The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer Page A

classmates suggested that she allow her name
to be put forward. Edward Winchester, who had years before giveti up trying to
beat Florentyna at anything except arm wrestling, volunteered to help her.
    “But anyone who
helps me would have to be talented, goodlooking, popular and charismatic,” she
teased.
    “For once, I
agree with you,” said Edward. “Any fool taking up such a cause will need every
advantage possible to overcome the problems that come with a candidate who is
stupid, ugly, unapproachable and dull.”
    “ in which case it might be wise for me to wait another year.”
    “Never,” said Edward.
“I can see no hope of improvement in such a short time. In any case, I want you
on the Council this year.”
    “Why?”
    “Because
if you’re the only eleventh-grade student elected, you’ll be a near certain for
president next year.”
    “Really thought
the whole thing through, haven’t you, Edward?”
    “And I would be
willing to bet everything in my piggy bank that you have, too.”
    “Perhaps,” said
Florentyna.
    “Perhaps?”
    “Perhaps I’ll
consider running for Student Council a year early.”
    During the
summer vacation, which Florentyna spent with her father at the New York Baron,
she noticed that many of the big department stores now had millinery
departments and wondered why there were not more shops specializing only in
clothes. She spent hours at Best’s, Saks and Bonwit Tellerat the last of which
she bought herself a strapless evening dress-observing the different customers
and comparing their individual preferences with those of shoppers who
frequented Bloomingdale’s, Altman’s and Macy’s. In the evening over dinner she would
regale her father with the knowledge she had acquired that day. Abel was so
impressed by the speed with which Florentyna assimilated new facts that he
began to explain to her in some detail how the Baron Group worked. By the end
of her vacation, hc was delighted with how much she had picked up about stock
control, cash flow, advance reservations, the Employment Act of 1940, and even
the cost of eight thousand fresh rolls. He warned George that his job as
managing director of the Group might be in jeopardy in the not-too-distant
future.
    “I don’t think
it’s my job she’s after, Abel.”
    “No?” said Abel.
    “No,” said
George. “It’s yours.”
    Abel took
Florentyna to the airport on the final day of her vacation and presented her
with a black-and-white Polaroid camera.
    “Papa,
what a fantastic present. Won’t I be the neatest thing at
school?”
    “It’s a bribe,”
said Abel.
    “A
bribe?”
    “Yes. George
tells me you want to be Chairman of the Baron Group.”
    “I think I’ll
start with president of the Student Council,” said Florentyna.
    Abel laughed.
“Make sure you win a place on the Council first,” he said, then kissed his
daughter on the cheek and waved goodbye as she disappeared up the steps to the
waiting plane. As Abel traveled back in the car, he thought of his own
ambitions for Warsaw and then recalled the understanding he had had with his
daughter.
    “I’ve decided to
run.”
    “Good,” said
Edward. “I’ve already compiled a list of every student in both schools. You
must put a check mark by all those who you feel are certain to support you and
a cross by those who won’t, so that I can work on the don’t-knows and reinforce
the backing ofyour supporters.”
    “Very
professional. How many people are running?”
    “So
far fifteen candidates for six places. There are four candidates you
can’t hope to beat, but it will be a close contest after that. I thought you’d
be interested to know that Pete Welling is running.”
    “That creep,”
said Florentyna.
    “Oh, I was led
to believe that you were hopelessly in love with him.”
    “Don’t be
ridiculous, Edward, he’s a sap. Let’s go through the school lists.”
    The election was
due to take place at the end of the second week of the new school year, so