life hasn’t been smooth lately either. No wonder. Normally, he wouldn’t need to pay attention to a Frenchman who has lost his protection order. It seems he, like me, wants to make a comeback with this opportunity?”
Eld heard this and just said angrily, “You French idiot, you know nothing. Arthur is a friend who would go to any lengths for his friends. We, graduates of the University of London, have connections!”
“Connections? You still need to play tunes here with connections?”
Vidocq pinched his chin, which had been freshly shaved this morning, and looked down from the window at the theater stage. Amidst the thunderous applause, Mendelssohn raised his white glove and smiled as he bowed to the audience. Behind him, shrouded in the shadow of the curtain, Arthur, dressed in a pitch-black tuxedo, tall and straight like a sword, brushed his stray hair back, his slick black hair combed back in a high bun contrasting sharply with his white gloves. His eyes, tinged with a faint red glow, flickered on and off. He was about to take the stage.
Vidocq watched Arthur step onto the center stage, flick his tuxedo tails slightly, and sit down on the long bench in front of the piano. The legend of the French criminal and police world, at this moment, commanded, “Mr. Hastings, I apologize. Now, everyone prepare to leave.”
At the same time, almost simultaneously, in another box not far from Vidocq’s, Countess Livia was nestled in Austrian Chancellor Metternich’s arms. The white-haired Mr. Metternich had a few words to say, making Countess Livia laugh so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
However, amidst the bonding, the two still probed each other with words.
Metternich casually mentioned, “Dorothea, next time you go back to St. Petersburg to visit your family, be sure to greet the Tsar for me. I heard he’s not like his brother. The current Tsar pays particular attention to these details. If you don’t keep in touch with him, the relationship will quickly become distant.”
Countess Livia just winked playfully. “Greetings? Of course. But I don’t plan to go back for a while. I heard the Tsar is very angry about Belgium’s independence and said he must give them a severe lesson. My dear, you know, the Tsar’s anger is a serious matter in the Russian court. It’s best not to provoke him at this time.”
“Ah…” Metternich smiled slightly. “Then if you can bring him some good news, surely it would appease his anger.”
“Good news?” Countess Livia pretended to be clueless. “You mean Austria intends to stand with us? But if you do that, you’ll probably upset the British, right?”
Metternich heard this and simply held Countess Livia’s arm. “My dear, I would do anything for you.”
Countess Livia knew that nine out of ten words from this man were lies, but at this moment, she didn’t mind playing along.
“Clemens, you’re always so naive. But that’s why I love you so much.”
The two foxes were playing their games, while Viscount Palmerston and Countess Cowper in the next box seemed much more straightforward.
They were taking a short break with glasses of red wine, about to enjoy a brilliant piece from Arthur.
Countess Cowper tidied her disheveled clothes slightly, raised her glass to clink with Palmerston’s, and smiled as she asked, “Henry, I saw Mr. Metternich enter the next room. Aren’t you going to greet the Austrian Chancellor, our new Foreign Secretary?”
Viscount Palmerston heard this, just pulled Countess Cowper into his arms, and proudly puffed out his chest. “My dear, in my opinion, Metternich should come and visit me if he’s smart. If he thinks he can achieve anything with Austria, then I, on behalf of Great Britain, will give him a harsh lesson at the London Conference.”
Countess Cowper heard this and suddenly became worried. “But… Henry, isn’t that a bit too forceful? You know, whether it’s the Tories or the Whigs, the current mainstream opinion is to hope for peace.”
Palmerston heard this, just smiled and comforted her, “My dear, they hope for peace because they’re not sure they can win. Besides, the Duke of Wellington sent me a message yesterday, telling me not to give any ground to Austria. Metternich just got a nosebleed at his place two days ago. This old fellow still hasn’t figured out his place. I’ll let him know that without Great Britain’s support, he’s nothing as the Austrian Chancellor.”
In the Coburg Theater, everyone had their own agenda. Just as everyone was calculating how to maximize their own interests, God seemed to hear their call. Suddenly, the lights in the entire hall dimmed.
Darkness came like a tide, swallowing up all the conspiracies.
The audience’s exclamations echoed. Just as they were about to complain about the theater’s negligence in lighting, the sound of the piano suddenly rang out.
“My God! Is this a new form of performance?”
The stage was dimly lit, and the audience could barely see anything. They strained their ears and could only see a pair of hands dancing across the keys.
“Maybe this way, we can focus on the music itself?”
“I’ve heard that this ‘Bell’ piece is very difficult. Is this an intentional display of the new pianist Mr. Hastings’ technical skills?”
Everyone in the audience was guessing, but they stopped complaining. Accompanied by the rapid notes that fell like a torrential downpour, any remaining dissatisfaction in their hearts quickly vanished.
Amidst the music, they could occasionally hear a steady, heavy footfall.
Thump, thump, thump!
It sounded like someone walking up the stairs, or like someone striking a bell. But some people thought it might be a unique accompaniment.
With a white glove gripping the police dagger, paired with a brand-new black top hat, in the pitch black, one could only see a faint red glow on the stairs, gradually rising with the footsteps.
Arthur’s figure blocked the path of Vidocq and his men. The two groups tacitly remained silent, as everyone knew that this would be bad if it escalated.
On stage, Mendelssohn was playing the ‘Bell’ score with passion. Although he had heard Mr. Moscheles brag about its difficulty many times, and the first time he played it, he did find it a bit challenging, but this young musician, who aspired to be the greatest pianist after Bach, wasn’t intimidated.
Notes danced like butterflies, the sonata of the orchestra, accompanied by a series of tinkling sounds coming from the second floor.
Moonlight streamed through the window, falling on Mendelssohn’s ten fingers. The passionate melody, sweat dripped down Mendelssohn’s cheek, passed his neck and dripped into his chest, wetting the frills on his white shirt like a bunch of blooming flowers.
In the darkness, a flash of swordsmanship.
Red glows flickered, dancing like phosphorescent lights in a church graveyard.
The French classical swordsmanship and the Italian Fiore dei Liberi style clashed in this moment.
Bang, bang, two sounds, like someone falling down the stairs from the back.
Thump, thump, muffled groans, like fists hitting chests.
On stage, the dancing fingertips fell into frenzy, as if the piano trembled along with the earth.
Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly, and with a cry of excruciating pain, a terrified scream rang out in the silent hall, “Surrender!!!”
The staff members who had been standing on the ladder holding candles, waiting to relight the lamps, immediately lit the chandeliers one by one. Light returned to the hall.
Everyone’s eyes focused on the area where the sound came from. It was two beautiful “ladies” who seemed to be overcome with emotion by Mr. Hastings’ moving performance, kneeling on the ground and covering their faces, sobbing uncontrollably. The one lying beside them was even more impressive, he had actually foamed at the mouth and fainted.
“Oh, my God!”
The gentlemen and ladies present all exclaimed. They had just been amazed by the piano skills, but now they were shocked by this rather impactful scene.
Perhaps before, some people might have scoffed at Arthur Hastings’ nickname, “Paganini of the Piano”, but now, no one would question this title.
Under the shocked gaze of the gentlemen and ladies, Arthur, who had already switched places with Mendelssohn during the chaos, slowly raised his hand. The tuxedo on his chest heaved violently, he was breathing heavily. Obviously, he was also exhausted from subduing these three “ladies”.
After catching his breath, Arthur finally had time to straighten his messy tuxedo. He placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly to the audience, “A piece adapted from Mr. Paganini’s ‘Bell’, dedicated to all the guests here, and wishing Mr. Paganini, who is about to embark on a concert tour in France, all the best.”
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Arthur smiled, raised his hand, and acknowledged the audience one by one. Mendelssohn, standing on the stage, also asked excitedly in a low voice, “Arthur, judging by your appearance, did you win?”
Arthur didn’t say much. After thanking the audience and leaving the stage, he quietly pulled open his tuxedo and showed Mendelssohn the few ripped spots on his shirt. “Mr. Vidocq is stronger than I imagined. It’s just that he’s too old.”
Just as Arthur was about to chat with Mendelssohn, he suddenly noticed a beautiful figure rushing down the spiral staircase from the first floor to the second floor. It was Countess Livia, in a hurry, with two Russian guards flanking her. Judging by their expressions, they seemed to have received some bad news.
On the second floor, Viscount Palmerston and Countess Cowper seemed very satisfied with Arthur’s performance. They specially opened the window, smiling and applauding Arthur.
Arthur saw this, and he felt like something was wrong.
Just as he was still pondering, the Red Devil suddenly grinned, placing an arm on his shoulder. “Yo! Arthur, it seems your action team sent to the Russian Embassy is doing a great job. I think I saw them on their way to find you.”
(End of Chapter)