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‘Reason enough for you to accept this assignment, my boy,’ said his father, ‘and as you are bound to be away for several weeks, possibly months, there are one or two matters we need to discuss before you go.

‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new,’ the old man continued, quoting his favourite poet, ‘so I can only hope that in time you will come and live in Hartley Hall and take care of your mother. ’Tis the natural order of things.’

‘You have my word on it,’ promised Simon.

‘And I don’t want your mother worrying about financial matters. She still tips waiters a shilling and considers it ex-travagant.’

‘Fear not, Father,’ said Simon. ‘I’ve already set up a trust fund in her name, which I’ll personally administer on her behalf, so she won’t have to fuss about any temporary financial difficulties.’

‘And then there’s the important issue,’ said his father, ‘of what you should do with Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence which, as you know, has been in our family for over two hundred years. We should have carried out the President’s wishes long before now. With that in mind, I made an appointment to see the American Ambassador in order to hand over the Fair Copy along with the letter that shows the great man had always intended it to be bequeathed to the American people.’

‘“In the fullness of time”,’ Simon reminded him.

‘To be fair,’ said the old man, ‘it hadn’t occurred to me that it was of any value other than as an historic memento, until I read recently that one of Benjamin Franklin’s printed copies of the Declaration sold for over a million dollars, which is when I felt concerned for the first time.’

‘No need to feel concern, Father. Once the negotiations for the arms deal have been completed, the first thing I’ll do when I get home is visit the American Embassy and hand the Declaration over to the Ambassador in your name.’

‘Along with the letter expressing Jefferson’s wish that it should be given to Congress, which will remind people that our family played their part in a footnote of history. However, the other five letters should remain in the family archives and must be passed on to your firstborn, who I do believe I can hear heading towards us – either that or it’s a pack of wolfhounds that are about to appear.’

Simon smiled, glad to see that his father hadn’t lost his sense of humour. He climbed off the bed and opened the door to allow the rest of the family to join them.

Robert was the first to greet his grandfather, but even before he reached his bedside, the old man said, ‘Robert, I need to be sure you can repeat the words Thomas Jefferson wrote to your great ancestor over two hundred years ago.’

Robert grinned, looking rather pleased with himself. He stood up straight and began, ‘Dear Mr Hartley.’

‘Date and address,’ demanded the old man.

‘Hôtel de Langeac, Paris, August 11th, 1787.’

‘Carry on,’ said his grandfather.

‘I hope you will grant me your permission to impose upon your time by allowing me to send you my Fair Copy of the Declaration of Independence, which I earlier delivered toCongress for their consideration. You will see that it includes the two clauses you and I discussed in London, namely the abolition of slavery and our future relationship with King George III once we become an independent nation. Copies were made by my friend and colleague Benjamin Franklin and distributed among interested parties. Much to my dismay, when members of Congress divided, both clauses were rejected. However, I would not want you to think I had not taken to heart your wise and sound counsel and tried to convince my fellow congressmen of the merit of your judgement.

‘Once you have had a proper chance to peruse the Fair Copy at your leisure, perhaps you would be kind enough, in the fullness of time, to return it to me. I thought you would want to know that it is my intention to bequeath this memento to the Nation in order that future generations of Americans might fully appreciate what the founding fathers were trying to achieve, and not least the role you played. I look forward to hearing from you at some time in the future, and be assured of my sincere esteem and respect.

‘I remain, your most obedient and humble servant,

‘Thomas Jefferson.’

Simon placed an arm around his mother while his son completed the letter, which like his father and grandfather before him, he had learnt by heart.

‘And will you promise me to teach your firstborn those same words and make sure he can also repeat them by his twelfth birthday?’ Lord Hartley demanded.

‘I give you my word,’ said Robert.

Simon could not hold back the tears when he saw the smile of satisfaction on the old man’s face, although he feared he was seeing his father for the last time.

BOOK 1

‘I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.’

President John F. Kennedy addressing a dinner honouring Nobel Prize winners.

29 April 1962

CHAPTER 1

WHEN THE CAR DREW UPoutside the club, a guard glanced in the back and nodded before the barrier was raised so the chauffeur could continue on up a long drive, finally coming to a halt outside a palatial villa that could have been plucked out of Monte Carlo. The Saudis can duplicate anything money can buy, thought Simon, as he climbed out of the car and made his way into the club.