Charlotte: The Practical Education of a Distressed Gentlewoman (10 page)

“
Freddy! What are you doing
here?”

“
Lizzy, I thought I'd relieve you
of your burdens, you should enjoy yourself, at least for some of
your time, in Bath.”

“
They're not much of a burden, I
enjoy business.”

“
I know, but there are things that
a delicate young lady.” Here she playfully punched his shoulder. “A
delicate young lady should not be required to do. Have the wives
started to ask you about their husband's promotion prospects
yet?”

Lizzy frowned, “Yes. It was a bit
awkward.”

“
I thought so. They won't while
I'm here. Anyway, we pay well for the positions they have. Have to
make a profit, which means we can't just give the money
away.”

“
Even Mrs. Jones.”

“
Really? Good Lord, I'd have
thought she wouldn't have had anything to worry about.”

“
It started with a Mrs. Willis,
the wife of one of the juniors.”

“
Ah, that's a different case. I've
had a report that he's a bit of an issue.”

“
Oh dear, they'll think it's my
doing.”

“
Sorry, but I am going to have to
look into this. My employees have to do their jobs. We can't carry
dead weight.”

“
If you have to do it, please try
to use your finesse. Mrs. Willis thought he was due for a
promotion.”

“
Good Lord, firing someone is
never easy, and that will only make it harder when he's fired. Poor
man, I think I interviewed him myself. He seemed a bright young
fellow. Wonder what the real story is?”

“
He probably doesn't fit into the
office. Something messy and social.”

“
Could be. So tell me about what
you've been doing that isn't business.”

“
I was just at the
assembly.”

“
So I gathered.”

“
You'll never guess with
whom.”

“
Not that De Vere
woman.”

“
Yes. She wants to be
friends.”

“
She's bad news, Lizzy. There has
to be some reason beyond remorse with her.”

“
That was just possibly part of
it. Loneliness was the rest.”

“
Loneliness I believe. Remorse
never.”

“
Well, nonetheless, we're meeting
tomorrow at the concert.”

“
Please keep her out of my way, if
you can.”

“
I'll do that. Now you must be
tired, I'm exhausted.”

If Elizabeth had
been surprised with Freddy's arrival. Mr. Robert Jones was not. He
and Freddy had exchanged expresses to arrange for Freddy's trip.
There were issues to be examined with the firm's business in
Somerset and Gloucester. The fate of the unfortunate Mr. John
Willis was this simplest of these issues. He, Mr. Jones and Freddy
met in the morning.

Mr. Willis trembled as Freddy
addressed him. “I've read Mr. Jones' reports about you. What is
going on?”

“
I'm just not that good at adding
figures, my mind wanders.”

“
Adding figures is what a clerk
does. You're not doing it very well.”

Mr. Willis stammered in shame,
“I-I-I know.”

“
I don't like firing people.
Please give me a reason to keep you.”

“
I found that irregularity with
the Somerset Canal Company. I spot things like that. It's just the
routine adding that's so hard.”

Freddy looked at Mr. Jones. “Is
this true? We're meeting about that later.”

“
Yes, Willis is the one who
spotted it.”

“
How?”

“
Mrs. Willis and I were walking,
on our day off, over by Monkton Combe and I was watching the boats.
There were people getting on the boats upstream from where they
measured the loads, and then getting off downstream. Earning the
odd penny for beer, I suppose.”

“
Mr. Jones, Mr. Willis, sometimes
when a person isn't working out, it's not because they're bad. It's
because they're in the wrong position. This is beginning to sound
like it's the case here. I seem to remember I interviewed you
didn't I?”

“
Yes, Mr. Talbot.”

“
I hate to admit I make mistakes,
but this looks like one of them.”

Mr. Willis' trembling became more
pronounced at this news. This was it, the chop.

Freddy noticed, “Don't worry. Good
clerks are easy to find.”

“
Not that easy,” added Mr.
Jones.

“
Relatively easy to find. Good
inspectors are very hard to come by.”

“
Inspector?”

“
The firm has grown too big for
me, or indeed anyone to check everything personally. I need
trustworthy men to look for irregularities. Not just to audit the
books, but to look for the odd little things that signal trouble.
I'm beginning to think I've found one.”

Jones added, “Willis has been very
good at finding when things aren't quite right. Unfortunately, too
often it's been his addition.”

“
Has he identified any other
irregularities?”

“
Sir, there were those
mortgages.”

“
Mortgages?”

“
The loans to the Chalfield
estate. Their agent was trying to use mortgaged land as the
security for new mortgages. He was a clever bugger, and created
'new' parcels by combining parts of old ones. Caught that before we
were done over.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
If he used the same parcels of
land for a new mortgage, any idiot could find what he was up to.
Instead, he'd generate a new parcel by mixing, say a third of three
adjacent ones, and giving it a new name. Made it look like there
was no mortgage even when there was.”

“
Mr. Jones, I think we've got our
newest inspector.”

“
Good. I was not looking forward
to letting him go. He's a personable chap.”

“
Now I have a task for you. How
would you feel about looking over things in Staverton?”

“
Staverton? I didn't know we had
any business in the countryside there.”

“
My father is setting up some sort
of agricultural bank. He's a bit 'enthusiastic' about things, but
there's something that doesn't quite add up. I'd like you to take a
look at it. There's a solicitor involved, a Mr. Cruise, who may not
be completely above board.”

“
I'll see to it. That name seems
familiar,”

“
Staverton is next to Chalfield.
He may have done some work for them. He may be the only solicitor
in the area.”

“
It's possible I saw it there. Any
road, I'll keep my eyes open.”

“
Good. Now about your wife,
apparently she asked Miss Talbot about you.”

“
I really wish my wife hadn't
talked to Miss Talbot about me. I told her not to.”

“
It is unfortunate, it makes
things very difficult for Elizabeth and she has enough social
difficulties as it is. I can get away with being incredibly rude to
people who fawn on me or ask for favors. She can't.”

“
Oh.”

“
I think she's truly lonely, has
very few friends. She is even trying to befriend that blasted De
Vere woman again.”

“
Sir, I'll make sure my wife
doesn't do that again.”

“
Thank you. Now I need to talk
with Mr. Jones about other things, privately.”

After Mr. Willis left with the door
carefully and solidly shut behind him, Mr. Jones said “Willis
really is a screw-up you know. Should have just let him
go.”

“
You're probably right, but a
screw-up who notices things is what I need right now.”

“
Well, it's your
money.”

“
It is, isn't it?”

“
And you're almost never rude.
I've watched you carefully Freddy. At most, all you ever do is shut
someone out, just ignore them. Usually you just give them a
courteous reply as if you didn't notice the insult.”

“
That usually drives them crazy.
In any case we have to look into the canal companies. I'm not at
all happy with their long term prospects. Especially that coal
canal. They still haven't solved that big incline at Combe
Hay.”

“
At least the inclined plane
they're using won't drown the horses.”

“
Wonder who came up with the idea
for that 'caisson lift'? It was clearly insane.”

“
It wasn't your father was
it?”

“
No, he's not that
daft.”

“
So what do you want me to do
about it?”

“
I'm not sure yet. The trouble is
we own so much of the companies. It's too much of a risk to have
that much of our money invested in them. How the heck to we get out
of that without causing a market panic?”

“
Not easy, is it?”

“
No, and I want to explore
investing some of those funds in steam.”

“
Steam?”

“
Trevithick's engines.”

“
Didn't he just go
bankrupt?”

“
Yes, I know. He and his partner
Dickenson didn't run their business very well. I don't know much
about steam engines, but.”

“
But you're a damned good
businessman.”

“
Precisely, they need someone with
good business sense to run that part of their business and make
sure it's profitable.”

“
I assume you want our firm to do
that.”

“
Yes. There's also this engineer
up north, Stephenson. Need to look into his doings.”

“
Freddy, you need an engineer you
can trust to look at these. These gentlemen could show you anything
and you can't tell it from rubbish.”

“
I know. I'm looking for one. In
the meantime, they use wrought iron, lots of it. That's why we're
expanding into ironworks.”

“
Somerset coal. Ironworks need
coal, canals move coal, and finally, Bath iron works. I see. You're
a clever devil aren't you?”

“
My mother thought me
clever.”

“
That doesn't mean anything, so
did mine.”

“
Do you see why I need an
inspector who is a bit of a screw up?”

“
Still no.”

“
No one will believe he's
inspecting them. Catch the buggers at it.”

Mr. Jones silently mimed tipping
his hat. “Damn Freddy, that's good.”

“
I wish my skills worked as well
with the females. You don't know any that would be
eligible?”

“
I'll have my wife pass the word
to the Bath gossips. Don't be surprised when you're mobbed tonight
at the concert.”

“
Concert?”

“
A young opera singer, Miss Fanny
Corri-Paltoni. She studied under Angelica Catalani. Since the
divine Catalani has given up the stage, she is the best in
England.”

“
If you say so. I could never hear
much difference between singers.”

“
You philistine, you don't know
what you are missing.”

“
Perhaps, but I have a date with
Miss Elizabeth. She wanted to show me something in the parade or
the abbey or some such place.”

“
Is she matchmaking for you
again?”

“
What do you think?”

“
Rather you than me.”

“
Mrs. Jones would probably agree
with you. I just hope it isn't that blasted De Vere woman. Last
time we met she tried to put me in my place.”

“
As if anyone could.”

“
It was less than pleasant. The
thing is, she is a pretty thing, and when she's not cutting up at
me looks to be reasonably tolerable company.”

“
Watch your step,
Freddy.”

“
Oh I will.”

Elizabeth met Freddy near the Abbey
and took him for a walk in the parade gardens. He asked her,
“Lizzy, I see from your expression that you have some plan or
another that you want to involve me in. The answer, before you
begin, is no.”

“
I only wanted to ask you to
escort me to the concert tonight. There's supposed to be a superb
new singer, singing Mozart.”

“
Is that all, I though you didn't
particularly care for music?”

“
I don't, but it is the place to
be seen tonight, and well.”

“
Well what? Not that De Vere woman
again.”

“
No. It's something to do. I'll
keep you apart if you wish.”

“
Fine, as long as I don't have to
talk to her, I'll escort you. Is that all?”

“
It's just I'm worried about you
Freddy.”

“
About me. Why?”

“
It's just you don't seem to be as
much fun as you used to. Do you have any friends?”

“
Running the firm doesn't give me
much time to meet anyone. Especially eligible young
women.”

“
That's why I want you to come to
the concert.”