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  ‘Thank you, chairman. I agree with those members who feel that Mr Simpson, having fought so gallantly at Ebbw Vale during the last election, deserves to be interviewed, but I believe we should also consider Mr Dunnett. After all, his wife is a local girl, which is a considerable advantage, especially when you consider Sir Giles Barrington’s current marital status.’

  Several ‘Hear, hears’ echoed around the table.

  Forty minutes later, Gregory Dunnett was among those on the shortlist, together with Mr Simpson, the former candidate for Ebbw Vale, plus a local councillor, no hope, a bachelor over the age of forty, no hope, and the statutory woman, absolutely no hope. All Fisher needed to do now was find a good reason for them not to select Mr Simpson.

  As the meeting was drawing to a close, the chairman called for any other business.

  ‘I have something to report to the committee,’ Fisher said, screwing the top back on his pen, ‘but I think it would be wise for it not to be recorded in the minutes.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re the best judge of that, major,’ said the chairman, glancing around the table to confirm that everyone else present was in agreement.

  ‘When I was staying at my club in London last week,’ said Fisher, ‘I picked up some disturbing information from a reliable source, concerning Sir Giles Barrington.’ He now had the full attention of the entire committee. ‘As all of you will be aware, Sir Giles is currently facing divorce proceedings following the unfortunate breakdown of his marriage. Most of us felt some sympathy for him when he decided to take “the Brighton route”, especially after he let it be known, rather ungraciously in my opinion, that he did so to protect his wife’s reputation. We’re all grown men, and are all well aware that the divorce laws badly need reforming. However, I have since discovered that we have only heard half the story. Sir Giles, it seems, is conducting an affair with a young student at Cambridge University, despite the fact that his wife has been trying hard to bring about a reconciliation.’

  ‘Good God, the man’s a cad,’ said Bill Hawkins. ‘He should be made to resign.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more, Mr Chairman. Indeed, he would have had no choice, if he’d been the Conservative candidate.’

  Mumbled conversations broke out around the table.

  ‘I do hope,’ continued Fisher after the chairman had banged his gavel several times, ‘that I can rely on the committee to make sure this information does not go beyond this room.’

  ‘Of course, of course,’ said the chairman. ‘That goes without saying.’

  Fisher leant back, confident that within hours the story would have reached several well-placed members of the local Labour Party, which would guarantee that at least half the constituency would have heard about it by the end of the week.

  After the chairman closed the meeting and members began to make their way across the street to the local pub, Peter Maynard, the treasurer, sidled up to Alex and asked if he could have a quiet word.

  ‘Of course, old chap,’ said Alex. ‘How can I help?’

  ‘As you know, the chairman has made it clear on several occasions that he intends to stand down before the next general election.’

  ‘I had heard that.’

  ‘One or two of us feel it’s a job for a younger man, and I’ve been asked to sound you out and see if you would allow your name to be put forward.’

  ‘How kind of you, Peter. If the majority of my colleagues felt I was the right person for the job, I would of course consider taking on this onerous task, but not, you understand, if another member of the committee felt he could make a better fist of it.’

  When the first cheque from Barrington Shipping Co. for his services as a board member was cleared, Alex closed his account at the Midland Bank, and moved across the road to Barclays. It already administered the Barrington company account, as well as acting for the Conservative Association. And unlike the Midland, the manager agreed to allow him an overdraft facility.

  The following day, he travelled up to London and opened an account with Gieves & Hawkes, where he was measured up for three new suits, a dinner jacket and an overcoat, all black. After lunch at the Army & Navy he dropped into Hilditch & Key and selected half a dozen shirts, along with two pairs of pyjamas, a dressing gown and a selection of silk ties. After signing the bill, he went on to John Lobb and spent some time being fitted for two pairs of shoes, both brogues: one black, one brown.

  ‘They should be ready in about three months, major,’ he was told.

  During the next four weeks, he took out every member of the committee for lunch or dinner, at Virginia’s expense, by the end of which he was confident that most of them would back Gregory Dunnett as their second choice for party candidate at the upcoming election, and one or two of them had him as their preferred choice.

  Over an after-dinner brandy with Peter Maynard, Fisher discovered that the party treasurer was experiencing some temporary financial difficulties. He travelled up to London the following day and, after a discreet word with Lady Virginia, those temporary financial difficulties were removed. One of the committee was now in his debt.

  18

  ALEX HAD BEEN on the board of Barrington Shipping for just a few months when he spotted an opportunity he thought might appeal to Virginia.

  During that time, he had assiduously attended every board meeting, read every report, and always voted with the majority, so no suspicion was ever raised about what he was really up to.

  Virginia hadn’t been in any doubt that Giles would be suspicious when Alex was appointed to the board. She even wondered if he would try to find out who owned the 71⁄2 per cent of the company’s stock Fisher represented. If he did, all he would discover was that it was held by a blind trust. But Giles was neither blind nor dumb, so he wouldn’t have needed to put two and two together to make 71⁄2.

  Although the chairman assured him that the major seemed a decent enough chap, rarely opened his mouth at board meetings and certainly wasn’t causing any trouble, Giles was not convinced. He didn’t believe Fisher was capable of changing his spots. But with an imminent election on the cards, at which the Tories were expected to increase their majority, as well as the mystery as to why Virginia still hadn’t signed her decree nisi papers despite her having begged him to give her grounds for divorce, Fisher was the least of his problems.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ said the chairman of Barrington Shipping, ‘I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to suggest that the proposal I’m making today might well prove to be a turning point in the history of the company. This bold new venture proposed by Mr Compton, our managing director, has my full backing, and I will be inviting the board to support a plan that the company build its first new passenger liner since the war, in an attempt to keep pace with our great rivals, Cunard and P&O. I would like to believe that our founder, Joshua Barrington, would have applauded such an initiative.’

  Alex listened intently. He had come to respect Sir William Travers, who had replaced Hugo Barrington – not that anyone ever referred to the past chairman – as a shrewd and intelligent operator, regarded by both the industry and the city as a safe pair of hands.

  ‘The capital outlay will unquestionably stretch our reserves,’ continued Sir William, ‘but our bankers are willing to support us, as our figures show that even if we are able to sell only 40 per cent of the cabin space on the new vessel, we would recoup our investment within five years. I’ll be happy to answer any of the board’s questions.’

  ‘Do you think the public might still have the fate of the Titanic fixed indelibly in their subconscious, making them wary of sailing on a new luxury liner?’ asked Fisher.

  ‘That’s a fair point, major,’ replied Sir William, ‘but Cunard’s recent decision to add another vessel to their fleet would rather suggest that a new generation of travellers have noticed that there hasn’t been a major shipping accident involving a luxury liner since that tragic disaster in 1912.’

  ‘How long would it take for us to build thi