Victorian Dawn (A Poor Man at the Gate Series, Book 12)

by Andrew Wareham

  “The Governor tells me that the Northerners are harping on about slavery again, Lord Frederick. They have no understanding of the Divine Nature of the Special Institution, sir. Slavery is appointed by God and to attempt to prohibit the enslavement of the African is to perform the work of the Devil, sir!”

  “Well expressed, Mr Bentley! You should put your thoughts on paper, sir, and offer them to the Richmond newspapers so that all can benefit from them.”

  Five and a half thousand acres of the hardwoods he needed for the smoke house justified a modicum of flattery of the old fellow, Frederick thought.

  He visited with Thomas Miller in the following week, enquiring about the best means of marketing a tobacco crop.

  “Getting out of cotton, my lord? Very wise – it is not best suited to our lands, I fear. Was I you, Lord Frederick, then I should increase the numbers of horses I bred as well. Tobacco drains the land and stables sweepings are much recommended for the soil. There will not be too great a sale for your Arabians, but a strong strain of hunters would find a very ready market. There is a call for the heavy horse as well, of course, but they are less easy to come by. You will have heard of Mr Henry Star, of New Orleans and Lancashire in England? He is one of the Star family, and known to your kin, I must imagine; he has become great in the way of breeding dray and wagon horses; more strictly, I believe the enterprise is in the hands of his manager, Ti Mitch, Mr Star himself being far more involved in the northern iron fields not so far from the Great Lakes. He is said now to be a millionaire by any computation, possibly richer yet, and owns a plantation as well as his famous shipyard and has interests in Texas besides. He is one of the biggest men outside New York, so they say, but he can still be reminded of his family and of their close relatives.”

  “A letter, perhaps, Mr Miller?”

  “Better done by word of mouth, Lord Frederick. I am to travel North on my own affairs in a week or two and will probably find time to examine the new iron industry for myself. If Mr Henry Star is in residence, then I shall pay him a visit.”

  Mr Miller was as good as his word, made it his very first business to seek an appointment with Mr Star.

  “Lord Frederick Masters, Mr Star, who is, of course, of a family long known to you and your kinsfolk. He is more-or-less a neighbour of mine, in terms of the plantations in Virginia, that is, and is establishing a new regime on an old and run-down place. He is, very sensibly, getting out of the cotton that should never have been grown on that soil and making tobacco his main earner; I can aid him there in selling the crop at a good price, probably across the Atlantic.”

  Henry was very willing to assist, or to sound as if he could be helpful while he discovered what exactly Mr Miller wanted. He knew the Millers of old; now that the disreputable Colonel Miller was dead and long buried he was more willing to be involved with the son.

  “My brother, Lord Star, could well be of value there; he is one of those who will always try something new and profitable, like these damned cheroots that seem to be growing in popularity. They stink out the air wherever one walks! The tobacco in them is of second-rate quality, one gathers; Virginia produces only a little of the very best leaf, I believe, so they will make an alternative to pipe tobacco, probably fetching a higher price as well. A letter may easily be written, sir.”

  “I would obviously be glad if you would, Mr Star. Young Lord Frederick is a pleasant lad, and well worth knowing for social, and political, reasons in Virginia. You know what the planters are like – the would-be aristocracy of our nation!”

  Henry Star nodded happily; he had wondered just why Mr Miller had wished to assist the young lord.

  “Some of his acreage will not bear tobacco, would not support cotton either. His predecessor ran a stud of racehorses on it. That is why he was nearly bankrupted and was forced out of his lands. Lord Frederick has continued with the stud and sells a few thoroughbreds every year as riding horses; he does not waste his substance on the race track. He now wishes to use his reputation for good stock to expand into heavy horse breeding, potentially far more profitable though much less genteel. It was my suggestion that you might make use of his name and prestige as part of your business in that field.”

  They discussed the possibility, Mr Miller pointing out that the growing industrial towns along the East Coast and in the mountains used a vast number of dray horses; the railroad connected the towns to the ports and the great cities, but inside their own boundaries they used horses for the bulk of their transport.

  “Tens of thousands of heavy horses a year, Mr Star. Literally so!”

  “And thus hundreds of thousands of dollars in the trade… I tend to agree with you, Mr Miller; one should not let such an opportunity go by default. I am fully occupied here in the north-west and will be for some few years, so I suspect. I will bring the matter to the attention of my associate, Ti Mitch, who is working on the needs of the emigrants to the Plains, providing wagons and horses in numbers growing every year and showing very promising returns.”

  Mr Miller noticed that the man Mitch was now an ‘associate’; he recalled that he had begun as a bodyguard. The man had to have displayed quite remarkable talents in business to have climbed so far and so quickly in the esteem of Mr Henry Star.

  “You made mention of the politics of Virginia, Mr Miller?”

  “I have it in mind to build a railroad or two in the State, Mr Star, and the rights of way demand legislation, inevitably. I might consider election myself – my wife is, after all, a member of the Masters family and is related to Lord Frederick, a cousin; her father and his were brothers. An English aristocratic connection is of some value in Virginia.”

  Henry made no response, but he could see that it would be very useful to Mr Miller if Lord Frederick was to publicly acknowledge the relationship, to take up his cousin and introduce her more widely in Richmond society. It would quite outweigh Mr Miller’s father in the eyes of the public, or of those few who counted.

  With Henry’s assistance it would be possible to place Lord Frederick under some degree of obligation to Mr Miller; creating a highly profitable heavy horse stud on the plantation would turn my lord effectively into a client. What would Mr Miller have that Henry wanted?

  Most significantly, Mr Miller had a close relationship with the Andrews family in England; Henry was one of those who knew who Mr Miller’s actual father had been. There was a potential of great profit there, in simple trans-Atlantic trade and in the field of ocean-going steamships, which were a logical expansion of the New Orleans yard.

  Mr Miller had though the disadvantage of being a part of Virginia, the state that saw itself as the leader of the South, and Henry was determinedly becoming a Northerner and did not especially wish to be associated in the public eye with slave owners. It was not too important yet, but it would probably become so within a few decades. It required no crystal ball to see that there was a potential for great turmoil in the nation over the slave issue and it might be as well to be able to show clean hands within a few years; Henry would not himself, he was certain, live to see the crisis, but his sons might well; such being the case, they needed to be snow-white… That, he now discovered, made Mr Miller a much more useful gentleman than he had at first realised.

  “I am sure that Ti Mitch will be able to assist Lord Frederick to some extent whatever may happen, Mr Miller.”

  Thomas Miller listened to the words and knew instantly that the ‘extent’ would depend on his reaction to Mr Star’s next words; he was about to make a politely phrased demand, it seemed.

  “You will know, Mr Miller, that I own a plantation on the banks of the Mississippi – a very profitable place even if a little more remote than most. Thing is, though, I cannot make the time it needs; a plantation needs a master habitually in residence, or a trusted partner at least. I find that I really must sell out, and could do so on quite generous terms, I believe, to a reliable associate of mine.”

  The problem could not be financial – Henry Star
was a wealthy man – so there had to be another reason, and Mr Miller could not imagine what it might be. The message was simple enough, however – he was to discover the purchaser who would take ownership of the plantation… that gave a possible answer, that Mr Star did not want to be known as a plantation master, perhaps because of the dislike that existed for such in England.

  “I can certainly find a purchaser for a plantation, Mr Star. Many a man wants a place of his own, though only a few possess the cash that is required.”

  “A young man who would be willing to reside on the plantation, so that it could be seen to be his, is the most important requisite. Say at seven year’s purchase, that being a fairly normal sort of price level, I believe, and, because a young man will not have had time to save such a sum, payable by parts. Let us suggest that the purchase shall take place over one and twenty years; each year the fortunate purchaser shall remit to me one third of his profits and at the end of the period he will own all in freehold.”

  Very nearly something for nothing! There would be many takers for a plantation sold on that basis. Best to keep it in the family, as it were.

  “Lord Frederick is married, as you will know, to the eldest daughter of Mr Bentley, the owner of Broadlands and a state senator, as well as having business interests in Richmond. He has four sons as well as his three girls. The eldest obviously is simply the heir and the second boy has taken the pulpit in one of the largest Episcopalian churches in Richmond, where he has gained a reputation for his sermons, I believe.”

  An Episcopalian minister in a large city could expect a very handsome stipend; he would also have a position of influence in the political and social life of the town. Such a one added significantly to the family’s prestige.

  “The third son is of man’s estate in his early twenties and needs an occupation. He has grown up on a plantation and would be well-suited to succeed you, Mr Star.”

  Henry was impressed – Mr Miller had come up with an almost ideal candidate.

  “Related to the family, even if distantly, and with powerful connections. Young Mr Bentley would be just the man, one must think, Mr Miller. I would wish you make the proposition to him, emphasizing that residence for the greater part of the year is essential; he must be seen to be the owner.”

  It could and would be done, Mr Miller assured him.

  “Very good. I will send word to Ti Mitch that he is to travel to Lord Frederick’s plantation and there to discover just how many breeding mares he might accommodate and advise and assist on the creation of the buildings and paddocks for the new stud.”

  “You are very generous, Mr Star.”

  “Not at all, Mr Miller! You have offered me a solution to a little problem that has been niggling at the back of my mind for some time now. Your railroads, when they are authorised, will be of interest to me, sir. I have no doubt that I shall be able to supply rails and other essentials at a very favourable price, and I am always looking out for investment opportunities.”

  Mr Miller expressed his gratitude, again, and finally left knowing that he had become a satellite of the Star empire; he was no longer wholly independent as a businessman, but he was well on the way to becoming both politically powerful and richer. It was a good few days of work, he thought, well worth the tedious journey.

  Henry sat back with the comforting knowledge of a job well done; he had had a very satisfactory morning and could return to his house for the afternoon, he thought, allowing himself a rare half day of leisure.

  “And so, my dear, I have commenced the process of distancing ourselves from the contamination of slavery. The family name will no longer be smirched, in Northern eyes, by our possession of a plantation.”

  Grace agreed that it was necessary in the current climate of opinion to become a part of one culture or the other; it was no longer possible to have significant interests in both North and South.

  “The question arises, husband, as to whether we should bring the children up as Northerners or let them continue to be aristocrats of the South.”

  “Which side will win in the end, my dear?”

  “Except the Southern states ally themselves with Spain or France or England, then the North will be the home of industry and will possess the ships and guns in far greater numbers. They will also have more men, even if they are of the rabbits who proliferate in the manufacturing towns rather than noble upstanding sons of the soil such as those of the South.”

  “My word, what have you been reading lately? Spain will not ally herself with the Southern states, due to the habit of Southerners of sending expeditions to attempt to conquer Mexico and Cuba and any other Spanish-speaking land that takes their fancy. France is out of the habit of seeking foreign entanglements just at the moment. England needs cotton – it is the largest single employer of her people and supplies probably greater riches even than India; but, importantly, England has only a very small army and would need two years at least to recruit and train a meaningful expeditionary force to send across the Atlantic. Add to that, the English are finally coming to accept the notion that they must feed their people; their damnable Corn Laws will go sooner rather than later and then they will import grain by the millions of tons, much from Canada, I suspect, and more from the Prairies. Ten years from now and England might have to choose between wheat and cotton; which way do you think they will go?”

  Grace was intelligent – unfortunate though this was in a mere female; she had often rued the brain that made her so unsuited for her place in life. She was able to see that when the crisis eventually came the slave-holders would be on their own and would inevitably lose, peacefully, she hoped.

  “We are to become Northerners, Henry!”

  She almost never spoke his name; it was a sign of the importance she associated with the decision.

  “The boys most certainly must, Grace. You, of course, already are, as daughter of Judge Chard. How is the old gentleman, by the way?”

  Her father’s health had been a source of some concern since the winter when he had experienced a series of chest ailments, the climate of New York evidently too inclement for him.

  “My mama writes that she has fears for him, sir. I believe she would be pleased was I to make a visit.”

  “We must, I believe. I shall make the arrangements and we shall all of us go within the week. As I was saying, you are a daughter of New York City and I am an Englishman still. I would value your advice on that, my dear. Should I formally take American citizenship as well?”

  “Instead of remaining British, you mean, Henry!”

  “Not in the eyes of Her Majesty’s Government, I fear. There is no provision in British law for a subject of the Queen to alter that status; one cannot renounce British nationality.”

  Grace was outraged; the very cause of the War of 1812 still existed unchanged! The British could still claim sovereignty over American citizens!

  “What of Marcus and Joseph, sir? Are they nominally British?”

  “No. I enquired of that matter; they are born in America and thus have American status. Had I wished, then I could have given notification to the Embassy in Washington that a British citizen had fathered children while in America, and they would have been formally recorded as being of British nationality; without that, they are American. Either could, in the unlikely event, be elected President.”

  He noted that she made no enquiry of the status of either of their daughters; females were much the lesser in her view of the world.

  “What plans have you for the boys, Henry? Their education progresses in fairly satisfactory fashion, I believe, but I do not know that they are developing that mastery of the Classical tongues that is necessary for residence at a University.”

  “Latin and Greek both bored me beyond all measure in my boyhood, ma’am. I have no love for the tedium of their pedantic grammar, and as for the so-called elegance of their verse! It is a fashion among the literati and their imitators to claim that Greek particularly is the language of gentl
efolk; ridiculous! If one wishes to discover elegance, then it is to be found in the precision and perfection of mathematics, not in the stilted, hide-bound prison of Classical style. Both boys have shown promise in their studies; they have displayed the ability to master algebra and geometry at an early age and they can look at a column of figures and see information that the wise man must make use of. I do not believe that University is the best place for the intelligent youth to dwell. Even less, I would add, is any of the military academies! I would wish them to learn sufficient of the world for them to make a choice; Joseph especially. Marcus will be the heir, as he knows, and will, I hope, be active in all of our businesses; Joseph must make his own way, unless he decides to become no more than the manager of some part of the family enterprise.”

  She had hoped that Marcus might have become a gentleman, rather than simply a man of business; to that end she had hinted to him that he might consider taking up a military career for a few years. He had rejected the possibility with every sign of loathing. At the age of fifteen he was now chafing at the boundaries of the schoolroom and had made it clear to her that he much hoped to join his father in the business in the very near future. Joseph, two years the younger, had also shown no interest in the military in any conventional sense but he had begged a gun of his father and was showing a great interest, and some ability, in the sporting field.

  “I am sure that Joseph has it in his mind to make his way West, husband, and that before too many years.”

  “Then he must have pistols and a rifle as well as his shotgun, my dear. I am glad you have told me. I shall see him equipped and put into the hands of a man who knows how to shoot. I have never myself sought adventure, though I have fallen into one or two; if he is to go West, then he must be ready for all that a wild land may throw at him. As for Marcus – well, if he wishes to join me in the business, he will be very welcome. He will have much to learn. If he is to become the manager as well as the owner, then he must learn to work, and to treat his menials as free men and women; he has picked up a little too much of the slave driver for his own good. I have no great love for the lower order of people, as you may have noticed, but I know that a smile does more for the businessman than a threat of the whip can offer!”