The Wages Of Virtue (A Poor Man at the Gate Series, Book 8) Read online

  "I think, Thomas, that it will be incumbent upon us to be very right-thinking in almost every way. Our fathers were, by their very nature, out of the ordinary way of things, and expected to be so; we, on the other hand, will have far less leeway, will attract the reprobation of Society if we stray. Our words must be those expected of men in our position, and our thoughts must seem to be wholly unoriginal. We must be seen in the right company and in the right places, both in London and in our own Counties. Above all, we must not behave in any way that a gentleman might not!"

  Lord Star agreed - let stuffiness be the order of the day!

  "How goes your Poor Law Union, Thomas? Would something like it work in an agricultural area or is it wholly of utility in the new towns?"

  Between five and twenty per cent of the whole population depended on the Poor Law for part or all of their living - there was no official body to collate figures and guesses varied wildly. The only thing that could generally be agreed upon was that barely one quarter of the population paid the Poor Law, and it was an increasing burden upon them.

  "'The poor ye always have with you', St John said, but he gave no receipt for the way to deal with them. The Union provides a part answer, Robert, and it cuts the cost drastically. It should work in the countryside, but less well than in town. Our paupers can scrape a little together for themselves - rag and boning or street cleaning or night-soil removal - but that is hardly possible in a farming area. Fear of the workhouse forces town families to pick up the pennies, but I doubt your people could, the opportunities are fewer. But the workhouse is cheaper than outdoor relief, that is for sure, so it is worth trying."

  "You are saying that one of the main functions of the workhouse is to terrify the pauper into finding an income? Does it not force many to crime?"

  Thomas shrugged - most paupers were drawn from the felonious classes in his experience; indeed it had been argued that to voluntarily be a pauper should in itself be recognised as a criminal act. He would make an exception for the elderly and the infirm, but he had little sympathy for the undeserving poor; it was the duty of every adult to earn a living, or to make one in some way.

  "Our problem is that a Union of the parishes will be almost impossible to achieve short of coercion. Finedon and Burton are at daggers drawn, rioting at the least provocation by long tradition; both will unite against Kettering, however, and neither will have anything to do with Irthlingborough, while the people to the east belong to the fens and probably have webbed feet. Local loyalties are almost absolute and are fiercely held; I do not know what might happen if the attempt was made to take the indigent of one village and consign them to a workhouse located in another."

  Thomas laughed - there was as yet almost no such thing as a 'local' population in the industrial towns - almost every inhabitant was a recent incomer, as could be told by the mass of different accents to be heard in mills and streets.

  "You are saying, Robert, that they will let their own people starve in squalor, ignoring their plight, yet react with outrage if they should be forced away?"

  "Exactly that, sir! They are highly patriotic, Thomas! Have you tried Plunkett's Irish whiskey, by the way? I can recommend it very enthusiastically - at least the match of brandy and it is definitely British."

  Robert paid a call on the Grafhams next day, in part to offer his thanks for their help during the painful days leading up to the funeral, mostly to beg advice of his grandmother and his uncle's wife, the Dowager and the Marchioness.

  "What would be the proper form for my wife, for the new Baroness? She is very unwilling to give the appearance of thrusting my step-mama to one side, of arrogantly striding in to claim the Hall as her own, and she is remaining with the children at The Gift for the meanwhile."

  It was important to give the correct impression to the tenants and estate workers, all of whom had a loyalty to the dowager which must be brought by degrees to the new lady. A bad start would leave ill-feeling for decades.

  "Wait till Frances has been churched. After she has officially removed herself from seclusion then she can - and I have no doubt will - make a public show of welcoming her successor and of handing over her keys."

  "I do not believe she possesses keys, ma'am," Robert objected. "I am quite sure the housekeeper would have them all."

  The old lady shook her head - the younger generation lacked initiative and an appreciation of the need to make a show for the servants.

  "Borrow them! The mediaeval lady of the castle always carried her chatelaine, the keys to the great doors and the pantries. The mere lapse of five hundred years must not be permitted to interfere with the tradition of passing over that responsibility - the people will love it!"

  Robert dubiously accepted the advice; he supposed that he must make an effort to win over his servants, though he more than half believed that he had a simple right to their loyalty.

  "Discuss the matter with the lady herself as soon as you possibly may, Robert. She is intelligent and sensible - a sufficiently rare combination to be noteworthy - and will have no desire to create any difficulties. What will you do with The Gift, by the way?"

  "Dower House, ma'am, is my first thought. Close to hand, modern and convenient and not too large, yet thoroughly respectable. I am sure that Sir Iain would be perfectly happy to see it used so. It would allow the Dowager to keep a contact with the area, which is I think desirable and fits in with the normal way of things."

  "And that, the conventions that must be followed, raises another issue, of course..."

  "I have succeeded to my father's honours, ma'am, and now must live up to Society's expectations, you would say?"

  "Very much so, Robert."

  James prepared for his return to London - the House was sitting and he felt obliged to be present - a week away was only to be expected but duty called him to return now.

  "I imagine I shall see less of you, brother, but be sure that I shall be here or in Lutterworth whenever possible."

  The implication was obvious - James did not believe it to be proper for Lord Andrews to work as a banker, to remain in business in London; for the heir it had been of dubious propriety, now that he had risen it was wholly ineligible.

  Robert reflected that his brother would be reflecting the opinions he had heard from his company amongst the Whigs, who were generally held to be less old-fashioned in their beliefs than the Tories, but he did not want to leave the life of the merchant bank, he enjoyed it too much.

  "Has Joseph opened his mind to you while you have been here, James?"

  "Hardly at all, not to express all that he must suffer, but he has said that he feels obliged to carry out the plans he made with Mary, and he believes that he might take eventual pleasure in their fruition."

  "Did you ask him what those plans were?"

  Robert was not too hopeful of a positive response, felt that James' initiative might not have taken him that far.

  "Well, yes, we talked for nearly an hour, walking the estate as he had not seen the Works here for some time." James made no comment on the effort that amount of exercise had cost him. "Steam, of course, both locomotive and stationary engines, greater and more powerful than any yet seen, and to become a 'sub-contractor' - that was the word he used - who will manufacture cranes and wagons to work on the trackways, on the building of them, that is. He told me that there will be a call for thousands of miles of trackways, spreading out over the whole of Lowland England and with extensions along all of the greater river valleys. He says that there will be activity enough to keep him busy for many years. I think, but I am not sure, that he was saying implicitly that by working hard he would be able to control his regrets."

  James was silent a moment, eyes distant.

  "Murphy did much the same for me, Robert. He made me walk and take exercise until I was exhausted, too tired to grieve for all I had lost. Then, when we took up residence in London, he pushed me to do my work as a member, to learn all that I needed to know. As well, he made me mingle i
n Society, would not let me stay at home, out of sight, although I would rather have hidden away. Now I have Jennifer, and she supports me in all that I do. I am so sorry for Joseph, losing his Mary and having no mainstay at his side. Next year I shall invite him to stay with us for part of the Season, will see if I cannot persuade him to attend some of the functions. He must not be allowed to lock himself away to become eccentric and reclusive."

  Robert was amazed - his little brother had grown up, it seemed.

  "Assuming Lady Roberts to be available and not otherwise active, I shall attend the Season as well - we shall be just out of black gloves. Between us we should be able to insist that Joseph remains part of his proper world."

  Sir Matthew and his lady, Charlotte, remained a few days more, lingering in her childhood home and waiting for the reappearance of her step-mama.

  As was proper and expected by the whole estate, Frances' first venture outside the house took her to the church for the brief service that welcomed the new mother's return to the world. It was an ancient tradition, and regarded by many modern divines as the grossest superstition, yet the villagers would have been scandalised by its omission and would have thought poorly of Robert for permitting such neglect.

  "When do you plan the baptism, ma'am? We would wish to be present."

  "A quiet ceremony tomorrow would be appropriate, my own mother tells me, family members only. Will you stand sponsor, Charlotte, together with Robert's lady? The male must, I fear, be my tedious brother - one must be mindful of the proprieties!"

  Charlotte had been in prolonged company of Gervase for the first time - she had met him before, but only briefly at weddings and in passing.

  "It is an unending source of amaze to me, ma'am, that brothers and sisters can be so similar in physical appearance whilst being worlds apart in their intellects! My three brothers, for example, share a very marked resemblance - tall, strongly built, fair in complection - yet the one is a keen man of business, another scientifically near to genius, and the last possessed, I suppose, of common sense... on most days, that is."

  "Do not underrate James, my dear - he has a nose for the meretricious and will rarely be led astray by popular and false enthusiasms. I am not to say that he will ever produce measures of any originality, but he will not, generally, make a fool of himself, or of others."

  "A valuable, and rare, attribute in a politician, ma'am!"

  Christening gifts flowed in a steady stream - all of Society, it seemed, finding it incumbent upon them to send an expression of their regard for the family and its newest member.

  "There must be sixty mugs, at least, and most displaying grotesque bad taste! Bulbous, covered in vine leaves and acanthus and in one case, either cherries or grapes - one would think they expected the little one to go straight into a bottle of claret a day! Coral teething rings, enough to destroy a reef; rattles and something whose function is unclear carved from Whitby jet; a large, fossilised and ancient fern recovered from the coals of one of our pits and preserved in varnish. With that one exception, and I believe it to be sent by an Irishman who manages Roberts' oldest pit and long worshipped at my lord's feet, the imaginations of our dames tend perhaps to be limited. I have given the task of making reply, sending letters of thanks, to the estate secretary, who actually appears to enjoy the job!"

  Charlotte, surveying the work room downstairs that was full, every table and shelf covered, asked what was to be done with them.

  "They must be kept, in a place of honour, I fear. Lord Andrews has told my father that The Gift is to become the Dower House for the estate and, while I have no plans to spend years at a time there, it will provide a very welcome refuge for me and Verity. There must be a room that can be put to use for the storage of keepsakes such as these."

  "Do you intend to spend most of your days at the Lodge in Norfolk, ma'am?"

  "High summer and autumn, most certainly - I think that coastline could be very pleasant in the warm months and would, of course, offer sea-bathing for the children of the whole family. Winters possibly in the Dower House; some part of the year in Town - there will be concerts and the Opera which I will not wish to forgo. I can make a life for myself. I must, because Verity places the obligation upon me. I had hoped for more years with your father, Charlotte, but must be thankful for those I enjoyed; I suspect many ladies have taken less from the whole of their lives - not all are as lucky as you and I."

  "Do not weep, ma'am, or so shall I!"

  They managed to smile.

  "Your knowledge of the world is far wider than mine, ma'am - so, advise me, if you would be so good. What must I say to Robert regarding his future conduct?"

  "The Second Baron is a landed gentleman; he may tend his estates or take a part in Public life and he should be prominent in County affairs."

  "I agree, ma'am. What must not he do?"

  "Work as a banker, I am afraid. He may, should, take an interest in the family fortunes as represented by the iron and coal and ship-building interests, but he may not dirty his hands with commerce in the company of Cits."

  "That is what Matthew said to me. We, of course, are not of the aristocracy - County gentry is all we shall aspire to in our later years when Matthew has retired from his labours - and so he may toil in the company of the dirty-handed. Robert is in a different position, as he may be discovering in London just now."

  Robert had presented himself in Downing Street that morning and had been led into the presence within one minute of ten o'clock, punctuality being one of Lord Liverpool's virtues.

  "Do sit down, my lord! Thank you for giving me your time when I have no doubt you would still prefer to remain withdrawn. Your father was a man of intelligence and great personal force, my lord, one who I met infrequently in the nature of things, but always with respect. He provided a way of making contact with the new world of manufacturies that has come upon us - a milieu that is alien to me, I must admit. If you intend to contribute to Public Life, my lord, then your voice would be as welcome as his was, though not perhaps in the field of finance."

  That was very plain speaking, Robert felt, but Liverpool was not a man to mince his words; he offered loyalty but was less strong on tact.

  "My father felt always that he was an outsider, my lord, was unwilling to be too much involved in the political life of the country as a result."

  "He was, of course - very much a man who had made himself and viewed at askance by the bulk of the Polite World. That is not to be said of you, my lord, with your family connections, unless you wish it to be. I would much welcome an adviser, a voice from the heart of the new world of steam and coal and manufacturies, provided that his loyalties to the old order were crystal clear."

  Robert accepted the ultimatum - come inside, or stay out for ever.

  "My youngest brother must take an active part in running the family's business, it would seem, my lord."

  "And your brother by marriage, who is also an able man of good pedigree."

  "Sir Matthew? A strong man, and very clever in his field, and a redoubtable sea officer."

  "So I am told, my lord. I understand that your youngest brother married very young and has recently met tragedy, still little more than a boy."

  "Joseph was too young to wed, but had been his own man since he was barely old enough to be a man at all. He is of remarkable intelligence, my lord - far outstrips me - and has never found the need to cultivate common sense as well."

  Liverpool understood all that he was not saying.

  "I would wish to recognise your family, my lord, and, whilst you might not desire ever to become a Minister of the Crown, to make use of your talents and knowledge."

  The unspoken proviso was clear, the repetition unmistakable, and Robert accepted that he must conform.

  "I shall be withdrawing from an active role in Mostyns Bank, my lord, there being too many demands upon my time now that I have inherited. I had hoped not to take these responsibilities for years yet and perhaps had not studied them
as I should, but the City can see me no more. A month to hand over my office, I would imagine."

  "A wise decision, my lord. Parliament prorogues in four weeks and will sit again at the end of January. I would be happy to see you take your seat then as Viscount St Helens, in compliment to the town and its industry."

  "I would be pleased indeed to do so, my lord. I had thought, in fact, to show my face in the Lords in the next week, in company with Lord Star, also recently inherited and a devoted friend of the whole family, as was his father."

  Liverpool would dearly have loved to ask whether the stories of a scandalously close kinship were actually true, but that would have been too much even for him.

  "He will be sitting on the same benches as you? I had wondered if he might not have inclined to the other side, being much into reforms as he is."

  "Some change is necessary, my lord. Measures to improve the health of the nation are overdue, I suspect, and I am sure you have been told repeatedly that the Poor Law as at present constituted is an intolerable burden."

  Liverpool had, but, as he somewhat testily pointed out, no two proposals for reform had ever agreed with each other.

  "Then we should examine with interest the results of Lord Star's endeavours at amelioration of the problem. He is a very sound man, my lord."

  "As is your brother, Mr James Andrews, I understand. It is as well that there are men of the right sort on the other side of the Chamber - it makes it so much easier that we can talk to each other."

  "That was our opinion, my lord, and James' marriage - entered into for mutual affection - made it appropriate that he should express a new allegiance that could be of benefit to the family, and do no harm to the country, either."

  No more needed be said - loyalty to the family must always take precedence.

  Liverpool offered to arrange sponsors for the two new peers, in effect to publicly welcome them into the ranks of the Party by leading them into the Chamber and presenting them to the Lord Chancellor on the Woolsack, naming them to all as peers with the right to attend in the House of Lords and then ushering them to their seats behind the government bench.