JACK OF DIAMONDS

CHAPTER 18: WHERE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT RETURNS IN THE DAY

I know, I know, this is the PAID section…

Let me tell you what’s happening in the story so far…

Our hero, Artemus Spencer, has arrived at the farm of an old war buddy of his from the Great War, Reggie O’Dowd. There’s been a horrendous rain however, and Reggie’s fields are starting to flood. Artie helps him pick as much of the stock as they can, and they deliver it to Mandalay, a Manor house in an area fondly referred to as Chumley Grove. A low laying valley of six Manor houses and outlaying farms in the Devonshire countryside of England.

It is 1923.

Reggie’s living with a woman named Claire, who is the head cook at Mandalay Manor. He brings the produce he has managed to save, and he and Artie set about loading it into the pantry of the kitchen. But the head Butler arrives and questions Claire as to why O’Dowd is delivering produce when he’s not scheduled to deliver until Thursday of the following week. Claire says she’s helping him out because of the flooding. The Butler says he can’t be bringing his stuff in and and expecting to get paid, when it’s not his day.

Claire has words with the man, and quits. She then tells Reggie and Artie to put everything back into the delivery van Reggie drives. On the way back to the farm, Artie asks what Reggie plans to do now. He says he and Claire have been discussing opening up a pie place in the village of Chumley. They just need a little money…

Claire tells Artie that the Manor houses of Chumley Grove are entering “The Season.” Starting from the night of The Hunter’s Moon, until Christmas, there will be a series of Balls, and dances, and afternoon soirées. The first party is a Costume Ball, where they will have a hidden treasure of gold sovereigns packed into an old skull that is, or was, supposedly, Cromwell’s head once upon a time. Claire also says that Reggie has told her about his special abilities. When he asks her what she mean, she tell him that Reggie told her he can climb the outside of any building and enter an open window on the top floor. She says Reggie has witnessed it. She suggests he break into a Manor house, and steal what he can.

Now here is where the complication comes.

Before The Season starts, the village of Chumley hosts the Chumley Fair, where all the staff and all the Houses attend and celebrate the beginning of The Season. Artie has come to see Reggie as a favour for a London gangster named Charlie. Reggie, before the War, and before moving out of the city to a farm he inherited, was once a member of Charlie’s London Gang.

Artie has been told, under threat, to specifically steal a Stradivarius violin. He finds the violin, but he also comes across Jenny Ashcroft, who chose not to attend the Fair. He ends up tying her up. She tries to make a deal with him and offers to be a partner. He refuses. She says she’ll do anything to prove that she means it. Artie unbuttons his fly. She laughs and asks him if that’s all she has to do.

She blows him.

Her husband comes home unexpectedly, drunk, and wanting to have sex with her. Artie is outside watching. He can’t hear everything that’s being said, but it seems obvious that she’s not interested and he plans of taking what he wants. Artie steps in and beats the man, losing himself in a fit of blind rage, and doing a right fine job on the man. In order to escape, he steals a horse.

Okay, you got all that, right?

Now we meet the bad guy, who’s really a decent man. He’s a Russian. His family owns a very rich and powerful Banking Empire. He has been sent to England where he runs the English Bank. With the outbreak of the Revolution, he does everything he can to help rescue family members and aristocrats trying to get out of the country. He even mounts a rescue of the Royal Family, but fails, arriving two days too late. He is doing everything he can to bring down the new Socialist Soviets of Russia. He learns that Lenin has had two strokes and that someone named Stalin is trying to take power. This man has sent assassins to try and kill our bad guy. They have failed though.

His family is hosting the Costume Ball for this year’s Season Opening. He has to hide The Cromwell Skull.

Now back at the beginning there, where Claire tells Artie about the Costume Ball, and tells him he can enter all the Manors and rob them, Artie tells her he’d rather get the Cromwell Skull. He tells her if she works in the kitchen, she can find out where the skull is hidden, and he can claim it.

Okay, you got that? The Cromwell Skull is the new target.

He already has the violin. He just hasn’t delivered it yet. He likes the idea of staying and robbing all of the Manors.

And this is where the Police come in. We meet Nigel. He’s an artist more than he is anything else. But he takes the call when Jenny Ashcroft telephones. (Remember her?) He goes out that night to take a statement. He tells another Constable to Telephone for an inspector in the big town. They respond by sending out Social Constable Sonia Nazar, a widow who served as a nurse during the War, but gave it up to become the first female Constable in London.

These two are present when Artie arrives on the stolen horse he promised to return…

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