“I thought perhaps you’d help me.”
“I doubt I can be of any assistance. And I’m confused as to how you gained access to my personal files.”
“They were in the safe in David’s study upstairs.”
“Are the other investors’ details there too?”
“Yes.”
“Then I would like mine returned, and I advise you to return theirs as well.”
“I’ll tell my sister,” she said, flushing.
David Lyons’s study was in disarray. Boxes and files were stacked against the wall, and papers were heaped on every available surface. Helen gestured to the paperwork. “I’ve been sent these from his office.” She crossed to the fireplace and lit the fake-coal gas fire. “It’s cold in here. I’ve not had the heating on.” She looked at the mound of files. “David kept all his files on his computer but always made hard copies for reference. Mostly they’re quite old. These are the most recent ones.” She looked around, puzzled. “Oh, I think I took your files to the kitchen,” she remembered and hurried out. A few moments later, she returned with a large, square box. She handed it to de Jersey and moved aside some papers for him to place it on the desk.
De Jersey spent almost an hour in the study. Helen hovered for a while, then left him to answer the door to the removal men. They carried out the items of furniture and ornaments she had earmarked to sell. Flustered, she directed them around the house and frequently appeared to apologize to de Jersey. Eventually he walked into the hall. “I’m taking all my personal papers and details of transactions relating to my business, Helen.”
“Oh, yes, yes, of course.”
De Jersey ordered a local minicab and returned to the study to await its arrival. As he was going through the desk drawers one last time, he found an extra set of house keys, which he slipped into his pocket. He would have to warn both Driscoll and Wilcox about the new developments.
As soon as he arrived home, de Jersey started to thumb through a stack of documents with his name underlined at the top and a thick wedge of accounting ledgers. His head began to throb as he realized David had systematically plundered all of his accounts in a desperate attempt to salvage leadingleisurewear. To meet Moreno’s requests for more funds, he had thrown good money after bad. Had de Jersey just lost his original investment, he could have kept running the stables, but this was far worse: he was heading for bankruptcy.
Although he welcomed her home warmly, Christina knew something was wrong. Her husband was deeply distracted and quickly retreated to his study. After unpacking she went to join him, but when he dismissed her concerns, she became angry.
“Please, darling, don’t fend me off as if I was a child. I know something has happened. Stop hiding things from me. What is it?”
He sighed. Now that Helen and her interfering sister had details of his private affairs, he could no longer keep the situation from Christina.
“David Lyons lost millions of my money. He invested badly, then tried to salvage the investment by throwing more money at it. He lost his own savings too and a few other people’s.”
“Oh, my God, that’s dreadful. Can you do anything about it?”
“No, it’s all gone.”
“Is that why Helen wanted to see you?”
“Her sister’s thinking of hiring a private investigator to try to retrieve some of her losses.”
“What can an investigator do?”
He shrugged. “I doubt he can do anything. The money has gone. The Internet company went bankrupt.”
“What is this investigator looking for?” Christina asked.
“Some Internet whiz kid.”
“If they find him, will they arrest him?”
“Even if they did they couldn’t prove embezzlement. He kept the money he made from selling the company’s software, but as he designed it, he owned it. The investment stank, and David was a fool. I have only myself to blame… and him, of course.”
“But what about that banker you met up with? Can he help?”
“I hoped he might but he can’t.”
Christina looked shocked. “How bad is it, Edward? Tell me.”
“Nothing I can’t fix.” He forced a reassuring smile.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said, holding him tightly. “I know how much you love this place.”
“We’re not going to lose this.” He kissed her.
He walked across the yard and let himself into the office, shutting the door behind him. He took out the cell phone he’d bought in Simmons’s name and called Driscoll and Wilcox, informing them about Helen’s intervention. Then he locked away the phone and returned to the house. Christina was curled up in bed watching TV and laughing.
“What are you watching?”
“An advert,” she said, pointing to the TV. “It’s for royal jelly, and she’s so like her it’s unbelievable. For a moment I looked, and I thought, It can’t be, surely she wouldn’t, but it’s… Look, she’s identical!”
De Jersey stared at the TV. A look-alike playing the Queen was sitting on a throne wearing a fake diamond crown and holding up a pot of royal jelly. On the screen she mimicked Her Majesty’s voice to perfection.
De Jersey pulled his tie loose, laughing. Another piece of the jigsaw had just fallen into place. It was the first piece of good news he’d had all day.
The following morning de Jersey was up early and went riding alone. He returned to the house for breakfast. He suggested to Christina that she invite Helen Lyons for lunch to show her there were no hard feelings. He said he felt guilty for having been so brisk with Helen yesterday and for not attending David’s funeral. Christina slipped her arms around her husband’s neck. “I’ll call her if it’s what you want, but I hardly know what to say to her, considering how David has treated us.”
“Thank you, my love. Can you ring her now?” he asked.
“But it’s too early.”
“No, it isn’t.” He continued with his breakfast as he heard Christina arrange lunch for the following day.
Christina left in a chauffeur-driven car to collect Helen from the station. After watching her go, de Jersey took the helicopter to a small airport close to the Lyonses’ home. He hoped the house would be empty. He had called ahead twice to make sure no one picked up the phone. He let himself in with the keys from David’s desk, waited for the sound of an alarm; when nothing happened, he went straight to the study. He turned on the fake-coal fire and kicked some files closer to the grate, then he gathered all the documents he could find relating to Wilcox and Driscoll.
After de Jersey landed the helicopter, he went directly to the stables. One of the stable girls was waiting for him in his golf cart, and they drove toward the east wing.
“I didn’t know for sure they’d reached you.”
“How in God’s name did it happen?”
“We don’t know. He just stumbled on the way to the gallops, but when he returned, he was lame,” she said. “It’s quite badly swollen, but we don’t think there’s any bone damage.”
In the center of the yard, his trainer and a couple of lads hovered around Royal Flush. The vet had instructed he be walked about; Royal Flush dropped his shoulder, showing a pronounced limp. De Jersey was on his knees beside the vet when Christina and Helen walked across the yard.
“We’d given up on you,” Christina said, then fell silent as her husband looked up at her.
“We don’t think anything’s broken, but it’s badly swollen,” he said. “Helen, I’m sorry, but as you can see this is a bit of an emergency.”
“Will you be joining us for lunch?” Christina asked.
“Start without me, darling. I won’t be too long, I hope.”
To Christina’s annoyance, de Jersey never made it to lunch. After a rather tedious and tearful meal, she saw Helen on her way, making promises to stay in touch.