the sofa in a paroxysm of laughter.
He was madly blowing feathers away when a figure he recognised walked into the room.
‘Mark!’ he exclaimed.
Mark Dunsford regarded his employer with something close to disapproval in his eyes.
‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you since yesterday,’ he said. ‘It’s very urgent.’
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Corinne grow very still. Little Mitzi did the same. But the stillest of all was Bobby.
‘It can’t be that urgent,’ he said. ‘You could have called me.’
‘I tried. Your cellphone is switched off.’
‘No way,’ Alex said at once. ‘I never switch it off.’
‘I assure you, it’s switched off now.’
Frowning, Alex rose and went out into the hall where his coat hung, plunged his hand into the pocket and pulled out the phone. It was off.
‘But how did-?’
Alex checked himself. The air was singing about his ears, and suddenly he knew that what he said next was going to be critical.
‘Well-’ he said at last ‘-so I switched it off and forgot. Is that so strange at Christmas?’
‘What is strange is that it seems to have been switched off after I made a call,’ Mark observed.
‘That’s impossible. You must be mistaken.’
‘It definitely rang several times, long enough for my identity to be displayed on the screen. Then it was turned off. I was curious, as you’ve never done such a thing before.’
Alex shrugged. ‘There’s a first time for everything. I must have been overcome by the Christmas spirit.’
‘But to do it now, when such an important deal is hanging in the balance!’ Mark sounded aghast at the thought that his idol might have feet of clay. ‘That’s simply not like you.’
The next moment he had another shock. Alex’s voice was cool as he asked, ‘What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait?’
‘I called you to let you know of the change of plan. It seems that Craddock’s illness was a false alarm-just indigestion-so the Caribbean is on again. The flight leaves this afternoon. You’ve just about got time.’
‘Time for what?’ Alex asked blankly.
‘Time to catch the plane. I went to the office first, and collected your passport and ticket. Luckily your address book was there and I was able to discover where your wife was living.’
‘But how did you know I’d be here?’ Alex asked quietly. ‘I didn’t tell you.’
‘It was a reasonable supposition, and luckily correct, otherwise I wouldn’t have known where to find you at all.’
‘I see. Well, I would rather you hadn’t done that. Please remember for the future.’
‘But to put yourself completely out of touch when-well, I’ve found you now. You’ll have to hurry.’
Alex rubbed his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m not quite with you. I’m not going anywhere, Mark.’
‘You don’t understand. The contract-’
‘I understand all right. Old man Craddock thinks he can snap his fingers and everyone will jump.’
‘He knows we need that contract-’
‘No, we don’t need it,’ Alex interrupted him firmly. ‘We want it, but we don’t need it. He won’t find another firm that’ll do the job as well for such a reasonable price, and he knows it.
‘But-’
‘Mark, do you know why he wanted to gather us all round him on the other side of the world? Because he’s a lonely old man with no family. He has no children and both his wives left him. I’m sorry for him, but I’m damned if I’m going to end up like him.’
Mark was aghast at this heresy.
‘But somebody ought to be there, representing the firm. If you won’t go, then let me.’
Alex shrugged. ‘OK, you can do it if you like. I’m sure you’ve got your passport, because I always used to carry mine, and you strike me as frighteningly like myself as I was in those days.’
‘Frighteningly?’
‘Terrifyingly. Appallingly. You’ve got that look in your eyes. It’s like talking to a ghost of myself.’
Mark looked indignant.
‘I’m not ashamed of following your lead. And if, as you say, I can go-’
‘You can if you want to, but if you’ve got any sense you won’t. I know you have no family, but isn’t there a girlfriend you ought to be with?’
‘I do have a girlfriend, and I’ve spent some time with her this Christmas-’
‘
‘But she understands that I need to seize every opportunity-’
‘Spare me the speech.’ Alex was talking to Mark, but he was aware of Corinne, watching him, holding her breath. ‘I wrote that speech myself, long ago. Now I’m tearing it up. Catch the plane if you want to, Mark, tell Craddock I’ve got a bug or something, and you’re fully empowered to sign for me. Otherwise tell him I’ll be back in the office next Monday, ready to do business. It’s up to you, but try to be wiser than I was.’
Mark was stiff with outrage.
‘Then, with your permission, I’ll go to the Caribbean and watch over your interests there.’ His tone implied that somebody needed to mind the shop until his employer recovered his senses.
‘Fine, I’ll see you when you get back and knock some sense into you then.’ Alex grinned. ‘We’ll have cocoa and cream cakes in my office.’
At this, Mark’s hair practically stood on end. ‘Cocoa and-?’
‘Never tried it? You haven’t lived. You’d better be off if you’re going to catch that plane.’
When Mark had left nobody spoke for a while. For the first time Alex realised that he was still covered with feathers. No wonder Mark had thought he was crazy.
He caught Corinne’s eye and realised that she’d had the same thought. She was smiling at him, but not just in amusement. There was a warmth and tenderness in her eyes that he had not seen there for a long time.
She came forward, hands outstretched to him.
‘You really did that?’ she asked eagerly. ‘You really switched the phone off and blocked his call?’
For a moment the temptation to say yes was overwhelming, but with her candid eyes on him he had to say, ‘No, I didn’t do that. I don’t know how it happened. I’m glad of it, but it’s a mystery to me.’
‘It was me.’
For a moment they had forgotten Bobby standing there, silently watching everything. Now they saw his face, white and determined.
‘It was me,’ he said again.
‘What do you mean, son?’ Alex went and sat on the sofa, taking Bobby’s hands in his.
‘I was in the hall last night, and I heard your cellphone ringing,’ Bobby said. ‘I took it out of your coat pocket. I was going to take it to you, but-then I didn’t.’
‘Why not?’ Alex asked gently.
‘Because I knew it was that man,’ Bobby said desperately. ‘It was displayed on the screen, the same as last time he called. I knew he’d want to take you away, and I didn’t want you to go, so I switched it off and put it back in your pocket, and I never told you.’
‘Oh, darling,’ Corinne said quickly, fearful of Alex’s anger at this interference and wanting to protect the child from it. ‘I know why you did it, but you really shouldn’t have-’
She broke off. Alex’s hand was suddenly raised to silence her. He was looking intently at his son and there was no anger in his face.
‘Were you going to tell me about it?’ he asked gently.
‘Yes, but only when it was too late,’ Bobby blurted out with such fierce resolve that Alex’s lips twitched. ‘I knew you’d be angry but I didn’t want you to go. It’s been brilliant this Christmas-the best ever. You’ve really
