“By now, Rowdy had a competent overseer and manager in charge of the operations in Virginia, so he made his way to India. He discovered that had the previous owners dug past some stubborn rock formations, there was a wealth of gems to be found. On the adjacent land, he found veins of rubies and emeralds and other precious stones.”
“By the time Mary was born in ‘92 we were raking in profits hand over fist, especially after we added some mines on the Gold Coast of Africa. When we looked at the funds that we were building that had already reached into the millions, Gardiner suggested, and I agreed, that we start to buy businesses that had good bones but their owners had taken them as far as they could or did not have the funds to develop their companies further. We decided that all of the businesses that we acquired would be kept separate from each other and that keeping the secret about the ownership by Gardiner and Associates was a condition of purchase that had heavy penalties if breeched.”
“My God Bennet, I had no idea.” Jersey sat back, stupefied by what he had heard so far. “Come on, old friend, tell us the rest.”
Bennet nodded and proceeded with his tale, “The first major acquisitions following the influx of capital were shipbuilding yards. We purchased yards in Liverpool, Bideford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Newhaven, Folkstone, and South Hampton to name the main locations. Unless the old managers were incompetent, we left them in place. And rather than compete for the same contracts, each of the yards focused on needs of different sectors of the shipping industry. When we earned large contracts and there was a time constraint for delivery, we were able to meet the deadline as we can spread the work among multiple yards if needed.”
“Just after the yards, we discovered that the Denningtons were selling their shipping line as old Mr Dennington had sons who had no interest in the business. Gardiner and I went to meet with them at their headquarters in Liverpool in ‘94 and we purchased the shipping line while retaining all of the current management. Within five years we had quadrupled the size of the line as we could add ships at will. Today, it is by far the biggest shipping line in the realm. Edward and I have recently taken delivery of a personal vessel called ‘The Elizabeth,’ and no, she does not know she has a ship named after her. In the near future we will be bringing her to London and then we will organise a little sailing trip. Eventually there will be ships named after all of the Bennet and Gardiner offspring.”
“For some years now, we have received almost all contracts to build ships for His Majesty’s navy, so we expanded the number of ship yards and soon after started to build exclusively for the East India Company. In return for a significant reduction on price, we were given a ten percent stake in the company and a year or so later, when the company was worth less than six million, we purchased a further five and twenty percent stake. After these major acquisitions, we turned to stores and factories in England. We have a large facility outside of London where we employ inventors, scientists, and the like. We own patents on some of the new innovations that the Luddites object to so vociferously.”
“White’s, Boodle’s, Gunter’s, and Hatchard’s were more for fun than money. Imagine the members of theTonknowing that their exclusive clubs are owned by a tradesman. Hatchard’s was a passion for me as I love books. As your wives now know, we own Madame Chambourg’s. She receives thirty percent, a higher percentage of profit than most as she is not just the manager, but the creative force behind the business. Very few, if any, of the businesses we invest in know who the others are as we want to foster competition and the drive to succeed. All they know is that their cartage, shipping, and raw material costs are much lower than most other businesses pay, they just do not know why.”
“My lord, Bennet. You and Gardiner have built wealth in five and twenty years that others cannot attain in generations,” Bedford stated the obvious.
“It was done with ‘King Midas,’ as my brother is called by some, making great investments and good business decisions and not a little luck. The mines were the right place at the right time,” Bennet said philosophically.
“Well, I for one am extremely happy with my investments in Gardiner and Associates. The returns make the four percents look like nothing,” Matlock stated after he had digested all that was disclosed.
Both Bedford and Jersey, who also had major investments, nodded their agreement with the last statement. The men all refreshed their drinks. The chess games started again with Bedford sitting across the board from Bennet. He was the only one in the room with no title, but he had more wealth than all three men combined and none of them begrudged him of it.
‘I am going to talk to Cousin Prinny. He should hand out some titles to Bennet and Gardiner. They are loyal to the crown, but that will cement the relationship to the royals further,’ Lord Haywood Rhys-Davies, the Duke of Bedford, thought as he was being soundly trounced at chess by his friend Lord Jersey.
As the three peers left, Bedford called them over and explained what his thoughts were about asking the Prince Regent to bestow titles on Bennet and Gardiner. The two men agreed wholeheartedly. The next day, they took Bedford’s carriage and made their way to Buckingham House. After a half hour wait, they were shown into a chamber where her majesty Queen Charlotte sat with her son, George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent who they referred to as Prinny.
The Duke, with support from Lords Jersey and Matlock, informed the royals about the extent of the owners of Gardiner and Associates wealth and that unbeknownst to them, almost all of their navy’s ships were manufactured in shipyards owned by the partners. It did not take much for the Prince of Wales and Queen Charlotte to agree. It was decided that Mr Bennet would be made a peer of the realm as he was a gentleman and would have the title of Earl of Longbourn conferred on him. As he had no son, the secondary title of Viscount Meryton was created and would be conferred on the first-born Bennet male grandchild if no miracle happened that blessed the Bennets with an heir. No estate was gifted as the Bennets owned most of Hertfordshire already. A Baronet would be conferred on Edward Gardiner that would be inherited by the oldest male son, starting with his son James.
The patents would be ready by Monday, and the announcement would be in the papers the day after. The three peers carried a message from the royals to the Bennets and Gardiners to invite them for a royal audience to receive the patents on Monday at two o’clock in the afternoon. Everyone knew that it was no invitation, but a summons. The prince had seen the logic that anyone who had that much wealth should be a peer, or titled at the very least. The three returned to where the other two carriages had been left and then each went to go collect his wife to meet back at Bennet House. A note was sent to Gardiner House to request their company at Bennet House as soon as they were able.
When Thatcher showed the Duke, Duchess, Earls, and Countesses into the Bennet family’s sitting room, they were glad to see that all of the Bennets were present, minus the one at school. Darcy and the Colonel were visiting and it was not many minutes later that the Gardiners were announced.
“Did I not get rid of you three the previous evening? Now you return with your better halves and the Gardiners make an unscheduled visit. Will someone please tell me what is going on?” Bennet quipped as everyone was seated, his interest piqued. As the peer of highest rank, it was Lord Bedford that replied.
“After you shared the story of Gardiner and Associates with us yesterevening Bennet, I knew that this was information that could not be kept from the royals. Before you get angry, none of the information that is not public will be made so. I pray you will both forgive me,” he looked at both Bennet and Gardiner as he said this, “but supported by Jersey and Matlock I suggested that Prinny may want to reward you, given your contributions to the security and economy of the realm. He and Queen Charlotte completely agreed with me.”
“What did they award us with, Haywood?” Bennet asked his very good friend before anyone else could react. Bennet only used his first name when he was very serious, Bedford hoped that his friend would not be angry.
“You Bennet are now Lord Thomas Bennet, Earl of Longbourn and your wife is now Lady Frances Bennet, Countess of Longbourn. Gardiner, you were awarded a baronet so you are now Sir Edward and Lady Madeline Gardiner.” He bowed to them in respect and hoped he had not lost his friend. There was a chorus of “what, how, when and why” and as they were looking for an explanation, Fanny, who had been calm since the revelations made by her husband, fainted. She was flanked by her fellow Countesses as she was revived with the help of salts.
“Does that mean that my sisters and I are…” Elizabeth looked at the group with wide-eyed surprise though she tried to keep her countenance.
“Ladies. Yes niece,” Lady Jersey agreed, “you will henceforth be known as Lady Jane, Lady Elizabeth, Lady Mary, Lady Catherine, and Lady Lydia.”
The newly minted Lady Elizabeth, sunk back against the cushions of the settee and closed her eyes, trying to come to grips with her family joining the peerage.
‘Not only has she connections far better than mine, but she is above me now as well. I will have to keep working hard to prove myself worthy of her respect and love. Perhaps one day…’ Darcy mused.
The Duke proceeded to tell them that they had been summoned for a royal audience with the Prince and his mother on Monday afternoon at which time the patents would be presented and the announcement would be in the papers the following day. The Duchess and Lady Jersey told the assembled that their ball would be to honour and welcome the newly minted Lord and Lady Longbourn and Sir Edward and Lady Madeline Gardiner.
When Bennet stated the obvious that he had no son to carry the title forward, he was informed that his first-born male grandchild would be Lord Meryton and heir to the Earldom. The only stipulation was that ‘Bennet’ would be added to his surname. Sir Edward’s title would pass through his son and the first-born son of each successive generation.
Fanny Bennet was almost catatonic for a while and then she started repeating: “Am I truly a Countess, I am, am I not?” After repeating this about ten times, she became still as she reflected on the sea change in her and her family’s life in such a short time. Darcy stood and faced the Bennets, wanting to offer his respect.
“Lord Longbourn, Lady Longbourn, may I congratulate you on this most deserved honour. The same to Sir Edward and Lady Gardiner. To the Ladies Bennet, I offer my heartfelt best wishes on your elevation. You will be an example all should follow and will only improve theTonwith your influence.”
“To anyone in this room and in informal settings, please keep to Bennet,” the new Earl requested. He knew that he could never insult the royals by refusing the title, so Monday would be an interesting day indeed.
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