Chapter 7

From:
Trask, Blaimire & Co.
Solicitors
1, Haymarket
Lower Newton Godfrey
6 March

To:
Holliday & String
Solicitors
7, Main Street
Chinfold Major

For the attention of Mr Lionel String. Re: Aytuzi Finance Company v King.

Dear Mr String,

Thank you for your letter of 3 March. I am sorry to note that you are not the String I had in mind: he must have been – perhaps still is – an extraordinary man. I imagine you are proud to share the name.

It is perhaps as well that you went through the Newton Godfreys at speed, as loitering lawyers from elsewhere, especially from the Chinfolds, are not always well received by the locals. That is merely a jest, you understand.

I see that you have a thriving social scene in your part of the world. It may interest you to know that while we cannot compete with you in matters of photography, we do have a chess club here, of which I am a founder member, though by no means the brightest star in our firmament.

Were we on closer terms, I would suggest a match – we can produce half a dozen players capable of giving a good account of themselves. My own trifling attainments go so far as to have lasted for forty-seven moves against a man who once managed a draw with Eugene Znosko-Borovski – admittedly in a simultaneous display by the master, who had twenty opponents. Also, though I play only third board, there are those who have confessed to quaking at my Evans Gambit. All in all, I think you would find that we can hold our own in any but the most distinguished company.

Please don’t disturb yourself about the late Eric Blaimire. He had a short life and a merry one. ‘Besser kurz und stramm als lang und schlabberig, ‘ as they say in Germany. I will spare you a feverish search through the dictionary by suggesting that ‘better short and stiff than long and limp’ might do. Dear me, please don’t think in terms of the double-entendre – none is intended. I am simply being literal. The Teutons do have a nice way with words, don’t they? I have often thought that the German vocabulary has much to offer which we could profitably assimilate, but I won’t go on, as you may have a different opinion, on account of your wartime background. Oh, forgive me. I forgot for a moment that you are not the String.

As to Aytuzi v King, the matter is proceeding and we shall see what emerges. Speaking from our side, I can say that we are always open to discussion, though your client does seems to be unusually recalcitrant. Now, we are dealing with the question of tempus fugit, and I have a novel queen’s pawn opening twist which I wish to try out this evening. Please keep me advised of developments in the legal matter which consumes so much of our respective energies – social exchanges must not divert us from the interests of our respective clients.

Yours fraternally,

Henry Blaimire
Partner

From:
Aytuzi Finance Company
Unit 3, White Horse Yard
Newton Godfrey
7 March

To:
Cedric King
Poplar House
Halfpenny Lane
Little Chinfold

Dear Cedric,

Thank you for the letter of 3 March. You are in luck, as I have been out of the saddle for a couple of days, and you missed by a hairsbreadth having to deal with my superior, Miles Garth, who is far less tolerant than I am. In fact, like a certain fictional character whose name escapes me, it could be said of our Mr Garth that the softest thing about him is his front teeth. Count your blessings.

You suggest that I am trying to drive you to suicide. What a ridiculous notion! Your self-destruction could hardly benefit anyone at Aytuzi. You seem to be an intelligent man – have I said that before? – so can surely see that it is in the best interests of all concerned that we should recover what you owe us, without our invoking every step of the legal process? If you cannot, you must be less bright than I have so far supposed.