Chapter Sixteen
Bane
Drake and Bane arrived at the investor group meeting to discover that Colin’s poison had done its work on the minds of some of the members.
“Lord Andrew,” said one man, before they could even take their seats, “you proposed the Sanderson brothers as members, and we were guided by you. However, in the light of the scandalous—and may I say illegal—conduct that has come to light, I propose that they be ejected.”
Two of the others said, “Hear, hear.”
Drew raised an eyebrow. “I quite agree that we should hear. We should hear the rumors themselves, and the Sandersons’ defense before we sit in judgement. Bane? Drake? Please be seated. Bagshaw, you mention scandalous and possibly illegal conduct. Please be specific.”
“Well,” said Bagshaw, “what is most relevant to this group is that they have been accused of fraud and cheating. In business, I mean.”
“By whom?” Bane asked calmly.
“By your older brother, for one,” retorted Bagshaw.
“He says you kept the books for your father, and he has spent years cleaning up the mess. I have it from my cousin, Curston, and he is a friend of Colin Sanderson’s.
Your brother also says that you have cheated investment partners, which is how you have made so much money. ”
The barrister leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands in front of his chin. “In law, we call that hearsay,” he said. “Do you have any evidence for these contentions?”
“This is not a court of law, Fullerton,” Bagshaw said.
“Indeed,” Fullerton agreed. “And these are accusations that should be heard in a court of law. Has Colin Sanderson laid information with a magistrate?”
Bagshaw shook his head. “I have no idea. Not that I have heard.”
“If he did,” said Fullerton, turning his attention to Drake and Bane, “How would you answer the charges?”
“I kept Sanderson Medicinals’ books up to the time of my father’s death,” Bane said.
“My father reviewed the accounts monthly and was satisfied with my work. The last time I worked on the books was the day before he died suddenly of an apoplexy. He had all of his wits about him until that day. Colin had me ejected from the house immediately after the funeral. If the books have been tampered with, it was after I had access to them. If Colin is cleaning up a mess, it is of his own making.”
“As to the accusation of cheating, we have detailed business records of all of our transactions,” Drake said. “They will show there is no substance to the charges, and those with whom we have invested will stand witness to the same.”
“Which is why Colin and his friends are using rumor and gossip to discredit us, instead of going to the law,” Bane added.
“Before we extended the invitation to the group, we made the usual enquiries,” said Mr. White.
“Mr. Bane Sanderson and Mr. Drake Sanderson are highly respected in the investment community, and Mr. Bane Sanderson is remembered in the business community as a trusted servant to his father, who was also highly respected. Unfortunately for the legacy of Sanderson Medicinals, Mr. Colin Sanderson, the current owner, is developing a reputation for slap-dash work, cost-cutting on materials, and sharp business practices. I can share that evidence with any of our members who may be interested.”
“My cousin has a great deal of respect for Colin Sanderson,” Bagshaw insisted.
“You are certainly welcome to look into the evidence,” Drew said. “And to share the results with your cousin, by all means.”
“Then there is the question of their moral probity,” Bagshaw insisted. “Do we want to be associated with men who were driven out of their district for debauchery?”
“My dear Bagshaw,” said White. “We are here to discuss investment opportunities. Not to exchange gossip in tones of moral outrage. What a man does in private, as long as it is not illegal and does not involve coercion, is his own business.”
“Though the group may wish to know that the gossip is incorrect,” Drake pointed out. “The person responsible for the debauchery and his friends was not, in fact, driven out of the district.”
Bagshaw leapt to his feet and leaned over the table, resting his weight on his hands. “Do you deny that you were the subject of a shaming on New Year’s Eve by the women of the village of Marplestead?”
“Half a shaming,” Drake corrected. “I was not the Sanderson who should have received the letter that lured me into their trap, but the messenger made a mistake. Once Bane turned up and showed them it was me, and not Colin, the ladies set me free.”
Bagshaw sneered. “I heard you were drunk, naked, and driven through town with an ass’s head attached to your shoulders. And that the ceremony ended in a dunking.”
“I was drugged, not drunk,” said Drake. “Bane, you remember more than I do?”
“Drake was stripped to his breeches and tied backward on an ass, with a carnival mask of a goat’s head over his head. I got there in time to stop them from dunking him. I convinced them that he wasn’t our older brother, and they let him go.”
“I don’t know whether they intended to punish a specific sin of Colin’s or whether it was a pattern of behavior, but I cannot say I was surprised,” said Drake.
“His wife was away for the Christmas holiday, and he and his friends brought in a carriage load of soiled doves to entertain them while she was absent. In his own house, in front of his wife’s servants.
My father was not an abstemious man, but he would never have insulted his wife in such a situation. ”
“Hearsay!” Bagshaw used Fullerton’s term in Colin’s defense.
“Ask your cousin Curston,” Bane suggested. “He was at the party. You might also ask him whether his enthusiasm for this attack stems from our rivalry over the right to court a lady whose name I will not bring into disrepute by mentioning it.”
“Olivia Wintergreen,” Bagshaw sneered. “As if she would choose the bastard son of a merchant over a viscount.”
“Gentlemen,” said Drew, “I trust I do not need to remind you that anything we discuss during our meetings is strictly confidential. Anything. Including the name just mentioned by our colleague Mr. Bagshaw. We have addressed the question, raised by our colleague, of whether we should eject Mr. Bane Sanderson and Mr. Drake Sanderson from our group, given the questions that have been raised in recent gossip about their honesty. The other questions—of who is or is not of good moral character, and of the possible motivations of Bagshaw’s cousin, Mr. Curston—are beyond the scope of this group and of no interest to us.
Fullerton? How do you propose we proceed? ”
“A vote,” said Fullerton. “Three options. Yes, we eject the Sandersons. No, we do not eject the Sandersons. No decision, we take time to further investigate.” He raised his eyebrows in question and looked around the table. The members, even Bagshaw, nodded.
“Sorry Bane, Drake,” said White, with a grin. “You do not get a vote, I’m afraid.”
On a show of hands, the decision was overwhelmingly “no”, with Bagshaw a “yes”, and two others voting for “no decision”.
“The Sandersons stay,” said Drew. “Gentlemen, on the table before us today are the proposed ship extension to the Newcastle canal, Mr. Linton’s proposal for an improved gas lamp for household use, and a report from our Madras agent on a new source of textiles that may prove lucrative. Does anyone have anything else to add?”
“I hesitate to raise our problem,” Bane said, “given the time already given during this meeting to the attack on our reputation, but could I please have a few minutes to seek help finding new premises for a project in which we have invested? I can explain when my turn on the agenda arrives.”
Drew looked around the table, ascertained the agreement of the others, and nodded. “Very well,” he said. “White? You were looking into the canal extension.”
Bane and Drake left the meeting an hour and a half later with the satisfaction of knowing most of the group believed them, and with a possible new home for the Pentworths that would include sufficient space to build the hydraulic presses that were already on order.
If those who had made the orders would honor them.
Stopping Colin—and Curston, whose motive for destroying Bane’s reputation was obvious—was a priority.
Fullerton had given them the name of an attorney, and also of an investigator whom Drew also recommended.
“Wakefield is something of a connection,” said the young lord.
“He was a protege of my father’s duchess, as is his wife, who is also his business partner. ”
He added, “If you don’t mind, I’ll also have a talk with my stepmother about how to handle the gossip at a social level.
Aunt Eleanor is an expert in that arena.
She says it is almost impossible to prove innocence in the court of public opinion.
Some people will always believe the worst. But it is good enough to persuade the majority to assume innocence. ”
“We would appreciate it,” Drake said.
All in all, a good meeting, though the day was marred by another attack by footpads as they made their way home. This time, the men came at them with knives, but gave up quickly and ran off when Bane and Drake fought back.