He gazed at the list. There was potential for improvement in several areas.
His eyes narrowed. “And with Ecton lurking, this might be an excellent time to forge ahead and shore up those businesses.”
More, given his intentions regarding Caitlin, strengthening the businesses fell into the category of killing two birds with one stone.
Chin firming, he pushed back the chair, rose, picked up the list, and made for the door.
Later that afternoon, Caitlin was working through the orders, noting those items the businesses required on a regular basis that needed to be reordered as well as those less-regular items where extra might be required, when a tap on the door was followed by Gregory walking in. He wore a faint smile and was carrying a list of his own.
He met her eyes, and his smile deepened. “I hoped I would find you here.” He closed the door and came forward to elegantly subside in the chair before her desk. “I have several questions. Not of the businesses as they are but about their potential—how they might expand.”
She set down her pencil, folded her hands on her lists, and regarded him with interest. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean”—he waved at the lists and ledgers decorating her desk—“that as chatelaine-cum-steward, you steer the businesses through the here and now, and I’ve no ambition to dabble in that. You do a far better job of managing the minutia than I ever would. However, given that I have a better grasp than anyone else here of the world outside the Hall’s boundaries, I believe I should focus on improving the prospects of the various businesses.”
She studied him for several seconds, then asked, “Is this in relation to Ecton’s offer?”
He blinked, then, smiling in wry resignation, inclined his head. “I wasn’t going to mention the connection, and I suggest we don’t when speaking with the others, but it occurred to me that the more prosperous the estate as a whole—all the businesses combined—the more valuable it will obviously be and the more difficult it will become for anyone to even imagine I would sell.”
She thought, then arched her brows. “So further expansion and ongoing success would be our shield?”
“Precisely. And if managed correctly, a well-nigh impenetrable one.” He consulted his list. “For instance, I’ve been studying the current costs in each business, and if we look at the forge, I have to ask how competitive is the price that Henry pays for his pig iron?”
She blinked, then admitted, “As far as I know, he has me order from the same supplier in Northampton that he’s always used.”
“Yet often, simply letting it be known that the Hall order will go to the supplier offering the best deal will be enough to secure a lower price.” Gregory scribbled on his list. “And with a lower price for Henry’s raw materials, the profits—especially from Madge’s sculptures—escalate dramatically.”
“Hmm.”
“And then there’s the way Julia, the Edgars, and the others with fresh produce sell their excess goods. At the moment, they simply take them to the local markets where, given their quality, they vanish within minutes.” Gregory met Caitlin’s eyes. “I believe they could do much better, even if, in the interests of fostering goodwill among the locals, they still provide some goods to the markets round about.”
She listened as he took her through the ideas that had occurred to him. While she privately thought some—like the three painters getting a showing at the Royal Academy—were possibly beyond reach, others were entirely achievable, and she fully understood his reasoning in suggesting those avenues as ways of improving profits.
He came to the end of his list and looked at her. “What do you think? None of these proposals is predicated on doing more work, but on cutting costs where possible and increasing demand, thereby raising prices.”
Delighted—not only by the suggestions themselves but also by the evidence of his commitment to the Hall—she smiled unrestrainedly. “I think those ideas are impressive, and I would strongly urge you to present them to the relevant business owners and see what they think.”
He smiled back. “Good. I’ll accompany you on your rounds tomorrow and put some of these”—he waved his list—“to the test.”
When, the next day, Caitlin and Gregory visited the businesses closest to the Hall, and he put his ideas to the various owners, she wasn’t the least surprised his suggestions were listened to initially with polite curiosity, then with growing interest, and eventually, once he explained the likely impact of the proposed improvements on each business, embraced with eagerness and wholehearted enthusiasm.
In the case of the forge, the carpentry workshop, and the carriage works, Gregory’s focus was on lowering the cost of supplies. That said, he made it clear that revising those costs was only the first and easiest step for those three businesses to undertake, but once that was done, he had further ideas of how they might expand.
“Once you have your costs as low as practicable, we’ll be able to project what profits might be possible, but to safely extend your business, you need to be certain of your costs.”
He left all three owners thinking about their businesses in a way they hadn’t previously done.
As for Vernon, he was, at first, taken aback by Gregory’s suggestion. “I’m not saying it would be a bad thing to gain membership of the London Glassblowing Society, but well”—Vernon shrugged—“I’ve never seen the need.”
“Not the need,” Gregory said, “so much as the benefits. Am I right in assuming they hold exhibitions of members’ works?”
“Aye.” Vernon nodded. “They do.”
“Then look at it this way—just as my earlier suggestion of incorporating coats of arms into your designs will create new customers who will clamor for your works, thus increasing the prices you will be able to command, so, too, exposure via the Glassblowing Society to a wider critical audience will gain your work a higher cachet and a different and potentially more avid group of customers.”
Vernon’s expression was that of a man viewing an imaginary scene. After several moments, he slowly nodded. “All right. I’ll try it. Can’t see that it’ll hurt.”
Gregory grinned and clapped the older man on the shoulder. “Good man. Aside from all else, you and others need to open Londoners’ eyes to the artistry that lurks in the countryside.”
