THE RELUCTANT BRIDE (16 page)

Rod's
eyes narrowed. “You seem to know a great deal about the
Company, Jeremy.”

“
I
make it my business to.” Turvill leaned forward. “Look,
Rod – and Gabriella too, of course – let's lay our cards
on the table. Ben's solicitors are the Executors, aren't they?”

“
That's
correct.”

“
They'll
have to put Englands on the market pretty soon.
You
can't
afford to buy it, and I shouldn't think you'd want to in its present
situation. But we'd like to make an offer.”

“
By
all means do so,” said Rod, smiling.

“
We'd
like your cooperation.”

“
In
what way?”

Ellis
Kemp joined in. “We're prepared to pay a fair price, Rod, but
we don't like throwing money away. Two other firms are planning to
make bids. You could find out what they're offering.”

“
And,
of course, recommend us to the Executors,” added Turvill.

“
That's
a lot of cooperation,” said Rod. “What's in it for me?”

“
You'd
run it for us. At least double your present salary. Plus perks, of
course. There's an apartment in London – in one of the
Docklands developments – that's surplus to our requirements.
Nice for weekends and shopping trips. Bonuses. A car upgrade,
naturally.”

Gabriella
stared at her plate. Was Rod seriously considering the bribes Torvill
was offering? She felt slightly sick. And it wasn't the Sole
Veronique.

“
What
about Gabriella?”

Turvill's
eyes shifted slightly, then he turned and smiled at her. “If
Gabriella wishes to continue working after your marriage I'm sure we
can find a suitable opening. By the way, my dear, I'm told I have
excellent taste. I shall very much enjoy selecting an attractive
wedding present.

Somehow
she managed to smile at him again but inwardly she was seething. Not
me, Jeremy Turvill, you revolting toad. You may be able to bribe Rod,
but not me

Rod
was folding his napkin. “Well, thank you for lunch, Jeremy, it
was most enjoyable.”

“
You'll
be in touch?”

“
I
doubt it. You see, although your information was up to date, it
wasn't complete. You said I couldn't afford to buy Englands. The
truth is, I don't need to. Gabriella and I already own the company –
under the terms of Ben Englands' will.”

Just
for a moment Gabriella saw the true Turvill. Then he was smiling
again. “A further cause for congratulation! If I hadn't a long
drive ahead of me I'd order a bottle of champagne.”

“
Another
time, perhaps,” said Rod.

“
Yes
indeed.” Turvill paused. “Rod … I'm sure you and
Gabriella realise the risks you'll be running. One needs a great deal
of collateral for such a risky venture. I sincerely believe you'd
still be well advised to sell. And as an old friend, I'd be prepared
to make you a very good offer – far greater than we'd
originally contemplated.”

“
Thank
you, Jeremy, but we have no intention of selling. As you well know, I
enjoy challenges.”

“
If
you should change your mind -”

“
You'll
be the first to know. By the way, Jeremy, as an old friend …
perhaps now you'll tell me who your informant was.”

“
Fuller,”
said Turvill without a moment's hesitation. “Your Production
Manager.” He spoke with such indifference that Gabriella had no
doubt. Jeremy Turvill was well used to throwing people to the lions.

****

“
For
a time there I thought you were going to agree,” she said when
the two men had departed.

The
smile left Rod's face. “You seriously thought I'd accept bribes
and dump Englands? My God, Gabriella, what exactly have I done to you
to deserve such a low opinion?”

Flushing,
she stammered, “I didn't really – I just -”

“
Shall
I tell you what would happen if they bought Englands? Do you remember
Steelite? And M.P. Engineering? Both were bought out by Minerva
within the last two years. Within months all but a handful of staff
who might prove useful in their own Company had been made redundant,
the bulk of the customer base had been transferred to Minerva, the
machinery had been sold off and the buildings demolished. They'd
already, of course, put in planning applications to redevelop the
sites.” He glared at her. “Minerva are asset strippers,
Gabriella. They've no interest in playing Nanny to shaky companies.”

“
Mr
Turvill said - “

Rod
smiled without mirth. “Oh, I've no doubt there'd have been a
job for me – I've too much on Turvill for him to sell me down
the river – but everyone else, including you, would have lost
their jobs. Can't you see that's why I was so determined to keep
Englands out of their hands?”

Gabriella
felt the tears that came so easily in the last few weeks springing to
her eyes and she blinked them fiercely away. Oh, why did she keep
getting it so wrong? Was she no longer capable of making judgments?

“
Well,
it's not the end of the world.” He pulled out a handkerchief
and dabbed, a little roughly, at her face. “This is becoming a
regular thing.” He looked down at her. “Do you really
think I'm the bogeyman, Gabriella?”

“
I
- “

He
placed a finger across her lips. “Never mind. Let's just keep
the peace. All right?”

She
sighed. “All right.”

CHAPTER
SEVEN

Word
of Minerva's visit had spread and there were anxious faces at the
meeting that afternoon.

Rod
wasted no time. “I think most of you will already know that the
Managing Director and the Finance Director of Minerva Engineering
approached Miss Stevens and myself this morning with a proposal to
buy Englands. Before we go any further, I want to tell you that their
offer has been refused.”

There
were murmurs of relief from the staff but Gabriella was watching
Frank Fuller. His face had turned grey and he seemed to sway in the
crowd. Then he moved forward until he stood directly before Rod and
Gabriella.

“
Surely
their offer has to go to the Executors?” You don't have the
authority to turn them down.”

Rod
gazed at him calmly. “As a matter of fact, we have.” He
looked around at the hundred or so men and women who crammed the
canteen. “We called this meeting to make an announcement that
we hope will please and reassure all of you here. As from the
beginning of next month Miss Stevens and I will be the new owners of
Englands.”

He
put up a hand to quell the buzz of voices. “There'll be no
sale, no redundancies. We're going to run this Company and with your
help we'll make it one of the most successful in the Midlands. We've
had some production problems recently -” His eyes rested
briefly in turn on Fuller and several of the production personnel -
“but I think they've come to an end. New computerised machinery
is on order, with possibly some additional minders. But we'll also be
retraining several people here to operate them.” He grinned.
“That'll mean an increase in salary, of course. As you know, we
produce a huge range of products – many of them small orders,
which means short runs. But every time we run a different
specification we have to stop production and retool or reset the
machines. There's more wastage and a greater risk of error. I want to
scrap most of the specials and concentrate on our more popular lines.
The quality we're renowned for will still come first, but one of our
most important aims will be to guarantee delivery – even at
short notice.”

Spreading
his hands on the table before him, he leaned forward. “We have
a hell of a good product,” he said. “If we all pull
together, we'll have a hell of a good Company. So – are you
with us?”

Someone
roared “Yes!”. Others cheered, and soon the noise was too
great for Rod to say anything else. He waved his hands in dismissal,
but as they began to file out he beckoned Frank Fuller to stay.

Frank's
expression gave nothing away. His face was still pale, making the
crisp red hair that surmounted it more fiery.

“
We
know what's been happening, Frank,” said Gabriella.

“
I
don't know what you're talking about.”

“
Minerva.
Mr Turvill.”

He
looked away. “I expect you'll be wanting to sack me then,”
he said after a moment.

“
That
depends,” said Rod.

“
If
we'd known before – everyone thought Englands was going to be
sold,” Frank burst out. “I've got a family. Minerva
guaranteed my job if I – if -”

“
There'd
have been no job, Frank. Minerva would have closed Englands down.”
Rod looked at the man thoughtfully. “Frank, we don't like
getting rid of people and you're basically a good manager. If we can
be assured of your loyalty in future, maybe we'd be prepared to give
you a second chance. What do you think?”