Page 89 of The Time for Love
Resigned, Sophy sighed and filled in, “You took the opportunity of a new listener to fill his ears with how you disapproved of me—a female—running the company. Blackwell took that as meaning you felt you could do a better job, were you in a position to take over.”
“But I’ve never wanted to take over!” Edward looked faintly ill.
Sophy tipped her head, acknowledging that. “But that’s not what Blackwell heard. And by way of undermining my standing as current manager of the steelworks, thus paving the way for your takeover, he set about arranging for our string of accidents.”
“He would have thought,” Martin said, “that if he were to arrange for you, Edward, to assume control of the company—all neatly legal—you would be grateful.”
Oliver was nodding. “Grateful enough to hear him out when he made his pitch to buy the steelworks.” He glanced at Martin. “Given it’s a profitable enterprise, Blackwell might even have allowed the steelworks to continue operation for a few years while he got all his arrangements in place.”
“But eventually”—Charlie looked grim as he took up the baton of explaining all to Edward and her ladyship and Julia—“Blackwell would have shut the steelworks and converted the site into his ‘houses for workers.’ I’ve seen them in London, in the East End. They’re…soul-destroying places. The people live a hand-to-mouth existence while they pay increasingly onerous rents to Blackwell.”
“He entices families in with low rents to begin with,” Martin said, “then steadily increases the payments until they reach the upper limit of what the family can afford. The families can leave after ten years, but if they do, they leave absolutely penniless and with little prospect of finding other accommodation close to where they work, so many stay simply to have a roof—however leaky—over their heads. But by then, most of the family’s income will be paid every week to Blackwell.”
Lady Bracknell looked stunned. “And that’s what he planned to do with the Carmichael Steelworks’ site?”
“Most likely,” Oliver replied.
To his credit, Edward appeared genuinely horrified. “But…while I can understand Blackwell thinking that I would welcome the chance to take over the steelworks, why would he think I would sell the place to him to be used in such an…anunconscionableway?” Edward stiffened and looked around the circle of faces. “No one who knows me would ever imagine I would countenance the steelworks being replaced by a slum.”
Martin hesitated, then voiced a thought that, during their time with Edward, had been solidifying in his mind. “I think the documents were a part of that.”
Sophy and Charlie glanced at him. “How so?” Sophy asked.
“Ithink”—Martin emphasized the word to underscore he was hypothesizing—“that Blackwell was counting on you, Edward, leaping at the chance to usurp Sophy and take over the steelworks.” Martin held up a hand to still Edward’s repeated protest. “I accept that you didn’t mean anything of the sort, that Blackwell overextrapolated from your probably unwise rant. However, from Blackwell’s point of view, I suspect he believed that, when he presented you with those signed documents that effectively handed you control of the steelworks, you would have leapt to take advantage without properly considering how those documents came to be signed.”
“Ah.” Oliver nodded. “I see. And that sounds just like Blackwell.”
While Charlie’s and Sophy’s expressions showed they also understood Martin’s reasoning, Edward, Lady Bracknell, and Julia remained transparently at sea.
Before her ladyship could demand further elucidation, Martin continued, “As Oliver said, Blackwell is the sort to be patient. He doesn’t need to rush and is willing to play a very long game. Most likely, he would have left you running the steelworks for a few years, then turned up with his offer to buy the site. He would have worked on you to accept it, take his money, hand over the keys, and go away. He might even have dabbled in a little sabotage to make selling more attractive to you. Regardless, at some point, he would have pressured you to sell to him. And if you tried to refuse…well, he would already hold in his hands all the necessary facts to blackmail you over the documents you’d needed and relied on to take control of the company.”
Edward remained confused. “But I know nothing about those documents! Nothing!”
“But, Edward,” Charlie said, “who else would have even thought to have such documents drafted? The only person who stands to gain from having them executed is you.”
Arms still crossed, Sophy nodded. “And doubtless the legal firm who did, in fact, draft the documents will be happy to come forward and swear it was you who instructed them to prepare them.”
Martin leaned back and, when a thoroughly shocked Edward looked at him, shook his head. “I seriously doubt anyone would believe it wasn’t you who had those documents prepared, then hired thugs to force Sophy and Charlie to sign.”
Edward paled. In a smaller voice, he said, “But it wasn’t me!”
Martin tipped his head. “But Blackwell would have made a cast-iron case that it was.”
Lady Bracknell had finally seen the whole picture. “You would have been ruined, Edward, and forced to sell—to Blackwell.”
“You really have to admire the man’s ability to manipulate others,” Oliver said. “No matter which way the situation played out, if you’d ever assumed control of the business, which you could only have done by using those documents, you would eventually have sold to Blackwell, and that’s really all he cares about—getting his hands on that site.”
Martin concluded, “Blackwell thought he’d found a way to buy a prime site in Sheffield, possibly for a fraction of what it’s worth, by exploiting what he mistakenly perceived as your weakness, Edward—namely that you wanted nothing more than to usurp Sophy’s position at Carmichael Steelworks.”
Martin’s summation set Edward bristling.
“This… This…” he spluttered. “My God—this isappalling!” His color rose. “I understand what you’re saying now, and dash it, Blackwell’s played me for a fool! How dare he take it upon himself to act, as it were, in my name?”
His features darkening, Edward abruptly stood. “I’m going to go around right this minute and confront the blighter and tell him what’s what!”
Startled, Martin took in Edward’s set face, the fury that edged his lips with white, and evenly said, “That might not be the wisest course.” When Edward looked his way, Martin caught his eye. “When you take on a villain of the caliber of Blackwell, it’s best to take stock first.” He arched a brow at Edward. “What are you going to do about his guards?”
Edward blinked. “He has guards?”
