Jeffrey Archer - Sons of Fortune

More interviews followed in the afternoon, by which time Fletcher was convinced he wouldn’t make it, and would soon have to begin the long trek round those firms who had replied to his letter and offered him an interview.

‘They’ll let me know by the end of the month if I’ve made it to the next round,’ he told Annie, who was waiting for him at the station, ‘but don’t stop sending the letters, although I confess I no longer want to work anywhere but New York.’

Annie continued to question Fletcher on the way home, wanting to know every detail of what had taken place. She was touched that Bill Alexander had remembered her; more so that he had even taken the trouble to find out the name of their son.

‘Perhaps you should have told him,’ said Annie as she brought the car to a halt outside their home.

‘Told him what?’ asked Fletcher

‘That I’m pregnant again.’

Nat loved the hustle and bustle of Seoul, a city determined to put all memories of war behind it. Skyscrapers loomed on every corner, as the old and new tried to live in harmony. Nat was impressed by the potential of such a well-educated, intelligent workforce who survived on wages a quarter of what would be acceptable back home. Su Ling couldn’t help noticing the subservient role women still played in Korean society and silently thanked her mother for having the courage and foresight to set out for America.

Nat rented a car so that they could move from village to village as and when it suited them. Once they’d driven a few miles out of the capital, the first thing that struck them both was how quickly the way of life changed. By the time they had travelled a hundred miles, they had also travelled back a hundred years. The modern skyscrapers were quickly replaced by little wooden shacks, and the hustle and bustle by a slower, more considered pace.

Although Su Ling’s mother had rarely talked about her upbringing in Korea, Su Ling knew the village where she had been born, and her family name. She also knew that two of her uncles had been killed in the war, so that when they arrived in Raping with its population of 7,303 — according to the guide book — she wasn’t all that hopeful of being able to find anyone who would remember her mother.

Su Ling Cartwright began her quest at the town hall, where a register was kept of all the local citizens. It didn’t help that, of the 7,000 inhabitants, over a thousand shared Su Ling’s mother’s maiden name of Peng. However, the lady at reception also exhibited that name on the plaque on her desk. She told Su Ling that her great-aunt, who was now over ninety, claimed to know every branch of the family, and if she would like to meet her, that could be arranged. Su Ling nodded her agreement, and was asked to return later that day.

She called back in the afternoon, to be told that Ku Sei Peng would be happy to take tea with her the following day. The receptionist apologized before politely explaining that Su Ling’s American husband would not be welcome.

Su Ling returned to their little hotel the following night, bearing a piece of paper and a happy smile. ‘We’ve travelled all this way out here, only to be told to go back to Seoul,’ she said.

‘How come?’ asked Nat.

‘It’s simple. Ku Sei Peng remembers my mother leaving the village to seek work in the capital, but she never returned. But her younger sister, Kai Pai Peng, still lives in Seoul and Ku Sei has given me her last known address.’

‘So it’s back to the capital,’ said Nat, who phoned down to reception to warn them they would be checking out immediately. They arrived back in Seoul just before midnight.

‘I think it might be wise if I were to visit her on my own,’ said Su Ling over breakfast the following morning, ‘as she may not be willing to say a great deal once she discovers I’m married to an American.’

‘Suits me,’ said Nat. ‘I was hoping to visit the market on the other side of the city as I’m searching for something in particular.’

‘What?’ asked Su Ling.

‘Wait and see,’ teased Nat.

Nat took a taxi to the Kiray district, and spent the day roaming around one of the biggest open markets in the world — row upon row of laden stalls crammed with everything from Rolex watches to cultured pearls, from Gucci bags to Chanel perfume, from Cartier bracelets to Tiffany hearts. He avoided the cries of ‘Over here, American, please to look at my goods, much cheaper’, as he could never be sure what, if anything, was the real thing.

By the time he arrived back at the hotel that evening, Nat was exhausted and laden down with six shopping bags, mostly full of presents for his wife. He took the elevator to the third floor, and as he pushed open the door to their room, he hoped to find that Su Ling had returned from visiting her great aunt. As he closed the door, he thought he heard sobbing. He stood still. The unmistakable sound was coming from the bedroom.

Nat dropped the bags on the floor, walked across the room and pushed open the bedroom door. Su Ling was curled up on the bed, like an unsprung coil, weeping. He slipped off his shoes and jacket and climbed on to the bed beside her and took her in his arms.

‘What is it, little flower?’ he said, caressing her gently.

She didn’t reply. Nat held her close, aware that she would tell him in her own time.

When it grew dark and the neon streetlights began to flicker on, Nat drew the curtains. He then sat beside her and took her hand.

‘I will always love you,’ said Su Ling, not looking directly at him.

‘And I’ll always love you,’ said Nat, taking her back into his arms.

‘Do you remember the night of our marriage, we agreed on no secrets, so I must now tell you what I discovered this afternoon.’

Nat had never seen a face so sad. ‘Nothing you found out could make me love you less,’ he said, trying to reassure her.

Su Ling pulled her husband towards her while lowering her head on to his chest, as if she didn’t want their eyes to meet. ‘I kept my appointment with my great aunt this morning,’ she began. ‘She remembered my mother well, and explained to me why she had left the village to join her in Seoul.’ As she clung on to Nat, Su Ling repeated everything Kai Pai had told her. When she had finished her story, she eased away and looked up at her husband for the first time.

‘Can you still love me now you know the truth?’ she asked.

‘I didn’t believe it was possible to love you any more, and I can only imagine what courage it must have taken to share this news with me.’ He paused. ‘It will only strengthen a bond that now no one will ever be able to break.’

‘I don’t think it would be wise for me to go with you,’ said Annie.

‘But you’re my lucky mascot, and...’

‘... and Dr Redpath says it wouldn’t be wise.’ Fletcher reluctantly accepted that he would have to make the journey to New York alone. Annie was in her seventh month of pregnancy, and although there had been no complications, he never argued with the doctor.

Fletcher had been delighted to be invited back for a second interview with Alexander Dupont & Bell, and wondered how many of the other candidates had been short-listed. He had a feeling Karl Abrahams knew, though the professor wasn’t sharing any confidences.

When the train pulled into Penn Station, Fletcher took a taxi to 54th Street, arriving outside the vast entrance hall twenty minutes early. He had been told that on one occasion a candidate had arrived three minutes late, so they didn’t bother to interview him.

He took the elevator to the thirty-sixth floor and was directed by the receptionist to a spacious room that was almost as smart as the senior partner’s office. Fletcher sat alone and wondered if that was a good sign, until a second candidate joined him a few minutes before nine. He smiled at Fletcher.