“No, I haven’t, and it’s ridiculous that you should even raise the question. Elizabeth, we’re going around in circles,” he said, in sheer exasperation. “But let me tell you one more time. I need the support of some of my father’s friends, and if the tabloids start running some sordid story about us, regardless of its veracity, then fewer, or perhaps none of them, will want to support me, especially if it’s picked up by the major media. Don’t you understand what I’m trying to tell you? Public opinion counts a lot right now. It isn’t right, but that’s the way it is. The tabloids can make or break us. I don’t want you exposed in that fashion. I’m trying to protect you!”
“Who are you really trying to protect, me or Pemberley? I wonder if you had it to do over again, if you, as CEO of Pemberley, would seek me out—a lowly American college professor, and if you did, would you marry me, or... just live with me…”
“Elizabeth, don’t insult me like that! It’s absurd that you should even think such a thing! You know how I feel about you….about us. You must have some faith in me…in us. This is very important to me, and I thought it would be important to you, too! I can’t let my family’s legacy fall—not whilst I’m at the helm. I am the one on which the Darcys’ future hangs. If I do fail, it will not be without a fight. I want to pass on to our future son that which has been passed down for nearly one thousand years—from father to son to me—”
“I don’t understand why the press would care about me. It seems to me that it looks more conspicuous by my not being by your side. It looks as if we are not a serious couple.”
“Elizabeth, haven’t you heard a thing I’ve been saying to you?” Fitzwilliam snapped. “That is not how the press works. Look, I have a splitting headache. I’m under a great deal of pressure and can only concentrate on one thing at a time. This is my main priority at the moment, and you will simply have to understand. If I don’t ring you as often as you would like, it’s because I’m either too bloody busy or too exhausted, and most likely both. I have been up for thirty-six hours straight trying to resolve the latest crisis. I hope to get at least a few hours’ sleep before my next meeting. I hate to say this Elizabeth, but I really feel that you’re beginning to nag, and that’s something I could well do without.”
“Nagging you? I’m only trying to understand, and right now I’m afraid I don’t understand at all, and—”
“Elizabeth, I’m going to try explaining this to you one more time very bluntly. I am a Darcy. There is a lot of prestige and honor attached to the name. I’m stepping into my legacy, and as my wife, certain things are expected of you. One of those things is that you have to listen to me as your husband, and do as I say because there is a lot at stake here. I want to protect you just as much as I want to protect Pemberley. You must trust me! I don’t have the time or the inclination to deal with this pressure you’re putting on me. What happened to my logical maths lecturer who prided herself on her ability to think and reason?”
A hushed silence fell between them for several seconds.
“She fell in love with a classics professor.” Her voice trembled. “Fitzwilliam…I liked you better when it was just you and me—a man and a woman in love, doing what we wanted, with no corporate business or family to take you away.”
“Elizabeth, please! Don’t do this.”
The conversation continued without resolution. Finally, after a long silence with both of them emotionally shattered, Fitzwilliam spoke. “Elizabeth, it’s nearly three o’clock in the morning. We’ve been talking for hours. I have to be at the office in five hours, and before leaving, I have to finish reading this report. It’s over seventy pages long and full of technical jargon that I not only have to read, but actually understand! This conversation is getting us nowhere, and I really don’t know what else to say. I love you, Elizabeth, but you must do as I say and stay where you are. I must go.”
As the phone line went dead, pain like a sharp knife shot through Elizabeth’s heart, causing the tears she’d been holding back to finally spill. Her husband was changing. He had always told her how much his heritage meant to him, but now she wondered if it meant more than she did. All she wanted was to be with him, for him to hold her like he used to. What had happened to her? Maybe it was time to think about it.
…Understand? Yes…yes, I believe I do, Fitzwilliam…I believe I do. I’m losing you!
Once again a wave of nausea engulfed Elizabeth as she raced to the bathroom, crying bitterly.
~*~
The next day, Fitzwilliam met with his personal advisors in his office. Twisting his signet ring as he paced the floor, frustration was evident in his gaunt features. Fatigue had set in from the long hours of grinding and demanding work, poring over document after document, but this did not concern him at the moment. It was his wife that occupied his thoughts. Their last phone call, or rather fight, had unnerved him. Should he send for her or shouldn’t he? He wanted to, but… He cast a quick glance at his personal advisors seated in his office waiting for him to speak. His mind was made up.
“I’m going to send for my wife. I’ll have her secretly whisked away…to Pemberley Estate. Yes, that’s what’ll do.” Seeing the look on their faces, he pleaded, “I can’t leave her there.”
“NO!” shouted Blakely. “You can’t give in. If you bring her here, the tabloids will tear her to bits. The stories have died down for now, and so far the mainstream media has not focused on your personal life to amount to much, but that will change if she enters the country and is discovered.” Blakely paused. “If you think things are strained now, just wait until the press has finished with the both of you. Fitzwilliam, do you really think you can clandestinely whisk her away just like that?” He snapped his fingers. “And to a place where she knows no one? It will never do.”
Fitzwilliam threw his hands up in despair. “Gordon, then what am I to do? This is tearing us apart. It can’t be any worse than what we’re already going through. Last night we had one of the bitterest arguments I’ve ever had. She’s painfully unhappy, and that knowledge is killing me, yet I feel helpless to do anything about it.”
Hilda shook her head. “I understand what you’re saying, but you must be practical. Bringing her here would not help matters. What supporters you do have could very well withdraw their backing, not to mention the impact it would have on your upcoming meeting with the Pemberley Five. Such a move would be bound to have unwelcome consequences. If you fail to gain their support, Pemberley will fall from Darcy control. Do you want to be known as the Darcy who failed to fulfill his obligations?”
Twisting his ring as he continued to walk, he responded, “Of course not, but it’s more difficult that you can imagine trying to hold on to two equally important things.”
“It is, but you must think of her and any children you may have. If you love her, you’ll keep her well out of this,” Metcalf said. “You know I’m telling you the truth. You have an obligation and a duty. If she can’t understand that, well—”
“Thomas is right. We can’t let the family legacy slip through our fingers. You’re the heir and the responsibility falls on your shoulders, not mine. The coalition doesn’t take me seriously, but they do respect you. If you show any sign of weakness or vulnerability, we very well could lose all that we’ve worked so hard to build,” David added, crossing his arms over his chest.
Looking from one advisor to the other, Fitzwilliam sank into his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew what he had to do. Glancing up, he said, “I know all of you are right. I just hope she’ll see it that way. Our marriage is suffering. I only hope it will be able to survive.”
One week later
As Fitzwilliam sat in his office poring over the last-minute report his uncle had submitted concerning Brit Am, he caught sight out of the corner of his eye of two white doves perched on the window ledge outside his office. As he turned to get a better look, the birds took flight. An ominous feeling swept over him as he watched them leave. He glanced from
the window to his family ring as he shook his head and shrugged. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Harvey’s report. He had fifteen minutes before the next meeting began, a meeting that would either make or break his chances to win control of Pemberley. He was running out of time. He had to secure their support, or all would be lost. The gravity of the moment weighed heavily on him. One last cursory look out his window, and he gathered the report along with the other relevant papers and left for his meeting.
Fitzwilliam entered the boardroom and glanced around at those assembled as he took his seat. This was it…make or break. With no time left to secure any more money should he fail in his objective, he had to win over at least three of these men.
David, Georgiana, Hilda, Harvey, William, Benson, Richard, Thomas Metcalf and Gordon Blakely were all present. Fitzwilliam closely observed the five men seated around the table while Thomas and Harvey talked.
John Jacob Anderson, a wealthy investor from Boston, Massachusetts, owned a considerable amount of Pemberley shares. A pious man of Puritan descent with old English ancestral ties, Fitzwilliam knew Anderson would not readily sanction David’s behavior on moral grounds. Then there was Edward McPherson, a wealthy Scotsman whom his father had helped in his whiskey venture many years ago. Next to McPherson sat George W. Ashcroft, a Wall Street venture capitalist whom George helped launch early in his career. They had been mates at Oxford. Richard B. Bennington, a wealthy Englishman and close personal friend of his father’s, was seated next to Ashcroft. And finally, there was Jonathan W. Marlow, another Englishman, who owned Marlow Technologies. George had underwritten Marlow in the 80s, launching him into the international marketplace. All looked at Fitzwilliam as they gathered their copies of the agenda and waited for him to begin.
Fitzwilliam cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, I’d like to thank you for coming. I won’t bore you with formalities. All of you know why I have invited you here, so let’s get to the point. In short, I would like to have your support.” Fitzwilliam paused for a second and shook his head. “No, I need your support. I need it in order to keep Pemberley within the Darcy family. You have always had the greatest regard for my father, and I hope you will give me the same consideration. As we begin this meeting, I am open to any questions you might have.”
Marlow, speaking for the group, began. “Fitzwilliam, it’s not a question of our friendship or loyalty to you or your father. It’s a question of leadership. You have to give us a reason to believe that you are capable of doing the job and not simply relying on your family name. We all know full well that George wanted you to hold the position of Chairman of the Board and CEO, but we are not sure whether you could or would do the job properly. We are also very concerned about your lack of business experience. You have loyalty, honesty, integrity, and strength of character, but do you have what it takes to deliver? Can you successfully lead this company into the next decade and turn a profit for the shareholders? That’s what we are not sure of. The corporation is in decline. Your open disagreements with your father, such as your marriage to an American, have hurt you, yes, but what is far worse is your apparent total disregard for your duty to not only your father and family name, but to this company. You are not well perceived by the public—in fact, from the average investor all the way up, people generally have a very low opinion of you. You are seen as only caring about your own personal gratification rather than being dedicated to the company.”
Fitzwilliam straightened himself in his seat. “Gentlemen, I’ve already said this to my staff, but I will reiterate it here. Failure is not an option for me! Just because I chose to pursue a teaching career doesn’t mean that I didn’t have any interest in the family business. It is quite the contrary, and I really regret not having been here when my father was ill. Believe me, had I known about his illness, I would have returned. As to my lack of business experience, you are correct. I do lack experience, but I can assure you that my staff and advisers do not. I’ve been working around the clock, reading and absorbing as much as possible, and I have the best people available to answer any questions that I might have. I believe I’ve come up to speed very rapidly. I also have the advantage of having one of the best financial and business advisors in the world, Hilda Vanderburgh.”
His aunt smiled and nodded.
The five gentlemen mumbled among themselves before Ashcroft spoke up. “That’s all well and good, but what about your plans for the future? Pemberley is falling behind in the global market. Dividends paid out last year were dismal! What do you plan to do to boost profits and increase income for the shareholders?”
Fitzwilliam took a deep breath and looked at each one in turn with a slight smile. “I’m glad you asked that. I know the return is poor. I have been studying the situation at great length, and I have a plan to revamp the corporation and reverse the downward spiral. Let us begin with our biggest asset—Brit Am.”
Fitzwilliam turned in his seat and flipped a chart cover to reveal a map. “I’ll give you a general idea on our proposal for our petroleum division, including our strategy for drilling in the North Sea.” He paused to point to an area on the map between Britain and Norway. “We have three new oil fields in this area consisting of six platforms that should go into production by the winter of next year, increasing our output by thirty-seven percent. With these new facilities online, next year’s North Sea oil production will exceed our standard output at any given time during the past ten years, bringing our production up to 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. Along with the two million cubic meters of natural gas, which are also contained there, that is a substantial increase. This is a project which I am aggressively pushing forward, as our oil fields in Saudi Arabia, due both to the volatility in the Middle East and field maturity, are not doing quite as well as they once did, but the North Sea will more than make up for it.
“Also, we have plans and designs for bringing both our British and American refineries more up-to-date with the latest state-of-the-art technologies to improve efficiency.” Glancing up, Fitzwilliam asked, “Are there any questions so far?”
“Yes,” Ashcroft said, “what about the fields in Alaska? What do you propose to do there, and tell me about your plans for the wind farms?”
“In Alaska, we will close the remaining six wells and cut our losses. William has thoroughly researched that aspect, and concluded that it’s far more cost-effective to shut them down than to repair the leaks. As to the wind farms here, we’re going to dump those plans and go with the farms in the United States. The U.S. government’s tax shelter incentives for clean energy provide a very lucrative opportunity for energy revenues. We stand to make $20 billion if we go that route.” Fitzwilliam paused momentarily to gauge the executives’ reactions. Pleased in what he saw, he continued. “Now, gentlemen, that’s a brief overview. Harvey and his son, William, will give you the details.”
“So, Harvey,” Edward McPherson interrupted with a smile as he glanced at Harvey Darcy. “You are now taking a role in Pemberley interests. Your father would be very pleased. Andrew always wanted you to take an active part in Pemberley, and I am delighted to see you on board as well. I look forward to hearing your proposal.”
“Edward, I think you will not be disappointed,” Harvey said with a smile.
McPherson turned back to Fitzwilliam. “Now what about the rest of the divisions? What are your plans for Darcy Enterprises and the technology sectors? In particular, I want to know about Darcy Technologies, especially the semiconductor division.”
Fitzwilliam picked up his pencil and checked off an item on his list, and then looked from one to the other with confidence. “I have positive news in both of those business units. Benson Darcy has thoroughly researched our holdings in the technology sectors and has a full report. He will brief you on our plans there, especially for our semiconductor manufacturing facilities in California and Singapore, and David will give you our report on Darcy Enterprises.”
“Darcy Enterprises is of special interest to me
since I had a part in building it to its present state,” Richard Bennington said. “Also, I want to know the health of the publishing subdivisions. So I will require a full disclosure in that field as well.”
“Well, I would be glad to give you a brief overview on both.” Fitzwilliam paused, Knowing Darcy Enterprises was dear to the older man’s heart, he treaded lightly. “Let us begin with Darcy Enterprises. Those operations will continue, but we also need to diversify. My father was beginning to explore Asia, particularly China, for some of our manufacturing needs. David was there for about a month this year, looking into those prospects. He will give you an assessment of Darcy Enterprises, together with his plans for growth in that segment. Georgiana will do the same for Darcy & Winthrop Publishing, and I will fill you in on anything else you might like to know. Now gentlemen, that is a brief summary of our plans. We will discuss it in detail, beginning with David,” Fitzwilliam said with a nod to his brother, but before David could begin, he was interrupted.
“Ah yes, David. That brings us to yet another cause for concern—your self-destructive tendencies,” Anderson said, looking David directly in the eye. “What do you have to say in reply to all the apprehensions we have about your lifestyle? It would seem that not a week goes by without some outrageous newspaper report about your drunken debaucheries. Are we to expect an obituary in the near future… death as a result of AIDS?”
David’s eyes narrowed ominously, but as usual, he kept his composure. Placing his report on the table, he looked from one to the other. “Gentlemen, I won’t deny being guilty of some of the things you allude to. What good would it do? They are true—but it’s not part of my normal day-to-day life. You should also take note that I haven’t appeared in the tabloids in an unseemly fashion in over six months. Everything you’ve read is stale news, and no, I won’t be making an early exit due to AIDS, although I do appreciate your concern for my welfare.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Judge me, if you will, by my business record, if you judge me at all. The highest profit margin in the entire corporation has come under my leadership.”
The Cumberland Plateau Page 50