Mightier Than the Sword

Kaufman put the black receiver back down on his desk and picked up the red one. “My colleague is asking, if we were to invest the full two million, would that entitle us to a place on the board of the new company?”

“Most certainly,” said Sloane. “In fact, I could offer you two places, as you would own ten percent of the stock.”

“Allow me to consult my colleague again.” The red phone was placed back on the desk, and Kaufman picked up the black one.

“What did you find when you opened the door, Mr. Vaughan?”

“A messenger handed me an envelope containing a banker’s draft for one hundred and sixty-one thousand pounds.”

“The ten percent required to close the transaction. What time do you make it now, Mr. Vaughan?”

“Two minutes past five.”

“Then the deal is closed. And as long as I pay the remaining ninety percent within thirty days, Shifnal Farm is mine.”

“It most certainly is,” said Vaughan, unwilling to admit how much he was looking forward to telling Sloane that he’d lost the deal.

“Have a good weekend,” said Kaufman as he placed the black phone back on its cradle and returned to the red one.

“Mr. Sloane, I want to invest two million pounds in this most exciting project.” Kaufman wished he could see the look on Sloane’s face. “But unfortunately I couldn’t get my colleagues to agree with me, so sadly I’ll have to withdraw my offer. As you assured me the majority of the shares have already been taken up, I don’t suppose that will cause you too much of a problem.”

14

SEBASTIAN DIDN’T TELL Samantha the tactics Mr. Kaufman had resorted to in order to close the Shifnal Farm deal, because he knew she wouldn’t approve, even though it was Sloane who’d lost out. What he did tell her was that Kaufman had offered him a job.

“But I thought his bank didn’t have a property division.”

“It does now,” said Seb. “He’s asked me to set up my own department. Small transactions to begin with, but with a view to expanding, if I prove myself.”

“That’s wonderful news,” said Sam, giving him a hug.

“And it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up good staff, since Sloane’s sacked my entire team, not to mention several others who’ve resigned, including Rachel.”

“Rachel?”

“She used to be Cedric’s secretary, but she only lasted a week under the new regime. I’ve asked her to join me. We start on Monday with a clean sheet. Well, not exactly a clean sheet, because Sloane sacked my assistant, and ordered him to remove everything from the office that even hinted of me, so he gathered up all the files I was working on, walked across to Cheapside, and handed them to me.”

“Is that legal?”

“Who gives a damn, when Sloane’s never going to find out?”

“Farthings Bank is not just Adrian Sloane, and you still have an obligation to it.”

“After the way Sloane treated me?”

“No, after the way Cedric treated you.”

“But that doesn’t apply to Shifnal Farm, because Sloane was working behind Cedric’s back on that deal.”

“And now you’re working behind his.”

“You bet I am, if it’s going to make it possible for us to buy a flat in Chelsea.”

“We shouldn’t be thinking about buying anything until you’ve paid off all your debts.”

“Mr. Kaufman has promised me a forty-thousand-pound bonus when the government makes its announcement, so I won’t have any debts then.”

“If the government makes an announcement,” said Sam. “Don’t start spending the money before you’ve got it. And even if you do pull the deal off, you’ll still owe Mr. Swann over eight thousand pounds, so perhaps we ought not to be thinking about moving quite yet.”

That was something else Seb decided he wasn’t going to tell Sam about.

*   *   *

Seb spent the next few weeks working hours that would have impressed even Cedric and, with the help of Rachel and his old team from Farthings, they were up and running far more quickly than Mr. Kaufman would have thought possible.

Seb wasn’t satisfied with just being reunited with his old customers, but like a marauding pirate he began to plunder several of Farthings’ other clients, convincing himself that it was no more than Sloane deserved.

It was about three months after he’d begun working at Kaufman’s that the chairman called him into his office.

“Did you read the Financial Times this morning?” he said, even before Seb had closed the door.

“Only the front page and the property section. Why?”

“Because we’re about to find out if Mr. Swann’s prediction is correct.” Seb didn’t interrupt Kaufman’s flow. “It seems the transport minister will be making a statement in the House at three o’clock this afternoon. Perhaps you and Victor should go along and hear what he has to say, then call and let me know if I’ve made or lost a fortune.”

As soon as Seb returned to his office, he called Uncle Giles at the Commons and asked if he could arrange a couple of tickets for the Strangers’ Gallery that afternoon, so he and a friend could hear the statement by the minister of transport.

“I’ll leave them in Central Lobby,” said Giles.