“Very well. I will make the arrangements.” With that Rupert was off, whistling down the path to the house, leaving Henry to sort out what had just happened.
What had he allowed himself to get into? Twelve horses on stage. And a cranky camel to boot. Lord be thunderin’ Jaysus!
“Rupert!” Beth was clearly agitated as she came upon Rupert in the rear entrance hall near the riverside garden. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“I was out chatting with Henry about Ben-Hur. What is it, darling? You are all flushed. Are you not well?” Rupert put an arm around her and guided her down the hall to the library.
“Oh, Rupert the most dreadful circumstances are seizing our city, and I am afraid to go out even for a shopping trip.”
“What happened, Beth?”
“I was accosted by a man who thought I was one of those women, one of those sporting women!”
“Did he hurt you? Did you call the police?” Rupert took her arm.
“No, no, he didn’t touch me. He just ambled over and asked me if I kept my place nearby. He showed me a two-dollar bill! I was horrified and let out a shriek. Ruby Smithering was nearby, and her chauffeur quickly appeared to rescue me. The man apologized and slipped away into the crowd. Oh, Rupert, what is becoming of our city if a lady can’t be left unmolested entering a restaurant?”
Rupert stroked her hair. “You’re sure you are all right, then?”
“I am, Rupert dear, but really, it is high time the city did something about this…this problem. You see those harlots everywhere. They exhibit not one iota of shame in parading about among the better classes to seek their customers. It’s absolutely scandalous.”
“Beth, darling, I can assure you that complaints like yours are coming in with sufficient volume that very soon there will be a solution to this.”
“Why not now, Rupert? I insist that as a member of the police commission and my husband that you do something. I’m not one to ask favors of this sort. But I don’t think my nerves can take it any more!”
“Beth, please do calm down. You must know that we are well aware of the problem, and a number of remedies are under consideration. You just need to trust me that there will soon be a solution. There now, dearest, give me a hug, and let me dry your tears.”
She fell into his embrace and was calmed by his solicitous murmurings. “Better now, darling?”
She smiled back at him. “Yes, thank you, dear, I’m much better now. Do you have time for a game of anagrams or dominoes? Shall I call for refreshments?”
“I’m so terribly sorry, Beth dear, I would love to have a game with you, but Percival Wright is on his way here to meet with me. Could we play later?”
She sighed and then remembered her parcels. “Well, in that case, I’ll go put away my shopping. I found two new dresses I think you might like.” She tapped his nose with a delicate finger.
“I will look forward to you showing them to me later.” He smiled at her as she rose to leave. “Darling,” he whispered naughtily in her ear, “I should think the bloke would have offered you at least a tenner.”
“Rupert!” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder and minced prettily toward the door, glancing back with a wink before she left.
In the hallway outside, Chadwick stepped a few paces back from the door so as not to be caught eavesdropping. With the silver calling card tray in his hand, he straightened into his most formal posture and moved forward as Mrs. Willows emerged laughing from the room. Barely acknowledging him, she flew by to attend to her new dresses.
“Mr. Wright has arrived, Mr. Willows.”
“Yes, of course, Chadwick, my favorite real estate man. Do bring him in directly and please serve the scotch I hold in special reserve.”
How unusual, Mr. Chadwick thought. In the fourteen years that he had been in Mr. Willows’ employ, this was the first time he had ever been instructed to bring anyone in immediately to a meeting with the alderman. Mr. Willows had always required his guests to wait in order to maintain his image of being a man with great demands on his time. The butler was greatly intrigued.
Within minutes, host and guest were seated comfortably, their whiskey poured over ice in Baccarat crystal glasses that Wright had properly and enthusiastically admired. Rupert was pleased to inform him that he had brought them home from Austria, a new stop in their most recent travels abroad. As this was a meeting of unusual importance, Rupert had chosen to move away from his desk and sit with his guest in the heavy leather club chairs that he reserved for his more intimate discussions.
“I see that you have made quite a showpiece of this library, Rupert,” Percival Wright nodded in admiration. “You have made exquisite choices in your new acquisitions.”
“You are very kind, Percival.” Rupert held a box of cigars out to his guest. “It has been many years since we first stood in this library, and I wrote you a check for Ravenscraig.” He smiled at the thought.
“It has, indeed, Rupert. A lot has happened since then. We’ve signed a great many contracts since that day.”
“True enough. I must say that it has been a fruitful relationship that has developed into a most valued friendship. I thank you, Percival, for your unfailing discretion and your loyalty in all of these years we have been doing business together.” He raised his glass.
“It has been my pleasure, I assure you.” His hands were suddenly clammy at the unusual comment. Rupert had never spoken to him this way before, and it made Percival very nervous. “I take it that there must be something on your mind to have called me to your home instead of the office.”
“Yes, quite,” said Rupert. “I have a rather interesting proposition for you, and the subject matter is such that I could not risk meeting you at the office and chancing having the conversation overheard. Here’s the thing. You know I still have my seat on the police commission, don’t you? Well, the commission is under a great deal of pressure to do something about the, well, to put it plainly, the very obvious presence of the sporting women conducting business all over the city.”
“I see,” Wright’s bushy eyebrows reached up over his glasses. He was not only relieved, he was tantalized. Rupert wanted to talk about whores! “I must say, I’ve seen a number of stories on the topic recently in the newspapers,” he offered. “Some of the writers would have you believe there is a brothel on every city block.”
“That’s certainly the perception. It all started when the city shut down the Thomas Street brothels five years ago.” Rupert shook his head. “Idiots. They should have left well enough alone. So now, my good man, the police commission has developed a plan to go back to the old order of things.”
“Is that so? So, we are talking about setting up a new red light district?” This was astonishing news.
“Correct.”
“I take it there will be no proposal to legalize their business activity.”
“None whatsoever.”
Percival felt his bald spot heating up, as if bared to the summer sun. He shook his head. “I must say, it sounds a little risky. I daresay members of city council will be drawn and quartered if the council votes to do this.”
“There won’t be any need for a vote of that type.”
“Why not?” Percival was confused.
“We’ll simply instruct the police chief to handle the problem in the best way he sees fit.”
“Prostitution is a violation of the criminal code.” Wright hit the obvious flaw in the plan.
“It is. No one is ever going to stop prostitution. We owe it to the citizens to manage the problem in the best way possible. In the coming weeks there is going to be a meeting of the police commission. We are going to instruct Chief McRae to have a talk with Minnie Woods. You know who she is, don’t you?”
“Madame Minnie. Indeed, a well respected leader in her profession.”
“Right you are. Hear, hear.” Rupert clinked glasses with the realtor. “McRae will meet with Minnie, and together they’ll work to gather th
e girls into the new segregated district. This is where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Don’t look so surprised, Wright. I was asked if I knew a real estate professional who could quietly help facilitate the transactions needed to establish the new district. Naturally I thought of you.”
Wright felt a prickly sensation run up the back of his neck as he considered what his wife, Mildred, would think of this. She had recently become active in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. No, she wouldn’t go for this at all. Percival shook his head. “Well, my goodness, Rupert. Thank you for thinking of me, but I don’t think this is my cup of tea.”
“Don’t be so quick to say no, Wright.” Rupert sat back and crossed his legs. “The real estate agent will make a good deal of money on this. It might as well be you.”
“You don’t say?” Wright’s head was reeling as he worked to keep up with the full scope of the unfolding scheme.
“Minnie has told me that she has already spotted an area she believes will be suitable to the purpose. It’s in Point Douglas. She likes Annabella and McFarlane Streets. Do you know them?”
Wright squinted as he tried to recall the layout of Point Douglas. “If I am not mistaken, Annabella looks out onto a steam plant, and McFarlane is the next street over, on the east side. They’re just a couple of blocks long. The river wraps around them and isolates the neighborhood. I would say the majority of people don’t even know where it is.”
“That’s correct. How far is Annabella Street from the railway station?”
“A five minute walk.”
“And how long by streetcar from downtown?”
Percival suddenly saw the scheme in sharp focus. “Perhaps eight or ten minutes, and it’s a short walk, really, from more than a dozen hotels and maybe forty or more saloons and gambling halls. Far enough away to be out of sight and close enough to be very convenient. It’s brilliant.”
Rupert smugly sipped his scotch.
“So, here is what I have in mind for you, Percival. I wish to anonymously purchase as many of the homes on these two streets as possible before the police commission gives the order to set up the district. Of course, I need to maintain my distance. I will put up the money to buy the houses and you will put them in your name with separate documents that show me as an investor. I will own ninety percent of each of the properties. You will own ten percent for your part in facilitating the arrangements. I’ll pay top dollar, so it shouldn’t be difficult to encourage some of the homeowners to sell. Then, Millie and the police chief will direct the ladies to see you for the purchase of their new homes. Naturally, as soon as word gets out among the girls about the new segregated area, the interest in the properties will drive the prices up, and we will sell or rent the houses at what I expect will be a significant profit.”
“Well, it does sound like it has possibilities.” Wright plucked a pencil from his pocket and started scribbling notes. “How many properties are we talking about?”
“At least thirty, possibly up to fifty.”
Percival stopped writing. He was going to be rich.
Rupert continued. “Of course, several of the lots are vacant, and some have little more than shacks on them now. Where it suits, we will put up some kind of housing that we think will be appropriate. Many of the madams will have five or six girls working with them, so we will design some nice two and three story homes that will be to their liking. Many will want to accommodate card rooms or social parlors with access from the back lane.”
“Social parlors?”
“Of course. The big money in brothels is in selling booze, Percival. You will learn a lot in your meeting with Minnie, I’m sure.”
Wright whistled. “This could be very profitable, indeed, Rupert.”
“It will make you wealthy, Percival. But there is so much more to it than that. Think of the good turn we’ll be doing for the ladies, my friend. Left to carry on their business in this way, their profits will increase, their safety will be improved under the watchful eye of the police, and their need to market their services openly on the streets downtown disappears. Everyone benefits, you see. Most of all, the city will appear to have gotten rid of the problem of the social evil of prostitution. It’s wonderful don’t you think?” Rupert asked, congratulating himself on his brilliance.
“Well, it’s quite amazing, I do think.” Percival patted the sweat off of his bald head with his handkerchief. “When, precisely, do you think this will happen?”
“We need to act immediately to secure the properties. Things will happen very quickly. By July the brothel district will be well established in Point Douglas.”
“And the police will protect it?” asked Wright.
“Perhaps I have overstated that. Yes, in a matter of speaking. It will be to McRae to work out the details. His instructions will be to contain the problem.”
“See no evil, hear no evil?”
“That’s a fair assessment of the policy, yes.”
Greed won out. Percival was ensnared in the prospect of becoming a wealthy man. Even Mildred would see the value in this noble work, if he ever had to explain it to her.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Rupert, to be a part of making things right in the great city of Winnipeg,” Percival said with reverence.
With business now concluded, Rupert settled in for a social visit with his friend. “Tell me about how things are coming with the sale of homes in Crescentwood. Charles Enderton, the developer, is a pretty decent fellow, but I can hardly believe the tremendous amount of money he has riding on this area. Do you think this is going to be as grand as Armstrong’s Point?”
The two fell to discussing the finer points of Enderton’s grand scheme and the massive homes going up on the south side of the Assiniboine River. Chadwick, sitting quietly in his secret eavesdropping place, lost interest.
Moving about silently, he replaced the piece of wall behind the silk wall covering that separated the hall closet from the library. He stood and straightened his jacket. He had a telephone call to make. His sister lived on Annabella Street and Chadwick was a part owner of the house. There was no reason that he and his sister should not profit from the inevitable.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Courting Emma
March 11, 1909
Emma leaned back into the cushions and pushed her needlepoint to the side. Life was positively delicious, and her mind was full of thoughts of her fabulous evening at the theater. It would have been enough just to have seen Ben-Hur, a “thunderous spectacle unequalled by any other entertainment ever seen in Winnipeg” as the newspaper put it, but to have seen it sitting next to Charles Fortune had been an unexpected pleasure. How could she have known that he would be so different from the awkward gangly boy she knew as a child?
It was all her father’s doing, of course, for he had engineered it. He always had plenty to say about the young men who paid attention to her and always tried to steer her into the direction of suitors from families he approved of. The Fortunes were top of Father’s list.
She closed her eyes and recalled Charles’ gentle laugh. Tall, broad shouldered, and known to be an outstanding hockey player, he was strikingly superior to all of the other young men who had come to call on her. What a pity that he was studying so far away at Bishop’s College in Quebec. Charles was quiet and thoughtful. There was none of the false bravado so typical of the boys she knew.
She would have plenty to discuss with her friend, Mary Doogie, when she saw her at dinner. So deep was she in her daydream that she let out a whoop when she heard the knock at the door.
It was Mr. Chadwick carrying a letter for her on his silver tray; the first of many that Emma was to exchange with Charles Fortune over the next three years.
March 11, 1909
Dear Miss Willows,
It was a most delightful occurrence that I found myself seated next to you at the Walker Theatre last evening. I can scarcely believe we are the same two people w
ho played together as children those many years ago.
Seeing how much you enjoyed the performance, I hope you don’t think me too forward for including a small gift with this correspondence. It is a theatre program that was signed by Conway Tearle as a remembrance for you of his outstanding performance as Ben-Hur.
With kindest regards,
I am very sincerely,
Charles A. Fortune
March 11, 1909
Dear Mr. Fortune,
How very kind you are to have sent the delightful souvenir program. Thanking you for your thought of me, I am
Cordially yours,
Emma Willows
March 13, 1909
Dear Miss Willows,
If you have no previous engagement for this evening, I would be very glad to come up to visit you for a short while. Would half-past eight o’clock be suitable?
Sincerely yours,
Charles A. Fortune
March 13, 1909
Dear Mr. Fortune,
No, I do not have any other engagement, and I shall be glad to have a visit from you. My father would prefer nine o’clock, as he is otherwise occupied earlier in the evening.
Very cordially,
Emma Willows
March 18, 1909
Dear Miss Willows,
I received a message this morning from Mrs. Doogie inviting me up to visit this evening for an “at home” in honor of Mr. Wainswright from Toronto. She asks that I go by Ravenscraig for you, which I take as a most welcome request as it proves that you have informed Mrs. Doogie you wish to go and suggests you would consider allowing me to escort you. So, if it be agreeable, I will come by for you at eight o’clock.
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