Camden readjusted his inkwell before turning back to the first page of the will he had been reviewing. Their client’s estate was fairly substantial and an errant word or two could mean the difference between an eventless reading of the will and a hard-fought, drawn-out probate dispute that could keep property tied up in the courts for years. The consequences of an error might not be as high as they were in a dispute between the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Commonwealth of Virginia, but for this family the disposition of property that would be able to provide income for them was far more important than the interstate relations of the members of the Confederation.
In recent days, he had found that he preferred to work in the room across the hall from Mr. Randolph’s office. The ticking of the clock was one distraction, but although he knew that his mentor was always pleased with his efforts, he felt it easier to banish any meritless self-doubting to the contrary when he was afforded a certain amount of physical separation. So it was that Mr. Randolph had to call his name, rather than merely cough as he was wont to do when they worked only a few feet apart.
“Mr. Page, will you join me in the office for a brief moment, please? And you might as well bring that will you’ve been working on while you’re at it.”
Camden collected the pages of the will along with the sheet on which he had made some notations for potential revisions. Crossing the hall, he discovered that his chair was opposite from Mr. Randolph’s seat, rather than beside him. That was usually a signal that Mr. Randolph had some more formal instruction or other weighty matter in mind. Camden offered the draft will and his notes and seated himself while Mr. Randolph gave the pages a quick glance. When he had finished, however, he merely set them aside.
“At present, sir,” Camden began, “the primary issue I have identified is with respect to our client’s land holdings in the coastal area. If you’ll look at that bequest I think you’ll find that it is somewhat ambiguous regarding when and how the interest should vest.”
“Very good, Mr. Page. We’ll look that over together shortly. Right now, however, I have something more important to ask you.”
Camden’s thoughts raced aimlessly. Of late, his work had been, he thought, of a better quality than ever before. Yet it was not like Mr. Randolph to offer criticism under circumstances that would cause unnecessary anxiety.
“You have shown remarkable progress over the last several months. In particular, your work on the dispute with Kentucky was superlative. For that attention to detail and your relentless efforts at improving yourself I am not only impressed, but I am equally benefited, as having such a talented young attorney under my tutelage lends an added prestige to my reputation with the rest of the bar.”
Mr. Randolph paused briefly and Camden started to say, “Mr. Randolph, thank you--”
The older man held up a hand to signal that he was not quite finished. “It would only increase the prestige of this law practice,” Mr. Randolph continued, “if it were to have two equal partners joining their skills in mutual endeavor.”
What Mr. Randolph was getting at dawned on Camden slowly.
“I am saying, of course, Mr. Page, that I want you to join me as a partner. I did not mean to merely flatter you just now; I truly believe every word of what I have said about your abilities as an attorney.”
“Mr. Randolph . . . well, I don’t quite know what to say. I lack the words to express just what an honor it is to have you say those things about me and to me. I doubt whether I live up to such high praise, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I fear, however, that—”
“Mr. Page, I appreciate your modesty as a quality in general, but you must learn that it is not always the quality that must rule you. I will not allow you to say that you fear you are not worthy of such an honor. You are. If you were not, I would not have made the offer. I think by now you know me at least that well.”
Camden nodded and waited.
“Well?” Mr. Randolph said, breaking the moment of silence. “Do you accept?”
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“Yes, of course, sir,” Camden said, standing abruptly, and extending his hand. “You do me a very great honor, Mr. Randolph, and it is my greater honor to accept the partnership. I am young, but I hope my youth will prove somehow to be an advantage to the practice and not a detriment.”
Mr. Randolph grasped the younger man’s hand firmly. The contrast between his hands—still the hands of a young man raised on farm work—and Mr. Randolph’s had not ceased to strike him, even after these several years. He hoped his broad shoulders would prove broad enough to carry the burdens that his mentor was now asking him to carry. He seated himself again and felt, somewhat to his surprise, a sense of relief.
“Now to the matter of my niece,” Mr. Randolph said.
Camden felt his jaw drop open a bit in spite of himself.
“You needn’t look so surprised, Mr. Page. The topics are certainly related. We shall have ample time to review that will later today.”
“Very well, sir. I . . .”
“You want to marry my niece. She wants to marry you. That has been obvious for anyone to see for quite some time. Of course, at the beginning it would have been quite impossible, as you well remember.”
“I suppose your making me a partner will improve my prospects considerably?”
“Indeed, I believe it will. Although the attachment that you and Georgiana have formed is, in every way, beneficial to the both of you, the fact seems to be all but lost on her father. Prior to his entry into politics I never remember his being quite so calculating about everything, but that is a topic for another time. It is the reality with which the two of you must grapple, and there is no changing it.”
A light tapping on the office door interrupted them. It was Mary, the housekeeper, bearing a tray.
“Your morning tea, Mr. Randolph,” she said, almost apologetically Camden thought.
“It’s nothing of the sort, Mary,” Mr. Randolph began, “but rather you’ve been eavesdropping this whole time.” He scowled, but Camden could tell that it was the impish sort of scowl that he used when he was not really going to reprimand the only other longtime resident of the household.
“Of course, had you merely announced your presence earlier I would have invited you in, because, as such a devoted servant to both of us, you deserve to be among the first to know that Mr. Page and I have formed a partnership.”
“Oh, congratulations, sir!” she said as she set the tray down on Mr. Randolph’s side of the desk. “That is wonderful news!”
“Thank you, Mary. And thank you for the tea. We’ll call for you to come collect the tray when we finish.”
Mary offered an awkward half bow, half curtsy and then shuffled out of the room.
“You were saying, Mr. Randolph, that there is nothing that can be done about Senator Burwell’s calculating nature?”
“Indeed. It is not likely to change any time soon, but knowing that it is there is helpful. You and I have been invited to dinner later this week.”
“Yes, I remember. I have been quite looking forward to it, so little have I been able to see Ms. Burwell while we have been hard at work.”
“I have waited until now to ask you to partner with me so that I could turn the occasion to the greatest advantage for you and my niece. We have won an important case in Virginia’s favor—a case that Senator Burwell will have been watching with keen interest. I also know that he has been watching your prospects closely, prospects that until now he can only have considered mere prospects. With a partnership, however, he will see that prospects have changed to something much more like securities. When he is convinced not only that you will be able to provide for his daughter, but also that the match will be advantageous to his own ambitions, then he will be prepared to consent to your marriage.”
Camden took a deep breath and let it out again, allowing Mr. Randoph’s words to wash over him, hoping that they would also sink in.
“And so by announcing it at dinner,” Camden posited, “where at least two of his colleagues in the General Assembly are supposed to be present, along with a member of the Governor’s Council and a judge from the General Court—the amount of prestige you bestow upon me by making the announcement there will be so much the greater.”
“Precisely, Mr. Page. I realize that, unlike my brother in law, that kind of public spectacle makes you uncomfortable. Part of that, I believe, is an unnecessary degree of humility on your part; I am proud of the attorney you have become and you should be as well. But I also know that we are not all cut from the same sort of cloth, nor—thank heaven above—are we all well-fitted for the endless public spectacle that is the world of politics. I hope it will help you overcome any reticence and discomfort, however, by my telling you that in allowing me to make the announcement amongst such distinguished guests, you will be doing me a great favor.”
Camden raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing the last part. He shifted forward in his seat slightly, awaiting the explanation.
“You must see that having an exceptional young attorney—one whom I have personally trained—as my partner, will reassure our existing clients and be the source of new clients. We have everything to gain for the modest expense of no more than a few moments in the uncomfortable spotlight.”
“I quite agree, sir.”
“Now, where did I put that will? Ah, here it is. I believe you had started to say something about the vesting of an interest in land? You might as well pull your chair over here.”
Camden complied, thankful that the “formal” session was over, hopeful that this new development with his profession and with his love for Georgiana would not utterly distract him from the task at hand.