‘Is he now?’ Farquhar smiled. ‘That’s a real shame as it’s one of my favourite books and I particularly like visiting the Regal but unfortunately I have a court date in London that day and I don’t think I’ll be back in time.’
Surprisingly, his old fashioned manners, thoughtful and attentive to every member of the party, made him very good company and although he was a little stuffy, he completely won over the two girls, listening with great attention to everything they had to say. Funnily enough, they blossomed by being treated like little adults. Watching all this, Hilda softened towards him; even Ash – who’d been a little bit suspicious of him at first – unbent when Farquhar started asking him questions about his new job and seemed to know a little about the industry.
‘Can I just say that I had no idea that your mother had brought those glasses here?’ I whispered urgently to Farquhar on the doorstep when he came to leave.
‘My dear, I know that. She was testing me, wanting to see if I was going to make a fuss.’
‘Oh.’
‘Thank you for inviting me today. You have a lovely family… Oh, I quite forgot. Have you heard from your sister?’
‘No. I sent her a message asking her to get in touch and explaining that I don’t have parental responsibility and if she intends to stay any longer I need to apply for a Special Guardianship Order and that I need her consent. She still hasn’t come back to me. And the school’s asked me to see the headteacher.’
‘Have you been?’
‘Not yet. I’m going on Tuesday.’
‘Hmm. Well, here’s my card. If you need anything, call me. And don’t worry. You’re doing a wonderful job with the girls. I honestly would have thought you were their mother. They’re clearly happy and settled with you and that’s what social services will be checking, if they get involved.’
I twisted the card between my fingers. ‘Thank you. That’s very kind of you.’
‘And don’t hesitate to call me. This is my field.’
‘Yes but—’
‘Don’t even think about money. I’m very grateful that you’re keeping an eye on my mother. She can be rather difficult. Not everyone… well, the manager at Sunnyside isn’t a fan.’ With a deprecating tug at his mouth he admitted, ‘Unfortunately we’re both a bit headstrong. But she’s definitely mellowed since she met you. In fact, you seem to have given her a new lease of life. I only insisted on her going to Sunnyside because… well, she was going into a decline. After her fall she was very… well… more difficult than usual and despondent too. Although, I realise now that she was a touch depressed and lonely.’ With an apologetic smile, he added. ‘We’ve never got on terrifically well. Fault on both sides. And her terrible taste in men. Her late husband, George, was an out-and-out crook. I caught him selling some of her jewellery.’
‘I think she knew,’ I said, remembering her throwaway line about giving him permission to sell her ring. ‘But he made her happy. It sounds like they had a lot of fun together.’
‘A bit too much fun.’ Farquhar’s mouth pursed. ‘But… she did seem a lot happier with him.’
‘I think she has some regrets about the past,’ I offered. ‘Especially about your childhood.’
‘No point looking back.’ He surprised me. ‘Now I’m an adult at the peak of my career, I have a better understanding. She had work she enjoyed. Not supposed to say anything,’ he tapped his nose in a sitcom way that made me want to laugh, ‘but I think she might have worked for MI6 at one time. Something m’father once said.’
‘Really?’ I said, stifling the urge to giggle.
‘But thank you for today. I’d like to come again, if that would be all right. I think perhaps we all need to sit down and have a bit of heart to heart and sort a few things out. I feel a lot better knowing that she has friends who care and can keep an eye on her.’
‘I don’t want to interfere but I think she would be happier in a home of her own rather than in the nursing home. She’s still very independent.’ I put a hand on his arm as I saw him stiffen. ‘I know that house is far too big for her. But she loves cooking and baking. She likes having nice things around her and I think she’d like a garden of her own. Perhaps we could find a smaller one for her. A bungalow or something?’
He sighed. ‘I appreciate that but at her age she could go downhill so quickly…’ He suddenly frowned. ‘You do know how old she is, don’t you?’
‘No.’
When he told me, I was too stunned to say a word.
Chapter Thirty-One
‘Does anyone have any further questions?’ I glanced around the boardroom. Each seat was filled with a besuited executive all studying my final slide with great attention.
‘Well, I certainly don’t,’ said Alastair Taylor, our managing director. ‘Very detailed and diligent as always, Claire.’
‘Yes, another excellent job,’ added Bob Wilding. That was because I’d insisted on focusing on it and not getting dragged into several other projects.
Both were founding partners and their opinion had previously been very important, with a capital V. I gave them a professional, modest, little smile. I felt strangely indifferent. I’d done the job I was supposed to do to the best of my ability but I hadn’t felt any sense of challenge or excitement.
One by one, everyone from the meeting drifted away and as the last one disappeared through the heavy wooden door, I dropped into one of the leather boardroom seats and rubbed my fingers against my pounding temples.
Karen caught me as I returned to my desk clutching my laptop to my chest. ‘I hear the presentation went extremely well.’ Her eyes twinkled with an unspoken message she was bursting to share. ‘Alastair Taylor wants to see you at half past four this afternoon.’ She finished the sentence with a decided flourish and an extremely unsubtle comedy-moment wink.
‘Half four?’ Ironically my immediate thought wasn’t, what time shall we crack open the prosecco? It went straight to, shit will I get out in time to pick up the girls?
Anxiety twisted in my guts as I weighed things up. I’d have to keep the meeting short and sweet without being too obvious about it and I still had a ton of pressing work to do by the close of business.
‘Yes. I checked your diary; you’re clear all day.’ She nudged me as if trying to unearth my missing enthusiasm.
‘Right.’ I dredged up a smile.
‘You do know what this means.’
‘I think so.’
‘First woman partner,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
‘You don’t know that for sure,’ I whispered back, still not taking it all in. I’d been convinced that my unplanned absence and the stigma of stress-related absence would have put the kibosh on any promotion to partner.
A few hours later, I left the office in a state of shock. Alastair Taylor had indeed offered me a partnership, something that I’d been working towards for the last ten years. All those extra hours I put in, all the missed weekends, the late nights… they’d all paid off.