We must thank God for sending us these rebels.
——Shakespeare, "Henry IV," Act 1, Scene 3
The cold wind on St. James Street swept past Brooks Club, as carriage after carriage arrived from the direction of White Hall, stopping in front of the club, the most central and traditional club of the Whig Party, with horse hooves striking an anxious rhythm on the cobblestones.
In the porch, the attendants of Brooks Club dared not speak loudly, bowing their heads in greeting.
No one expected so many prominent figures to gather at the club tonight.
The curtains in the Great Assembly Hall on the second floor of the club were tightly closed, and the thick velvet curtains blocked all street noise, leaving only the crackling of the fireplace flames.
