Queen of Hearts by Fred M. White — Read

Despite his dreams and ambitions as to the future of his family estates, Sir Walter Vanguard was in the habit of spending very little time on what remained of the ancient property. To begin with, the historic old house now belonged to Mona Catesby and the fact was a constant pang to Sir Walter, like some aching tooth. So, for the most part, he lived in London in a flat in Royal Mansions, where he was looked after by an excellent service and a personal attendant named Withers, who was nearly as old as himself and who had attended him in most of his Chinese wanderings.

As a matter of fact, though he belonged to a very old and distinguished family, the title that Sir Walter bore was not hereditary, but merely a knighthood carrying certain letters which had been bestowed upon him by a grateful Government for distinguished services in China. He had not been attached to any particular office or mission but, nevertheless, he had served his country well and, in the meantime, had amassed a considerable fortune. He was an authority on Chinese matters and, indeed, some years before, a book of his, called 'China--the Menace,' had attracted a great deal of attention.