wine and rippled on the smoky dark fall of her hair.
Here's to us, Nicholas darling. We are the last of the great.
It was a toast from long ago, from the other life, and it irritated him
now but he drank it silently and then set down the glass.
Chantelle, when and how are you going to stop Duncan? Don't spoil the
meal, darling. In about thirty seconds I'm going to start becoming very
angry., She studied him for a moment, and saw that it was true.
All right then/ she agreed reluctantly.
When are you going to stop him? I'm not, darling. He stared at her.
What did you say? he asked quietly.
I'm going to do everything in my power to help him launch and sail the
Golden Dawn. You don't understand, Chantelle. You're talking about
risking a million tons of the most deadly poison Don't be silly, Nicky.
Keep that heroic talk for the newspapers. I don't care if Duncan dumps
a million tons of cadmium in the water supply of greater London just as
long as he pulls the Trust and me out of the fire. There is still time
to make the modifications to Golden Dawn.
'No, there isn't. You don't understand, darling. Duncan has put us so
deeply into it that a delay of a few days even would bring us down. He
has stripped the cupboard bare, Nicky. There no money for
modifications, no time for anything, except to get Golden Dawn under
way., There is always a way and a means. Yes, and the way is to fill
Golden Dawn's pod tanks with crude. He's frightened you by Yes/ she
agreed, I am frightened. I have never been so frightened in my life,
Nicky. I could lose everything - I am terrified. I could lose it all.
She shivered with the horror of it. I would kill myself if that
happened. I am still going to stop Duncan. No, Nicky. Please leave
it, for my sake - for Peter's sake, it's Peter's inheritance that we are
talking about. Let Golden Dawn make one voyage, just one voyage and I
will be safe, It's the risk to an ocean, to God alone knows how many
human lives, we are talking about.
Don't shout, Nicky. People are looking. Let them look. I'm going to
stop that monster, No, Nicholas. Without me, you cannot do a thing. You
best believe it. Darling, I promise you, after her first voyage we will
sell Golden Dawn. We'll be safe then, and I can rid myself of Duncan.
It will be you and I again, Nicky. A few short weeks, that's all. It
took all his self-control to prevent his anger showing.
He clenched his fists on the starched white tablecloth, but his voice
was cool and even.
Just one more question, Chantelle. When did you phone Samantha Silver?
She looked puzzled for a moment as though she was trying to put a face
to a name. Samantha, oh, your little friend, Why should I want to
telephone her? And then her expression changed.
'Oh, Nicky, you don't really believe I'd do that? You don't really
believe I would tell anybody about it, about that wonderful. - Now she
was stricken, again those huge eyes brimmed and she reached across and
stroked the fine black hairs on the back of Nicholas big square hand.
'You don't think that of me! I'm not that much of a bitch, I don't have
to cheat to get the things I want. I don't have to inflict unnecessary
