The gentleman made a circle with his hand on the table, as though he was trying to wipe away a nonexistent spill.
“No, it is about something else.”
“Aye? And what is that?” Arnold asked, surly in his reply.
“I have another proposal. It is a business deal that is… well… it… let us say is less than honorable.”
“Explain.”
“As you probably do not know, I am rather highly placed in the Church of England. I have some family money that is invested in rather low paying gilt-edge securities. However, I want to put that investment to better use.”
“That makes sense,” Arnold said, pouring them each another drink from the bottle.
“And I have the opportunity to invest, as I have said, in a venture that would not be appropriate for a churchman, such as myself, to be seen investing in.”
“And that would be?”
“African slaves bound for Jamaica.”
“Oh.”
“As I am sure you are probably aware, there is a great moral movement to abolish slavery afoot in this country at the moment. And while I find that to be quite a respectable position to hold publicly, privately, this opportunity is quite a golden opportunity for me to make a very nice and quick profit. And I am sure you can see my predicament.”
“And why are you telling me this? Are you asking me to invest with you?”
“Not at all. I am looking for a cover.”
“I do not understand. And what has this got to do with me?”
“Patience, my man. I shall explain. I cannot be seen to be dealing in the slave trade. And I am proposing that the deal be in your name. I shall, of course, set up and pay for the transaction, but I shall give you a nice piece of the profit for your part in the transaction.”
“What will I need to do?”
“Absolutely nothing. I shall take care of all the details, except that it will be in your name.”
“And you will pay me what?”
“A ten percent cut of the profit.”
“And when will that be?”
“When the shipment is received in Jamaica—in about ten months.”
“Ten months? Are you serious? That is forever from now.”
“But it will take time to set up our arrangement—to capture the slaves—transport them and take them to auction. These matters take time. It is an investment not an over the counter transaction. And I am not asking you to put up any of the money nor take any of the risk. Remember, there is always the risk of losses at sea. One cannot account for storms, shipwrecks, any number of diseases or other unforeseen misfortunes.”
“And you are saying, all I need to do is lend you my name?”
“Exactly.”
“And what do you estimate my payout would be?” Arnold asked, pouring himself another drink.
“Several thousand more or less.”
“By several do you mean two, three, four thousand. Be more specific.”
“Two-five or three.”
