The Last Call: A Romance (Vol. 2 of 3)

In Short

This second volume of a three-part Victorian romance chronicles the intersection of a secret, high-stakes treasure hunt and a devastating bank collapse. As an aging man named Lionel Crawford and a younger Frenchman, Dominique Lavirotte, toil within the depths of a city church tower, their lives collide with the families of those ruined by financial scandal. It is a story of obsession, the fragility of fortune, and the haunting reality of how quickly lives can unravel. Its enduring power lies in its stark, unvarnished depiction of human desperation during a Victorian era defined by both grand ambition and crushing economic volatility.

The Story

The narrative follows the intersecting fates of several characters caught in the vortex of a failing bank. Lionel Crawford, an elderly man harboring a secret, has convinced a younger man, Dominique Lavirotte, that a vast fortune can be reclaimed from the earth beneath St. Prisca’s Tower in London. Their obsession drives them to labor in the dark, dangerous depths of the tower while, above them, the city remains indifferent to their toil. Outside this subterranean world, the economic fallout of the bank's collapse brings tragedy to families like the O’Donnells and the attorney Kempston.

Lavirotte, who had once been a lover to Dora Harrington—whom Crawford reveals to be his own granddaughter—finds himself incapacitated by a mysterious injury. His hope of rescuing his friends from financial ruin through the promised treasure becomes a fever dream. When a great fire breaks out in London, threatening the city, the tower itself eventually suffers a structural collapse. Crawford is killed in the debris, and Lavirotte is left buried in the vault, trapped in a horrific limbo between life and death, reflecting on his failures and his lost connections to the world above.

Though Lavirotte is eventually rescued, the discovery of his companion’s death and the realization that their "treasure" was a mirage leave him broken and alone. Meanwhile, the financial ruin of James O’Donnell, a patriarch who had placed all his hopes in Lavirotte’s unlikely windfall, reaches a grim conclusion. Despondent over the failure of his business and the loss of his remaining capital, O’Donnell retreats into his private office with a revolver, ultimately vanishing into the night. The volume concludes with the collapse of both the physical structure of the tower and the moral and financial structures of the families relying on its promise. What began as a quest for security ends in the total disillusionment of those who dared to believe in a sudden, miraculous escape from their station in life.

How It Unfolds

The discovery of lineage Lionel Crawford identifies Dora Harrington as the daughter of his own kin, promptly providing her with funds for her needs. Dora, however, remains cautious, torn between her trust in the old man and her confusion over his motives.

The promise of fortune Lavirotte, recovering from a stabbing incident, is drawn into Crawford’s scheme, believing the old man’s claim that they are on the verge of uncovering a massive, hidden wealth. This belief becomes the anchor for his hope and a means to promise financial salvation to his friends.

The catastrophe begins A massive fire sweeps through London, causing widespread panic and destruction. Amidst the chaos, the structural integrity of St. Prisca’s Tower is compromised, leading to the collapse that buries the two men inside their improvised excavation.

The isolation in the dark Lavirotte endures a terrifying period of entrapment, forced to confront the death of his companion and the stark reality of his own mortality. He reflects on his past romances and his inability to secure the future he had so confidently promised to his acquaintances.

The unraveling of hope Upon his rescue, Lavirotte learns that his dreams of wealth have died with Crawford. Simultaneously, the news of this failure reaches the O’Donnell household, forcing the patriarch to face the finality of his bankruptcy.

The final disappearance The volume ends with the mysterious disappearance of James O’Donnell after he is found alone with a firearm in his office. His son, Eugene, is left to grapple with the aftermath of his father’s vanishing and the wreckage of their family’s prospects.

The People

Lionel Crawford is the catalyst of the tragedy, a man driven by a singular, obsessive vision of wealth. His secrecy and his eventual death in the tower leave a void that destroys the hopes of everyone around him. Dominique Lavirotte, the younger, more mercurial Frenchman, acts as the bridge between Crawford’s delusions and the reality of his friends' financial needs. His transition from an ambitious, romantic adventurer to a broken, disillusioned man serves as the story’s emotional anchor.

Dora Harrington, the granddaughter, serves as the innocent center of the web; she is the object of Lavirotte’s affection and the target of Crawford’s protection, yet she remains largely peripheral to the darker machinations occurring beneath the tower. James O’Donnell represents the respectable middle-class businessman whose reliance on the "sure thing" of the treasure leads him to total ruin. His descent into despair is the most chilling element of the narrative. Finally, Eugene O’Donnell and Nellie, the young couple, provide a contrast to the older generation's obsession. They are ready to face poverty with resignation, highlighting the folly of their elders who would destroy themselves rather than accept a humbler life.

In Its Own Voice

"When Dora Harrington released herself from old Crawford's arms, he led her to a chair, and said: 'I have no longer the shadow of a doubt that you are the daughter of my Dora.'"

Lionel Crawford confirms the young woman's identity after a long-sought realization.

"To die of hunger there, with money in his pocket, when, within a stone's throw of the door of that tower, there were ten places whose only business was to supply food... seemed horrible."

Lavirotte reflects on the cruel irony of his situation while trapped in the dark of the tower.

"The old man seemed quite calm and collected; in fact, so calm and collected, that Eugene resolved not to go to Glengowra by the train, but to run up to his father's house and to tell his mother what had occurred."

Eugene senses the ominous finality in his father’s demeanor just before the elder O'Donnell vanishes.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the work is the corrupting and destructive nature of false hope. The "treasure" is a metaphor for the speculative madness that often grips those facing financial ruin—the belief that an outside, miraculous occurrence can rectify a life of poor choices or systemic misfortune. The book questions the moral cost of such obsessions, showing that when men like Crawford and Lavirotte pursue their "great project," they inadvertently treat the lives of those they claim to love as mere collateral. It serves as a somber meditation on the Victorian obsession with social status and the terrifying, silent ease with which an individual can be erased by the machinery of a modern city.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate a dark, atmospheric Victorian drama will find much to admire in this volume. The writing is precise and unflinching, particularly during the harrowing sequences of the tower’s collapse and the subsequent imprisonment in the dark. It is not a light read; it is a claustrophobic, intense study of a man forced to confront the death of his own ambition.

Those who enjoy historical fiction that focuses on the gritty reality of the 19th-century economy—the bank failures, the rigid social hierarchies, and the desperate scramble for survival—will be rewarded by its depth. The book does not shy away from the harshness of its era; the language is formal, and the attitudes toward gender and class are firmly rooted in their time. However, the psychological weight of the story remains surprisingly modern. It captures that specific, anxious dread of realizing that the systems one relies upon have failed, and that the "solid ground" of one’s life is actually a structure waiting to crumble. It is a haunting, somber experience that lingers long after the final page, serving as a reminder of how thin the line is between a comfortable life and absolute ruin.