King Edward VII had been dead for close to two years. It was unusually warm for the first days of April in the Ruhr valley when Stead met the countess Pujol-Murat and academic Antonin Gadal on the sandy bank of the Lister in the shadow of the almost completed Lister Dam. They were just south of the ancient Hanseatic city of Attendorn. A light breeze whispered through the brown reed grass behind them as they watched boisterous children frolic barefoot on the edge of the chilly water. Gruff shouts in German could be heard in the distance as foreman barked orders to their furiously scurrying work crews putting the finishing touches on the top of the dam. No one was paying any mind to the famous Englishman and the two French aristocrats making themselves right at home on German soil. The countess spoke first in heavily accented English, “the Orient de France now has complete control over our government. They’ve placed Alexander Izvolsky in Paris with unlimited funds, no doubt coming from Alfred Milner through Edward Grey. God help France! It is now ruled by a Russian grifter who takes his orders from British devils. They have bought off Frances’s […]

This post is only for readers who have a paid membership subscription to Jack's work . Get yours' now! Annual Subscription Choices or Monthly Subscription Choices.