Being Elizabeth

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  Immediately Kat’s face brightened. ‘It’s such a relief to know that. I’m afraid I’ve been fretting, making myself sick.’

  ‘Stop worrying and let’s get down to work. Bring out the inventories, and we’ll go over some of them. Perhaps we can calculate how much money I’m going to make from the first auction.’

  ‘The Fine Art Auction is the first, and Sotheby’s are working on everything pertaining to that themselves. They’re the experts. Naturally, they’ll be calculating the value of the jewellery as well. I do have some information, and a few thoughts, and I’d like to show you my notes.’

  Elizabeth beamed at her.

  For the next hour the two women went over the inventories of the jewellery which Kat Ashe had been creating for months. She explained how she had selected certain pieces and sets because she believed they would be much sought after and would fetch high prices.

  ‘For instance, I think the diamond necklace from the Diamonds of the Crown of France Collection, made for the Empress Eugénie, will go sky high,’ Kat said, sounding pleased, handing her a photograph.

  ‘How high?’ Elizabeth asked, looking at the picture and then at Kat.

  ‘Possibly two million pounds, maybe even more. I’m meeting with Sotheby’s next week and we’ll come to some decisions then … about how we’re going to handle everything. Then there are these Harry Winston, Cartier and Mauboussin necklaces from the 1950s and 1960s, and we know they’ll go very, very high.’

  Elizabeth took the photographs, stared at them, nodding. ‘I remember these pieces. When Robin and I found them in the vaults at Ravenscar we were both very impressed. The diamonds were big, some of them about twenty or thirty carats, and the workmanship was fabulous. I suppose we’re talking in the millions again.’

  ‘Absolutely. Sotheby’s are very excited, and they already believe the collection will far exceed their original evaluation. You see, there’s nothing comparable around these days. You’ve inherited something quite extraordinary, jewels that are works of art.’

  ‘I’ve become aware of that, and thank you, Kat, for all the hard work you’ve put in, sorting the pieces, and making lists. I really appreciate your help.’

  ‘I’m enjoying it,’ Kat said, and sat back on the sofa, endeavouring to relax, glad things had returned to normal. She eyed Elizabeth. ‘I’m sorry about earlier, about our little spat. It was my fault, and I apologize, Elizabeth. I made an assumption I’m afraid when I said you’d slept with Tom Selmere. It wasn’t nice. Please say you forgive me.’

  ‘Oh, Kat, come on, don’t be so silly. There’s nothing to forgive, for goodness’ sake. And I know you only have my interests at heart. I just hope I’ve made you feel better, about Robin’s situation I mean.’

  ‘You have, and I must admit I’m tremendously relieved that he’s going to speak to his wife, get all that mess sorted out.’

  ‘He will. Just stop worrying. Everything’s going to be fine. Now, I’m afraid I’m going to have to get off to the office. I told Cecil Williams I’d be there by noon for a meeting.’

  ‘No problem. I’ll finish up here and leave you some extra notes. Blanche said she would come over a bit later with a selection of white shirts for you. We’re going to have lunch together.’

  ‘Give her my love, and we’ll talk later.’

  Cecil Williams looked across at Nicholas Throckman and said slowly, ‘I always thought you knew that John Norfell was somewhat sympathetic towards Mary Turner.’

  ‘Not until Francis told me in Paris. He said that’s why Robert Dunley doesn’t trust him, that Norfell’s two-faced.’

  ‘I think that’s a very apt description, accurate, Nicholas. I’ve long been of the same opinion as Francis.’

  ‘Why were they so close?’

  ‘They attended the same church. And both of them were somewhat involved with church administration, that level, you know, caught up in the politics, I suspect. I’m sure Norfell still is.’

  ‘So John Norfell’s a Roman Catholic!’ Nicholas sounded startled. He shook his head. ‘Funny, I never knew that. On the other hand, I don’t go around asking people about their religious persuasion.’

  ‘You were in Paris most of the time during Mary Turner’s tenure, and I was living in the country. We didn’t realize how friendly they were.’

  ‘And Francis was in Paris also. I certainly ran into him a lot.’ Nicholas stood up, walked across Cecil’s office, stood next to the window for a moment, looking out. Today the sky was a beautiful blue, without cloud, blameless. He couldn’t wait to get away this afternoon, drive to Gloucestershire for the weekend: June was a lovely month to be in the country, his favourite time of year.

  Cecil leaned back in his chair, watching Nicholas, and after a moment he broke the silence. ‘What else did Francis have to say when you saw him in Paris last weekend?’

  ‘He confided that the gossip about Elizabeth and Robert has crossed the Channel, that was the way he put it. I don’t think he was too perturbed about it, although he did say Madame de Burgh, also known as Marie Stewart, was calling Elizabeth nasty names, castigating her for her immoral behaviour, for having an affair with a married man, the usual rubbish.’

  ‘All I can say is that I’m relieved Harry Turner was a maniac when it came to legalities, especially to do with his will. And his successors. Shakespeare said, “First, let’s kill all the lawyers,” but Harry Turner said “First, let’s celebrate all the lawyers”.’ Cecil chuckled. ‘My father was forever quoting Harry when I was growing up. Very seriously, though, Marie Stewart could be a bit of a troublemaker if she so chose.’

  ‘For what reason?’

  ‘Just to make trouble, create problems for us, that’s all.’

  ‘She could never attempt a takeover bid, surely? After all, we’re a private company,’ Nicholas said quietly.

  ‘We are indeed, but over the years quite a few shares were given to directors as bonuses, and to certain family members, or they were allowed to buy them, and those shares have been passed down. Today they are held by other people. They might be tempted to sell those shares to an outsider. Nevertheless, in my opinion we are safe. Let me explain. A takeover bid wouldn’t get very far, because of our company rules, and the way the company is structured. And there’s another reason … Only a Deravenel, be it a man or a woman, is allowed to run the company. Also, Elizabeth does control most of the shares through her father’s will.’

  ‘The Stewart woman has some, according to Francis. They were seemingly passed down from her grandmother, Harry Turner’s sister Margaret.’

  ‘That’s correct, yes. But she doesn’t have as many as Elizabeth.’

  ‘Why is Francis so troubled by the Stewart woman?’

  ‘She could rock the boat, undermine current management, be a nuisance in general. We don’t need dangerous rumours floating around. We have to look very strong in business, in order to counteract the impression given over the last few years, the impression that Mary Turner didn’t know what she was doing as managing director. And we’re doing that efficiently and very effectively.’

  ‘Thank God!’ Nicholas walked back to Cecil’s desk, and sat down opposite him. ‘I’m delighted we’re in control at last.’

  ‘Getting back to John Norfell. Robert thinks he’s overly ambitious and out for himself … a man fervently seeking power. And that’s the real reason he doesn’t trust him. He says a man like that can jump anywhere at any time. He detects a treacherous streak there.’

  ‘Francis obviously believes the same thing.’

  ‘I’m certain he does, and I tend to go along with the theory.’

  Nicholas nodded, sat back in the chair, his expression thoughtful. After a moment or two, he asked, ‘Have you spoken to Elizabeth about her relationship with Robert?’

  ‘What’s the point? My words would fall on deaf ears. A woman in love hears only the words of her lover.’

  TWENTY-THREE

  ‘It’s been a totally crazy morning so fa
r,’ Miranda Phillips said, coming into Elizabeth’s office at Deravenels, hurrying across to the desk. ‘The phone’s been ringing and ringing.’

  ‘I’ve just started to go through the messages,’ Elizabeth answered, smiling at Robin’s sister. Merry, as she was known, was her personal assistant, and one of the most breathtaking women she had ever seen, with her beautiful features, dark colouring and cornflower-blue eyes. ‘I see there’s one from Grace Rose. Did she say what she was calling about?’

  Sitting down in the chair at the other side of Elizabeth’s desk, Merry began to laugh. ‘The usual. To see you, of course. “In the not-too-distant future, because I’m living on borrowed time.” That was the way she put it, and with a lovely chuckle, I might add. I told her you’d get back to her today.’

  ‘I’m not doing much this weekend. With Robin in Marbella I’m fairly free. Maybe I’ll invite her to Sunday lunch at the Dorchester. She loves that, the whole ritual of it. I’ll phone her now.’ Just as Elizabeth reached for the phone the door burst open and Cecil Williams rushed in, looking worried and distracted.

  ‘What is it?’ Elizabeth asked, staring at him anxiously. His normal calm demeanour had been ruffled, and there was a strained look in his steady grey-blue eyes which alerted her to trouble. ‘Is there a problem, Cecil?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said crisply, coming to a standstill near her desk. He sat down and went on, ‘I just hung up on Robert. Now, don’t get upset, they are all right, but he and Ambrose were in a plane crash this morning.’

  ‘Oh, my God, no!’ Elizabeth gaped at him, her alarm evident, and then she looked at Merry who had stiffened in the chair and turned white. She brought her hand to her mouth.

  ‘They’re not badly hurt!’ Cecil exclaimed, and added, in a reassuring tone, ‘I promise you, Elizabeth. And you, too, Merry, your brothers are fine, in fact they’re mostly suffering from bruises. Ambrose has dislocated a kneecap and Robert has a broken wrist. They’ve been damned lucky.’

  ‘Where was the crash? Are they in hospital?’ Elizabeth reached for the telephone, her hand resting on the receiver.

  ‘First things first. They were treated at the small medical unit we built at the resort, and then taken into Marbella, to a private clinic. They’ve been thoroughly examined, and released. Robert will phone you shortly, Elizabeth. I asked him to wait ten minutes or so. Because I wanted to explain about the oil spill.’

  Elizabeth sat back, startled. ‘What oil spill?’ she demanded. ‘Nobody told me about any oil spill.’

  ‘The Spanish government haven’t released anything official yet, Elizabeth. I just got a few details from Robert several minutes ago. Apparently an oil tanker exploded off the coast of Spain earlier this morning and –’

  ‘Not one of our tankers! I hope to God not!’ she cried, her chest tightening. All she needed at the moment was trouble with Deravco Oil. Her heart sank at this thought.

  ‘No, no. But it could cause us problems. If the oil slick drifts down to our shoreline we might have an ecological disaster on our hands.’

  ‘Damn and blast!’ Elizabeth snapped her eyes shut for a split second, genuine fear running through her. All that money they’d invested could be lost. Then she opened them and gave Cecil a worried look. ‘That’s all we need to scuttle our resort in Marbella. Oily sea, oil-covered birds and fish, ruined marine and plant life. Oh, and what about the beaches? Oh, God! No! This can’t happen to us, Cecil. It just can’t.’

  ‘Let’s pray the oil slick doesn’t drift with the tides,’ Merry said quietly, understanding only too well what was suddenly at stake for Deravenels. And Elizabeth, as head of the company.

  Elizabeth took several deep breaths, steadying herself. ‘What about the tanker, Cecil? In particular, what about that doomed crew? There must be a lot of men dead? No?’ Her dark eyes were filled with sudden pain at the thought of lost lives.

  ‘As I said, not all of the details are in,’ Cecil replied. ‘But Robert believes there are a lot of injured men. He told me they’re being rescued as we speak. This is what happened earlier. As soon as he and Ambrose heard about the explosion they decided to go out in one of our small planes to view the area, gauge the situation in general. On the way back to Marbella, one of the plane’s engines stalled, then died, and the pilot had to bring it down in a field about five miles away from the resort. Unfortunately, it was rocky, rough terrain, and it was a bad landing. Thankfully, only minor injuries were sustained by the pilot, co-pilot, Robert and Ambrose. As I just told you, we’ve been lucky. All four of them walked away from the crash.’

  ‘What caused the explosion?’ Elizabeth probed. ‘Do we have any idea?’

  ‘Robert doesn’t know. He said the Spanish government are on top of it, and an announcement will be made later this morning.’

  ‘Where was the tanker when it blew up?’ Elizabeth now asked, frowning.

  ‘In the Straits of Gibraltar –’

  ‘Oh, no!’ she cried, cutting him off. ‘If the oil spill does start to drift it will contaminate our shoreline –’

  The ringing phone interrupted her, and she grabbed it at once. ‘Hello?’

  ‘It’s me, darling,’ Robert Dunley said. ‘I’m here in Marbella, totally undamaged.’

  ‘Robin, oh, Robin! Thank God you’re all right, and Ambrose, too. You could have both been killed.’

  ‘But we weren’t and we’re okay, and I’m sure Cecil’s with you at this moment. Hasn’t he filled you in?’

  ‘Yes, he has indeed, and Merry is here, too, so she knows everything. Look, I’m going to fly out this afternoon to be with –’

  ‘No, no, don’t come, Elizabeth! Honestly, it’s not necessary. Please. I am all right, and so is my brother. We want to keep going here, and help in any way we can, if we can. There are rescue teams out there, picking up the injured men, and things are very much in hand. The Spanish government is being very efficient about this, and responsible. And you mustn’t worry.’

  ‘I can’t help but worry,’ she protested. ‘I want to be with you.’

  He laughed. ‘It’s just a broken wrist, sweetheart. I’ll live to shower you with kisses,’ he teased.

  ‘You’d better.’

  ‘I’ll call you later. Give Merry my love, and my love to you, too.’

  ‘When are you coming back?’ Elizabeth asked, anxious now for him to return.

  ‘Next week, as planned. I must complete what I came here to do, Elizabeth. Bye, darling, and please don’t worry.’

  ‘I’ll try not to,’ she said, and stared at the receiver. He had hung up.

  Looking across at her assistant and raising a brow eloquently, Elizabeth said, ‘He’s gone! Just like that! Typical.’ But she smiled as she spoke, an expression of relief settling on her face. ‘Your brother sends you his love, Merry.’ Turning to Cecil she continued swiftly, ‘How do you clean up an oil spill? Do you know, Cecil?’

  ‘I know a little bit. The key methods are to use booms, skimmers, and chemical dispersants. Or to do in-situ burning. There are many ways to make a clean-up very effective, but experts must be used. Also, methods do vary. What has to be taken into account are the type and location of the spill, and what’s feasible, of course.’

  ‘What are booms?’ Elizabeth asked.

  ‘A type of floating barrier.’ Cecil then explained, ‘They’re placed around the oil and contain the oil so that skimmers can collect it. Skimmers are actually boats, vacuum machines, and oil-absorbing plastic ropes that skim the spilled oil from the surface of the sea. Those companies which use chemical dispersants have to be truly expert at it so as not to cause more damage. The materials break down the oil into its chemical constituents, and this does help to disperse the oil, and make it less harmful when it comes to wildlife, that sort of thing. I’m sure one of the chaps from Deravco can explain a lot better than I can. Shall I call Spencer Thomas? He could fill you in much better.’

  ‘No, don’t bother, but thanks anyway. And thanks for the information. Just wha
t I needed to know … and let’s hope I never need to know more than that. Do you want to talk about Charles Broakes’s problems now?’

  Cecil nodded. ‘I’d like to get that out of the way, yes.’

  Merry jumped up. ‘I’ll be in my office if you need me, Elizabeth,’ she said, and hurried out, closing the door behind her.

  ‘What’s the problem with Charles Broakes? I know you said you need to discuss his plan, but I thought he was all set to go ahead. We okayed it, didn’t we?’

  ‘Yes, Elizabeth, we did. But we didn’t bargain for John Norfell.’

  ‘Oh. Don’t tell me he’s shoved a spanner in the works.’

  ‘Afraid so. Well, sort of. He says the hotel division will not pay for the various remodelling jobs, the construction of an office and spa, and all that, because only the vineyard division benefits, and therefore that division should pay.’

  ‘I suppose he’s right, in a way, isn’t he?’ Elizabeth sat back, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Finally she glanced at Cecil. ‘On the other hand, I think the wine division doesn’t have any money to spare.’

  ‘That’s it.’ Cecil stretched his legs, crossed them and looked down at one of the memos in his hand, frowning to himself. ‘I would like us to go ahead, you know, but I don’t have a solution, I really don’t.’

  ‘The solution is money, Cecil. I’ll have to pull it from somewhere. Let’s have them in for a few minutes, shall we? Listen to their rantings.’ She grinned at him, her good mood of earlier finally restored.

  ‘The hotel division cannot, will not, pay for these improvements at the vineyards. And that’s my last word on it,’ John Norfell snapped, glaring at Charles Broakes. ‘Furthermore, I want no more discussion about this. The matter is closed.’

  Charles Broakes glared back at him.