Read Into Temptation (Spoils of Time 03) for Free Online

that year?’ he said, as calmly as he could.
    ‘After that year, I will distribute the shares.’
    ‘Provided we run Lyttons to your satisfaction, I presume. And to Barty’s, of course.’
    That at least had hit home, had hurt. Celia visibly flinched; then ‘I really don’t think we have to consider Barty too much in this,’ she said finally, her voice ice-edged. ‘New York has always been perfectly happy to leave us to our own devices. Indeed they have very little choice, in my opinion. I shall distribute my shares after a year. I have very little doubt that I shall feel happy by then to do so. You are all extremely well equipped to run Lyttons, you have considerable talents and you complement one another.’
    ‘But that’s not quite enough,’ said Jay. He was almost surprised to hear the words; he hadn’t meant to speak.
    ‘I’m sorry?’ said Celia.
    ‘You don’t regard our talents as quite sufficient. To take over now, from the start of your retirement.’
    ‘Jay, you haven’t been listening,’ said Celia patiently. ‘I want you to take over now. Immediately. I am tired, I want to do other things with my life. Lord Arden and I want to travel, to spend time on the estate.’
    Had it really happened, wondered Venetia. Had she really, finally, tired of it, the ebb and flow of the publishing year, the balance of it all, seeing the new books making their faltering way against the background of the great stalwarts, discovering the literary works required to maintain the gravitas of the house, searching constantly for new biographical subjects, meeting the need to get out the new catalogues, fighting the battle for bookshop windows at Christmas . . . all the things that Celia had seemed to regard as more important and indeed more exciting than anything else in the world? Were they really to be set aside in favour of trips down the Nile with an elderly peer, or even days on the moors peering down the barrel of a gun?
    ‘Let me try to explain more fully,’ said Celia, stubbing out her cigarette, reaching for another. She smokes too much thought Adele, it isn’t good for her.
    ‘This is not a game I’m playing. I am absolutely serious. I’m sixty-eight years old. For almost fifty of those years I have sat in my office at Lyttons. Enthralling, exciting, rewarding years. But with perhaps as little as ten left, I suddenly feel – what shall I say – daunted by what I have not done and not seen. I would go so far as to say it seems a dereliction of duty. A failure to discover and explore as much as I can. You will not find me at my desk tomorrow morning, nor on the telephone, nor at any publishing meetings, and nor will I be checking out Lyttons’ position in any bookshops. I dare say I shall continue to take an interest in the overall publishing business, it would be difficult for me not to, but that is as far as I intend to go.’
    ‘Then why not let your shares go?’ said Giles.
    ‘Because I feel I would be betraying your father’s trust. He left his share in Lyttons to me; he was very clear about it. Almost his last words – ’ she stopped suddenly, her voice close to breaking, inhaled fiercely on her cigarette, ‘ – his last words were about the company. How proud of it he was and – ’ her voice had steadied, and she looked around the table at each of them in turn, her dark eyes defiant, ‘ – and of me. Of what we had done together. I cannot walk away entirely. Not yet. I have to reassure myself that Lyttons is in good hands and in good shape.’
    Against their will they found themselves swung by her argument. It always happened, thought Venetia; you could go in to see her, ready to fight her, absolutely knowing you were right, and come out shaking your head, thinking how foolish you had been. Feeling guilty that you had dared to question her. She would have been a brilliant barrister . . .
    ‘So in a year’s time, possibly – probably even – I shall redistribute my shares. Does that