The Lorimer Line (6 page)

David showed her first of all the shape of the track through which the lever moved. Then he took her hand and turned it so that her finger could slide beneath the jewelled feather.

Her hand had been firm, he remembered, as he took it earlier that afternoon, but her fingers were soft and cool. For a second time that day David found himself disturbed by her nearness. He licked his lips nervously and edged quickly away when, having moved the lever once, she checked her knowledge by sliding it back again.

John Junius was not a man given to thanks so far as the affairs of Lorimer's Bank were concerned, but his private collection was a different matter. He was brusque, as was his habit, when he expressed his appreciation, but David was aware all the same that he had done himself some good. Perhaps one day some question of promotion might arise, and his name would be remembered with favour.

In the meantime he prepared to take his leave. He would see John Junius from time to time at the bank, of course, but Margaret Lorimer he had no expectation of meeting
again, unless the Bank Holiday invitation were to be repeated next year. As he bowed low over her hand before going in search of her mother, he told himself that it was perhaps just as well.

It happened, however, that a meeting came sooner than he expected. The approach to it was a curious one. It was not part of David's duties at Lorimer's to prepare or revise the valuations of properties which had been accepted as security for bank loans: he was merely required to incorporate the agreed figures into the annual statements of accounts. But as he studied the amounts, noticing the changes in valuation which had taken place annually on the same property, he became too disturbed to remain silent. Etiquette forced him to use Mr Lynch as his channel of communication, but he addressed his written conclusions directly to the chairman.

They were as straightforward as they were critical. For a good many years now the trade and prosperity of Bristol -and indeed of the whole country - had increased steadily with each year that passed. But within the past eighteen months the tide had turned. The cotton industry had suffered earlier from the effects of the American Civil War and agriculture from an influx of cheap food. Now, abruptly, a lack of confidence in every sphere, increased by the costs and uncertainties of wars and unrest abroad, showed itself in a general depression of trade. Income tax had already been raised by a penny and a further increase was thought to be imminent. Values were falling now, not rising. It seemed to David that Lorimer's directors were proving slow to adjust their business to this new situation.

Such an opinion, strongly expressed, might well be regarded as an impertinence. David waited in some anxiety for the chairman's response. It came in a form he could not have anticipated. He was summoned to John Junius's
office, although not invited to sit down. At no time in the interview was his statement mentioned.

‘My daughter,' said the chairman without preamble, ‘interests herself in the sick of the city.'

Bewildered, David bowed his head to acknowledge that he was already aware of this.

‘The charity she supports is generously maintained. But until now, only on the basis of annual subscription. Miss Lorimer has persuaded me of the advantage of opening a capital fund. She is peculiarly specific about her wishes. She appears to have convinced herself that there would be great benefit in acquiring a building on a high and healthy part of the Downs, in which mothers with wasting diseases might recover their health while their children are cared for away from the risk of infection. It is thought that the women would not be so ill as to prevent them taking some domestic responsibilities during their stay, so that running costs would not be too high. All that is required is to meet the cost of purchasing a suitable building.'

He paused, but David had nothing to say.

‘I propose to head the appeal for such a fund. It seems to me to be a suitable charity, and Lorimer's Bank will make a generous contribution. A very generous contribution.'

There were two comments which David would have liked to make at this point. One was that Miss Margaret Lorimer must be a very persuasive and determined young lady indeed. The other was that Lorimer's was not at this moment in any state to make very generous contributions to anything, however worthy. The first matter was none of his business. On the second he felt unable to keep silent.

‘Our present state of liquidity,' he began, and was at once interrupted.

‘I am fully aware of the present state of our available assets. I am aware that a run on the bank in this unrepresentative period could be a cause of some anxiety. I am
also aware, as no doubt you are, Mr Gregson, that there have in the past few months been unfortunate rumours about other banks: rumours which were unjustified when they began but succeeded finally in bringing about precisely the disaster they foretold. I do not intend to allow such a situation to arise here. Lorimer's ability to contribute so generously to this charity will be sufficient proof that there is no anxiety of any kind in its chairman's mind. I did not call you here to ask for your opinion on this point, Mr Gregson, but to request you to keep the accounts for the new fund: more specifically, to act as its treasurer. Until now the ladies supporting the charity have paid money in and drawn it out as they needed it; with good intentions but very little control. It will be necessary now, with larger sums involved, to be more businesslike. Naturally you will receive a fee for the extra work. Since my daughter is to get her way in the larger question of the building, she might as well supervise the small details of expenditure also. I have authorized her to call on you within banking hours whenever she has any matters which need discussion. That is all, Mr Gregson, thank you.'

David accepted his dismissal without further protest. After all, he thought to himself as he left the rich mahogany panelling of the chairman's room for his own austere cubicle, the old man is no fool. The new fund would inevitably use Lorimer's as its bank, so that the first generous contribution would, to start with, represent only a paper transfer. If the appeal were successful, more funds would come into the bank and might not all be spent at once. It was not surprising that John Junius had made sure that the new treasurer should be one of his own employees. The choice of David in particular, and the offer of a fee - to come, presumably, out of the charity's funds -might represent the chairman's indirect thanks for the matter of the golden bird-cage, but at no point had good business sense been sacrificed to sentiment.

David did not find it so easy, as he went back to his desk, to separate the principles of accountancy from the yearnings of his heart. Throughout the rest of that day an unbusinesslike thought interfered with the concentration which all employees of the bank owed to their work. It seemed that he could after all hope to see Miss Margaret Lorimer again.

A young lady who wishes to impress a young gentleman with her business ability must naturally take pains to consider her appearance. Margaret Lorimer looked critically at herself in the glass as Betty crouched at her feet to fasten up her neat kid boots with a last twist of the button hook. Mr Gregson had been appointed by her father to supervise the financial affairs of the fund which would soon be at her disposal, and it was essential that at their first discussion he should recognize her as someone who knew exactly what she wanted. She had particularly chosen the most severely cut jacket she possessed, and it was a coincidence that it happened to fit most tightly round her tiny waist. The plainest bonnet in her wardrobe went with it: it was another accident that it happened to suit her better than any of those whose brims were frilled or pleated.

The need to look businesslike was created by the fact that she had no idea of business whatsoever. Even when she shopped for herself, she carried no money. Every tradesman in the city knew the Lorimers and sought the privilege of opening an account for them. Margaret could select whatever she wanted and walk out of any shop, leaving her purchases to be carried to the coachman or brought up to Brinsley House later. When she needed a new gown she chose the stuff and described the style and
allowed herself to be measured. No price was ever asked or mentioned. She assumed that her choices were reasonable only because when the accounts were eventually presented to her father he made no comment, reserving his disapproval for her mother's extravagances. Since she did not even know the price of a yard of ribbon, she could foresee the difficulty of persuading Mr Gregson that the property she wished to purchase was good value.

Half an hour later she dismounted from her father's carriage in front of Lorimer's head office in Corn Street. Mr Lynch, as obsequious to any member of the family as he was overbearing to the staff, showed her to the cubicle in which the accountant was at work. He was not expecting her, and tugged his paper cuffs off in embarrassment as he jumped to his feet. It was some consolation for her own blushes, Margaret felt, that he appeared to be flushed as well.

‘I'm afraid I disturb your work, Mr Gregson.'

‘I wish every day would bring such a disturbance, Miss Lorimer.' He hesitated for a moment, but proved to be waiting only for the arrival of a more comfortable chair, sent on the instructions of Mr Lynch, so that he could invite her to sit. His working space was not private, being partitioned off on three sides only, but there was no movement past the open part.

‘My father told you, I imagine, that I would come?'

He nodded his head. ‘I have to congratulate you, Miss Lorimer. Your powers of persuasion must be strong.'

‘My feelings are strong,' Margaret corrected him. ‘To tell the truth, it was a surprise to myself when I learned that they were to be indulged.' She had expressed them as a wish only, a vision of something too ideal to be likely. It had taken her by surprise to be told a few days later that she had permission to produce a detailed plan. Her father was unlikely to be interested in the scheme for its own sake. She had taken his brusque approval as a sign that he
wanted to please her, a gesture signifying reconciliation after the coolness caused by her rejection of Walter Crankshaw. It was not John Junius's way to express in so many words his forgiveness for what he saw as her stupidity, but perhaps he had realized that some excuse was needed for her to display again her real affection for him, and for him to accept it. He had seemed pleased when she kissed him in thanks for his unexpected announcement.

Once his support for the plan had been won, Margaret did not wish to weary her father with the discussion of details. Or, to put it more realistically, she knew that if she were to ask his opinion on any matter, he would give not advice but a decision, and one which might not always please her. It would be disloyal to express this attitude to a member of his staff, so she had taken care before she arrived to prepare an alternative explanation of her visit.

‘I have two errands, Mr Gregson,' she said. ‘My mother has promised to give an evening reception to launch the new fund. She will invite those of our acquaintances who may perhaps be persuaded to support it, and also the ladies who have already agreed to serve on its management committee. I hope that you will be able to attend, to make the acquaintance of the committee before its first business meeting is held.'

She delivered the invitation as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Mr Gregson must not be allowed to guess her mother's preliminary horror at the suggestion that a mere accountant should mix socially in her drawing room with the most respected families of Bristol. Nor must he be able to divine the inexplicable confusion she felt at the thought that if he came he would hear her play and sing, for on this occasion she had promised her father that she and Luisa would entertain the guests. Her secret pleasure at the thought that she would be able to display her only talent in his presence must
certainly be unladylike; if it could not be suppressed, it must at least be concealed.

He accepted the invitation before even enquiring its date, and with more difficulty she approached her second request.

‘All decisions regarding the fund must necessarily be made by its committee,' she said. ‘But my experience is that when committees of ladies meet a great deal of talking takes place, not always to the point, and at the end the matter discussed may be left as indefinite as in the beginning. The most important decision naturally relates to the building required: its size and position and whether it should be purchased or built to order. My own views on what is needed are very clear, and I think a great deal of time could be saved if I were able to put a specific proposal to the committee instead of inviting a discussion of possibilities. Are you laughing at me, Mr Gregson?'

She had tried to speak in an efficient manner, so that it was disconcerting to realize how difficult he was finding it not to smile. Her question allowed him to abandon the attempt at concealment.

‘Indeed I am not, Miss Lorimer. I admire your discovery of a principle which many gentlemen in the world of business are never able to comprehend. If I smiled, it was at the thought that you are a true daughter of your father.'

Margaret knew what he meant, and joined a little guiltily in his laughter. But she was pleased to see that this did not divert him from a businesslike attitude.

‘So you have found a suitable property, Miss Lorimer?'

‘I have found one which could be made suitable,' she replied. ‘Its position is ideal, and it possesses the separate outbuildings which would be necessary if children are to be kept out of contact with their mothers. But some alteration would be essential, of course. I am unable to estimate even approximately what this would cost. Nor do I know whether the price being asked for the estate is a fair
one. I have in the past had no occasion ever to consider such prices. But the bank, I believe, often lends money to its customers for the purchase of their houses. I have come to ask you whether you would be willing to visit the estate in my company and give your opinion on the price: whether it is reasonable, and whether our fund could expect to raise the necessary amount.'