The Collected Short Stories - Jeffrey Archer [101]
“You certainly can,” replied Kendall-Hume. “I want to be shown your finest carpets, but I do not intend to pay your finest prices.”
The dealer smiled politely and clapped his hands. Six small carpets were brought in by three assistants who rolled them out in the center of the room. Margaret fell in love with a muted green-based carpet with a pattern of tiny red squares woven around the borders. The pattern was so intricate she could not take her eyes off it. She measured the carpet out of interest: seven by three exactly.
“You have excellent taste, madam,” said the dealer. Margaret, blushing slightly, quickly stood up, took a pace backward, and hid the tape measure behind her back.
“How do you feel about that lot, pet?” asked Kendall-Hume, sweeping a hand across the six carpets.
“None of them is big enough,” Melody replied, giving them only a fleeting glance.
The dealer clapped his hands a second time and the exhibits were rolled up and taken away. Four larger ones soon replaced them.
“Would you care for some coffee?” the dealer asked Mr. Kendall-Hume as the new carpets lay unfurled at their feet.
“Haven’t the time,” said Kendall-Hume shortly. “Here to buy a carpet. If I want a coffee, I can always go to a coffee shop,” he said with a chuckle. Melody smiled her complicity.
“Well, I would like some coffee,” declared Margaret, determined to rebel at some point in the vacation.
“Delighted, madam,” said the dealer, and one of the assistants disappeared to carry out her wishes while the Kendall-Humes studied the new carpets. The coffee arrived a few moments later. She thanked the young assistant and began to sip the thick black liquid slowly. Delicious, she thought, and smiled her acknowledgment to the dealer.
“Still not large enough,” Mrs. Kendall-Hume insisted. The dealer gave a slight sigh and clapped his hands yet again. Once more the assistants began to roll up the rejected goods. He then addressed one of his staff in Turkish. The assistant looked doubtfully at his mentor, but the dealer gave a firm nod and waved him away. The assistant returned a little later with a small platoon of lesser assistants carrying two carpets, both of which when unfolded took up most of the shop floor. Margaret liked them even less than the ones she had just been shown, but as her opinion was not sought she did not offer it.
“That’s more like it,” said Ray Kendall-Hume. “Just about the right size for the living room, wouldn’t you say, Melody?”
“Perfect,” his wife replied, making no attempt to measure either of the carpets.
“I’m glad we agree,” said Ray Kendall-Hume. “But which one, my pet? The faded red-and-blue, or the bright yellow-and-orange?”
“The yellow-and-orange one,” said Melody without hesitation. “I like the pattern of brightly colored birds running round the outside.” Christopher thought he saw the dealer wince.
“So now all we have left to do is agree on a price,” said Kendall-Hume. “You’d better sit down, pet, as this may take a while.”
“I hope not,” said Mrs. Kendall-Hume, resolutely standing. The Robertses remained mute.
“Unfortunately, sir,” began the dealer, “your wife has selected one of the finest carpets in our collection, and so I fear there can be little room for any readjustment.”
“How much?” said Kendall-Hume.
“You see, sir, this carpet was woven in Demirdji, in the province of Izmir, by over a hundred seamstresses, and it took them more than a year to complete.”
“Don’t give me that baloney,” said Kendall-Hume, winking at Christopher. “Just tell me how much I’m expected to pay.”
“I feel it my duty to point out, sir, that this carpet shouldn’t be here at all,” said the Turk plaintively. “It was originally made for an Arab prince who failed to complete the transaction when the price of oil collapsed.”
“But he must have agreed on a price at the time?”
“I cannot reveal the exact figure, sir. It embarrasses me to mention it.”
“It wouldn’t embarrass me,” said Kendall-Hume. “Come on, what’s the price?” he insisted.
“Which currency would you prefer to trade in?” the Turk asked.