Page 16 of Storm of Bells
‘Yes!’ I punched the air. Brilliant! I hadit! The solution! The best idea I’d ever had! Dashing over to mydesk, I snatched up the speaking horn that connected me directly toSallow-Face.
‘Pearson? Pearson, are you there?’
I waited breathlessly for a moment,before…
‘That’sMisterPearson to you, MrLinton.’
‘Yes, yes, Pearson! Of course it is. Nowlisten. Run over to the design department and tell them to sendtheir best man up to my office pronto! Then send a messenger boy totheTimesand reserve two pages of their best ad space forthe next two weeks. Oh, and send another to rent poster space alongthe main London thoroughfares, and at the entrances to the variousparks—anywhere where passing ladies might see.’
‘Ladies?’
‘Yes. And before I forget, rent some ad spacein local newspapers in cities like Liverpool and Manchester, too.We’ll make a big campaign out of this.’
‘That will cost a fortune, Mr Linton!’
I grinned. ‘And it will bring in a biggerone.’
‘This comes from the top then? On MrAmbrose’s orders?
‘Well…’ He had given me complete authorityover this project, hadn’t he? That should include spending thenecessary funds as well. Otherwise, how would he expect me toaccomplish anything? ‘Yes! Yes, it does. Don’t spare any expense.This is going to be the biggest advertising campaign in the historyof Great Britain!’
And the most successful one.
Hopefully.
Happy, HappyCustomers
‘Mmm ltnnn.’
I glanced up from the letter I wasproofreading. What was that noise? Where had it come from?
‘Mmm ltnn!’
I glanced down at the speaking horn. Could itbe…?
Picking up the thing, I held it to my ear.‘Yes?’
‘Ah. Hello, Mr Linton.’ The unholy glee in MrPearson’s voice put me on my guard instantly. ‘How nice of you tofinally answer.’
‘I’m always nice.’Unless people aren’tnice to me. ‘Are you calling for any particular reason?’
‘As a matter of fact, I am. Mr Ambrose wishesto see you immediately.’
‘Why didn’t he just call me himself?’
‘I wouldn’t know. Although he did mentionsomething about not coming into your vicinity so as not to beconvicted for manslaughter.’
‘Oh. He did, did he?’
‘Yes. He also mentioned extenuatingcircumstances.’
‘You don’t say.’
‘Well…I wish you the best of luck.’
‘You do?’
‘Oh yes. You’re going to need it.’
