The Confessions of a Procuress

Both images thanks to gentlemansgazette.com

Title: The Confessions of a Procuress

Author: not known 

Publisher: not known 

Source book: Death in A White Tie by Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Alleyn #7)

We don’t get to find out very much about this extremely dubious sounding book. Except that it belongs to the library (probably about 6 books) of the obviously not very pleasant Captain Withers, who doesn’t appear to have a legitimate job. Or is he perhaps operating an illegal casino somewhere near Leatherhead? (in Surrey, not far out of London).

It’s probably a dodgy book, in the dodgiest sense, imported dodgily into England from France which apparently had much more liberal ideas about publishing than the UK for many years. 

Ngaio Marsh is always sure to tell us if we shouldn’t introduce one of her characters to our sweet little 15 year old niece. Captain Withers isn’t at all suitable. He seems to own only books that are (probably) pornographic, and has no art on the walls of his grubby sounding flat but either extremely arty, or more likely, pornographic photographs. And guess what? He’s having an affair with a married woman. We meet him at several high society events and then a debutante ball.  Oh dear me. 

Captain Withers’s neck is too thick, his fingers too flat and pale, and his hair too shiny. Oh dear some more. Obviously he isn’t the right sort. Although tbh how you work that out by the shape of anyone’s neck or fingers I’m not sure. But his nickname is Wits so that’s never going to be a good thing,

Anyway, we learn that The Confessions of a Procuress has a lurid paper cover, featuring “a terrible young woman with no clothes on, a florid gentleman [not sure that gentleman is the right word here], and a lurking harridan”. But that’s about it.

(Actually, I think “Confessions of a Procuress” without the “The” would be a better title but then I didn’t write Death in a White Tie so unfortunately I have no control over the fictional book title).

Well, we know what to think now, don’t we? I suppose these days men like Wits just log on to extremely dubious websites for their thrills. Watch out though, chaps, your internet history may catch up with you. 

I’ve got to say that Captain Withers sounds a perfectly ghastly character, but the most unlikely thing in Death in a White Tie is that the charming, young (but extremely snobbish), Bridget O’Brien is in love with foolish, entitled, bad tempered, rather boring Donald Potter who has behaved extremely stupidly, been rude to his family, left home in a rage, and moved in with the dreadful Wits. Maybe he will grow up one day, but the Donald we meet does not deserve Bridget.