picked up the telephone. Just keep going forward/he reminded himself,
and before he spoke, he thought again of the two women, and wondered
suddenly how much that thick rich golden mane of Samantha's hair would
pale beside Chantelle's lustrous sable, and just how much of the
mother-of-pearl glow would fade from that young, clear skin. Berg, he
said abruptly into the telephone.
Mr. Berg, good morning. Will you speak to Mr. Duncan Alexander of
Christy Marine? Nick was silent for five full seconds. He needed that
long to adjust to the name, but Duncan Alexander was the natural
extension of his previous thoughts. In the silence he heard the banging
of doors and rising clamour of voices, as the journalists converged on
the liquor-cabinet next door.
Mr. Berg, are you there? Yes, he said, and his voice was steady and
cool. Put him on. Nicholas, my dear fellow. The voice was glossy as
satin, slow as honey, Eton and King's College, a hundred thousand pound
accent, impossible to imitate, not quite foppish nor indolent, razor
steel in a scabbard of velvet encrusted with golden filigree and
precious stones - and Nicholas had seen the steel bared. 'It seems that
it is impossible to hold a good men down. But you tried, young Duncan/
Nick answered lightly.
Don't feel bad about it, indeed you tried. Come, Nicholas. Life is too
short for recriminations.
This is a new deck of cards, we start equal again. Duncan chuckled
softly. At least be gracious enough to accept my congratulations.
Accepted/ Nicholas agreed. Now what do we talk about? Is Golden
Adventurer in dock yet? She has been cleared to enter. She'll be tied
up within twenty-four hours - and you'd better have your cheque book
ready. I hoped that we might avoid going up before the Committee. There
has been too much bitterness already. Let's try and keep it in the
family, Nicholas. The family? Christy Marine is the family - you,
Chantelle, old Arthur Christy - and Peter. It was the very dirtiest form
of fighting, and Nick found suddenly that he was shaking like a man in
fever and that his fist around the receiver was white with the force of
his grip. It was the mention of his son that had affected him so.
I'm not in that family any more. in a way you will always be part of
it, It is as much your achievement as any man's, and your son Nick cut
across him brusquely, his voice gravelly.
You and Chantelle made me a stranger. Now treat me like one. Nicholas-
Ocean Salvage as main contractor for the recovery of Golden Adventurer
is open to an offer. Nicholas - Make an offer. As bluntly as that. I'm
waiting. Well now. My Board has considered the whole operation in
depth, and I am empowered to make you an outright settlement of
three-quarters of a million dollars. Nick's tone did not alter. We
have been set down for a hearing at Lloyd's on the 27th of next month.
Nicholas, the offer is negotiable within reasonable limits. You. are
speaking a foreign language, Nick cut him off.
We are so far apart that we are wasting each other's time. Nicholas, I
know how you feel about Christy Marine, you know the company is
underwriting its own. Now you are really wasting my time. 'Nicholas,
it's not a third party, it's not some big insurance consortium it's
