Imiss Robin, more than I thought I could ever miss anyone. He’s gone off again to Madrid, to deal with the Philip Alvarez problem, and although my days are busy, they are dull without him around. The office is quite a bleak place without his presence – his vivid smiles, his jokes and teasing, his irreverent laugher and wry sense of humour. And his wise words. It is Robin, and only Robin, who can calm me down when I become disturbed, make me see the sense in matters that are complex and complicated. He soothes me with his rationality.
Every morning when I arrive here, I go into Robin’s adjoining office and turn on all the lights, and they remain on until I leave at night. Seeing the office lit up makes me feel less lonely. It’s as if he’s going to arrive at any moment.
He is in Madrid, leading my team: his brother Ambrose, Nicholas Throckman and Francis Walsington. As of last night they seemed to be making progress. I hope so. I want the Alvarez problem settled to my advantage, and then I won’t worry any more about the seventy-five million euros which Mary gave away so blithely. Just as important to me, Robin will be able to come home.
There is no one quite like Robin. That special bond between us going back to our childhood continues to endure. Now, looking back, I understand what we missed out on in our late teens and early twenties. Our paths did not cross so much in those days. sadly. He was away at prep school, went on to boarding school, and after that attended university. He’s a Cambridge man like Cecil Williams, and some of my other friends here within the company.
When I was first working at Deravenels, Robin had a job at the New York office; after a couple of years in New York he was sent to India where he worked for the mining division at the head offices in New Delhi. In a sense, we only caught up with each other when he came back to England, to find himself somewhat in disfavour with Mary, as was I. That’s when we connected once more; he was very kind to me, sympathetic and supportive when she was being a tyrant.
In the past year Robin has been around quite a lot, coming up to Ravenscar, working with me and Cecil, making plans for the future. It was a good thing we did, because we have saved so much time, have been able to put a great many things into operation immediately.
Now here we are, Robin and I, working together with such compatibility, almost joined at the hip, so to speak. But then we’ve been compatible since we first met, aged eight. A long friendship. We enjoy the same things and always have. Lots of exercise, walking, dancing, playing tennis, and most especially riding. He’s an amazing equestrian, better than me really, although I’m a good rider. Yet I’m not quite up to his standards. There are other things we enjoy doing together: going to the movies, concerts, the opera and the theatre. I tease him sometimes about role-playing, because there’s a lot of the actor in him. And he has a most mellifluous voice, a voice that truly captivates, just as the late Richard Burton’s voice entranced from the stage, held everyone in its thrall. Robin usually responds by saying that I’m the far better actor, and perhaps I am.
Robin is highly intelligent, brilliant in many ways, and has an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of the matter, especially in business, and I learn from him every day. He is loyal and protective, just as Cecil is, and I appreciate them both. There is a new and deeper amity between Robin and Cecil, and this pleases me. Both men are the mainstay of my life, and God forbid that they might not like each other and quarrel. Fortunately, this is not the case at all.
So much is happening at Deravenels; things are moving at a rapid pace, I can hardly catch my breath. Cecil has been superb, overseeing the changes which we’ve been able to implement immediately. In my bones I know that everything we’ve planned over the years will come to fruition. But at this moment everyone in the City is focused on Deravenels. Watching, listening, waiting. We must not stumble. I’ve made a vow to myself that we won’t.
Robin has promised to be back in time to spend Christmas with me. I hope we can go to Waverley Court. It will do us good. We’ve become workaholics. Robin and I …
The shrill of the telephone startled Elizabeth, and she sat up with a sudden jolt, reached for the receiver. ‘Elizabeth Turner.’
‘It’s me.’
‘Robin! Hello! I was just wondering when you’d phone,’ she exclaimed.
‘Well, here I am. And I think I might very well be the bearer of good news.’
‘Don’t tell me you’ve wrestled the money out of his hands. If you have, then you’re a true genius!’ she cried, her voice rising with excitement.
‘I haven’t, actually,’ Robert said in a more sombre tone, ‘but I’ve certainly made a lot of headway with Philip. Actually, I should say we have, it’s been a team effort. And you were very much part of the team.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s always liked you, Elizabeth, and seemingly he has quite a soft spot for you. He perfectly understands how you must feel about the seventy-five million euros Mary invested, and he wants to play fair with you,’ Robert explained. ‘He’s got about the same amount tied up in the Marbella Project, so, in one sense, you and he are equal partners. Well, I should say Deravenels and he are partners. Anyway, the project has not gone the way he expected, and he wants us to take over.’
‘To run it?’ she asked, sounding incredulous.
‘That’s right. He doesn’t have any experience of managing this kind of resort, which is what it really is, and if we don’t help him by taking total control he’ll go down. And we’ll lose our seventy-five million, no two ways about that.’
‘Are you saying Philip will go bankrupt?’
‘He won’t personally, no. And most of his other companies are safe. But the Marbella Project will go bust, and then Deravenels will definitely be out of pocket.’
‘Will he still be a partner?’ Elizabeth clutched the phone tighter.
‘Yes. But I think I can negotiate a deal very favourable to us. In other words, we’ll be in charge, totally responsible for running it –’
‘Lock, stock and barrel?’ she cut in swiftly.
‘Lock, stock and barrel, and all the horses,’ Robert answered, a hint of laughter in his voice.
‘Does Cecil know all this?’
‘Not yet. I’m going to phone him now. But what do you think? About Deravenels running the show?’
‘I know we could do it. We have the right personnel.’ She sounded suddenly glum. ‘Anyway, I can’t write off that bloody seventy-five mill, just like that.’
‘I know. We don’t have a choice. And look, there’s an enormous amount of things to go over with him. But I just wanted to get your reaction to the idea in general, and Cecil’s, so that I can finish up with Philip tomorrow. Naturally, all of the contracts and documents will have to wait until after Christmas. However, if we can come to a genuine understanding with him, the team can leave Madrid almost immediately.’
‘What do you think we should do, Robin?’
‘My gut instinct tells me we should go along with Philip … at least at this stage of the negotiation. If I can work out the right deal, a good deal for us, then we might turn out to be the winners after all.’
‘All right then. Please phone Cecil direct, will you? I’m going to his office right now. And thank you, Robin.’
‘My pleasure, Elizabeth. I’ll be back tomorrow night, all being well.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. I’ve missed you.’
‘Me, too, you.’
The phone went dead, and she hung up the receiver, hurried out of her office and across the hall. After a cursory knock on the door, she walked into Cecil’s office, just as the phone began to ring. ‘It’s Robin,’ she announced sombrely, walking over to Cecil’s desk and sitting down in a chair.
Cecil, his cool grey eyes steady, his demeanour calm, nodded his understanding. He picked up the receiver. ‘Williams here.’ He was silent, listening, and then he said, ‘Yes, she just this moment came in, Robert. So let’s have it. How well did it go?’
Cecil sat back, nodding, looking across at Elizabeth several times, catching her eye. Finally, he said, ‘I agree with you and Elizabeth. I don’t think we have much of an alternative. We might as well go along with Philip Alvarez, at least at this time, this talking stage. You will have to make a very advantageous deal for us with him, you know, Robert.’
Elizabeth sat back, only half listening to Cecil, and finally when he hung up she leaned closer to his desk and asked, ‘So, what do you think?’ Her dark eyes were fixed on his.
‘I’m in agreement with you and Robert. We don’t have anything to lose. At this moment. We are only talking, after all.’
Elizabeth stood up. ‘I’ll tell you one thing, Cecil. If John Norfell gets his hands on the Marbella Project, he’ll make a stunning success of that resort. It’s just up his alley. If he were running it, should we take over, I’d rest easy.’
‘And so would I,’ Cecil answered.
Elizabeth glanced at her watch. ‘I’ve got to go. I’m meeting Thomas and Kat at the Chelsea house. They sounded very mysterious when I spoke to them yesterday.’
‘Let’s hope they have good news, too,’ Cecil responded, giving her one of his rare smiles.