“I agree. Would that I could do the same.”
“I understand. She should at least be proper?”
“That she is… mostly. She tends to inject her abstracts into every conversation, which is tiring. She is, unfortunately, the plainest of the sisters, and she dresses like a fifty-year-old parson’s wife, so my mother harangues her often.”
“I am curious,” I asked. “You have accumulated significant sums, no?”
“Yes,” she replied brightly. “Nearly three thousand so far and since my mother’s portion was only five to start with, that seems a significant advancement.”
“Very significant!” I said, genuinely impressed. She had been extraordinarily productive.
“Why not split that amongst the elder daughters as a dowry. A thousand is a dramatic improvement over none,” I asked curiously.
“To do that I would have to disclose what I have been doing all these years, which would curtail future endeavours.”
“That seems unfortunate. One would think nearly doubling your mother’s portion should relieve her fears.”
“One would think,” she replied resignedly.
I let the matter rest, suspecting her mother almost certainly did not know the sum. I have an aunt who cannot be convinced she was in the wrong on any subject, and one eventually learns not to fight losing battles. How much worse would it be for a young lady who could not escape her parents, than for an independent man putting up with his irascible relative a fortnight a year.
“I have decided two things, Mr Jones.”
“Do tell,” I said. We had not canvassed the two younger sisters, but since I could write their likely futures for the next decade without ever meeting them, it seemed unnecessary.
“The first is that, if any of my sisters gain a worthy suitor who only lacks encouragement, I will own the truth to supply a dowry, and accept the loss of control of the funds, and hope my parents do not burn all I have earned.”
I hated that idea. “Can you not keep the money where your father cannot access it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father lawfully owns it in principle, but that is not the same as controlling it in practice. If he does not know how much you have, you could give it to a trustworthy relative and put it out of his reach. For example, if you wanted to give your sister one thousand, nobody need know about the other two. Have you a relative who is absolutely honest?”
“I do, and that is an excellent idea. I have been hiding my activities from him all this time, but if I must disclose it, I will only tell him what I can and enlist his help.”
I was happy I had given her a sound idea, as happened from time to time. I just hoped the relative would come up to scratch. I briefly considered offering myself as her trusted banker, but that idea had so many holes I had to abandon it at once. I knew I was trustworthy, but she did not. As a dependant minor, she had few options save the stealth she had employed for five years already. A trustworthy relative was the best she could hope for.
She seemed a bit brighter, as if a mostly hopeless situation had become reasonable, so she sought to escape the discussion while her mood was at its zenith.
“Tell me about your sister, Mr Jones. Is she still in school?”
My sister always brought a smile to my face, so I was happy to speak of her. I spent a few minutes describing our last winter’sholidays, which included a trip to the lakes, and a few anecdotes from her letters, then got to the heart of the matter.
“She did well enough in school, but never entirely got over her shyness, nor did she make any true friends. I took her from school at her request and hired a companion. They have gone to summer in Ramsgate.”
“I hope to see the sea one day,” she replied ruefully with almost a pout.
I chuckled. “I am certain you shall.”
She shrugged but did not debate the matter.
“They are in Ramsgate now?”
“They are, and she seems to be enjoying it very much. She mentioned enjoying beach walks and water painting. It is hard to beat the seaside for subjects. The house has a good pianoforte, so she has a lot of practice.”
“It sounds wonderful.”
“Yes, I remember my first tastes of freedom as a young man.”
