You can read the story so far from the beginning here
“I sent you the email last week with the report attached,” Hilary said. Away from the camera on her work laptop, a soothing scented candle was burning in her tiny home office. It wasn’t working. “I sent it last Thursday at 10.17am.”
Her boss still hadn’t got the hang of online meetings and there was far too much nose in the picture as he replied. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am perfectly sure, Gordon,” Hilary said, controlling her voice with an effort. “And I copied Alison in.”
Her boss looked at the other square in the zoom call. “Did you get it?” he asked Alison.
Unlike Hilary, Alison’s background was immaculately plain white and her hair and make up were sophisticatedly professional. “Yes, I got the report, read it and replied,” Alison said. “And I copied you into that reply on Monday at 11.23am.” She paused for effect. “And my ‘read receipt’ tells me that you opened it.”
Gordon winced as he lost his chance at denying that he’d ever seen the information. “Oh, now I see it!” he said. “I’m surprised that you didn’t remind me, Hilary. You know, with it being so time sensitive.”
Hilary fought to keep a neutral expression. “You’re usually on top of these things,” she lied. “I knew that you could handle it and I’ve been busy with the Darlington papers.”
Gordon winced again. Hilary and Alison both knew that Gordon had been instructed by higher management to deal with the papers himself as they included some sensitive content. He couldn’t blame Hilary for failing to get the report to him on time unless he wanted to risk her explaining her workload to his boss. He turned to Alison. “Didn’t you think that something was wrong?” he asked. “Weren’t you worried when I didn’t raise any questions?”
“I’ve been on leave until today,” Alison said. “I had to travel for a funeral.”
Hilary knew that Alison had actually been away interviewing for another job and she didn’t blame her colleague, not in the slightest. She had also guessed that Gordon would slip up on this and prepared. She didn’t have a lot of time to waste on covering for Gordon so she had been efficient. “If you look at the original email, I also attached the framework of a cover document and an analysis. I know how busy you are and I thought if I could put something together that you could correct the obvious errors and adapt it for your own use.” Hilary managed a bland smile. “It could be a basic starting point, right?”
“I’ll have to put some work into it,” Gordon said. “You’re still learning the ropes and unfortunately your lack of experience shows through.” He sighed deeply. “But thank you for thinking of me.” He checked his watch, ignoring the clock on the screen. “I had better get started. I’ll catch up with you two tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes. “But before I forget, you’ll have the Darlington papers ready by then, won’t you?”
Hilary faked a grimace. “I’ll put the hours in,” she said. “It should be finished by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s good, I suppose,” Gordon said. “Alison, have you managed to break down the numbers for Dixon?”
Alison didn’t twitch as Gordon brought up yet another file that she and Hilary weren’t supposed to access. “I’ll get on it straight away,” she said.
“Good, good,” Gordon muttered. “Er, sorry to hear of your loss,” he said, belatedly remembering his manners. “Were you close?”
“It was a blessed release,” Alison said. “It was just their time to go, and they’re in a better place.”
“Glad to hear it, glad to hear it,” Gordon muttered. “Right, I’m off.”
Hilary waited a few moments, then grinned at Alison. “Does that mean that you got the job?”
Alison nodded, her smile lighting up her face. “I thought I’d have to wait for the news,” she said. “But they rang up this morning. I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to get away. I’m putting in my notice this afternoon.” She grinned. “I’d already sorted out the Dixon report, and he can have that as a parting gift. But I’m not doing a damned thing that’s not in my job description when I’m working my notice. I’ll let him sink.”
“Good for you!” Hilary said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him panic.”
Alison held up her hands. “You’re probably going to get a load of extra stuff dumped on you,” she said. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” Hilary said. “I’m sort of thinking of handing in my notice as well.”
“Really?” Alison said.
“It’s not as clear cut as your position,” Hilary said. “I’ve not got another job to go to. But I’ve got a big house now and I’ve taken in one lodger already. I guess I could take in a couple more.”
“I remember you sending me the pictures,” Alison said. “It’s gorgeous, but it took up most of your divorce settlement.”
Hilary shrugged. “It’s been absolutely worth it,” she said. “I got it at such a good price.” She leaned back in her chair. “But I’m not expensive to keep. I like my life simple, especially after all the trouble I had with my ex-husband. I wouldn’t need much to keep myself going.”
“Gordon is going to panic when I leave,” Alison said. “He’ll probably have a breakdown if you hand in your notice as well.” She grinned happily. “Send me screenshots.” She checked the time. “I have to go. I’ve got a meeting with their HR in five minutes.”
“Good luck!” Hilary said, and exited the meeting.
She stared at her laptop. Then, ignoring her work, she brought up the spreadsheets that she’d been working on. One tab was all the expenses, with allowances for inflation, costs, possible repairs and their costs, the potential cost of replacing her elderly car. All numbers were solid, either based on current costs or realistic projections. The other tab was a little less concrete. She didn’t know how long Tom would stay, and if Bracken moved on then keeping the house immaculate would be hard work. But she had a healthy cushion of savings, a few freelance gigs, and enjoyed a very frugal lifestyle. Now that her son had left home for a new job away in Birmingham, she didn’t need to worry too much about supporting him. Of course, if he needed her, she’d be happy to send money, but he would normally turn to his father first for money. Even if she didn’t have lodgers, her freelance work was expanding nicely.
She looked around her office. It had probably been a linen cupboard, once upon a time. It was small and lined with shelves with a single small window looking out over the fading garden. When she first came to Rowan Cottage and started updating the basics, she’d got the electrician that checked her wiring to add a couple of power outlets and replace the basic lamp with inset LED lights that could be bright or dimmed, depending on her mood. She’d hung protective charms at the window and on the door frame and added soft, deep blue curtains. And she’d brought in so many books.
These weren’t the romance books that were her guilty pleasure, nor the increasing stack of cookbooks that Bracken seemed to need. Instead it was all business. There were a couple of big files for her main job and a few more for her freelancing. There was another big file of personal papers and the legal nonsense from her divorce, securely locked away in a neat, two drawer filing cabinet. Hilary knew that she’d need a secure space if she had lodgers, and it fitted snugly under the deep shelf at the end of the room that she had claimed for a desk. The rest of the shelves were stuffed with her craft. Notebooks were crammed on the shelves, sometimes two deep, filled with records of her work. A few grimoires, painstakingly copied from originals under supervision, were in pride of place behind her laptop. Glass jars filled with rare herbs were carefully positioned out of the light. So were the stock of work candles suitable for the craft together with the tools that she needed. Wooden boxes were in careful order so that the crystals inside harmonised.
This was her sanctuary. If she had this space, she could do anything. And it wasn’t just this space. Tom would be home soon, filling the kitchen with his reassuring presence. Bracken was busy in the kitchen, practising with the meal that she had learned last week. Hilary could smell the scent of onions and garlic and all the ingredients of a sustaining bowl of chilli. Intermingled was the aroma of the fresh bread that Hilary had baked earlier and a hint of woodsmoke from bonfires burning garden rubbish two doors down. And over all was the soothing presence of the lavender candle, lit to keep Hilary calm during a tough work call. For a long moment, Hilary stared at the soft flame, mesmerised, with her mind stilled, allowing her deepest thoughts to rise to the surface.
Hilary nodded to herself, knowing that she had made the decision when Lord Peregrine first suggested it. She would hand in her notice, ramp up her freelance work and dig out recipes for cakes and biscuits for Lord Peregrine’s new stores. She could also pin a room-to-let notice on the board in the Farm Shop. The locals could spread the word from there, and there was no better advertising.
But there was no way that Hilary would be helping out at the new stores. She absolutely refused to do that.
