Masters And Lovers 1-4 novel Chapter 58

Richard

Michael appears at the door of the conference room, wandering into my office, musing over some document he holds. “Who was Edward Haswell?”

James and I exchange startled glances. “Edward Haswell?” I say. “He was my father. Why would you ask?”

“Because according to this….” He holds up the document…. “…. forty years or so back, Beth's Uncle Albert was in business with one Edward Haswell.”

I stand without the intervention of my brain, all but snatching the yellowed paper from his hand. “Let me see that.”

A smile plays around his mouth. “It’s news to you I take it?”

“Good God, yes. I’d no idea there was any link between Elizabeth’s family and mine.” I flip through the pages, speed-reading as I go. Francis and James are also both standing. Francis, in deference perhaps to her position as my PA, is trying not to seem too intrigued. James, with no such qualms, is simply leaning in, trying to look over my shoulder.

“It is the same Edward Haswell, I suppose?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. “Just from what I can see here, this is a reference to my father’s company….” I flick back to the cover page which crackles with age. “What date….?” My mind spins…. “At this date, I was fifteen or sixteen at the time.” I pace the room, dredging for the memory. “I must have met him surely?” I’m muttering to myself, but everyone is listening.

“Really?” says James. “Can you remember him?”

I’m shaking my head, as though the movement will dislodge the memory. “No…. But I was effectively apprenticed to my father by then. He made sure I met all his business contacts. I must have met him.” Then to Michael, “Is there any more like this?”

He jerks his head back to the conference room. “Sure. There's a crate-load of it, in one of those wooden boxes Beth brought back. It all looks like business records.”

“May I see that? Would you mind?” asks James, gesturing at the document in my hand.

“Of course, yes…. No, better, Francis, can you make three…. No five…. copies of this and whatever else comes out of that crate that seems relevant. We’d better allow for the originals being ready to fall into dust…. How much is there of it, Michael?”

“As I said, a crate-load.”

“Francis?”

“I’ll be right on it, Richard.” She prises the aged document from my fingers. “If there’s so much information, I’ll get one of the office girls to come in….”

“Um….” Michael hesitates.

“Yes?”

“Might I suggest that if you are going to use staff for this, you choose carefully who does the work. Remember where we started this conversation.”

Gloom settles as I remember the original point of our meeting; the Triad learning that we have a spy in the camp; someone passing information to Klempner. I vacillate between the need to deal with that and the desire to follow up on this fascinating new development.

“You’re right,” says James. “We should be careful, but perhaps we should mention this to the obvious person?”

Charlotte nods, sucking in a smile.

?

Elizabeth….

Rolling my eyes at Charlotte, I stab at my phone.

My wife answers almost immediately. “Master?”

“Elizabeth, I’d like you to come to my office. We have some interesting news for you.”

“We?”

“Just come. Now please. You’ll see.”

Francis returns with duplicates still warm from the copier, handing them around, then glancing at me, the question in her eyes….

“Of course, Francis.”

…. before reading a copy herself.