* * *
Lady Virginia took her time telling Sir Edward what really happened on the first morning of the Buckingham’s maiden voyage.
“Fascinating,” he said. “But it’s not something we can use in evidence.”
“Why not? Mrs. Clifton wouldn’t be able to deny it, and then she’d have to resign as chairman of Barrington’s and we couldn’t lose the case.”
“Possibly not, but the judge would rule the evidence as inadmissible. And that’s not the only reason we couldn’t use it.”
“What more do you need?” asked Virginia.
“A witness who wasn’t dismissed for being drunk on duty, and who clearly bears a grudge against the company, and a director who would be willing to stand in the witness box and give evidence under oath.”
“But it’s no more than the truth.”
“It may well be, but tell me, Lady Virginia, have you read Harry Clifton’s latest novel?”
“Certainly not.”
“Then be thankful that I have, because in Inspector Warwick and the Time Bomb you will find almost word for word the story you’ve just told me. And you can be sure that at least one or two members of the jury will also have read it.”
“But surely that would only strengthen our case?”
“More likely we’d be laughed out of court.”
* * *
Emma looked slowly around the table. Every director was in place except Sebastian. But never in her eleven years as chairman of Barrington’s had she failed to begin a meeting on time.
Philip Webster, the company secretary, opened proceedings by reading the minutes of the previous meeting. Far too quickly in Emma’s opinion. “Are there any matters arising from the minutes?” she asked hopefully. There were none.
“So let us move on, to item number one, the election of a deputy chairman. Desmond Mellor has been proposed by Jim Knowles and seconded by Clive Anscott. Before I call for a vote, does anyone have any questions?”
Mellor shook his head and Knowles said nothing, both well aware that Sebastian Clifton might appear at any moment. Emma stared hopefully at the admiral, but he looked as if he’d fallen asleep.
“I think we’ve all had more than enough time to consider our position,” said Anscott.
“I agree,” said Knowles. “Let’s get on with the vote.”
“Before we do so,” said Emma, “perhaps Mr. Mellor would care to address the board on why he feels he’s the right man to be deputy chairman of Barrington’s.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Mellor, who had spent some considerable time preparing a speech, which he now had no intention of delivering. “I leave my record to speak for itself.”
As Emma had now run out of delaying tactics, she was left with no choice but to call on the company secretary to carry out the roll call.
Webster rose from his place and read out the names of each director, starting with the chairman, Mrs. Clifton.
“I shall abstain,” said Emma.
“Mr. Maynard?”
“For.”
“Mr. Dixon?”
“Against.”
“Mr. Anscott?”
“For.”
“Mr. Knowles?”
“For.”
“Mr. Dobbs?”
“Against.”
He too had kept his word. Emma kept looking toward the door.
“Mr. Carrick?”
“For.”
Emma looked surprised. The last time they’d spoken, Carrick had given her his assurance that he wouldn’t be supporting Mellor. Who had been the last person to sit on that particular cushion, she wondered.
“Admiral Summers?”
“Against.”
Not a man to desert his friends.
“Mr. Clifton?”
Webster looked around the table and, satisfied that Sebastian wasn’t present, wrote Absent by his name.
“Mr. Bingham?”
“Against.”
No surprise. He disliked Mellor almost as much as she did.
Emma smiled. Four all. As chairman, she wouldn’t hesitate to exercise her casting vote to stop Mellor becoming deputy chairman.
“And finally, Mr. Mellor?” said the company secretary.
“For,” he said firmly.
Emma was momentarily stunned. But turning to Mellor, she eventually managed, “You told me only yesterday that you would be abstaining, which is why I did so myself. Had I known of this change of heart—”
“Since I spoke to you yesterday evening,” said Mellor, “one or two of my colleagues have pointed out that the company’s statutes allow a board member to vote for himself when standing for office. Reluctantly, I allowed them to convince me that I should do so.”
“But you gave me your word.”
“I did call you at home, several times this morning, chairman, but the line was always busy.”
Not something Emma was able to contradict. She sank back into her chair.
Mr. Webster carefully double-checked the list, but Emma already knew the result and its consequences.
“By a vote of five to four, Mr. Mellor is elected deputy chairman.”
Some people around the table smiled and said, “Hear, hear.” Others remained silent.
Seb had been right. She should have voted against Mellor in the first place, and then she could have defeated him with her casting vote. But where was Seb, whose vote would have made that unnecessary? How could he have let her down when she most needed him? And then she froze, and stopped being the chairman of a public company and reverted to being a mother. Was it possible her son had been involved in another dreadful accident? Emma couldn’t bear the thought of going through all that again. She’d far rather lose the vote than …
“Item number two,” said the company secretary. “To select a launch date for the MV Balmoral, and for the opening of the first booking period for her maiden voyage to New York.”
“Before we move on to item two,” said Mellor, rising from his place to deliver a speech that had also been well prepared, “I consider it nothing less than my duty to remind the board that Mrs. Clifton is about to face a most unpleasant trial that has already attracted considerable media attention. Of course, we all hope, and expect, that our chairman will be able to dismiss the serious charges levelled against her. However, should Lady Virginia Fenwick succeed in proving her case, obviously Mrs. Clifton would have to consider her position. With that in mind, it might be prudent for her to temporarily, and I stress the word temporarily, step down as chairman until the trial is over.” He paused for a moment and looked at each of his fellow directors in turn before adding, “I hope it won’t be necessary to call a vote on this occasion.”
Emma could sense that if it was put to a vote, the board were, with one or two exceptions, broadly in agreement with the new deputy chairman’s proposal. She gathered up her things and quietly left the room.
Mellor was about to move into her chair when Admiral Summers rose from his place, and fixed him with a stare as if he were a German U boat commander, before saying, “This is not the board I joined twenty years ago, and I no longer care to be a member of it.”
As he left the room, Bob Bingham and David Dixon joined him.
When the door closed behind them, Mellor turned to Knowles and said, “That’s a bonus I hadn’t anticipated.”