First Among Equals Read Online Free PDF Page B

have dreamed of disagreeing with the old earl to his face and was herself
delighted by the thought of giving birth to a son who would inherit the
earldom. But despite enthusiastic and then contrived efforts Charles seemed
unable to sire an heir. Fiona was assured by a Harley Street physician that
there was no reason she could not bear children. The specialist had suggested
that perhaps her husband pay the clinic a visit. She shook her head, knowing
Charles would dismiss such an idea out of hand, no matter how much he wanted a
son.
    Fiona spent
much of her spare time in their Sussex East constituency furthering Charles’s
political career. She had learned to live with the fact that theirs was not
destined to be a romantic marriage and had almost resigned herself to its other advantages. Although many men confessed covertly and overtly that
they found Fiona’s elegant bearing attractive, she had either rejected their
advances or pretended not to notice them.
    By the time
Charles returned from the bathroom in his blue silk pajamas Fiona had formed a
plan, but first she needed some questions answered.
    “Whom do you
favor?”
    “It will be a
close-run thing, but I spent the entire afternoon observing the serious candidates.”
    “Did you come
to any conclusions?” Fiona asked.
    “Heath and
Maudling are the most likely ones, though to be honest I’ve never had a
conversation with either of them that lasted for more than five minutes.”
    “In that case
we must turn disadvantage into advantage.”
    “What do you mean, old girl?” Charles asked as he climbed into bed beside
his wife.
    “Think back.
When you were President of Pop at Eton, could you have put a name to any of the
first-year boys?”
    “Certainly
not,” said Charles.
    “Exactly. And I’d be willing to bet that neither Heath nor
Maudfing could put a name to twenty of the new intake on the Tory benches.”
    “Where are you
leading me, Lady Macbeth?”
    “No bloody
hands will be needed for this killing. Simply, having chosen your Duncan, you
volunteer to organize the new intake for him. If he becomes Leader, he’s bound
to feel it would be appropriate to select one or two new faces for his team.”
    “You really are
a Campbell.”
    “Well, let’s
sleep on it,” said Fiona, turning out the light on her side of the bed.
    Charles didn’t
sleep on it but lay restless most of the night turning over in his mind what
she had said. When Fiona awoke the next morning she carried on the conversation
as if there had been no break in between.
    “Better still,”
she continued, “before the man you choose announces he is a candidate, demand
that he run on behalf of the new members.”
    “Clever,” said
Charles.
    “Whom have you
decided on?”
    “Heath,”
Charles replied without hesitation.
    “I’ll back vour
political judgment,” said Fiona. “Just trust me wh – n it comes to tactics.
First, we compose a letter.”
    In dressing
gowns, on the floor at the end of the bed, the two elegant figures drafted and
redrafted a note to Edward Heath. At nine-thirty it was finally composed and
sent around by hand to his rooms in Albany.
    The next
morning Charles was invited to the small bachelor flat for coffee.
    They talked for
over an hour and tile dzal was struck.
    Charles thought
Sir Alec would announce his resignation in the late summer, which would give
him eight to ten weeks to carry out a campaign. Fiona typed out a list of all
the new members, and during the next eight weeks every one of them was invited
to their Eaton Square house for drinks. Fiona was subtle enough to see that
members of the lower house were outnumbered by other guests, often from the
House of Lords. Heath managed to escape from his front-bench duties on the
Finance Bill to spend at least an hour with the Hamptons once a week. As tile
day ofSir Alec Home’s resignation drew nearer-, Charles remained confident that
he had carried 34 out his p – lan in a subtle and
discreet way.
    He