In Vino Veritas Read Online Free PDF

had reinforced that view. What most had seen as a gimmick might just have a future. As the monstrous piles of burning cattle carcasses clouded the skies with their dark smoke and darker smells, viniculture seemed not only possible but desirable, even glamorous. Discreet advertising helped to reinforce the impression that Abbey Vineyards was a more innocent use of the land than dairy farming, or even the sheep farming which was suffering intense competition from overseas.
    Vanda North had put all the money she had into Abbey Vineyards ten years earlier, when she had been more besotted with Beaumont than she had realized at the time. It should have been a good investment – perhaps would have been, if she had taken more care over the terms on which she had entered the concern, instead of letting Martin draw up the junior partnership deal. She realized now that she needed some income, that what might be a promising deal on the face of it did not suit her needs. Income was ploughed back each year into new developments, and she was committed for an indefinite period. She had no right to sell her holding without the approval of the senior partner, and Martin was never going to give it.
    She was determined to assert herself, but she was uncharacteristically uncertain about how to do that. As if he read her mind and saw her dilemma, Martin Beaumont said suddenly, ‘We need to go on expanding.’
    This assertion, the very opposite of what she wanted to hear, freed her tongue at last. ‘On the contrary, all the signs are that we need a period of retrenchment. No firm can afford to ignore this recession. No one is going to be immune to its effects.’
    â€˜You heard the feeling of the meeting yesterday. We are not a typical industry. You need to realize that what is going to be a difficult time for others may well be a time of opportunity for us.’
    â€˜No, I didn’t hear the feeling of the meeting. What I did hear was you asserting these things, in the face of what other people were saying about the need for caution.’
    She could see him pausing to control himself before he spoke. What had seemed an impressive ruthlessness in the early days of their association now struck her as an autocratic cruelty. ‘I repeat what I said. We need to expand.’
    â€˜That is flying in the face of the facts.’
    â€˜On the contrary, it is perfectly logical, Vanda. For a start, if others around us suffer, the price of land will come down. We should take advantage of that.’
    She felt her anger rising, her hands beginning to tremble. The very things she had been determined to avoid when she came in here were beginning to happen. ‘You can do whatever you like. I want out.’
    He smiled, unaware how obnoxious that made him seem to her. ‘Not possible, I’m afraid, Vanda. The terms of our agreement prevent that. The terms you signed up to quite willingly.’
    â€˜You took advantage of me. You know I didn’t read any of it very carefully at the time.’
    â€˜Forgive me if this sounds ungallant, Vanda, but you weren’t some young ingénue ten years ago. You were a mature woman of thirty-six who knew exactly what she was doing.’
    â€˜If you’re saying I was a fool, at least that’s one thing we can agree on. I was a fool to trust you.’
    â€˜I’m sorry you should feel that. I was putting you into an excellent investment.’
    â€˜On terms which prevented me from realizing it for twenty-five years, unless one of us died in the meantime.’
    â€˜Perfectly normal practice, when one is developing a new business. Partners have to commit themselves. If those terms didn’t suit you, you shouldn’t have signed up to them.’
    She wanted to step forward and slap him hard across his smug face. ‘I’ve never been a proper partner. I want my money out. It’s all I’ve got and I need it.’
    â€˜Not possible, I’m