Restless (1987) by William Boyd

Author:William Boyd
Format: epub
Published: 1987-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

Brydges’

I READ THE LETTER out loud to my mother:

Dear Ms Gilmartin,

Lord Mansfield thanks you for your communication but regrets that, owing to pressure of work, he is unable to comply with your request for an interview.

Yours sincerely,

Anna Orloggi

(Assistant to Lord Mansfield)

“It’s on House of Lords notepaper,” I added. My mother crossed the room and took the sheet from me, scrutinising it with unusual concentration, her lips moving as she reread the terse message of refusal. I wasn’t sure if she was excited or not. She seemed calm enough.

“Anna Orloggi…I love it,” she said. “I bet she doesn’t exist.” Then she paused. “Look,” she said. “There’s the telephone number.” She began to pace up and down my sitting-room. She’d come for an appointment with Mr Scott—a crown had loosened—and she had popped up, unannounced, to see me. The letter had arrived that morning.

“Do you want a glass of something?” I asked. “Squash? Coca-Cola?” It was my lunch break: “Bérangère had just left and Hamid was due at two. Ludger and Ilse had gone to London to ‘see a friend’.”

“I’ll have a Coke,” she said.

“When did you stop drinking?” I said, going through to the kitchen. “You certainly drank a lot in the war.”

“I think you know why,” she said drily, following me through. She took the glass from me and had a sip but I could see her mind was working. “Actually, call that number now,” she said, her face suddenly animated. “That’s the thing: and say you want to talk to him about AAS Ltd, That should work.”

“Are you sure about this?” I asked. “You could be opening some hideous can of worms.”

“Yes, that’s exactly the idea,” she said.

I dialled the London number with some reluctance and then listened to it ring and ring. I was about to hang up when a woman’s voice answered.

“Lord Mansfield’s office.”

I explained who I was and that I’d just received a letter from Lord Mansfield.

“Ah, yes. I’m very sorry but Lord Mansfield is abroad and in any event does not grant interviews.”

So he doesn’t ‘grant’ interviews, I thought. The woman’s voice was clipped and patrician—I wondered if this was Anna Orloggi.

“Would you be so kind as to tell him,” I said, deciding to emphasise the patrician qualities in my own voice, “that I want to ask him some questions about AAS Ltd.”

“It won’t make any difference, I’m afraid.”

“I’m afraid it will if you don’t tell him, especially to your continued employment. I know absolutely that he’ll want to speak to me. AAS Ltd—it’s very important. You have my phone number on my original letter. I’d be most grateful. Thank you so much.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

“AAS Ltd. Please be sure to tell him. Thank you. Goodbye.” I hung up.

“Good girl,” my mother said. “I’d rather hate to have you on the end of a phone.”

We wandered back through to the kitchen. I pointed out my new garden furniture and my mother duly admired it, but she wasn’t concentrating.

“I know he’ll see you now,” she said, thoughtfully.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.