Chapter 6: Jammarree Comes Home

I waited impatiently outside the Winslow Arms. It was a bright but very cold morning and I wondered how Jammarree would fare in this bitter weather. I had previously had two rooms set aside for Jammarree and myself with Jenny the landlady. I did not think that Jammarree would wish to travel further this day. I suspected we would use only one bed that night, but for the sake of appearances I had taken the two rooms.

Eventually the coach came in sight round the corner and pulled to a stop. Jammarree was the first to alight wearing a straw hat and carrying a small bundle. She rushed towards me her arms outstretched as I took her in my arms and hugged her close to me. There was a lot of pent up love in that hug we gave each other.

We entered the inn taking a table next to the roaring log fire and ordered food. Jammarree was very hungry. She told me how as soon as I had gone Roger Winslow had snatched her and told her she was no longer free, he had torn up her papers and kept her locked up. She thought that he was now probably sterile as a result of his various venereal illnesses as he had left her well alone sexually. On getting his passage to England on the Mohammad 2, he obviously did not know that the ship belonged to me. H had wanted to keep her with him, but the Captain had imprisoned Roger Winslow in his cabin, knowing full well my hatred for Winslow, and freed her in the custody of the Rev Hapgood who was returning home to England after doing Missionary work in Africa.

I sat in silence as she told me her story, becoming even more enraged as it unfolded. It was then that Jenny's husband who was the official tenant of the Winslow Arms approached me and said in a very hostile voice.

"My Lord I can not have a blackamoor in the guest rooms, but she may if she wishes bunk down in the stables."

I stood up and was about to hit him, when Jenny his wife who was just clearing some dishes nearby intervened.

" She stays in the room reserved for her by her Lordship and that's final." She told her husband.

I told him my voice cold with anger. "I own these premises and the tenancy is given at my discretion I think you have just given me due cause to consider reviewing your tenancy here."

Jenny was livid with her husband and set about him with a meat dish. After we had gone to my room, Jenny came and apologised for her husband. I told her that I was ending his tenancy and transferring it to her instead, a move which was rather unusual in those days.

" Whether you employ him or not will be your problem Jenny "I told her.

The next day we travelled back home. Jammarree was made welcome by everyone including my sister where she was treated as a guest and ate with the family. I had a meeting with Rev Hapgood thanking him for looking after Jammarree, I then explained the problem that we had relating to the ex vicar.

I offered the Rev Hapgood the living subject to the Bishops approval which relieved me of one of my most pressing problems.

In the meantime I was being pressed by Mistress Roper to give some attention to my properties in London. I felt that now would be a good time to call on Lord Archer and tell him that I no longer wished to be affianced to his daughter Anne-Marie.

He almost had a heart attack at the prospect of having no saviour for his debts. I did however assure him that I would appoint a manager who would report to me, to bring his properties back into profit. I told him however he would have to curb his outgoings and operate within a strict budget, or else I would foreclose.

Anne-Marie was livid with rage and threatened to sue me for 'Breach of Contract' which was of course allowed in those days. I then assured her that if she wished to do so, then she should go ahead, but that my offer of help to her father would be removed and we would foreclose on the estate forthwith. At this she reconsidered her actions. Satisfied that Jammarree was now safe and with my family and she had decided to act as companion to my sister I decided the time was now ripe to travel to London.

I had previously made arrangements to have my arch enemy Roger Winslow followed, as he made his way round London where he had many contacts. He had tried to get access to the old Winslow home, but I had taken steps to ensure that the staff their did not admit or befriend him in any way. I got weekly reports on his movements and activities. He had, according to my reports been making vast use of previous acquaintances and friends, he had borrowed money and scrounged accommodation from a variety of sources. But in time these contacts began to shut their doors to him encouraged by my agents who took great care in blackening his character in any way possible.

He was fast wearing out his welcome from all these sources. He apparently had been offered sanctuary by one of the new rich Northern Industrialists who offered him funds to marry his overweight and very plain daughter. Winslow was keen to accept this offer, until I deliberately spread the word that he had or was suffering from several venereal diseases obtained in Zanzibar. The offer was quickly withdrawn and he was back without hope.

The only point of saving grace and indeed the only asset he had was his title. I knew that many families would willingly marry their daughters to him just for the title. This possibility was a big danger to my plans, and I had to be sure that this did not happen. The time was coming when I knew I had to act to end it all.

Friends were growing tired of his company and his continual sponging and society at large had come to appreciate that he was indeed on a downward spiral. The time was approaching when even I began to feel slightly sorry for him, but that soon changed when I thought of the suffering he had inflicted on my Jammarree and so many other people. The suffering he was experiencing was nothing to the evil he had been responsible for and especially the evil he had done to my beloved Jammarree and her family He had started visiting brothels and had been ejected and beaten up for non payment, and for raucous and drunken behaviour.

This was good news for me, and now it was my intent to accelerate the downward spiral in any way I could thus ensuring his eventual destruction. An outline plan was forming in my mind, and to that end I sent orders to the captain to bring the Mohammad 2 round to the port of London to await further instructions. She had loaded in Bristol and was about to return to Zanzibar and was due to berth within a few days...

On arriving in London Emily Roper and I, got settled into our London Home then we decided to visit 35 Curzon street. We went without warning and found it was a large spacious house, previously having belonged to a wealthy family who had lost their fortune, through sheer neglect Large parts of the house were in decay and unused. The house was dirty and the girls looked seedy and past the age when customers would wish to be entertained by them. The Madam in charge a lady by the name of Daisy Watling an ex whore was well sizzled on gin when we arrived, she was filthy in appearance and it did not take us long to find out that she had been helping herself to the profits.

Within an hour we had ejected her on to the streets and recovered over 250 guineas from her belongings We closed the premises, and told the girls to clean the place up and themselves while we made a decision on the future of the premises. I was convinced that this was the bottom end of the market. We would need to implement much needed improvements as I was wishing to make our brothels more efficient. Meanwhile we moved along the street to No 75 and there we found that there was a considerable improvement both in the standard of the girls employed and the cleanliness of the premises, but there was still much to be done.