Chapter 57 Return to London 19 Marriage Shortcut
After its first three days of opening, the H&D Aromatherapy Salon quickly became a hit within a small community. Heather plans a two-week trial run to expand its membership base and ensure a predominantly member-based customer base.
After the free trial on the first day, Mrs. Victor quickly became a tap water in the aromatherapy salon. At the end, she talked to Heather for a long time, claiming that this new technology refreshed her tired body.
Mrs. Victor came back quickly to complete her second visit. This time she made an appointment for basic facial care to brighten her face. Three other ladies from Chelsea also visited the aromatherapy salon together.
The start was perfect and the employees were extremely reliable. Heather finally felt relieved and returned to her lazy life of getting up at ten o'clock.
Today, Heather missed breakfast altogether and didn't show up at the table until noon.
"Aunt! What did you do last night? How did you manage to sleep for more than ten hours in a row?" Mary felt that if she continued like this, she would have to bring lunch to her aunt's bed one day.
"How could I have slept for more than ten hours?" Heather felt wronged: "Actually, I woke up at around eight o'clock, but the weather was too cold and it was troublesome to get up." Although there was no mobile phone to play with, she was very happy to curl up in bed and read novels.
"I was watching a crucial scene in Edgar Huntley last night and it scared me so much I couldn't close my eyes and probably didn't fall asleep until one in the morning."
"That Gothic novel by an American author? The wilderness survival and murder scenes are certainly thrilling," Mary commented objectively. "But I was just so excited I couldn't sleep. I didn't find it scary at all."
Heather had always thought Mary was unusually brave: "Perhaps we can find you a combat expert to teach you swordsmanship."
Mary liked this idea very much, but there was something more important now: "By the way, Aunt. Mr. Darcy said before that the first internal subscription meeting for the canal project will be held next week. It's just right that Lizzie can come." Mary handed the envelope to Heather.
"Oh? Sir Lucas has decided to go through London?"
Before their marriage, Charlotte invited Elizabeth to visit Hunsford. Sir Lucas happened to be going with his second daughter Maria, so he could take Elizabeth with him.
It was possible to go from Longbourn to Hunsford via London, so Sir Lucas decided to stay in London for about two days to visit old friends.
Elizabeth begged Sir Lucas to start his journey two days before the subscription meeting so that she could see Jane in London and attend the subscription meeting they had been preparing for for a long time.
This wouldn't change the plan much, Sir Lucas agreed kindly.
"That's right, so Lizzie will probably come to London the day after tomorrow!"
When Elizabeth arrived at Gracechurch Street, the entire family was already waiting. She embraced Jane, who had eagerly approached first, and complimented her sister on her rosy complexion and cheerful, lovely complexion. She then excitedly greeted her aunt and sister. The Gardner children all hid behind Heather, feeling a mixture of affection and a sense of strangeness towards their cousin, whom they hadn't seen for over a year.
Heather waved her hand and took full responsibility for today's itinerary.
She decided to take the whole family shopping in the morning, and in the afternoon rent a boat to St. James's Park, where Lily had wanted to go the most, to watch water birds while drinking tea, and in the evening go to Covent Garden Market to watch street performers.
This arrangement won unanimous praise from everyone, and the children shouted with joy. Lily, not yet at the age of consumerism, just wanted to fast forward to the afternoon to watch the waterfowl. She picked up the canvas and excitedly squeezed into Heather's arms, silently urging the adults to finish their speeches and set off.
It was a sunny afternoon with a gentle breeze. As the boat anchored in the middle of the lake, Mr. Gardner, amidst laughter, pulled out his pre-prepared fishing rod, ready to show off his skills. After playing for a while, the children finally tired out and returned to the cabin to huddle together for a nap.
The remaining four ladies sat together and leisurely shared their recent experiences.
Elizabeth said that Wickham was now pursuing another lady. "Miss King has just been fortunate enough to inherit £10,000, and Mr. Wickham is now very close to her. In the past, I would have thought that even if he was chasing money, it was only because of reality, not because he was a bad person. But ever since my aunt told me about Major Brown, I have always felt that Mr. Wickham might not be such an upright and good person."
Mrs. Gardner also had doubts about Wickham's character, but she was curious why Elizabeth, who had defended him not long ago, had changed her mind now.
Elizabeth sighed. "It's just that all these signs have combined to shatter my trust in him. And even though he clearly has a new target, he keeps showing up at Longbourn, repeatedly hinting at Mr. Darcy's coldness and cruelty, as if he's afraid of losing me as an ally. This only makes me suspicious. By the way, has Mr. Darcy been in London lately?"
Jane knew this best. Mr. Bingley came to visit Gracechurch Street almost every week after resolving the land incident. "That's not the case. Mr. Bingley said that Mr. Darcy often traveled between London and Pemberley Manor during this period. But he was very busy, and even his friends didn't know what he was doing specifically."
Heather was also curious: "Hasn't Mr. Bentley ever thought about doing something else to make up for the loss?"
Jane shook her head. "Mr. Bingley felt he was only capable of maintaining his current position, so he decided to take a break and manage the land to avoid any further pitfalls. However, Mr. Bingley was very optimistic about Mr. Darcy. He always said that Mr. Darcy would seize this opportunity to enhance the family's status and reputation."
Elizabeth curled her lips and said, "Then perhaps Mr. Darcy could choose to marry a lady of status. Didn't Mr. Bingley's sister also hope that he could marry Miss Darcy?" Although she said this, she obviously did not agree with this common way of combining interests.
Jane patted Elizabeth's arm gently: "Lizzie, that's all in the past. Mrs. Hurst no longer thinks so." Elizabeth nodded helplessly, thinking that Mrs. Hurst's change of mind was driven by interests.
During this time, Heather gained some understanding of the real upper class and felt the gap between merchants and landlords, landlords and large landowners, and large landowners and titled nobles.
"It seems unlikely that Mr. Darcy will be able to obtain a peerage and truly achieve a social advancement, right?"
Heather felt that even if the novel went on further, Mr. Darcy's dream would be nearly impossible to achieve. Furthermore, while the canal investment would allow him access to higher-level circles, even the original shareholders with voting rights numbered a staggering fifteen. He could make money from his connections, but to truly earn their support, he'd have to become someone's son-in-law.
Mary took out the small notebook she carried with her and said, "If we can guarantee that we get enough shares, it will be completely different. Unfortunately, Mr. Darcy has no business related to the construction and operation of the canal. This is just a simple financial investment, so I guess he can't hold much shares."
Mary unfolded the notebook, which contained her basic earnings calculations. Based on the expected dividend per share, she calculated the earnings at different stock prices and came up with the highest acceptable price range.
"Oh my God, Mary!" Heather hugged her in her arms. "Did you learn all this by yourself during this period? I am now convinced that you are 100% a genius."
Mary blushed as she struggled to free herself from the touch of her aunt's breasts. "Well, it's not that great, but I did calculate it for a long time. I hope it will be useful on the day of the subscription meeting."
Mrs. Gardner found it incredible. Her eldest son, the eldest of a merchant family, had been held by his father and looked at account books since childhood, but he had never developed any talent in this area. Mary only began to learn this knowledge at the age of 19, and when she was managing the salon accounts, she would often come to Mr. Gardner for advice. Her rapid progress showed that she was a natural expert.
Mary was indeed interested in the numbers, but she wasn't entirely confident. "There were so many twists and turns at the subscription meeting. It's definitely not just the price that determines the share. I'm afraid it's more about the interests involved and the game of chance among all parties. Lizzie is the best at reading people's minds. I'm lucky she made it to this meeting."
Elizabeth has been busy at home lately, looking forward to and feeling nervous about tomorrow's meeting. "I hope we can get off to a good start."
The subscription meeting began at three o'clock in the afternoon, following the customary schedule of the National Assembly, at an unknown private club, or what would later become the headquarters of the Birmingham Canal Company.
Heather was not too nervous about this meeting. She had no say in the matter and did not intend to waste her brain cells, so she was more looking forward to watching this occasion of confrontation between capital and power.
However, she was limited to watching, because even though she was the one who actually held the subscription rights, the only people allowed into the conference hall were men. Their secretaries, accountants, assistants, and family members were confined to the side halls to watch.
The side hall is located diagonally above the inner court. Close to the windows, you can clearly hear the sounds from the inner court and see the movements of the fifteen people in the inner court. However, you cannot make any noise. If you need to discuss something, you need to retreat to a position behind the boundary.
Heather walked into the side hall and looked down at the magnificent conference room. A round table for fifteen people had already been set up, and a long contract-making process was about to begin. She couldn't help but marvel at Mr. Crawford's wealth. He had already built such a luxurious base before even starting to raise funds. He was indeed the most valuable operator of the Golden Canal.
Heather retreated to the sofa in the back, Mary was chewing her pen anxiously, and Elizabeth was staring intently at the other people in the room.
Most of the people here are men, and most of them look like professionals such as assistants. Someone spread a large canal route prediction map on the long table, and many people gathered around him to try to get close to him.
There were a few women in the side hall, like the diamond-covered lady in front of them. She was constantly giving instructions to an assistant, asking him to convey the strategy to Mr. So-and-so in the room immediately after the opening. It seemed that this lady was the real operator behind a certain position.
Elizabeth felt that they could not completely trust Mr. Darcy's abilities. After all, this meeting was directly related to her aunt's income, and they should give their opinions when necessary.
Elizabeth turned to see her aunt already absorbed in studying the wall map of Birmingham companies. She swallowed her words and decided to observe the people in the side hall more closely, as their relationships might determine the degree of cooperation and competition within the hall.
“Ding, ding, ding.”
After three rings, the meeting officially began.
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