Chapter 2004: Chapter 181: Hastings, You Have No Heart
His voice lowered slightly, as if uneasily speaking to himself: "No one will invite her to dance on Brook Street again, and those ladies’ tea parties in Belgravia, Berkeley Street, and Mayfair will all avoid her. Even if she hides away in Hot Spring Town, I’m afraid that when she comes back, she’ll only be seen as a woman exposed by her husband in the newspaper... Not to mention, she’s carrying debt herself..."
Arthur glanced at him, his voice unwavering: "When you dated her, when you took her money, why didn’t you think of these things?"
"Think of it?" Disraeli vehemently defended himself: "Are you blaming me? Why don’t you blame that damn..."
He gritted his teeth and spat out the name: "Daniel MacLise! If it weren’t for that meddling Irish artist, the situation would never have reached this point today! Do you know what he’s done? He actually took her to their studio, made her a model, and drew two nude sketches!"
Arthur expressionlessly put his hat back on, not because the news didn’t shock him, but because he had become used to such surprises by now.
"Besides!" Disraeli seemed to realize he lost his composure, his tone softened: "You’re aware of Sir Francis Sykes; he’s not as conservative as the newspapers say. He actually knows about our affair. Initially, he was uncomfortable, but after I introduced him to Lady Bolton, he even invited me for a glass of sherry and asked if I would consider joining the Christian education charity he established in Oxfordshire."
Arthur raised an eyebrow: "So you think a glass of sherry can redeem your debts among you? You’ve inevitably handed over leverage to him."
Disraeli pointed at his temple with his finger: "Arthur, I know what you’re going to say. I indeed made a mistake, I admit. But you have to recognize... at least I’m not the most damned one."
"Alright then..." Arthur, after witnessing this soap opera, couldn’t help but pull out his cigar box. But before he could extract a cigar, Disraeli had already struck a match and offered it to him.
Considering the future Prime Minister’s timely repentance, Arthur took a deep drag on the cigar against the flame: "Benjamin, these two thousand pounds, I didn’t give them to you for free. First, you must promise me three things."
Disraeli’s hand holding the check involuntarily tightened, his mouth twitched: "You’re going to treat me like a coachman again."
"Being a coachman is better than being the headline of a newspaper." Arthur flicked ash from his cigar: "Especially before this year’s election results come out. After all, once you lose your seat as an MP, then you’ll no longer have the political immunity from creditor lawsuits. At that point, I think solving the problem will be much more than just two thousand pounds."
Just the thought of creditors overrunning his home made Disraeli shudder.
Although part of his reason for entering politics was indeed to realize his political ideals, practically speaking, being an MP was also a haven for a debtor like him.
Although he’s paid off many debts over the years, he’s also borrowed quite a bit more, even excluding thousands borrowed from friends at The British; he still owes nearly twenty thousand pounds outside.
After hesitating for a moment, Disraeli finally sighed: "Tell me, what three tasks must my redemption bond include?"
Arthur began: "First, have your campaign assistant review the list from several years ago. If Mrs. Sikes indeed recorded somewhere that you took 2000 pounds from her, then you must do something to turn it into a politically reciprocal expense. For instance, during the 1835 election, under her name, you rented several venues in Tower Hamlets for sponsorship banquets, charity speeches, or published thousands of campaign pamphlets aimed at middle-class voters."
"If I can’t find those accounts..." Disraeli didn’t finish his sentence before sighing to himself: "Forget it, forget it, how can it not be found? Spend an afternoon ’making’ them in an accounting firm..."
Seeing Disraeli being so astute, Arthur no longer hid anything: "Second, find some time to invite Mr. Langworth for a meal. As you know, Langworth is now the editor-in-chief of The Economist. He was hired from The Times and wrote several articles for me before, attacking certain false statements about police reform. If you really invite him for a meal, without much ado, choosing dishes is not necessary, drinks are flexible, once he’s in a good mood, you can subtly mention the adultery case involving Viscount Melbourne and Lady Norton from a few years ago filed by Judge Norton..."
Disraeli immediately understood Arthur’s subtext, Langworth was originally a capable assistant under Thomas Barnes, the chief editor of The Times. Back when that Norton case caused a sensation in London, The Times had covered it extensively.
Now mentioning this case to Langworth, he surely remembers it. Moreover, if Langworth is willing to help, find Thomas Barnes at The Times to assist in publishing a few articles revisiting Lady Norton’s case before Sir Sykes sues Mrs. Sikes. This would redirect public memory, highlighting the disgrace of publicly accusing one’s spouse, and let this public opinion tide dilute Sir Sykes’s case.
