Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [69]
‘Monsieur Barat, surely this is not your final offer?’ she challenged him.
Conrad and the pearl buyer blinked at her.
‘Mrs Hennessy, I am a professional dealer, not a horse trader.’
‘I understand, of course. But … ’
‘Olivia … ’ began Conrad, appalled at her questioning of the offer.
The falcon eyes of the pearl buyer from Paris didn’t flicker as he stared at Olivia without expression. ‘I have considerable expenses. If you would prefer to travel to Rue Lafayette or Hatton Garden yourself … ’ He gave a shrug. ‘Besides, you are first-time clients, we have not established a trading relationship as such where I can offer you un prix special … ’
‘It seems to me this is the time to do so then,’ said Olivia sweetly. ‘A special price now will assure we continue to do business with you, for we will know you are a fair and reasonable man. It would save us the trouble of negotiating with other buyers.’
Conrad decided to maintain his silence. Olivia had scored a point. He was at once surprised at and proud of his wife’s boldness.
The pearl buyer unfolded his glasses, slowly put them back on and reached for the scrap of paper. He drew a line through the bottom figure, wrote a new figure and handed the paper back to Olivia. ‘Does that establish a relationship between us, Mrs Hennessy?’ he asked with a thaw in his formal demeanour.
She gave him a brilliant smile. ‘Indeed it does. Star of the Sea Pearls looks forward to seeing you next season, Monsieur Barat. Isn’t that so, Conrad?’
‘Er, yes, quite so … ’ he glanced at the notepad sheet Olivia handed to him.
The pearl buyer stood and put on his jacket. ‘Please allow me to celebrate our business dealing with an aperitif in the Lugger Bar.’ He held out his arm for Olivia to take as Conrad opened the door for them and they all stepped into the garden.
Niah appeared to have settled down. Olivia had had an Indian tailor run up several simple outfits for her, as Niah was reluctant to wear European clothing and preferred sarongs. Olivia had to agree privately she thought this a far more practical outfit and wondered if she might ever dare wear one, away from public gaze. In the back of her mind was the possibility she might take another trip on the Bulanand she imagined how perfect such attire would be on a boat. She wished Conrad enjoyed the sea more so that they could take some trips together.
While the sea might not have held any lure for Conrad, shell and their possible haul of pearls certainly did. He began spending more time in the packing shed when the shell openers and cleaners were at work.
‘So, we’ve got you away from the figures at last,’ said Tyndall, who was watching the men drag the crates of shell to one side ready for shipment.
‘I’d like to be writing up more pearl sales as well as shell,’ remarked Conrad with enthusiasm. ‘I must say it was quite an experience dealing with Monsieur Barat. There really is something special about pearls, isn’t there. Everything about them has a different excitement—the find, the peeling, the selling. When do we start deep diving?’
Tyndall laughed. ‘Bejesus, Conrad, you’ve really taken to this business, but you’ll have to be patient during the wet. It’ll be a few months before we get back to sea. There’s plenty to keep us occupied. Got to finalise the crews, and there are the changes to the lugger.’
‘The new diving suit we ordered from Perth should be on the next steamer,’ added Conrad.
‘I thought I might take a turn on the bottom,’ announced Tyndall casually. ‘Can’t be that difficult to get the hang of.’
‘Do you think that’s wise, John? Damned risky business. One hears such terrible stories … And what about the chap we got the boat from. He’s not good for anything now.’ Conrad was genuinely concerned at the prospect.
‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Ahmed on top keeping an eye on me, and I’ll get plenty of advice from our diver. Which reminds me, we’d better sign him up.’
Olivia was excited