Meeting the daughter James did not know he had fathered was the biggest shock and yet also the biggest thrill he had ever experienced.
As he hurried down the Malvern arcade at the far end of Piccadilly, his mind was full of thoughts of his child. In point of fact, he thought about her at some moment every day. As always, business was at the forefront of his mind, ambition and drive intact. But now he had Leonie as well.
He had been going to Ascot once a week for just over three months, and this coming Saturday, September 12, she would be two years old. Georgiana had invited him to come for the small party she was giving. He would finally meet her sisters, Deanna and Vanessa. He was happy about this and planned to buy some toys to take as birthday presents for his child, who had captivated him.
When he reached Rossi’s small shop, he stood regarding it for a few minutes, looking at the single window, the name above the door. It was her name: Rossi.
His eyes shifted to the shop next door, on the right, actually the last one at that end of the arcade. Double-fronted windows, obviously much larger and perhaps soon to become available, according to gossip Rossi had just heard.
He opened the door of his sister’s shop, the bell tinkling as he went in, and Rossi was coming around the counter with a happy smile lighting up her face when she saw him.
“James! At last! Where were you? I’ve been trying to reach you since Friday” was her way of greeting him.
“Hello, my beauty,” James responded, and gave her a hug. “I had to go away for a couple of days. But here I am now. Fresh as a daisy on Monday morning, and all ears.”
Sitting down in one of the two chairs, he gave her a bright smile. “Tell me, Rossi.”
Taking the other chair, Rossi said quietly, “I’ve heard rumors that Mrs. Galbraithe next door has been taken ill, seriously ill, and won’t be coming back—”
“So the shop will be vacant,” James cut in.
Rossi shook her head. “Apparently her sister, who is currently running it, wants to keep it for herself.” There was a pause as Rossi stared at her brother. “Can she do that?”
“Absolutely not. It is Mrs. Galbraithe who signed the lease, and no one can just take it over like that.” He snapped two fingers together and grimaced. “I met her sister once, and I thought she was an unpleasant sort. Aggressive. Hardly a welcoming shopkeeper.”
Rossi said, “You always wanted me to have that shop, James.”
“I still do. I want you to have both shops. And they will have a new name. ‘Falconer’ will be on the sign above the doors.”
“I thought it would be my name,” Rossi exclaimed, her face changing. “Why my last name?” she asked, her voice rising.
“Our last name. And the shops are going to be the beginning of my retailing empire.”
Startled, Rossi said almost angrily, “You’re now managing director of Malverns, isn’t that enough for you—?” She stopped abruptly, realizing he was staring hard at her, and those blue eyes were icy.
“I don’t owe you or anyone an explanation, Rossi, but let me inform you that I will not be staying at Malverns forever. I plan to move on. And fairly soon, to start my own company. Its name will be Falconer and that’s it. I am giving you an opportunity to be part of my dream. I would let you run the shops in this arcade. Take it or leave it.”
The cold look in his blue eyes, the stern expression on his face told Rossi she had just made a terrible mistake, and she felt like kicking herself. James was a law unto himself, and everyone bowed down to him. And not only the family. Everyone he met, or so it seemed to her, revered him, kowtowed to him.
After a moment, blinking back unexpected tears, Rossi said, “I’m so sorry I said that. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
Knowing how much she regretted her words, James brushed his irritation with her aside. “Let’s move on, Rossi. Will you run this shop and the one next door?”
“Of course, you know that, and I want to be part of your dream, your success. But what about Mrs. Sutton? That’s the sister’s name.”
“I will look at the lease, and then Natalie will come and see her. If I remember correctly, there is a clause I put in all of the new leases. If someone becomes incapacitated and retires, the lease reverts to Malverns. Her sister can’t just take over. Or any other person, for that matter.”
Rossi nodded her understanding, wondering why she had worried about Mrs. Sutton. Of course, her brother had thought of everything. He always did.
Taking a deep breath, Rossi now asked, “What other merchandise will we sell? Mother and her team can’t make enough product, even with my help.”
“I realize that. Natalie told me the other day that she is still storing a dozen or so evening dresses made by Irina, and so we would sell those, and pay Natalie the money to hold for Irina—”
“Is she ever coming back?” Rossi interrupted.
“I don’t know. But it’s been so long now I’ve come to doubt it. Anyway, going back to the merchandise, I thought you might try your hand at making silk drawstring evening bags in beautiful fabrics, and we’ll have a shoe boutique within the shop next door. Evening shoes. We can also have jewelry. I’ve heard of a manufacturer in Paris who makes spectacular pieces out of crystal and semiprecious stones. I think we’d do well with that kind of thing.”
She nodded, wishing yet again she hadn’t answered him back in such a nasty way.
James rose, went over, and kissed her cheeks. “Stop worrying, Rossi-possi,” he murmured, using a childhood nickname. “I’m not angry. And I have a meeting at noon with Mr. Malvern, so I must be off.”
Walking back to Malvern House at the other end of Piccadilly, James thought about Rossi’s retort of a few minutes ago, and felt a trickle of disappointment. There was also a hint of sadness within himself. He hadn’t expected that from her. He had spoiled her, looked after her, always been kind, and he had to admit now he had been taken aback by her comment.
He felt a hollow laugh rising and swallowed it. Hadn’t his grandmother always warned him that the most dangerous place to be in this world was in the middle of a large family? “Too much floating emotion,” Grans had explained, and she was correct.
He had wanted to tell everyone about his gorgeous little daughter, but had instantly discarded that idea. However, he had considered confiding just in Rossi, early this morning when he was shaving. Now he was relieved he had remained silent. Tell no one. That had always been his motto. Yes, best to say nothing. Ever. He heard his grandmother’s voice echoing in his head: “A still tongue and a wise head.” Leonie Falconer, as he thought of her, would remain a secret.
When James knocked on Mr. Malvern’s door, his boss called out, “Come in, Falconer.”
James walked in, a smile on his face. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late, sir. But I had to stop off at the arcade to see Rossi.”
“Morning, Falconer. Anything wrong over there?”
“No, sir. Rossi had heard rumors about Mrs. Galbraithe being ill, not coming back. Natalie will take care of everything.”
Henry Malvern nodded. “I have some interesting news for you. Alexis has been in London for a week, staying with me, and seems so much better, more like her old self. And she told me at the weekend that she is going to come back to work here at Malverns, Falconer. What do you think about that?”
“I think it’s great, Mr. Malvern,” James exclaimed, meaning it. Her arrival meant he could finally jump ship, go out on his own. He felt a rush of excitement.
“It is, yes. But I’m afraid I’m facing a problem. You have reorganized Malverns to such an extent it won’t be the same place to her. She won’t be able to run it. She has to learn to do that. And only you can teach her, show her the ropes, Falconer.”
James sat down in a chair, his brain racing, wondering how to make the most of this sudden and unexpected event. He groaned inside, knowing how Alexis hated him and how unpleasant she could be.
After another few seconds, James said, “You and I had an agreement, Mr. Malvern. You asked me to stay for six months, and I said I would. I’ve only three months left now.”
“I don’t think that’s enough time to train Alexis, do you?” Malvern asked, staring hard at James, his look intent.
“I agree,” James said. “There’s a whole new system now, which has proved to be very successful and has made Malverns the very best, sir.”
“I know, and I’m grateful to you.” Malvern leaned across the desk, focusing on him. “I would make it well worth your while. I would want you to sign an agreement saying you would stay for one year, to train my daughter. I would be prepared to give you a large bonus, Falconer, for doing this.”
James hesitated. “A year is such a long time, and she’s not very friendly to me. Would she want to work with me?”
“She will have to, if she wants to inherit Malverns. I will speak with her, Falconer. She will listen to me this time around, because she knows if she can’t run it as you do, I have no alternative but to sell the company.”
“Have you told her that already?” Falconer asked, curious about her reaction.
“I have indeed. I’m not prepared to leave anything to chance. If she comes back here next week, she knows she has to toe the line, do as she’s told, and be serious. I know she understands there’s a lot at stake and, seemingly, even surprisingly, she appears to want to work.” He emphasized the last word, then added, “And she is very much against my selling the company.”
“All right, Mr. Malvern. I agree to stay for another year, and I will sign the written contract. But I have several conditions, sir.”
Henry Malvern was not at all surprised, knowing full well he was dealing with a very clever young man. “So, tell me what they are, would you please.”
“I would like Miss Alexis to sign the contract as well as you, just in case—”
Malvern cut in, “Just in case I’m ill or disabled in some way? Or have dropped dead?”
“That is correct. I would also like a clause in the contract that guarantees she takes my advice. I don’t want to waste my time.”
“Agreed, and very smart of you, Falconer. Any more?”
“Yes. What would the bonus be?”
“I’d pay you twice your salary, which I just raised, remember?”
James thought for a moment. “I will have to put in a lot of time, sir, to get Miss Alexis up to scratch. I would like to be paid three times my current salary.”
“Done,” Malvern said, glad he hadn’t asked for more.
“One other thing, sir. I would like to have the lease of Rossi’s shop in the arcade renewed immediately for ten years. And the lease of the shop next door for the same ten years. Because Mrs. Galbraithe won’t be coming back, Mr. Malvern. As I told you, she’s ill.”
“Can Rossi afford these two leases?” Henry Malvern asked with a frown.
“No. But I can. I will call the two shops ‘Falconer,’ and I will start my retailing company in your arcade, sir.”
Henry Malvern gaped at him, and then he smiled, began to laugh. “My goodness, Falconer, you certainly think fast on your feet.” There was a short silence and an admiring look in Malvern’s eyes when he said, “I will be very proud if you start your retailing empire in my arcade.”
“Do we have a deal, sir?”
“We do, Falconer,” Malvern answered, laughter in his voice.