Free The Green Flash by Winston Graham

to expand in any substantial way you’d need vastly more than that.’
    â€˜I’ve no doubt.’
    â€˜A million at least – and that just to begin.’
    She waved the cigarette smoke away from her face as if it displeased her.
    â€˜You would have to say all this to John.’
    â€˜If he’ll take it from me. After all he’s twice my age and I’m the intrusive new boy.’
    â€˜We would both have to consider your intrusiveness.’
    What was the use, I thought? Why not get out at this stage? But she still interested me.
    â€˜Well, if you want me to look at it more closely I’ll have a shot. Of course the best way of raising the money would be to go public.’
    â€˜I don’t think John would ever consider that. It might lead to a takeover.’
    Sometimes this morning she seemed to be bringing in the name John deliberately. In the short time I’d been around I’d come to the conclusion that he didn’t count for a lot when it came to major decisions made by the firm. Perhaps she was paying me out for my flippances.
    â€˜It wouldn’t lead to a takeover,’ I said, ‘ if you kept sixty per cent of the shares.’
    â€˜Ah, well, I prefer to borrow from the bank, David.’
    I shrugged. ‘You wanted my views …’
    She said: ‘The more you borrow from a bank, the more concerned they become for your welfare. It is one of the paradoxical facts of financial life.’ Her lips moved in a brief smile. ‘I have no doubt I could get finances if we decided to proceed. My reputation over eight years. And the name of Shona.’
    â€˜Oh, they’d welcome a sound investment, sure enough. But in the one case you’d be paying a hundred thousand pounds a year for the use of their money. In the other the new shareholders would pay you enough to expand free of any cost except only, say, a third share in your declared profits.’
    â€˜Where did you learn all this, David, in your young life? I do not think it can have been so dissolute after all.’
    â€˜You forget that I have a stepfather who is a lawyer.’
    â€˜And you learned this from him?’
    â€˜Probably not.’
    â€˜No, probably not. It is not that sort of knowledge that a boy usually gets from his stepfather. Let me see, how old were you when your own father died?’
    â€˜Eleven.’
    â€˜And your mother remarried soon after?’
    â€˜The following year.’
    â€˜Ah, so. I wonder if that explains anything?’
    â€˜What is it supposed to explain?’ I said.
    â€˜I mean, that a fatherless boy is sometimes like a ship without a rudder … Perhaps ideally all fathers should die when their children are about twenty-five. By then the ship is launched and has taken its true course. After that you do not want two hands at the helm …’
    â€˜But I thought you said you had a father still alive.’
    â€˜Indeed, yes. And I would not be without him. There are exceptions to the rule. Had he died when I was eleven …’
    â€˜You might have turned out the same sort of irresponsible miscreant that I am.’
    â€˜Who knows? But we have wandered from the subject, have we not?’ She put out her cigarette, which had only been to her lips twice. ‘I still have doubts as to the future of Shona, particularly in the small hours. For a huge expansion … There are still not enough people of taste in the world.’
    â€˜Helena Rubinstein would have taken you up on that.’
    â€˜Oh, I know. She created her own market. As others have.’
    â€˜You have to educate people,’ I said. ‘Precious few can really judge for themselves what is absolutely the top, in anything. They get persuaded to want it. That’s not so difficult.’ I stopped. ‘But look, it’s up to you, isn’t it? You’re riding high as you are and nobody is going to push you into this unless you really