Chapter Twelve #2
“We hadn’t started,” Berry said. “I was about to tell our friends about my idea for a doll to sell, the proceeds going to the orphanage fund. My hope is that the toy will appeal to all little girls no matter their family wealth or bloodlines, whether daughters of noblemen and gentry, or merchants and tradesmen. I hope it will appeal to all classes who might be able to afford these dolls for their daughters. I’d like them to be soft, something a little girl can wrap in her arms as she falls asleep.
Not too fancy but not raggedy, either. However, I do not know anything about how to make them in quantity. ”
Gideon and Bonham exchanged glances.
Then Gideon leaned forward. “We can do this for you.”
Berry’s eyes widened and she smiled. “Truly? You have the facilities?”
“Yes. Well…we will have the capability once we convert one of our old gaming clubs. It won’t be hard to do. The club is already shut down and we were considering selling the building.”
“Or finding another use for it,” Bonham interjected.
Gideon nodded. “The building itself is set up to accommodate rows of tables where seamstresses can work, and the light is good. If you are not too selective about your material, we can get some of it quite cheap. Cotton purchased in bulk. Remnants from upholstery shops. Linen. Lace. Chintz. Damask. Silks will be most expensive, naturally.”
“Can you price it out for me?” Berry asked, excited that her doll project might actually come about.
“Detailing the costs for each part of the process. The materials, the lease of your old gaming club space. The wages we must pay the workers. The shipping costs. Another concern is that these dolls must be distinctive, but I’m not sure in which direction to go for that. ”
“What do you mean?” Suzanna asked.
“Do we settle on one design and have all the dolls look alike? Or should we offer various choices?”
“More designs will increase the cost,” Bonham said. “And shouldn’t the excitement be around the one doll that everyone must have?”
“But how would Berry keep these dolls exclusive enough for the Upper Crust to desire but still affordable for the common man?” Suzanna asked.
“That is a good point,” Berry said, liking the opinions that were being tossed around.
“I would love every little girl to have one of her own, but it must also make business sense. The wealthy will not purchase something that a milkman can afford to purchase for his daughter. Or do we sell a variety of dolls, some exclusively for the Upper Crust? That would be a reason to make different dolls.”
“But then it would not be something everyone wanted,” Gwenys pointed out, reinforcing Bonham’s point.
Berry sighed. “I had another idea about that, although it is something not commonly done.”
“Go on,” Gideon said.
“When I was younger, I used to make clothes for my dolls because I liked them to dress according to what we were pretending to do. Tea gowns for tea parties. Nightgowns for bedtime. Fancier gowns, even silk gowns, for the balls or theater or dinner parties I would pretend to hold. At Christmas, I would write out invitations to my Snowball Ball.”
“Your Snowball Ball?” Gideon repeated with a gentle laugh.
“Yes, not the brightest name for it. I suppose I could have named it the Snowflake Ball,” Berry admitted, wondering whether he thought the idea about different clothes for the dolls silly, too, “but I did not think of it at the time.”
Gideon obviously thought her girlhood play amusing, but he seemed to be listening quite carefully to her ideas and business goals without a hint of dismissal.
“This is something I thought the girls might like,” she added.
“Because you enjoyed playing in this manner?” he asked.
“Yes. It wouldn’t be just about the dolls, but about making clothes for them, too.
So, a wealthier merchant might buy everything for his daughter, an entire wardrobe for the doll.
Gowns, shoes, gloves, hats. But a poorer family might be able to afford just the doll and the pretty gown she comes with.
Our profits would go straight to the orphanage fund, assuming any of this undertaking is feasible. ”
She paused a moment to allow for Gideon’s response, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Perhaps he was calculating the costs of producing a wardrobe for the doll.
“This is the idea I had planned to raise with Lord Berwick,” she said. “In fact, he and I have touched upon it a time or two, but his knowledge lies in investments. He does not know enough about actually running a business. Nor do I. For this reason, we never moved ahead.”
“But this is so clever,” Gwenys said with enthusiasm, “especially your idea about making clothes for the dolls. I would have adored dressing my dolls and pretending we are off to a tea party or a Covent Garden theater.”
Berry smiled at Gwenys, pleased with her response.
“Was it lonely for you?” Gideon asked.
“Having to play by myself? Sometimes,” Berry admitted.
“This is why I enjoyed my dolls so much. There were no other children on Duchess Square at the time, so my toys became my friends. Being young, I was rarely taken to public events. Nor did I go to boarding school with other girls my age. I had private tutors for everything.”
“And no friends,” Gwendolyn said with a shake of her head.
Berry shrugged. “Going to the park was the worst, for my governesses were so worried about being rebuked or losing their position if I came home with stains on my clothes or a scraped knee that I was forbidden to play with the other children. They would sometimes relent if the children were deemed to be of my family’s stature—you know, sons or daughters of an earl, marquess, or duke—but few of them ever were. ”
“Oh, that is awful,” Miranda said. “I never realized how locked away you were.”
“Well, it is in the past now. It wasn’t intentional and I was always treated with kindness.
But this is why I looked forward to the times my mother would take me to the orphanage.
There were so many children around my age there.
Unfortunately, even then I was not permitted to play with anyone.
That was such a frustration. But how could I ever complain when I was given so much and the orphans had so little? ”
She cast Gideon a thoughtful look as she continued.
“I believe that, in this small way, you were quite fortunate. You always had friends around you. Not that I am dismissing the importance of a family life, for I am not. And I expect the utter lack of privacy frustrated you to no end. But being treated as a princess also had its drawbacks. At times, excruciating boredom. Adults do not play with children the same way children play together. Mrs. Garland was no substitute for a dear friend.”
Gideon raked a hand through his hair. “I’ll price all of it out for you. Let me give some thought to the question of a single doll versus a variety of dolls. But I think Bonham is right. The more variety, the higher the cost and also the less special it might be viewed.”
“So, this is your inclination?” Berry asked. “To start with one doll design?”
He nodded. “It might make sense, assuming the costs are not prohibitive and kill this project before it can ever get started. I like the idea about clothing for these dolls very much. This is what will set apart the wealthy buyer from the poor. They would all get the doll, but the emphasis will be on the extensive wardrobe that only the rich will be able to afford. This might be enough to create the necessary distinction between the classes. But who knows?”
“Oh, I think you have very good instincts. I trust your judgment,” Berry said, relieved he would give her ideas serious consideration.
“May I add another thought about the doll?” Gideon asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“Start with one doll. Call it the Berry doll.”
“Named after me?”
“Yes,” he said, grinning. “Big eyes. Wide smile. Flaunt the connection to you and your involvement with the orphanage.”
Miranda frowned. “Oh, I don’t know. Putting Berry’s face on a doll could be viewed as scandalous among the ton, her stooping to common trade.”
“Even though it is clearly designated for charitable purposes?” Gwenys asked.
Gwendolyn nodded. “They will blame Mr. Knight for lowering her standards and leading her astray. I love the idea, and Berry has just the sort of face that everyone adores, doesn’t she? Don’t we all just want to hug her? But perhaps name it something other than the Berry doll.”
“It pains me to agree,” Suzanna said. “There is nothing fair or right about it, for I love the idea of a Berry doll, too. But there are too many powerful people ready to tear her down merely because they are jealous of her. We must be practical and think of the orphanage’s needs.
What will best accomplish your goal of housing one hundred orphans?
I don’t think stirring up controversy will do it. ”
Gwenys let out a breath. “I would buy a Berry doll and all her wardrobe. I adore the idea. What little girl would not aspire to be you, Berry?”
“Oh, thank you,” Berry said, blushing at the compliment.
“No need to make any decisions today,” Gideon said, slapping his hands to his thighs as he rose from his chair.
“Bonham and I will work on the pricing and costs. Lord Berwick will surely have an opinion regarding the Berry doll. He can decide about the risks and benefits once we present him with the numbers.”
“A doll with my name isn’t important,” Berry said, although she was flattered that he had raised the idea.
Gideon grunted. “I’ll let you and Lord Berwick decide this matter. You can give it whatever name you want, but I firmly believe the doll needs to look like you and have your smile.”
She laughed.
“See,” he said, casting her a surprisingly affectionate look. “Your smile is pure sunshine. No one can resist it. Mention that to Lord Berwick.”