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"Well," said Davenport, "if you really did want to make a shrewd investment, I have-"
"Larry!" said a voice. Davenport turned away and kissed another man, far younger than himself. The moment had gone, but Davenport had left the door wide open and Da
"Sad," said Payne as Davenport drifted off.
"Sad?" prompted Da
"He was the star of our generation at Cambridge," said Payne. "We all assumed he would have a glittering career, but it wasn't to be."
"I notice that you call him Larry," said Da
"That's about the only thing he has in common with Olivier."
Da
"Not with his problems, it isn't," said Payne.
"His problems?" said Da
"Hi, Nick," said Charlie Duncan, another instant friend.
"Hi, Charlie," replied Da
"Hope you're enjoying the party," said Duncan, as he filled Da
"Yes, thank you."
"Are you still thinking of investing in Bling Bling, old boy?" whispered Duncan.
"Oh, yes," said Da
"Shrewd fellow," said Duncan, and slapped him on the back again. "I'll drop a contract in the post tomorrow."
"Is Lawrence Davenport doing a film at the moment?" Da
"What makes you ask that?"
"The unshaven look and the shabby clothes. I thought they might involve some part he's playing."
"No, no," said Duncan laughing. "He's not playing a part, he's only just got out of bed." Once again he lowered his voice. "I'd steer clear of him at the moment, old boy."
"And why's that?" asked Da
"He's on the scrounge. Don't lend him anything, because you'll never get it back. God knows how much he owes just to the people in this room."
"Thanks for the warning," said Da
"So soon? But you haven't even met the stars you'll be investing in."
"Yes I have," said Da
She picked up the phone on her desk, and recognized the voice immediately.
"Good evening, Father," she said. "How may I assist you?"
"No, Miss Sutherland, it is I who wish to assist you."
"And what do you have in mind?"
"I was hoping to help you come to a decision concerning Christy Cartwright, a young member of my congregation."
"Christy Cartwright?" said the headmistress. "The name rings a bell."
"As indeed it should, Miss Sutherland. Any conscientious headmistress couldn't fail to notice that Christy is potentially scholarship material in this dreadful age of academic rankings."
"And any conscientious headmistress could also not have failed to notice that the child's parents were unmarried, a state of affairs that the governors of St. Veronica's still frown upon, as I'm sure you will recall from the days when you served on the board."
"And rightly so, Miss Sutherland," responded Father Michael. "But let me put your mind at rest by assuring you that I read the marriage ba
"But unfortunately the marriage never took place," the headmistress reminded him.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances," murmured Father O'Co
"I am sure that I don't have to remind you, Father, of Pope John Paul's encyclical Evangelium Vitae making it clear that suicide, and indeed murder, are still, in the eyes of the Church, mortal sins. This, I fear, leaves me with no choice but to wash my hands of the matter."
"You wouldn't be the first person in history to do that, Miss Sutherland."
"That was unworthy of you, Father," snapped the headmistress.
"You are right to rebuke me, Miss Sutherland, and I apologize. I fear that I am only human, and am therefore prone to making mistakes. Perhaps one of them was when an exceptionally talented young woman made an application to be headmistress of St. Veronica's, and I failed to inform the governors that she had recently had an abortion. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, Miss Sutherland, that the Holy Father also considers that to be a mortal sin."
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, Da
But after he left the morning lecture, Da
"I'm disappointed," began Professor Mori as Da
Da
"Congratulations," said a beaming Professor Mori. "You came fourth in the prize essay competition. As it counts towards your degree, I'm expecting great things from you when you sit your final exams." He rose, still smiling. "Congratulations," he repeated, shaking Da
"Thank you, professor," said Da
He left the professor and ran along the corridor, out of the door and down the steps, to see Big Al standing by the back door of the car looking anxiously at his watch. Da
Da
Molly had already served Monsieur Segat with a second cup of tea by the time Da
Segat gave a slight nod before sitting back down. "You are now the owner of both sites, which are in serious contention for the Olympic velodrome," he said. "Although you can no longer expect to make quite such a large profit, you should still have a more than satisfactory return on your original investment."
"Has Payne called back?" was all Da
"Yes. He phoned again this morning, and made a bid of four million pounds for the site most likely to be selected. I presume you want me to turn the offer down?"
"Yes. But tell him that you would accept six million, on the understanding that the contract is signed before the minister a
"But that site will be worth at least twelve million if everything goes to plan."
"Be assured, everything is going to plan," said Da