Brian Freemantle - Two Women

Two Women

Brian Freemantle

To Charlotte, who said it was her turn.

With love.

We will use the full weight of the law to expose and root out corruption When abuses like this begin to surface in the corporate world, it is time to reaffirm the basic values that make capitalism work. There can be no capitalism without conscience, no wealth without character.

US President George W. Bush, demanding new ethics of personal responsibility from American business leaders after a series of Wall Street scandals. 10 July, 2002

One

A lice said: Its all right.

Its not. I love you.

We dont have to make love every time to prove were in love. That just makes it screwing. Ugly.

John Carver turned away, his back to her.

She said: Its not just this, is it?

This didnt help.

Do you want to talk about it?

Its business. Boring.

Businesss never boring. Alice Belling had graduated from Harvard Business School with a letter of introduction to a Boston stockbroking firm and the overly confident and quirky idea of turning her degree thesis on corporate avarice eroding American entrepreneurialism into an Op-Ed commentary for the Wall Street Journal. Unable to decide which to try first she wrote off to both at the same time. The Op-Ed piece, which prompted two more articles and two days of top-of-the-page correspondence, was published three days before Alice got an invitation to join the stockbrokers. Her choice was a freelance media career, specializing in analyses and commentary on global finance and corporate stock market movements and trends. In the past year shed exposed insider dealing and profit inflation in two multinationals just prior to new bond issues.

Business and family, further qualified Carver.

Involving Jane?

Its complicated.

Turn around and talk to me properly, insisted Alice. And hold me. I like it when you hold me.

He turned back, reaching out for her, and she came easily, comfortably, into his arms. She said: Youre wonderful.

So are you.

You know what Id like?

What?

To go up to the cabin again soon.

Ive got the annual conference.

I didnt mean now. Just soon. Its been more than two months. Theyd taken a long time finding the perfect wood-built cabin in the Bearfort Mountains, alongside a small river feeding into one of the West Milford lakes. On the bedroom bureau Alice had a time-release photograph of herself and Carver there she with her hand in front of her face because she hadnt been ready when the shutter clicked and another in the living room. Carver was by himself in that shot, wearing a lumberjack shirt and hiking boots and proudly displaying the fish hed caught, his first ever, on their initial visit.

Lets get the conference out of the way. One or two other things. Well make a long weekend out of it. And you can take the toy. One of the rituals involved in the visits to the Catskills was their going in Alices carefully preserved Volkswagen, her proudest souvenir of her college days.

Thank you. And you can fish again.

Im sorry that today

Stop it!

You know what I wish?

I dont want to go that route, either, refused Alice. You cant, we both know it and I accept it. Im happy the way things are with us. Its enough. She clamped his leg between both of hers, bringing them tightly together, she slightly on top of him. How was Georges birthday this weekend?

George W. Northcote was Carvers father-in-law and founder of the Wall Street accountancy firm that bore his name and represented a forty-year symbol of propriety and rectitude. Carver said: He came over for dinner. Jane gave him some golf clubs which he looked at as if theyd come out of an Egyptian tomb.

How is he? The affair between Carver and Alice had developed from their meeting when she had come to Wall Street to interview Northcote for a profile for Forbes magazine. Northcote had a copy framed.

Not so good. He even sometimes forgets the end of his sentences and gets mad when anyone tries to help.

He told me he was frightened of retiring. Of atrophying with nothing to do, Alice remembered, from their interview.

The problem is his still trying to do too much: hes refusing to let go of a few clients to give himself the reason to come into the city at least two days a week.

His firm, his name? she anticipated.

No one can ever be as good as he is, in George W. Northcotes opinion, Carver agreed. Holding her like he was, naked, was enough for him today, too.

What are the other partners saying?

So far there havent been any major mistakes for them to discover but I am going to have to keep a check on what he does to make sure it stays that way: he hasnt yet realized Im doing it but I feel like a goddamned spy going behind his back, conspiring against him.

Youre talking the firm: his firm, with his name on it.

Thats exactly what Im talking about, agreed Carver again. A firm he might be endangering!

Youre just putting off confronting him: postponing it. They never discussed it, secure as they were with each other, but Alice knew that despite self-confidence verging on arrogance Carver would always be intimidated by the overwhelming personality of George Northcote the sheer physical presence, even, of someone 6'5" tall and weighing almost 200lbs.

You imagine I havent worked that out!

Theyd never before seriously argued fallen out and Alice, who had never felt intimidated by anyone, was unsettled by the unexpected vehemence in his voice. So whens it going to happen?

Maybe even today. Hes in town. And there are things he needs to explain.

Then demand an explanation.

I will.

You talked to Jane about it?

Not like this.

Alice felt a brief warmth of intimacy. Shouldnt you? Shes his daughter.

Shes been proposed for the charity secretaryship at the country club. Hes agreed to help her with the accounts. Thats what the golf clubs were for, to try to get him to spend more time at the club.

Itll get in the way of his other hobby. One of the accompanying photographs in Alices Forbes profile had portrayed Northcote in bib-and-brace overalls astride a tractor mower on which he frequently relaxed, supervising the gardeners at his weekend estate in upstate New York. The caption had given his Wall Street nickname of Farmer George.

Janes not happy at his doing that any more, either. Thinks its dangerous at his age.

You dont think golfs going to be the alternative?

He hasnt played regularly for years. He hesitated. Charity secretary will mean Jane staying up in the country more.

Alice didnt say anything.

I could stay over sometimes.

Id like that.

Would you?

You know I would. When will she know?

Soon. Certainly by the fifteenth.

Lets hope she gets it.

Its pretty guaranteed.

Can you make Friday?

He shook his head. All the overseas executives are starting to arrive from Wednesday onwards for the conference.

Ive got another Forbes commission I can work on.

Youre soon going to need your own accountant!

I thought I had one.

You have.

Call me. Let me know what we can fix.

Of course. And its a promise about the cabin.

She shifted slightly, looking beyond him to the bedside table. Its gone three already.

These business lunches get longer and longer.

You should be going. And I should be working.

Im sorry I