and waited for a telephone call, or a ring at the door. She waited in vain. Finally she went to bed in tears once more.
Next morning, there were a number of notes on her desk from him. They were all to do with the foundation of the Knights Templar. He mentioned his need to consult the original Latin text of the official Rule of the Order of warrior monks. This had, of course, been written by St Bernard himself. There was nothing of a personal nature. His door remained closed. Then, at eleven o’clock, she was startled to receive a text message from him.
Am on my way to Cambridge. Need to check the records of John of Salisbury. Will be back in a few days. Duggie has agreed to look after Jasper. Kind Regards
,
Roger
.
She snorted as she pressed the
Delete
button.
Kind
Regards
indeed! It was the end of the week before an email announced the fact that the Cambridge to which he had travelled, was the one in Massachusetts, rather than the English one with the punts.
Chapter 15
‘Well, Mr Scott, I have to say that this is one of the most interesting cases ever put before me.’
Mr Cardew of Cardew, Mulholland and Waterman was positively animated. He leant back in his chair and clasped his hands together across his well-filled waistcoat.
‘As I am sure you can imagine, this is not so much a grey area, as an area of considerable chaos and no little confusion. To the best of my knowledge, it was Oliver Cromwell and his colleagues who were the first to attempt to close down the oldest trade in England. Before Cromwell came to power, I would think there was not a town in the country, and probably very few villages, without one of these, erm, houses.’ His expression showed no sign of disapproval. Duggie took that as a good sign.
‘I would imagine that there may have been a fair degree of recidivism after his departure.’ Spotting something on Duggie’s face, he explained. ‘Once Cromwell died, I daresay a few of these places sprang up again. But, be that as it may, a few centuries later, any remaining establishments were formally done away with by the Victorians. This was done by means of such expedients as the Contagious Diseases Acts or the Criminal Law Amendment of 1885.’
Duggie let the names of the acts wash over him. He didn’t bother to follow too closely. After all, the history of it did not interest him so much as the current legal situation.
‘What is fascinating, is that I have been unable to find any mention of Toplingham Manor anywhere. In view of the fact that your parchment is a royal decree, it would have needed to be formally rescinded. But there is no record of any such thing.’
Duggie caught his eye. ‘So…?’
‘So, I am saying that I cannot find any evidence of it being quashed.’
Duggie settled back in his chair, digesting the news. The solicitor carried on with enthusiasm.
‘As for the present-day.’ Duggie’s ears pricked up. ‘It may surprise you to know that prostitution is not illegal here in England.’
It most certainly did. Duggie leant forward as the solicitor explained in more detail.
‘There have been a number of attempts to clamp down, particularly with regard to under-age sex. The most recent was the 2003 Sexual Offences Act. But the profession itself is still legal.’
He clasped his fingers together, and leant forward over the desk.
‘And, apparently, it is still very much in demand. A survey in London a few years ago found that no fewer than 8.5% of men, aged 16 to 44, admitted to having paid for sex. The government have estimated that as many as 80,000 people are currently involved in the sex trade in the UK. That is an awful lot of people, you know.’
Both men sat in silence for a few moments and digested the statistics. Duggie noticed the framed photograph on the wall showing a considerably younger Mr Cardew sitting on an elegant settee. Alongside him were three little girls and a rather severe-looking lady. A quick calculation told him those girls would
Next morning, there were a number of notes on her desk from him. They were all to do with the foundation of the Knights Templar. He mentioned his need to consult the original Latin text of the official Rule of the Order of warrior monks. This had, of course, been written by St Bernard himself. There was nothing of a personal nature. His door remained closed. Then, at eleven o’clock, she was startled to receive a text message from him.
Am on my way to Cambridge. Need to check the records of John of Salisbury. Will be back in a few days. Duggie has agreed to look after Jasper. Kind Regards
,
Roger
.
She snorted as she pressed the
Delete
button.
Kind
Regards
indeed! It was the end of the week before an email announced the fact that the Cambridge to which he had travelled, was the one in Massachusetts, rather than the English one with the punts.
Chapter 15
‘Well, Mr Scott, I have to say that this is one of the most interesting cases ever put before me.’
Mr Cardew of Cardew, Mulholland and Waterman was positively animated. He leant back in his chair and clasped his hands together across his well-filled waistcoat.
‘As I am sure you can imagine, this is not so much a grey area, as an area of considerable chaos and no little confusion. To the best of my knowledge, it was Oliver Cromwell and his colleagues who were the first to attempt to close down the oldest trade in England. Before Cromwell came to power, I would think there was not a town in the country, and probably very few villages, without one of these, erm, houses.’ His expression showed no sign of disapproval. Duggie took that as a good sign.
‘I would imagine that there may have been a fair degree of recidivism after his departure.’ Spotting something on Duggie’s face, he explained. ‘Once Cromwell died, I daresay a few of these places sprang up again. But, be that as it may, a few centuries later, any remaining establishments were formally done away with by the Victorians. This was done by means of such expedients as the Contagious Diseases Acts or the Criminal Law Amendment of 1885.’
Duggie let the names of the acts wash over him. He didn’t bother to follow too closely. After all, the history of it did not interest him so much as the current legal situation.
‘What is fascinating, is that I have been unable to find any mention of Toplingham Manor anywhere. In view of the fact that your parchment is a royal decree, it would have needed to be formally rescinded. But there is no record of any such thing.’
Duggie caught his eye. ‘So…?’
‘So, I am saying that I cannot find any evidence of it being quashed.’
Duggie settled back in his chair, digesting the news. The solicitor carried on with enthusiasm.
‘As for the present-day.’ Duggie’s ears pricked up. ‘It may surprise you to know that prostitution is not illegal here in England.’
It most certainly did. Duggie leant forward as the solicitor explained in more detail.
‘There have been a number of attempts to clamp down, particularly with regard to under-age sex. The most recent was the 2003 Sexual Offences Act. But the profession itself is still legal.’
He clasped his fingers together, and leant forward over the desk.
‘And, apparently, it is still very much in demand. A survey in London a few years ago found that no fewer than 8.5% of men, aged 16 to 44, admitted to having paid for sex. The government have estimated that as many as 80,000 people are currently involved in the sex trade in the UK. That is an awful lot of people, you know.’
Both men sat in silence for a few moments and digested the statistics. Duggie noticed the framed photograph on the wall showing a considerably younger Mr Cardew sitting on an elegant settee. Alongside him were three little girls and a rather severe-looking lady. A quick calculation told him those girls would
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