Richard didn't have to wait long. Half an hour later, the phone rang. Mr. Silver began his report at once:
"Master Richard, I've obtained the information you requested. Yes, Grosvenor Group owns two additional plots of land in the same neighboring area. The first is irregularly shaped and measures fifty acres. The second is rectangular and spans one hundred thirty-five acres."
"Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Silver. That will be all for now. Continue monitoring the stock market. Invest the revenue from Coca-Cola and Walmart, along with all available cash, in the tobacco company Altria Group. At the moment, their shares have fallen to three dollars and four cents. According to my projections, after the annual report is released in June or July, they'll rise by about ten percent—twenty, if we're lucky. Don't delay on this. May is approaching, and the shares will only start climbing."
"Understood, sir. Altria Group. I've written it down. I'll call the broker immediately and place the order. Anything else?"
"No, Mr. Silver. Good day."
After pressing the disconnect button, Richard dialed the number of his father's hunting club.
"Grosvenor Hunting Club," came a calm male voice.
"Good afternoon, sir. This is Richard Grosvenor. Please put Gerald Grosvenor on the line."
"One moment, Master Richard."
For about twenty seconds, Richard listened to silence in the receiver. Then there was a rustle, and his father's voice came through the speaker.
"Richie, did something happen?"
"Nothing, Dad. I need fifty acres of land next to the one we subleased to the Minister of—you know what."
"Why do you need the land, son?"
"To bribe the right man who holds a serious position in that very Ministry. It's necessary for my personal affairs. I've learned that Grosvenor Group owns such a plot. Can you arrange to have it transferred to me?"
"All right, but you'll have to pay market value for the land. If I remember correctly, it's four hundred seventy pounds per acre."
"No problem. Send the invoice, and I'll instruct the bank to make the payment. Dad, one more thing—hold on to the third plot in that area. I might build something there for myself: a house, or maybe start a business. It would be convenient if I end up cooperating with… unusual people."
"Richie, remind me—which one is the second plot?"
"One hundred thirty-five acres."
"Ahhh! I remember that one. There's a small lake on the border of that land, so its price is thirty percent higher. All right, Richie, I'll give you a discount. I'll sell you both plots for one hundred thousand pounds."
"One hundred thousand? That's practically all my available funds."
Richard was exaggerating. In reality, he had three times that amount in his account.
"Well, never mind—land is necessary," he continued after a sorrowful sigh. "Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"
"Ho-ho! Richie, you were supposed to bargain. Any swindler would cheat you blind like that."
"If I can't trust my own father, how am I supposed to live? Dad, I trust you. If you say the plots are worth that much, then that's what they're worth."
"All right, all right," Gerald grumbled. "Will you at least have anything left in your account for sweets?"
"A little. Maybe a couple of pennies. I'll have to steal candy from the kitchen…" Richard let out a loud, pitiful sigh.
Gerald's booming laughter echoed through the receiver.
"Poor child," he said theatrically. "A childhood without sweets… I hope you won't report your father to child services for cruelty?"
"I'll think about it," Richard smirked. "Dad, thanks again. Enjoy your rest."
Richard was pleased. So far, things were going smoothly, without any setbacks.
By evening, Darth Vader returned with a reply from Harry Potter. In the letter, Harry wrote that he had started attending a new school and that the owl had flown in during recess, causing quite a stir. He asked Richard not to send letters during weekday daytime hours anymore. As for the school, the future hero scribbled a few lines, from which one could gather that he had been received there quite well.
The correspondence itself wasn't the main point—the test of the postal bird was. The experiment showed that owls truly could carry mail. Moreover, somehow they were able to locate the correct recipient, unlike carrier pigeons, which simply flew to a place they had been trained to return to.
By Wednesday, the land documents had been finalized. Richard began drafting a letter. He thought long and hard about the wording: how should one write to an adult wizard who held a respectable position in the Ministry of Magic so that he would agree to meet an unknown mage in the world of ordinary people? In the end, it was decided that a businesslike tone would be best.
Taking an electric typewriter from the shelf, Richard inserted a sheet of letterhead paper and began to type.
***
Mr. Arthur Weasley
Devon County, Ottery St. Catchpole
Dear Mr. Weasley,
Lord Richard Grosvenor extends his greetings to you.
Please forgive the fact that we have not been formally introduced. You were recommended to me by the esteemed witch, Madam Marchbanks, as a specialist in the enchantment of ordinary household objects.
I have the honor of inviting you to a business dinner at my residence this Friday at 7:00 p.m. I shall expect you at the following address: 69 Grosvenor Street, London. Dress code: informal.
The meeting will take place in a relaxed atmosphere, and I hope its results will prove highly beneficial to us both. I dare not entrust more to paper.
Count Grosvenor
***
It came out suitably official, yet at the same time carried a tone of you really can't refuse. After all, it was an invitation from a Lord. At the same time, there was no convenient loophole for declining. Nowhere did it say, "If you wish, please come," or "If you agree, send me a reply." Nothing of the sort! When a Lord "politely requests," it is practically equivalent to an order to appear for dinner—otherwise, by failing to attend without a valid reason, the invitee risks offending an influential man.
Moreover, the letter contained an element of intrigue—I cannot write why I am inviting you because it is secret. And secrets, as is well known, ignite human curiosity. Add to that a subtle hint at financial gain, and it becomes a double strike straight at the target.
(End of Chapter)
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