Chapter 39
Thwarted as they had been by Mrs Berkeley’s interventions, the twists and turns of fortune which had so hounded Maggie recently now appeared to have determined on attaching themselves to two further victims in a renewed attempt to do their worst. This time the victims were Mr Staveley and his long suffering mama.
For it so happened that on the very day on which Mr Berkeley and Mr Staveley had agreed to meet up with Mr Wright at Mr Brewer’s banking establishment to effect the handover of the money, some news of the utmost seriousness began filtering its way into town. Indeed, the news was so bad and so ill welcome that Mr Brewer met his three associates with a very worried look upon his face.
‘It is extremely bad news for the three of us I’m afraid, Mr Staveley,’ he intimated, leading the way through to his office at the rear of the bank. ‘I am not sure how much Mr Wright here has told you about the nature of our investments overseas – the investments into which we sank a proportion of your mother’s money as well as an amount of our own? – but I regret that they have turned out much riskier than either of us could possibly have imagined. We had invested in crops from the Americas – North and South - tobacco, mainly, but also a little rice and corn flour, a few extra items of (ahem) that ilk – which we had planned to trade at a profit over here. It is normally a secure and lucrative enough transaction. But sadly, this time – well, I am sorry, Mr Staveley, but it appears that the very boat which was transporting the goods along the American coastline has been boarded and captured by some foreign privateers. They have boarded and captured the boat and all of its cargo. I have no expectations of us ever seeing anything of it again.’
Mr Staveley was looking a little bewildered. Mr Berkeley who, luckily, had not himself invested in the venture, took it upon himself to ask some questions on the gentleman’s behalf.
‘So all of the investment is gone, you say, Mr Brewer?’ he asked him. ‘And how much of Mrs Staveley’s money was involved in it, might I ask?’
Mr Brewer took a shifty look at Mr Wright, who was, in his turn, looking studiedly at the floorboards.
‘Umm...humph...Well, it is a little difficult to say, exactly, Mr Berkeley. Mr Wright had pooled some of his own money with that of Mrs Staveley. We invested about one half.’
‘A half? A half of what, exactly?’
‘A half of about – what was it, Mr Wright? – about a half of four thousand pounds. I believe that Mrs Staveley started with about two thousand in ready cash, and so did Mr Wright. We agreed to invest about a half of that total altogether. So you could, perhaps, say that each of them has lost a thousand pounds.’
‘A thousand?’
‘Yes. A thousand.’
Mr Berkeley raised his eyes to the sky.
‘And I take it, from your reaction, that the cargo was not insured?’
Here Mr Brewer stole another shifty look at Mr Wright.
‘Well, the boat was insured, certainly,’ he said, cagily. ‘And the boat, of course, was one of mine. But the cargo – well, the cargo was maybe not quite fully covered. Some of it – well, perhaps we should just say that some of it was not quite as insurable as the rest of it.’
‘So you were trying to smuggle it – is that what you are saying, Mr Brewer? You have invested an old lady’s money in illegal cargo, and now you are telling us that you have gone and lost the lot?’
Mr Brewer shifted a little uneasily in his seat.
‘Well...umm...well yes, I suppose you could look at it like that. About half of the cargo was insured. The rest of it – the rest of it we will unfortunately have to write off.’
‘I see.’
Mr Staveley, having passed his mathematics examination at the fifth time of trying, was rapidly working out the extent of the losses that Mr Brewer was talking about.
‘So we are talking ab...about a figure of five hundred p...pounds, are we, M...Mr B...Brewer?’
‘Well, if we were to say that half of the investment was your mother’s, and half of it was uninsured, I daresay – yes, we are talking about a figure of approximately five hundred pounds.’
This was depressing news. It meant that, effectively, he should be working for the next four years for nothing in order to make it up.
‘But that is always assuming that a portion of Mrs Staveley’s money went on the illicit portion of the cargo, Mr Brewer.’
Mr Berkeley was obviously less inclined than Mr Staveley was to abandon the money without a fight.
Mr Brewer looked at him narrowly.
‘Yes,’ he admitted, eventually. ‘Yes, I suppose that it is.’
‘So you are saying that Mrs Staveley invested her money in contraband, Mr Brewer, whereas I am sure – am I not correct, Mr Staveley? – that Mrs Staveley would have done no such thing.’
Mr Staveley found that all three of his companions were, at that moment, looking at him expectantly.
‘No,’ he assured them, confidently. ‘I am sure that m...my mother would have wanted to do no such thing. My father lost a deal of b...balsam in a similar manner himself. I am sure that m...my mother would never have risked her own fortune in doing the self same thing again.’
Mr Brewer looked frowningly at his long-time gambling associate.
‘So what is it that you are suggesting, exactly, Mr Berkeley?’
Mr Berkeley smiled engagingly at him in return.
‘I am suggesting, of course, Mr Brewer, that of the two thousand pounds invested in this cargo, it was the thousand pounds’ worth of legal, insured cargo that Mrs Staveley invested in, and therefore that the losses – whatever proportion of the remainder they may represent – must be entirely at the door of Mr and Mrs Wright.’ At this point Mr Wright shot his confederate a horrified glance, which Mr Brewer took great care not to notice. ‘You may, of course, wish to mitigate those losses by providing the Wrights with a share of the boat insurance, but I shall leave that as a suggestion that Mr Wright may well wish to negotiate with you entirely on his own.’
‘Well,’ said the banker, cagily. ‘I really could not agree that all of the losses are down to Mr Wright. Mrs Staveley’s money must most certainly have been involved. Perhaps we should work this out a little more scientifically, Mr Berkeley. After all, I have been talking in round figures up to now. It may be that not quite half of the cargo was made up of illicit goods.’
The gentlemen decided to adjourn for some refreshment whilst Mr Brewer undertook his calculations. Mr Staveley, feeling bemused by the whole affair, was only grateful for Mr Berkeley’s expert intervention. He would certainly not have had the expertise – or the courage – to have manufactured such arguments for himself. And once their refreshments were over and everyone felt a little more relaxed it transpired that the situation was not quite as bad as Mr Brewer had first thought – that only a third of the cargo had consisted of uninsured articles after all, and that, at some time in the future, the remainder should most certainly be reimbursed by Lloyds. It was finally agreed that, for a ten percent loss on her original investment, Mrs Staveley should receive immediate reimbursement of the remainder of her money from Mr Brewer’s bank reserves and that, should any of the cargo ever come to light in the future, she should then be in line to take a similar proportion of any of that ensuing. Mr Brewer agreed to organise the investment of Mrs Staveley’s remaining nineteen hundred pounds in the three percents and to provide the certificate to Mr Berkeley when he had done so, for that gentleman’s safe keeping on Mr Staveley’s behalf.
Chapter 40
‘How do you think your mother will fare at your cousin’s house once you have gone back to sea, Mr Staveley?’
After their little successes at the bank Mr Berkeley was accompanying Mr Staveley to Captain Wright’s house, where the two officers had agreed to finalise their arrangements for taking control of their ship.
Mr Staveley looked across at him a little glumly.
‘I hardly know, M...Mr B...Berkeley. It is something that I a...am trying not to thi
nk of. My cousins treat her like a child, I fear, b...but she is terrified of saying anything to offend them. She is not hap...happy there even with me to see her every day. I hate to think of her b...being neglected as soon as I have gone away, b...but the alternatives seem even worse to her.’
Mr Berkeley nodded.
‘Yes, I thought as much,’ he said. ‘It cannot be very comfortable for her there and you have mentioned before that she longs for some company.’
‘She does indeed. I a...am not quite sure what b...best to do about it, though.’
‘Well, perhaps I can help you out, Mr Staveley. It is just a thought – you may not like the idea above half, in which case please feel free to reject it out of hand – but you may not know that I own a number of properties around the Weymouth area. Most of them have been built on the reclaimed land over there,’ pointing down the river to where some building work was still in operation ‘but I also own a property just a couple of doors down from my sister’s over here. I had thought that she might like it for herself at one time, should she have a family, but as it is she is perfectly contented with her current one instead. After all, she is here on her own more often than not and it is plenty large enough just for her. So I have recently converted the other one into apartments. There is a lady on the top floor who looks after the building, sees to the cooking, the washing and so forth, and a little maid who attends every day to clean the rooms. There are two small apartments on the middle floor which have been recently let to some very genteel elderly ladies, and one on the ground floor that has just been taken on as well. But there is a very pretty apartment still vacant on the ground floor, overlooking the quay, and I was wondering whether your mother might like to have a look at it and maybe take it off my hands. It is quite small and easily managed – a bedroom, a little parlour, the usual facilities – but, for her, the main advantages might be in its situation here on this side of the river. It doesn’t have a sea view, of course, but the quayside would provide all sorts of entertainment for her to look at – boats going in and out, all the loading and unloading, carriages coming and going – that sort of thing – and being on the ground floor, of course, she may also find it a little easier to go out. My sister would happily call on her most days and see that she’s well catered for, and Mrs Berkeley, I know, will be pleased to do the same once her confinement is over. It may be that Miss Owens would be prepared to bring Kate along to see her, too. Indeed, little Kate loves older people. She has often bemoaned the lack of a grandmama. A friend of hers is still possessed of one and she regales Kate with all sorts of stories about all the fun they have together. I feel sure that she would like to do the same with your mama. As I say – just an idea. I offer it to you to think about and accept or reject, just as you both see fit.’
Mr Staveley and – as soon as she had heard about all the advantages that this particular apartment had to offer – his mama were both so enamoured of the idea that they straightway hired a chaise and returned in it to High Street later that very day in order to take a look. And indeed, the apartment was such a pretty one, with such tasteful furnishings and so entertaining a view over the river, and offered on such exceedingly attractive terms which were well within reach of even Mrs Staveley’s very limited means, that their minds were made up in an instant and Freddy agreed to take it on immediately. The only slight concern – the fact that there was only the one bedroom and hence that there would be no accommodation for Freddy whenever he was not at sea – was quickly overcome by the open offer of a room at Belvoir House for as often and as long as he should need it. And so, on the afternoon immediately preceding his journey across to Portsmouth, Mr Staveley found himself, together with Mr Berkeley, Captain Wright, George the footman and Maggie, packing his mother’s things, and his own, and getting her, and them, across the river to her brand new home on the southern side of the quay. Mrs Berkeley, too, had wanted desperately to assist the Staveleys with their removal from Grosvenor Place, but her time was so close now and her own discomfort so evident that Mr Berkeley had absolutely refused her the permission to attempt it and sent his sister up to Belvoir House instead in order to retain her inside.
Mrs William had at first been inclined to cavil at the loss of Mrs Staveley’s rent from the family income and, even more, at the need to find and return the several hundred pounds which she had previously invested in their property - and which more than made up for the losses accrued as a result of Mr Wright’s most unwise investment of her capital. However, having been gently reminded by her sister-in-law that she had been let off extremely lightly in terms of her unfounded allegations against Miss Owens, probably wisely she eventually persuaded herself that the genteel thing would be to allow the transaction finally to go ahead, and only made sure that the rent was paid-up for the full month in advance before reclaiming all her furniture from the Staveleys and making herself scarce for the actual removal itself.
Maggie had been gratified to be received most affectionately by Freddy’s mama when they first came across each other in the pretty new apartment that the old lady would thenceforth be calling her home. Maggie might have been even more gratified had she spotted the look of satisfaction and approval on Mrs Staveley’s face when she had noticed the enjoyment that she and Freddy were getting from working constantly together on the various little tasks that needed to be done, and in their most infectious laughter together whenever they got something wrong. The work they were doing reminded Mr Berkeley of a popular song. He started to sing it out loud as he worked. Mr Staveley quickly joined in to make it a duet, and before they knew it everyone in the apartment was singing along, too, with even Mrs Staveley contributing her thin, wavering warble to the chorus, and with George and Maggie dancing surreptitiously to the rhythm and thoroughly enjoying the fun.
It was as they were transporting the final load of the day that Freddy spotted a number of somewhat inept paintings of warships festooning one of the walls at the far end of the hall. He studied them, bemused, for a while.
‘Do you know, I have never seen such a ship in m...my life before, Miss Owens,’ he assured Maggie, drawing her over to him in order to point something out, ‘and I should certainly never wish to go aboard such a thing m...myself. I cannot imagine how any rigging such as that could ever b...be thought of as sufficient for all those sails. Why, they should be down again in an instant as soon as we got her underway.’
At the end of a long day Mr Berkeley retired to Captain and Mrs Wright’s house for some tea and a rest prior to making the steep climb back up the hill to Belvoir. Freddy, perhaps mindful of his long journey on the morrow, declined his share of the invitation and, having taken a fond leave of his little mother, asked Maggie, rather shyly, whether she would wish to join them too.
He was rewarded for his consideration by a little smile and an assurance that no, if there was something that he would rather do, she was not in need of any rest at all.
‘I just wondered whether we m...might wander up to B...Belvoir together?’ he suggested, diffidently. ‘I have a hankering to stand with you and look out to sea. I know not how long it will b...be before I am b...back here again. I would like to rem...remember the two of us together, on our own, on the long days that lie b...before me.’
Maggie was aware of a most pleasurable tingling sensation as he said this, a sensation so powerful that for a moment it made it difficult for her to formulate her response. So she nodded at him instead, took his arm, accompanied him past the brewery in Ope Square and then set off with him at a steady pace up the grassy hillside which led to Belvoir House.
‘You are not looking forward to returning to sea, Mr Staveley?’ she asked eventually, breaking a silence that had threatened to last for the whole of the walk up the hill. ‘You seem just a little – well, down.’
‘I would rather not b...be going,’ he confessed, grinning at her sheepishly. ‘I su...suppose I have quite got used to having m...my time to myself.’
‘Well, perhaps all the
activity out at sea will help you to forget Miss Brewer for a while,’ she ventured, a little shyly. ‘After all, once you....’
‘M...Miss B...Brewer?’ he broke in, seemingly somewhat surprised. ‘M...Miss Brewer? I have not been thinking about M...Miss Brewer at all...Why, do you know, M...Miss Owens, now you mention it I find that I have forgot Miss Brewer already. Miss Brewer I thought a dream b...but I think I knew even before I went to London that it would not do – that I was not the sort of gentleman who could win her and m...make her happy. M...Miss Brewer is like a delicate m...moth. She requires the bright lights, p...plenty of diversion, beautiful things around her. I could never provide that – she would never have been satisfied with what I had to give. I did realise that. I realised it a long time ago although I fought it for a while. P...perhaps the attraction was as much to do with m...me as it was with M...Miss Brewer, M...Miss Owens. I wanted to believe that I am what I am not. I wanted to believe in the dream. It has taken m...me some time to work it all out. I am such a numbskull at times. B...but now that I have b...been able to do so I do think maybe that what I admired about M...Miss Brewer is – well, perhaps not quite so worthy of too much admiration after all.....’ here he broke off, confused. He had perhaps surprised himself by his ability to voice his own sensations quite so freely.
An Indelicate Situation (The Weymouth Trilogy) Page 20