A Prisoner of Birth Read online

  ‘Bring her along next time,’ said Sarah. ‘I’d like to meet her. Goodnight, Nick, and thanks again for your advice.’ She kissed him on the cheek and drifted off to join her brother.

  Danny only just stopped himself from warning her not to invest a penny in Payne’s Olympic venture, but he knew that with a girl that bright it might be one risk too many.

  He joined the silent throng as they disgorged themselves from the theatre as quickly as they could, but he still couldn’t avoid a downcast Charlie Duncan who had stationed himself by the exit. He gave Danny a weak smile.

  ‘Well, at least I won’t have to spend any money on a closing-night party.’

  65

  DANNY MET Gerald Payne outside the St Stephen’s entrance of the Palace of Westminster. It was his first visit to the House of Commons, and he was planning that it would be Payne’s last.

  ‘I have two tickets for the public gallery,’ Payne announced in a loud voice to the policeman stationed at the entrance. It still took them a long time to pass through security.

  Once they had emptied their pockets and passed through the metal detector, Payne guided Danny down a long marble corridor to the Central Lobby.

  ‘They don’t have tickets,’ Payne explained as he marched past a row of visitors sitting on the green benches waiting patiently to be admitted to the public gallery. ‘They won’t get in until late this evening, if at all.’

  Danny took in the atmosphere of the Central Lobby while Payne reported to the policeman on the desk and presented his tickets. Members were chatting to visiting constituents, tourists were staring up at the ornate mosaic ceiling, while others for whom it had all become commonplace strode purposefully across the lobby as they went about their business.

  Payne seemed interested in only one thing: making sure he secured a good seat before the minister rose to make her statement from the dispatch box. Danny also wanted him to have the best possible view of proceedings.

  The policeman pointed to a corridor on his right. Payne marched off, and Danny had to hurry to catch him up. Payne strode down the green-carpeted corridor and up a flight of steps to the first floor as if he were already a Member. He and Danny were met at the top of the stairs by an usher, who checked their tickets before escorting them into the Strangers’ Gallery. The first thing that struck Danny was how small the gallery was, and how few places there were for visitors, which explained the number of people having to wait on the ground floor. The usher found them two seats in the fourth row and handed them both an order paper. Danny leant forward and looked down into the Chamber, surprised to see how few Members were present despite its being the middle of the day. It was clear that not many MPs were that interested in where the Olympic velodrome would be sited, even though some people’s whole future rested on the minister’s decision. One of them was sitting next to Danny.

  ‘Mostly London Members,’ Payne whispered as he turned to the relevant page on the Order Paper. His hand was shaking as he drew Danny’s attention to the top of the page: 12.30 p.m., Statement by the Minister of Sport.

  Danny tried to follow what was happening in the chamber below. Payne explained that it was a day allocated for questions to the Minister of Health, but that these would end promptly at 12.30. Danny was delighted to see just how impatient Payne was to swap his place in the gallery for a seat on the green benches below.

  As the clock above the Speaker’s chair edged ever nearer to 12.30, Payne began fidgeting with his order paper, his right leg twitching. Danny remained calm, but then he already knew what the minister was going to tell the House.

  When the Speaker rose at 12.30 and bellowed, ‘Statement by the Minister of Sport,’ Payne leant forward to get a better view as the minister rose from the front bench and placed a red file on the dispatch box.

  ‘Mr Speaker, with your permission I will make a statement concerning which site I have selected for the building of a prospective Olympic velodrome. Members will recall that I informed the House earlier this month that I had shortlisted two locations for consideration but would not make my final decision until I had received detailed surveyors’ reports on both sites.’ Danny glanced round at Payne; a bead of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Danny tried to look concerned too. ‘Those reports were handed into my office yesterday, and copies were also sent to the Olympic Sites Committee, to the two honourable Members in whose constituencies the sites are located, and to the president of the British Cycling Federation. Members can obtain copies from the Order Office immediately following this statement.

  ‘Having read the two reports, all the parties concerned agreed that only one site could possibly be considered for this important project.’ A flicker of a smile appeared on Payne’s lips. ‘The surveyor’s report revealed that one of the sites is unfortunately infested with a noxious and invasive plant known as Japanese knotweed (laughter). I can sense that honourable Members, like myself, have not come across this problem before, so I will spend a moment explaining its consequences. Japanese knotweed is an extraordinarily aggressive and destructive plant, which, once it takes hold, quickly spreads and renders the land on which it is growing unsuitable for any building project. Before making my final decision, I sought advice as to whether there was a simple solution to this problem. I was assured by experts in the field that Japanese knotweed can in fact be eradicated by chemical treatment.’ Payne looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘However, past experience has shown that first attempts are not always successful. The average time before land owned by councils in Birmingham, Liverpool and Dundee was cleared of the weed and passed fit to build on was just over a year.

  ‘Honourable Members will appreciate that it would be irresponsible for my department to risk waiting another twelve months, or possibly even longer, before work can commence on the infested site. I have been left with no choice but to select the excellent alternative site for this project.’ Payne’s skin turned chalk white when he heard the word ‘alternative’. ‘I am therefore able to announce that my department, with the backing of the British Olympic Committee and the British Cycling Federation, has selected the site in Stratford South for the building of the new velodrome.’ The minister resumed her place and waited for questions from the floor.

  Danny looked at Payne, whose head was resting in his hands.

  An usher came running down the steps. ‘Is your friend feeling all right?’ he asked, looking concerned.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ said Danny, looking unconcerned. ‘Can we get him to a lavatory? I have a feeling he’s going to be sick.’

  Danny took Payne by the arm and helped him to his feet, while the usher guided them both up the steps and out of the gallery. He ran ahead and opened the door to allow Payne to stagger into the washroom. Payne began to be sick long before he’d reached a washbasin.

  He pulled his tie loose and undid the top button of his shirt, then began to retch again. As he bowed his head and clung on to the side of the basin, breathing heavily, Danny helped him off with his jacket. He deftly removed Payne’s mobile from an inside pocket of his jacket and pressed a button that revealed a long list of names. He scrolled through them until he reached ‘Lawrence’. As Payne stuck his head in the washbasin for the third time, Danny checked his watch. Davenport would be preparing for his screen test, one last look at the script before going off to make-up. He began to tap out a text message as Payne fell on his knees, sobbing, just as Beth had done when she watched her brother die. Minister didn’t select our site. Sorry. Thought you’d want to know. He smiled and touched the ‘send’ button, before returning to the list of contacts. He scrolled on down, stopping when the name ‘Spencer’ appeared.

  Spencer Craig looked at himself in the full-length mirror. He had purchased a new shirt and silk tie especially for the occasion. He’d also booked a car to pick him up from chambers at 11.30 a.m. He couldn’t risk being late for the Lord Chancellor. Everyone seemed to know about his appointment, as he continually received smiles and murmurs of