Page 2 of Miss Gardiner
His wife turned toward him with a glint in her eye that he usually found rewarding. But tonight, she said, “Lizzy wants to invest in the Morning Star.”
Surprized by the statement, the man asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your niece…our niece asked me many questions this afternoon about ‘trade’ and she is very interested in your ventures.”
“Elizabeth is only eight years,” he reminded his wife.
“And you were apprenticed at ten years and began working in the warehouses and docks of London.”
“Thomas will not agree to any investments and girls cannot be apprentices.”
“Of course not. But I believe that Elizabeth is a very intelligent child,” Madeline stated firmly. “If you foster her interest, you may gain a family ally for future investments.”
“Thomas Bennet will never ‘invest’ a pound or a penny, and my sister only knows how to spend money!”
“Are there not the monies from your mother’s estate to invest?”
“My mother’s legacy…” Edward admitted. “I have to have signatures from Bennet and Phillips on an investment contract to touch the monies. I believe that Phillips always hoped I would forget about the inheritance.”
“Perhaps an investment contract for Lizzy’s funds would let you move the monies into the Morning Star and other ventures. Our children will come…and we must think of them as well as Franny’s girls.”
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The next day, Elizabeth waited until her uncle was alone in the parlour to approach him with a child’s penny purse.
“Uncle Edward.”
“Yes Elizabeth,” he replied formally, setting aside his book and addressing his niece seriously.
The little girl lifted her chin and said, “Can I give you my money to buy part of the Morning Star?”
“Yes, you may invest in my next venture with the Morning Star,” he replied. “How much money do you have?”
“I have one pound ten shillings and four pence.”
“That is a large sum of money for a young girl,” the man replied, honestly surprized by her total amount.
“I save my ‘lowance and Papa gives me pence when I get my lessons right,” she replied.
Edward smiled and said, “I would be glad to have you as my youngest investor, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But we must do this properly.”
“How do you mean?” askedthe girl.
“Let’s go to your father’s library and write an agreement. Then you and I must sign the agreement, and your father must sign because you are underage.”
“What is ‘underage’?”
“Until you are five-and-twenty years or married, your father controls your money. Once you are married, your husband controls your money.”
Concentrating on the words her uncle spoke, Elizabeth frowned and again asked, “Why?”
“That is the law,” her uncle replied. “But a smart man listens to his wife’s opinions and wishes.”
In Mr Bennet’s office, Uncle Gardiner explained that he wished to take Miss Elizabeth Bennet as an investor in his business. It was Mrs Bennet’s original complaint against Elizabeth that Thomas Bennet indulged their second daughter’s questions and notions about books, business, and the estate too regularly. Today, being Christmas Eve and the regular consumption of port being expected all through the day, Bennet readily agreed to the request. Edward drew up the contract, signed the document, showed Elizabeth where to sign, and then obtained Mr Bennet’s signature as well as Mr Phillip’s signature as witness.
With a smile upon her face, Elizabeth handed over her coin purse to her uncle.
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