I was in need of distraction and regretted that we were now traveling in broad daylight as there were to be none of the distracting illicit activities that made my tallywhacker ache and my gooseberries throb. Right now I needed to be diverted from the stone weight of my thoughts and the reality of the peculiar situation I found myself in.
“It’s rather genius, don’t you think? Exeter Hall is well-known as a venue for religious meetings, musical concerts, and lectures. Think on it—” Sebastian said holding both gloved fisted hands out. Opening the right fist he continued.
“Here we have a venue that was built as a center for clean living and righteous religious activities, and—” Opening the left fist he said,
“Here we have a group of men, powerful men who are using this sanctuary of Godliness for occult purposes—hiding their sins in plain sight!” He chuckled and clapped his hands together. It was almost as if he was impressed by the audacity of Fratres Seminis.
“Indeed,” I said morosely. Sebastian spoke on, but I tuned-out and remained quiet for some time. My mind was whirring with the implications of what Sebastian deduced. I did not know how to tell him that I was, in fact, a charitable benefactor at that particular establishment. I donated to the Young Men’s Christian Association whose motto was ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ and their headquarters’ was at Exeter Hall. I donated annually to the association; however, my aversion to crowded gatherings meant I had never attended a fundraising event. I’m not sure if Sebastian understood how far out of the bounds of my comfort I had gone; just to spend time with him. If I told him I donated to a charity I had never visited he would think me foolish.
My games master at school had been very passionate about so-called ‘Muscular Christianity’. We were taught that a healthy, strong, young man was a virtuous man and ready to become a valuable member of society, therefore the divinity of physical fitness was drummed into me at the same time as The Lords Prayer.
The Young Men’s Christian Association offered city boys religious education, a place to read, and take exercise. The aim was that they learn how to be strong, healthy, worthwhile men in the eyes of God. I believed that good health and exercise assisted all men to become strong and useful. I hoped this organization had nothing to do with Fratres Seminis.
“What do you think? No one would bat an eye if a man of means visited the hall. I have even attended lectures to keep an eye on a mark.”
I was growing frustrated with Cavell’s chirpy humor. He appeared to revel in the chase and at this moment I was growing concerned that I had inadvertently been duped into donating to an organization that was not what it purported to be.
“I have also attended Exeter Hall for a choral concert, and several lectures, before my…problem took hold,” I admitted. One of the lectures was about The Godliness of Celibacy. I recalled the preacher proclaimed that:
Those men who seek to deny sin and live a celibate life give their undivided devotion to the Lord, and in return will hold a prized place within the kingdom of heaven.
I had taken solace in those words at the time, but looking back I can see now how interminably lonely I was.
“Are you even listening?” Sebastian elbowed me in the ribs, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yes, sorry, forgive me”, I said distractedly. I was regretting my wish to discover where the ritual had occurred. The cloak and dagger entrance to Blake’s sordid world and the wicked concoction I’d consumed made me think it had to be someplace ‘other’, not somewhere I was familiar with.
The Clarence pulled out of the flow of carriages on The Strand and when the driver found a space he pulled over to the curb. Sebastian exited first and tossed payment to the driver.
We stood outside the Savoy Hotel, it was busy, and as our coach pulled away into the stream, another coach took its place. Across the road, on the north side of The Strand, I could see the grand entrance to Exeter Hall with its stunning Corinthian pillars and the word PHILADELPHEION carved above, which I’d learned was a Greek word that meant Loving Brothers.
I held on to my top hat as we hurried across the road—blessedly arriving in one piece. We strode between the tall pillars and through double doors into a wide interior space. The air smelled of beeswax and vinegar and the only persons I saw were cleaners—one cleaning woman with a mop and bucket, and a second polishing the balustrades on the staircase.
The design and décor of the building were dedicated to piety and virtue. There were two curved flights of marble stairs with cedar banisters, one on each side, which met in one broad straight flight above. Having attended a concert here I knew the stairs led to the Great Hall.
On the lower floor, there was a smaller hall for lectures, seating up to a thousand people, and a series of offices used by several committees and associations, all of whom assembled at the halls to hold their public meetings. On the wall I saw a list of those who kept offices, I read down the list: The Christian, Baptist, and Wesleyan, missionary societies, The Reformation Society, The Sacred Harmonic Society, and there at the bottom of the alphabetical list was the Young Men’s Christian Association.
Sebastian leaned in, quirked a brow and asked, “Ring any bells?”
“No, not as yet. I entered the building via
