The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 902: Chapter 20: Murder for Money or Lovers’ Feud?

The empty cafe was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and tobacco.

The once peaceful and leisurely elegant cafe was thrown into chaos by a sudden duel, yet the duel was like a spring thunderstorm, coming and going quickly.

In a corner of the cafe, a few gentlemen who had just been shouting threats were now calmly seated. Each of them was dressed in well-tailored black tailcoats, with white silk cravats highlighting their long necks, holding delicate silver-plated coffee cups, exuding elegance and composure.

They sat around a round table covered with snow-white linen, with copies of the day’s Figaro Newspaper and The Times scattered on the table, as if the chaos of the cafe had nothing to do with them, and only the coffee and newspapers were their world.

The amber liquid swirled gently in the porcelain cups, emitting an enticing aroma, like a tranquil sea isolated from the worldly affairs.

They gently blew away the steam, tasted a sip, then closed their eyes to savor it, letting the bitterness and sweetness intertwine on their tongues as if decoding life’s philosophy with their taste buds. Occasionally, they would stir sugar cubes with slender silver spoons, gently and rhythmically.

As for the cafe owner, he stood nearby with a smile, holding a pen in one hand and a menu in the other, attentively recording the orders of the gentlemen. Considering the completely white, ink-scented cheque with a faintly visible Rothschild Bank logo tucked in his breast pocket, he was not particularly blaming these rude fellows for disrupting his business and ruining his carefully decorated little cafe.

He softly requested the generous gentlemen, ”You gentlemen can come more often in the future.”

Arthur, holding his coffee cup, carefully blew the rising steam, ”So the misunderstanding was cleared up?”

Great Dumas laughed heartily, ”Vini and I have always been very good friends. Our friendship is undeniable. This is all because of that scoundrel Balzac’s instigation, he is simply the embodiment of vanity, jealous of my achievements in drama. He is nothing more than the son of a petty bourgeois, yet he shamelessly added ’de’ before his surname, thinking it would deceive readers into recognizing his noble ancestry.”

Vini knew well the enmity between Great Dumas and Balzac, but it was not pleasant to reveal someone’s shortcomings in front of guests, so he coughed and said, ”Alexander, it was my misunderstanding before. Everyone knew about your reputation for romance, so when I found out that you invited Dovar to London for assistance, it was inevitable...

Great Dumas affectionately put his arm around Vini’s shoulder, ”I am indeed romantic, and women have always acknowledged me. But you should know that I love my little angel—Miss Ida Ferrier deeply, and apart from her, my eyes can no longer accommodate other women.”

Vini nodded, putting down his coffee cup, ”I heard from the manager of the Saint Martin Gate Theatre a few days ago that you seemed to have sought her out immediately after returning to Paris.”

Great Dumas smiled confidently, ”Of course, I couldn’t wait another moment. She asked me more than two years ago to write a new play for her, and now that I’m back in Paris, I must fulfill the promise I made to her. Did the manager show you my new script ’Catherine Howard’? The role of the heroine will be performed by Miss Ferrier, and the manager knows this role is tailor-made for her.”

Arthur heard this, casting a sideways glance at Victor, the old French detective certainly knew what he meant.

Without missing a beat, he smoothly took over the conversation, ”Ida Ferrier, Mary Dovar, Juliette Drouet, currently the three most famous young actresses in Paris, Ferrier and Dovar both already have admirers. But fortunately, I can still pursue Miss Drouet.”

Vini heard this and politely smiled, ”Mr. Victor, with Miss Drouet, you are already a step late, she is already completely captivated by Victor.”

”Victor?” Great Dumas’ eyes widened, his expression incredulous, ”You mean Hugo? Vini, you’re not joking, are you? He is recognized by everyone as a model husband and father! Vini, if you suspected me based on those rumors, then I could forgive you, but how could you doubt Hugo?”

Vini sipped his coffee in silence, as if gathering his thoughts, ”Alexander, I’m not sure how to bring this up. You should know Saint-Beuve, that fellow has always been pursuing Hugo’s wife, Adele, right?”

Great Dumas was so shocked his bread fell back onto the plate, ”Is there such a thing?”

Vini said, ”Uh... actually, I don’t know much about the intricacies. But, in short, Adele refused Saint-Beuve for four or five years, but for some reason, the marital relationship between Hugo and Adele experienced a rift during a certain period, allowing Saint-Beuve to succeed. To maintain the appearance of a model family and for the sake of their children’s upbringing, Hugo and Adele have not disclosed this affair, maintaining the facade of a family publicly, but privately Adele allowed Saint-Beuve’s courtship, while Hugo sought out Juliette Drouet.”