Tall Poppies (36 page)

she thought she’d never get without shame. Wow, kid, what a discovery, Nina teased herself, there’s more to life than work.

Namath had made her less hard but more alive, like somebody unthawing after an age in an ice-box. It was better than triumph or satisfaction. It was simple happiness and hope, because maybe, at last, things were going to be different.

Her place was perfect: furniture replaced, radiators on, warming the house against the March chill. Anita had even gone to M&S to stock the fridge.

Nina rushed upstairs and took a long, blissful shower, then phoned the office.

‘Coming in today? Surely there’s no need,’ Anita protested.

‘There’s lots of need.’

‘You could take the afternoon off. Nobody expects you in. Maybe you could go shopping.’

Nina chuckled; she hadn’t changed that much. ‘No, I’ll be there in an hour. Could you possibly call Frank Staunton and let him know?’

‘OK, I’m sure the boss’ll want to see you.’

True, Frank Staunton was her boss. Well, not for much longer.

‘And somebody else will want to say hello, I expect. Friends of yours from Switzerland: Dr Hall and Dr Namath, they’ve popped in to see Frank.’

Even though there was nobody around Nina blushed. ‘Er, great, sure. See you soon.’.

The Dragon tower on the South Bank loomed forbiddingly into the grey sky as Nina stepped in out of the drizzling rain. She’d changed into a Donna Karan tweed, with Manolo Blahnik heels and a thick silver cuff bracelet, one she’d bought herself from Mappin & “ebb. Tonight she was going to send Tony a thick parcel of

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jewels. If he refused to take them she’d send them to charity. She was never going to wear them again.

‘Good morning, Miss Roth,’ the receptionist said. Nina clocked the quick flash of hostility from one beautiful girl meeting another. She was pleased, that meant she looked good. Men she recognised smiled and waved. A good sign. They thought it was worth kissing up to her. The quarterly report must have made quite an impact.

The elevator hissed smoothly to a stop and Nina stepped out, smiling and glad-handing her way to her office. Anita greeted her with a mug of coffee and a mountain of notes.

, ‘Just to get you up to speed on recent developments.

The Helmers acquisition went through, Clophramine has

been approved for beta-testing. Frank Staunton wants to see you in twenty minutes. I’ll buzz you, OK?’

‘Fine.’ Nina sat down and leafed through the headlines. Only one page got her attention: a curt memo from George Gage, in Production, copied to New Products.

‘Owing to quality control concerns, company product no. 87569 is being temporarily discontinued. Sales are to be withdrawn until further notice.’

Memos like this were the kiss of death. Advertising was immediately stopped and further orders not accepted. The last time Mr Gage’s clammy spectre had fallen on her division was with Protaxin, their hotly tipped anticoagulant, when one final batch of tests had shown delayed side-effects - two chimps became impotent. Nobody in pharmacology liked the word ‘lawsuit’.

Nina lowered her coffee and tapped her computer keyboard. Interesting - normally products didn’t get out there unless they were super-safe. The cost of recall was huge.

Her IBM flashed up the name: 87569, pr.oduct,

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Dragon Gold, executive in charge, Lady Elizabeth Savage.

She gave a low whistle. Goddamn, he really knew how to bear a grudge. Elizabeth’s strategy had been ground breakingly successful. Nina knew it could have opened the door to the vitamin market. Three billion dollars a year’s worth of trade, parcelled up between three of their rivals - Hoffman LaRoche, Eastman Kodak and Pfizer. Caerhaven had wanted a way in for years, but he’d rather throw it away than take it from Elizabeth.

For a second she almost felt sorry for Elizabeth. Tony was a hell of an enemy.

Not my problem, Nina thought.

‘Come in, come in.’ The Terrier gave Nina a thin little smile, his eyes sliding over her suit without seeing it. ‘The traveller ‘eturns. Good work, by the way.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ Nina said, as Staunton ushered her in. Harry and Lilly were sitting on his burgundy leather couch.

‘A great achievement, the liaison with two of our prized assets.’

Liaison? I [ound them! Nina smiled as neutrally as she could at Harry and his partner. Lilly looked at Nina coldly, said, ‘G’day, kid.’ Harry sprang to his feet. He walked over to her.

‘You look gorgeous,’ he murmured. Nina flushed and shook hands. Harry traced a small line on her palm, one fingertip stroking the soft flesh between her thumb and forefinger. It was too sensuous. Nina yanked her hand away.

‘Hello, Harry, I hope you’re settling in OK.’

‘No complaints,’ Namath replied. His tone was grave but his eyes were dancing.

‘Dr Hall was just going through her latest results with me,’ Frank Staunton said.

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‘Then I won’t bother you,’ Nina said with relief.

‘I’ll drop by your office when we’re done,’ Namath

said.

‘That would be fine.’ She smiled briskly.

Frank Staunton turned back to the dumpy woman on

his couch. How delicious, her attempts to hide it were pathetic. Nina had something going on with Namath. He was sure that would interest Tony. It was just the kind of thing the Terrier loved to ferret out..For the daughter and the girlfriend, things were going to get a little hot around here …

In her office Nina pressed a cooling hand to her brow. Oh God, Harry, you shouldn’t have let anything show … , Anita poked her head round the door. ‘I’ve got the priority mail for you, and your copy of the quarterly report.’

‘Great! Let me see it,’ Nina said. Anita handed the newsletter over; the Dragon logo stamped in gold on thick vellum, charts and projections at the front, new business at the back. She found her piece right away: ‘A New Approach to Drug Research’. Nina felt victory flood through her. She settled down to read.

Two minutes later, her heart stopped.

For a few seconds she felt dizzy, so stunned and betrayed she didn’t know what to do. Then Nina lifted

her phone and tapped out Mrs Perkins’s extension. ‘Chairman’s office, can I help you?’

‘Yes you can, Mrs Perkins. This is Nina Roth. I’d like

to speak to Lord Caerhaven.’

‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible.’

‘Mrs Perkins, I must speak to him. It’s urgent.’

Tm afraid it’s still not possible,’ Mrs Perkins told her smugly. ‘Lord Caerhaven isn’t in the country. He can’t be reached. I can take a message—’

Which he’ll never get. ‘I see. Where is he?’

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‘He’s out in Switzerland, Miss Roth. Cheering on Lady Elizabeth.’

‘It’s going to look bad,’ Ronnie Davis warned Hans. ‘The papers are eating her alive.’

‘]a, and now she knows this!’

Ronnie quailed a little before Hans’s fury. Amazing

how the old man could screw with your head. ‘That wasn’t my fault.’

‘I know, Ronnie. But look at her.’ Hans pointed to Elizabeth, sweating bullets as she peeled off her goggles. ‘What says your stopwatch?’

‘Five-forty on the Cassons. Two-ten on Nagens-Start gels,’ Ronnie agreed. ‘And her Super-G’s picked up almost a second and a half. She’s making amazing times.’

‘She can do better. We have but two days. No more distractions and envy.’ Hans glared at the silhouette of Karen Carter. ‘Bitte, Elizabeth leaves the team chalet and moves in with me.’

‘OK, guy.’ Ronnie threw up his hands. ‘If it’s right for the team …’

‘For the team? Acb! I do not know, I do not care. For Elizabeth, it is right.’

Both men glanced back at Elizabeth. On the wooden slats of the cool-down room, her long, lean body was twisting itself backwards and forwards as she bent into her deep stretches. Elizabeth wore the geometric slashes of the red, white and blue, a mobile Union Jack. Hans had deliberately delayed the time she would put this on; when she wore the national colours it had to be significant, like donning armour for battle. Suddenly it was about more than times, rankings and rivals. Fr/iulein Laufen was not just Heidi, she was Switzerland; Marie Le Blanc was France; and for these few weeks, Elizabeth would be Britain, taking her country’s flag into battle.

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That was the magic of the Olympics. For yourself, you could get tired and weak and jaded. For your country, you would fight till you dropped.

‘So what’s the story?’ Ronnie Davis asked. ‘She will get

a medal?’

‘Of course.’

‘And what colour?’

The old man gave him an incredulous stare. ‘She will

get the gold. I am surprised you .even ask. I have never

been more certain of anything in my life.’

‘Lovely,’ Monica said. She reached over and gingerly unwrapped a whisky silk scarf from its layers of tissue. Their suite at the Park Hotel was the best Flims had to offer. Every place in town had been sold out for weeks. TV crews swarmed over the resort like ants, besieging the skiers” chalets and the Olympic Village. Spectators arrived every day, a polyglot crowd packing everything from the Park to the lowliest rented chalet. Even if you were the parents of a medal hopeful, there was no room at, the inn.

Unless of course you were Tony Savage.

‘We’ll stay for Elizabeth’s races, then we’ll go straight

back,’ Tony said. His face was expressionless as he stared up at the mountains. The competitors’ chalets were fenced off; some common little man named Davis had curtly told him he couldn’t speak to the little bitch. But words were being had in London right now, and that would change.

‘Oh, really, darling?’ Monica murmured, admiring herself in the wall mirror. The Nicole Farhi in orchid lambswool clung to her concave stomach and slender shoulders, swaying below the hem when she moved. And Tony’s latest offering, a necklace of diamonds and lapis lazuli, just this side of vulgar, would set it off beautifully. She knew she’d photograph wonderfully tonight. And

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omorrow night. And every day that the cameras asked for comments from the proud parents. ‘I think we could stay, don’t you?’

‘If you like,’ Tony agreed absently. The fax machine in the drawing-room was spewing out confirmations of everything he wanted to hear. Elizabeth’s pill, all her sales routes and advertising, had been withdrawn from every region like it was toxic. His word had gone down,

and her work was snuffed out like a candle.

The phone rang. Monica picked it up.

‘Monica Caerhaven … oh darling, it’s you, how thrilling. Yes, he’s here.’ She languidly handed the phone across to her husband. ‘It’s Elizabeth, dear, for you.’

‘Thank you.’ Tony cupped one hand over the receiver. ‘Darling, why don’t you find Charlie and Richard and go out shopping for a while?’

It wa.s a clear dismissal, and Monica didn’t hesitate. Smiling. blandly, she nodded and left the suite.

‘Hello Elizabeth,’ Tony said. ‘I’ve got some rather bad news for you.’

t

Outside the chalet windows it was still dark, the deep blue shadows of the Alpine massifs blocking the rising sun. There had been a snowfall last night. Elizabeth could tell from a faint scent in the freezing air, and from the way the sky was brightening, the streaks of dawn lighter than usual. She’d slept fitfully, tossing and turning in the hard orthopaedic bed. She’d tried to sleep but it was no good. The conversation with Tony had filled her with a white-hot rage that just refused to simmer down.

He’d torn apart her work, her baby. No consultation, nothing. Sure, she’d expected him to be a bit annoyed, but nothing like this. To stop her having any success, Toy was prepared to wipe out all their market gains and take thousands in losses. She felt the bitterness as strongly now as she had last night. Once the Games were over, she was going to have to decide what to do. Father had buckled in in the first place, why? Because he was scared she’d make a scene. Not such a strong reason, Elizabeth thought, but it was to him. So what would Tony do once she was gold medallist? She’d be famous back home. Like they said, you were World Champion for a year, but Olympic Champion for life.

The desire for revenge. It was incredibly strong. It was blazing up in her. She started to march on the spot, swinging her arms and heels through the warm-up she could do in her sleep. Hot blood started singing round her body. She hadn’t needed more incentive, but there it was - the gold would give her the means to get back at

Tony. And Nina Roth. How could she figure it out from the notes I gave her? Elizabeth wondered, but clearly she had, and she’d shopped her straight to Daddy. Oh, the delight Nina must have felt, bringing her downm

She stopped herself as she lifted one leg on to the windowsill, bowing into the stretch. Come on, girl, not now. You’ve got exactly one day to the start of the ninety-fifth Olympiad.

There was a sharp rapping on the door. Hans poked his head round.

‘Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you.’

The old man waved that aside. ‘Only in the morning

you ski, you must rest all afternoon.’

‘OK, boss.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘Sogn Gion this morning.’ The men’s World Cup run was a women’s Olympic downhill for the first time. Tomorrow afternoon Elizabeth would be out there for real.

‘Some others are also there.’

‘No kidding, it must be a regular traffic iam,’ Elizabeth said wryly. Everybody would want to get last-minute dry runs in.

‘Do not be distracted, Liebcben,’ Wolf lectured her sternly.

‘Don’t worry.’ Elizabeth turned her head to him. It was amazing, Wolf thought how she could be covered with streaks of sunblock and goggle-lines and still look so beautiful, so dignified. The blorde hair had lightened two shades in the mountain sun and her green eyes sparkled with fierce determination. ‘Nothing is going to distract me now.’

Elizabeth ski’d down to the first lift areas. Hans was right, it was busy. Practice suits were out, national flags were in; unless your suit was stamped with an official