"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." Timothy Leary

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II.

Peter Denham was a typically productive man of business, even if he was only twenty years old. He looked every one of his twenty years, sometimes a few less, which often vexed him when it came time to conducting important meetings as many assumed Peter was not old enough to be privy to such information, nor old enough to manage the business that he did.

Despite his young age, Peter was every bit capable of running a business. He had always been clever. School had never particularly challenged him. He had always known the answers, to the point where the vicar would often have to ask him to put his hand down to give others a chance when it came to answering questions. Peter had always been a vociferous reader, poring over whatever few books he could get his hands on, enjoying literature as much as he did textbooks. It had been Peter's dream to finish his schooling and go on to university to study business, so that he might establish himself properly in a city like London.

Except that Peter had known his dream was exactly that; a dream. Peter was the eldest son of a poor family. University could never be a reality. Peter left school early, shortly after his elder sister, Kate, married the blacksmith, Jim Ellis. Through this connection, Peter secured an apprenticeship, and his future was set.

Peter could never be ungrateful for Jim's patience and instruction. He did not dislike the work. In fact, he was rather good with his hands, and his talents had come in handy when some of the printing presses had jammed. But as the years went on, Peter could not deny that he wanted more for his life.

Were it not for the advantageous marriages of his other sisters, Grace and Claire, Peter never would have even considered leaving Jim and his apprenticeship. But with Grace and Claire married well, and the security of his mother assured, Peter came to the decision that he had to try. He had to wet his feet in London, to see if he could do it, to see if he could really be a man of business.

Peter was so grateful to his brother-in-law, Jim, for his graciousness as he left, and he was doubly grateful to his brother-in-law, Jack Beresford, for giving Peter the opportunity to be his partner at Beresford Press.

Peter had been in his role at Beresford Press now for a little over a year. Next month it would be the anniversary of the first book that Beresford Press had published. To date, they had now published four. Jack was responsible for finding the books. He had the eye, the taste. He knew what he liked to read.

It was Peter's responsibility to handle the money. In hindsight, Jack had taken an enormous gamble on Peter. He had been only nineteen at the time and was still only twenty. To be given the responsibility of handling capital of upwards of twenty thousand pounds was simply unheard of. But Jack had done it, and Peter hadn't let him down yet, and he certainly did not intend to.

"It will be anonymous, you are certain?" checked Hattie Granger.

Miss Granger sat opposite Peter's desk in his small office above the printing room. From where they were, they could hear the printers below chatting jovially as they went about their roles.

Miss Granger was in her late twenties, by Peter's estimation, and was oddly dressed as a widow, complete with a veil, despite herself being a Miss. But Peter could attribute that to her wanting to appear incognito.

Miss Granger had written the fifth book that Beresford Press had purchased in order to publish, a manuscript entitled, "Confessions of a Lady".

Peter did not need to wonder as to why Jack had been intrigued by such a book. Four of the five books that Beresford Press had published had been written by women. Ordinarily, books authored by women did not sell well at all, and that was where Peter worked hard. Taking out advertisements in women's magazines had been one of his many brainwaves to ensure that the books they published sold well.

Jack seemed to be fascinated by women authors. Peter believed it was because he was now the father of a future young woman. Jack enjoyed reading and promoting stories written by, about, and for women.

Miss Granger's novel was the first non-fiction book that Beresford Press would be publishing, so this was another gamble. But Jack was determined, and Peter knew that with a little hard work, he could get the results.

"Yes, of course, Miss Granger," Peter confirmed. "In fact, I have the title page here for you to see, if you would like." Peter fished the book's title page from the manuscript and handed it to Miss Granger, who accepted it in her black gloved hand.

Peter had read the book himself and had thoroughly enjoyed it. In his opinion, the messages did not only apply to women. Miss Granger had written somewhat of an autobiography of a woman raised in the upper classes. She wrote about forgoing the traditional route of a debutante, seeking further education, and establishing independence. Of course, Peter could not relate to a great deal of the book, what he did enjoy was the emphasis on education.

If he were ever fortunate enough to have a child one day, no expense would be spared on ensuring he or she was properly educated. He would not care if he had two broken legs and couldn't walk, no child of his would be forced to forgo anything to support him.

"It is our aim to print some three and a half thousand copies over the next two years," Peter explained. "Through these sales, we can project that you will earn some fourteen hundred pounds in royalties."

Though her face was veiled, Peter could see the bottom of Miss Granger's jaw, and it had opened in shock. Peter could not imagine what a single woman would do with such a sum. But he imagined that it would help her in her endeavour to stay independent. His projections, of course, were always on the side of cautious. Peter never liked to over-estimate. For all he knew, her book sales would be higher.

"I thank you, Mr Denham," Miss Granger said gratefully. "Is Lord Beresford about? I should like to thank him as well."

"No, he is not in today," replied Peter. "His wife is in her confinement. They expect a child any day." Jack had not been into the office for nearly a week, though Peter did not begrudge him that. Their family were all aware of the traumatic circumstances of Claire's first birthing experience.

Peter had not been present, of course, but the very knowledge that his sister had given birth to a child who had nearly died was terrifying. He could only hope that the next child was born fat, pink, and happy.

"Oh, do pass on my congratulations to the happy couple, then," Miss Granger urged. "I ought to be going. You have my address should you need anything further from me. I thank you again."

"Congratulations, Miss Granger. This is a very exciting time." Peter rose from his chair and shuffled awkwardly around his desk to reach the door for Miss Granger. It was a cramped space, really, even if Peter did do his best to keep it organised.

Peter showed Miss Granger out before he returned to the printing floor. The printers had been, perhaps, the most challenging people from which to garner respect. The youngest man they employed was perhaps thirty or thirty-five, and no man of that sort of age wanted to take orders from a man they deemed a child.

But Peter had proved himself. He wasn't just book smart. Perhaps he was young, but five years as a blacksmith's apprentice meant he was lean, strong, and knew his way around a machine. It hadn't happened overnight, but Peter had spent many months rolling up his sleeves and helping the printers meet deadlines, and somewhere along the way, they had stopped calling him "Boy".

As Peter and his head printer, John Jessop, planned for the run of "Confessions of a Lady", they were startled by the sudden violent opening of the door. The door swung open so quickly that it smashed into the woodwork, no doubt causing some damage by the handle.

Jack leaned against the threshold, huffing and puffing as though he had run the route from their house in Mayfair directly to the publishing house without bothering to hail a hackney.

Peter could only assume it meant one thing. Jack did not look sad, or the devastated that he would be if something had happened to either Claire or their child. He looked absolutely elated, even if he was sucking in air for dear life.

The printers all stopped, joining in on the curious cheers as they all realised what Jack's coming would mean.

"What is it?" asked one.

"Boy or girl?" asked another.

"Does it look like you, sir?" joked one more.

Jack let out a delighted laugh as he called out, "Girl!"

The printing room filled with claps, cheers, and shouts of congratulations, and Peter felt his own smile widened and he realised he had a new niece.

In addition to his one nephew, Peter had four nieces now. Perrie, Lily, Jackie ... and now the new baby girl. Peter felt rather giddy at this news. He had grown up with older sisters. Whenever Grace or Claire had their first son, the lucky boy would have older sisters to look after him.

Once Jack had caught his breath, he entered the printing room and made his way directly to Peter. Peter smiled at his brother-in-law and enveloped him in a tight hug. "Congratulations, Jack. Two girls. You are certainly blessed."

"I know it, do not you worry," replied Jack, the smile never fading. "But I have three girls, you know. My world now consists of my three girls."

Peter knew that Jack was not saying such sentiments for Peter's benefit because Jack was married to Peter's sister. Jack meant every word, and Peter admired how openly he loved his wife and adored his child, now children. It was enough to make a man envious at times.

"How is Claire?" Peter asked.

"Well, perfect," Jack beamed. "She did wonderfully. She is exhausted, but she asked me to fetch you. She wants you to come and meet Maria Frances."

"Maria Frances Beresford," repeated Peter, glad to hear that Claire was safe and well. "I know Frances is after Claire. How did you choose Maria?"

"How else? A book," Jack grinned. "An author, really. Maria Edgeworth. A fantastic writer and thinker. I encourage you to read her if you have not."

Peter had not heard of her, though he was not surprised that Jack seemed well-versed. It was, after all, his job now to read.

***

Peter followed Jack into the bedroom that he shared with Claire. Claire sat up in her bed, cradling a small, swaddled bundle while being attended to by her maid.

Claire had been dreadfully uncomfortable in the last week, but now she looked flushed and radiant. "Oh, Peter, you're back! Come and see! Come and see her! She is perfect!"

Jack walked around the other side of the bed to sit down next to Claire, and he collected up fifteen-month-old Jackie into his arms as he did so, as she had been seated beside her mother.

Peter approached quietly and peered into the swaddle, finding a perfectly pink baby sleeping inside. Brand new, and entirely faultless. She was beautiful. Already, Peter could see a thin dusting of dark hair on her head. She would certainly be a stark contrast to her older sister, who sported a head of brilliant white blonde hair.

Peter leaned over and kissed Claire's forehead before he gently kissed the top of baby Maria's head. "Welcome, lovely Maria," Peter said softly. "Well done, Claire," he congratulated his sister.

Claire's blue eyes shone. "I feel terrible now that I kept everyone away," she told both Peter and Jack. "I was terrified that something bad would happen and I didn't want to be surrounded by everybody. But now that she's here and she's well, all I want to do is have everyone see her ... I want to have Mama see her." Claire then chuckled to herself before she said to Jack, "I would even listen to your mother lecture me about having not eaten enough lamb's kidneys or something to have ensured a son."

Jack laughed before he leaned over and captured Claire's lips in a chaste kiss. "You rest," he instructed. "Despite the elation, you are not ready to take on the world. I will write and tell everyone that Maria is here, and when you both are ready, we will visit. We would be going anyway for Susanna's wedding. We will make it an extended trip. A month or so with my mother, just what the doctor ordered."

Claire rolled her eyes. "Hush," she chided. Her eyes flicked back to Peter. "You will come, won't you?" she asked expectantly.

Peter pursed his lips. He had been invited to Susanna's wedding to Alex Whitfield, of course. The news of the engagement had reached London before the invitation had. Society's richest jewel betrothed to a negro. It had been quite the scandal on the brink of the Season. Not that any one of them cared. Peter had not met this Mr Whitfield, but he was certain that he had to have been quite the man to win Susanna's heart. He admired Susanna as he admired each of her brothers. They chose love, not rank, money or station. They simply chose love.

However much he admired them, and envied them at times, that did not mean that he had been planning on attending the wedding. "I do not know ... I have a rather awful lot to do, what with the new book –"

"Peter, you haven't been home since Christmas. What will your mother think of me? She will assume I am working you into an early grave," Jack jokingly chastised. "The hard work is done. It is up to the printers now to meet the order, and we will both keep in contact with Mr Jessop to ensure that everything is on track. You are coming home with us, and that's final."

----

Hmmmm, I wonder if Peter will run into anybody special back home???

Just a little FYI - the name Maria at this time was pronounced MUH-RIGH-UH. Same as the name Sophia was pronounced SO-FIGH-UH. The more you know :) Maria Edgeworth was a real author btw, and a total icon. If I was still writing An Earnest Favour, Jack would totally have his nose buried in one of her books advocating for better children's education!

I am so pleased about the positive response to this story already! You all are amazing!!

Soooo, something exciting happened today! One Chance joined the Paid Stories program! If you're able to, supporting me through this program would mean the world! If you can't, however, that's okay too! I have loads of other free stories for you to enjoy, and you can continue on this roller coaster ride with me :)

I am so excited for Peter and Belle to meet. I can tell it's just going to be so easy with no drama and no heartache and no problems whatsoever happily ever after .... hmm, that doesn't sound like me? Oh, right, because that's totally not me. Lol, lemme make my babies (and you guys!) work for it *evil laugh*

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