The Philanthropist's Danse (8 page)

W
illiam looked around the table and saw an assortment of worried faces and poker faces. He knew that deal-making and maneuvering had begun, it was inevitable. He hoped the Thurwells had allied with each other. If not, the whole thing might be over before they even realized what was going on.

Freddie Hagood looked unconcerned as he observed the group, much as Bird was doing.
Have you made a move, Freddie
? Bird wondered. Time would tell, but now he had to call them back to business. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ll resume now. Your introductions are complete, so I return the meeting to you.”

Junior attracted people’s attention with a wave of his hand. He intended to chair the meeting.

“Alright, now know who we all are, even if it is unclear
why
some of you are here.” He threw a dismissive look at Hagood and continued, feeling the thrill of power as everyone listened to his every word. “We must settle this business before the end of the day to avoid the ridiculous penalty. Everyone must realize that a smaller share today will be worth more than a larger share tomorrow.”

Freddie interrupted. “I agree with Mr. Thurwell, we should settle this quickly. So let’s vote on equal shares, and then we can all go home equally rewarded.”

Junior was startled to hear himself referred to as Mr. Thurwell, a title he associated with his father. He was more concerned that a large number of people were in agreement with Hagood. Everyone looked back to Junior. He silently cursed Hagood who was trying to paint him into a corner as the impediment to a quick agreement.

Freddie appeared perfectly calm, which worried Junior. “Freddie, my siblings and I believe we are entitled to a much larger share than you others.” He realized his slip, but too late to take it back.

“Well said brother. It is only correct that family comes first, non?” Camille was pleased Junior had made it so easy for her to remind everyone that she, too, was a Thurwell. Junior was furious. He reddened and wanted to scream to shut her up, but restrained his base instincts and forced a thin smile for the French girl. “Yes, of course, family first. If we can agree the family is entitled to seventy-five percent, we’ll distribute the rest equally and will all be home for dinner.” He suggested it without hope but was still taken aback at the force of the rejection.

Everyone except his siblings and Larry seemed to be shouting at him. Junior looked around in panic. He saw Freddie’s face twisted into an ugly visage of greed and Janice Elliot openly mocked his proposal. Junior was only saved when Larry MacLean hammered his hand on the table and called the group to order.

When everyone quieted, Larry spoke. “Now listen, what Junior suggested is fair, if you accept that the family deserves most of their father’s money.” There were murmurs of discontent, but everyone listened. “But my friend Johnston didn’t seem to think family was most important when he gave us each an equal vote, so what are we to think? If he wanted to give his children a large inheritance, why not just do it and leave them out of this farce? The fact is, we’re all here as equals, and we’ll have to agree a deal from that foundation.”

Junior assumed Bethany had failed to recruit MacLean and darted an accusing glance in her direction. Her eyes were calm, and she gave him a barely perceptible shake of the head, a signal that MacLean was on board. Junior’s mind raced.
Then what was Larry’s purpose with this speech
?

“My oldest friend in the world is dead, and for some reason, he saw fit to call the twelve of us here to share in his fortune. I, for one, would like to understand why each of us was invited. I think that is at least as important as who we are.” Bird watched MacLean with admiration. He’d managed to get everyone to calm down and think about why they had been invited here. Only Hagood seemed unmoved.

Bethany added her voice to MacLean’s. The tearful girl had been replaced by the businesslike vice-president her father had depended on. “Larry is right. I want to know what each of you meant to my father before we make any decision about how to distribute his money. We all know why Larry is here, and myself and my family is obvious, even our… sister, is understandable.” She did not see the French girl’s self-satisfied smirk, but kept her eyes straight ahead. “I’m surprised my father invited Dennis and Janice, but I think I understand it.

I can even understand why Betty is here. All of us had close connections to my father.” She paused, and the people she mentioned visibly relaxed, but they all stared intently at the remaining four.

Junior recovered from his slip to pick up the thread. “Yes, well said, both of you. We should know why our father invited you here. Caroline, with all due respect, you were just another manager in father’s empire. He could have invited any number of his executives, but he didn’t. You run the Foundation yet were singled out to be here. I’m curious about that.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. “Let me finish. Then we have Freddie, father’s greatest rival. Why are you here, Freddie? I’m interested to know why he wanted you here.” Freddie shrugged. He was content to listen but not offer Junior an answer.

Junior continued, pointing now at Ron Freeman. “Judge, there are questions about you that I’d like answered. Your membership in this group is a puzzle to me.” Freeman glared but didn’t respond. He didn’t dare. Everyone turned to look at the one person still to be addressed.

Junior looked at the old lady. “Mrs. Tremethick. You are, by far, the greatest mystery. You claim to have never known my father and, considering the geography, I’d have to agree a connection is unlikely. Yet here you are, in my father’s mansion with an equal vote in how to divide his fortune. I want to know who you are, what you meant to my father and why you have no idea of the reason for your invitation.”

Winnie regarded Junior with sad, tired eyes. She lowered her eyes and tried to ignore the eleven curious people staring at her.

$

Freddie Hagood looked calm on the outside, but he had not expected this turn of events. He had hoped for an easy vote to eject the old woman and then lobby more recruits to his alliance. Now he may have to explain his presence, and that was dangerous. The others could not discover his secret, or he would be at their mercy. He had to think, he’d had no time to prepare a cover for this eventuality. He cursed Johnston Thurwell.
What had he been thinking
?

Larry looked at the lawyer. “William, do you know why these people are here?”

“Larry, I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you anything unless my instructions permit it. My job was to get you all here, explain the situation and monitor your deliberations. Once you start voting, it’s my job to record the outcome of the votes and make the proper payments at the conclusion of your business. That’s all. I can’t chair the group, I can’t answer your question, and I can only offer limited advice. Is that clear?”

Larry nodded. Bird had the trust of the group. He was the only common link between them, having arranged to get each of them to the mansion. Even the lies he had told had been forgiven. Each of them stood to be rich, what was the point of being angry with the man that brought them that opportunity?

Freddie spoke before the others could continue. “I acknowledge I’m in a minority, but I disagree that investigating the reasons we’re here is more important than the fact there is a heavy penalty if we don’t reach an agreement before midnight.”

He looked at Bethany, Philip and Junior. “How much money are you willing to sacrifice to find out why your father invited me? Or the Judge? Or this old lady?” He saw that he had hit a nerve with Janice the housekeeper and perhaps Camille Jolivet too. “Mrs. Tremethick says she wants to go home. I say we give her what she wants.”

Winnie looked at Hagood and wondered if he was being kind and looking out for her wishes, or if he just wanted one less rival to share the money with. Bethany shook her head. “No Freddie, not so fast. I want to know why she is here, and while I agree with Junior that the family should take the most money, I’m unwilling to send anyone away with nothing. Father invited everyone for a reason, even if we don’t know what it is.”

Hagood had assumed Bethany would want a fast end to the chaos, but realized she had become curious about the people. She wanted to understand her father’s last actions. She needed closure. Freddie went all in. He expected to lose but decided to push the issue and see who might be vulnerable under pressure. “I want to propose a vote anyway. All in favor of sending Mrs. Tremethick home raise your hands.”

Junior and Larry shouted protests, but William brought the group to order. “Anyone can propose a vote. Freddie has the same rights you all have and proposing a vote is one of those rights. But you must follow the rules, Freddie. Every proposal must have a second. Do we have a second for Freddie’s motion?” Judge Freeman seconded Hagood’s motion, carefully avoiding the eyes of any family member.

Junior glared at the Judge then moved his malevolent gaze to the lawyer, but Bird stared him down and opened his laptop. “The motion is to remove Mrs. Tremethick without a share in Mr. Thurwell’s fortune. When I call your name, cast your vote.”

“Mr. MacLean?”

“Nay.”

“Mr. MacLean votes nay.”

“Mr. Johnston C. Thurwell III?”

“No.”

“Mr. Thurwell votes nay.”

“Ms. Bethany Thurwell?”

“No.”

“Ms. Thurwell votes nay.”

“Mr. Philip Thurwell?”

“No.”

“Mr. Thurwell votes nay.”

“Ms. Camille Jolivet?” Camille paused for a moment, avoided a sharp look from Bethany and cast her vote. “Oui.”

“Ms. Jolivet votes aye.”

“Mrs. Janice Elliot?”

Janice didn’t care why the old lady had been invited. Her only interest was increasing her own share. “Yes.”

“Mrs. Elliot votes aye.”

“Mr. Dennis Elliot?”

Janice stared down the length of the table at her husband, willing him to copy her vote, but Dennis refused to look at her. He looked at the old woman in the corner with curiosity. He too wanted to know why she was here. He sighed when he saw his wife glaring at him. He knew what she wanted him to do, and he lowered his eyes so he would not witness his wife’s fury. “No.”

“Mr. Elliot votes Nay.”

“Mrs. Caroline Smith?”

“Aye.”

“Mrs. Smith votes Aye.”

“Judge Ronald Freeman?”

“Aye.”

“Judge Freeman votes Aye.”

“Ms. Elizabeth Freah?”

“No.”

“Ms. Freah votes Nay.”

“Mr. Frederick Hagood?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Hagood votes Aye.”

“Mrs. Winifred Tremethick?”

“No, thank you.”

“Mrs. Tremethick votes Nay.”

William counted the votes. “The motion to have Mrs. Tremethick removed is defeated seven to five. I’ll remind you that nine votes are required to pass a motion.”

Winnie sat perfectly still, thinking about what had happened. She was irritated that Freddie Hagood had tried to throw her out while pretending it was for her own benefit. Winnie was increasingly curious about why she had been invited to America. Despite her inability to sleep at night, she felt as if she was in the middle of one of her beloved BBC detective stories and wanted to find out how it ended.

Freddie Hagood was disappointed his motion failed, but he was far from upset. He had gained useful intelligence about his fellow guests. He was surprised to discover he may be able to manipulate Camille Jolivet against the family and hoped Janice Elliot and Caroline Smith might be persuaded to join him. Freddie leaned back in his seat and calculated the angles as those around him prepared to continue.

P
hilip Thurwell was not used to being restricted in one place. He longed to be outside in the fresh air and felt as if he were suffocating in the conference room’s turgid atmosphere. He looked around. No one wanted to take charge following the heated vote. Philip looked at William Bird who seemed content to sit and do nothing. The bastard was collecting his fat fee no matter the outcome for the rest of them.

Philip rapped the table with his knuckles to get everyone’s attention. His nervousness made him rap too hard, and he not only startled the group, he also hurt his hand. He grimaced but realized everyone stared at him. He tried to morph his pained expression into a smile, but it looked as awkward as it felt, and Philip felt his face redden. “This is going nowhere. We’ll sit here and propose motions, and none of them will pass, and before we know it all the money will be gone.”

He spoke too fast, but his point was clear and he saw some agreement for it. He felt good until a voice challenged him. “So what do you propose, Phil?” Freddie’s question startled Philip. He didn’t have a plan, only a feeling that they weren’t getting anywhere. Now Freddie had put him on the spot with the obvious question and seemed amused at Philip’s unpreparedness.

Philip felt anger rise in his chest and looked away from Hagood’s smug expression to the lawyer. “We need a person to take charge of this, a Chair.” Bird nodded. “Good idea Philip, whom do you suggest?”

“Well, I don’t know who…” Philip was flustered, he was afraid he’d given Freddie a chance to grab a powerful position. He scrambled. “Junior should do it. What do you say Junior? You’re the oldest, you should be in charge.” Junior smiled and prepared to accept his brother’s nomination when he heard several objections. Caroline and Freddie noisily talked over each other, both objecting to a family member as Chair.

Junior began to argue, and the volume of their fight rose quickly until he found himself on his feet shouting at Caroline amid sudden silence. Freddie had stopped cold, and everyone looked at Junior with shocked expressions. Caroline Smith sat stunned. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with revulsion.

Junior’s mind raced. What had he said? He had a hot temper and sometimes would fly off the handle. He cast a desperate look at Bethany, who stared into space, unable to look at him. He glanced at Philip, who looked defeated. Finally, he looked at Caroline Smith who glared back at him as hot color rushed back to her face.

Junior remained on his feet but felt suffocated by the weight of the silence around him. Then he understood. He recalled his words to Caroline and groaned as he sank into his chair. He had never liked Smith. He was suspicious of her rampant ambition. He’d once incurred his father’s wrath for referring to the woman as
a monstrous cunt
. He had just used the same epithet, to her face, in front of everyone.

William broke the silence and tried to gloss over the incident. “Philip has a valid point, but the choice of Chair is yours. We have three volunteers for the job so far, Mr. Hagood, Ms. Smith and Junior. Are any others interested?”

MacLean raised his hand after a glance at Bethany, who nodded quickly. Junior had blown his chance to gain the position and had tainted the rest of the family too. If anyone was going to watch over the interests of the philanthropist’s family, it would be have to be Larry MacLean.

William acknowledged MacLean’s raised hand. “Okay, we have four candidates. We’ll settle this by voting, but we can make do with a show of hands as you are not deciding any monetary shares. If we need more than one round, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be dropped until we have a candidate with a super-majority.”

The group agreed, and more than a few of them wished William could lead the group with his efficient organization and no-nonsense manner. He called them to order. “Let’s begin. All in favor of Mr. Thurwell raise your hands.” Junior raised his hand and looked at the others. Not one other hand was raised in support. Even his siblings could not look at him. He felt anger rise, but bit his lip. It was his temper that caused his humiliation in the first place.

William noted the sole vote for Junior and called the next name. “Those in favor of Mr. Hagood, raise your hands.” Freddie raised his, the Judge followed suit and Camille joined them. Three votes. William noted the count and moved on to Caroline Smith. Like Junior, she received only her own vote. She looked embarrassed but had the sense to say nothing.

William called Larry MacLean’s name, and seven hands went up. Bethany, Philip, the Elliots, Betty Freah and Winnie Tremethick added their votes to MacLean’s own. He recorded the votes. “Mr. Thurwell and Ms. Smith are eliminated. The choice is between Mr. Hagood and Mr. MacLean. You’ll need to vote again. Those in favor of Mr. Hagood, raise your hands.”

Freddie saw the Judge and Camille vote for him again, joined this time by Caroline Smith. Four votes. William called for a show of hands for Larry who received the same seven votes as before, plus the unhappy addition of Junior. MacLean took eight votes. “The tally is eight votes to four in favor of Mr. MacLean, so you have no winner. I recommend you break to allow candidates to lobby for support. It’s almost noon, we’ll break for lunch and resume this afternoon.”

The lawyer stood to leave, but was stopped in his tracks by Camille Jolivet’s unmistakable accented voice. “There is no need for such a delay, Monsieur Bird. I am happy to change my vote in favor of Monsieur MacLean. If my dear sister is so confident in him, then so am I.”

Freddie Hagood was frustrated but did not object. He realized his chance to lead the group was over, but that would not stop his bid for control of the voting. He looked at Bird and smiled his most agreeable smile. “I don’t object to Ms. Jolivet changing her vote, but I think we should formalize it, don’t you, William?”

Bird nodded. “I agree, please vote again. Those in favor of Mr. MacLean, please show your hands.” Ten hands rose. No-one was surprised to see Camille vote for MacLean, but everyone was taken aback to see Freddie’s hand rise. The lawyer announced the winner. “Ten votes. A super-majority means you have a Chairman. Congratulations Larry, I hand it over to you.”

MacLean thanked the lawyer and immediately proposed a lunch break, suggesting the afternoon would progress more agreeably after a good meal.

$

As the group rose for lunch, Caroline marched to Freddie and challenged him. “Why did you switch your vote Freddie, not even supporting yourself?” He smiled slyly. A potential ally had come to him. “I decided it was a hill I didn’t need to die on. Let’s face it, the influence of the Chair goes only so far.”

He took her elbow and steered her toward the dining room. “Why don’t we have lunch and a chat and perhaps we’ll find a way for those of us outside the family to help each other to a fair reward.” She smiled and allowed him to escort her, already calculating how best to take advantage of this sly man.

Bethany hissed for Junior to join her. He looked even unhappier than he had during the voting. Bethany sent Philip to ask Camille to join them. Junior looked at his sister and muttered an apology. He realized his outburst had cost the family an important position of influence. Larry joined them, and Junior turned on the older man. “Well Larry, you greedy prick, you’ll at least earn your extorted fee now.”

Bethany shot her older brother a look. “Junior, for God’s sake shut up. You did this to yourself. Your filthy mouth and rotten temper just cost us dearly, so don’t yell at Larry. He’s our best shot at getting what’s ours, you idiot.” MacLean raised his hands and petitioned for peace. “Its okay, Beth. I don’t blame Junior for being upset. I didn’t want the Chair, but I didn’t want Freddie to take it either. I’m happy to represent the family interest, but we do have an agreement, and I expect it to be honored.

“Junior, I only volunteered after your blow-up. Before that, I was with you all the way. You lost everyone’s support with your outburst and I felt as if I had to step in to make sure you had someone to look out for your interests. What I get out of this does not change my love for this family, it’s that you can count on, not how much money I get out of it.”

Junior glared at MacLean. “Fine, I get it. I fucked up, and you saved the day. Great, thank you. But let’s not pretend this is about anything other than money, Larry. You’re as greedy as the rest of them. You better make damned sure the family gets the lion’s share, or I’ll—”

He trailed off, his voice quivering with anger. Larry raised an eyebrow but said nothing, Philip approached with Camille at his side and Maclean decided it was a bad time to start another confrontation with the mercurial Junior.

Bethany suppressed a shudder as her half-sister approached. She couldn’t decide it was jealousy she felt, or something else. She had lost her lifelong status as her father’s only daughter and discovered her revered father had been ordinary enough to sire an illegitimate child. Bethany knew she would need to get over her emotions and concentrate on the big picture. To hold on to her inheritance.

Camille had helped them by switching her support to Larry. If it were an attempt to build a bridge to the family, Bethany would accept the gesture. She knew future motions were a numbers game. Whoever controlled the most votes also controlled who got the money. She would reluctantly accept Camille for the benefit of gaining her valuable vote. Bethany figured she would never need to see the French girl once the negotiations were over, and she greeted her half-sister as warmly as she could manage.

Camille saw Bethany’s smile but noticed how its warmth failed to touch her sister’s eyes. She had been instantly rewarded for her gamble to throw her lot in with the family, when Philip begged her to join them. She had been looking to be included from the moment Junior insisted they should take the largest portion of the fortune.

The vote for Chair had been the perfect opportunity for her to demonstrate her value to them. She had voted for Freddie Hagood because she had accurately guessed no one would gain a super-majority in the first round. She had planned to change her vote in the second round to support the Thurwell’s candidate. She could explain her first vote for Hagood as logical support for the most experienced candidate for the job.

Bethany fussed over Camille and took her by the arm as they walked to the dining room. The brothers crowded around their new sister, anxious to win her over. Larry followed alone as he thought about the French girl’s changed vote. He made a mental note to pay close attention to what she did and said in the coming hours. He suspected her to be a mercenary who would attach herself to whomever offered the biggest payday. He would need to make sure Freddie did not find a way to turn her away from the family.

Larry recalled Dennis and Janice Elliot had supported his bid for Chair, so too had Winnie Tremethick. He suspected the old lady had voted against Hagood, rather than for him, but if he could add those three votes to the family bloc it might be possible to eject the Judge, Freddie and Caroline.

He smiled at the prospect of seeing Freddie and Caroline tossed aside with little or nothing of his friend’s fortune, both were grasping hyper-achievers. He didn’t know much about the Judge, and he didn’t care. There was something suspicious about the man, and for that reason alone, MacLean would see him off as quickly as possible.

Larry found a quiet spot for the family, so they could talk away from the curious ears of the others. He saw Freddie with Caroline Smith and suspected he was working some angle to get her to join a rival bloc. The Judge sat alone but stared at Freddie’s back wearing a dejected expression. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

Freeman had voted for Hagood in both rounds, and Larry was certain the Judge had already been recruited into Hagood’s camp, but he had no idea what he might have been promised. Larry would need to answer that question if the Judge proved difficult to eliminate. MacLean did some quick calculations. He assumed Freddie would secure Smith, and if he already had the Judge, Freddie controlled three votes. For his part, Larry had the Thurwells plus Camille and Betty. With his vote, that gave his group six solid supporters.

The three people not affiliated with a faction were the Elliots and Winnie Tremethick. If Freddie recruited any one of the three, he would have the ability to block any motions and the situation would get messy, fast. Larry had to convince all three to join his group, or at least ensure they did not join Freddie. He saw Jeremy escort the old lady to an unoccupied table and saw an opportunity. He excused himself and moved to join Winnie Tremethick.

$

Winnie looked forward to a roast beef sandwich that Jeremy promised would be served with proper English mustard rather than the pale yellow liquid she had endured last night. She would have liked a pickled egg on the side, but not even the capable Jeremy could conjure up obscure English delicacies in the middle of a winter storm.

She saw MacLean’s approach and tried to suppress her irritation at his timing. He asked if he could join her and since she could not refuse without being rude, she agreed. Jeremy delivered the old lady’s sandwich and inquired about Larry’s lunch. He nodded at Winnie’s sandwich. “I’ll have what she’s having, thanks.”

Winnie looked at her food and her stomach growled with anticipation. Her manners would make her wait until her companion’s food was served, but she was pleasantly surprised when he asked her not to wait. She took a large bite and smiled with satisfaction. Jeremy had delivered on his promise.

“Hello Mrs. Tremethick, we haven’t spoken directly and I’d like to introduce myself. You might remember that I am… I was… Mr. Thurwell’s lifelong friend. We were close before we started University together, by the time we graduated, we were inseparable. I feel his loss keenly, but I am concerned that his money be divided fairly.”

Winnie nodded. She might be old, but there was nothing wrong with her memory. She’d be happy if some people would give her consideration for not being a fool. “I remember very well what you said before, Mr. MacLean. I know your next question is how I knew your friend. I’ll repeat my answer, I didn’t know him.”