Chapter Thirteen
Bane
Mr. Wintergreen’s daughtershad 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 decisionat 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 andBane 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.
