Sons of Fortune ( CD)

Chapter One

Both of them were three years old at the time, and whenMichael burst into tears, Susan's mother rushed over to find outwhat the problem was. All Susan was willing to say on the subject,and she repeated it several times, was, "Well, he asked for it,didn't he?" Susan ended up with a spanking. Not the ideal start forany romance.

The next recorded meeting, according to the best man, waswhen they both arrived at their elementary school. Susan declaredwith a knowing air that Michael was a cry-baby, and what's more,a sneak. Michael told the other boys that he would share his grahamcrackers with anyone who was willing to pull Susan Illingworth'spigtails. Few boys tried a second time.

At the end of their first year, Susan and Michael were jointlyawarded the class prize. Their teacher considered it the bestcourse of action if she hoped to prevent another ice-cream incident.Susan told her friends that Michael's mother did his homeworkfor him, to which Michael responded that at least it was inhis own handwriting.

The rivalry continued unabated through junior and senior highuntil they departed for different universities, Michael to ConnecticutState and Susan to Georgetown. For the next four years,they both worked hard at avoiding each other. In fact the nextoccasion their paths crossed was, ironically, at Susan's home,when her parents threw a surprise graduation party for theirdaughter. The biggest surprise was not that Michael accepted theinvitation, but that he turned up.

Susan didn't recognize her old rival immediately, partly becausehe had grown four inches and was, for the first time, taller thanher. It wasn't until she offered him a glass of wine and Michaelremarked, "At least this time you didn't pour it all over me," thatshe realized who the tall handsome man was.

"God, I behaved dreadfully, didn't I," said Susan, wanting himto deny it.

"Yes, you did," he said, "but then I expect I deserved it."

"You did," she said, biting her tongue.

They chatted like old friends, and Susan was surprised at howdisappointed she felt when a classmate from Georgetown joinedthem and started flirting with Michael. They didn't speak to eachother again that evening.

Michael phoned the following day and invited her to seeSpencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib. Susan hadalready seen the movie, but still heard herself accepting, andcouldn't believe how long she spent trying on different dressesbefore he arrived for that first date.

Susan enjoyed the film, even though it was her second time, andwondered if Michael would put an arm around her shoulder whenSpencer Tracey kissed Katharine Hepburn. He didn't. But whenthey left the movie house, he took her hand as they crossed theroad, and didn't let it go until they reached the coffee shop. Thatwas when they had their first row, well, disagreement. Michaeladmitted that he was going to vote for Thomas Dewey in November,while Susan made it clear that she wanted the incumbentDemocrat, Harry Truman, to remain in the White House. Thewaiter placed the ice cream in front of Susan. She stared down at it.

"Don't even think about it," Michael said.

Susan wasn't surprised when he called the following day,although she had been sitting by the phone for over an hour pretendingto be reading.

Michael admitted to his mother over breakfast that morning ithad been love at first sight.

"But you've known Susan for years," remarked his mother.

"No, I haven't, Mom," he replied, "I met her for the first timeyesterday."

Both sets of parents were delighted, but not surprised, whenthey became engaged a year later, after all, they'd hardly spent aday apart since Susan's graduation party. Both had landed jobswithin days of leaving college, Michael as a trainee with the HartfordLife Insurance Co. and Susan as a history teacher at JeffersonHigh, so they decided to get married during the summer vacation.

What they hadn't planned was that Susan would become pregnantwhile they were on their honeymoon. Michael couldn't hidehis delight at the thought of being a father, and when Dr. Greenwoodtold them in the sixth month that it was going to be twins hewas doubly delighted.

"Well, at least that will solve one problem," was his first reaction.

"Namely?" asked Susan.

"One can be a Republican, and the other a Democrat."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," said Susan, rubbing herstomach.

Susan continued teaching until her eighth month, which happilycoincided with the Easter vacation. She arrived at the hospitalon the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month carrying a small suitcase.Michael left work early and joined her a few minutes later,with the news that he had been promoted to account executive.

"What does that mean?" asked Susan.

"It's a fancy title for an insurance salesman," Michael told her."But it does include a small pay raise, which can only help nowwe're going to have two more mouths to feed."

Once Susan was settled in her room, Dr. Greenwood suggestedto Michael that he wait outside during the delivery, as with twinsthere just might be complications.

Michael paced up and down the long corridor. Whenever hereached the portrait of Josiah Preston hanging on the far wall, heturned and retraced his steps. On the first few of these routemarches, Michael didn't stop to read the long biography printedbelow the portrait of the hospital's founder. By the time the doctoremerged through the double doors, Michael knew the man'sentire life history by heart.

The green-clad figure walked slowly toward him before removinghis mask. Michael tried to fathom the expression on his face. Inhis profession it was an advantage to be able to decipher expressionsand second-guess thoughts, because when it came to sellinglife insurance you needed to anticipate any anxieties a potentialclient might have. However, when it came to this life insurancepolicy, the doctor gave nothing away. When they came face-to-face,he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Cartwright, youhave two healthy sons."

Susan had delivered two boys, Nat at 4:37 and Peter at 4:43 thatafternoon. For the next hour, the parents took turns cuddlingthem, until Dr. Greenwood suggested that perhaps mother andbabies should be allowed to rest. "Having to feed two children willprove exhausting enough. I shall put them both in the special carenursery overnight," he added. "Nothing to worry about, becauseit's something we always do with twins."

Michael accompanied his two sons to the nursery, where onceagain he was asked to wait in the corridor. The proud fatherpressed his nose up against the pane of glass that divided the corridorfrom the row of cribs, gazing at the boys as they lay sleeping,wanting to tell everyone who passed, "they're both mine." Hesmiled at the nurse who was standing by their side keeping awatchful eye over the latest arrivals. She was placing name tagsaround their tiny wrists.

Michael couldn't remember how long he remained therebefore eventually returning to his wife's bedside. When heopened the door, he was pleased to find that Susan was fast asleep.He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning,honey, just before I go to work," ignoring the fact that she couldn'thear a word. Michael left her, walked down the corridor andstepped into the elevator to find Dr. Greenwood had exchangedhis green scrubs for a sports jacket and gray flannels.

"I wish they were all that easy," he told the proud father as theelevator stopped on the ground floor. "Still, I'll drop by this evening,Mr. Cartwright, to check on your wife and see how the twinsare doing. Not that I anticipate any problems."

"Thank you, doctor," said Michael. "Thank you."

Dr. Greenwood smiled, and would have left the hospital anddriven home had he not spotted an elegant lady coming throughthe swing doors. He walked quickly across to join Ruth Davenport.

Michael Cartwright glanced back to see the doctor holdingopen the elevator doors for two women, one heavily pregnant. Ananxious look had replaced Dr. Greenwood's warm smile. Michaelonly hoped that the doctor's latest charge would have as uncomplicateda birth as Susan had managed. He strolled across to hiscar, trying to think about what needed to be done next, still unableto remove the broad grin from his face.

The first thing he must do was phone his parents ... grandparents.

Chapter Two

Robert Davenport, on the other hand, was not bound by thesame professional etiquette and when he learned that his wife wasexpecting for a third time, he had been characteristically blunt.He simply issued an ultimatum: "this time you will take it easy," aeuphemism for don't do anything that might harm the birth of ourson. Robert Davenport assumed his firstborn would be a boy. Healso knew that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for his wifeto "take it easy." She was, after all, the daughter of Josiah Preston,and it was often said that if Ruth had been a boy, she, and not herhusband, would have ended up as president of Preston Pharmaceuticals.But Ruth had to settle for the consolation prize whenshe succeeded her father as chairman of St. Patrick's HospitalTrust, a cause with which the Preston family had been associatedfor four generations.

Although some of the older fraternity at St. Patrick's needed tobe convinced that Ruth Davenport was of the same mettle as herfather, it was only weeks before they acknowledged that not onlyhad she inherited the old man's energy and drive, but he had alsopassed on to her his considerable knowledge and wisdom, so oftenlavished on an only child.

Ruth hadn't married until the age of thirty-three. It certainlywasn't for lack of suitors, many of whom went out of their way toclaim undying devotion to the heir of the Preston millions. JosiahPreston hadn't needed to explain the meaning of fortune huntersto his daughter, because the truth was that she simply hadn'tfallen in love with any of them. In fact, Ruth was beginning todoubt if she would ever fall in love. Until she met Robert.

Robert Davenport had joined Preston Pharmaceuticals fromRoche via Johns Hopkins and Harvard Business School, on whatRuth's father described as the "fast track." In Ruth's recollection,it was the nearest the old man had come to using a modernexpression. Robert had been made a vice-president by the age oftwenty-seven, and at thirty-three was appointed the youngestdeputy chairman in the company's history, breaking a record thathad been set by Josiah himself. This time Ruth did fall in love,with a man who was neither overwhelmed nor overawed by thePreston name or the Preston millions. In fact when Ruth suggestedthat perhaps she should become Mrs. Preston-Davenport,Robert had simply inquired, "When do I get to meet this Preston-Davenportfellow who hopes to prevent me from becoming yourhusband?"

Ruth announced she was pregnant only weeks after their wedding,and the miscarriage was almost the only blemish in an otherwisecharmed existence. However, even this quickly began to looklike a passing cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky, when shebecame pregnant again eleven months later.

Ruth had been chairing a board meeting of the Hospital Trustwhen the contractions began, so she only needed to take the elevatorup two floors to allow Dr. Greenwood to carry out the necessarycheck-up. However, not even his expertise, his staff'sdedication or the latest medical equipment could save the prematurechild. Kenneth Greenwood couldn't help recalling how, as ayoung doctor, he had faced a similar problem when he had deliveredRuth, and for a week the hospital staff didn't believe the babygirl would survive. And now the family was going through thesame trauma thirty-five years later.

Dr. Greenwood decided to have a private word with Mr. Davenport,suggesting that perhaps the time had come for them toconsider adoption. Robert reluctantly agreed, and said he wouldraise the subject with his wife just as soon as he felt she was strongenough.

Another year passed before Ruth agreed to visit an adoptionsociety and with one of those coincidences that fate decides, andnovelists are not allowed to consider, she became pregnant on theday she was due to visit a local children's home. This time Robertwas determined to ensure that human error would not be the reasonfor their child failing to enter this world.

Ruth took her husband's advice, and resigned as chairman ofthe Hospital Trust. She even agreed that a full-time nurse shouldbe employed-in Robert's words-to keep a watchful eye on her.Mr. Davenport interviewed several applicants for the post andshort-listed those whom he considered held the necessary qualifications.But his final choice would be based solely on whether hewas convinced the applicant was strong-willed enough to makesure that Ruth kept to her agreement to "take it easy," and to insistshe didn't lapse into any old habits of wanting to organize everythingshe came across.

After a third round of interviews, Robert settled on a MissHeather Nichol, who was a senior nurse on the maternity wing ofSt. Patrick's. He liked her no-nonsense approach and the fact thatshe was neither married nor graced with the kind of looks thatwould ensure that situation was likely to change in the foreseeablefuture. However, what finally tipped the balance was that MissNichol had already delivered over a thousand children into theworld.

Robert was delighted by how quickly Miss Nichol settled intothe household, and as each month slipped by, even he started tofeel confident that they wouldn't be facing the same problem athird time. When Ruth passed first five, six, and then sevenmonths without incident, Robert even raised the subject of possibleChristian names: Fletcher Andrew if it was a boy, VictoriaGrace if it was a girl. Ruth expressed only one preference; thatwere it a boy he should be known as Andrew, but all she hoped forwas to be delivered of a healthy child.

Robert was in New York attending a medical conference, whenMiss Nichol called him out of a seminar to report that his wife'scontractions had begun. He assured her he would return by trainimmediately and then take a cab straight to St. Patrick's.

Dr.



Continues...

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Excerpted from The Sons of Fortuneby Jeffrey Archer Copyright © 2003 by Jeffrey Archer. Excerpted by permission.
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