The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw

Author:Penny Haw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

CHAPTER 18

1883

Mannheim, Germany

A few weeks later, at the dinner table, Carl said that two fellow velocipede enthusiasts had visited that day to express their interest in investing in a new engine-manufacturing company with him. He relayed the information so unenthusiastically that I expected him to follow it up with an explanation about why it wouldn’t be possible. However, he continued eating and said nothing more. Eugen was impatient.

“Who are they, Vater? What did you say?” he asked, placing his knife and fork on his plate.

“Herren Rose and Esslinger,” said Carl. “You might remember Herr Rose, Bertha. He was the man who was interested in building a tricycle years ago.”

“Ah, yes. That’s when your father began working on the three-wheel version of the motorwagen,” I told Eugen. I glanced at Carl. “Is Herr Rose still in the business of buying and selling velocipedes?”

“Yes, along with several other businesses, some together with his friend Friedrich Esslinger, who is a salesman turned businessman,” said Carl.

“What did you say, Vater?” Eugen asked once more.

Carl didn’t answer.

“Did you not like what they had to say?” I asked.

Carl shrugged. “The problem is, everyone who wants to start a business with me sounds enthusiastic and their proposals are appealing. I simply no longer trust that the sentiments last. Time has proved that again and again. It makes me wary, and I’m no longer excited by the prospect of having new partners,” he said.

“But, Vater—”

“Wait, Eugen,” I said. “This is not the time to have this discussion. Neither is it your place to give your father business advice.”

Eugen sighed and looked contrite. “But I’m not a child anymore. I understand that we need money if Vater is to build his machine. I wanted to…to encourage him.”

Carl smiled at him. “You’re wise, my son. Thank you. I’ll give it more thought. Eat your dinner, and let’s not talk about this anymore tonight.”

Later, when the children were in bed, Carl and I discussed his meeting with Herren Rose and Esslinger. The men, said Carl, had told him that they’d heard about what had happened with the Mannheim Gas Engine Factory and were eager to invest in a new engine factory with Carl.

“Naturally, they insisted that I’d be much better off with them than I had been with Emil and Christian. I’d be the director of technology, they said. Our agreement would be in writing,” said Carl.

“As you mentioned earlier, enthusiasm flows freely when people want something,” I said.

“Ja, but let’s face it—it’s not just them who want something. We want the investment. We need it. We need it so badly that even our son urges me to accept the offer.”

It saddened me to hear Carl sound so dejected.

“Perhaps there’s a way we can make this one work for us from the start,” I said.

“How?”

“Let’s think what we want from investors. We want the money to be able to start production and earn an income again, but there’s more to it. Although you know that your livelihood depends on the engines now, they’re not what interest you.

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