Raise The Price

by Mark Stanley

  "Another time she made us all dress up as the 'Jackson Five'." More nodding and laughter. "All Afro wigs, painted skin and wide legged flares and Hugo..." I pointed at my youngest son. "...Running around in a nappy with a picture of Michael Jackson stuck to his bottom!" Now we we're rocking, Hugo wreathed in smiles as indeed were his siblings.

  "Those are the memories that she'll want you to take away today. Yes, of course we mourn her passing and we are and we will but we must also use that often said word at times like this, we must celebrate her life, for that's what she would want. Celebrate her achievements and celebrate that she left behind a daughter that is the reincarnation of herself, but even more beautiful. Celebrate that she has left behind her son's Charles and Hugo, who are growing into the fine men that she always wanted them to be and that she knew they would become. And celebrate little Flora and remember Daphne with love, affection and laughter and make sure that in the years to come, that you remember those great times so that you can tell Flora all about her Mummy. Leave today, not with a heavy heart but with the memories of her leading her family in the Jacksons classic song ABC Easy as one, two three. Those are the memories that I'll take away and I hope that you'll all take them as well."

  I returned to my seat smiling at my children and wife and the smile being returned for the first time in days.

  We stood for the final prayer and hymn, during which the coffin was lifted by the pallbearers, with practised movements, onto their shoulders and Daphne began her final journey, past her friends. We had expected a hundred and fifty. We knew the Church held four hundred, because the vicar had told us and it was heaving. Not a spare space, let alone a seat, could be seen. Of course Felicity was here, the ever reliable Felicity had quickly informed the hotel where the wake was being held and told them to prepare for an onslaught and to get supplies from wherever, as the guest number would double and maybe triple.

  As the hymn finished and the coffin went past us, I stood; taking my son's hands and Victoria did the same with Lulu. David, Daphne's husband was left to bring Flora but even at this moment, he had abrogated his duty to my Mother who carried the child, as David shook with grief and I had grave doubts whether he would ever recover. Of course he blamed himself, the same way that Victoria and I blamed him, the same way that my parents blamed him.

  We led the procession, out into the freezing, but gloriously sunny day. We followed the coffin which was being led by the vicar who unerringly steered us to the grave, the same grave that Daphne had secured so many years before. It was a family plot and she had wanted the children, when their time came and if they chose to be buried, to be interned here, with her. Thankfully the internment was brief. All the children dropped a single Chrysanthemum, Daphne's favourite flower, onto the coffin after it had been lowered in. As people slowly filed away, Victoria and I stood with the children and my Father as my Mother said a quiet family prayer, we stood and wept together.

  We had hired a number of the funeral directors cars, but we took our own back to the hotel where the wake would be held. Of course we had a multitude of CPO’s which would undoubtedly get my Mother's back up. Strangely they never look out of place and today we had eight well dressed men all in black well cut suits and all with very obviously hardened physiques, somehow they managed to look distinguished and dangerous all at the same time. I think it was something to do with the earpieces that they all wear and their uniform haircuts, Victoria thought they looked very smart but everyone else steered well clear. We hadn't told my parents about the increased threat and we had no intention of doing so for very obvious reasons. We couldn't fit the driver, wingman and everyone else into a single car and so we were spread over three cars. I'd gone with the boys, Victoria with Lulu and my parents with Flora, poor Flora, unwanted and seemingly unloved.

  Little was said in our car on the way to the hotel. It had been a traumatic period, not helped with the inquest and all of the delays. In all, almost three weeks had passed between death and burial.

  We arrived at the hotel and I saw Felicity who confirmed that everyone was going to be fed. Thank the Lord for Felicity. I wandered around with my CPO’s in close attendance, thanking people for coming and accepting there kind words about my eulogy. Eventually, I found myself with David, his brother and parents, exchanging platitudes, not something that I find particularly easy when I abhor someone and their actions for what David had done to Flora amounted to abandonment, how could he? That was the question that kept cropping up, time and time again, how could he? I listened to David's brother and parents, David didn't say very much, his continued crying was really beginning to piss me off. I saw Victoria look across, again and again as I listened, occasionally interjecting but always wary of where this was leading. At the end, I shook hands with them all and they drifted away as Victoria made a bee-line to me. I shook my head.

  "Not now."

  For once she listened and we carried out our duties, our duties, it was David whom should have been doing this, but it was us and my own brother and our parents who did the unenviable tasks.

  Thankfully, people didn't dilly dally and an hour and a half after arriving there were only the stragglers left. I gave instructions to close the bar and for the hotel to begin clearing away as we left to go home, thanking Felicity for all of her help.

  When we arrived home, I offered the children some downtime with a swim or a movie which they eschewed and left to do something else. I couldn't blame them as death pervades everything and I think they and us wanted to draw a line under today. My parents were in the sitting room and Victoria had gone upstairs to change and so checking that my parents would be okay for a few minutes, I went to change also. When I got to our bedroom Victoria was sitting in a chair presumably waiting for me and there would be no escape, not this time.

  "So what did they say?"

  I told her everything. That David didn't feel that he could offer Flora a home. That he works long days and some weekends. That Daphne was the main carer, on and on, until there was no more to tell except.

  "...So we have her or she gets put up for adoption?"

  "What did you say?"

  "That it was and is disgraceful behaviour? That Daphne would have never married him if she had realised his complete disregard of children and their lives? That he should be ashamed of himself and abandoning Flora, now when she most needs a Daddy?"

  "What else did you say?"

  I hesitated, because I had no idea what reaction this would bring.

  "I said that we felt a responsibility that wasn't ours, but that, unlike him, we wouldn't shirk that perceived responsibility. That Flora has three half siblings and that they would never forgive me if I allowed Flora to be adopted. So I said that...I said that we'd adopt her." I waited for the chastisement, which I felt sure was about to follow.

  "And he agreed to us, you and me, formally adopting Flora and that he won't put any obstacles in our way nor hinder us now or in the future?"

  "He agreed to all of that."

  "Well done Billy, she'll have a proper family and she'll be brought up to know of us as Mummy and Daddy, but she'll always have pictures in her room of Daphne and if she wants to know who her shit of a Father is we'll tell her, but not what a bastard he is she can make her own mind up on that."

  The weekend, we tried to restore normality. It proved to be easy. The children had had three weeks of grieving and they wanted to move on. We sat down with them and told them about Flora and how she would be joining us, which actually pleased them.

  "We'll teach her what a proper family is like!" Was Hugo's comment and I had to excuse myself for a moment as he had verbalised what everyone was thinking.

  Adelice and Paolo had taken Daphne's death very badly. They had been found by Daphne and they had always been close to her. We spoke with them and assured them that we needed them and Adelice's sister Maria, more now than we had ever needed them.

  With a new baby, there would inevitably have to be changes. The first was t
hat a nanny would be coming to assume childcare cover. Victoria had already employed one for when the twins were born and had been very close to deciding on another girl but had stuck with the original and so she had made contact with the runner-up, explained the position and joy; she was absolutely delighted to accept.

  Compromises had to be made. The first was that splitting our time between Surrey and London homes ended the day Daphne died. We couldn't and wouldn't employ a nanny or au-pair for the older children, they needed parents and that was our job. But of course Victoria is seven months pregnant and I'm due to resume my work at the UN, who had been very good about my absence, they didn't have much choice. I refused a salary or any expenses and so I was a free agent but that still didn't negate my absence and I needed to clear this with Victoria as all of the childcare would now fall on her shoulders.

  "So Billy you come out of the bathroom and ask if you can fuck off to Africa? Well yes, why don't you and fucking well stay there?"

  It wasn't the answer I was looking for and I bit my tongue, there was no point arguing with Victoria, one has to let the seed germinate. You plant and then you reap what you've sown, hopefully.

  On Monday, I got the children off to school, they wanted to go and so they went. I flew up to London and got back to work, which wasn't quite as onerous as Ludo and Charles had started their respective jobs. I'd kissed Victoria goodnight last night and hugged her but sex wasn't on the agenda. This morning she was still in bed as I left and so I had kissed her again and departed; now it was a case of waiting. The morning passed easily enough and in three weeks Charles had a good handle on both companies, ensuring that he sought an early meeting with me and the other Directors to appraise us of his thoughts.

  "...In conclusion, I have to say everything at MSP is in tip-top condition. The annual accounts are stunning and even after the repayment of the two hundred million pound loan to Brompton’s we are still sitting on a small cash balance, despite...what one could say was excessive stockpiling of properties."

  "There's very good reason for that Charles, as I'm sure Giles and Ludo have pointed out?"

  "Of course Mark, but it's my job to ensure that we keep everything on an even keel and I would like to see the overall indebtedness, especially to you, fall significantly, before more significant purchases are made."

  I was suitably chastised, in the nicest way as we sorted out annual bonuses.

  "...I should imagine that an uplift of twenty five percent will be viewed, by some, to be excessive, but I'm new to this business so I shall temper my comments accordingly. However, I would not wish to see, unless there is a further significant uplift in profits, such an increase next year."

  After the MSP meeting, Giles and Ludo left us as they resumed their work, leaving Charles and I to discuss Brompton's.

  "Dreadful business Mark, I hadn't seen Daphne since Flora's christening, can't believe she's gone."

  "Few of us can Charles, but we have to move on."

  He removed his glasses and polished the lenses, giving him time to regain his compose.

  "Well, Brompton's? I have to say, I was very surprised to see the dramatic expansion of the business at this time."

  "Why? Opportunities have to be seized when they arise and the facilities were already in place to borrow what we needed?"

  "Yes, but even so Mark, it's a huge chunk of money."

  "Charles, we're all delighted that you're here and we're grateful for your expertise and calming influences, but who we buy and sell whether at MSP or Brompton's must remain objective and we can't allow either company to be restrained by fear. I'm not suggesting excesses, but we must have the freedom to act and we can't do that if you're always going to be a doom-monger."

  He smiled. "I was wondering how long it would be before we crossed swords Mark, I've no intention of being a make-weight but nor am I going to bend too far the other way. You and Victoria have given me my brief and I shall carry it out for as long as you wish me to, but I will carry it out the way I see fit and if that includes making you think before you act, well and good."

  "The integration of Kensington and Tulip is well underway and I understand that we've taken on a large part of their respective workforces, which should allow us, if the opportunity arises, to push forward with more expansion."

  "And I can see that this job is going to be great fun!"

  Late in the afternoon my phone rang, 'Victoria'.

  "Hello, how are you feeling?"

  "Annoyed with myself? I've been beastly to you and want you to come home so that I can make it up to you."

  "Sounds delightful, but sadly my wife is home and she wouldn't approve."

  "I love you Billy and I am so sorry. Of course you must go and save the World, we all want you to stay but we also know that you have to go and I shouldn't have been so horrid and so tonight you must spank me."

  "Now you're just being a harlot."

  "I know. I also know that you love me being one."

  I had already emailed Caroline my UN, PA to arrange, in conjunction with everyone else who had to be consulted, a new trip to Africa as a matter of urgency. I knew it was a risk and I had removed the trip to Somalia, Yemen and the Palestinian refugee camps as being too dangerous, but everything else would be going ahead and it would be down to Tom and his gang to ensure that 'Eight' didn't get me.

  Chapter 16 - February

  Everyone was tired including me. I was especially tired of not being able to get any decent coffee. The trip had been a great success, even if the coffee was terrible. Now we were on our way to our final two stops, firstly we were going to the capital of Niger, Niamey and then onto the most dangerous of all designations, Bamako the capital of Mali. The former had always been on the agenda but the latter had been added, at the specific behest of my office. They needed ‘intervention’ and I was deemed the best to offer it. How had this gone down? Tom had been most unhappy.

  "Seriously, Lord Mark, I mean come on, it's like the Wild West!"

  But this had been nothing compared to Victoria, she hadn't spoken to me for two days and I couldn't blame her.

  "Victoria, I don't want to go but I have to."

  "But why Billy why?"

  "Because, it's felt that we as the UN can help return some stability to the country?"

  "And get yourself killed in the process!"

  The problem for Niger was that they were getting dragged into a conflict that was engulfing lots of African nations, terrorism. They were fighting Boko Haram the Nigerian terrorist group who were continuing to displace people and causing mayhem in Niger, Chad and other countries in the region. Upward of a million Nigerians had moved into Niger causing more unrest. The French had moved into adjacent Mali and now the whole region was in turmoil.

  Our trip to Niamey was to be forty eight hours. Tom had wanted to arrive early and leave before dusk but that just wasn't possible and so we had taken over a floor at the Hotel Regis, which we had been assured was the best and more importantly the safest of all of the capitals hotels. On arrival Tom's face told a thousand words. The hotel was allegedly three stars and if so then I wouldn't have wanted to have seen a two star. Grim doesn't get anywhere close. My room had a en-suite but for them to work properly you need water, constantly and that only happened intermittently. We had driven from the meeting via a UN sponsored school, where I was pleaded with to authorise more spending to increase the size so that they could take in more pupils. During the conversation with the Head teacher, gunshots were heard, not more than two streets away and Tom became very animated. Every time I looked at him he would mime cutting his throat, the time honoured way to cut the meeting short. But I couldn't and wouldn't, anyway if Tom had been worried, I mean really worried, he wouldn't have signalled, I'd have been quite literally, dragged out. I had wandered around the school and seen the progress that was being made, The children were incredibly happy here and it needed us, at the UN to do more and it was a very smiley head teacher who got the news of the plan
ned expansion.

  There was a knock on the door and I casually opened it, knowing that it was one of my guys as there were armed guards in every corridor and the top of the staircases. Tom came in and sat.

  "Lord Mark, tomorrow's itinerary, I'm not happy with it?"

  "Go on."

  "If we go to Abalak, we're incredibly close to the terrorists, who are in control of everything to the North."

  "But that's where I'm meeting, at his request, the local leader, what's his name?"

  "Bodem Halska."

  "If I can convince him of the needs and get his assurance, then maybe the UN will be able to act and so I have to go."

  "But Lord Mark, he's not just a war-lord he's a crime-lord and no one can guarantee your safety.

  "I fully understand and appreciate your stance Tom but this has to be done. There are thousands that will benefit from the UN work and he controls the largest amount of land. If I can get him on-board then maybe, just maybe, this trip will have achieved something newsworthy."

  "But Lord Mark..."

  "No, I'm sorry it's non-negotiable so suck it up Tom, it's the best we can do."

  "Lord Mark it isn't just unsafe, it's positively dangerous."

  "It's two night's here and then two in Bamako, job done. Get on-board with it and let's try and get some rest. It's an early start."

  Now at 5am I was having my own doubts. Light was still an hour away but we had to get moving or risk being trapped on bad roads in dangerous areas as night fell. At least in the early morning we could hope that everyone was asleep. We got into the ubiquitous Toyota Land Cruiser, the UN vehicle of choice, all had the insignia and all were painted the same pale blue. In total we had six cars, the one at the front and the one at the rear were loaded up with Peacekeeping Troops with machine guns, no firing unless fired at. I was in the second vehicle with four of my CPO’s and then we had other UN Advisors in the next two vehicles, with a BBC cameraman and sound recordist shared out, one in each vehicle, before a second car of my CPO’s. It wasn't much of a force and certainly not what Tom wanted when he had requested a formidable force, but in reality...I was far from certain that ten times the force would have deterred too many.