Page 30 of The Gentleman’s Thief

Sebastian brightened. “That gives us something to work with. Ten minutes walk from Adam Street, let’s see…”

We were head-to-head over the map, both peering through the magnifier at the enlarged streets, alleys, parks, and buildings. I could smell the Bergamot pomade Sebastian had used in his hair; it was familiar and I liked it very much. Then I recalled it belonged to me and the jar sat in the cabinet in my private bathroom! I was rather outraged. The man seemed to believe he was entitled to use any of my possessions! Sebastian glanced up from the map and caught my eye, and in that flash of glittering hazel, my outrage melted away. In that particular moment of attraction, I would have given him the clothes from my back!

“The furthest location to the east is, at a guess Kings College, to the north you could reach Covent Garden, west we have… the Vaudeville and Tivoli, and the Society of the Arts.”

I stood erect with my hands on my hips and harrumphed. “There are too many possibilities.” This was like looking for the veritable needle in a haystack.

“Is there any pertinent detail about the venue you can recall? The décor? A sound? A smell?” Sebastian suggested.

I pulled a chair from the table and sat down heavily. I rested my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands then searched my memories.

“The décor… was commonplace and unpretentious. Herringbone floor, half-tiled walls I could have been in a school, or an office, or any municipal building for that matter.” I paused to rake through my thoughts again.

“There was a smell, yes… I remember it vividly reminded me of my school days!”

“What kind of smell? Cooking from the refectory? Chemicals from the Chemistry Laboratory? The latrines—“Sebastian suggested. We both laughed.

“Actually, it was sweaty socks and unwashed boys!” I could not repress the smile in my voice.

“Ah yes, I remember that smell too!” Sebastian snickered. He stared down at the map once more.

“The closest place of learning is Kings College, but I don’t recall the halls smelling of sweaty boys!”

“There was Latin… yes, an inscription above a doorway!” I said excitedly as the memory popped into my mind.

“If I recall correctly, the motto for Kings College is Sancte et Sapienter which means With Holiness and Wisdom. Was it that?”

“No, that wasn’t it! Argh…damnation! What was it?” I ran my fingers through my curls, and then pinched the bridge of my nose, deeply frustrated with myself. I should have paid more attention in Latin class after all! Then an image flashed into my mind. I stood up and announced,

“Mens sana in corpore sano”

“A healthy mind in a healthy body,” Sebastian said triumphantly. “And now I know exactly where this ritual took place.” Discomfiture settled in my stomach, for I had a feeling I knew what my companion was going to say before he said it.

Sebastian stabbed his index finger onto a place on the map. “Exeter Hall” he declared.

Exeter Hall

Sebastian and I took a growler just as we had done several nights before. So much had happened that I could not allow myself to think too deeply about the events—and my reaction to them. I was appalled to learn that I had probably consumed a blend of Methamphetamine and Absinthe. In a way, it was a relief to know that I was drugged and did not seriously want to end myself.

I glanced out of the window, my thoughts whirring like the mechanical workings of a pocket watch. We traveled down Shaftsbury Avenue again and in the day time the thoroughfare was busier with throngs of people perilously crisscrossing in front of carriages. Shops were closed on a Sunday, but hawkers still lined the street trying to sell their wares before the Bobbies on the beat passed by.

I was in need of distraction and regretted that we were now traveling in broad daylight as there were to be none of the distracting illicit activities that made my tallywhacker ache and my gooseberries throb. Right now I needed to be diverted from the stone weight of my thoughts and the reality of the peculiar situation I found myself in.

“It’s rather genius, don’t you think? Exeter Hall is well-known as a venue for religious meetings, musical concerts, and lectures. Think on it—” Sebastian said holding both gloved fisted hands out. Opening the right fist he continued.

“Here we have a venue that was built as a center for clean living and righteous religious activities, and—” Opening the left fist he said,

“Here we have a group of men, powerful men who are using this sanctuary of Godliness for occult purposes—hiding their sins in plain sight!” He chuckled and clapped his hands together. It was almost as if he was impressed by the audacity of Fratres Seminis.

“Indeed,” I said morosely. Sebastian spoke on, but I tuned-out and remained quiet for some time. My mind was whirring with the implications of what Sebastian deduced. I did not know how to tell him that I was, in fact, a charitable benefactor at that particular establishment. I donated to the Young Men’s Christian Association whose motto was ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ and their headquarters’ was at Exeter Hall. I donated annually to the association; however, my aversion to crowded gatherings meant I had never attended a fundraising event. I’m not sure if Sebastian understood how far out of the bounds of my comfort I had gone; just to spend time with him. If I told him I donated to a charity I had never visited he would think me foolish.

My games master at school had been very passionate about so-called ‘Muscular Christianity’. We were taught that a healthy, strong, young man was a virtuous man and ready to become a valuable member of society, therefore the divinity of physical fitness was drummed into me at the same time as The Lords Prayer.

The Young Men’s Christian Association offered city boys religious education, a place to read, and take exercise. The aim was that they learn how to be strong, healthy, worthwhile men in the eyes of God. I believed that good health and exercise assisted all men to become strong and useful. I hoped this organization had nothing to do with Fratres Seminis.

“What do you think? No one would bat an eye if a man of means visited the hall. I have even attended lectures to keep an eye on a mark.”

I was growing frustrated with Cavell’s chirpy humor. He appeared to revel in the chase and at this moment I was growing concerned that I had inadvertently been duped into donating to an organization that was not what it purported to be.