Virtue’s Reward (A Poor Man at the Gate Series, Book 11)

by Andrew Wareham

  Ainslie had not heard that; George showed him the paragraph in the London Times bearing that information.

  “I am not myself in contact with any who could fill the need for ministers, Mr Ainslie. Do you know of young men who could perform this function was I to pay their way? I would hope there would be some who might respond to this appalling state of affairs, prevented only by lacking the necessary funds.”

  “A passage with the carters to go south and a few shillings to buy food – which I am told is costly in London – and I am your man, Mr Star. Two days and I am sure that I could discover others of my brethren in the Lord who would answer your call.”

  “I have brought fifty pounds in small notes and sovereigns, Mr Ainslie, the better to be spent in the corner shops of the poorest parts. If you discover that you need more – and I would expect that you might – then a letter to me will not remain unanswered, I assure you, Mr Ainslie.”

  “You are a good man, Mr Star! Come, sir, join me in prayer and thanks to God!”

  Ainslie dropped to his knees then and there, leaving George no choice other than to join him and call ‘Amen’ at intervals in his heartfelt supplications.

  “Took the bait and placed the hook, Mr Clapperley! As the old gardener at Freemans was wont to say, ‘been and gone and went, sir’! Mr Ainslie and three others ‘of a like mind’ to him. I doffed my hat to them at the inn this morning, having insisted that they took a post-chaise rather than the wagons and canals as had been their frugal intention, and sent them on their way to London with many a cry of ‘Hallelujah’ ringing in my ears.”

  Clapperley himself gave a happy little cry of relief.

  “All is now in the hands of God, Mr Star. We must pray, though not too hard, that they may be returned to us, whole and hale. I shall speak at length to my good Papa the meanwhile.”

  Clapperley coughed and appeared a fraction embarrassed, enquired obliquely whether Mr Star might not be able to give him the direction of a ‘house’ in Manchester that catered to more exotic needs. He had been out of the country, as Mr Star knew, and was no longer familiar with the more expensive haunts.

  George could not do so, austerely responded that he had not frequented such places since making his very fortunate marriage. He did not know of their location.

  “However, Mr Clapperley, I shall pass your request to my Mr Tonks, a gentleman you will be pleased to meet, I believe. I am sure that I can say that only a very few dens of vice are unknown to Mr Tonks. He is, as well, an enterprising businessman, such as you were known to be before you left the country, and I am sure you will find sources of mutual profit.”

  Clapperley met Tonks and discovered a like mind – his equal in intelligence and possibly just his master in the arts of devious money-making – they formed an immediate friendship.

  “Your father to be returned to the ways of his youth, you say, Mr Clapperley, it being desirable to turn his mind from the paths of tedious virtue. He would be Sir Erasmus Clapperley, one-time Minister of the Crown and a local member, and of some renown in the business community?”

  “Just so, sir.”

  “And might one enquire the sophisticated nature of his personal tastes, sir?”

  Tonks listened without surprise – it was not so uncommon a habit.

  “Ah, yes – there must be a dozen houses in Manchester employing not one young miss over the age of fifteen years and some far younger. Discreet and displaying a high level of comfort and care for the patrons’ health… Easily done, sir. A visit to the firm’s offices to discuss a business opportunity, an investment that Sir Erasmus might consider, and then to retire to eat a dinner and in passing to discover that the dining room offers other entertainment. The old gentleman to be seduced from the straight and narrow, in fact; no doubt the exercise will be good for him!”

  All went as was envisaged, the elder Clapperley seeming to remember old habits increasingly as dinner was served by young waitresses.

  “Very tender veal, Sir Erasmus.”

  “Yes, indeed,” came the reply, the old gentleman’s eyes fixed on the girl removing his plate. “Very tender, indeed!”

  The meal ended with a brandy and a brief discussion of an investment in the mining business followed by the proprietress coming to enquire whether she could do anything more for them. Tonks and the younger Clapperley stood from the table and went into a side room and left the old man on his own; he spoke briefly and was led upstairs, a reminiscent grin spreading across his face.

  “For you, Mr Tonks?”

  “Not to my taste, Mr Clapperley. Mrs Hastings here has another house on the other side of the road and I have no doubt we can find more appropriate company there.”

  The two younger men walked the fifty paces and entered another lushly appointed set of rooms, the hostesses here more of a mature age. Neither reappeared till morning.

  Tonks reported to George Star, confirming that at minimum the old gentleman had extra material for his act of public repentance but that it was far more likely that he would not be seen in a chapel again.

  “From all I have heard from his son the gentleman is rejuvenated, is trotting busily about his house and land again and has every intention of living another score of years!”

  George did not approve.

  “A pity! I had hoped that the shock might have killed him. I cannot like such habits, Mr Tonks! It is, however, little of my business – I am not to be a moral crusader, after all.”

  George returned to the estate as was his habit at the weekend, discovered his lady wife to be in a state of some excitement.

  “A letter, Mr Star, a card, in fact. ‘Mrs Nichols is at home on Saturday Ninth November from two o’clock’.”

  “Addressed to you, ma’am?”

  “To Mr and Mrs George Star, sir.”

  “Who is Mrs Nichols?”

  “She is the relict of Mr Nichols, lately squire of Barton and living some three miles from us, in the Dower House. A wealthy family – wide lands – and well connected in the County. One may expect that there will be many others of that set present and that she will have discussed this invitation widely. The children will benefit greatly from our becoming part of the County, Mr Star.”

  “Then we must attend. Should we send an acceptance of the invitation?”

  “Not to an ‘At Home’ – it does not demand such formality as a dinner party or ball would. Morning dress is correct, but well turned out, sir. Perhaps it is time to consider a valet?”

  If they were to become a part of local society, over time being invited to an increasing number of functions, then he must pay more attention to his dress. Simply to be neat and tidy would no longer be sufficient. He agreed.

  “We will entertain as well, ma'am. Thus, a butler in addition to the indoor man, do you think, ma’am? A maid to act as your dresser if I am to have a valet – that is only reasonable!”

  “Can we afford such extra expense, sir? Three more of staff, and none of them on a low wage.”

  “Two hundred pounds a year between them, including their keep. In addition the refurbishments to our wardrobe they will demand, and the butler’s requests for the wine cellar as well. I have placed ten thousand pounds into our accounts already this year, ma’am – and that does not include the funds I have put back into the firms and to new business. I will be surprised if the young squire of Barton receives one half as much!”

  “My dear father earned not one third of that, sir.”

  “He did not, my dear ma’am, but he did much to enable me to become so prosperous. I do not forget my debt to you and yours, be very sure of that.”

  “I could never doubt your honour, sir. Nor can I ever be other than thankful to you. I know that ours is a match of convenience, to both of us; I have observed a number of such arrangements in our community and know of no other gentleman so rigorous in meeting his obligations. I owe you much for your respect, sir.”

  “Ours is a contract, ma’am – and I do not break any such! I
will confess that many of the agreements I make have involved an amount of prior manoeuvring, shall we say, but the creation of my family is important to me, and demands my most absolute honesty.”

  “Again, thank you, sir. It is time for the children’s afternoon play, sir. Will you join us?”

  “If I may, ma’am. It is good for them to see us side by side and setting an example.”

  She agreed; the boys must come to see that their Papa treated his wife with unfailing respect so that they might learn to do the same as adults. There was much to be said for duty.

  Jonathan Quarrington found that he must consult with Mr James Andrews, and that he must travel to Lutterworth rather than London to do so.

  “This Cholera is a damned nuisance, James. I had hoped to have tidied up a number of matters before the year’s end but find that I cannot go near London in all honesty to my family and people at home. Is there word of the plague dying away yet?”

  “The last letter I received suggests that far fewer are being infected, Mr Quarrington, that as the weather grows colder so the numbers of the dying dwindle. A score of reasons are being suggested. The smell of the Thames is always less at this time of year and there are those who consider that the infection is borne by aromas, carried through the nose in fact. Others say that there is more rain in the early months of winter and that the flood water washes the sickness out to sea – in which case, God help the fish! A raucous few insist that the lack of sewers is to blame, and indeed one must ask whether the overflowing cesspools of the rookeries and the streets next to the Thames can be healthy. I really do not know, though I believe my dear father to have been for many years convinced that water contaminated by human waste was very dangerous indeed.”

  “Lord Andrews was a great man, James, a friend for whom I had nothing but respect. I am quite certain that if he believed such to be the case then he was far more likely to be right than wrong!”

  “I would be very proud if I was half the man my father became, Mr Quarrington. His protégé, Sir William Rumpage – the Navvy Knight, you may have heard of him?”

  Quarrington had, but had never had the honour of his company.

  “Sir William believes as well that human waste is a great danger to healthy living, and he has proposals to build a set of sewers for some of the lower-lying parts of Town. Brick-lined tunnels of miles in length, emptying into the river so that the waste may eventually be swept out to sea.”

  “That will require a Private Act, will it not, James? Be sure that my people will offer their support in the Division Lobbies. That was, in fact, a major concern, my primary reason for wishing to speak with you, James. The Quarringtons and Minchinhamptons between them have nine members, James, and also give a lead that many in the West Country choose to follow. They will all be discovered on the Whig benches when next the House sits.”

  Nine fewer votes for the Tories, at least nine more for the Whigs; not enough to unseat the existing government but quite sufficient to bring the Whigs to office after the next election, the Tories being known to be in decline.

  “I will be very pleased to bring that news to Earl Grey and Viscount Melbourne, Mr Quarrington. I think they will be very pleased and will wish to speak to you.”

  Neither found it necessary to say more on that topic.

  “I am entering into mining in the field near Radstock in Somersetshire, James, and will be building a trackway to the shores of the River Severn. Horse drawn in the first instance, but soon to be powered by steam locomotives, I suspect. I believe the family has some expertise in steam?”

  “You will wish to speak with Joseph, if you can drag him away from his son’s side, that is! A fine boy, I understand, all well and him quite delighted. A great pleasure, for he must have been much worried after his first sad experience. He is a leading figure in the world of the locomotive steam engine; not an inventor as such, from all he tells me, but one who refines and makes more practical other men’s ideas, or so I understand. I know nothing of the whole affair, and since poor Mr Huskisson’s loss, I have small wish to.”

  “A fine man, Huskisson, and a loss to the whole country, James.”

  “A politician who understood the new industry – rara avis!”

  “A rare bird indeed, James. In the eyes of many you must be his natural successor, with your family background.”

  “Mr Peel has the same sort of family, yet one does not hear of him as the businessman’s friend, Mr Quarrington.”

  “A different sort of man, perhaps. Will you be looking at the Board of Trade, James?”

  “Should I be asked to take the post then I will find it difficult to decline – I will always serve where my duty takes me. But I much hope not to be asked; I had far rather stay with the colonies where I feel I have achieved some little of good. Though, of course, there is the vexed question of the Sugar Islands!”

  “Forget them, James – no man can do anything for them while the power lies in the hands of the planters. Ten years from now and they will be impoverished to a man, and none can doubt that except the planters themselves – they do not believe that anything truly unpleasant can happen to them, for they are very great people, don’t you know!”

  “And they have power in the Governing Council of every island, and on the mainland in the Guianas. You are quite right, Mr Quarrington – every single proposal I have sent them they have voted down, for knowing better themselves. All they wish is that slavery shall be ended in name but perpetuated in reality, and I will not have it!”

  Quarrington had completed the sale of all of his interests in the Caribbean and was now inclined to applaud James – principle would no longer cost him money.

  “I must not visit London, so it will make sense for me to go to St Helens, I think. A word with Sir Matthew Star, for I shall wish to purchase colliers in the near future, and then a discussion with Mr Joseph Andrews will be beneficial. I could wish these railways were to be completed sooner, James – days in a post-chaise are not my idea of pleasure!”

  "Colliers, Sir Matthew, will be a necessity I suspect. Steam coal to be sent to Cardiff and Swansea, and household around the coast to London, or so my people tell me."

  Sir Matthew frowned a little and enquired whether Mr Quarrington was experienced in the business of sea transport.

  "It has its pitfalls, Mr Quarrington - and coastal traffic differs from blue-water in many ways."

  "Better to use contractors, you would suggest, Sir Matthew?"

  "Very probably, Mr Quarrington. You may otherwise find yourself spending days arguing with insurers and harbour-masters and who knows what sort of petty official who is convinced that your crews destroyed one half of his port in drunken rampage."

  It was difficult to disagree on those terms.

  "As regards coals to London, sir, you might give thought to running up the Severn and thus to the canals to Birmingham. Especially in winter, the inland waterways are the more reliable and I am surprised that the route is not used more from South Wales."

  Quarrington was less inclined to accept this advice - he could see a need to load twice, first into colliers and then to the barges. The extra handling must cost money.

  "I had thought perhaps to cut a canal from the pithead to join the Kennet and Avon which connects to the Thames - but, leaving aside the expense, which is not slight, there are so many locks that it is a slow route, and not the cheapest."

  "Perhaps one must wait on Mr Brunel's scheme to come to fruition, sir. A line to join his Great Western project may be the best plan."

  "Ambitious, I believe."

  "But possibly successful nonetheless. I shall not condemn it out of hand, Mr Quarrington."

  "I shall wait, I believe, Sir Matthew. In the short run I must build a trackway to the sea. It will, I suspect, make sense to ensure that it will be amenable to steam locomotion. If Mr Brunel is to be the projector then one must wonder what width of rail will be best."

  "He is committed to his seven foot gauge, Mr
Quarrington. There are contractors now who will not merely supply navvy gangs but also take over the whole of the building. It might be less costly to take your business to Peto or Brassey, either of whom is making a name for probity."

  Quarrington was disinclined at first to trust any contractor - he would look after his own money with some affection, must expect a contractor to do the same, to put his own interest first. Sir Matthew went to some lengths to disabuse him, pointing out among other things that very few men were able to get the best out of navvies, and that it was impossible not to use them for railway construction.

  "Lady Star's late father, Lord Andrews, was able to talk with all stations of mankind, of course, but few possess his gifts. I certainly do not."

  "Nor I, Sir Matthew. Brassey and Peto, you name to me?"

  "There are others, but relatively few, and Mr Brassey is a rare man. On his large contracts it is his habit to set up a reading room for his people, so that they may have the opportunity to educate themselves rather than waste their substance on drink! His navvies respect him, and that is rare for such men, and they run riot far less than one expects of such people."

  "I am persuaded, Sir Matthew!"

  "My hospitality is limited, I am afraid, Mr Quarrington, my lady being on the East Coast to enjoy the sea-bathing with the children in the Dowager's company, but you are very welcome to remain in our house, or indeed, to join me at the estate over the weekend."

  "My thanks, but I am to join Mr Joseph Andrews to discuss questions of steam, in which I am an ignoramus, I fear."

  "You will learn much in his company, Mr Quarrington. Are you to go to London thereafter? I am told that the Cholera is subsiding, almost disappeared, though there is word from Birmingham of some cases, and from Manchester, but it is hoped that the onset of winter will reduce the incidence. It is a tropical disease, after all, and may not survive an English winter."

  "I would wish to be seen in London, having some political business to transact, sir. My members are to support the Whig interest from this sitting, Sir Matthew, and that sets upon me the need to make myself known to some of the leading gentlemen of the party."