The Prodigal Daughter (Kane and Abel series) by Jeffrey Archer

Author:Jeffrey Archer [Archer, Jeffrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2011-03-31T22:00:00+00:00

‘What a lovely brooch you’re wearing,’ said Lady Emson. ‘It’s a donkey, isn’t it? Does that signify anything in particular?’

‘It certainly does, Lady Emson. It means the giver intends to vote for Nixon again.’

‘Then you have to give him elephant cufflinks in return,’ said Sir Colin.

‘You know, Richard was right: it doesn’t pay to underestimate the British,’ said Florentyna.

*

After lunch, Florentyna phoned Miss Tredgold at her school. The school secretary put her through to the staff room. Miss Tredgold, it turned out, had no interest in the late Major Abanjo but was interested in all the news about William and Annabel. Florentyna’s second call was to Sotheby’s – this time in person. On arrival she asked to see one of the department heads.

‘It may be many years before such an item might come under the hammer, Mrs Kane,’ the expert told her.

‘I understand,’ said Florentyna. ‘But please let me know the moment it does.’

‘Certainly, madam,’ said the expert as he wrote down Florentyna’s name and address.

*

When Florentyna returned to New York after her three weeks, she settled down to implementing the changes she had been considering on her European tour. By the end of 1972, with her energy, George’s wisdom and Gianni di Ferranti’s genius, she was able to show an increased profit. Thanks to King Erobo, who proved as good as his word, Richard was only a few paces behind her.

On the night of the annual stockholders’ meeting, Richard, Florentyna and George went out for a celebration dinner. Even though George had officially retired on his sixty-fifth birthday, he still came into his office every morning at eight o’clock. It had taken only twenty-four hours for everyone at the Baron to realize that his ‘retirement party’ had been a misnomer.

Florentyna began to appreciate how lonely George must be now that he had lost most of his contemporaries and just how close he had been to her father. She never once suggested that he should slow down, because she knew it was pointless, and it gave her particular happiness whenever George took Annabel and William on an outing. Both the children called him ‘Grandpapa’, which brought tears to his eyes and always guaranteed them a double-scoop ice-cream cone.

Florentyna thought she knew how much George had done for the Group, but the truth only came home to her after his retirement could no longer be postponed. George died peacefully in his sleep in October 1973. In his will, he left everything to the Polish Red Cross and a short note addressed to Richard, asking him to act as his executor.

Richard carried out George’s every wish to the letter and even travelled to Warsaw, accompanied by Florentyna, to meet the president of the Polish Red Cross and discuss how George’s donation could best be put to use. When they returned to New York, Florentyna sent a directive to all managers in the Group that the finest suite in each hotel was no longer to be the Presidential Suite but was to be renamed the George Novak Suite.

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