The forecast was for sunshine and no rain, but disappointingly, the reality was no sunshine and plenty of rain. In fact, it was now raining cats and dogs. So to avoid getting soaked to the skin I was sheltering in a narrow covered alleyway. I was going to wait there until the weather got better.
Then something caught my attention. A few yards away from where I was standing there was a door in the alleyway. Out of curiosity, I went over to it. On it was a brass plate. In black letters were the following words.
'Henderson, Hargreaves & Hobs
(Classical Literature and First Editions)'
So it was a bookshop, but was it open? There was only one way to find out. The handle turned easily but when I pushed against the heavy door it didn't move. I was about to walk away, but I decided to try again, to see if it opened outwards. It did.
It was like stepping into an Aladdin's cave. In the room there were shelves and tables everywhere, all of them stacked high with books and bundles of papers. And there was the faint sweet smell of old books. For me, a collector, it was heaven. This was a place that I could spend hours in. It was only a couple of miles from where I lived, so why hadn't I discovered it before?
Then, from a side door, an old man appeared. He was smartly dressed, but in clothes that a Victorian gentleman might have worn.
In a voice that was extremely posh, he greeted me with, "Can I help you sir?"
"Thanks, but I'm just looking."
"Take your time, and if I can be of any assistance to you, then don't hesitate to let me know."
I thanked him again, and then I started exploring. It didn't take me long to realize that I'd found a gold mine. In my trembling hand was a Dickens first edition, and It was in good condition. I quickly put it back down before I dropped it. In any other bookshop it would have been in a locked cabinet. Here it was just on a shelf, for anybody to touch.
I'd just picked up another book when the old man came over to me.
"I noticed you examining 'A Tale of Two Cities', did it not meet your expectations?"
I wanted to laugh, but somehow I managed to hold it in. It hadn't just met my expectations, it had exceeded them. I was a very wealthy business man, but I'd put it down because if I was to buy such a book on impulse, then even for me, it would put a significant dent in my bank balance.
"Did you look at the last page?"
I shook my head. After picking the book up he showed me what was on that page. Dickens had written a few lines to a woman called Anne, and then he'd signed it.
"I've done some research but I've been unable to discover who she was."
That was interesting, but I was now glad that I hadn't asked the price. It was indeed a rare book, a first edition with the author's signature. It would be very expensive.
He then said something, and I almost wished that he hadn't. He told me the price of it, and surprisingly, I could just about afford it. For what it was, the price was a bargain, so I had to have it. But it was still a lot of money to spend on just one book!
A week later I was back again, but this time I was more prudent. After spending nearly two hours in the shop, I bought three more books, but they were cheap compared to the Dickens. By the end of my third visit I was friends with the old man.
He was Albert, but preferred to be called Bertie. He was the owner of the bookshop, and by his own admission, was extremely wealthy. For him, selling precious books to passionate collectors was more of a hobby than a business. And he'd demonstrated that by selling me 'A Tale of Two Cities' for the price that he'd paid for it.
As well as him telling me about himself, I'd talked about myself.
I'm Jeb, married to Mary. Both of us are fifty years old. We have one child, Jessica, and she's our pride and joy. My business is cars, very expensive ones. I buy and sell them at two locations. I manage one site and Jessica manages the other one. She's only twenty three, but she already knows everything about the business. That's not surprising, because she's had a good teacher. Me!
It was two weeks before I was back at the bookshop. My business was doing well, in fact, in the last week I'd made three big sales. So I was in a good mood, eager to spend some of that profit in his shop.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see that there were two other customers in the bookshop. For all the other times that I'd been here, I'd been the only one, so I'd started to think of it as just for me. That was silly.
One of them came over to me. I introduced myself.
While smiling, and offering him my hand, I said, "Hi, I'm Jeb."
Without returning my smile, or shaking my hand, his response was a terse, "You need to leave."
Then the other man spoke.
"Charles didn't mean to be rude. But you do need to leave. Bertie is closing the shop."
I didn't like them telling me what to do. They didn't own the bookshop, Bertie did. And where was he? There was something going on, but what? Then I understood, and now my pulse was racing.
It was a heist. These two weren't customers, they were criminals that were robbing the bookshop. That's why Bertie wasn't here, he would be tied up in one of the backrooms. I should be frightened, but I wasn't, instead I was excited. It was my opportunity to be a hero.
Without any consideration of the consequences of what I was about to do, I said, "Give yourselves up, the place is surrounded."
That got their attention, but not in the way that I'd expected. They didn't look anxious, they were confused.
Then a door at the back of the bookshop opened. I was worried. Myself against two of them had been optimistic, but to defeat three, was impossible. You have to pick your battles, and this was one that I was never going to win.
As he entered the room I put my hands up.
"I surrender, don't hurt me."
"Hello Jeb."
It was Bertie, and, as always, he was immaculately dressed. But more importantly, he wasn't tied up.
While looking at the two men, he said, "Are you playing games with my friend?"
Charles, the surly one, answered him, "The silly sod thinks we're robbing you."
That got a chuckle from Bertie.
"They are two dubious characters, but they are also my friends. Charles and Edward."
That's when I put my hands down. I felt such a fool.
"Sorry, when I was told that the shop was closing, and you weren't here, I..."
Bertie cut me off with, "Don't worry, it was an easy mistake to make."
"It is when you're a moron. He should leave."
That was from Charles. Was he always this rude?
After moving close to him, so that he was almost in his face, Bertie said, "I think it's you that should leave, and don't come back until your manners have improved."
It was now a contest between Bertie, who was calm, and Charles, who was angry, to see who would blink first.
When my friend won I wanted to cheer, but that would also be bad manners, so I kept my mouth shut.
"I'm going, and I won't be coming back."
On his way out, I got a look from him that told me that he blamed me for him having to leave, and then his final act was to slam the door, so hard, that it almost came off its hinges.
I was about to say sorry to Bertie, because if I hadn't jumped to the wrong conclusion, then his friend would still be here, but before I could, he spoke.
"It's not your fault. However, we have a problem. But with your help, it's one that is easily solved."
Both of them were now looking at me, and they were smiling. Then Bertie said, "Jeb, would you like to take Charles's place?"
I was confused. What was I supposed to do? He then said more.
"Let me explain."
He then did. When he'd finished I shook my head.
"This has to be a wind-up."
Bertie looked offended. Then Edward jumped in with, "It's not. Everything he's just said is true."
It was hard to believe, but I was starting to realize something. What had sounded like fantasy was really fact.
I'd been invited to a party. Apparently, on the second floor of the bookshop, there was a room that was specifically for entertaining. On the first Monday of each month, Bertie, and his two invited guests, go there to eat gourmet food and consume vintage wine. So what's unusual about that?
Nothing, but there was more to it than just food and drink!
Three women would be with us, and they were there to look after all our needs. Bertie had been very candid about what was required from them.
"They will do anything you ask, and because I've chosen them carefully, they will enjoy doing it."
I'd been invited, but should I accept? I was no angel, but it had been a long time since I'd been unfaithful to Mary. Did I really want to start being a bad boy again? In order to decide I needed some more information.
"Tell me about the women."
"Their ages are between twenty one and twenty five."
Then Edward joined in, "And they have to be beautiful with an amazing body."
It was a no-brainer. I was going to the party!
When I entered the room, it was like no other room that I'd ever seen before. It could have been an exhibition in a Victorian museum. It even had gas lighting. It was like stepping back in time to a bygone era. I didn't recognize any of the paintings that were hanging on the walls, but I just knew that they would be original and expensive. And Bertie wasn't just a collector of books and fine art, the room was an antique dealer's heaven. It was full of impressive artefacts.