Chapter 57

DRIVING BACK TO London along the M3, Allegra felt happy with progress at Astor House.

Fuck it, I’m more than happy. I’m totally bloody ecstatic! It’s slow but it’s just right. There’s no point in hurrying and getting it wrong. We’re still on course to open next Easter, when the countryside will look fantastic.

She and Adam had spent a happy two days at the site. The house was now completely gutted, stripped back to bare brick in places, and they were conserving and repairing the original features, including intricate plasterwork.

‘I never realised there was so much to know about bloody plaster,’ Allegra had said, her yellow hard hat on. ‘But this place has it all: egg and dart cornicing with columns, fluted this, drop-swagged that, and don’t get me started on ceiling roses, corbels and panel mouldings.’

‘The perils of Grade One listing.’ Adam smiled at her.

‘The bloody price of Grade One listing,’ she grumbled, pushing her hands in the pockets of her protective overcoat. ‘English Heritage seem to think we’re made of money and have nothing better to do than source original roof tiles of the precise size, age and colour of the ones on the roof already.’

‘David would approve.’

‘Oh my God, he would!’ Allegra laughed. ‘He’s such a perfectionist, he’d get on really well with the Heritage guy. But he’s going to be so excited when he sees this place. When it’s nearly finished, I’m looking forward to going on a fantastic shopping trip with him, sourcing some magnificent Regency antiques for the hotel.’

Adam looked round. ‘I can see it now. It’s going to be an amazing blend of old and new: the speed and convenience of modern life, and the comfort and luxury of days gone by.’

‘Exactly.’ Allegra nodded. ‘And service … that’s the key. Such wonderful, personal service you’ll feel utterly cosseted and cared for. Along with the finest of everything, from the bed linen to the water glasses. Come on, let’s go and look at the spa.’

They went out to the old coach house that was being converted into the health and beauty area.

‘Did I tell you I’ve decided to franchise this out?’ she said. ‘My cousin Jemima runs a perfume house with her sisters and they’ve recently developed a range of fantastic spa and beauty treatments. In fact, she’s opened a very successful spa at her own house in Dorset. I went to see it recently. Jemima says she’d love to take over here, stock it with Trevellyan products and offer their treatments.’

‘It’s not like you to hand over control to someone else,’ remarked Adam, studying the old building with its sagging beams and dirty floor.

‘I trust her and her brand,’ Allegra said with a smile. ‘It fits with the McCorquodale ethos of quality and luxury, the best of the best.’

‘I’d like to meet her.’

‘I’m sure you will. Now, let’s visit the vegetable garden. It’s going to supply the hotel and maybe even the London clubs if I can get enough production going here. Come on.’

She was pleased that Adam seemed so impressed with the progress so far. It was important that he respected her business ability as well as her body – though she didn’t mind him showing his appreciation of that as well … She’d left him on-site to oversee some work and liaise with the site manager while she headed back to London. As she was driving back in on the M3, her phone went. She switched on her hands-free.

‘It’s your uncle,’ Tyra said when she’d answered the call. ‘He’s asked if you can go straight round to see him at home.’

‘Did he say why?’

‘No. Just that he’d like you to get there as soon as you can.’

‘OK. Can you ring him and tell him I’m just approaching Richmond? I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.’

‘Will do,’ Tyra said, and rang off.

Odd, thought Allegra as she drove on. I wonder why he didn’t call me himself.

The traffic wasn’t too heavy. Within thirty-five minutes she was heading up Kensington High Street towards Knightsbridge. She parked outside David’s house and ran up the steps to the front door. His housekeeper answered and showed her in to the drawing room.

She wandered about, looking at David’s pictures. She never grew tired of the many and varied paintings he had hung close together all over the walls. Her favourite was a portrait of an aristocratic young man with a lazy yet wicked glint in his eye.

There was a sound behind her. She turned to see her uncle coming in through the door, his face serious, a pile of papers clamped under his arm.

‘Hello, David,’ she said cheerfully. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m well, very well. Sit down, Allegra, please.’

She sat down, telling him about her latest trip to Astor House while he settled himself opposite, spreading out some of the papers he’d been carrying on the low table. He seemed to be listening with only half an ear, grunting a response from time to time.

‘Now,’ he said suddenly, cutting her off, ‘I went round to the office today and collected the details of last night’s takings. And the night before’s. In fact, I got the whole week’s worth.’

‘Yes?’ Allegra sat forward to see what was on the papers, but he snatched them away from her.

‘I’m very concerned,’ he said, fixing her with a cold gaze.

‘Why? Is something wrong?’

‘Yes, I believe it is. I believe there are significant sums missing. There seems to be a shortfall amounting to almost two hundred thousand pounds.’

‘What?’ cried Allegra, dismayed. ‘Where? How?’

‘That’s what I’m hoping you can tell me.’

‘Well, I’ve no idea.’ She was baffled. She kept a tight rein on the accounts. There was no way such a large amount could vanish without her noticing. ‘I’m sure I would have noticed a sum like that disappearing. After all, it’s almost a quarter of our profits on sales for last year.’

‘I’ve asked my own man to look into it. I also want some explanation of the spending on Astor House. It’s astronomical.’ He gave her a cold look. ‘Don’t you understand the climate we’re all working in?’

‘Of course I do, but we both agreed we couldn’t stop trying to expand just because times are hard. We need to make sure we’re prepared for a better future. We agreed that.’ She was bewildered by his hostility. Why was he being like this? She’d always been careful to get his agreement to anything she did.

‘Still doesn’t explain this,’ David said, gesturing to the papers. ‘Where is this missing money?’

‘I’ve truly no idea. I keep a firm grip on the accounts but I’ll need to go back to the accountant and go through everything with him …’

‘Was it for your car?’ her uncle asked abruptly. ‘You’ve been driving something fancy lately. Did you decide to give yourself a little cash advance to go and get it?’

Allegra was astonished. ‘My car? It’s about five years old. You’ve seen me driving in it for ages.’

‘No, I haven’t,’ he snapped. ‘I’ve never seen it before.’

She stared at him, appalled. How could he say that? He’d seen it, and often. Was he pretending or could he honestly not remember? Is he trying to accuse me of stealing? That’s ridiculous, David could never think that. It must be some kind of misunderstanding, surely … But her spirits sank as she realised that this was just the latest manifestation of his odd behaviour and memory lapses. She said gently, ‘David, are you all right? You haven’t been yourself lately. Do you think you should see a doctor?’

‘Why do you say that?’ he said in an ominously quiet voice.

‘Because you really haven’t been yourself for ages. I noticed it a while ago. You’ve been acting oddly, making mistakes, forgetting things. Tyra’s noticed it too. It’s not like you, it really isn’t. I wish you’d see somebody about it, get yourself thoroughly checked out.’

‘Oh, you’d like me to see doctors, would you? Kindly friends of yours who’ll certify me as not of sound mind?’ He suddenly swept all the papers off the table and on to the floor, roaring, ‘I see your game and it’s bloody filthy!’ Then he leapt to his feet and went to the door. ‘Rosa!’ he called, as he opened it. ‘Send them in here.’

Allegra stood up, confused. ‘Do you already have a doctor?’ she asked.

‘Oh, no, my dear, I do not.’ He stood back and the next moment a troop of men in sober suits came into the room carrying briefcases. David went to his desk by the window and sat on the leather-seated chair. ‘Gentlemen, I am ready to sign.’

‘Sign what?’ Anxiety was making Allegra’s skin prickle. ‘What are you going to sign, David?’

‘These gentlemen are lawyers,’ he said, almost kindly. ‘Mine are from Baxter and Harvill, the family’s legal advisors. And the others are from some whizz-bang City outfit. Their client has already signed the contract.’

The lawyers opened their cases and began to bring out documents. One of the men laid a thick pile of papers, stapled in the left-hand corner, in front of David and offered him a pen.

‘Thank you, I prefer to use my Cartier,’ he said, flicking through the document.

‘David, what are you going to sign?’ Allegra repeated, trying to get near him so she could read the print, but the lawyers seemed to be blocking her, trying to keep her away.

‘I’m going to sell the David McCorquodale Group, of course. I’ve been offered a price that’s more than fair. And do you know what? It’s time I had a rest. I’ve been slaving away at Colette’s for almost half a century and I fancy a cruise. I think a hundred million pounds should buy me rather a nice one.’

‘David, no!’ Allegra shrieked. She reached out her hand towards him. With a few strokes of his pen, he was going to bring down everything they’d worked so hard for. Oscar’s, Astor House – in just a second it would all be gone, along with her beloved Colette’s. ‘It’s Mitchell, isn’t it? He’s got to you! He’s persuaded you to sell to him … Why, David, why?’

Her uncle’s face contorted as though some malevolent spirit had possessed him. ‘Because you know what you are!’ he hissed. ‘You stole my money! And you’re wrong. I’m not selling to Mitchell. I’m selling to Romily de Lisle.’

Allegra paled. All the strength seemed to leave her. ‘What?’ she whispered. She could hardly take it in. Romily? But how? Through blurred vision she could see David poise his pen above the contract. ‘No.’ Her voice came out hoarse, barely audible. ‘Please, I’m begging you …’

‘Beg all you like,’ he said tartly. And signed his name with a flourish.