9

The Problems Begin

It was now just after Christmas, a month since James had died, and I was still feeling his loss greatly. I didn’t have time to think about being lonely though, there was too much I had to take care of now that I was the owner of the estate.

I had yet to face the IPC, and I still had to make my decision as to what to do with New York district. I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep it considering blood was shed for it, but I only had a few weeks until I would have to go before the Council, so I had to make a decision about it soon. The IPC had given me time after the funeral to get myself together, but I was nervous about what was going to happen.

Mick, the West side pimp from York, became invaluable to me during the past month. He had shown up at the funeral and pulled me aside afterwards for a chat. When he saw how lost I was with everything he volunteered to help me get James’ affairs settled. I don’t think I could have got through everything without him. He was also helping me with what I would need to do when I faced the Council, which was something I was beginning to dread.

On this particular day, I didn’t have time to worry about the Council. Today was wages day for the staff, and I was completely baffled as to what I was supposed to do. I went down to James’ private study and got the money from his safe, but beyond that, I was at a loss. James had left behind a will that explained quite a lot of what I would need to do to run the estate, but right now it wasn’t much help. Despite instructions, there were still many things that were too vague to understand or weren’t even listed at all.

Paying out the wages was one of those vague things unfortunately. James said I was to refer to the audit books, but he neglected to say where the books were. For nearly an hour both Andrew and I searched through James’ bedroom and the study, but as of yet, there was still no sign of the books in question.

‘Andrew, are you sure you don’t know where he kept the audit books?’ I asked in exasperation as we once again combed the study.

Andrew shook his head. ‘Sorry, Boss, wish I did. I collected the money and put it in the safe, and then he would come collect it at night and work on the books. I never thought I’d need to know where he kept ‘em.’

Andrew had taken to calling me “Boss” after James’ funeral. It was his way of telling me that he was going to make sure that nothing happened to me, because I knew he was still feeling responsible for James’ death. He had been entrusted to protect James, and in front of his very eyes James had been murdered. I knew he was having trouble dealing with that fact, which was why when he started calling me “Boss” I didn’t argue it with him.

‘Well, this is just peachy. I’m to be handing out pay packets, and I have nothing to tell me how much to pay out!’ I grumbled in frustration and began toying with a small key ring I found in James’ jewellery box when we had been searching his room.

Andrew didn’t say anything; instead, he was looking at the key ring. ‘Boss, that’s it!’

‘What do you mean, “That’s it?” What are you on about?’ I asked.

‘The key ring … that was James’ private key ring!’ he said taking the keys from my hand now. ‘I bet he has the books locked up somewhere, and these are the keys for wherever they’re at!’

‘Of course, we should have realised it sooner! He wouldn’t keep audit books lying round in the open; he’d have kept them locked away from prying eyes. Question now is, where did he keep them?’ I asked and looked round the study again.

‘The desk,’ Andrew said coming round the large desk. He knelt down on the right side where earlier we had discovered two locked draws. ‘It’s got to be in one of these.’

‘No doubt,’ I nodded, and watched as Andrew tried every key on the ring. The very last key was the one we wanted. ‘Good going, Andrew!’ I grinned and took the finance ledger from the drawer. ‘Now let’s see what’s what eh?’

Andrew nodded and took a seat whilst I began to sort through the ledger. It was well organised with each section tabbed. The section I wanted was the staff wages, and twenty minutes later I counted out the money and had Andrew put them into the proper envelopes.

‘I’ll just run these to the staff,’ he said as he gathered up the envelopes. ‘Do you need anything else, Boss?’

‘No, I’m fine thanks,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘I’m going to go over the ledger a bit longer to get a handle on the expenses. I didn’t know there was so much to it all!’ I groaned.

‘James would say the same thing sometimes,’ he chuckled. ‘All right then, I’ll make the payouts and head back to the desk. We have a few clients due in shortly so I want to make sure I’m there when they arrive,’ he said as he glanced at his watch.

‘Sounds good, I’ll ring you if I need anything,’ I replied.

When he left I turned to the section on house funds. I had re-opened the manor a few days after the funeral since the boys were anxious to get back to work. I wasn’t taking any clients yet other than Mike. He had refused to let me put him off, and honestly, I enjoyed his company. He was grounding for me, something I needed desperately. I was so grateful for his company that I didn’t even charge him for his time.

The problem I now faced was that word about the manor had spread like wildfire since James’ death. With only the ten boys working, it was getting more and more difficult to take on all the new clients. I had to limit working times to half-hour slots to accommodate everyone, and I was worried about doing that because I didn’t want the boys to become overworked.

I had no clue what I could do about it, and looking at the ledger I hoped the answer would be there, but the more I saw, the more my heart began to sink. When I finished looking things over three hours later, I picked up the phone and asked Andrew to rejoin me.

‘You wanted me, Boss?’ Andrew asked.

‘Yes … err … Andrew …’ I began, unsure exactly how to word what I needed to say. ‘Do me a favour and look this over. Tell me if what I am seeing is what you see as well,’ I said and pushed the ledger towards him.

Andrew sat down and took up the ledger then after a few minutes looked back at me in surprise. ‘Is this right?’

‘I don’t know,’ I frowned, ‘I was hoping you might know.’

‘Sorry, Boss, but like I said, James never let me see this stuff. I never thought to question him on the finances.’

‘Andrew, if what I’m seeing is correct … we’re in a lot of trouble,’ I said quietly.

Andrew nodded and handed me back the book. ‘How bad is it over all?’

‘It’s bad, Andrew. If I am right, and I think I am … we have roughly six months — if that — before we are completely bankrupt.’

‘Six months?’ Andrew asked in alarm. ‘How can that be?’

‘That’s what I wondered when I first looked things over,’ I sighed wearily. ‘I went over all the figures from as far back as I could to see if I had missed something, but I haven’t. The ledgers date back to the 1800s when the manor first became what it is, so I was able to track down exactly where things started going bad. Here, let me show you what I found,’ I said and pulled out a second ledger.

I opened it to a page that I had bookmarked earlier. ‘Here, this is where it started,’ I said tapping a section of the book. ‘Back in 1945 a large donation was made anonymously to the manor for the sum of £5.000.000. Something to do with services to help the war efforts, but I have a feeling it had to do with the boys. Anyway, at that point the manor was completely broke so the donation was a Godsend.’

‘The Master at the time, Nigel Bennett, decided to add-on the external wings. It looks like he was going to make the new wings rather elaborate, but Bennett died within the first year of construction, that’s when Milton took over as the new Master. Milton had the work stopped and new floor plans drawn up, and then spent the next five years re-doing the manor into a more “business-like” atmosphere.’

‘Does it say why he did that?’ Andrew asked curiously.

‘According to the notes I found, building smaller rooms would be easier to maintain. Instead of have five luxury bedrooms with attached sitting rooms in each wing he made them more dormitory-like. Smaller rooms with no sitting rooms meant that they could put ten bedrooms on each floor instead of five.’

‘Well that makes sense,’ Andrew nodded.

‘Yes, it does to me as well, except Milton didn’t just stop at building the wings. Several of the rooms that had been in the main house he put on the ground floor of the wings, then re-did the main house to be the centrepiece of the manor. By doing what he did he brought the count of the manor up to two hundred rooms in total. He now had room for extra boys, and he did fill most of those rooms mind you, but after the war business dropped considerably. He spent another half a million pounds over to re-do the manor. If you look here,’ I said and tapped another section of the ledger, ‘you’ll see that by 1960 he had only £1.000.000 left of the funds that were donated.’

‘So he did,’ Andrew said, as he looked things over. ‘Looks like he lost quite a bit of money.’

‘He did,’ I nodded. ‘In fact, he lost over half a million pounds by changing round the floor plans a second time. Things picked up again in the sixties, but even then, the manor couldn’t make up the losses. The remaining funds from the original donation had already dwindled considerably, and when James inherited the manor he only added to the problems I’m afraid.’

‘Assuming James knew about all of this, why did he spend money as he did?’ Andrew asked in surprise.

‘Oh, I am sure he knew, but James was James,’ I sighed. ‘He was born into a life of luxury and couldn’t bear to part with it. And because he kept up the lifestyle he was accustomed to, I am now the one to suffer for it.’

‘There has to be a way to make things right, Boss. We can’t let the manor go skint, it would be devastating,’ Andrew said.

‘I know, believe me, I know,’ I said in a hard voice. ‘I couldn’t bear to think of the consequences if that happened. I just don’t know what to do about it. There are only ten boys working right now, not to mention several cottages are vacant because they need repairs. The farm is no help either, that blasted farmer is paying sporadically as it is. Face it, Andrew, we’re losing money rapidly, and even though I intend to start cutting corners, it may not put a dent in the problem. Between the upkeep of the manor and the lack of incoming funds, I just can’t see staying open more than six more months at best.’

‘There has to be a way out of this, Boss. There just has to be,’ Andrew said.

‘Like what?’ I asked in frustration. ‘How can I change round a loss like this? We’re not talking about making a few hundred pounds to keep the estate running monthly; we’re talking about thousands of pounds. Even if I used my own funds I couldn’t come up with enough to keep this place running forever!’

‘Maybe not, but if anyone can come up with ideas on how to fix things, it’s you, Boss,’ he said and got to his feet. ‘Getting upset about it ain’t going to help solve this I reckon.’

‘You’re right, I have to do something, Andrew; I can’t let the manor shut down. I won’t let it,’ I said firmly.

‘I know you won’t, Boss,’ he smiled and headed for the door. ‘I have to get back to the reception desk, got some more clients due in soon. Are you going to tell the boys about this?’

‘No, not yet,’ I said shaking my head. ‘I don’t want to worry them until I have to.’

‘Good idea,’ he nodded, ‘no point getting them worked up as well. Ring me if you need anything, and in the meantime I’ll try to come up with some ideas myself.’

‘Thanks, Andrew, I knew I can count on you,’ I smiled as he walked out of the study.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about the situation. Of all the things I could have imagined, going bankrupt wasn’t one of them. I spent the next few hours going over the books yet again, but nothing new came up. When all was said and done, I still came up with the same problem — the estate spent more than it brought in. The way I saw things, if I cut down every expense to bare minimum, the manor might be able to survive another year. Even then, if I didn’t do something by the middle of next year I would have to close Blackwood for good.

As the days went on, I continuously thought about the predicament I was in and how I could solve it before it was too late. I wanted to blame James for spending all that he had during his time as Master, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. I made sure not to let on to anyone what was happening, only Andrew and myself knew the dire straits we were in, and both of us were thinking furiously of an answer. The start of the New Year did little to ease my worries either, if anything it only added to them since I was also now forced into thinking about the Council meeting.

Finally, the day came when I was to face the Council. I spent the entire night before going over my plans, but I was still undecided as I climbed into the car to head for London. I had discussed things with Mick as to what I should do, but he only said I should do what I felt was right, which was little help in my decisions. We were almost to London when suddenly something hit me like a ton of bricks and I turned to look at Andrew excitedly.

‘Andrew, let me see the ledger for the New York district,’ I said.

‘Sure, Boss,’ he said, and took out a thick red and black book. ‘Something up?’

I didn’t say anything as I looked things over then nearly burst out laughing at what I was seeing. ‘My God, Andrew, this is it! Well part of it anyway.’

‘Err … part of what, Boss?’ he asked in confusion.

‘Of course, it makes sense … I should have seen it sooner,’ I said more to myself than to him as I continued to scan the ledger. I slid over next to Andrew and showed him what I had discovered. ‘These are the banking records for the district’s expenses last year. DeSal was bloody good at running his territory. If you notice, in the past year his sellers brought in double what he had to pay out to keep things running. Now do you see what I’m getting at, Andrew?’

Andrew looked at the book for a few minutes then back at me. ‘So you’re going to keep it then?’

‘Damn right I am,’ I nodded. ‘It won’t bring in all that we need to cover the estate expenses, but it will keep the wolves at bay for a little while longer. At least it’ll give us time to come up with other alternatives how to make more money on this side of the pond.’

‘Well then, you’ll have to change your Council strategies a bit won’t you,’ he said and picked up the papers of what I had planned to discuss with the Council. ‘Let them know you mean business, Boss, don’t you take any crap from them.’

‘I won’t, Andrew,’ I said, then glanced out the window. ‘Look, we’re in London already!’ I said and pointed out a few familiar landmarks. ‘I wish we had time to do some sightseeing, I really wanted to go to the museum this trip,’ I said wistfully. ‘I hear they have a wonderful Egyptian exhibit on display.’

‘Well, if they wrap things up today maybe you can go tomorrow,’ Andrew said. ‘Are we going to the hotel first or straight to the meeting?’

‘Hotel first, I want to collect myself before we go,’ I said, looking at my watch. ‘It’s only one o’clock, the meeting isn’t until three, so we’ve got time.’

Andrew nodded and put everything away as we got to the hotel. I checked us into our suites then spent the next hour going over the details of what I wanted to say to the Council. At half past two Andrew came to get me and we headed to the lobby. I had to take a few deep breaths so I could keep myself collected; this was the first time I would be attending a Council meeting without James and I was beyond nervous about it.

‘Oi, Silvius!’

Before I could turn round I was swept up into a giant hug, then grinned when I realised who it was. ‘Mick, it’s great to see you!’ I smiled and returned the hug. I hadn’t seen him in over a fortnight, just spoken to him on the phone, and right now, he was a needed anchor for my nerves.

‘Well, you’re looking better that last time I saw you. How are things?’ Mick asked as we began to head towards the meeting hall.

‘To be honest they could be a lot better, Mick,’ I said.

‘Oh? What’s the matter, lad?’ he asked.

I briefly told Mick what the situation was. ‘So there you have it. It wasn’t until I was in the car that I realised I had been overlooking such a big piece of the answer, but I’m glad I finally did.’

‘Well at least you realised it in time,’ he said, then stopped walking and faced me. ‘Silvius, just so you know —’

‘Well, well, Silvius Margolas, the star of the hour,’ someone called out, cutting Mick off mid-sentence.

‘Preston,’ Mick said in a cool voice as he turned to look at the other man in disdain. ‘What drags you out from your cave, eh? You’re on probation again if I recall.’

‘There’s no rule that says those on probation can’t observe the proceedings, Osborne. Besides, how could I possibly miss such an interesting agenda as there is for today, eh?’ Preston said in a sickly-sweet voice as his gaze shifted to me.

In the past three years, Preston had become a true rival for me. Not only because I had escaped him, but also because I was a Blackwood Boy, and that irked him to no end that I had chosen James over him. Now that I was in James’ shoes, the rivalry would no doubt escalate even worse, though I was determined not to let a bastard like him get to me.

‘You leave him be, boy, or you’ll be answering to me,’ Andrew said as he stepped in front of me, his jacket drawn open just enough to show off the gun he carried.

Preston looked at Andrew coolly then stepped back with his hands held up. ‘No harm intended, mate. Just wanted to wish him good luck at the meeting is all. He’ll need it for what he’s about to go through,’ he smirked, then turned on his heel and walked away.

After a few moments of silence, I turned to Mick and looked at him curiously. ‘What did he mean by that?’ I asked.

‘Now, Silvius, don’t you pay any attention to him,’ Mick replied. ‘You know he just likes to stir up trouble. Let’s get to the hall, we don’t want to be late for your big day,’ he smiled and with a nod at Andrew we continued towards the meeting.

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Mick again as we stepped inside and were led off in separate directions. James normally sat at the High Table in the meetings, but instead of the High Table I was led to a side room and told to wait. It was an hour later when someone came to fetch me and I was brought over to a small table that faced the main dais. I wasn’t sure what was going on, and a quick glance at Mick made me nervous since he was avoiding my gaze for some reason. I was then distracted as the head of the Council, Daniel Caroway, now focused his attentions on me.

‘Silvius, we of the Council wish to once again extend our deepest sympathies for your loss. James was a good friend to many of us. We regret having lost him so quickly, and for such a terrible reason. Unfortunately, no matter what the country, rival wars are something we all must deal with from time to time. As Master of Blackwood, such a thing should not have affected James, but since it has we must now deal with it. Before we can discuss the matter of the New York district, however, there is something more important to decide.’

‘I don’t understand, Sir. Have I done something wrong?’ I asked.

‘It is not what you have done wrong; it is simply the nature of who you are,’ Daniel said. ‘By rights you should be sitting up here at the table next to me, as all Masters of Blackwood have done for the past one hundred and thirty-eight years that this Council has existed. It is our concern now, however, whether or not you should be allowed to have that position.’

‘Are you saying I am to be removed from the Council?’ I asked.

‘No, Silvius, not exactly,’ Daniel said, and looked at me very carefully. ‘What I am saying is that we are debating whether or not we wish to remove you as the Master of Blackwood full stop.’

‘What? On what grounds?’ I demanded my anger kicking in as a murmur went through the room. ‘I have done nothing to warrant this! James left Blackwood to me; you can’t take it away from me!’

‘Silvius, they can remove you if they vote to do so, you know that,’ Mick said quietly as he came up along side of me and put his hand on my shoulder. ‘I want it put on record that I am against this decision, Daniel. I agree with Silvius, he has done nothing to warrant such an extreme action.’

‘Your comments are noted, Mick, however, we are under the opinion that the boy is too young for the position he holds. There is also the matter of his mental stability. We are aware that the child has certain issues —’

‘Now wait just a minute!’ I said cutting him off as I jumped up from my chair. ‘I may be only eighteen, but my mental stability shouldn’t even be in question here. Preston’s more insane than I am!’

‘You saying I’m a nut case, kid?’ Preston said threateningly and got up from his chair. ‘I’m twice the man you are!’

‘You’re not even half the man I am!’ I bit back.

‘All right, settle down!’ Daniel said loudly and glared at both Preston and me. ‘The both of you sit down and shut up.’

‘This is ridiculous; his mental state is not up for debate here. Yes, he has a few issues regarding anger and depression, but I don’t see where that means we should certify him as insane,’ Mick said huffily.

‘I am not saying he is insane, Mick, I am merely concerned if he will be able to handle the pressures of what it takes to do this job. Not only to perform as Master of Blackwood, which is a feat unto itself as you know, but to also have the added responsibilities of running a foreign district. In the history of Blackwood, as well as in this Council, there has never been someone his age as a Procurer.’

‘That’s not true. In 1890 there was also a Procurer that was nineteen, and Silvius will be nineteen in March,’ Mick argued.

‘Yes, that is true, the boy was nineteen at the time, but if you recall four months after he claimed his district, he ended up in a sanatorium from the stresses of his position. Because of that incident, Code Sixty-eight was put into the books. Apparently you have forgotten the Council Codes, Mick,’ Daniel said.

Mick looked as if he was about to say something then changed his mind and his shoulders sagged. ‘No, I have not forgotten the Codes, but surely exceptions can be made.’

‘Pardon my ignorance … but what is rule Sixty-eight?’ I asked.

‘It says that … err … well, because of that incident, no one under the age of twenty-five is allowed to become a Procurer,’ Mick said.

‘So you’re saying that because of something that happened a hundred years ago, when times were much different, I must default Blackwood?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice controlled.

‘I am afraid that is the case, Silvius,’ Daniel said.

‘That’s barbaric! You can’t compare a hundred years ago to today!’ I said angrily. ‘I’ve been running the estate for almost two months now, and have I once asked for help from the Council? No, I have not. Just because I am young you think I can’t handle my position, but I have been doing just fine on my own so far!’

‘Yes, you have, Silvius,’ Mick nodded. ‘I still stand by him, Daniel. He’s right, he’s been doing fine all these months since James’ death, and as far as I see it, he’s already proving to be a better Master than James was. His mental issues are being dealt with by Lisha Gordon, a therapist, and I know for fact she would agree that Silvius’ mental status is not a question here.’

‘Even if that is the case, his age still holds relevance, Mick. The Triad feels that his age could do him more damage than good if he is allowed to remain in his position,’ Daniel said.

‘If you’ll pardon me, I seem to recall that the Triad is made up of the Head Council Leader, the Vice Council Leader, and the current Master of Blackwood — which is me. I don’t see how you can say that “The Triad” is making these decisions when I am certainly not being allowed to make any decisions for myself here.’

‘Again he’s right, Daniel,’ Mick said and looked at me approvingly. ‘He deserves to be sitting up there next to you, not down here being grilled and poked at by us. I say the Codes are outdated, and Silvius is proof of that. Look, it’s not as if he asked to be the Master of Blackwood at such a young age, James’ death made him so. James believed Silvius to be capable of taking over the duties of the Estate or he wouldn’t have named him as his successor.’

‘I am not disputing that James’ death left the boy in this position, or that James believed him worthy. The Codes are on the books for a reason though, Mick, and we have to look at the whole picture, not just a piece of it,’ Daniel said wearily. ‘Exceptions can be made, but there must be proof as to why we are making them.’

‘Please, may I say something, Mr Caroway?’ I asked as those words set off an idea in my mind.

‘Yes, Silvius?’ Daniel asked.

‘I understand there are Codes, but Blackwood is my home,’ I said softly, my anger giving way to worry. ‘I realise I am young, but my home … my family … is at stake here, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them. I know the type of stress that comes with being a Procurer, let alone being Master of Blackwood. I did not spend the last three years just lounging about in James’ bed, I spent it learning what I could about the position I would one day hold.’

‘I didn’t plan on James leaving me when he did, but that is what happened, and there is nothing I can do about it. All I can do now is to use everything in my power to ensure that my boys do not end up back on the streets. I will not allow that to happen, Mr Caroway,’ I said firmly. ‘My boys need me, just as your sellers need you. They, and my staff, rely upon me to provide a home for them, clothe them, feed them, and above all to be there for them when they need me.’

‘I do not want to bring my home into contention, which is why I wish to make a request of the Council. Give me one year’s time, if at the end of the year I have not done all I could for Blackwood, and my New York district,’ I said defiantly, ‘then I will agree to step down as Master of Blackwood and let someone else take over. Just one year to prove myself to the Council, Mr Caroway … that’s all I ask.’

The room was hushed as I finished my statement, and now every eye turned towards the dais for Daniel’s decision. After a few minutes of discussion with the Vice Council Leader, Daniel turned back to look at me.

‘Silvius please go back into the other room whilst the Council makes their final decisions,’ he said.

I didn’t say anything as I got up from the table. I looked at Mick who smiled at me hesitantly and nodded, then walked back to the room I had waited in earlier. I was scared; the thought of losing Blackwood was something I couldn’t even begin to contemplate. It was nearly fifteen minutes before I was called to come back into the meeting hall and by then my nerves were near shot, though I wasn’t about to let them know how scared I was.

‘I apologise for taking so long, but there was much to discuss,’ Daniel said as I sat back down. ‘After careful considerations we have decided to grant you your request, with stipulations.’

‘And what would those stipulations be, Mr Caroway?’ I asked keeping the joy I was feeling under control.

‘During the year’s time frame, you will not be allowed the privileges of a member of The Triad. Your will be under the supervision of Mick Osborne, and he will be filing a report on you during the quarterly meetings,’ Daniel said, and nodded at Mick. ‘What it comes down to is that you are under probation, Silvius. Any infractions of the Council Codes can result in termination of your appointment as Master of Blackwood, and of your New York territory,’ he said with a slight smile. ‘Now, do you have any questions for me?’

‘Yes, actually I do have a question or two,’ I said.

‘Yes, what are they?’ Daniel asked.

‘Do I still have Procurer’s rights? And am I still allowed to use the title of Master?’ I asked.

‘Yes, you have all the rights of your rank as Master of Blackwood, and as a Procurer. You are still a member of this Council and under our protection, you will just have no voice or voting rights until your probation is up and the final decisions are made. Good luck, Silvius,’ Daniel said, then looked out over the rest of the Council.

‘Thank you for giving me this chance. I will do my best … not for the Council … but for James and my boys. I won’t let them down,’ I said, relief clear in my voice.

‘I have a feeling you will end up surprising us all, young man,’ Daniel smiled. ‘Now, if there is nothing further on the agenda we will meet again in April for the spring quarterly. If anyone needs anything, you know where to reach me. This meeting is adjourned.’

I waited until nearly everyone left the room before getting to my feet again. I didn’t care that I didn’t have full privileges on the Council, I had Blackwood and the New York territory, and that was all that mattered. It wasn’t until Mick pulled me into a giant hug that I came back down from my cloud of joy.

‘You did it! You had me worried for a bit, but that request was a brilliant move!’ Mick grinned. ‘Knew you had it in you, lad. Gilly has already gone off to spread word on the street, be a lot of happy boys out there today give you that.’ Gilly was Mick’s consort, an eighteen year old that had been in Mick’s service for the past four years.

Mick’s words doused my happiness. ‘You knew about this, didn’t you Mick. You knew they were going to put me into contention, and you didn’t tell me?’ I asked accusingly.

‘Err … well … that is …’ Mick began sheepishly, then sighed and nodded. ‘Yeah, we all did; you were the only one kept in the dark.’

‘Why, Mick? Why didn’t you tell me?’ I asked angrily.

‘Now keep your shirt on, lad, I didn’t tell you for a reason,’ Mick said calmingly. ‘If you’d known you were going to be put on trial like that, you would have ended up worrying to distraction before you would have even come to London. I figured the best move was to let you wing it, and I was right. Sometimes that anger of yours is the best weapon you’ve got.’

‘My anger? How do you figure that?’ I asked.

‘When you get worked up like you do, believe it or not you think best. It keeps you focused, and that’s what you needed today. Nothing you could have pre-planned would have had half the effect as what you did in there today. You showed them you’re a man, and weren’t going to take all that lying down. The way you spoke about “my boys” without even thinking about what you were saying, it told them that you’re already thinking like a procurer, Silvius. You showed them that you are ready to accept the fact that you own your boys, and that’s what they needed to hear.’

I blinked in surprise as I realised that Mick was right. I had phrased my words that way, as if I had no doubts at all that the boys belonged to me. The downside was that knowing that I did own the boys now felt funny to me.

‘Oh God, Mick, somehow when it’s put that way it just sounds so … I don’t know, wrong I guess,’ I sighed. ‘Maybe they’re right, maybe I’m not cut out to do this.’

‘Nonsense!’ Mick said as we headed back to the lobby of the hotel. ‘This is what you were meant to be, Silvius, don’t you even dare second guess yourself. Do you really want them to take Blackwood from you?’

‘No!’ I said quickly and shivered at the thought. ‘I couldn’t bear that; I think it would kill me to lose Blackwood too.’

‘Then keep that in mind, Silvius, because it’s what is going to keep you going now. Every time you think you’re in over your head, remember what’s at stake.’

‘Yeah, you’re right, Mick,’ I nodded. ‘I’m going to survive this, I know I am.’

‘Well, well, well, so the pretty boy got his way after all. What’d you do, bribe ‘em to keep you on, kid?’

‘Shut it, Preston,’ Mick said icily and glared at the other man who was walking up to us. ‘Go back under your rock with the other snakes.’

‘You always did have such a way with words, Osborn,’ Preston scoffed, and then turned to look at me. ‘I give it six months — if that — before you come back crawling back on your hands and knees.’

‘You know, Preston, I’m going to make triple sure that I succeed, just to annoy your sorry arse. Now unless you have something intelligent to say, which I highly doubt, chuff off before I get ticked off. And believe me; if I get ticked off you’ll wish you never left York.’

‘I’d do as he says, boy,’ Andrew said as he came up behind me. ‘I’ve seen him get angry; it’s not a pretty picture. Last bloke that ticked him off ended up in hospital for a week,’ he smirked.

Preston flushed angrily, though he did back off. ‘Fine, we’ll just see what happens at the next quarterly. I’ll make it a point to be here,’ he muttered then sprinted off.

‘Stupid bloke,’ Mick muttered as Preston disappeared. ‘Hope he gets hit by a lorry.’

‘I second that,’ Andrew chuckled and cracked his knuckles. ‘I certainly wouldn’t mind laying into that kid; he deserves it, the bloody bastard.’

‘I’m sure you would love that, Andrew,’ I laughed. ‘He’ll get his comeuppances one day, you’ll see. I admit though, I would love to take him down a few pegs, just to wipe that smug look off his face. Pity I’m more a lover then I am a fighter these days eh?’

‘Who knows, maybe you will still peg him down one day,’ Mick grinned then wrapped his arm round my shoulder. ‘Anyone up for an early dinner? Don’t know about you, but I’ve worked up a hell of an appetite after all the dramatics.’

‘I agree, I’m peckish myself,’ I nodded, ‘I was too nervous to eat breakfast or lunch.’

‘How about Chez Louis then? I know how you love French food, Silvius, and before you say anything it’s my treat,’ he said as we walked outside and waited for the cars.

‘Mick, you don’t have to pay for my dinner,’ I said.

‘Now don’t have a row with me over this; I can well afford to pay up a few dinners for us,’ he said and ruffled my hair.

‘You’re too much, Mick,’ I smiled. ‘All right, I’ll accept dinner this time, but next time it’ll be my treat.’

‘Deal,’ he said as the cars pulled up. ‘I’ve got to stop and pick up Gilly, so we’ll meet you there.’

‘Sounds good, see you in a bit then,’ I said and waved as he got into his car, then Andrew and I then went over to ours. ‘Chez Louis, Jeffrey,’ I said to my driver as we got into the car.

‘Yes Sir,’ my driver nodded and a few moments later we were heading off towards the restaurant.

‘Whew, what a day, eh, Andrew?’ I said wearily as I settled into the warmth of the seats.

‘You did well, Boss, I’m proud of you,’ Andrew said.

‘Thanks. I hope James would have been though,’ I said softly.

‘I know he is,’ Andrew said. ‘You’re doing a fine job, Boss, don’t doubt yourself. I know we’ll solve the money problems, if anyone can do it, you can.’

‘Keep reminding me of that, Andrew, I’m going to need to hear it. One year … not a very long time really,’ I said more to myself than Andrew as I turned to stare out the window at the snow-covered streets of London, wondering what would be in store for me next.

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Cheers to all my readers and reviewers!

Mandraco darling, I hope you got my email? I used the email that you have here at FP, so I really hope it was the right one. Let me know if you got it all right? :hugs: