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Elizabeth’s initial reaction was to immediately agree, but she quashed that impulse and instead asked some questions.

“Do you wish me to be involved?”

“Yes, I do. You are family and I know I can trust you.”

She thought of the initial lessons she had learned at his side.

“What are the reasons not to agree?”

Her uncle, although smiling ruefully, looked proud.

“It will be difficult for you. I will be blunt, there is no point in couching anything in mild language. Men do not believe women are as smart as them.”

Elizabeth almost stood up in indignant shock.

“Steady Lizzie, that was my fault. Nearly all men, rather than all of us. I am asking you to help me, to be my daily eyes and ears. What I am trying to explain, poorly mind, is that it will be unpleasant at times. When I spoke to colleagues, fellow traders, customers, buyers, it seemed a universal condition. I would listen to Maddy’s counsel here in the house and she gave me a very different perspective. It was not that one or other of us was smarter, it was much more a reflection of our different upbringings, our different experiences. It is self-fulfilling to state that women are not as smart as men when they are excluded from the chance to prove otherwise. If you help me as I wish you to, then you are going to see, hear and be exposed to that attitude constantly. And this has nothing to do with the whole gentry versus those of us in trade issue. Tradesmen are just as bad as the Prince Regent when it comes to their treatment of women.”

Elizabeth had settled and considered her uncle’s words carefully.

“Would you be giving me this opportunity if you could walk?”

Edward Gardiner grimaced at his niece’s blunt question. And the tone. He smiled sadly.

“That is the very point Lizzie. I am telling you the reasons why you should not agree and you respond with a question about the opportunity.”

They sat in silence for an awkwardly long time. It was not that long as measured by seconds but it was interminable as their minds whirred. Mr. Gardiner broke first and spoke quietly.

“If I had not been injured then I would still be so grateful for your help with my children. The honest answer is that I would not expose you to all that world of trading, all the comments, all the things that would annoy you intensely, because you would not be accepted. It is only my injury that will gain you even token acceptance.”

The silence was only momentary this time and Elizabeth came over and knelt beside her uncle.

“I am sorry that for me to gain this opportunity you have been so grievously wounded.”

She stood and kissed his forehead, before returning to her seat.

“Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?”

He smiled at her earnest expression.

“I would like you to use the talents God has bestowed on you. I want you to watch, do more than watch, to observe, think about what it means.”

“Can you give me an example?”

“I can give you many. The most important is not to say anything. Never add anything to a conversation. If you are asked a direct question then you should respond. But the answer in nearly every case should be ‘I need to check with Uncle Gardiner’. That is your default response to any and all questions. I want you to say it so often that people no longer even bother asking you the question.”

He smiled at Elizabeth’s incredulous expression.

“But I want you to listen to everything carefully. You are presenting an image of not being clever. We both know that you are very clever so I expect there will be conversations in front of you, or where you can hear, that should have been held in private.”

His heart warmed at the sly and mischievous smile that blossomed on his niece’s face.

“I can see you understand. I will buy you several notebooks, I want you to start making notes about everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes. Another example for you. One of my competitors arrives at the office to drop off some documents, or to view some merchandise. How does he look? How has his valet turned him out? Well-tailored? Shiny boots? What is his carriage like? The horses? The brasses? How attentive are his coachman and footman? Are they looking well fed? Is my competitor? All the things that society ladies spend their time doing against their female competition, I want you to do the same with everyone you deal with. That is the first thing.”

Elizabeth looked like she was ready to head to the office right at that moment, she could not wait to start.