‘And so I’m sure you understand that I will go beyond the call of duty to make certain Deravenels prospers and grows stronger in the next few years as we move towards the twenty-first century.’ Elizabeth paused, looked around the table, smiling at the assembled men, and continued, ‘I now want to announce my first appointments.’ Turning to Cecil on her left, she said, ‘Cecil Williams and I have long worked together because he has been looking after my personal affairs for some years. Today he will become Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Legal Department. And Robert Dunley –’ She paused, turned to Robert on her right. ‘I am appointing Robert Chief Operations Officer, and Director of Transport. In effect, the three of us will be running Deravenels together.’
Cecil and Robert both thanked her, and the other men acknowledged the appointments with applause.
Swiftly, Elizabeth proceeded in a brisk voice, ‘I have chosen Nicholas Throckman to be Director of Public Relations and Roving Ambassador for the company, and Francis Walsington will be Director of Security Worldwide.’ Again, the two men thanked her warmly, and the others nodded their approval, or clapped.
Staring down the length of the table, Elizabeth’s gaze settled on Sidney Payne. She smiled at him. ‘I know Cecil spoke to you yesterday, Sidney, and passed on my request that you take the job of Director of Human Resources. Let me just say that I’m delighted you were delighted to accept.’
Sidney, a longtime employee of the ancient trading company and devoted to Elizabeth, smiled broadly. ‘Thank you, Elizabeth, and thrilled would be a better word, I think, to describe my feelings.’
She inclined her head, and finished, ‘Those are the only appointments I’m making today, but there will be others within the next two weeks.’ She focused her eyes on John Norfell and Charles Broakes. ‘John, Charles, I will be offering you both new positions in a matter of days, and Henry, Frank, you’ll also be included in my new arrangements.’
She smiled at her cousins Frank Knowles and Henry Carray, who nodded their understanding.
Finally, her eyes swung to her great-uncle Howard; he acknowledged her with a warm smile when she said, ‘And of course you will continue as you were, Uncle, and I hope you will become one of my advisers. That would make me happy.’
‘It’s my pleasure to be of service,’ he responded, looking extremely pleased and not a little proud.
‘Well, gentlemen, that’s it for today,’ Elizabeth announced in her businesslike manner. ‘I thank all of you for coming, for attending this meeting, and now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to leave you.’
‘That was the fastest disappearing act I’ve ever seen,’ John Norfell said, adding, in a somewhat disparaging voice, ‘No doubt she has better fish to fry – a lunch with girlfriends, or perhaps it’s a new man?’
Cecil, appalled and angered by these critical and unnecessary comments, had a hard time concealing his furious reaction, and threw Norfell a withering look. ‘Please don’t speak about Elizabeth in that tone of voice. What she does is none of your business, or mine, John. She’s free, white and twenty-one, and she just happens to be managing director of this company, not to mention its largest single shareholder. In other words, she’s the boss.’
John Norfell, never one to apologize, nevertheless had the good grace to look uncomfortable, and suddenly regretted his comments. After a moment’s reflection, he said, in a much more conciliatory voice, ‘It’s a disappointment, actually, Cecil. You see, I was hoping she would do us the honour of joining us for lunch but –’ He threw up his hands helplessly, looking chagrined. ‘She didn’t give us a chance to invite her. She just left.’
‘That’s her way. All business. She’s gone back to her office to work, if you want to know the truth,’ Cecil told him in a steady, controlled manner, even though he was still seething inside. ‘She never has lunch, nor will she be going to any lunches, so you might as well get used to it. You see, Elizabeth doesn’t believe in them, and especially not for business. Her attitude is that one never really enjoys the food, and business never gets discussed properly.’
‘I see. So, now we know, and none of us will expect any … socializing.’
‘That might be the best attitude,’ Cecil murmured quietly.
‘What does she have in mind for me?’ John Norfell blurted out anxiously.
‘She hasn’t discussed it.’
‘That’s hard to believe, Cecil. Come on, she tells you everything.’
Cecil ignored this remark, and explained swiftly, ‘What I do know is that you will be getting a promotion.’
‘Oh, well, thank you for informing me of this, old chap. It’s nice to know I’m not going to be pushed out,’ Norfell replied with a harsh laugh.
To Cecil’s relief, Sidney Payne joined them, and after only a moment’s casual chat, John Norfell walked across the room to speak to Charles Broakes.
Sidney said, ‘I hope I did the right thing, coming over to join you, Cecil. I noticed the pained look in your eyes and decided you needed – rescuing.’
‘Thanks, Sidney, I did,’ Cecil replied with a chuckle. ‘Norfell was never my cup of tea, nor Elizabeth’s, but he’s a powerhouse here, and he has to be catered to, you know.’
Sidney grinned at his old friend. ‘Well, just a little bit, surely?’
Cecil Williams laughed, nodded, and drawing Sidney across the boardroom, aiming for the door, he confided, ‘I’m glad you accepted this job. You told Elizabeth you were thrilled … she was happy about that, because you’re not getting the easiest job, you know.’
‘Removing the dead wood? Is that what you’re referring to?’ Sidney asked.
Cecil merely nodded.
‘I’ll manage,’ Sidney reassured him.
EIGHT
‘I’ve got good news and bad news,’ Robert announced, looking across at Elizabeth from the doorway which linked their adjoining offices. ‘Which do you want first?’
Straightening in her chair, glancing at him swiftly, Elizabeth said, ‘Why do you ask? You know I like the bad news first.’
Robert strolled into the room, handed her the manila folder he was carrying, and sat down in the chair opposite her.
‘What is this?’ she asked almost warily, and did not open it. Instead, she placed it on the desk. She looked at him intently, his eyes on her, her own filled with sudden concern.
‘It’s a copy of the note your half-sister wrote to her … about-to-be husband Philip Alvarez, just after she had transferred all that money to him. When I say copy, I do mean the copy Mary made for herself. In other words, it’s the same as the original, which undoubtedly he still has. Why wouldn’t he have it?’
Elizabeth opened the folder, read the note quickly, recognizing Mary’s handwriting at once. Her face settled into grim lines. The note was short, but its style was saccharine. And sickening. She closed the folder. Fool! Fool! Mary had been the biggest fool. And she had been duped by Philip.
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself. ‘So she did give him the money as a wedding present,’ she finally murmured, and shook her head. ‘I won’t get it back, Robin, will I?’ she asked in a miserable voice.
‘No, you won’t, I’m afraid. I suppose in his mind it’s a … well, like a … dowry.’
‘She gave him practically everything she had, you know. Cecil told me her personal bank account is virtually empty.’
‘So he explained to me, too. And you’ll just have to write the money off, you’ve no alternative,’ Robert felt bound to point out. ‘But look here, since we’ve found the contracts for the Marbella Project there’s no question in my mind, or Cecil’s either, that we can sue Alvarez and his company.’
‘In my opinion we won’t get that money back either! Mary created nothing but havoc, and her ventures with Alvarez were fraught with danger. He might be called the great tycoon, but it’s an empty title.’
‘That’s true. But I feel certain there’s less of a mess than we originally thought. There are many proble
ms, but the auditors are making good progress and Cecil’s sorted out a lot. And so have I. We’re stopping the downward slide. There’s only one way to go, and that’s up.’
She nodded, agreeing with him silently, but her face was glum.
Robert leaned over the desk and, gazing at her with his sparkling dark eyes, he said, ‘Don’t you want to know the good news?’
Her face instantly brightened; he could always manage to cheer her up. ‘I do, yes. Tell me, Robin.’
‘I’ve arranged for us to go away for the weekend.’
‘But I can’t go away! Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve too much work, and so do you, Robin!’
‘You can go away, and so can I. And we’re going. We both need a break. The last two weeks have been hellish, and we’ve worked non-stop. It’s been bloody relentless, actually. I’m tired and so are you. I know you are.’
‘I’ve never seen you look better, Robin Dunley!’ she cried, her voice rising, sounding indignant. ‘Very handsome, dashing and debonair, this morning. You don’t look tired one bit.’
‘But you do, Elizabeth. Your face is whiter than ever, you have a pinched look, and there are dark circles under your eyes. For the past two weeks we’ve been cooped up here in these offices until all hours. It’s not healthy. We should get back to exercising and riding.’
She knew Robert spoke the truth. He never spoke anything else, and he had her welfare at heart. She was tired, bone-tired, if the truth be known. Glancing at the calendar on her desk she saw that it was Thursday, December fifth. Sunday the eighth was circled in red … that was the day she had promised to have tea with Aunt Grace Rose. Monday the ninth was also circled … that was the day of the board meeting. The thought of this, and the board members who were coming, prompted her to ask, ‘Where were you thinking of going, Robin?’
‘Waverley Court.’
‘Waverley Court! But it’s closed!’
‘No, it’s not. I spoke to Toby Watson last night, and he told me you had instructed him to keep the central heating on low all through winter because of the pipes. He gushed about how warm and cosy it was, said all he had to do was put a match to the fires, which were already laid, take off the dust covers and send Myrtle shopping for groceries –’
‘You called the caretaker!’ Elizabeth spluttered, astonished.
‘– and I told him to go ahead,’ Robert finished.
‘Go ahead? What do you mean?’
‘I said he should send Myrtle shopping for groceries. We’ll need food, Elizabeth, whilst we’re staying there.’
For a moment she was utterly bemused, then recovered herself, and exclaimed, ‘Cecil has arranged some meetings tomorrow, and I have to be present, must be, actually.’
‘He’s changed the meetings. They’ll be held next week. He agreed with me you need a few days off.’
‘You also spoke to Cecil!’ She looked at him askance.
‘I certainly did. I’ve taken charge for once, and I’m making damned sure I look after you for a few days. So stop arguing.’
Sitting back in the chair, Elizabeth was lost for words, but finally spoke, found herself saying, ‘I will have to be back in time to have tea with Aunt Grace Rose on Sunday afternoon, Robin. She’s looking forward to it … I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.’
‘Then we shan’t.’ He grinned, knowing he had won, then jumped up and went round to her side of the desk. He pulled her to her feet, said, ‘Come with me for a moment, I want to show you something.’
Nodding, suddenly no longer resistant to him, she allowed herself to be propelled from her office into his. Holding her hand tightly, he led her to the credenza which stretched along one entire wall in his office.
‘Look at this. Isn’t it beautiful?’ He slid his hand over the highly polished wood, and went on, ‘This looks like one piece, but actually it’s two credenzas sitting side by side, from the Regency period. Just look at the mahogany, the sheen on it … isn’t it gorgeous, Elizabeth?’
‘Yes, the wood is extraordinary, and so are these two pieces. They’ve been here for donkey’s years … I remember how my father used to admire them.’
‘They were bought for this room by a man called Will Hasling. He was your great-grandfather’s best friend, and this was his office.’
‘How interesting. I didn’t know that.’ She looked at him in puzzlement. ‘Why are you suddenly bringing my attention to them?’
‘Do you remember how I was sorting through a lot of keys last week?’
She nodded. ‘Hundreds and hundreds.’
‘Ever since I took possession of this office, after Mary’s assistant Neil Logan went on sick leave, I have attempted to open the cupboards in the credenzas. But I’ve had no success. None of my keys fit. Until last night.’ He put his hand in his pocket and brought out a small old brass key, showed it to her.
‘This is the one that opened the cupboard doors. It’s not the correct key, it doesn’t belong to the credenzas, but somehow it fits these locks. So I didn’t have to have the locks removed, and so saved a lot of damage to the antiques.’ As he was speaking, Robert opened the cupboard doors, and pulled out a drawer. ‘The folder I gave you was in here, under a pile of magazines, newspapers, and other folders. Neil Logan more than likely has forgotten about the file, and where he put it. How is he, by the way?’
‘I spoke to his wife the other day, and she told me his nervous breakdown wasn’t really that at all. His doctors think he has the beginnings of dementia. I told her not to worry, that I was retiring him on a pension. She was very relieved.’ Stepping closer to the credenzas, Elizabeth looked at the set of interior drawers, and glanced up at Robert, asked, ‘Was there anything else in these … of importance?’
‘No,’ he answered. ‘Just the note I gave you.’
‘I’m glad you persevered with your keys.’ Elizabeth laughed unexpectedly. ‘And I’m glad you’re taking me to Waverley Court. When are we going?’
‘This evening,’ he answered firmly, laughing with her, adding, ‘And don’t start arguing with me again.’
When you stay away from a beloved house for a while, you sometimes forget its beauty and what it means to you. And that’s the way it was with me. Earlier this evening, when Robin and I arrived here in Kent, I remembered that Waverley Court has been a special place for me for as long as I can recall. Kat made it into a home for me, and over the years I learned every part of it by heart … all the little corners, and secret places, hidden rooms, and parts of the garden that are mine and mine alone. I love the gazebo, and the stretch of beach that faces towards the English Channel where I used to go as a child with Kat, and she would point out the lights of France, twinkling in the far distance as if they were beckoning to me. Waverley Court is at its best in spring and summer, but even in the autumn and winter the grounds are beautiful. Kat and Blanche, with the help of Toby, used to make the downstairs rooms spectacular at Christmas. There was always a big tree hung with glittering ornaments and tiny fairy lights; sprigs of holly sat atop paintings and a bunch of mistletoe was tied to the chandelier in the front hall. Christmas. It would be upon us in a couple of weeks now. Perhaps we could come down here, Robin and I, and have an old-fashioned Christmas in Kent. I shall suggest it to him. I think he might enjoy that. I know I would. I want to spend Christmas with him. Robin is the only family I have, the closest to me.
‘I bet you slept well,’ Robert said, staring at Elizabeth across the breakfast table on Friday morning. ‘Being in a room one knew as a child is always … comforting, wouldn’t you say?’
‘I did have a good night’s sleep,’ Elizabeth answered. ‘And naturally I love my old room, but I was just dead tired last night. I could hardly keep my eyes open over supper.’
Robert grinned. ‘Aren’t you glad I persuaded you to come to Waverley Court?’
‘Persuaded me! What a cheek you have, Robin Dunley. Commandeered me would be more like it.’
‘Sometimes I have to do that, just as I did in the p
ast,’ he shot back, his grin intact.
She smiled, made no comment.
Robert said, after a moment, ‘Shall we go riding this morning?’
Her head came up with a start, and she seemed puzzled. ‘There aren’t any horses here.’
He looked at her for a long moment, and then that wicked grin she knew so well spread across his face. ‘Yes, there are. Two. One for me and one for you, Crimson Lass and Straight Arrow. They arrived this morning. I had brother Ambrose send them. So how about it?’
Surprised and delighted, she laughed and jumped up. ‘I can’t wait. What a clever idea of yours … Come on, let’s go and get changed into our riding togs.’ She gave him a sly look. ‘Since you must have made the arrangements with Ambrose yesterday, I know you brought yours with you.’
‘I did.’ He rose, followed her out of the breakfast room, and crossed the entrance hall. Together they climbed the stairs, and when they came to her room, he said, ‘I’ll meet you in the stables in ten minutes.’
Robert galloped on, chasing Elizabeth, hard on her heels. She was riding hell for leather, approaching the highest fence on the property, and his heart was in his mouth. He was afraid for her, certain she wouldn’t clear the fence properly, that the horse’s hooves would catch against it, and that she would be thrown. And injured.
Always intrepid and fast, when they were youngsters, he realized she had become an even more fearless rider since those days, and was not against taking risks. Since they had set out, over an hour ago now, she had raced across the fields surrounding Waverley Court, following the trails they had opted for as children.