Джеффри Арчер - The Prodigal Daughter

‘I’d like that very much, Mrs. Kane,’ said Florentyna, not sure how she could sound more welcoming.

‘Oh, how considerate of you. My husband is going to a conference in Mexico in three weeks’ time, and I could fly out on a Friday. Only I would have to be back first thing on Monday morning.’

When Richard heard the news he went straight to the refrigerator. Florentyna followed, bewildered. She smiled as he slipped the gold foil from Claude’s bottle of Krug and began pouring.

Three weeks later Florentyna accompanied Richard to the airport to welcome his mother.

‘But you’re beautiful!’ were Florentyna’s first words as she greeted the elegant, slender lady who showed not the slightest sign of having spent the last six hours on a plane. ‘And you make me feel terribly pregnant.’

‘What were you expecting, my dear? An ogre with red horns and a long black tail?’

Florentyna laughed as Katherine Kane put an arm through hers and they walked off together, temporarily forgetting her son.

Richard was relieved to see how quickly the two of them became friends. When they arrived back at the apartment, Katherine reacted in the time-honored way when she set eyes on her first grandchild.

‘I do wish your father could see his grandson,’ she said. ‘But I fear it’s now reached a stage where he won’t even allow the subject to be discussed.’

‘Do you know any more than we do about what is happening between the two men?’ asked Richard.

‘I wouldn’t have thought so. Your father refused to let the bank support Davis Leroy when his hotel group collapsed and Florentyna’s father therefore blames my husband for the subsequent suicide of Mr. Leroy. The whole unfortunate episode might have ended there if Henry Osborne hadn’t come on to the scene.’ She sighed. ‘I pray to God the problem will be sorted out in my lifetime.’

‘I fear one of them will have to die before the other comes to his senses,’ said Richard. ‘They are both so confoundedly obstinate.’

The four of them had a wonderful weekend together even if Kate’s grandson did spend most of his time throwing his toys onto the floor. When they drove Katherine back to the airport on Sunday night, she agreed to come and see them the next time her husband was away on business. Katherine’s last words to Florentyna were ‘If only you and my husband could meet, he would realize immediately why Richard fell in love with you.’

As she turned to wave goodbye, her grandson repeated his one-word vocabulary: ‘Dada.’ Katherine Kane laughed. ‘What chauvinists men are. That was also Richard’s first word. Has anyone ever told you what yours was, Florentyna?’

Annabel came screaming into this world a few weeks later, and her parents held a double celebration at the end of the year when Florentyna’s delivered a profit of $19,174. Richard decided to mark the occasion by spending a small part of the profits on a dual golf membership at the Olympic Club.

Richard was given more responsibility in the overseas department of the bank and started returning home an hour later. Florentyna decided the time had come to employ a full-time nanny so that she could concentrate on her work in the stores. She realized she would never find a Miss Tredgold, but Bella recommended a black girl named Carol who had graduated from high school the year before and was finding it hard to get a job. Their son threw his arms around Carol the moment he met her. It brought home to Florentyna that prejudice was something a child only learns from its elders.

‘I can’t believe it,’ said Florentyna. ‘I never thought it would happen. What wonderful news. But what made him change his mind?’

‘He’s not getting any younger,’ said Katherine Kane, her voice crackling over the phone, ‘and he’s frightened that if he and Richard don’t patch up their differences soon, he will retire from Lester’s without a son on the board. He also believes that the man most likely to succeed him in the chair is Jake Thomas. Mr. Thomas is only two years older than Richard and he certainly won’t want a younger man — especially a Kane — in the boardroom.’

‘I wish Richard were at home so I could tell him the news. But since he’s been promoted to head of the overseas department, he rarely gets back before seven. He’ll be so pleased. I’ll try not to show how nervous I am about meeting your husband,’ said Florentyna.

‘Not half as nervous as he is about meeting you. But have no fears, my dear, he’s preparing the fatted calf for his prodigal son. Have you heard anything from your father since I last spoke to you?’

No, nothing. I fear there’s never going to be a fatted calf for the prodigal daughter.’

‘Don’t give up; something may yet arise to make him see the light. We’ll put our heads together when you come to New York.’

‘I would love to believe it was still possible for Papa and Mr. Kane to be reconciled, but I’ve almost given up hope.’

‘Well, let’s be thankful that one father has at least come to his senses,’ said Katherine. ‘I’ll fly out to see you and fix up all the details.’

‘How soon can you come?’

‘I could get away this weekend.’

When Richard came home that evening he was overjoyed by the news and once he had finished reading the next chapter of Winnie the Pooh to his son, he settled down to listen to the details of his mother’s news.

‘We could go to New York around November,’ said Richard.

‘I’m not sure I can wait that long.’

‘You’ve waited for over six years.’

‘Yes, but that’s different.’

‘You always want everything to have happened yesterday, Jessie. That reminds me, I read your proposal for the new store in San Diego.’

‘And?’

‘Basically the idea makes a lot of sense and I approve.’

‘Good heavens. What next? I never thought I would hear such words from you, Mr. Kane.’

‘Now hold on, Jessie. It doesn’t get my wholehearted support because the one part of your expansion program I don’t understand is the necessity to employ your own designer.’

‘That’s easy enough to explain,’ said Florentyna. ‘Although we now have five shops, my expenditure on buying clothes remains as high as forty percent of turnover. If my own models were designed for me, I would have two obvious advantages. First, I could cut down my immediate expenditure, and second, we would be continually advertising our own product.’

‘It also has a major disadvantage,’ suggested Richard.

‘What’s that?’

‘There can be no rebate on clothes returned within ninety days if we already own them.’

‘Agreed,’ said Florentyna. ‘But the more we expand, the more that problem will diminish. And if I choose the right designer we’ll end up with our trademark clothes also being sold by our rivals.’

‘Has that proved worthwhile for other designers?’

‘In the case of Pierre Cardin, the designer became more famous than the stores.’

‘Finding such a man won’t be easy.’

‘Didn’t I find you, Mr. Kane?’

‘No, Jessie, I found you.’

Florentyna smiled. ‘Two children, a sixth shop, and you’re going to be invited to join the board of Lester’s. Most important of all, I have a chance to meet your father. What more could we want?’

‘It hasn’t happened yet.’

‘Typical banker. Whatever the forecast, you expect it to rain by midafternoon.’

Annabel started to cry.

‘See what I mean?’ said Richard. ‘Your daughter’s at it again.’

‘Why is it always my daughter who is bad and your son who is good?’

Despite Florentyna’s desire to travel to New York immediately after Kate had returned to the East Coast, she was more than fully occupied with opening the new shop in San Diego, keeping an eye on the other five stores, and somehow looking for the right designer — while still trying to be a mother. As the day for their journey to New York grew nearer, she became more and more nervous. She selected her own wardrobe carefully and bought several new outfits for the children. She even purchased a new shirt with a thin red stripe running through it for Richard, but she doubted that he would wear it except on weekends. Florentyna lay awake each night anxious that Richard’s father might not approve of her, but Richard kept reminding her of Katherine’s words: ‘...not half as nervous as he is.’