Джеффри Арчер - This Was a Man

Virginia moved on into the great hall, and while the elks and boars stared down from the walls above, her eyes swept the room in search of the three people she needed to see, and the one person she hoped to avoid. She declined several offers of canapés and wine, well aware that her time was restricted and she had a job to do.

She stopped to chat to Miles Norfolk, although he was only a pit stop on her progress to the chequered flag. And then she saw him, leaning against the Adam fireplace, chatting to an elderly man she didn’t recognize. She left Miles and began to drift in his direction, and the moment the elderly gentleman turned to talk to another guest, she moved in like a laser beam on her target.

‘Clarence. You may not remember me.’

‘You are not easily forgettable, Lady Virginia,’ he ventured. ‘Father always speaks so warmly of you.’

‘How kind of him,’ gushed Virginia. ‘Are you still serving with the Blues and Royals?’

‘I am indeed, but unfortunately I’m about to be posted overseas. I’m sorry to be going abroad so soon after my mother’s death.’

‘But the duke will have the support of your sisters.’

‘Sadly not. Camilla is married to a sheep farmer in New Zealand. A hundred thousand acres, can you believe it? They’ll be returning to Christchurch in a few days’ time.’

‘That is unfortunate, and must place quite a responsibility on Alice’s shoulders.’

‘And there’s the rub. Alice has been offered a senior position with L’Oréal in New York. I know she’s thinking of turning it down, but Papa insists she shouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity.’

‘How typical of your father. But if you think it might help, Clarence, I’d be only too happy to drop in and see him from time to time.’

‘That would take a weight off my mind, Lady Virginia. But I must warn you, the old man can be quite a handful. Sometimes I think he’s nearer seven than seventy.’

‘That’s a challenge I’d relish,’ said Virginia. ‘I don’t exactly have a lot going on in my life at the moment, and I’ve always enjoyed your father’s company. Perhaps I could drop you a line from time to time and let you know how he’s getting on.’

‘How considerate, Lady Virginia. I just hope you won’t find him too much of a burden.’

‘A bloody good show you’ve put on, Clarence,’ declared a portly man who joined them. ‘You’ve done the old girl proud.’

‘Thank you, Uncle Percy,’ said Clarence, as Virginia slipped away to continue her three-pronged attack. The missile changed direction and headed towards its second target.

‘Congratulations on your new job, Alice, and I’m bound to say, I agree with your father. You shouldn’t turn down such a wonderful opportunity.’

‘How kind of you to say so,’ said Alice, not altogether sure who she was talking to. ‘But I still haven’t made up my mind whether or not to take up the offer.’

‘But why not, my dear? After all, you may never get another chance like this again.’

‘I suppose you’re right. But I’m already feeling guilty about leaving Papa to fend for himself.’

‘No need to, my dear, believe me. In any case, there will be more than enough of us to make sure he’s well occupied. So off you go, and show those Yanks what we British are made of.’

‘I know that’s what he wants,’ said Alice, ‘but I just can’t bear the idea of him being on his own so soon after dear Mama’s death.’

‘You needn’t worry yourself on that count,’ said Virginia, who was pleased to see Giles paying his respects to the duke before he left.

Virginia gave Alice a warm hug before heading off in search of her final prey. A mother, a father and three small children were not difficult to locate, but this time she wasn’t greeted with quite the same enthusiasm.

‘Hello, I’m—’ began Virginia.

‘I know exactly who you are,’ said Lady Camilla, and before Virginia could deliver her next well-prepared sentence, she turned her back on her and started chatting to an old school friend, making no attempt to include Virginia in the conversation. Virginia quickly took her leave before anyone could notice the slight. Two out of three wasn’t a bad return, especially as the one failure lived on the other side of the world. Virginia saw no purpose in hanging around any longer, so she made her way across to the duke to bid him farewell... for now.

‘I’ve had the most enjoyable time renewing my acquaintance with your delightful children,’ she said. She wondered if he knew how little she’d seen of them during the past twenty years, not least because of the late duchess’s attempts to keep them apart.

‘And I’m sure they enjoyed seeing you again,’ said the duke. ‘I hope I will too, and in the not-too-distant future,’ he added, ‘if you have nothing better to do.’

‘Nothing would give me greater pleasure. I’ll wait for you to be in touch,’ she said, as a small queue began to form behind her.

‘My family are only able to be with me for a few more days,’ whispered the duke. ‘Once they’ve all gone their separate ways, may I give you a call?’

‘I’ll look forward to that, Perry,’ a name only the late duchess and the duke’s oldest friends ever used when addressing his grace, the Duke of Hertford.

Once Camilla had seen Virginia depart, she didn’t waste any time before joining her brother.

‘Did I see you talking to that frightful woman, Virginia Fenwick?’

‘You did,’ said Clarence. ‘She seems a nice enough lady, and she promised to keep an eye on Pa while we’re all away.’

‘I’ll bet she did. If anything would stop me going back to New Zealand, it’s the thought of that woman getting her hands on Pa.’

‘But she couldn’t have been more considerate.’

‘Don’t allow that consummate actress to fool you for one moment.’

‘Why are you so set against her, Camilla, when all she wants to do is help?’

‘Because dear Mama always had a good word for everyone, and she had two for the Lady Virginia Fenwick. Scheming bitch.’

‘How long have I got?’ asked Virginia.

‘The Revenue will grant you no more than ninety days before they begin proceedings, my lady,’ replied the bank manager.

‘So how long have I got?’ repeated Virginia.

Mr Leigh turned over several pages of his diary before he responded. ‘The final day for payment, unless you wish to be saddled with extortionate interest, is December twenty-first.’

‘Thank you,’ said Virginia, before leaving the bank manager’s office without another word.

She could only wonder how long it would be before the duke got in touch, because if he didn’t call soon, she would be spending Christmas Day in Buenos Aires.

Virginia didn’t have to wait long before the duke called and invited her out on their first date. And that was certainly how she regarded their evening at Mosimann’s. She was coy, flattering and flirtatious, and made him feel twenty years younger, or at least that’s what he told her when he dropped her back at her flat in Chelsea, with a kiss on both cheeks. Appropriate for a first date, thought Virginia. She didn’t invite her paramour in for coffee for several reasons, not least because he couldn’t have failed to notice that there were only hooks where paintings had once hung.

The duke rang the following morning and invited Virginia out on a second date.

‘I’ve got tickets for Noises Off starring Paul Eddington, and I thought we might have supper afterwards.’

‘How sweet of you, Perry. But unfortunately I have to attend a charity gala this evening,’ she said, looking down at an empty page in her diary. ‘But I’m free on Thursday evening.’