The Old Order (A Poor Man at the Gate Series Book 7) Read online

  James’ dress was always neat, but today had to be quite outstanding for he was to make a visit on Lord Ormsby, the proud father of one son and three daughters, two very well married, the third the focus of James’ attentions.

  Ormsby was an agricultural peer, seen in London only when duty to his party called or his lady insisted. James had met Miss Jennifer Welham, Ormsby’s daughter, in the previous Season when she had come out rather young at seventeen, and repeatedly in the following Little Season. Now they were in Town for a third time, early in the New Year, her father wishing to attend a debate in the Lords, it seemed, and had held a small evening party for those few in residence, James invited and pleased to attend and made very welcome.

  Miss Jennifer was an attractive girl, well-made and supplied with those curves which were popular at the time, the abundant far preferred to the sparsely elegant. She was moderately intelligent, but not to the extent of frightening James, and talked well, but not too incisively. The family was wealthy, owned many acres of good Lincolnshire farmland and possessed smaller manors in parts of Yorkshire where coal had been very profitably discovered. There was just the single inheriting son, which was convenient as it lessened the demands on the family purse inevitably made by younger boys. The Ormsbys were Whigs, unfortunately, but not to the extent of an overweening dedication to the cause, and James’ Party affiliations had very evidently not been held against him, though it had been hinted that he would be very welcome if he found he had been sitting on the wrong benches in the House.

  James could not dance but he had met Miss Jennifer frequently in society and they had talked and taken supper together on several occasions and she had made it clear that his company was very welcome. She had greeted him especially kindly on the previous evening, commenting on the three months that had passed since last they had been able to meet.

  “It has felt longer than that, ma’am,” had been James’ gallant response, much welcomed by the young lady.

  Murphy, when her presence was mentioned in passing on James’ return home, said he was glad they had enjoyed being in company again.

  “Was you to make clear any intentions you might be having, Mr James, it would be very possible to arrange a wedding in the Season, sir.”

  “Do you think…?”

  “From all that you have been saying, sir, I certainly do. The young lady seems not averse to your company, and a hostess would be of great value to the house, sir, and to your political future. A year or two of making your mark in the new party, sir, and you would be well on the way to a place in the next Whig Administration, which will certainly be formed during this decade. I would be proud indeed to hear of you being made a Minister of the Crown, sir.”

  “What of you, Murphy? You seem to be saying that you would leave my service.”

  “Was you to be married then I would be in the way, sir, an inconvenience, no longer necessary to you. And that is quite right, too. As for what I would do, well, sir, I suspect I would go aknocking on Mr Robert’s door at the bank, himself having given me a direct order to do just that when the time came and I had finished my work here.”

  “I had not been aware of that, Murphy, and I would not wish to be in any way ungrateful. You have a claim on me until the day I die, as I hope you know.”

  “It’s knowing that has been the reason I’ve been happy to serve you, sir – because I knew I would never have occasion to say so. You are a gentleman, sir, and I would have been proud to follow you as an officer. That not being a possibility, then I am glad to have done the little I could, and even more glad that the time has come when I am not needed. I will work for another of your family, sir, and with pleasure, yourself knowing that you need do no more than whistle if the time should arise when I could be handy again.”

  James was moved almost to tears.

  “Enough for now, sir. Will you be paying any calls in the morning?”

  “I think I might visit Lord Ormsby, Murphy.”

  “A very good idea, if I might say so, Mr James.”

  Ormsby was at home to James, welcomed him, sat him down in his little library with its shelves of dusty books – his lordship was no great reading man – and offered him a glass.

  “My lord, I am come, with your permission, to beg the hand in marriage of your daughter Jennifer. I am, I believe, able to support a wife in a respectable place in society and can look forward to a modest future in Public Life that may bring me some promotion.”

  Ormsby had made all of the normal enquiries when James had first been noted as a potential suitor for his youngest daughter. His wife had informed him of Mr James Andrews’ income and general circumstances and had stated him to be satisfactory as a spouse for their third girl, had indeed shown some enthusiasm for him.

  “The Andrews are wealthy, as is well-known, and will become even more so, it would appear. One cannot necessarily applaud the nature of the heir’s alliance and one must deplore his dedication to the world of business – not the place for a future peer of the realm! Yet, from the purely pragmatical point of view one must note that he will add very substantially to the family’s millions, and they are renowned for being closely united, the three brothers and their sister, the bonds of affection such that the prosperity of one will lead to the well-being of all.”

  “Reel him in if possible, then?”

  My lord enjoyed his fishing, spent a part of every year pursuing the salmon in its northern rivers, the southern habitats tending now to be dirtied by the habits of humanity and the fish not so wholesome.

  “Jennifer has a respectable dowry, my lord. It might be appropriate to consider whether it is wholly sufficient for this case.”

  “Fifteen thousands not enough, my lady? You might well be right. What of that damned nuisance of a farm down in Hampshire, the inheritance from my father’s younger brother?”

  The farm in question was not small, some eight hundred acres of wheat land and another three hundreds of water meadows along the River Meon, but it was in rather poor condition, Ormsby’s uncle having chosen the gentleman farmer’s life, and being short of both capital and aptitude. The gentleman had been involved in some sort of scandal as a young man, had been banished to rural exile where he had remained, his name not mentioned in the family; he had never wed and so speculation had followed obvious lines. He had died in the previous year and had left his land properly to the head of the family, but it was nearly two hundred miles away from the hands of their agent and bailiffs, yet demanding close care and a thorough inconvenience to all.

  “That effectively doubles her portion, my lord. Her sisters might well look askance at such generosity.”

  “Whisper to them that the Will is to be rewritten to make allowance for this case. They will understand, I should imagine. The lawyers can make all right for them, as is only fair.”

  James, unaware of the welcome that had been prepared for him, outlined his financial circumstances – his Town House in freehold and no expense to him; a respectable income; tenancy and inheritance of Lutterworth which would eventually provide an extra three thousands or so a year. He could not claim to be rich, as such, but he was very comfortable indeed.

  Ormsby signified his approval of James’ circumstances, agreed him to be well able to care for a family. He then set out his daughter’s financial state for James to approve, in full expectation that he would be very pleased.

  “You are generous indeed, my lord. It would be appropriate, if Miss Jennifer should accept my suit, to place her cash holding into trust for her benefit. One would wish land to descend to the heir, should one eventuate, of course, thus the creation of an entail, if you approve, my lord?”

  Ormsby did so approve; the alternative was for James to settle the farm by Will on younger children, the land inevitably lost to the family because it must be sold so that its value might be equally distributed. James then made the formal offer of a contract of marriage, dependent, both agreed, on the wishes of his daughter; should she refuse him the
n the matter was to go no further. They were in unison that the day of the marriage negotiated and enforced by parents was done.

  Lady Ormsby had called her daughter to her as soon as James had arrived in the house, had briefly put it to her that he had come as a potential husband and was very probably as good a bargain as she was likely to come across.

  “He is, my love, as you know, mutilated in service, and thus less active than might be desired in the social sphere, but he is not a cripple as such. He will give you the opportunity to preside over a political salon. He will certainly achieve a reputable knighthood, the Bath probably, and quite soon, and after that one would look for his baronetcy; peerage as such is less likely, though his brother has much influence and it may be possible. He has a small but thoroughly respectable estate, and you will add to that the Hampshire farm that your father inherited last year, as well as the portion that you are aware of.”

  “The farm? But, that is at least another twenty thousands, Mama!”

  “It is, or will be, my dear. Both your Papa and I favour this marriage, as you will appreciate, and we are willing to offer him substantial encouragement, but that is not to say that you are compelled to accept Mr Andrews. The refusal is yours, and you will hear no reproaches from me if you do not take him. That said, I doubt you will do better, and I like the young man as well – he is of character as well as good family on his mother’s side.”

  “I like him too, Mama,” Jennifer hesitated, wondering if she might make so bold as to admit to romantic emotion. “Indeed, Mama, I may well hold warmer feelings for him.”

  “As I thought! If I believed that you held him in aversion you may be sure that I would have instructed - that is to say encouraged - your Papa to refuse him.”

  Jennifer was invited to the library and left in James’ company for a few minutes.

  “I have asked your father’s consent to your marriage, Jennifer. Now, I may ask yours. Will you marry me? If you do not wish to then the matter is closed, there will be no attempt made either to persuade you against your better judgement, or, far worse, to compel you to assent. But I will say that I shall be very happy indeed if you will become my wife, and, really, very upset if you will not!”

  She smiled, nodded and held her arms out to him.

  “I shall be very happy to become your wife, James, and am very pleased to have the opportunity!”

  A couple of minutes later he asked whether she wanted a long engagement or if a marriage at the beginning of the Season would suit her.

  “I should stay in Town until the House rises, my love. I have pledged my vote to the sponsors of two Private Bills which are due to come before the House in May, both friends to the family and with a call upon me, I believe. A Poor Law Union in Lancashire and Rights of Way for a trackway to be built from a new pit in Leicestershire to the canal side. Either Bill could fail without its quorum and I should not be responsible for that.”

  “A wedding in April, followed by a short journey in June? That would be an excellent plan, I think, sir.”

  “Would you not prefer to be married out of your house, in your home parish?”

  “Delaying until July or August? No, let us tie the knot as soon as we can. Was I the eldest daughter, with potential claims to the family and the estate, then perhaps so, but my children will hardly stand to inherit even if my brother dies without issue and heir and so I have no great responsibility to the local people. Besides, I have my share of vanity and will be very happy to display my husband to the ton.”

  James had his share of vanity as well, he discovered; he was quite pleased at the prospect of being exhibited as a valuable prize on the marriage market.

  They joined her parents, hand in hand, to the deep approval of the servants, romantics to the last maid.

  “My father is in Town at the moment, my lord, in company with Lady Andrews. May I beg of them to pay a morning visit tomorrow?”

  Lord and Lady Ormsby assented gladly – there was a great mass of arrangements to be made, much more easily face-to-face than by letter.

  James went immediately to Mount Street; once there he despatched a note to Murphy, asking him to join them.

  “As I hoped, Papa, Miss Jennifer Welham, third daughter to Lord Ormsby, has consented to become my wife. With your approval, of course, we intend to wed at the beginning of the Season, towards the end of April. To my surprise, Miss Welham comes with a far more substantial portion than one might expect. There is a farm, of more than a thousand acres, mostly wheat, in Hampshire, recently inherited and far from the rest of the Ormsby estates. A black sheep of a previous generation would seem to have been banished to the wilds of the South Country, out of sight and mind of the family. That farm has been added to the fifteen thousands that had been set aside for her. Have you any suggestions why, Papa?”

  Tom was pleasantly surprised that James should wish to know why – he was beginning to look below the surface of events, a very necessary trait in any politician.

  “Not offhand, my son. Though I have memories of Ormsby speaking in the Upper House on an occasion, specifically in the Whig interest, so they may well still be seeking your allegiance. Without wishing in any way to seem to be pushing you, James, it might be to the benefit of the family was you to celebrate your marriage by crossing the floor. It would be accepted as a normal enough action, that you should show loyalty as an adult to your new kin, particularly when it was made very clear that the Andrews still clasped you tight to the bosom of their family.”

  Frances agreed, pointing out that James would hardly be seen as a Radical, and might be regarded by many as a very useful counterweight to their influence in the Whigs.

  “In fact, James, I have a strong suspicion that the Whig leadership is taking some pains to bring on board a number of very sound men to counter the extremist foolishness that is occasionally heard from their ranks.”

  James was flattered for a second time that day – ‘sound man’ was no mean accolade, especially coming from Frances who he greatly respected, a fine lady and so good for Papa!

  Murphy arrived and was ushered into the library to be formally introduced to Tom. They had spoken in passing before but purely as master to another man’s servant.

  “Mr Murphy, Mr James tells me that you will prefer to leave his service when he takes a wife in April. Is that so?”

  “It is, my lord. May I presume to offer my congratulations, Mr James?”

  “You may indeed, Murphy! You know my burden of gratitude to you as well – without you I would be in no case for marriage, of that I am quite certain.”

  “The whole family is in debt to you, Mr Murphy,” Tom said. “Be sure that we do not, any of us, ever forget an obligation. I would like, if you are in need of employment now, to offer you a most unusual commission, acting again for the family. You know that an attempt was made on my life nearly two years ago, the assassin killing my agent, Quillerson, in the bloody attack. The man is known to be one Godby Fletcher, born near Thingdon Hall, in the manor of Burton, and now believed to be resident in New York. Captain Eustace Hood, who you will meet, has conducted a very thorough investigation which has led us to the United States, but he cannot himself go there.”

  “A naval gentleman, I believe, my lord, so it would hardly be sea-sickness preventing his travel.”

  “One is given to understand that he was used other than at sea at times in the last war and afterwards and that, as a result, there are some employees of the American government who would like to meet Captain Hood on their own soil where he would have no protection.”

  “Ah! Hence the gentleman’s ability to pursue a thorough investigation.”

  “Just so, Mr Murphy.”

  “It would be possible to travel to New York and even in a city of one hundred thousand people to locate our Mr Fletcher. But what then, my lord?”

  “He has money, Mr Murphy. We believe him to have killed the usurer he was working for and to have absconded with perhaps four thousand pounds. T
hat may well have given him a degree of prominence in the criminal world, sufficient for him to have become a gang leader. That in turn will have rendered him immune from the processes of American law-enforcement. Arrest and trial is not a possibility, so other means must be considered. To be blunt, Mr Murphy, I want him dead, by whatever means come to hand.”

  Murphy nodded respectfully, he liked plain speaking.

  “That sounds not unreasonable, my lord. I can do that for you, will be pleased to, in fact. I would like to speak to Captain Hood, if that be possible; after that it’s take ship to New York.”

  “You have my thanks, sir. Reward can be dealt with on your return – it will not be ungenerous. Have you family in Ireland? If all should go awry then I would wish to ensure that your kin at least received something.”

  “No, my lord. Disowned, I was, by my loyalist father and by my priestly brother and all my devout sisters, so it’s bugger the lot of them, with respect, my lord.”

  “So be it, Mr Murphy. You will travel with a substantial sum in gold sovereigns in your pocket. Mr Robert will arrange that Mostyns and Goldsmids both will be good for more as the need arises. Do not hesitate to spend money to achieve our aims, Mr Murphy! If it seems sensible to you to hire a dozen assassins to do the job, then you are free to do just that, and to pay for the best. Incidentally, whilst I think of it, I may be bloodthirsty, but do not feel obliged to bring back his head as evidence, sir!”

  “Sure and you disappoint me, my lord! I was looking forward to finding a taxidermist and demanding that he should preserve me trophy!”