Chapter Thirteen
Bane
Mr. Wintergreen’s daughters had already told him about the plots against them, but he questioned Bane about the details of what was said.
“They shall not succeed,” he said firmly.
“Sir, we intend to find out about Lord Marple’s monetary problems, and also this fellow Curston,” Bane said. “Shall we report what we find to you?”
Wintergreen smiled but shook his head. “No need. I can tell you my nephew owes money to Curston. Furthermore, Curston has his own troubles and is in no position to release Jasper from his debt or bail him out. Curston is in debt to some of the personages in the worst parts of the city. I can also tell you Jasper is a selfish and entitled brat, and my sister encourages him. However, Mr. Sanderson, that is my problem. Not yours. If that will be all?”
“Sir,” said Bane, “I should like your permission to court your daughter Olivia.”
“And I, your permission to court your daughter Lucilla,” Drake added, anxiously.
Mr. Wintergreen tipped his head to one side as he examined each of them in turn. “I am not willing to make such a decision at this time,” he said. “My girls could marry anyone. They are attractive, intelligent, and well-educated.”
“Yes, sir,” Bane agreed. “They are, and they each deserve to choose the man who will make them happiest. My brother and I would like to be among the contenders.”
“My sister says my daughters should not settle for a commoner, especially not a merchant’s by-blow. Bane Sanderson, what makes you think you deserve to marry my Olivia?”
Bane knew the answer to that. “I do not, sir. But if she chooses me anyway, I shall love her, respect her, protect her, and support her all the days of my life.”
His brother nodded. “And I feel the same about Miss Cilla, sir.”
There was a long silence while Mr. Wintergreen thought about that. “I have upset my sister this morning. She will forgive me, of course, since I hold the purse-strings. But I do not wish to have yet another argument. You and your brother are not on her acceptable suitors list.”
“But Lord Marple and Curston are?” Bane was aghast.
“On my sister’s,” said Mr. Wintergreen. “Not on mine. If my daughters have a list, they have not told me, so I assume they have not made their choices yet. I repeat, gentlemen. I am not willing to make such a decision at this time.”
It was not a “no” Bane realized. He would have preferred a “yes”, but it was not a “no”.
“Tell me,” Mr. Wintergreen said. “How would you propose to keep my daughters in the life to which they are accustomed? That is, if the time ever comes that one of my daughters indicates that one of you is a preferred suitor.”
“Drake and I are happy to show you our books, sir,” Bane said, “and we would encourage you to talk to our lawyer and those with whom we do business.”
“Later, if the occasion arises,” said the older man firmly. “Give me the highlights. What business do you do? I thought you lived on the interest of an inheritance from your father. That is what my sister told me.”
“We invest, sir,” Drake explained. “Some years ago, our father gave us each a sum of money and told us it was all we could expect from him, since he wanted Sanderson Medicinals to have a single master, and that would be our older brother, Colin.”
“We have grown that original amount to more than double what it was five years ago,” Bane said.
“We have an amount invested in the Funds that is equivalent to what he gave one of us, and we live on the interest from that, but the rest is out in the world. We make use of it funding cargoes, buying shares in businesses, trading stocks.”
Drake pointed out the key fact a father might be interested in. “We do not need your daughters’ dowries to give them—and any children that bless our marriages—a comfortable life and a prosperous future.”
“Drake is correct,” Bane said. “Any money our wives bring with them can be set aside for the ladies themselves, or for dowries for our daughters and our younger sons—Drake calls the original amount our father gave us our dowry, and we intend to make sure each of our own children has funds to set themselves up in their chosen profession, and the skills to do so.”
“We each received the same amount as our sister Larkspur,” Drake explained. “I think it a good idea, for those who can afford it. It gives choices to the children who are not the firstborn son.”
“Pull the bell rope, young man,” said Mr. Wintergreen to Bane. “We shall have someone bring us coffee—or tea, if you prefer—and you shall tell me more about your investments.”
*
Drake
When Drake and Bane arrived home, a letter was waiting for Drake.
“This is from Larkspur,” he said, surprised.
Apart from a brief note sent from London to thank Lark and Phillip for their hospitality, and a sweet reply from Lark to say how much the children enjoyed meeting their uncles, there’d been no further communication.
Until now.
Drake unfolded the letter and scanned the page. “Lark crosses her lines,” he commented.
“Quite a bit to say, has she?” Bane asked. “Are she and the children well?”
Just a minute,” Drake replied, as he studied the page, trying to untangle the lines of text across the page from those written down the page across the first set. He read it out loud as he deciphered it.
“Dear brothers, I trust all goes well for you in London. Phillip and I are thriving, and the children are healthy and happy. Baby has a new tooth, which has been a sad trouble to him, poor little man, but the tooth is now through, so Nurse and I can look forward to better nights of sleep.
Phillip and I thought you should know that our brother Colin has been in Sheffield.
He is seeking a new…” Could that be supper?
No, …“supplier for glass jars. He did not come to see me, but one of Phillip’s friends knows I was a Sandman.
” Oh. That must be Sanderson. “He told Phillip that Colin is spreading dire rumors—Colin says you were thrown out of the neighborhood for licensed…” licentious, probably…
“behavior, and that you are dishonest businessmen, making your money through fraud and lies.
Phillip told his friend that Colin is jealous of his younger brothers, but we thought you should know. Phillip thinks you might have a case for slander.
Do not forget that I am expecting you to stay with me for Christmas.
With much love,
Your affectionate sister,
Larkspur Hampton.”
“So, we have our explanation for why Pentworth hasn’t returned the agreement.” Bane commented.
“Or do we?” Drake asked. “Perhaps Colin has got to him in some way, or perhaps something else has happened. Let’s write again, and then if there is no word, we had better go ourselves. Or one of us, at least.”
Bane made an impatient gesture. “I’m not happy with us leaving London while our ladies are in danger. Let’s try a letter.”
“Mr. Wintergreen seemed open to our suit,” Drake said, optimistically.
“Open, but not decided,” Bane corrected. “And, in any case, it is not him but our ladies that we have to convince. He made that clear. How shall we when we cannot get alongside them?”
“It might be easier now they have moved back to their own home,” Drake pointed out. “The dragon will not be monitoring them morning, afternoon, and night. Should we go to afternoon calls at Lady Marple’s, do you think?”
Bane shot out of his chair. “Flowers! Drew said that men send flowers to ladies they danced with the previous night, and visit the ones in whom they are particularly interested. Where can we buy flowers, Drake?”
Drake was already across the room on his way to fetch his coat and hat. “There’s a barrow just around the corner from their street. They’ll have a boy to do the delivery for them, I expect. A bouquet for each of the cousins?”
“Yes, and a special one for our own particular lady,” Bane decided, pulling on his gloves and donning his own coat and hat. “We’ll have their flowers sent to their house, not Lady Marple’s.”
“And yes,” Drake said, over his shoulder. “We shall make an afternoon call, and if we’re refused the door, we’ll know where we stand with Lady Marple, and can plan accordingly.”
*
Livy
Livy and Cilla were changing to go to Aunt Ginny’s for afternoon calls when a knock on the door proved to be the butler delivering four bouquets, two each.
“The bigger one is from Drake—Mr. Drake Sanderson, I mean,” Cilla reported, reading the neatly written card. “The smaller one from his brother.”
Livy craned her neck to see her own flowers. “Keep still, do, Miss,” begged Barker, who was attempting to style Livy’s hair.
“Read my cards, Cilla, please,” Livy said, and Cilla did.
A large bouquet from Bane and a smaller one from Drake.
Of course, the brothers knew that Livy and Cilla had come home last night.
Other dance partners might also have sent flowers, but would have assumed they were staying at Aunt Ginny’s, since she was their official sponsor, and it was at her house they had been receiving visitors.
“I wonder what Papa said to them,” Cilla said.
“I wonder what they said to Pa,” answered Livy.
If those men had cooked up a plot between the three of them to marry her off, they could think again.
Not that Livy was as against marriage as she’d once thought.
Not if Bane were to be her husband. Not if he still wanted to wed her when he knew what she had once done.
But she would not be married without anyone seeking her consent or even her opinion.
Pa had allowed them a few minutes after his meeting to present their respects, as he put it, and had hovered the whole time. When Livy asked what they had talked about, Pa only said, “The Sanderson boys wanted to be sure you were safe. I let them know I protect my own.”
Which was not very informative—as soon as she had the opportunity, she was asking Bane.
“There, Miss. You look lovely, if I do say so myself,” said Barker.