‘If you feel like that, sir, what is it all about?’ asked Hemingway.

Mottisfont drew a breath. ‘My firm – it’s a private company – deals with the East Indies trade.’

‘Just what is the composition of the company, sir?’

‘Private limited liability. The shares were held by the three of us: Nathaniel Herriard, Stephen Herriard, and myself.’

‘In what proportion, sir?’

‘Nathaniel Herriard held seventy per cent of the shares, myself twenty, and Stephen Herriard ten. When Nathaniel virtually retired from active partnership, I became managing director.’

‘And you, sir?’ asked Hemingway, looking at Stephen.

‘Nothing to do with it. Shares wished on to me when I was twenty-one.’

‘Oh no, the business was just Nathaniel and me!’ said Mottisfont. ‘Well, he more or less retired some years ago, leaving me to carry on.’

‘What does more or less mean, sir?’

‘Less,’ said Stephen.

Mottisfont pointedly ignored this interruption. ‘Well, I don’t suppose anyone who knew Nathaniel will deny that he was by nature an autocrat. He never could keep his fingers out of any pie.’

Joseph protested at this. ‘Edgar, I must point out to you that this pie was of his own making!’

‘Oh, I’m not saying he wasn’t a very clever business man in his day! But you know as well as I do that he was getting past it. Couldn’t keep up with the times: lost his vision.’

‘Any disagreements between you and Mr Herriard on the firm’s policy?’ asked Hemingway.

‘Yes, many. Trade has been very bad during the last few years, particularly bad for our business. The Sino-Japanese war was a crippling blow. Nathaniel had been out of things for too long to be able to cope with the new situation. I always had to fight to get my own way. Dear me, I can recall occasions when he’s threatened me with every kind of disaster! But that was just his way. If you let him bluster himself out, in the end he always listened to reason. Those letters you have under your hand refer to a deal I wanted to put through, and which he was frightened of. I could show you dozens of others just like them, if I hadn’t destroyed them.’

‘What was this deal, sir?’

‘Well, unless you’re a business man, I don’t suppose you’d understand it,’ said Mottisfont.

Stephen’s bitter mouth curled. ‘Nothing very difficult to understand about it,’ he said, his voice harsh enough to make Mottisfont start.

‘I was not aware that you were in Nathaniel’s confidence!’ Mottisfont said, his eyes snapping behind their spectacles.

Stephen laughed. Joseph laid a hand on his arm. ‘Gently, old man! We don’t want to make mischief, do we?’

‘Damn you, don’t paw me about!’ Stephen said, shaking him off. ‘I’ve been quite sufficiently nauseated by Mottisfont’s pretty picture of his own totally non-existent influence over Uncle Nat. So you could handle him, could you? You just let him bluster himself out, did you? By God, I won’t have the old devil belittled by a damned little worm like you! You went in mortal dread of him, and well you know it!’