Havistock Irving

Havistock Irving is a charming but predatory figure in New York's antiques and social world, a con artist who operates under multiple aliases—including Sloane Griscam and Lucian Race—and who preys on elderly collectors by posing as a furniture appraiser or charity worker. He appears at Theo and Kitsey Barbour's engagement party at a private club, where he is introduced to Theo by Mrs. Barbour as a descendant of Washington Irving and a volunteer for the New York Historical Society. Irving immediately reveals his familiarity with Theo's business, mentioning his associate Lucius Reeve and the chest-on-chest that Theo sold him, and he taunts Theo by claiming to know about other fraudulent pieces Theo has sold, including twelve "Duncan Phyfe" dining chairs shipped to Dallas and "important Sheraton" sold to buyers in Houston and Los Angeles. He warns Theo that Reeve has been investigating these sales and is considering taking legal action after the holidays. Irving's manner is smug and insinuating, and he clearly enjoys unsettling Theo, whom he treats with condescension. Mrs. Barbour later tells Theo that Irving is a "knocker"—a swindler who charms his way into old people's homes to cheat them of valuables—and that he and his partner, Lucian Race, have a history of preying on the elderly. Hobie confirms this, explaining that Irving and Race used to pose as furniture appraisers to gain access to homes, then steal jewelry, paintings, and silver. Hobie and Welty Blackwell had previously exposed Irving's scheme when he tried to sell stolen goods through their shop, leading to a court case in which Race went to jail while Irving vanished. Irving's appearance at the party is a deliberate provocation, and his knowledge of Theo's crimes—both the furniture fraud and the museum theft—makes him a dangerous figure who threatens to expose Theo's double life.