The Philanthropist's Danse (24 page)

The Judge considered his response carefully. Dennis held his breath, but Jan seemed calm. Eventually Freeman’s deep baritone filled the silence. “You make a compelling case, Mrs. Elliot. I think, however, we might make more of your idea than you expect.”

He paused and waited for her curiosity to build, Freeman had not lost his trial lawyer’s instinct for a dramatic moment. But he was surprised when Janice interrupted. “You think we should invite the other two into our group, don’t you?”

He looked at her, stunned. The woman possessed cunning that ran much deeper than he had given her credit for. He nodded, thrown off by her interruption but interested in where this was going. “Whom was I going to name, Mrs. Elliot? It’s clear you have considered the angles, please share your thoughts.”

Dennis was lost. His head swiveled between his wife and the Judge as if he were in the front row at a fast-paced tennis match. Their excitement was palpable, even if he had to wait to understand what was happening. Janice wore a wide smile as she responded to Freeman. “I believe we are thinking of the same people, Judge. The only other people that did anything for Mr. Thurwell when he needed it were Betty Freah and Freddie Hagood.”

The Judge joined Janice in her wide smile and clapped his hands together in admiration of her performance. “Bravo. Well said Mrs. Elliot. I agree completely. We would have a powerful alliance with five people. There is perhaps one other that belongs in the group, don’t you think? I refer to the old English lady, Mrs. Tremethick?”

Janice pulled a face. “Perhaps. She seems to be close to Larry MacLean, and that could be a problem. I think we’re strong enough with the three of us plus Betty and Freddie.”

Freeman nodded. “Can we agree not to entirely reject Mrs. Tremethick as a possibility? She may have a role to play yet.”

Janice nodded assent and the three of them shook hands on their accord. She turned to her husband. “We should have time to persuade others to join us before the next session. Dennis, would you, please?” He stood without a word and finally understood what they had been talking about and was anxious to help. With a smile for Janice and a respectful nod to the Judge, he excused himself to go in search of Freddie Hagood and Betty Freah.

$

Camille Jolivet watched her sister through a cloud of blue smoke with one leg kicked up on the opposite chair. She took another long drag and carelessly flicked ash onto a plate where it turned into a black pool as it merged with left over juice from a fruit snack. Bethany was distracted, Camille would have to pull her together if they were to reach a successful agreement before midnight.

Bethany had been shaken to her core by her brothers’ betrayals, more shocked than she had been at Camille’s confession. Bethany was repelled by Camille’s secret, but it seemed surreal, too horrible to be processed. She was thrown into turmoil by how little she had understood her brothers, the siblings she had known all her life.

Philip had been ejected and would get no penny of his inheritance. William had been harsh, but she found it hard to make a case to bring Phil back after he admitted murdering a man. She had not spoken to Junior. He had left quickly, and she had not been able to catch him. She needed to speak with him and patch the family unit back together before everything was taken from them.

Bethany hoped the revelation of her own secret would not be a problem for Junior. Camille seemed not to care at all, but Junior knew of their father’s yearning for a grandchild. She coughed, and it broke the spell of her inner thoughts. She looked at her half-sister as she smoked one of her awful cigarettes. “Can’t you go outside? Those things stink the place up.”

Bethany sounded more cross than she had meant, but Camille paid no attention. “It’s cold outside and warm in here. If you don’t like the smoke, perhaps you should go outside, non?”

Bethany sighed. “Forget I said anything. I’m sorry. I’m tired. Tired and worried about Phil and Junior. We need them. You know that, right?”

“Philip is gone, Beth. Monsieur Bird has made his decision. It is unfortunate, but there is no way to bring him back. Junior, he is a mess. We need him, for sure, but we have to get others too. You should think about talking to your servants again, we could use them. They are two for the trouble of finding one, non?”

Bethany nodded. She was not prepared to give up on Philip, but Camille was right. They needed more allies to ensure they took the lion’s share of their father’s money. She thought about getting the Elliots again, it would be a good move. They had helped her father against Larry MacLean. Perhaps they would transfer their loyalty to Bethany and the family.

Dennis and Junior had crossed swords earlier. Bethany did not understand the reasons for their animosity, but she felt sure the manservant would see reason if the family offered them enough money. It had worked yesterday, and nothing was different from then, as far as she was concerned.

She agreed Camille’s idea was a good one. She would leave talking to Junior until later. He was flesh and blood, so she was not worried he would do anything other than support the family’s claim. His betrayal of their father had been born of anger over his mother’s divorce. She hoped he bore no ill will towards the rest of the family.

Camille watched her sister closely and saw Beth’s shoulders regain their perfect posture. “Very well, I’ll find Dennis and renew our offer from yesterday, agreed?” Camille drew another drag on her cigarette and nodded as she exhaled. “I’ll keep the table warm.” She flicked more dark ash onto the plate. Bethany shuddered in disgust at the mess on the expensive china and left in search of Dennis Elliot.

C
aroline Smith needed to find Junior. She had searched the dining room, library and lobby, but he was nowhere to be found. She concluded he must have taken refuge in his suite, but was reluctant to look for him there. She had heard rumors of his encounters with women and preferred not to discover for herself if they were true.

She picked up the guest telephone in the lobby and asked to be connected to Junior’s suite. After seven rings, she was about to hang up but heard the receiver pick up. No voice answered. “Hello? Junior are you there? It’s Caroline. We need to talk.”

There was a soft click, and the line went dead. Smith was furious. She was not used to asking twice to get a meeting. She called again, but this time there was no answer. She put down the phone and looked at the grand staircase that led to the guest suites. She must make a choice, go and see if Junior would answer his door, or forget her plan and find another collaborator.

She was deciding what to do when she saw Dennis Elliot hurry across the lobby. It looked as if he was on an important mission, but had been derailed when he ran into Bethany Thurwell. Caroline could see the manservant was uncomfortable, even across the vast lobby.

She felt an uncomfortable crawling sensation at the back of her neck. She looked up and saw Junior standing above her with his hands on the solid banister rail, watching. Caroline felt a shudder trickle down her spine in slow motion. There was something reptilian in the way Junior looked at her. There was no life in his eyes, he looked at her like a wolf would observe its prey. She offered a tight smile and beckoned for him to join her, hoping he would not insist she go to him.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he intended to come down. She could achieve her goal in the safety of a public area. He walked directly to her and took a half pace too far to invade her personal space. She knew from experience if she stepped back he would advance, there was no escaping Junior’s mind games.

“What do you want, Smith?”

She stood her ground. “You need me, Junior. Your family needs a vote to replace your brother. I’m it.” His face showed no emotion at her mention of Philip.

“There are still three of us Caroline. We’re in no danger of being tossed aside like my unfortunate brother.”

“Three is a good number, Junior. Four is better.” He considered her offer and was tempted to take it. She had made a direct hit with her appeal to replace Philip’s vote. Junior knew his brother’s absence left his group weakened, but he didn’t have to take Smith’s offer. She needed him more than he needed her. She was alone unless she found some friends and he knew Caroline Smith had no friends in the mansion.

“If we take you in, you won’t get an equal share of course. Family first, you know.” He put a sneer on the last words and watched to see if she would fold or fight. He liked them to fight, it was better that way. She did not disappoint.

“No deal. Sorry, Junior, I might need friends but, I’m not stupid. I get an equal share or you can go to hell.” It was a gamble, but Caroline was damned if she’d give up her vote for anything short of a fair deal. He flushed red, and she thought he was angry. She would have been repelled at the truth, that he had been aroused by her sharp retort. His mouth twisted into a cruel version of a smile.

“I’ll talk to my sister. We’ll see what we agree on. Decide how much you will settle for, Smith, but don’t expect parity, you’re not going to get it. Family comes first.”

He turned on his heel and left her. She was excited and angry at the same time. Junior could be a total prick, but she had gotten him to talk to Bethany. Smith knew Bethany had no fondness for her and would hold her behavior at the Foundation against her, but she hoped the harsh reality of needing a fresh vote to replace Philip would overcome her objections. She had no choice but to wait for the family’s answer, so Caroline headed to her room. She would feel better after she splashed some water on her face to clear her head.

$

Bethany was surprised when she walked into Dennis in the lobby, the very man she was looking for. Dennis, for his part, was near panic. He could not let Bethany discover the Judge with Janice in the library. He needed to find Freddie and Betty, but he would have to deal with Bethany first.

He followed her into the dining room and saw the two people he actually wished to speak with. He cursed his rotten luck, he had been so close to getting what Jan wanted but failed. He took a seat opposite the pretty French girl and almost sat on her foot, which rested on the cushioned chair. She moved her foot reluctantly and made him feel as if he had considerably inconvenienced her. He offered a shy apology and turned to listen to Bethany.

“We want to offer you and your wife the same deal as yesterday, but with a reduced bonus, if that’s okay with you. We’ll reduce it by twenty percent, in line with the penalty we suffered. Would that be acceptable to you, Dennis?”

Dennis wondered what Bethany was talking about. He knew Janice had made a deal to support the family with their votes in return for a reward for their loyalty, but he had not been told about a bonus. What was the bonus for, and how much was it?

Perhaps Jan had forgotten to tell him. With the upset over what Junior had done to her, he could understand how it might have slipped her mind. He had an uneasy feeling that there was another reason he had not heard about the bonus, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He would tell Janice about the new offer, she would know what to do.

Bethany and Camille were looking at him, waiting for him to say something. “Well, thank you. Thank you both. I’m sure that will be just fine. I’ll talk to Jan, but she’s indisposed right now. Might I provide our answer to you later?”

Camille rolled her eyes in dramatic exasperation, but Dennis looked to Bethany as their spokeswoman. She nodded. It was the answer she had expected. She kicked herself for not discussing the offer with Janice instead of her husband. “Of course, please find your wife and discuss our offer, but we need to know your answer as quickly as possible. You understand that time is of the essence, Dennis?”

He nodded, he didn’t appreciate her condescension but had become used to it over time. She had never seen him as anything other than a servant. He knew that was what he was, but the Old Man always managed to treat him in a way that made Dennis feel valued. His offspring, however, never learned the subtle art of dealing with people.

Dennis hurried back to Janice. He did not dare look at Freddie and Betty, it was impossible to invite them to meet Janice with the Thurwell sisters watching. He needed Janice to figure things out and walked as fast as he could toward the library.

$

Junior saw Dennis scurry through the lobby, but gave it no thought. It was no business of his why a servant was in a hurry. He sauntered into the dining room, saw his sister and the French girl and joined them.

“Where have you been Junior? Now is not a good time to get moody, we need to spend our time figuring out this mess.”

He didn’t bother to look at his sister. “Shut up, Beth, you give me a fucking headache.” She threw her hands up in frustration. She started to bark at him, but he waved her off and talked over her. “If you’d just shut up, you might find out what I’ve been doing.”

Bethany glared, but gestured for him to continue.

“Caroline Smith wants to join us to replace Phil’s vote. I told her I’d talk to you and that she will have to accept less than equal shares. We’re going to accept her, Beth. On my terms. Having four votes is a good idea. You agree, of course?”

Camille looked at her sister, who tried to maintain her cool and evaluate what Junior said. Bethany was irritated that her brother had been doing something useful, she preferred it when she was right and could admonish him. His play with Caroline was a good one, she saw no downside, but had a chance to go one up on him.

“Fine, whatever. It’s great that you got Smith. One more vote will be useful when we add it to the two I’ve secured for us.” Camille looked sharply at Bethany. Her sister was counting on the Elliots being on board before she knew it for a fact. Camille hoped Bethany was correct, if she and Junior were both successful then the family group would be powerful with six votes.

Junior feigned a yawn. “Who did you get, the Elliots? That’s yesterday’s news, sister. They have nowhere else to go. Of course they will support us. Is that all you’ve done?”

Bethany glared but swallowed her anger. It was pointless to start a fight, though he was spoiling for one. “Well, they might be old news to you, but we are a lot stronger with them.” Junior shrugged as if he didn’t care, and Bethany let it slide. She prayed that Dennis would be back soon with a positive response.

$

Janice saw Dennis return to the library and was alarmed to see he was both alone and upset. Something had gone wrong. Freeman saw her expression and turned in his seat to see Dennis arrive, breathing hard as he sat next to his wife. “What’s wrong, Den? What happened, did you see Freddie?”

He struggled to catch his breath and nodded his head followed immediately by a shake, which confused her. “What? Did you see him or not? Denny, just tell me what happened.”

The Judge shared Janice’s concern but tried to calm the flustered manservant. “Come Dennis, take a deep breath and tell us what happened, please.”

Dennis looked at both of them, did as he was told and started his story. “I nearly made it to the dining room. That’s where I thought I might find Freddie. And he was there, with Betty, but I couldn’t speak to them because Bethany grabbed me.”

Janice scowled at the bad luck. “What did she want? Did Freddie see you talking to her? What happened, Denny?”

He paused. “She was with the French woman. They want us to team up with them, like yesterday. She said the money would be the same.”

Janice felt a stab of fear, had Bethany mentioned the bonus? She had said nothing of the bonus to Dennis. Her plan had been to steal it out from under her husband. But that was before she’d gone to see Junior. She shuddered at the memory and studied her husband’s face, looking for any sign his distress was aimed at her. She relaxed when he looked into her eyes. There was no anger, just concern.

The Judge interrupted. “Would one of you tell me about the deal you had yesterday. Janice?” Freeman was curious, but not surprised, to hear the Elliot’s had been aligned with the family. He had missed most of the previous day’s negotiations and had not witnessed the voting.

Janice decided to be straight with her new ally. “The Thurwells offered Dennis and I a guaranteed settlement if we supported their votes. It all went to plan, and we would have been paid out this morning. Except your late night conversation with Mr. Bird blew that plan to pieces.”

She looked at him, and a small smile crossed her lips, she knew he would try and steer her back on course by reminding her that she would gain more today. “Ten million dollars. Yesterday I considered that a pretty good pay day for servants.”

“Small potatoes, I suspect, compared to what we stand to win today.”

She smiled at the Judge’s hopeful assessment and turned to her husband. Dennis was worried that Janice had not mentioned the bonus again. A nagging feeling began in the back of his mind, and he took a second look at his wife. Why had she failed to mention the bonus to either him or Freeman?

He would find out later, they’d talk when they were alone. For now, he had to listen. “I think we have an opportunity here, Denny, we can use Bethany’s offer to advance our own cause. What if we pretend to accept the family’s offer, but still ally with Freddie and Betty? Our group will be strong, we have five people. But the family will believe the situation to be more like six votes to three.”

Freeman considered Janice’s idea. The plan would leave the family vulnerable, and that would benefit the others, but he was worried about how far he could trust her. “It’s an interesting idea, Janice, but what if you and Dennis change your minds and support the family against me? How do I know I can trust you?”

She smiled. “Why would we settle for less than we could get from an alliance with you and the others? The family offered Dennis and I a flat fee for our support, I expect that is all they will offer today.” Janice hoped the Judge believed her. She had been surprised when he challenged her on the new plan. If it had been yesterday he would have been right about her motives, but he could not know how badly Janice wished to take revenge against Junior. She could no more support the family than she could gouge out her own eyes.

She waited for Freeman to think about her answer and flicked her attention to Dennis. She was alarmed to see the look on his face. Dennis wore the veiled look she loathed. It was a sure sign he disapproved of something she had said or done. She quickly ran through the reasons Dennis might feel that way. It was either the idea to play a double game against the family, or Bethany had mentioned the bonus.

Janice figured she could repair the damage in either case, but it was a sharp reminder of the fragility of her marriage. Yesterday she had plotted to run away and start anew without her husband. Today she had fallen a little bit in love with him again since her ugly encounter with Junior. A cold finger of doubt worried at her. Was she in love with Dennis again, or was what she felt a temporary emotion triggered by the extreme circumstances of the past twenty-four hours? She shook her head to clear it. She needed to pay attention to the Judge who was her best hope of achieving her goals.

Freeman had his own doubts. He figured Janice to be the kind of woman who would sell her own mother for a profit, so it was entirely possible she could turn on him. Yet, against his better judgment and instincts, he believed her. He knew enough to know he had not heard her real motives and perhaps he never would. But he trusted her.

He had an idea of his own. “Okay Janice, I agree in principle that it will be to our advantage to let the family believe they are in a stronger position than they actually are. However, before we give Bethany an answer we must shore up our own defenses. We must have Freddie and Betty’s support, and they too must agree to your scheme. If that can be achieved, then I concur that Dennis accepts Bethany’s offer, and we play for the win. Any objections?”