Borrowed Time

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The mind is master of its own defences. There’s always one more drawbridge to raise, one more portcullis to lower. There was nothing I could do to block or blunt the consequences of Paul Bryant’s confession. And so, without admitting what I was doing even to myself, I began to prepare my retreat from them. The Paxtons would have to face their future without me. I’d tried before to detach myself from them and failed. This time I had to make the break. I’d told Bella I meant to take the money and run. And now I had an even more compelling reason than when I’d said it to do precisely that.

It wasn’t just that the tidy self-contained life of a Eurocrat suddenly seemed like a haven from scandal and recrimination. It also seemed like a refuge from my own broken dreams. What some people might have found wholly incomprehensible about Paul’s behaviour in July 1990-his infatuation with Louise Paxton-was to me only too credible. A single encounter with her of a few minutes’ duration had left me with a trace of sympathy for Paul’s inability to defeat his obsession. And for the violence of his reaction when he glimpsed the true nature of the woman he’d idolized and idealized. There but for the grace of God-or the mercy of chance-went I.

It was easy to maintain my detached pose. Until the police investigation began-and for some time after that-only a handful of people would know what was happening. Bella urged me to be reticent: “Do please try to keep your mouth shut about this, Robin.” But she needn’t have bothered. I had no intention of telling anyone, least of all members of my own family, whom Bella imagined crowing at her discomfiture. Even if I’d wanted to confide in them, the acrimony that grew between us as the climactic board meeting approached would have ruled the idea out. Confidence had long since gone the same way as our profits.

I was still determined to resist the Bushranger bid, of course, futile as doing so was bound to be. But even futility can serve a purpose. My opposition to the future Adrian had mapped out for Timariot & Small gave me an honourable reason for refusing to participate in it. And for scuttling back to Brussels long before the Kington killings returned to the headlines. My fall-back position was ready. And there seemed no reason why my retreat to it shouldn’t have at least the appearance of an orderly withdrawal. Except that, not for the first time, I’d reckoned without Bella’s unpredictable ways.

A week had passed since my visit to The Hurdles. Sarah had gone back to Bristol, while Bella and Sir Keith had returned to Biarritz. So Bella had led me to assume anyway. Having given her proxy vote to Adrian, there was certainly no need for her to hang around for the board meeting. So I was surprised when she phoned me at home early on Wednesday the twenty-second, the day before the meeting. Eight o’clock was an hour I didn’t think she knew much about. And the clarity of the line made it seem as if she were in Hindhead rather than Biarritz. Which, as a matter of fact, she was.

“Can we meet for lunch, Robin?”

“Today?”

“Yes. My treat.”

“I’m not sure. I’ve got a lot-”

“It’s really important.”

“In what way?”

“In almost every way. I’ll explain over lunch.”

“Yes, but as I’ve just-”

“The Angel at Midhurst. Twelve thirty. Don’t be late.”

I drove across to Midhurst at noon through the sunshine and showers. The trees were turning, the first leaves of autumn beginning to fall. This time next year, I remember thinking, it’ll all be out in the open. Not over. Not even then. But no longer hidden. No longer my secret. Or anyone else’s. And I’ll be out of it. Out altogether.

The Angel was busy, but Bella had booked one of the more secluded tables. I was early and she, naturally, was late. Having pressed me to be punctual, that was only to be expected. But still, in my present mood, it grated. After twenty minutes of toying with a mineral water while eaves-dropping on nearby conversations about school fees and racing form, I was seriously considering walking out, when, as if timing her arrival by intuition, Bella strolled unhurriedly into view. She was wearing a startlingly well-cut red suit that drew admiring glances from men and women alike, though for very different reasons. I couldn’t help returning her smile as I rose to greet her.

“I expect you’re wondering why I’m still in the country,” she said after ordering a drink.

“I assumed you were going to tell me.”

“I am. But first I must apologize for the… atmosphere… last time we met. Partly my fault, I expect. Paul’s… news… was a terrible shock.”

“Yes. Of course. How’s Keith been since?”

“Better. He’s come to terms with it, I think.”

“And have you?”

“Not exactly.” But she didn’t light up when her drink arrived. That alone signalled some kind of adjustment. “Keith’s eager to go back to Biarritz. He thinks we can weather the storm better there.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Unfinished business.” Seeing me frown, she said: “Tell me why you oppose the Bushranger bid, Robin.”

“You’ve been thinking about that? At a time like-”

“Just tell me. There’s a good boy.”

The phrase reminded me, as perhaps it was meant to, of times past. Our secret times together of which we’d tacitly agreed never to speak. It had only ever been an affair of the flesh. With Bella, I suppose, nothing more was possible. Yet a little frail mental bond remained. She’d never tried to exploit it. She’d never needed to. Till now. I didn’t mind rehearsing my objections to surrendering a hundred and fifty-seven years of English tradition to the Ned Kelly of Australian bat making. I was actually pleased to be asked to. But I never for a single moment thought Bella was really interested in hearing them. Around the time her salmon in sorrel sauce arrived and my diatribe against smash-and-grab commercial raiding wound to a close, she began to reveal her true concerns.

“So you still intend to vote against the bid?”

“Certainly.”

“Along with Uncle Larry?”

“He won’t change his mind. Neither will I.”

“But you’ll lose.”

“It seems so.”

“Unless somebody else changes their mind.”

“True. But I’m not holding my breath.”

“Perhaps you should. You can have my vote if you want it.”

I stared at her in amazement, a fork-pronged potato stalled halfway to my mouth. “You’re not serious.”

“I am. I can go to Adrian this afternoon and withdraw my proxy. Uncle Larry and I hold twenty thousand shares each. That’s forty per cent of the total. With your twelve and half per cent stake…”

“It would be fifty-two and a half per cent. A slim but decisive majority. I can do the maths, Bella.” I put down my fork and sipped some wine. “But not the guesswork. Why would you vote with us?”

“Because the outcome doesn’t matter to me anything like as much as it matters to you. I can turn down Bushranger’s offer without a second thought. Whether Timariot & Small make a profit or a loss doesn’t make a lot of difference to me. I’d prefer a profit, of course. Who wouldn’t? I’d prefer twenty per cent of two and a half million pounds. Naturally. But I don’t need it. Not as much as I need something else.”

“And that is?”

“Your help.”

“With what?”

She leant across the table and lowered her voice. “Proving Paul Bryant didn’t murder Louise Paxton and Oscar Bantock.”

“What?” I found myself whispering as well.

“I want you to help me break his story. Find the flaw that’s got to be there. Prove he couldn’t have done it.”

“But he did do it. You know that as well as I do. Last week, you virtually said as much.”

“Last week was last week. As Keith pointed out, there are inaccuracies in his account. Suspicious ambiguities.”

“No there aren’t.”

“There are grounds for doubt,” she persisted. “Enough to warrant close scrutiny.”

“Well, they’ll get close scrutiny. From the police.”

“Naylor’s solicitor has only just submitted Paul’s affidavit to the Crown Prosecution Service. It could be weeks before the police investigation gets under way. And very messy when it does. In the meantime, there’s a chance to forestall it. To make it unnecessary. To spare ourselves a great deal of agony.”

“How do you know what Naylor’s solicitor’s been up to?”

“I asked him, of course. He didn’t seem to mind telling me. Well, why should he? He’s feeling very pleased with himself. For the moment.”

I sat back in my chair and shook my head. “Bella, this is ridiculous. You know Paul’s telling the truth. How can you-”

“I know no such thing. I’ve come round to Keith’s point of view. That it’s possible Paul’s loading all this guilt onto himself to compensate for the guilt he feels about Rowena. That he wants to be punished. And has made up this story to ensure he will be.”

“You don’t believe that. You can’t.”

“Maybe not. But I don’t disbelieve it either. I simply want to test the possibility.”

“Before your husband-and you-get a lot of unwelcome publicity?”

“Well? What if that is my motive? I’m sure I’ve never claimed to be a humble seeker after truth. If posing as one pleases you, be my guest.”

“Bella, you advised me a couple of months ago to take the money and run. Now you’re proposing to turn your back on half a million pounds.”

“Yes. But some things are more important than money. You want to save Timariot and Small from the barbarians. I want to save Keith from having his first wife portrayed as a nymphomaniac.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“By checking Paul’s story. If he’s lying, he can’t have been in Kington the day of the murders. Or Biarritz a few days beforehand. He must have been somewhere else. So, there’ll be an alibi, won’t there? An alibi he’s doing his best to conceal. Possibly more than one. Start with his family. They might know something. It can’t be anything obvious, or they’d have mentioned it. Paul has told them, by the way. Keith had a phone call from Mr. Bryant. The man was barely coherent, but he should have calmed down by now. He might be able to put you on the right track. Then there’s this friend Paul went round Europe with, Peter-”

“You expect me to cross-question these people?”

“Yes, Robin. I most certainly do. And anyone else who might lead us to the truth.”

“In exchange for voting down the Bushranger bid?”

“Exactly. A generous offer, don’t you think?”

But much of what I thought I couldn’t afford to express. My glorious defeat was in danger of becoming a Pyrrhic victory. Yet I couldn’t help wanting it. Harvey McGraw’s millions thrown back in his face. Adrian’s self-serving plans spectacularly sabotaged. And Timariot & Small’s independent status dramatically saved. It was an alluring prospect. And yet- “Why not do it yourself? You don’t need me to turn over the stones.”

“I do, actually.” She fiddled with the stem of her wine glass and licked her lips nervously. Her gaze slipped to the plate in front of her. “You see, Keith’s forbidden me to approach anyone. He’s afraid that if it got to be known I’d been digging around… Well, he’s concerned people might think he was trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice coming to light simply to protect his good name.”

“And they’d be right. His good name-and yours. Aren’t they what all this is about?” As I said it, the incredulity hit me. Marrying a knight couldn’t have made Bella that conscious of her reputation. There were too many skeletons in her cupboard for her to think half a million pounds worth staking on the slim chance of keeping just this one under lock and key. There had to be more to it. “Or is there something else you haven’t let slip yet? Something more important than being able to hold your head high in the thalassotherapy clinic?”

“I just want to do what can be done. Before it’s too late.”

“But the police have as good a reason as you to want to discredit Paul’s story. And they have the resources and the expertise to do it. If it’s possible. What do you seriously think I can achieve?”

“I don’t know. Until you’ve tried.”

“But Bella-”

“Will you do it?”

It was a small price to pay, I reasoned. I needn’t do much more than go through the motions. A few uncomfortable and inconclusive conversations would be the end of it. I could still take my escape route to Brussels, of course. But just the thought of the expression on Adrian’s face when he realized he’d lost was enough to ensure I wouldn’t. Along with the niggling doubt I’d cornered but still not crushed. The truth never seemed to be complete. Even Paul’s confession left several questions unanswered. Now I had the perfect incentive to ask them. And nothing to lose in the process. So far as I could see. “I could say I’d do it, Bella, and change my mind after tomorrow’s meeting. What then?”

She smiled. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“How can you be sure I wouldn’t?”

“Because, in your own mixed up kind of way, Robin, you’re an honourable man. Quite possibly the only one I know. You really believe the claptrap you spouted about Timariot and Small embodying certain values that are worth defending at all costs. And I imagine honouring a bargain is one of those values.”

I shrugged, unsure how to respond to such a back-handed compliment. “Maybe it is, at that.”

“Which also makes me confident you’ll abide by the one condition I have to impose.” She waited for me to look quizzically across at her before continuing. “Whatever you find out about Paul, good or bad, you’ll bring to me first. Before you tell anyone else.” She paused, then added with solemn emphasis: “Whatever it might be.”

“Won’t that be difficult, if Keith’s to go on thinking you’ll comply with his request not to interfere?”

“Keith needn’t know anything about it. We can communicate by telephone under the guise of business discussions. Some may genuinely be necessary after tomorrow’s meeting. Adrian won’t take defeat lying down. Of course, I can always pop back here if things become… urgent.”

“How will you explain your change of mind to Keith?”

“The same way I’ll explain it to Adrian, Simon and Jennifer. I’ll say you’ve persuaded me we can do better in the long run as an independent company. It might even be true for all I know.”

“I believe it is.”

“There you are, then. In a sense, you have persuaded me.”

Silence fell while a waitress cleared our plates and placed dessert menus in front of us. Bella emptied the bottle of wine into our glasses, lit a cigarette and sat back to study me across the table.

“Deal?”

“You’re not going to get anything out of it, Bella. All I can do is confirm Paul’s story. He’s telling the truth. You know that, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You think he’s lying?”

“I think he may be.”

“The police will find out if he is.”

“But they won’t forewarn me, will they, if the truth turns out to be even more scandalous than the lie? Whereas you will.”

So that was to be my role. Bella’s scout into uncharted territory. But she wasn’t telling me all she knew. That was certain. And it was just as certain she never would. If I wanted to discover what it was, I’d have to go in search of it myself. Which was precisely what Bella wanted me to do. She’d dangled the carrot in front of me. And now she was showing me the stick. I should have been warier than I felt. I should have haggled for more information. But I doubt I’d have got it. And in the end it would have made no difference. I was curious now as well as suspicious. And curiosity always wins.

“Deal?” Bella repeated.

Nothing ever does turn out quite as you expect. I’d thought Bella was handing me victory on a plate. Actually, she was only giving me her vote, which amounted to the same thing in my mind but fell crucially short of it in reality. Adrian’s response to a challenge was the element I’d omitted from my calculations. He’d underestimated me often enough before. Now I underestimated him. I realized he’d guess something was up as soon as Bella notified him she was withdrawing her proxy and attending the meeting to vote in person. But I assumed he’d be powerless to do anything about it even if he deduced what Bella’s change of plan signified. And there I was wrong.

I phoned Uncle Larry that night to tell him I’d won Bella over to our side. He was as delighted as he was surprised. But by the following morning, when we all assembled in the boardroom, his mood seemed to have altered. He was still visibly pleased at the turn of events, but there was a sheepishness about his manner when I took him aside beforehand that puzzled me. I hadn’t had a chance to find out what lay behind it, however, before Simon sidled over and asked why we thought Bella had put in an appearance. She was looking unwontedly serious in a black suit and purple blouse, to Simon’s evident dismay. And she contrived, in mid-conversation with Jennifer, to glance across and catch my eye as I muttered a non-committal answer. Fortunately, before I could be backed into a lie, Adrian called us to order.

“You’ve all received details of the Bushranger bid,” he began, when we’d settled round the table. “Jenny’s worked very hard securing as many safeguards for us as possible and I’d like to pay particular tribute to her efforts. I’m sure we’re all very grateful to her.” There were murmurs of assent. Jennifer smiled in acknowledgement. “The offer document before you is now in its final and definitive form. The lawyers have been through it thoroughly and I take it there are no outstanding questions about its terms.” A mutual nodding of heads. “Very well. Before I put the offer to the vote, there’s only one other thing I wish to say.” He paused and glanced down the table at me, then went on. “If this board decides to reject the Bushranger offer, I shall resign, both as chairman and managing director.”

Jennifer and Simon turned and stared at him in astonishment. The meeting wasn’t going as they’d expected. “We aren’t going to reject it, Ade,” Simon put in with cheerful bafflement. “I should save your ultimatum for another day.” But when he looked round at the rest of us and saw only shifty unsmiling faces, his tone altered. “Well, we aren’t going to, are we?”

“That depends, doesn’t it?” said Adrian, “on why Bella’s joined us today.”

“Turned up for the books, certainly,” said Simon, still hoping he’d misunderstood. “Though always a pleasant one.” He treated Bella to a leery grin, which she conspicuously ignored.

“Why are you here, Bella?” Jennifer asked pointedly.

“To vote, of course. Like the rest of you. I do have a substantial stake in this company, even if I don’t work in it.”

“To vote which way?” enquired Adrian, looking her squarely in the face.

“Against acceptance,” she coolly replied.

“Bloody hell,” said Simon in surprise.

“Why?” asked Jennifer, rounding on her. “After clearly indicating your approval for so long.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“Or had it changed,” suggested Adrian.

“You can put it that way if you like. The fact is that Robin’s persuaded me we’ll do better in the long run as an independent company.”

“The long run?” Simon gaped at her. “What about the short run? The quick bucks? The two and a half million quid?”

“Money isn’t everything.”

“I can’t believe you just said that. It’s like the Archbishop of Canterbury announcing he’s turned atheist.” Bella arched her neck and looked down her nose at him. She didn’t seem to be amused. “What about the losses we’ve been making?”

“We’ll have to ride them out.”

“But we’ll go bust.”

“Not in my opinion,” I intervened, trying to sound as reasonable as possible. “By divesting ourselves of Viburna straightaway and concentrating on our traditional-”

“Let me get this straight,” Jennifer interjected. “You three”-she glanced at Bella, Uncle Larry and me-“mean to vote against the offer?”

“Yes,” I said. At which Uncle Larry nodded and Bella straightened her neck in a graceful gesture of assent.

“Then the sale can’t proceed. The motion’s lost.”

“The motion’s not yet been put,” said Adrian. At once, the absence of panic in his voice sounded a worrying note in my mind. “As I’ve indicated, I’d have to resign if the offer was rejected out of hand. In view of the concerns that have been expressed, however, I’m willing to suggest a compromise. It would appear the bid as it stands is unacceptable to three members of the board. I’m therefore prepared to seek an improvement of the terms. More money up front, perhaps. More guarantees for the workforce. Whatever I can squeeze out of Bushranger.”

“That’ll be sod all,” said Simon. “You’ve got nothing to negotiate with.”

“I’m willing to try.”

He was playing for time. I knew as well as he did that Harvey McGraw wouldn’t give another inch. But if Adrian could persuade us to postpone a final decision, he might hope to lure Bella back to his side of the argument before the extension expired. No doubt he thought he could top my offer if he could only find out what she wanted. Which would have been sound reasoning, but for circumstances he had no inkling of. I almost admired his acumen. But I had no intention of allowing admiration to stand in my way. “The terms aren’t the problem,” I said calmly. “No offer from Bushranger is acceptable to me.”

“What about you, Uncle?” asked Adrian, smiling indulgently.

“Well, I…”

“I’m just asking for a little time.”

“Yes, but-”

“If I can’t get anywhere with Bushranger or if such improvements as I obtain aren’t sufficient to sway you, I’ll accept your decision as final.”

Uncle Larry stared fixedly at the papers in front of him and pursed his lips. “Well, that would avoid a… regrettable split… wouldn’t it?” He looked round at me, pleading for my agreement. “No sense forcing Adrian to resign, is there? Not when we can all… emerge from this with dignity.” He’d been nobbled. I could tell as much from his crumpled frown and his refusal to meet my gaze. Adrian had got to him before the meeting and forced him to choose between a family rift and a fallacious compromise. Fallacious because Adrian intended to use whatever breathing space he was granted to negotiate with Bella, not Harvey McGraw. And because his threat to resign would never have been carried out. With a wife, four children, two dogs and a mortgage to support, he couldn’t afford to pick up his ball and go home.

“I suggest we review the situation in a month’s time,” Adrian continued. “And leave the offer on the table until then.”

“That sounds reasonable to me,” said Jennifer.

“And me,” mumbled Simon.

Adrian looked at Uncle Larry with raised eyebrows. The old fellow cleared his throat and adjusted the knot of his tie. “Fair enough,” he said at last.

Bella looked across at me and made a mocking little circle of her mouth, as if to say, “Oh dear.” But what she actually said was: “Well, why not?”

“Because this should be settled now,” I said, trying hard not to shout. “Once and for all.”

“But that’s not the sentiment of the meeting,” said Adrian, goading me with the placidity of his expression. “Is it?”

“Apparently not.”

“Very well, then.” He smiled and flicked open his diary. “I suggest we hold a special meeting to discuss progress on, let me see, Thursday the twenty-eighth of October.”

“No good,” objected Simon gloomily. “You and me are going up to Lancashire, remember? To persuade a certain rising star to flash a T and S bat in front of the TV cameras.”

“Of course. The following Thursday, then. The fourth of November.”

“That’s six weeks away,” I protested.

“Well, we’re all busy people, Robin,” Adrian replied. “Especially me, now I have to go to Sydney at short notice.”

“Yes, but you only asked for-” I gave up, sensing hostility growing around me. It was bad enough for me to have opposed what Simon, Jennifer and Uncle Larry all obviously considered to be a sensible compromise. I was now in danger of looking petty-minded into the bargain. “Oh, forget it,” I concluded impatiently. “The fourth of November it is.”

“Good,” said Adrian, so affably you might have thought an unfortunate clash of dates was all he was trying to resolve. “Will you be able to join us then, Bella?”

“I’ll be able to, certainly,” she replied. “As to whether I will…” She glanced across at me and shook her head faintly, as if to disclaim responsibility for the way things had gone. “That depends.”

Bella and I had agreed beforehand to leave Frenchman’s Road at different times, in order to avoid stoking up suspicion, and to rendezvous at the Five Bells in Buriton. I’d expected to feel in a celebratory mood, tolerant of her vagaries. Instead, I was angry and resentful. Angry with myself for not having foreseen what might happen at the meeting. And resentful of the enviable position events had placed her in. Instead of having to fulfil her half of our bargain first, then trust me to fulfil mine, she could now sit back and await the results of my efforts on her behalf, knowing it would be six weeks before I could call in her debt. By which time, if I’d achieved nothing of value, she could go back on our agreement, secure in the knowledge that there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it. There was no way I could stretch my enquiries out to fill six weeks. Long before the fourth of November, I’d have to come up with the goods. Or admit my failure. And the latter seemed much the likelier outcome. Which left me with no alternative but to seek a promise from her I knew she wouldn’t feel bound to keep.

“I’ll do what I can, Bella. But if I end up even more certain than I am now that Paul’s telling the truth…”

“Can you rely on me to vote with you on the fourth of November?”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just find out what Paul’s up to.”

“Yes, but-”

“You should be glad things turned out as they did, really.”

“Why?”

“Because this gives you just the incentive you need.” She smiled disingenuously. “I don’t know why you’re glowering at me like that. Anyone would think what happened was my fault.” It was a thought that until then hadn’t occurred to me. But now it had been planted in my mind, I knew it wouldn’t go away. Was it possible she’d tipped Adrian off in some way, foreseeing how he’d react? Was it conceivable she’d set me up from the start? “I’m going back to Biarritz tomorrow, Robin. I’ll phone you early next week to see how you’re getting on. And remember…” There was a twinkle in her eyes as she sipped her drink and looked up at me across the rim of her glass. “There’s no time to be lost.”