‘I’m just a soul whose intentions are good/O Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood’

A fine chiming sentiment, but words that could never have been written for the Brothers deVere, or as more commonly known around Smith’s Kitchen and other haunts of the disreputable –

Monocled Menace!

The Monocled Menace, is a duopoly of such cunning disreputation – if not downright villainy (on many an occasion) – that their name is never mentioned in polite company, or even in the confessional.

Their passage through Winchester, Eton, and Oxford was expedited by such a combination of bribery, blackmail, backstabbing, treachery, toadying and other useful life skills, for which our great public schools are well known, that a career in politics surely beckoned. But this blazing trail was brought to an end with Jaspar’s dabbling in chemistry which led to such a scandal involving an incendiary moustache wax (pat. pending) that both brothers were considered beyond the pale and expelled. A later enrollment in the Lifemanship College at Yeovil was no less disruptive. While Lucius proved quite adept at mixology in Party-manship he had a tendency to dominate the class with his ‘wit’ and own personal anecdotes and strictly off the record, Jaspar was expelled (again) after 'disastrous results' in Woo-manship class just at the moment of 'graduation'.

The Bros deVere have an extraordinary, almost unique talent for, shall we say ‘acquiring useful information’, or recognizing what will be useful to someone, someday, and have a very secure vault, full of very intriguing dossiers on some very notable individuals; such things can be obtained by various means, some subtle and some less so, all nefarious. Bread and butter to the Monocled Menace – and few wish to oppose their ‘investigations’, for no-one knows, what they may know themselves:

‘I know, my brother knows, and you know we KNOW!’

Physical attributes and dress.
The deVere brothers pretend – no, that’s not quite fair – do affect dress as befits their station. They do come from a good family after all. Certainly a family well enough to-do to afford their rather expensive education – and pay off the various school boards along the way to ensure misdemeanors were conveniently forgotten or hushed up. That was until the twins developed enough to deal with such matters themselves with suitable subtle threats or brute violence (more usually paying someone else stupid and large enough to do the violence to avoid getting their hands dirty).

To return to the point: both brothers are immaculately turned out and shod. Bespoke Savile Row tailoring, in matching apparel – making the right impression is increased when it appears double after all. One brother will always dress to match the other, even to the ubiquitous monocle (right eye) and elegantly waxed moustaches. Indeed such is their initial similarity at first glance they were once likened to Tweedles Dum and Dee. ONCE, that is. That unfortunate soul was never seen again.

Jasper is the older by minutes, but each twin is distinct in character and outlook, and there is no sibling rivalry, each willing to defer to the other with the grace of a Versailles courtier if it should be seen that one is in the right. And they present a united front to the world, rather ominously.

The deVere’s have established their offices in the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, which is a tax haven (not that they have ever paid any, since aspects of their business are not strictly ‘legal’); is nicely central for European operations; and is beyond the reach of the Metropolitan Police who wish to ‘talk to them’ about the disappearance of several key witnesses in the Webber/White blackmail case. Inspector Webber also particularly wishes to ‘speak to’ Lucius as to the whereabouts of his prized Bullnose Morris roadster, and the police files carelessly left in the rumble seat.

Lucius and Jaspar are currently engaged by one they only refer to as Their Principal in a scheme that promises both ruin and reward in equal measure – reward for themselves, ruin for some unfortunate individual. At least it should provide them with some passing amusement.