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  “Fourteen thousand for the first time then,” said the auctioneer, raising the little gavel a few inches in the air.

  “She must have been over the moon,” said Robin.

  “Burst into tears,” said Adam. “All she could say was ‘I wish Pa could have lived to see it.” Ironic really. If only he had opened that letter.”

  “Fourteen thousand for the second time,” said the auctioneer, the gavel now hovering.

  “How do you fancy a celebration lunch at the Ritz?” said Adam, delighted with how well the sale was turning out.

  “No, thank you,” said Robin.

  Adam looked at his companion in surprise.

  “It won’t be much fun if every time I ask you a question I only get the official Foreign Office briefing.”

  Adam looked sheepish. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “No, that wasn’t fair,” said Robin. “Now you’re on the inside it can’t be easy, so I suppose I will have to go to my grave wondering what treaty was inside that icon.”

  Adam looked away from the girl who had saved his life.

  “Destined to remain the Foreign Office’s best kept secret,” she added.

  He turned back slowly to face her.

  “Alas …” he began, but just at that moment the auctioneer’s hammer came down with a thud. They both looked up.

  “Sold to the gentleman at the front for fourteen thousand pounds.”

  “Not a bad price,” said Adam, smiling.

  “A bargain in my opinion,” said Robin.

  Adam turned back to her. “After all,” he said in a whisper, “imagine what the forty-ninth state would have fetched if it had come up for auction.”

  ALSO BY JEFFREY ARCHER

  NOVELS

  A Prisoner of Birth

  False Impression

  Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

  Shall We Tell the President?

  Kane & Abel

  First Among Equals

  The Prodigal Daughter

  As the Crow Flies

  Honor Among Thieves

  The Fourth Estate

  The Eleventh Commandment

  Sons of Fortune

  SHORT STORIES

  Cat O’ Nine Tales

  A Quiver Full of Arrows

  A Twist in the Tale

  Twelve Red Herrings

  To Cut a Long Story Short

  The Collected Short Stories

  PLAYS

  Beyond Reasonable Doubt

  Exclusive

  The Accused

  PRISON DIARIES

  Volume One: Hell

  Volume Two: Purgatory

  Volume Three: Heaven

  SCREENPLAYS

  Mallory: Walking Off the Map

  False Impression

  PRAISE FOR JEFFREY ARCHER AND HIS BESTSELLING NOVELS

  “Archer is a master entertainer.”

  —Time

  “One of the top ten storytellers in the world”

  —Los Angeles Times

  “There isn’t a better storyteller alive.”

  —Larry King

  “Archer is one of the most captivating storytellers writing today. His novels are dramatic, fast-moving, totally entertaining—and almost impossible to put down.”

  —Pittsburgh Press

  “Cunning plots, silken style … Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader.”

  —The New York Times

  “A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas … Unsurpassed skill … making the reader wonder intensely what will happen next.”

  —The Washington Post

  A TWIST IN THE TALE

  “Archer is a smoothly accomplished writer, able to produce a touching pause as well as a snappy pace.”

  —Cosmopolitan

  “Archer’s talent as a raconteur is evident … [His] straightforward style actually enhances each concluding jolt. Archer’s understanding of human nature and his talent for surprise endings make this volume a must.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  FIRST AMONG EQUALS

  “A dramatic plot … An absorbing read.”

  —Detroit Free Press

  “This engrossing, well-spun tale of ambition and will-to-power is a pick-hit in the summer sweepstakes. Archer received his usual high marks for readability and gives his novel a pleasing sense of substance.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Not since Gore Vidal’s 1876 has there been such a cliffhanger aspect to an election and to the selection of a head of government … At the conclusion, Archer brings the reader to a moment of truth … a surprising finish.”

  —The San Diego Union-Tribune

  THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER

  “Chalk up another smash hit for Jeffrey Archer … An exceptional storyteller.”

  —John Barkham Reviews

  “Fast-moving and compelling.”

  —Library Journal

  KANE & ABEL

  “A smashing good read!”

  —The Des Moines Register

  “I defy anyone not to enjoy this book, which is one of the best novels I have ever read.”

  —Otto Preminger

  “A sprawling blockbuster!”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Grips the reader from the first page to the last. A smash hit.”

  —John Barkham Reviews

  AS THE CROW FLIES

  “A certified page-turner.”

  —New York Daily News

  “Archer … has an extraordinary talent for turning notoriety into gold, and telling fast-moving stories.”

  —The Philadelphia Inquirer

  “An endearing story.”

  —The Wall Street Journal

  “Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.”

  —The Boston Globe

  “Top flight … Mr. Archer tells a story to keep you turning those pages.”

  —The Washington Post

  “Great fun!”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  THE FOURTH ESTATE

  “Telling … Triumphant … Proceeds in bursts of energy, like automatic fire.”

  —London Times

  “Well-crafted and accomplished.”

  —The Spectator

  HONOR AMONG THIEVES

  “The action is furious.”

  —Los Angeles Times Book Review

  “Outrageous and top-notch terror.”

  —Vogue

  “Witty, action-filled … Archer’s masterful narrative provides thrills and surprises.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A taut, international political thriller, professionally crafted and plotted. The action and dialogue move forward seamlessly with no loose ends … Honor Among Thieves has excitement, currency and humor, and is expertly constructed. It will be another in the string of wildly successful novels by Jeffrey Archer.”

  —The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

  A QUIVER FULL OF ARROWS

  “Exciting … Archer offers versatility, laughter, inventive plotting and a gift for characterization … A Quiver Full of Arrows is everything a reader could want.”

  —Baltimore Sun

  “Amusing … Poignant.”

  —The New York Times

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A MATTER OF HONOR

  Copyright © 1986 by Jeffrey Archer.

  Cover photo © Vine-London.

  All rights reserved.

  For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

  St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

  eISBN 9781429954020

  First eBook Edition : February 2011

  ISBN: 0-312-93354-1

  EAN: 80312-93354-8