A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett [142]
April said: “If you but knew. Edward and Micky are tame by comparison with some of our customers.”
Even Maisie was startled. The thought of Edward and Micky in bed together with a woman was so odd it made her want to laugh out loud, and she had to make an effort to suppress the chuckle that bubbled up in her throat.
She recalled the night Edward had discovered her and Hugh making love. Edward had been uncontrollably aroused, she remembered; and she had felt intuitively that what inflamed him was the idea of fucking her immediately after Hugh. “A buttered bun!” she said.
Some of the women giggled.
“That’s right,” April laughed.
Emily smiled and looked puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
April said: “Some men like a buttered bun.” The whores laughed louder. “It means a woman who’s just been fucked by another man.”
Emily started to giggle, and in a moment they were all laughing hysterically. It was a combination of the gin, the weird situation, and the talk of men’s peculiar sexual preferences, Maisie thought. Her use of the vulgar phrase had released the tension. Every time the laughter eased one of them would say “A buttered bun!” and they would all collapse into giggles again.
At last they were too exhausted to laugh anymore. When they quietened down, Maisie said: “But where does this leave Emily? She wants to have a baby. She can hardly invite Micky to bed with her and her husband.”
Emily looked miserable.
April caught her eye and held it. “How determined are you, Emily?” she said.
“I’ll do anything,” said Emily. “Really, anything in the world.”
“If you mean that,” said April slowly, “there is something we could try.”
4
JOSEPH PILASTER FINISHED OFF a large plate of grilled lamb’s kidneys and scrambled eggs, and began to butter a slice of toast. Augusta often wondered whether the customary bad temper of middle-aged men had to do with the amount of meat they ate. The thought of kidneys for breakfast made her feel quite ill.
“Sidney Madler has come to London,” he said. “I have to see him this morning.”
For a moment Augusta was not sure who he was talking about. “Madler?”
“From New York. He’s angry about Hugh’s not being a partner.”
“What is it to do with him?” Augusta said. “The insolence!” She spoke superciliously but she was bothered.
“I know what he’ll say,” Joseph said. “When we formed our joint enterprise with Madler and Bell there was an implicit understanding that the London end of the operation would be run by Hugh. Now Hugh has resigned, as you know.”
“But you did not wish Hugh to resign.”
“No, but I could keep him by offering him a partnership.”
There was some risk of Joseph’s weakening, Augusta could see. The thought scared her. She had to stiffen his nerve. “I trust you won’t allow outsiders to decide who shall and who shall not be a partner in Pilasters Bank.”
“Indeed I won’t.”
A thought occurred to Augusta. “Can Mr. Madler terminate the joint enterprise?”
“He could, though he hasn’t threatened to, so far.”
“Is it worth a lot money?”
“It was. But when Hugh goes to work at Greenbournes he’s likely to take most of the business with him.”
“So it really makes very little difference what Mr. Madler thinks.”
“Perhaps not. But I’ll have to tell him something. He’s come all the way from New York just to make a fuss about this.”
“Tell him Hugh has married an impossible wife. He can hardly fail to understand that.”
“Of course.” Joseph stood up. “Good-bye, dear.”
Augusta stood up and kissed her husband on the lips. “Don’t be bullied, Joseph,” she said.
His shoulders straightened and his mouth set in a stubborn line. “I shan’t.”
When he had gone she sat at the table sipping coffee for a while, wondering how serious this threat was. She had tried to bolster Joseph’s resistance but there was a limit to how much she could do. She would have to keep a very close eye on that situation.
She was surprised to hear that Hugh’s departure would cost the bank a lot of money. It had not occurred to her that in promoting Edward and undermining Hugh she was also losing money. For a moment she wondered whether