The Betting Book And A Kiss Goodbye

Before Lady Kathleen and Lexie went back to their hotel room, they stopped at the coffee house for something to eat. They were tired and very grumpy.  The butler had slammed the door in their face and that was very rude. Lady Kathleen couldn't believe how snooty he was to them. She had met much nicer people on her pirate ships in her estimation.
The Industrial Age had accomplished many things. It's inventions of new things made life easier for the rich, however, it took jobs away from people. Now there were hundreds of thousands of folks with no jobs and sleeping on the streets just like Lexie and little Marlee and her mama had done.  (Grandma Lu pointed to a picture she had of an elderly man begging for food on the streets.)
So eating at a coffee house was indeed a luxury. Seldom did people get the opportunity to eat meat. It was rare indeed to have beef or pork. Lady Kathleen was used to eating seafood, like fish and shrimp. That was not available, so they ordered a bowl of stew that had a little beef and some vegetables in it and had coffee to drink.
While they were eating, Lady Kathleen whispered to Lexie that she needed to find a lawyer. She thought that perhaps if she could find the right person there might be a chance that Lexie could find her birthright papers from her father. She had started to believe the young lady and needed proof that she was who she said she was. The mystery would then be solved. London was a huge city and there were hundreds of lawyers. It was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack to find a good one.
When they had finished their meal they walked slowly towards the door trying to listen to the men's gossip, but had no luck. They went to the board by the door to see if there were any ads for lawyers. A man who was sitting nearby asked if he could help them find something. He said that he knew most everyone. Lady Kathleen said she was trying to find an honest lawyer that could help with some personal business. She was new in town and would like some assistance. The man's eyes sparkled and said, "I would be a solicitor (that is another name for a lawyer) and would be glad to help ye. Why don't ye come to my office at two of the clock this afternoon. It is on Pudding Street, next to the bakery.
Grandma Lu said, "You know this was a very dangerous way of doing things. Lady Kathleen didn't know him from a hill of beans. She could get into all kinds of trouble. In those days there were so many lawyers that some of them were dishonest and charged a lot of money but didn't do anything for it. It had been many many years since she had been in London and knew little of the ways of the city since she had been sailing the seven seas. Grandma Lu said, "In the back of the coffee house there was a little book, called the betting book. Men would make wagers with real money about many things. (Grandma Lu again pointed to a picture that she had found of men in those days betting money and writing it down in the betting book.)
Today they had all seen the conversation between Lady Kathleen and the questionable lawyer. They were betting if Lady Kathleen would lose her money to him or if she was smarter than the lawyer. (They didn't know that Lady Kathleen was a pirate. That's a good joke on them isn't it?)
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Meanwhile back at Lady Bonita's mansion little Marlee was more sad than ever. She wouldn't eat and wouldn't play with Stashia or the mini horses. She would only walk in the gardens and talk quietly to the little statues that were there. She walked up to one of the little angels and said, "Good-bye little angel. I am going to be leaving soon. I am going to run away to find my cap'n. I love her and need to find her. I will miss you, but you keep guard over the garden and the old wrinkled dog, Stashia." With that said, she blew the angel a kiss and went to prepare for her trip. She was going to go to the sea where the Cap'n's ship was. She was going to leave as soon as she changed into her pirate clothes.