“But the share price would collapse overnight.”

“And we’ll pick them up for almost nothing with the profit we make on the bank deal. With a new board in place and a change of name, we’ll soon get the company back to its former status.”

“A change of name?” queried Lady Virginia.

Desmond smiled. “Mellor Shipping. Adrian gets the bank, and I get a shipping company.”

“And what do I get?” said Virginia.

“Exactly what you always wanted, Virginia, the pleasure of bringing the Barrington family to their knees. And you still have a vital role to play, because timing will be everything. Another piece of information I picked up at the last board meeting was that Harry and Emma Clifton will be visiting New York next month, which as chairman she does every year. That will be the perfect time for you to let your friends in the press know what they can look forward to at the trial. It’s important that you get your side of the story over while she’s stuck in the middle of the Atlantic. So by the time Mrs. Clifton returns, she’ll have to defend herself on two fronts: the shareholders will want to know why, as chairman of a public company, she failed to let them know what really happened that night, and at the same time she’ll be having to deal with Virginia’s libel case. I predict it won’t be long before she joins her father as a footnote in the company’s history.”

“One snag,” said Virginia. “My lawyers only give me a fifty-fifty chance of winning the case.”

“By the time the trial opens,” said Sloane, “Emma Clifton will have lost whatever credibility she ever had. The jury will be on your side from the moment you enter the witness box.”

“But if I don’t win, I’ll end up with a hefty legal bill,” persisted Virginia.

“After Mrs. Clifton resigns as chairman of Barrington’s, I can’t see how you lose the case. But in that unlikely eventuality, the bank will happily cover all your costs. Pennies in the grand scheme of things.”

“That doesn’t solve the problem of Sebastian Clifton and his six percent,” chipped in Major Fisher. “Because if he gets a place on the board, he’ll know everything we…”

“I’ve got that covered,” said Sloane. “I’m going to call Clifton and suggest we meet.”

“Perhaps he’ll refuse to see you.”

“He won’t be able to resist, and when I offer him five pounds a share for his stock, giving him a hundred percent profit, he’ll roll over. From what I remember of that boy, he forgets any other commitments the moment he sees a chance to make a killing.”

“But if he were to turn down your offer,” said Fisher.

“Then it’s plan B,” said Sloane. “I don’t care either way.”

*   *   *