Chapter Two
Francis Saunders had woken in a foul temper, and not even a full plate of breakfast could remedy the situation. He was seeking solace in his third cup of tea when his father, Charles, arrived in the family breakfast room.
“Bonjour, Francis. Comment vas-tu par ce beau jour?” said Charles, in his typical cheerful manner.
“Bonjour, Papa,” grumbled Francis.
He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to tell his French-born father that there was nothing beautiful about the morning. He couldn’t even manage a polite smile. Fortunately, the look on Charles’s face was enough to inform Francis that his grim mood was apparent.
“What has you in a fit this morning?” asked Charles.
Money. Contracts. Missing cargo. All of the above.
Francis set his cup of tea on the saucer and sighed. He had never thought that taking over the family shipping business would be this hard. That his worries about all manner of things would consume his every waking moment. And an uncomfortable portion of his sleep.
There had to be a secret to it all. His father was even-tempered. Francis had never heard Charles raise his voice with the staff, and it was rare for him to work late at the office.
There has to be a trick. Something he has kept from me until now. What can it be?
He leaned forward over the table and met his father’s keen eye. “How do you do it? I mean, manage the business as well as everything else?” asked Francis.
In the years that Francis had worked alongside his father, he had never questioned any of this, but now, as responsibility began to fall on his youthful shoulders, he found himself at times almost paralyzed with self-doubt.
Charles leisurely poured himself a small cup of coffee. In typical French style, he eschewed the use of milk or sugar. Francis shuddered at the sight. How anyone could drink such a strong brew first thing in the morning was beyond him.
His own plate, which had been filled to the edges with a full English breakfast, sat in stark contrast to Charles’s which had a small, sweet bun sitting all alone in the middle.
Charles took a sip of his coffee and sighed. “The first coffee of the morning is always the best. And the most necessary.”
Francis raised an eyebrow at the remark. The coffee in his father’s hand would be the first of many. A long procession of cups of coffee would follow in Charles’s wake throughout the long day ahead.
“As I have told you before, Francis, this next year is going to be a tough one for you. But if you want to successfully manage the Saunders Shipping Company, you are going to have to find a happy medium between business and your private life. I can’t begin to tell you the countless hours I worked when I first started the company. Of the many meals and family occasions I missed. And if your mother hadn’t finally read me the riot act, I expect I would have continued in that same vein ‘till the day I died.”
As a young boy Francis had always thought it unfair that his father put business ahead of family, but lately, he had begun to understand the reasons why. Work was never-ending.
Of course, he and his siblings had all been present that night when Lady Adelaide had brought her protest down to the old docks. Francis still remembered being rugged up in the family carriage watching as his mother berated her husband in the middle of the street. She had threatened to burn the Saunders Shipping warehouse to the ground if Charles didn’t immediately pack up and come home.
To her credit, Adelaide had actually managed to find a copy of the Riot Act and quoted Charles the section where it commanded him to peaceably depart to his habitations. Her husband had sensibly taken heed. It was the last time Charles had ever worked late at the shipping office.
In the intervening years, the Saunders Shipping Company had grown steadily. Charles must have found a solution to the problem of never-ending work, but as things currently stood, Francis couldn’t see it. At the moment, he was not only stuck in the trees, but he was also trying to find a way to climb to the top of them so he could map his way in the world.
There was, however, one spark of hope in his life. A highly lucrative tender for handling spices from Ceylon and India had recently been announced. A contract which was only open to those who had warehouses at the London Docks.
If Francis could win the contract, many of his problems would be solved. He had worked hard on the proposal. It was well costed and sensibly priced. He would be able to make a solid profit on every shipment from the far east. Nothing would stand in his way of becoming one of the biggest shipping merchants in London.
Then I won’t just be ‘young Francis Saunders.’
“I’ve done the numbers, Papa. If I can win that new spice tender, then I think I can make things work. You will be able to retire confident that I have things under control. That contract would give me enough money to be able to expand into the warehouse next door as well as employ more clerks. I could then step away from the books of account and focus on growing the business. I have grand plans.”
Charles raised his small cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip. As he set the cup back down, he fixed his gaze firmly on Francis. “Speaking of plans, your mother asked if you are still intending to travel up to Scotland with us? I promised I would seek an answer from you this morning. Adelaide has her own plans to finalize.”
Deft and sly change of subject, Papa.
Francis reached for his cup, taking the time to drink his cold tea slowly. He had been hoping to avoid having this conversation until closer to Christmas. But no time was ever going to be a good one. He would simply have to bite the bullet and deal with it.
“I’m thinking perhaps I might stay in London for the festive season. I can have Christmas Eve supper with Will and Hattie,” replied Francis.
With the rest of his siblings having all taken spouses this year, Francis was the only Saunders offspring left unwed. And while the thought of spending Christmas at Strathmore Castle with the rest of the extended Radley family held much appeal, being around his mother and her not-so-subtle hints about the need for him to find a wife made it less so.
