第 45 页

'All right, darling.'

'All quiet on the Eastern seaboard?'

'Well, Virginia has cut a tooth and seems to think she deserves special attention, Richard was sent to bed early for being rude to Nanny, and we all miss you.'

William laughed. 'I'll call you tomorrow.'

'Yes, please do. By the way, many congratulations. I approve of Charles Lester's judgment even if I'm going to hate living in New York.'

It was the first time William had thought about living in New York.

William arrived at Peter Parfitt's home on East Sixty-fourth Street at eight o'clock that night and was taken by surprise to find his host had dressed for dinner. William felt slightly embarrased and ill at east in his dark banker's suit. He quickly explained to his hostess that he had originally anticipated returning to Boston that evening. Diana Parfitt, who turned out to be Peter's second wife, could not have been more charming to her guest, and she seemed delighted that William was to be the next chairman of Lester's. During an excellent dinner William could not resist asking. Peter Parfitt how he thought the rest of the board would react to Charles Lester's wishes.

'They'll all fall in line,' said Parfitt. 'I've spoken to most of them already. There's a full board meeting on Monday morning to confirm your appointment and I can only see one small cloud on the horizon!

'What's that?' said William, trying not to sound anxious.

'Well, between you and me, the other vice-chairman, Ted Leach, was rather expecting to be appointed chairman himself. In fact, I think I would go as far as saying that he anticipated it. We had all been informed that no nomination could be made until after the will had been read, but Charles Lester's wishes must have come as rather a shock to Ted!

'Will he put up a fight?' asked William.

'I'm afraid he might, but there's nothing for you to worry about!

'I don't mind admitting,' said Diana Parfitt, as she studied the rather flat soufl16 in front of her, 'that he has never been my favourite man.'

'Now, dear,' said Parfitt reprovingly, 'we mustn't say anything behind Ted's back before Mr. Kane has had a chance to judge for himself. There is no doubt in my mind that the board will confirm Mr. Kane's appointment at the meeting on Monday, and there's even the possibility that Ted Leach will resign!

'I don't want anyone to feel they have to resign because of me,' said William.

'A very creditable sentiment,' said Parfitt. 'But don't bother yourself about a puff of wind. I'm confident that the whole matter is well under control. You go quietly back to Boston tomorrow, and I'll keep you informed on the lay of the land.'

'Perhaps it might be wise if I dropped in at the bank in the morning. Won't your fellow officers find it a little curious if I make no attempt to meet any of them?'

'No, I don't think that would be advisable given the circumstances, In fact, I feel it might be wiser for you to stay out of their way until the Monday board meeting is over. They won't want to seem any less independent than necessary, and they may already feel like glorified rubber stamps. Take my advice, Bill, you go back to Boston, and I'll call you with the good news before noon on Monday!

William reluctantly agreed to Peter Parfitt's suggestion and went on to spend a pleasant evening discussing with both of them where he and Kate might stay in New York while they were looking for a permanent home.

William was somewhat surprised to find that Peter Parfitt seemed to have no desire to discuss his own views on banking, and he assumed the reason was because of Diana Parfitt's presence. An excellent evening ended with a little too much brandy, and William did not arrive back at the Harvard Club until after one o'clock.

Once William had returned to Boston he made an immediate report to Tony Simmons of what had transpired in New York as he did not want him to hear about the appointment from anyone else. Tony turned out to be surprisingly sanguine about the news.

'I'm sorry to learn that you will be leaving us, William. Lester's may well be two or three times the size of Kane and Cabot, but I shall be unable to replace you, and I hope you'll consider very carefully before accepting the appointment!

William was surprised and couldn't help showing it. 'Frankly, Tony, I would have thought you'd have been only too glad to see the back of me.'

'William, when will you ever believe that my first interest has always been the bank, and there has never been any doubt in my mind that you are one of the shrewdest investment advisers in America today? If you leave Kane and Cabot now, many of the bank's most important clients will naturally want to follow you.'

'I would never transfer my own money to Lester's,' said William, 'any more than I would expect any of the bank's clients to move with me.'

'Of course you wouldn't solicit them to join you, William, but some of them will want you to continue managing their portfolios. Like your father and Charles Lester, they believe quite rightly that banking is about people and reputations.'

William and Kate spent a tense weekend waiting for Monday and the result of the board meeting in New York. William sat nervously in his -office the whole of Monday morning, answering every telephone call personally, but he heard nothing as the morning dragged into the afternoon. He didn't even leave the office for lunch, and Peter Parfitt finally called a little after six.

'I'm afraid there's been some unexpected trouble, Bill' were his opening words.

William's heart sank.

'Nothing for you to worry about since I still feel I have the situation well under control, but the board wants the right to oppose your nomination with their own candidate. Some of them have produced legal opinions that go as far as saying the relevant clause of 'the will has no real validity. I've been given the unpleasant task of asking if you would be willing to fight an election against the board's candidate.'

'Who would be the board's candidate?' asked William.

'No names have been mentioned by anyone yet, but I imagine their choice will be Ted Leach. No one else has shown the slightest interest in running against you.'

'I'd like a little time to think about it,' William replied. 'When will the next board meeting be?'

'A week from today,' said Parfitt. 'But don't you go and get yourself all worked up about Ted Leach; I'm still confident that you will win easily, and I'll keep you informed of any further developments as the week goes by.'

'Do you want me to come down to New York, Peter?'

'No, not for the moment. I don't think that would help matters!

William thanked him and put the phone down. He packed his old leather briefcase and left the office, feeling more than a little depressed. Tony Simmons, carrying a suitcase, caught up with him in the private parking lot.

'I didn't know you were going out of town, Tony!

'It's only the monthly bankers' dinner in New York. I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon. I think I can safely leave Kane and Cabot for twenty-four hours in the capable hands of the next chairman of Lester's.'

William laughed. 'I may already be. the ex-chairman,' he said and explained the latest development. Once again, William was surprised by Tony Simmons'reaction.

'It's true that Ted Leach has always expected to be the next chairman of Lester's,' he mused. 'That's common knowledge in financial circles. But he's a loyal servant of the bank, and I cant believe he would oppose Chaxles Lester's express wishes.'

'I didn't realise you even knew him,' said William.

'I dont know him all that well,' said Tony. 'He was a class ahead of me at Yale, and now I see him from time to time at these darrmed bankers' dinners that you'll have to attend when you're a chairman. He's bound to be there tonight. I'll have a word with him if you like.'

'Yes, please do, but be very careful, won't you?' said William.

'My dear William, you've spent nearly ten years of your life telling me I'm far too careful!

'I'm sorry, Tony. Funny how one's judgment is impaired when one is worrying about one's own problems, however sound the same judgment might be considered when dealing with other peoples'. I'll put myself in your hands and do whatever you advise.'

'Good then, you leave it to me. I'll see what Leach has to say for himself and call you first thing in the morning.'

Tony called from New York a few minutes after midnight and woke William from a deep sleep.

'Have I woken you, William?,'

'Yes, who is it?'

'Tony Simmons.'

William switched on the light by his side of the bed and looked at his alarm clock. Ten minutes past twelve.

'Well, you did say you would call first thing in the morning.'

Tony laughed. 'I'm afraid what I have to tell you won't seem quite so funny. The man who is opposing you for chairman of Lester's Bank is Peter Parfitt.'

'What?' said William, suddenly awake.

'He's been trying to push the board into supporting him behind your back. Ted Leach, as I expected, is in favour of your appointment as chairman, but the board is now split down the middle.'

'Well. First, thank you, Tony, and second, what do I do now?'

'If you want to be the next chairman of Lester's, you'd better get down here fast before the members of the board wonder why you're hiding away in Boston!

'Hiding away?'

'That's what Parfitt has been telling the directors for the past few days.'

'The bastard!

'Now that you mention the subject, I am unable to vouch for his parentage,' said Tony.

William laughed.

'Come and stay at the Yale Club. Then we can talk the whole thing out first thing in the morning!

'I'll be there as quickly as I can,' said William.

'I may be asleep when you arrive. It'll be your turn to wake me." William put the phone down and looked over at Kate, blissfully oblivious to his new problems. She had slept right through the entire conversation. How he wished he could manage that. A curtain had only to flutter in the breeze, and he was awake. She would probably sleep right through the Second Con:dng. He scribbled a few lines of explanation to her and put the note on her bedside table, dressed, packed -tbis time including a dinner jacket - and set off for New York.

The roads were clear and the run in the new Daimler took him only five hours. He drove into New York with cleaners, mailmen, newsboys, and the morning sun, and checked in at the Yale Club as the hall clock chimed once.

It was six-fifteen. He unpacked and decided to rest for an hour before waking Tony. The next thing he heard was an insistent tapping on his door. Sleepily, he got up to open it only to find Tony Simmons standing outside.

'Nice dressing gown, William,' said Tony, grinning. He was fully dressed.

'I must have fallen asleep. If you wait a minute, I'll be right with you,' said William.

'No, no, I have to catch a train back to Boston. You take a shower and get yourself dressed while we talk.'

William went into the bathroom and left the door open.

'Now your main problem...' started Tony.

William put his head around the bathroom door. 'I can't hear you while the water's running!

Tony waited for it to stop. 'Peter Parfitt is your main problem. He assumed he was going to be the next chairman, and that his would be the name that was read out in Charles Lester's will. He's been manoeuvring the directors against you and playing board-room politics ever since. Ted Leach can fill you in on the finer details and would like you to join him for lunch today at the Metropolitan Club. He may bring two or three other board members with him on whom you can rely. The board, by the way, still seems to be split right down the middle.'

William nicked himself with his razor. 'Damn. Which club?'

'Metropolitan, just off Fifth Avenue on East Sixtieth Street.

'Why there and not somewhere down in Wall Street?'

'William, when you're dealing with the Peter Parfitts of this world, you don't telegraph your intentions. Keep your wits about you, and play the whole thing very coolly. From what Leach tells me, I believe you can still win.'

William came back into the bedroom with a towel round his waist. 'I'll try,' he said, 'to be cool, that is.'

Tony smiled. 'Now, I must get back to Boston. My train leaves Grand Central in ten minutes.'He looked at his watch. 'Damn, six minutes.'

Tony paused at the bedroom door. 'You know, your father never trusted Peter Parfitt. Too smooth, he always used to say. Never anything more, just a little too smooth.' He picked up his suitcase. 'Good luck, William!

'How can I begin to thank you, Tony?'

'You can't. just put it down to my trying to atone for the lousy way I treated Matthew.'

William watched the door close as he put in his collar stud and then straightened his tie, reflecting on how curious it was that he bad spent years working closely with Tony Simmons without ever really getting to know him but that now, in only a few days of personal crisis, he found himself instantly liking and trusting a man he had never before really seen. He went down to the dining room and had a typical club breakfast: a cold boiled egg, one piece of hard toast, butter and English marmalade from someone else's table. The porter handed him a copy of the Wall Street journal, which hinted on an inside page that everything was not running smoothly at Lester's following the nomination of William Kane as their next chairman. At least, the journal did not seem to have any inside information.

William returned to his room and asked the operator for a number in Boston. He was kept waiting for a few minutes before he was put through.

'I do apologise, Mr. Kane. I had no idea that you were on the line. May I congratulate you on your appointment as chairman of Lester's. I hope this means that our New York office will be seeing a lot more of you in the future.'