Chapter 29 #3
Mr. Eden nodded slowly. “As much as we need investors, that sort are troublesome creatures. They believe themselves to be lions, but they are more akin to rabbits, scattering at the slightest sign of trouble.”
Jonathan exhaled quietly. “Or cattle, rather, for they love to stampede.”
That earned him a chuckle. “You managed Mr. Sampson easily enough. I have every confidence that you will manage your own skittish herd.”
Raising a hand, Mr. Eden accepted a glass from a servant, who appeared from the ether. The gentleman motioned to Jonathan, but he waved away the wine.
“A man’s reputation is worth more than gold, and it is paramount that you maintain yours, for it is far easier to keep their confidence than win it back,” said Mr. Eden before taking a drink.
“I am doing my best, but I fear I haven’t your reputation—”
“Oh, it is the easiest of matters,” said the gentleman, his smile growing. “Simply pay your dividends, returns, interest, or whatever else your investors and shareholders require. As long as the money comes at regular intervals, most shan’t cause you any trouble.”
Jonathan chuckled. “If it were so simple, I would not be struggling to sleep at night, but I cannot pay what the project itself has not earned. Investors wish for the higher returns that long-term projects offer but refuse to wait the allotted time—”
“No,” said Mr. Eden, leaning forward with a shake of his head. “Pay them now, even if you must pull from your private accounts. You can replenish your savings when the projects pay out, and in the interim, the investors will sing your praises.”
Jonathan frowned faintly. “But isn’t that misleading? It gives them a false sense that the project is performing better than it is in truth.”
“Just as a parent does not disclose to their children every hardship they face, one cannot be entirely transparent with one’s investors,” said Mr. Eden with a wave of his hand as though brushing the concern aside.
“My dear Mr. Hatcher, markets are built upon perception more than reality. After all, the worth of the projects isn’t based on a set price, but what people believe others are willing to pay.
The more confidence you instill, the more your projects are worth. ”
Mr. Eden tapped a finger on the arm of his chair. “A temporary measure to maintain confidence isn’t dishonorable when the underlying investment remains fundamentally sound. If you are paying from your own pocket, what harm is there in it?”
There was wisdom in that, but Jonathan felt a shiver of something uncertain wind its way through him.
The arrangement felt dangerously close to deception, though he hesitated to voice the thought aloud inside these grand offices where every inch of polished wood and somber elegance was proof of the gentleman’s mastery over such matters.
And Mr. Eden seemed to sense the hesitation.
“My dear fellow, the developments are sound, are they not?” he asked.
“Yes, but—”
“Then the profits will come,” he replied, taking another deep drink. “You are merely honoring obligations during a temporary period of instability rather than allowing frightened men to damage perfectly healthy ventures through impatience.”
The gentleman leaned back, resting his glass on his knee.
“Investors panic easily, and I would hate to see your business flounder simply because you choose to be overly forthright. There is a vast difference between omissions and outright lies, after all. And with so many new advancements and discoveries, which allow such fearmongering to spread far quicker than in past years, the world isn’t what it once was.
Business must evolve. It is the way of things. ”
Jonathan sat quietly for a moment, turning the advice over in his mind whilst the fire crackled softly beside them.
And though the uneasiness never fully disappeared, Mr. Eden spoke with such assurance—and from such a place of success—that Jonathan found himself wondering whether his own discomfort merely proved his inexperience.
“I shall consider it carefully,” he said at last.
“Good.” Mr. Eden’s smile returned at once, warm and approving enough that some of Jonathan’s lingering uncertainty eased despite himself. “That is what any sensible man ought to do with advice.”
From there the conversation drifted into other matters.
Mr. Eden spoke at length regarding shifting investment trends and new expansions rumored farther east whilst Jonathan updated him on several contracts currently under negotiation.
The gentleman possessed an astonishing breadth of knowledge across every branch of business, and more than once Jonathan found himself wondering how a single man managed to keep so many moving parts in his head.
Listening to him speak, Jonathan began to understand why so many gentlemen entrusted fortunes to his care with such absolute confidence. The fellow possessed that rare ability to make even uncertainty sound manageable so long as one remained clever enough and decisive enough to stay ahead of it.
Mr. Eden emptied his glass and set it aside, his gaze turning to study Jonathan. “Have you heard from your uncle?”