Page 32

“Mr Gardiner, sir?” enquired Bill as he arrived at the door, cap in hand.

“Come in, Bill, and close the door, will you?” said Mr Gardiner in a resigned voice.

Bill knew his master well enough to realise that something was not quite right. Desperately searching his mind for some oversight on his part, he came up with... nothing.

“Bill, you know I’ve been hoping to open an office in Bristol. That I asked you to train young Harry to take over your position here so that you might run the Bristol end of the business.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, there has been a set-back and I can no longer afford to expand to Bristol in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, I may have to redeploy Harry in another capacity. It will mean him leaving the firm, so I’m letting you know before I talk to him. If he does leave, you will have to train another junior. But let us cross that bridge when we come to it.”

There was silence for a moment while Bill digested these rather sudden changes to the company’s plans.

“Yes, Mr Gardiner. Is that all, sir?”

“Yes, Bill. Please find Harry and send him in.”

Having been extracted from picking a complicated order, Harry arrived five minutes later. Unlike Bill, he did not have a completely guilt-free conscience. Yesterday, in the chaos of unloading the ship in Mr Gardiner’s absence and stowing the cargo in the warehouse, he had made an error that could have cost the company tens of pounds—annotating several tea chests incorrectly on the manifest. By the time he had realised his mistake, one of them had already been dispatched and he’d had to run all the way to Holborn to retrieve it.

“Mr Gardiner, sir,” said Harry, pausing just inside the threshold.

“Sit down, Harry,” said Mr Gardiner indicating the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

Harry sat. He had never been invited to sit before and he did so nervously, on the edge of the seat. Bad news or a long session seemed likely.

“Harry, you’re a bright young fellow and you’ve been a real asset here...”

Good Lord, am I about to be turned off?

“...You may be aware that my family has recently suffered a bereavement...”

Harry nodded, holding his breath.

“I am afraid it’s going to require some belt tightening...”

Harry gulped.

“...Unfortunately, I am going to have to abandon my plans to start an office in Bristol for the moment...”

That’s it! thought Harry. I’m gone!

“...I know you’re a country boy and haven’t been entirely happy here in London, Harry.”

Yep! I’m backed! And it’s to be cast as all for my own good!

“I believe you come from the parish of Stevenage and send money back to your mother there?”

“Yes, sir,” replied Harry, as his stomach began to sink towards his feet.

“How would you like to return to Hertfordshire in a new capacity? I’ve been tasked with finding a bailiff for the estate of Longbourn. The parish is not so far from Stevenage.”

“Yes, sir. I know of Longbourn,” said Harry, suddenly remembering to breathe.

“I realise you don’t have any experience as a bailiff but you’re a quick study. Your work here has been promising, and you’ve lived on a farm. You’ll have free accommodation and Sundays off, so you should be able to ride to Stevenage to see your mother. The estate isn’t a rich one—I can only match your wage here, but you won’t have to pay for lodgings, and it could set you up for a better position in the future. Are you interested?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Before you accept, there is one important caveat. Do you think you’ll be able to take orders from a woman?”