The Luck of Kaspar’s Chair

Beneath the glitter of London’s West End, where the laughter of theatregoers mingles with the hum of black cabs, a wooden cat named Kaspar waits in the Savoy’s Pinafore Room—guardian of tradition, unlucky thirteenth guest, and, perhaps, something far older. Carved from oak and crowned with green-glass eyes, Kaspar has dined with royalty, war heroes, and strangers unaware of the power seated beside them. In May of 2018, Lila Moreau, young and curious, would come to learn that luck has a keeper, the past lingers like perfume in hotel hallways, and some chairs are never truly empty.