My Cousin Caroline: The acclaimed Pride and Prejudice sequel series The Pemberley Chronicles Book 6

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  He put down the pages and strode away to gaze out of the window, as if uncertain of how to respond. When he returned to her, he spoke gently, but with a degree of gravity that left her in no doubt that he was taking the matter seriously.

  “Caroline, this is indeed a very grave situation. I agree with you that your father must be informed and some action taken without delay.

  “We should otherwise be in danger of causing a complete disruption of work at the office, which we can ill afford at this time. There is a possibility that we may lose experienced and trusted employees, whose knowledge of the business is invaluable, and for a busy trading organisation, that would be a catastrophe.”

  Caroline nodded, relieved that he agreed with her on the urgency of the situation in which they found themselves.

  “What do you suppose we should do, Mr Darcy?” she asked. “I am quite certain that were Mr Kennedy to be dismissed, we would soon lose both young clerks. Mr Jones and Mr Selbourne have learned much from him and have worked exceedingly well together; they are unlikely to stay on to work under the harsh regime imposed by Mr Caddick.”

  Darcy did not need convincing; he could see the problems such a development would create.

  “Indeed, it would be impossible to employ and train an entire new staff whilst continuing to trade,” he said, and Caroline intervened to add, “Yet, were the business to be temporarily closed, it could mean enormous losses and, above all, a loss of goodwill with customers.”

  Mr Darcy was genuinely surprised at the depth and extent of her understanding of the business. He had always been aware that Mr Gardiner respected Caroline's thoroughness and dedication in the work she did for him, but this was the first occasion upon which Mr Darcy had seen it for himself.

  Leaving her alone for a few minutes, he went out of the room.

  When he returned, having spoken with Elizabeth, he had a plan in mind. To Caroline's great relief, he suggested that on the morrow, Elizabeth and he would accompany Caroline and her husband to Lambton to meet with Mr Gardiner.

  Caroline was aware that Robert and Rose were in London to attend a performance at Covent Garden. This revelation seemed to please Mr Darcy well. “That is most fortuitous,” he said, “it will give us an excellent opportunity to discuss the matter openly and thoroughly with your father; Lizzie will come with us, principally to keep Mrs Gardiner company. We should make every effort to avoid alarming your mama. I am aware she is very keen that Robert should make a success of his work in the business. Were she to hear of these matters, she is likely to be very disappointed. Elizabeth has agreed to send a message to your parents advising them in an informal manner of our visit, so it may appear no more than a social call. Mrs Gardiner would not be surprised if we talk business with your father afterwards.”

  Caroline agreed and left having expressed her heartfelt appreciation of Mr Darcy's involvement.

  Back home, she awaited Fitzwilliam's return from Bakewell. When she showed him Mr Upton's letter and explained that they were expected at Lambton on the morrow, he asked, “Does Darcy believe Mr Upton is right in his judgment of Caddick and his effect upon the staff?” to which Caroline replied with complete confidence, “I do not doubt Mr Upton for one moment and told Mr Darcy so. If he says Caddick is doing the wrong thing, I believe him and I am sure Mr Darcy does too. It is not so much a question of trusting Mr Upton—he has worked long and hard for Papa—it is more a matter of not trusting Caddick, of whom we know nothing at all. If he were to dismiss Mr Kennedy and we were to lose the services of both Selbourne and Jones as a consequence, the business would be in deep trouble.”

  In the years that Caroline and he had been married, Colonel Fitzwilliam had been frequently surprised by his wife. Her passionate involvement in his reform work when he had been a member of the Commons and her fearless capacity to speak up for those who had no privileges and no voice among the powerful had both astonished and delighted him, no less than the warmth of her love for him and their children. No task was too difficult, no duty too tedious, and she would undertake it with enthusiasm if the reward was that she pleased her family.

  Yet, in all those years, he had not imagined he would see Caroline become involved as she was in running her father's business with such wholehearted dedication.

  There was no question in his mind that, on this occasion, she was right.

  The early Spring weather was unusually temperate.

  When the party arrived at Oakleigh, Caroline was surprised to see Emily alight from the carriage which had conveyed Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. It transpired that her sister had been taken into their confidence and had volunteered to accompany them in order to help keep Mrs Gardiner from suspecting that anything was seriously wrong.

  “We thought it best if Lizzie and I took Mama for a drive to Bakewell; there is a Spring fair at the church and I want to get some tarts for tea,” Emily said innocently.

  The day was to be full of surprises.

  Caroline had not expected her father to respond as he did on being shown Mr Upton's letter, nor, it seemed, did Colonel Fitzwilliam. Only Mr Darcy appeared unsurprised by Mr Gardiner's reaction to the news.

  Knowing how much he had hoped for from Robert and understanding how disappointed they had both been at his earlier failures, Caroline had expected some degree of shock, perhaps even disbelief. Her husband had warned her to expect Mr Gardiner to defend Robert's appointment of Caddick and to suggest that Mr Upton, being set in his ways, was probably unfair to the new man.

  But he did none of these things.

  Instead, having read the letter, which he put down on his desk, he opened his bureau and took out a file of papers. From it, he extracted a document which he put before them—it was the report of Robert's investigation into discrepancies in the accounts of the London office.

  It was both short and superficial.

  As they read it, they could see quite clearly that Robert had in fact done very little to ascertain the truth of the matter, apart from the most cursory examination of the books. He had glossed over small amounts as “slight errors” and waived much larger sums on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to prove anything against anyone. No one was held accountable; nothing was recovered; no action was recommended. Caroline, who had detected the discrepancies and alerted her father many months ago, was stunned.

  She was not, however, surprised when Mr Gardiner said, “Well, you can now see why I am not shocked by any of the matters detailed by Mr Upton in his letter. I did not support the appointment of the man Caddick, I think you will bear me out on this, Caroline—I know you voiced your objections quite forcefully, but Robert paid no attention to either of us. I had only just handed Robert the responsibility for the Manchester office; it was not possible for me to override his authority on the very first question on which we disagreed. So I let him have his head. I half hoped he would succeed, but sadly as you see, he has not.

  “Neither has he brought the matters in the London office to a satisfactory conclusion. I have now placed those matters in the hands of an investigator, hired by Mr Bartholomew. “

  He made a point of saying, “Neither Robert nor Mrs Gardiner knows of this; only Mr Darcy has been kept fully informed; as one of my partners, he had to know. You need have no anxiety, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” he added, with a smile, glancing at his son-in-law, who was also his partner. “Mr Darcy has looked after your interest very well. I did not wish to trouble you and Caroline again; I know you have been busy with other matters. I need hardly say it; it must be plain to you all that I am exceedingly disappointed in Robert. I had hoped he would return from the colonies with greater enthusiasm for playing his part in the family business. I had great hopes for him, but he still lacks confidence to make his own decisions; he looks always for someone who will take the responsibility off his hands. It is no way to conduct a business.”

  Turning to his daughter, he said, “I am most grateful to my dear Caroline for her help…” he began and when she t
ried to hush him, he took her hand in his. “No, my dear, you must not stop me saying this. No father ever had a better daughter. She has been more to me than either of my sons; she is strong and determined and, like a terrier, never drops a problem until it is resolved.”

  Caroline was so mortified, she ran out of the room, returning later with tea and biscuits for the gentlemen, by which time the discussion had turned to the very real likelihood of war in Europe.

  After tea, the question of how to answer Mr Upton's letter was taken up by Mr Darcy. It was, he stressed, a very sensitive and urgent matter.

  Mr Gardiner seemed to have it all worked out.

  He asked Caroline to write to Mr Upton and send by express a letter urging him to be patient and ensure that Mr Kennedy was made aware that moves were afoot to remedy the situation.

  “Assure him, please, my dear, that Mr Caddick has no authority to dismiss either Mr Kennedy or any other member of his staff, and neither has Robert, since they were all appointed to their positions by me and can only be removed by me or by my direction. Mr Upton should make this very clear to each of the employees without alerting Caddick at all. They must also resist entering into any conflict or argument with Caddick that may give him grounds for complaint against them.

  “Meanwhile, I shall write personally to Mr Caddick, asking him to report to me here in Robert's absence. When he arrives, I shall make myself very clear about the extent of his authority.

  “Caroline, I know you are going to be very busy with our dear Isabella's wedding, but I should like it very much if you would send for my lawyer, Mr Jennings. Ask him to call next Friday; there are certain matters upon which I have to instruct him,” said Mr Gardiner gravely, adding quietly, “Mr Darcy, if you could spare the time, I would greatly appreciate your presence when he arrives.”

  Mr Darcy assured him that he would be happy to be present and Caroline went away to write a note to Mr Jennings.

  When Mrs Gardiner, Emily, and Elizabeth returned to the house, they found the others seated on the terrace, enjoying the Spring sunshine as though nothing serious had disturbed them at all.

  Two things occurred on the following morning, which threw their agreed plans into disarray.

  Richard called at the house to advise Caroline that Mr Gardiner had been taken ill during the night; he assumed it was a recurrence of an incipient heart condition, exacerbated no doubt, he said, by overwork and anxiety about Robert and the business.

  Caroline was immediately eager to go with him to see her father and, during the journey, confided in her brother about the troubles with which the business was beset.

  “If only Robert had not appointed this man Caddick—everything was running quite smoothly until then,” she grumbled. “It has created a problem where there was none.”

  At the mention of Robert, Richard recalled that their mother had received a message from him to the effect that their return from London would be delayed by a week because Rose had taken ill.

  “It's nothing serious, probably a bad cold, but it is expected to confine her to bed for a few days and will delay their departure from London,” Richard explained.

  He was rather surprised that Caroline did not appear very concerned about the change in Robert's plans or his wife's indisposition.

  In truth, she was rather pleased. Her father's illness and Robert's delayed return would necessitate a change of tactics, but it was to their advantage, Caroline believed.

  Instead of summoning Mr Caddick to Lambton, as previously planned, the letter from Mr Gardiner, containing his strict instructions and admonitions, would now have to be delivered to him by Caroline. It was an errand she looked forward to with some relish.

  Later in the week, after some hurried consultations with her father and Mr Darcy, Caroline left Fitzwilliam and Isabella to keep her parents company while she travelled to Manchester with Mr Darcy and her son David, who was down from college for the vacation.

  Mr Upton, who had already received the reassuring note she had written him, welcomed them, and Caroline noted with satisfaction that in the office, Messrs Adams, Selbourne, and Jones all appeared to be in good spirits. Mr Kennedy, who came in moments after they'd arrived, was positively beaming. The explanation for this atmosphere of good cheer was not hard to find.

  “Mrs Fitzwilliam, I have conveyed to the staff the message from Mr

  Gardiner contained in your note to me,” Mr Upton explained, and Caroline looked around and asked, “And Mr Caddick?”

  “Mr Caddick has been away in Liverpool these two days. He is expected back this afternoon,” he replied.

  Mr Darcy had another appointment in town and David was hungry. Caroline left a message for Caddick.

  “Please tell Mr Caddick I have a letter for him from my father,” she said and they left to find an inn or an hotel where a meal might be had.

  When Caroline returned to the office with David, Mr Caddick, emerging from behind the glass partition he'd had erected to separate his space from the rest of the staff, approached them with a most amiable smile. Caroline returned his greeting with a degree of cordiality she did not feel, but she was unwilling to give anything away before handing him her father's letter. When she had done so, he invited her into his office, but she did not follow him there; instead, she sat by the window looking out at the rather grimy view whilst he read the letter.

  It was not a very long letter, but it was a particularly carefully worded and pointed communication, which made Mr Gardiner's meaning abundantly clear. Caddick took so long, he must have read it through at least twice, Caroline thought.

  When he finally came out of his room, his countenance betrayed his injured feelings. Clearly, Mr Gardiner's words had been unexpected; he was angry but had probably decided it would not be in his interest to say anything adverse to Caroline. He seemed to want to pretend that Caroline knew nothing of the contents of the letter she had delivered to him, and she neither did nor said anything to contradict that impression.

  The appearance of Mr Darcy, who had concluded his business in town, seemed to considerably increase Mr Caddick's discomfiture. Caroline noticed him mop his brow and loosen his collar. When at last he spoke, he said only that he would respond to Mr Gardiner's letter in due course.

  It was time to leave and after speaking briefly with Mr Kennedy and commending him quite openly and warmly on his “excellent and detailed reports, submitted with unfailing punctuality,” Caroline left the office with David and Mr Darcy.

  Mr Upton accompanied them to their vehicle, wished them godspeed, and thanked Caroline from the bottom of his heart for setting his mind at rest. He asked also that she convey his gratitude to Mr Gardiner.

  Mr Darcy reinforced his partner's words, “Mr Caddick has no authority to dismiss anyone, so if he gives Mr Kennedy or anyone else notice or tries to bully Mr Adams or either of the clerks into leaving, they should take no notice of him,” he said.

  “Indeed,” said Caroline, enjoying the irony, “you are all employed by my father, except of course Mr Caddick, who was appointed by my brother and so may be dismissed by him!”

  Looking up at the windows, David noticed Mr Caddick staring down at them even though he could not have heard their words. Seeing them look up at him, he withdrew.

  When they were all within the vehicle and just about to drive away, Mr Kennedy came running down the back stairs and into the street. He handed Caroline a sheaf of papers, which he said may interest Mr Gardiner. Caroline thanked him, took them, and placed them in her case, promising to pass them on to her father when they returned to Derbyshire.

  It was a promise she was unable to keep.

  Returning to Oakleigh, they found the household in turmoil.

  Mr Gardiner had suffered another attack and was confined to bed. Richard had ordered that he was not to be disturbed under any circumstances. He intended to call in another physician for a second opinion.

  “Doctor Gardiner has called twice today,” said the parlour maid, “a
nd Miss Emily,” (she would always be Miss Emily to her mother's servants), “is here to stay all night to look after the master.”

  Mrs Gardiner, when she appeared, seemed so tired and worn out that Caroline decided to say nothing of their journey except to assure her everything had been accomplished as planned. Mr Darcy had advised this was the best course.

  Having ascertained that her father was sleeping comfortably, Caroline returned home and, in telling her husband of the encounter with Mr Caddick, expressed the hope that things would settle down, now the staff had been reassured and Mr Caddick put in his place.

  Fitzwilliam smiled and said, “I would dearly love to say you are right, my dear, but I doubt it.”

  Caroline was too tired to contest the point but hoped for the best. After all, she thought reasonably, everyone was now quite clear where they stood. It was unlikely that Caddick could do any damage now.

  But she had calculated without the wily Mr Caddick and the response of Robert and his wife.