BOOK 4: PREPARATION / CH. 25:BOB AND SARAH'S FRIDAY.

FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER 9AM

“Yes, that's right, this is about the maintenance contract for stoves in Blackwood cabins.” Bob repeated a third time, in the same call, admittedly it had been to different people.

“I'm sorry, we don't have a maintenance contract with Blackwood cabins, it was cancelled a few years ago.”

“I know, that's the problem. I am speaking as general manager of the company that's just taken over Blackwood Cabins. I sent a message two days ago stating that we would very much like to reestablish the maintenance contract, and have all the stoves given a remedial service as soon as possible. I haven't heard anything back.”

“Oh, I understand sir. I'm sorry, you've been put through to the wrong department; you need sales.”

“They've just put me through to you.” Bob said.

“That's odd, I don't see anything here. Oh, but Blackwood cabins are now a subsidiary of your company? Would the contract be set up with Blackwood Cabins or with your company?”

“Probably it should be our company, 'Carbon-carbon land management'. Blackwood cabins will be dissolved to just be a trading name.”

“OK, I understand now, sir. Yes, I see the maintenance contract request, but the computer's got in a mess. It's rejecting the contract because it looks at our records about how many stoves you have of what type and comes the answer of a big fat zero. I'll get it to record the stoves as sold to your company, and that ought to solve it.”

“That won't lose any service history and location data, I hope? I understand there's a number of different sizes of stoves.”

“I hope not. Oh. Yes it might. Would you bear with me a moment, sir?”

“Of course. Should I call back?”

“That's up to you, sir. I'm happy to put you on hold while I call in our resident computer-tamer. But just in case the switchboard drops your call, can I give you the direct contact number? It's a century old and gets a bit quirky sometimes.”

“Yes, please then.”

Once that had been done, Bob was put on hold and the ancient switchboard played him ancient music. Bob shook his head.

“Progress?” Christine asked.

“I'm on hold, I've got a slightly quirky century old switchboard which might decide to drop my call, playing me what I guess was considered relaxing music a hundred years ago. But on the other hand, we have progress. Sales can't put the contract through because we want the contract in Carbon-carbon's name, but the stoves are in the system as owned by Blackwood cabins. It's got the function of coping with them being sold, but for all I know it'll mark them as needing chimneys attached or something, rather than an overhaul.”

“It sounds like they need an injection of cash.”

“We're trying to give them one, remember? Fifty seven stoves to service.”

“That's only a cash injection if they make a profit on the maintenance contract, remember.”

“I'll have a word with them about that.”

“What, you want an un-discount?”

“If it means the company stays afloat for another fifty years to service my stoves, yes.”

“Why not buy them up, then? I presume they're profitable?”

“Don't tempt me. I'm not going to make that sort of decision without Sarah's approval. It hardly counts as land management.” Nevertheless, he did pull up the firm's published accounts. Hmm, fairly low capital equipment, quite a few staff, reasonable profit on the stoves, relatively high cashflow on the maintenance contracts without much profit at all. He noticed that the phone system wasn't listed as an asset anywhere. And that company profits would double with a one percent increase in maintenance charges. Surely competition wasn't that tough.

Finally, the music stopped, there was a click, silence, then another click “Hello? Mr Coal?”

“Hello! It didn't manage to drop me.”

“I'm glad.”

“Interesting music selection.”

“I'm afraid we haven't been able to update it. The system's too old and nothing that works any more will communicate with it. Also... would it be possible for you to keep the maintenance contract under the name of Blackwood Cabins?”

“I suppose so, It will stay a trading name.”

“It would certainly be easier on our part. Our systems expert says that the alternative is to alter the database by hand, and he'd rather not do that during the day.”

“Your stoves are wonderful, but I have to wonder about your infrastructure. And about your practice of hardly covering costs on your maintenance contracts. Sorry, I've just been reading your accounts. Is competition really that steep?”

“It is in the mind of the management, sir. I haven't noticed it myself, except when cases like your cabins occur.”

“My employer takes the long view, and would like the stoves to still be functioning in fifty years. That means proper maintenance, which means your maintenance division surviving. I don't know if this means anything to you, but according to the site-manager here the flow on most of them is now only ten percent above 'don't use' “.

“It means they need a service, urgently sir.”

“My employer agrees. So, please instruct your sales team that we do expect you to make an operating profit on this contract.”

“Ah. Now that might be the hardest request to comply with that I've ever heard.”

“Don't tell me there's no flexibility in the contract price at all.”

“None I'm aware of sir.”

“Why don't you just have a computerized sales department, if all they do is take down details and make up the contract?”

“I don't think the owner would like to make them redundant, sir.”

“Technically, they are. In the sense of serving no useful purpose. Sorry, that's too harsh. I know I prefer speaking to people. But if you've got a suggestions box, then I suggest increasing the price by at least five percent and allow the sales team to discount it back to what it is now, depending on how much the customers complain.”

“The suggestion has been made before, sir.”

“By a customer?”

“Not as far as I'm aware, sir.”

“OK, Can you alter the maintenance contract request to say Blackwood cabins, or do I need to re-submit it?”

“I can do that, sir.”

“Wonderful. So, when can someone come out? Fifty something stoves need help.”

“A full remedial service would take several hours per stove, so we're talking about more than four man-weeks, I guess we'd send a team of five. Can I schedule a them to come out in February?”

“That's the soonest you can offer?”

“Well, if you declare it an emergency service, then we could schedule it sooner. We could send a team of two next week even. I don't know if that would cover every stove, though. The emergency service isn't as thorough, you understand — it makes sure the safety-critical aspects are resolved, but leaves out various cleaning tasks which might affect the efficiency but not the safety of the stove. There is an additional charge involved.”

“Then it sounds like what I'd like is for you to schedule an emergency service next week, and whatever's left over in terms of servicing needs done in the coming months. Now, we're also planning to significantly increase occupancy rates, ideally so there's only one or two unoccupied at any time. I'd prefer not to have guests disturbed, so would it be possible to have a service contract where we arrange a phased servicing, where you service one or two stoves each time? We'd arrange the bookings so that the right cabins were free. I realise this isn't particularly convenient in terms of time and travel, but we would be prepared to pay the additional call-out charges.”

“If only there were call out charges, sir. I can process the emergency servicing, sir. That's within my authority. I've made a note of your request and will be talking to the management and to sales about the phasing, I'm sure that someone will be contacting you soon.”

“Your profit only comes from servicing multiple stoves per visit, doesn't it?”

“It's not my place to say sir.”

“It's not my place to say this either, but I would not be surprised if my employer were making a takeover bid for your company sometime soon.”

“I doubt the owner would sell, sir. Takeovers generally mean redundancies.”

“Generally, yes. All I can say is that we're looking to expand the customer base and take on more staff after taking over Blackwood cabins. As I say, my employer doesn't like short term profits.”

“And your employer's shareholders? I hope you don't mind, I've been looking you up and you're part of an enormous corporate structure.”

“You thought I was talking about the holding company? No, I was talking about the owner.”

“You're saying that GemSmith Holdings has a single owner?”

“Yes. It's a privately owned company.”

“I won't pretend that an injection of cash wouldn't be welcome. Perhaps some kind of deal could be reached.”

“Not my place to say, as I said. I'll expect your engineers next week and some contact from your sales department. It's been nice talking to you.”

“Good bye, sir, I'm sure we'll talk again.”

Putting the phone down, he went to see the owner-manager, his father.

“Dad, remember Blackwood cabins?”

“Yes. Did I see they want proper maintenance again?”

“Yes. Company's been bought up by 'Carbon-carbon land management, a subsidiary of GemSmith Holdings', which also owns such companies as Emerald health insurance. They want the whole lot to have an emergency service. flow rate's down to ten percent faster than 'duck and cover'.”

“Another small trader swallowed up by a corporate giant. At least they want the stoves serviced.”

“They want staggered servicing: maybe only one or two a week, since that won't disturb their guests. But they are prepared to pay call-out charges. And an interesting thing I learnt about the corporate giant, Dad. Single owner. The guy I was speaking to thought that no profit on the maintenance contracts wasn't good for the company's health, and that his employer — the owner — might make a take-over bid if that's the only way to change policy.”

“Typical corporate bully, then.”

“I'm not sure, dad. He said he'd be happy to pay more than everyone else if it meant we'd still be servicing their stoves in fifty years. His employer takes the long view, it seems.”

“Well its nice of him to sound concerned.”

“I think he is, Dad.”

“And how many redundancies is Blackwood cabins facing?”

“Last time I was there they only had two employees, Dad. But he says they're looking to expand the business and take on more staff.”

“OK, well if GemSmith make a bid, then I won't just chuck it in the bin like the others. I'll read it first, at least. And since he wants us to make a profit on a servicing one or two stoves a week, then work out the travel costs in hours and fuel and everything, will you? I'll tell Sandra to add fifteen percent, call that the call-out charge and add it to the normal amount. Let's see how much he squeals.”

“He might just smile and pay it, Dad.”

“Then we'll all be happy, won't we?”

----------------------------------------

10.30AM

“Hello, Carbon-carbon land management, Bob Coal speaking.”

“Oh. I was given this number for Blackwood cabins, I'm sorry.” Sandra said.

“They're a subsidiary, you've got the right number.”

“Oh, good! I'm Sandra, calling from E.C.Stoves, concerning your, urm, unusual service contract.” Sandra sounded like the woman he'd spoken to earlier, who'd put him through to servicing. She also sounded like she was hardly out of school.

“This would be the emergency service, or the regular servicing?”

“The regular servicing, sir.”

“Wonderful. Do you have an offer for me?”

“Yes, sir, would you like me to send the document to the account I'm calling now?”

“Yes, please.”

“It's on its way now then, sir. Would you like me to hold, or to call later if there's anything you'd like to discuss?”

Bob looked at it, it wasn't complicated, but she'd made it a little too detailed, the poor thing. “If you could stay on the line please. Is this the first time you've done a contract including call out charges?”

“Yes, sir. Is there a problem?”

“Well, I see that you've managed to account for the variable number of call-outs, well done. Unfortunately you've made some mistakes. It looks like you've forgotten to include a figure for administrative support, and I assure you that arranging this many visits will need someone's time. It's also not at all normal to tell the customer how much profit you're making, you should just put all together in a lump sum called the per-visit call out charge. And you also should check with your manager that he said really said fifteen percent and not fifty? Thirty to fifty was about normal last time I checked.”

“Urm. Sorry, Mr Coal.”

“That's all right Sandra. Perhaps you should get your manager to check, next time you do something you're not familiar with.”

“Thank you, sir. I will.” she sounded close to tears.

“No harm done, I assure you. So, if you'd like to check up on those things and get back to me?”

“Yes, I will sir.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

“Really?” Christine asked “She'd got the whole calculation in there?”

“Yes. She sounded like she was just out of school, never done this before, and was working without enough supervision.”

“Poor thing. Did you make her cry?”

“I don't think so. She was close, though. Good professional phone manner, just it wasn't the right document to send out.”

“Hopefully she won't forget that lesson.”

“And hopefully her manager will forgive her for giving away company secrets.”

“Since you told her their margin wasn't big enough, I expect he will. You're giving away quite a lot of Carbon-carbon's money, aren't you?”

“No, Christine. I'm maintaining the company ethic of not taking advantage of a junior worker's honest mistakes. Surely they wouldn't just add fifteen percent?”

“I don't know, Bob.”

“Anyway, I'm going to write up a suggestion for Sarah to consider. How's your work going?”

“Well, since we've got an extra six for lunch I thought I really ought to go and prepare it. But on the way I'm going to give one last carer for Mabel's twins an interview, to see if they're on-board for the care package too, and if they'd want to take on other clients.”

“Mabel's accepted then? I hadn't heard.”

“Yes, as long as we pay 'her girls' the same amount for the next five years, index linked. Since their pay seemed reasonable to the negotiator, then they signed it. I think Mabel thought she was protecting them.”

“And is that a problem?”

“Yes. They all knew about that clause, and said they were happy, but for the work they're doing, and their experience, she's actually been paying them at below the union's scale. I'm having to negotiate with the union about giving them a top up in terms of pension provision and health benefits.”

“What fun.”

“It is, actually.”

“Well, take care, love.”

“That's my line!” Christine said.

----------------------------------------

Sandra went to speak to her grandfather.

“I think I messed up, Grandad.”

“That happens to us all. What happened, Sandra?”

“Well, I put everything you said onto the contract, called him, sent it to him and he told me I shouldn't show the workings. Is that right? I thought we always do that.”

“Ah, well, not for something like a call-out charge you don't.”

“Oh. I'm sorry. And he told me to check: did you say fifteen, or fifty percent on top? He thought I'd made a mistake.”

“You didn't hear fifty did you? That would have been really over the top.”

“No, I heard fifteen, but he said fifteen seemed too low, Grandad. He said thirty to fifty percent was more normal.”

“Well, listen to the customer, girl. And since we don't want to confuse the nice man then make it thirty.”

“That's charging him for thinking I'd made a mistake which would have got me in trouble, isn't it?”

“Oh all right. You can give him the fifteen if you like.”

“I don't know, I'm not in charge. Oh, he did say he thought we should be charging him for administrative support, too.”

“Oh did he?”

“Yes, Grandad. He said he thought it'd add up to a lot of time organising all those visits.”

“He's right you know. He's right. It all adds up.” he sat back and closed his eyes. He should of thought of that. Thirty or forty visits to arrange, not to mention working out which stoves needed what sort of servicing. There was probably a day of work there, easily, plus the additional financial our, and he'd been about to do it for free, when the man clearly wanted them to survive. Maybe it was time to step away from things.

“Are you all right, Grandad?”

“Me? I'm fine dear. I'm just wondering if you're going to be fine if I keep on running this company. I mean, it shouldn't the customer's job to work out I'm undercharging him, surely?”

“So how much should I be charging him Grandad?”

“Go talk to you mum, dear. She can work out how much admin work it'll take. Point out to her that there's boing to be lots of checking everything back and forth to make sure we all agree we've serviced all the stoves.”

----------------------------------------

FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER 1PM

“That was fun!” Bella said, getting off the sledge, and brushing the snow off herself. Some was fresh — it had started falling again as they reached the top — but most had been kicked up by their feet on the way down. “I'd love to that again if it wasn't for that climb.” Trevor agreed.

“Did you have fun too, Pris? Despite your reservations?” Bella asked.

“Yes, thanks.” Pris said. “But I think I scared Dirk.”

“Pris insisted on steering.” Dirk said “I think she's addicted to speed.”

“We didn't crash, and I did have the better view of obstacles.”

“Only because your hair was in my eyes half the time.” he said, with a smile. He'd very much... treasured, he supposed the word was, the feeling of holding her close on the way down. He liked the smell and feel of her hair too.

“I did offer to put it under my hat, Dirk.”

“It's a shame to hide it.”

“Silly man.” she said, with an indulgent smile. “Are Eliza and Nigel OK, do you think?”

“Eliza seemed to be. She had a big grin and shouted something about enjoying the occasion, when we got to them.” Bella said. “But it looked quite a tumble. Fido seems to have decided to stay with them, the traitor.”

“Eliza seems to have a habit of falling off sledges. Maybe we should have warned Nigel.” Dirk said as they arrived with a cloud of sparkling snow, and Fido galloping after.

Trevor asked, “What happened?”

“I got a snowflake in my eye.” Eliza said.

“And let go to brush it away, just as we hit a bump, which she didn't see because of the snowflake. The combination overbalanced us.” Nigel added. “No real harm done.”

“Dirk was just telling us that falling off sledges is a habit of yours, Eliza.” Trevor teased.

“Just to correct any mistaken interpretations.” she said primly “Dirk used to pull me on our sledge when I was little. Sometimes he deliberately pulled me into a ditch. Or at least that's what it looked like from my viewpoint. Anyway, here's the pond, where are we going to, Pris?”

“That white-plastered house there.” she pointed to the other side of the pond. “Shame we can't cross this pond, we've got quite a walk to get round it. But what's your professional opinion of the slope, Nigel?”

“Fun. Addictive, probably. And I didn't see any reason except publicity to avoid it.”

“I agree.” Bella said. “It is a bit public. But as long as there's no snipers around, they should be fine.”

“Or journalists?” queried Pris.

“Always a risk.” Eliza agreed.

“I think that's something we can deal with.” Nigel said. “There are protocols for such things.”

“Bella, why are you walking when there's a perfectly good sledge to sit on?” Trevor asked.

“Well, since you're offering.” She sat on, and Trevor pulled.

Nigel looked at Dirk “Blame my brother for setting the precedent.”

“That's OK, Nigel.” Eliza said. “I'll pull you the first half of the way, my knight.”

Pris said “Dirk, I've just realised something.”

“What's that, Pris?”

“I've no idea if I could even move you. On you get, let's find out.”

“You're not that weak, Pris.”

“So, let's prove it. I probably need the exercise. You can take over when I get tired.”

“OK. Or half way.”

“We'll see.”

Pris was still pulling when they got to the gate of the house, having over-taken the others on the way. She'd actually jogged most of the way.

“You didn't need to pull me all the way, Pris.” Dirk had said as they were approaching.

“Yes I did, I was proving something to myself.”

“That you can pull a sledge?”

“No. That I still have some stamina.” she replied.

“I'd have thought all the walking in the past days had proven that.”

“That was just walking. Anyone can do that.”

“Not anyone, no. Not even everyone who thinks themselves moderately fit could walk all day long for three and a half days and then pull me on a sledge for quarter of an hour. You're genuinely fit, Pris.”

“Thank you for saying that, Dirk.”

“I could say some other things about you too.” he said, checking there was still a while before the others caught up “But mostly I want to say that I'm in love with you.”

“Oh Dirk, I've warned you about that.”

“I know. But there's no point pretending to myself it's not true, and absolutely no point at all in not telling you the truth.”

“For the record, Dirk, I like you, I respect you, I enjoyed having your arms round me on the sledge and I care about you. I don't think that amounts to being in love. But I'm happy we've had this time together.”

“That sounds a bit final.” Dirk said.

“It's not meant to be. It's been a lovely extended first date.”

“And would you accept an invitation on another?”

“Of course, Dirk.” she smiled. “I've never been on a second date before.”

“Are you doing anything this evening?”

“Yes.” she said and at her pause his heart fell. “I'm going on a date with you, if that's OK.”

“Very much so.” he said just before the others arrived.

“What was the rush?” Bella asked.

“A test of my stamina.” Pris said.

“Fair enough. You've got buckets.”

“Good to see it's still there.”

“For the record, I don't think I could have done that.” Trevor said.

“Probably not. I was always way out there in front of everyone in stamina.”

“Who's going to ring the doorbell?” Bella asked.

“I nominate Pris, she's talked to Bob the most.” Nigel said.

“Oh, thanks.” Pris said. She was still breathing quite heavily.

At that moment, Bob looked out of the window, saw them and opened the door to them. “You made it then. All in one piece?”

“Yes, thanks. Sorry if I'm a bit out of breath I've just been hauling Dirk here on the sledge since the other side of the lake.”

“At a run, most of the way.” Dirk added.

“That's a very impressive feat.” Bob said. “Was it a bet or something?”

“Sort of. I knew I'd have been able to do it before my bout in hospital. I was checking to see if I was still up to it.”

“Well, do come in.”

“We're a bit covered in snow, I'm afraid.” Eliza said.

“Be at peace, milady, and be welcome.” Christine said, from behind Bob, “There are rags on the floor and the banqueting table awaits. But if anyone does feel the need to brush off some snow, there's a brush on your left.”

“This is Christine, and I see she's had time to dress up for the occasion as well as prepare the meal. Welcome one and all to our humble abode. May your bodies be refreshed by the light repast under which the table groaneth, and your souls by good conversation, come in peace and leave in good health.”

Addressing Nigel, he continued “It has vexed me, sir Knight, that your countenance seemeth to me familiar. But now I see thy mark upon thy lady's belt and all is clear. Thou art the unvanquished Sir Brokennose, is it not so?”

“In truth, 'tis true, but I must say thy countenance seemeth not familiar to me.”

“It is rare indeed for one to recognise the true countenance of the one known as the Jester, sir Knight. Though there are are no few who have regretted not doing so.” Christine supplied.

“But don't worry. I had nothing to do with preparing this meal.” Bob added.

“I bow in humility before the supreme master of assassins, and am doubly grateful for thy words of welcome.” Eliza said formally. As Bob gave a mocking bow in return. Eliza explained “If you remember my jesting threat to Nigel, during the arm wrestling, people, I present the honorable perpetrator of that fine joke. This is the man who put itching powder in William's socks.”

“But you're here as friends, so your socks and other garments are safe.” Christine said “Come on through to the dining room, please. It's just a collection of random things I had in the fridge or freezer.”

Once they'd sat down, Christine asked “Bob, would you say grace?”

Bob gave thanks for the meal, and the friends of friends they were eating with.

“And thank you so much for the invitation.” Bella said. “I can't even claim we all know Sarah, although Eliza's spent quite a few nights inside and outside her house.” She said as they sat down at the meal. It did meet her idea of a banquet.

“And Dirk almost got himself sleep-gassed on his first visit.” Eliza said.

“What on earth were you doing?” Bob asked.

“I was running a systems check on the security system. That was, when, June or July?”

“Mid-July. Two weeks before her wedding.” Eliza supplied.

“And am I right in thinking you're all with Security?” Bob asked.

“Yes.” Pris said, and introduced everyone, giving their departments as well. “And I'm also to tell you that Maria says 'Hi, nice to hear you're better.'”

Christine asked, “Maria, as in Maggie's cousin?”

Bob nodded. “You know I used to get packages to deliver sometimes?” he asked. “Maria was one of the people that did the sending or receiving.”

“And you had the perfect opportunity, since you were always round at Maggie and Joshua's place.”

“Maggie and Joshua were Sarah's parents.” Pris supplied to the others “I'm not sure if you want to hear this, Bob, Christine, but Maria's going to be reactivating your clearances. It doesn't really affect you much, but it does mean we can speak freely.”

“Uh oh.” Christine said. “So your visit to our lovely part of the world isn't just fun?”

“We've had a very lovely time.” Pris said “But no, it wasn't actually our idea to come up. No, hold on, it was your idea, wasn't it Nigel?”

“It was, but the formation of the group wasn't.”

“So do we gather that our speculative thinking last night was right?” Christine asked, “As well as Sarah visiting over the new year, and a cousin — I presume Maria's little girl all grown up — visiting over Christmas, there's going to be another one of Sarah's relatives coming, having just worn Maggie's wedding dress?”

“That's right. Maria's niece will be visiting your cabins too. Not that it's commonly known that Maria and her infamous brother are related.”

“That dress gives away too much.” Christine said. “And I'm not just talking about the neck-line.”

“For those like you who are in the know, yes, it does.”

“Well, thank you for telling us. We'd guessed as much, but it's nice to know for sure.” Bob said.

“I hope we haven't put you off your food. It's a wonderful spread.” Bella said.

“Do have some more,” Christine said. “I've got some more keeping warm in the kitchen if we manage to empty the table. It struck me that people who've been walking all over the site might have an appetite.”

“Thank you so much.” Dirk said, “I know I have, even though Pris pulled me the last bit of the way.”

“Before we get into any more details,” Christine began, “apart from having an unmentionable job, what can you tell us about Sarah and her new husband? Can you fill us in with anything since we last saw her? That was just before her parents died. To start with Bob was too sick to travel, and after he was, her aunt didn't want old friends to make contact with her.”

“Bella, you've spent the most time with them, in total.” Pris prompted.

“Possibly. Urm, this is tricky, since I know I know things not everyone here knows, and I'm not sure how much you know. Did you know about Sarah's tiara?”

Christine nodded, and Bob answered very carefully “It was urm, more than decorative.”

“She's told me that one of the last things her Dad told her was that she shouldn't take it off. So she didn't, until she was about fourteen, I think it was, and one of her friends was ultra-upset about something, and Sarah lent it to her. Some unpleasant events that happened after that and it got broken.”

“That must have ah, had unexpected consequences for Sarah.” Christine said.

“Yes. It did, but because of wearing tiara so long the consequences weren't particularly reliable, and she'd probably never known what you do about it.

"So, Sarah struggled with the consequences, studied physics and other technical things at university. In the mean time, John had got a job at the same place Sarah's at now — you know he was the other survivor?”

Bob nodded, and Bella continued, “He'd lost his wife and unborn child in the attack. So, eventually, Sarah graduated and met John, and God intervened quite a lot. He healed her, and convinced John that he was meant to remarry. Her ability with the computer got her employed as systems guru the same place John worked, which is where most of us met her.”

Christine asked “And that's a civilian organisation where most of the permanent staff have level two clearance, or at least did when I worked there. But don't tell anyone that I told you that.”

Pris burst out laughing. “Well said, Christine. Of course you know we can't answer that.”

“Of course. Oh, that was a long time ago. They decided they needed a personnel officer, advertised, picked me, got me clearance and once I was there they didn't really know what to do with me. I spent a lot of time with nothing much to do. I met Bob, then through him Joshua and Maggie, and Joshua offered me more money and less boredom. I left the institute. Oops am I allowed to say that? We probably know people in common but of course can't discuss them in that context.”

“Perhaps I ought to say that I've never met Sarah in her work context.” Pris said, “Well, not really. I've known Karen, Maria's daughter, for ages, and then while I was getting bored out of my skull in hospital with my fingers and toes feeling like they were burning from the regrowth therapy, I got told that I should go and represent Maria at a meeting in half an hour.”

Christine interrupted “Sorry, can I ask why you were having regrowth therapy.”

“Christine, I'm really really pleased you don't know.” Pris said, then seeing the confusion on Christine's face she added “I've had the feeling that everyone knew who I was, which wasn't good in my career. Roland Underwood's chmen put me in my freezer.”

“Oh, but you're recovered now?”

“My feet don't seem to know when they're wet, but otherwise, yes. And I wouldn't have promised God I'd to turn to him if he let me survive, if that hadn't happened. So here I am, new fingers new nose and new faith, but I'm not as young in the faith as Bella, Dirk or Eliza.”

“Dirk and I are positively newborns,” Eliza said “If someone asks me what I did complicated while I here I'd have to say I fell in love with God and Nigel."

“Whereas I found some dodgy cameras, and God found me.” Dirk added, not feeling quite sure if Pris wanted their status public. He looked in query at her.

She supplied:

“And since Dirk's also taking me out somewhere when we get home tonight, there are some other things that have changed.”

Bella felt she ought to add “Personally, I blame God and the impact, but Trevor and I will be celebrating our one week anniversary tomorrow. But having said that, Sarah gets her share of the blame too. I also ended up going to that meeting we're stopping Pris from telling you about, and if I hadn't done, then I'd have carried on pretending to myself I was an atheist. And that meeting was certainly a joint effort between God and Sarah.”

Eliza said “I think you're going to need to explain that, Bella.”

“I wasn't there for all of it. Pris, back to your line of thought, if you can remember it.” Bella said, with a grin.

“Where was I?” Pris asked. “Well I wasn't going to say who was there, but I guess I need to explain Bella's cryptic comment. I think you guys all have a some sort of need to know, but please don't pass it on. Sarah called the meeting, and invited various friends, relatives and her pastor. The reason for the meeting was that while talking to one of the friends about wedding dates, Sarah found herself seeing a vision of a ruined city and telling her friend not to wait until 'that sad day.' That day being St Valentine's day. She asked everyone to come to help work out what to do about what she saw and what to do about it. I got called in, because Bella got rightly suspicious when she got a call asking if the young woman she was looking after in witness protection could come to a counselling session at roughly zero notice. Faced with a suspicious Bella, Kate, the very experienced counsellor (who Sarah had led to Christ a few months before, by the way, Christine) decided to let Maria know what was going on and why it might be handy to throw protocol out of the window. Are you keeping up?”

“Kate the evangelising atheist has turned to Christ! Praise God!” Christine said.

“And for the record, she's since married an old university friend, by the name of Pete. Several others have returned or turned to Christ there too, but I can't remember names.” Pris said.

Bella contuinued, “So, I got a message from my supervisor that I should take Sarah's cousin to a certain lounge on the top floor of a department store, picking up Pris from the hospital, and then got told to do some shopping and see if I could notice any terrible plots.”

“We listened to Sarah's account of things, and something she said seemed much much too close for coincidence to something Bella had mentioned en-route to Sarah's cousin.” Pris said, “So, we got as far as we could, formed what's now called the committee on major threat assessment, and agreed we'd put discrete feelers out for confirmation of Sarah's vision and hope that there wasn't any. Then we called Bella upstairs. Which was when we discovered that we'd got it round the wrong way, Sarah's vision was confirmation for what God had already told Bella. Bella got called to the palace, with her witness in tow because no one came to take her off her hands, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Bella intervened before the subject changed: “Of course some bits won't make it into the history books. For example who it was that used their gift to dissect my memories of my dreams, and separate truth from demonic lies, But that happened there, and certainly helped me come to terms with my dreams, and my reactions to them. Maybe if I'd had a tiara like Sarah's then I wouldn't have had them, I don't know.”

That last sentence bought her an appraising look from Christine.

“There are a few gaps, but it certainly helps us understand what's going on.” Bob said. “It's all poor Sarah's fault.”

Christine laughed “I'm not sure poor and Sarah should go together, not if anyone's going to understand it financially, anyway.”

“No. But she's been through a lot.” Bob said.

“She misses her parents, obviously, but I'd say she's enjoying life at the moment.” Bella said “But I'm sure you can see why we told her about the cameras, given who was coming here.”

“Yes, that's clear. Is there anything we need to do?”

“Apart from keeping quiet about all the things you didn't know until we told you, you mean?” Pris asked with a grin. “Not really. I'm sure you're going to get the stoves serviced soon. If possible, we'd appreciate it if the ones with Sarah's new cameras got done soonest.”

“I was just arranging that most will be done next week.”

“Excellent!” Bella exclaimed “Except we don't yet know where the cameras will be put.”

“No, but Sarah's sent the two best candidate valleys, and I'll be putting in an order for the rest of the system soon, once I can decide, I guess with Sarah, exactly what sort of investment we should be making. Those cameras are overkill for the woodpile, but Sarah has grander ideas.”

“I can't really imagine a rustic cabin with a house computer controlling the doors.” Christine said.

“No. I was more thinking that, especially if we're thinking of more visitors, placing some so they could have a view of the wood-pile as well as, say a main path through the site, or for that matter approaches to some cabins certainly wouldn't be a bad idea.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“And maybe a few cameras which could point where you wanted them?” Dirk suggested.

“I can imagine it being useful, yes. But we'd need to make sure that the guests don't feel their privacy is being affected. I mean, Sarah was thinking her house security system could be set up to give real protection to one or two cabins, but I think that hidden microphones and cameras would have given you a real scare when you got here.”

“It would indeed.” Dirk said. “Even the wood-pile camera's signal worried Pris.”

“So, we'd need to strike a balance, but I don't think cameras everywhere is going to be part of the answer.” Bob concluded.

“But if, say, we asked to install a few extra cameras and motion detectors prior to the arrival of our friends, and to get access to the network from a near-by cabin?” Pris asked.

“That would be entirely acceptable, yes.” Bob agreed.

“Could you tell us about the electricity supply? I saw we had a half-amp circuit breaker, but that seems like a very low figure. Is the supply really that limited?” Dirk asked, “The sort of monitoring equipment they're likely to bring in is likely to want more than that.”

“I'm afraid that's beyond my knowledge, I wouldn't be surprised to hear it's at least partly to stop people bringing electric water heaters for their morning cup of tea or coffee. But I'll ask Matt and Henry.”

“Thank you.”

“How should I get the answer to you?” Bob asked.

“I guess that's me or you Pris.” Nigel said. “Any thoughts?”

“Information's my department, I think.” Pris said, and told Bob how to contact her.

“That's a short contact code.” Christine commented.

“Yes. It saves time. Don't bother with formalities, either. Dirk, if you were going to pick equipment for here, what would you want to know?”

“Diameter of the wires, material, and run-length, I guess. Assuming they're the limiting factor. I presume it's grid power?”

“So would I, but again, I'll check.”

“Well, I certainly didn't see any hydroelectric dams anywhere we were walking, or anything that looked like it might be a geothermal station.”

“If there is, then I don't know about it.” Bob confirmed.

“OK, so I'd assume the problem is how fat the wires are and how long they are. Could you find out if they're in some sort of conduit, or are just underground buried cables? If we're talking a single length in conduit then swapping the cable might be the easiest solution. Otherwise they might end up be bringing a tank of liquifuel and a fuel cell or even a generator.”

“I expect Henry knows, the generator's going to be attention — drawing, isn't it?”

“It is. I guess another option would be to put in a transformer at both ends and increase the voltage on the wire. Might be worth it, depends if your insulation is up to it or not.”

“And if it's not, then someone gets a nasty shock?” Christine asked.

“Possibly. They'd surely isolate the circuit, so it should be OK. But it's not my call.”

“No, I think it's probably mine.” Bob pointed out.

“Yes, sir. If you can get Pris anything about the electrical network at all, I'm sure it would be possible to get an expert appraisal. As I've said, I believe there are plenty of options.”

“But it is something to bear in mind, Bob,” Christine said, “if we were ever going to put that cafe on top of the ridge, there'd need to more than a hundred watts getting to it. And in that case, maybe running a high voltage cable up towards the cabins becomes a sensible option.”

“I expect the problem is that the cabins are over such a large area.” Dirk said. “Multiple kilometre runs are a pain without high voltage transformers. But let's face it, you don't need much power to them normally. The stove works wonderfully for cooking and heating.”

“Is that everyone's opinion?” Bob asked.

“Yes. It was good.” Pris agreed. The others nodded.

“I want one.” Eliza said. “I've no idea where to put it, since I'm in barracks, but I want one. Maybe I can get one for my tent?”

“How big's your tent?” Christine asked.

“I fit, just, with my bow and quiver and so on.” Eliza admitted. “Perhaps if I got myself a yurt, then it would fit in one of those.”

“And where would you put a yurt?” Dirk asked.

“I don't know, let's solve this problem on step at a time!”

“We're switching to a flexible booking system. Maybe you can get a good deal to come back sometime.”

“Ultra-special discounts for long-term bookings?” she asked.

“Probably not, sorry. We're looking for ninety percent occupation. Of course, if you're the first booking and the equations say the first booking is overdue, then you'd get a discount. There'll probably be last minute deals too, for that matter.”

“And when does this flexible booking system come on line?”

“Just as soon as possible. Tomorrow, I hope.”

“So, if I went to your booking page today, then I'll get charged a fortune, and tomorrow, I'll get charged peanuts?”

“No. If you go today you'll see a page saying 'New booking system with flexible prices coming very soon. Please check back daily.'”

“But what if I wanted to come back for the tournament, this weekend, say?”

“Then I'm sure Matt can offer you a very special deal, milady. Especially if you can drum up some more custom from the fifth kingdom.”

“I just might take you up on that.”

“Good. Silly question I shouldn't even get you thinking of. Do you know how much it costs us to have someone stay in one of those cabins?”

“Some wood. Wear and tear, a bit of Henry's time. That last one is probably the biggest factor — do you start needing to employ helpers or not.”

“You forgot the administrative cost of handling the money and the tourist tax to the local authorities.” Bob said. “For the previous owners, it cost them an increased rental charge, but it doesn't cost us that now. Therefore, when we're as empty as we are at the moment, it's totally crazy to be charging what you paid.”

“What Security paid, but indirectly.” Nigel said. “So, what you're saying is that a last minute booking with the site as empty as it is will cost very little indeed.”

“It won't be free, But I'd expect that from the capital you'd pay more on transport than you would on staying here.”

“Now what I happen to know.” Eliza said, “but I guess you don't, is that it was due to be the winter tournament of the fifth kingdom this weekend, only the owner of the field didn't get the paperwork submitted in time. I got a message on Tuesday that it had to be cancelled.”

“Milday, we have some bookings, but there are perchance some fifty cabins

unoccupied, pray do tell of your pleasant times here. Of course, if they all got filled, with tournament-goers, then we'd probably have to spill over into the next door field. But that's OK, since that's owned by Carbon-carbon too.”

“Would there be space for those who wished to camp?”

“Space, yes. Facilities? They'd be reliant on what was booked for the day-trippers. Christine, how big a crowd were they expecting, do you remember?”

“I think about a hundred and fifty.”

“So, if we fill the cabins then we're doubling that number, plus any who want to camp. How many disappointed people are there at the moment?”

“I'm not sure. Henry did tell me that there was a tournament here this weekend, and I passed that along.”

“I'll give Matt a call, see if his booking system's working.”

“It can wait until after dessert, Bob.” Christine said.

“I guess so.”

“What happens to an influx if Henry's at the tournament?”

“Oh, the place doesn't fall apart without Henry. There are a few other occasional employees.”

“Well, you'd better get Henry to check all the stoves. You know he did for us, I presume?”

“Yes. Well, I know it's his normal routine.” He made a sound of disgust “It's a perfect opportunity, but I'm not sure we can offer all the cabins.

This time of year, Henry normally lights a small fire in the stove a day before, so that he can check for the flow. Otherwise he'd need to pour hot water in, so it doesn't freeze in the pipes.”

“I was wondering about that.” Nigel said. “Big barrel of hot water on the ATV?”

“It might have to be. I still don't see how he can check fifty stoves.”

“But if they're supposed to be good for a year between services, and they were OK the last time that he checked them, surely one extra weekend isn't going to be a problem?” Christine asked.

“Unless in the months since it's been there unused some debris fell in, or a spider's made a food-cache in one of the pipes, or something like that. That's the risk, you see. I've had Henry's lecture on them: with the pipes as clogged up as they are, it doesn't take much to block them, and that's what happened when there was that accident.”

“Henry hinted that there'd been a problem. What happened?”

“Roughly a year after Mabel and the twins had inherited and cancelled the contract, a couple asked for a specific cabin where they'd stayed before. It was one of the few that hadn't been used for almost eighteen months, and nor had it been serviced, of course. A mouse had made a nest in the water pipes, would you believe? Henry didn't test it, and when they poured water in then the exit was blocked by now-roasted mouse, and the water made a little geezer in the filling tank. Rather spectacular, but they weren't hurt. They called Henry, who prodded and poked in the bottom hole with a wire until the dead mouse came out, followed by a mass of boiling hot mouse-tail soup. Fortunately he had a bucket ready, but it wasn't a pleasant smell.”

“Bob, I hope you're not trying to put our guests off their meal.”

“What, after Bella's admitted to having demon-inspired dreams?”

“It's not quite the same thing, Bob.” Bella said, “But I left out an important bit, at least important to me — after a year or so of waking up in terror three times a night, I screamed to God to make them stop. He did.”

“What took you so long?” Christine asked.

“I don't know. Maybe I was just fourteen and stupid? I didn't really believe in God. I mean, if I had, would I have been working my way through an A to Z of pagan rituals at the time I started having them? God in his grace answered my stupidly brain-dead desire to see things in the future, I presume so we can get ready for the impact. The demons in their part showed me the horror-movie version.”

“And you're sure who sent which?”

“Yes. With the help of diaries my mum kept, and help from people with the gift, who spotted that the demons had been distorting my memories of them, I can tell you that God sent me visions on Friday and Saturday nights, which were scary but not too bad, and the demons sent me terror and distortion on Monday to Thursday. With hindsight, I presume that God declared I get a day of rest.”

“God is good.” Bob said. “God is very very good. Thank you for sharing that with us Bella. I'm assuming you don't tell that to everyone you meet.”

“No. I don't. And I don't really know why I felt you needed to know. We certainly can't blame Sarah for it, for once. But maybe we can give the credit to God if it's helpful.”

Bella heard Christine decide that she needed to talk to her. So, when Christine asked, “Is everyone ready for dessert?“, Bella asked “Is there something I can help with, Christine?”

“Oh, urm, yes, thank you, Bella.”

Between them they tided the dishes away and went to the kitchen.

“Was it that obvious that I wanted to talk?” Christine asked.

“It was to me, but I very much doubt the others heard your decision.”

“You hinted, but I wasn't sure.”

“Yes. And I don't know why I hinted, either. Except of course having mentioned Sarah's tiara earlier, it was easier to hint. By the way, Pris knows about the tiara, none of the others do, so far as I know.”

“We're going to be obvious if we take too long, everything's all prepared, but I think do need to talk.”

“We could decide to make a start on the washing up. As far as I know, we're not in a rush.” Bella decided.

“Thank you. The issue is this: there are some people at the tournament who pretend to be magicians, or fortune tellers, and so on.”

“I guessed there would be, since one of the symbols on Eliza's belt says she doesn't claim any magic.”

“Well, most of them it's things like handkerchiefs up their sleeves, and the like, but there are some who seem a little more scary than that. There's two that dress as witches, I don't know their real names, but they call themselves Elvira and Morticia and do actually seem to know things.”

“You think they might be mis-using the power I have? I mean — hearing what people in contact with them are thinking, or decisions people make.”

“It's possible, I don't know. I wonder if it's more supernatural than that, and the teenage son of a friend of mine is fascinated by them. Their clothes probably have something to do with that — they're in their early twenties, and they're not hags. He's been having bad dreams recently. Do you think....? Is it at all plausible?”

“It's possible. I'm not an expert, by any means. Has he been getting close enough to learn from them, or is he just wishing he could get his hands on their bodies from afar?”

Christine shook her head. “I've no idea.”

“Well, God's more powerful than demonic forces, and we don't need perfect knowledge to pray. What's his name?”

“Daimian. Which probably doesn't help.”

“An early Christian martyr, from what I remember — there was one poor kid at school with that name. But yes, old horror film connections probably don't help. You're good friends with his mother?”

“Fairly. She's not a believer.”

“Well, having had a year of talking to machines about nightmares, I could list some of the scientific causes, but basically it comes down to what's going on in his body, in his mind, or in his spirit. Medication might help if the problem's with his body, analysis might help if it's his head, and God can fix all of them. See if you can talk to the lad. Unless you want me to?”

“Would you? It's going to be tricky to arrange, isn't it?”

“It is. You're right. I've got an idea. John's a psych-counsellor. You could set him and Sarah on the boy. They can tell my story as well as I can.”

“You don't think they'd mind?”

“I'll talk to them, but I'm sure they'll be happy to at least talk to him. But let's pray and take the others their dessert, shall we?”

----------------------------------------

2PM

“Hi, Matt. We've got what you might call an opportunity. Christine and I have just had lunch with the woman with the broken boots and her party. You know the tournament for the reenacters at the weekend? There was a similar meeting near the capital that's just been cancelled. I've already got a request for a six-sleeper cabin from two members of that group — they're going to find some friends to fill it up. So, do you think your booking system is ready for a live-test? If so, can you see how many stoves Henry thinks he could test ready for the weekend and put them into it? After all, we don't make any profit from empty cabins.”

“I think the system is OK, but to test it with real bookings... that's quite a scary step.”

“Can you make it so that it asks your approval before the booking is actually accepted?”

“Urm, I could. It would have been better to think of that at the start. Now, it might take at least another half hour of programming and I don't know how many hours of testing. I think I'd rather have it going and watch what it's going to offer the next booking. Or just take all the orders manually. Would you like to set the minimum booking fee?”

“What happens if we put zero? Not that I'm suggesting that.”

“I don't know. Good question. More testing needed.”

“But you can adjust the expected booking curve, set a first booking amount, and set a time or number of bookings between updates for any given date?”

“Yes. That I can do all that easily.”

“Great, well, I'd like you to programme a function that says we're going to offer however many cabins Henry can check, minus the one six-sleeper cabin we've got the pre-booking for. As for updates, I guess aim for one update per five cabins booked, what do you think?”

“It sounds reasonable. Plus adjusting the price down if we get an early surge and nothing as soon as the price goes up?”

“Absolutely. What does your system do in terms of a hold period?”

“The longest hold is the update period.”

“Sounds logical, but that's tricky if the update is by bookings. Tell it that we'll have twenty or thirty or however many Harry can check for the weekend, then only about fifteen for next week, since the rest are probably going to be getting serviced.”

“OK. And that includes ones booked already?”

“Yes.”

“Just in case someone with a prior booking moans, do we have any response?”

“Not really. Put them in contact with me, we can offer them increasing services as they come on line for free — like sledges, for instance, and some way of getting to the top easily. Speaking of which, the sledge trial worked very well, according to the guinea pigs.”

“So, we should buy in some more?”

“I've already told Henry to see if he can get the stock up to twenty on his way back. We'll need to see if that's enough. And we'll also have to see if anyone wants to hire out skis to our guests, or what the economics are like.”

“Pretty uncertain, given our winters.”

“That's why I was thinking of not having that in-house. Sledges are one-size fits all and much cheaper too.”

“They are indeed. OK, I'll call Henry about the stoves.”

“Do. But if he says fifteen to twenty, then don't tell the system any more than fourteen extra. We don't want to put anyone in a dangerous cabin.”

“Agreed. It could be a busy weekend, couldn't it?”

“Yes. It could. Especially since the camp-site's well and truly closed.”

“People would camp in this weather?”

“Oh yes. No question.”

“Do we let them?”

“What, on the cabin's site? No. But I'll talk to the tournament organisers. I'm sure they can arrange something. I never did set a minimum charge, did I? Since we're not really ready for an influx of guests, what about the old standing fee for a cabin?”

“Really, that low?”

“Well, I'm assuming that at that price you're covering the wood and the tourist fee, and all the other real costs, aren't you?”

“Yes. Yes, I guess I am. By about double, in fact.”

“So, when we're better organised we can drop it further, but for now I think that ought to let us iron any bugs out of the booking system, without it actually costing us anything. I'll talk to you later.”

“OK Bob.”

----------------------------------------

FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER 5PM

Bob had just put the finishing touches to the business case for investing in or taking over E.C.Stoves, when he got a call from Sarah.

“Hello, Sarah. This is a surprise, I was just putting together a note for you.”

“Hi Bob. Let's get to that later. Is Christine there?”

“No, she's interviewing someone. She tried earlier but they weren't in.”

“Oh. Never mind. Did you talk to her about what she and Bella were doing before dessert?”

“Other than the washing up? Yes. Son of a friend of ours. Bella's talked to you already?”

“Yes. And before you or she talks to anyone, beware. The woman 'Morticia' is a thought-hearer who regularly misuses her ability. Same goes for 'Elvira', but she is also into the occult, though I don't know how deeply. Your friend's son's dreams don't come from his personal involvement, but they are from evil spirits. I know some people with the spiritual gift version of thought-hearing, I have no doubt at all that information is entirely trustworthy. My guess, based on that information is that he's going to ask them about the nightmares, and Elvira's going to offer to 'heal' him using her spells. It might even seem to work, as it gets him hooked too.”

“So, Daimian is in trouble.”

“Daimian shouldn't go anywhere hear those women in my opinion. Nor for that matter should either of you. When I say not near, I mean not making decisions within five metres, not touching metal they're touching, and physical touch. Gloves help.”

“And when you say they regularly misuse their ability, what does that mean?”

“I thought you might ask. It means they deliberately and secretively use their power to gain secrets. It might be might be as 'innocent' as finding out what people are thinking so they can make a fortune telling fortunes, or it might be for criminal purposes — industrial espionage, blackmail, you name it.”

“No way to know?”

“Yes, but at this distance, without actually talking to them then it's yes/no questions only.”

“Could you explain that?”

“Someone with the gift could listen to their surface thoughts anywhere they are, but that's unethical unless a life is at risk. The information I've told you came from deciding to know where they were, then checking if there were people there involved in the occult, who had the power, and who were misusing the power.”

“Oh. I think I get it. And without knowing their phone number to ask them if it's OK to bug their brains, then that's it?”

Sarah laughed “Not quite. What's probably going to happen is that they hear a disembodied voice talking to their minds asking if they'd like to explain how they're misusing their power, and why they shouldn't be stripped of it.”

“And the more ethical version of their fortune telling business has a note which says 'Wear gloves if you want me to guess what you want to hear?'”

“That's a lovely idea. It might just hurt their trade, of course.”

“But Daimian?”

“Daimian needs people to pray for him, and to meet the One who's really in charge of the universe, of course. What was the note about?”

“E.C.Stoves. Obviously in need of a cash injection, and the management seem to be so scared of competition it don't dare make a profit on maintenance contracts, which are most of their turnover.”

“And is there a lot of competition?”

“The maintenance man I spoke to didn't see much, at least, not much honest competition. My guess is whenever they lost a customer to a cowboy they thought 'Oh, no, we need to drop our prices lower.”

“Forgetting you can never undercut a crook.”

“Exactly. By what the maintenance guy said, the present owner is more concerned with keeping the business going and his staff employed than with profits, and won't take kindly to a buy-out offer. On the other hand, their computer system is cranky and their phone system is a hundred years old and drops people's calls sometimes.”

“So either they're investing in other things or they don't have the spare cash to invest in anything.”

“I'd guess the later. Looking at their accounts, they'd double their profits by increasing the servicing charges by one percent.”

“But basically it's a profitable business?”

“Yes. I actually suspect that a lot of the staff are family-members.”

“So you've got family loyalty and all the rest of it.”

“Yes. Oh, and Sandra in sales sounds younger than you do, had never charged for call-outs before, and sent me a breakdown of what they were charging for as though it was a parts list.”

“Oops.”

“Yes. Either they or she had put fifteen percent on the travel and time, but forgotten to include any administrative support. And they only had a call-out charge component because I told them I'd be happy to pay it.”

“And the rest of the breakdown included exactly the things they'd be using to service the stoves?”

“No. But I wouldn't be surprised if their only profit is from servicing multiple stoves on one site. There's no discount for multiple stoves on one site, or any travel component.”

“How to make a company struggle. OK. I'll read what you've written, and pray about it. Were you thinking it'd be under Carbon-carbon?”

“Not really. I mean, they're not very local, nor are they exactly land management.”

“That's good. I wasn't thinking they would be either. I'm actually wondering if they need taking over so much as another shareholder who can give advice.”

“They certainly need something, Sarah, at least, they do if they're going to keep going until you retire.”

----------------------------------------

FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER 6.30PM

“Sarah, you're thinking about something, what is it?” John said

“E.C.Stoves.”

“Urm. More details please?”

“Well you know the little fusion reactor under the institute? This is a little company which makes things which are the total opposite, but do roughly the same thing: with practically no overall carbon footprint, or other pollution, they produce heat. The fusion generator is a wonder of high tech trickery and complexity; the stoves this company make do it by burning wood incredibly efficiently, but basically it's low technology happening in an excellently designed environment. Should something die in the reactor, then the chain to fix it probably involves a thousand experts. There's basically nothing to die in the firebox of these stoves. The worst that happens is that heat-stresses crack something, in which case some of the right sort of clay slip can fix it. Another technology as old as mankind.”

“I thought the stoves were in getting dangerous because they weren't getting serviced.”

“I did say the firebox, John. The dangerous bit is if the water heater gets blocked.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I'm saying I'd much rather one of these stoves to cuddle on a winter's night than a reactor. But I'm not sure that makes a good business case.”

“Does it need to, my beloved multi-millionairess?”

“Not if I'm investing personally. No. If I get GemSmith to, then yes. Too many jobs at stake. Frank told me off good and proper about that.”

“Yes, you told me. So what's wrong with investing personally?”

“What they need is going to cost time. If it were GemSmith, then it'd be easy to set up consultants and things. If it's me, then I'd need to arrange things, or employ someone to do it for me.”

“Which you could.”

“Yes. But do I want to. Is it a good thing to do? Is it good stewardship?”

“Could you do it through that foundation you were thinking of starting up for the deeply indebted?”

“Probably. But if I do that then I'd need to be thinking about employing administrators to handle that side of things too. I'm not going to be able to do everything.”

“Big problem?”

“Just a different set of people to interview and employ.”

“So, do you want to not do these good works because they're too hard, or because it means entrusting it to people who might not do it as well as you?”

“I'd like to entrust it to people who'd do it better than me.”

“GemSmith has a some sort of recruitment division, I presume?”

“Well, the larger GemSmith companies have them.”

“Can you not request them to hire for you? At a cost, I presume?”

“I love you, John. Yes. That's how GemSmith does it too, for major posts.”

“So that's probably your consultants done. I'd expect GemSmith has a list of them anyway. Or Frank, personally. Now, I was thinking about your part time young, truthsayer-cum-P.A.”

“Yes?”

“Why not pick someone we know?”

“Who? I'm assuming you're not suggesting I employ Kate, George or Karen.”

“No. I was thinking of May Ngbila. She's not interested in University, much to her parents' disgust. She's young, and has got the power. She's certainly not particularly threatening.”

“She hasn't even finished school yet, John.”

“I know. But you're thinking of starting small anyway, aren't you? She's working part time at the store. Make her a better offer.”

“OK. Probationary period applies, of course. And I'll want references.”

“References?”

“What sort of worker is she? Does she get her homework done on time.”

“We could just ask her parents.”

“What do they know?” Sarah asked with a grin.

“Point taken. OK. You write a job description and I'll drop it round tonight, and see if she's interested. Alternatively, just cheat.”

“No, let's do this formally. Sorry, I'd forgotten about your elder's meeting. That's how you knew I was thinking about something isn't it? No tea preparations in sight. I'm sorry.”

“It's fine, Sarah. There's plenty of time; it only starts at eight. You get typing, I'll make tea.”

“Thank you John.”

----------------------------------------

John, having cleared it with Arwood and Hannah, had arrived early to talk to May.

She looked at the piece of paper John handed her.

“This is a joke, isn't it?”

“No. It has the advantage that you can easily turn it into flames or compost and can't be hacked.”

She looked again 'Truthsayer -cum- personal assistant needed. Young, independently wealthy, Christian woman seeks personal assistant. Applicants must be of impeccable moral character, intelligent, be willing to travel and have strong personal confidence. Only applicants able and willing to serve as truthsayer in one-on-one interviews, (e.g. with applicants for hardship loans) need apply. A professional but sympathetic attitude is essential. The successful applicant will possess or be willing to develop the full range of secretarial skills, and will be able to perform her (or his) duties with minimal supervision. Self-defence training would be considered an advantage, but can be paid for as part of employment package. Initially the post is expected to be part time, maximum one day per week, but over could potentially grow to a full time position. N.B. It is in no way anticipated that the applicant will conduct above-mentioned interviews in a risk-enhancing environment, but at present no interview location has been determined. Salary: negotiable.'

“Any questions?” John asked.

“Am I allowed to know who this is talking about?”

“We were hoping it might be talking about you.”

“I guessed that. But the 'independently wealthy woman'? What does independently wealthy mean anyway?”

“It basically means she doesn't need to worry about her pension, or keeping an employer happy for that matter.”

“So who is it?”

“Why, you're going to ask her for a loan?” John asked.

“I know Sarah's folks left her a house. Does that count as 'independent wealth?'”

“Not really. But are you interested enough to apply?”

“What's a truthsayer?”

“You'd tell people you know what they're thinking, and see if they tell you the truth during the interviews, for instance.”

“You're joking.”

“No.”

“And they'd consent to this?”

“We're not talking a few hundred so that they can go to the restaurant more often. We're talking about her buying up a loan that someone is spending something like three quarters or more of their income on and hardly managing to pay the interest, and replacing it with a loan which just about keeps up with inflation, so that they can genuinely pay it back in a reasonable timespan and have some hope of a life. Or, in Biblical terminology, a loan where she's neither charging usury, nor demanding the guy's cloak as security.”

“So, why would she want to do that?”

“Say because they were a valued employee whose health or work was really suffering.”

“And because she's got that much cash and wants to use it for good.” May summarised.

“Yes. That too.”

“And if I took on this job then I'd be deciding if the person whose thoughts I was listening to was a deserving case or not?”

“That sort of thing. But the decision wouldn't be yours. They'd have been put in contact with you by the personnel department or something, have gone through various paper trails, I expect, and then at the interview you'd be asking them things like: how they got into the debt; how much of their income is going on repaying it; and so on. Gamblers and the like not qualifying, people whose relatives needed expensive lifesaving medicine probably do.”

“But I'd be deciding if they're trying it on.”

“Yes. And throwing in the odd unexpected but highly relevant question to see if they're just reciting from a script. You'd wouldn't need to be a lawyer, but you'd be analysing their answers just as carefully as a lawyer would.”

“And you think I'm up to this?”

“I don't know. Do you? Would you mind trying to spot the difference between the genuinely needy and the compulsive gambler or drug addict who needed another few hundred thousand for their habit?”

“A few hundred thousand?” May was shocked.

“People can pay off a mortgage on a house reasonably happily, given ten, fifteen or twenty years. These sort of crippling loans are either beyond mortgage scale, or there's been a drastic change to the family's income. But if it's the latter case, then they really need the loan written off, not just the interest rate adjusted.”

“Wouldn't it be cheaper to just pay the bank the interest rather than buy up the loan?”

“Short term, yes. Where does the money end up, long term?”

“Erm, you pay the interest, then at the end of the day, the bank's got the money, and the loan's gone. If you buy the loan, then at the end of the day you've got the money, and you can loan it to someone else. Minus inflation and the fraction who decide to run away, or die, or lose their job. Not to mention minus the income you would have got from investing that big pile of money. Plus of course that she can help ten times more people by not giving away her money like that. So, really I'm still not convinced long-term either.”

“Interesting thought. I'll pass it on. But in any case your job would be to try to weed out the ones likely to run off or anything like that.”

“And for this I get paid how much?”

“How much are you paid an hour at the moment?”

“Five.”

“And what do you think you're worth in this job? Assess how capable you are now, how much you'll need to learn, how much you're going to need hand-holding at the beginning, how much better you're going to get. Take all those factors and decide what you're worth now per hour. Also consider, is this a job you really want? Long term? What is your career plan, May?”

“I'm not interested in university. Secretarial sounds OKish, but boring. Secretarial plus brains makes a P.A., I was told, I think I've got the brains. So yes. I think I want the job. And I guess that to get it I'd accept what I'm getting now, to start with. Who is it? Anyone I know?”

“References, qualifications, and so on first, then I'm sure she'll get in contact with you.” John said, ignoring the question.

“Can you get Sarah to call me?”

“Why?”

“I want to know if she thinks I can do this.”

“Why does what she thinks matter?”

“Because it does. I don't want to make a fool of myself.”

“I'll ask her to. Or you could ring her.”

“Can I keep this paper?”

“Of course.”

“You've been keeping your thoughts hidden aren't you?”

“Of course. I need to preserve the secret of this woman's identity, don't I?”

“Someone you know from work?”

“You know I can't answer that, May. Don't go asking silly questions that besmirch your character.”

“What if it's besmirched already?” May asked.

“Is it?”

“That's one thing I'm going to ask Sarah.”

“In context, May, it's probably talking about not being interested in bribes, but by all means see what Sarah thinks it means. But it's time for my meeting.”

“Thanks John. It sure sounds better than working at the shop, especially since that's going to get wiped out in a couple of months.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Bye”

[Sarah, she didn't guess the woman was you. She thinks she's a client or something. She's going to call you, she says. She also thinks it'd be cheaper and better to just leave the loans where they are and pay the interest on them, that way you could help more people.]

[She's probably entirely right. Far less risk, too. Why didn't I think of that? Oh, I know. It was going to be the employer buying up the loan. Paying off the interest on the loan would amount to extra salary.]

[If it has the same net effect, then it sounds like buying the loan ought to too.]

[Yes. It's certainly cleaner if it's not in the company. But I'm still going to limit applicants to people who do actually work for me. And who've worked for me for a long time, too. Oh, actually, I don't know, I'd include people who have some other connection too.]

[And what you've said about the church building, can I pass that on?]

[Not yet. I don't want to call the shots. For all I know, you'll decide we should function as house-groups except for occasional meetings. Just because there's a big expensive building now...]

[OK. Got it. Oops, we're starting.]

----------------------------------------

“Hello, Mr Earnest Jacobs?”

“Speaking.”

“My name is Sarah Williams. Your company's been having some discussions with a friend of mine, Bob Coal at Carbon-carbon land management.”

“That's entirely possible. Is this a business-related call? I prefer to keep business to office hours.”

“Then you're a sensible man, Mr Jacobs. It is sort of business related, I'm afraid. But on the other hand I'd need to take time off work to call you during office hours. My boss is quite understanding, but I've had to do that quite a lot recently. It's more of a personal matter for me.”

“Then I suppose I can indulge you. Ms Williams.”

“'Mrs' please. My maiden name is Smith. As in GemSmith, Carbon-carbon's parent company.”

“Mrs Williams, how is it you'd need to take time off work to talk to me?”

“Oh, that's easy. I need to eat. I also need to demonstrate to the trustees of my inheritance that I can stand on my own feet and I'm not going to just be a rich parasite.”

“So, on the one hand, you've got millions sitting in the bank, and on the other you're living on a shoestring?”

“Well, not exactly a shoestring. I've been there, but now I've got a good job, and I'd like to keep it. Even when I do inherit, I want to keep the two halves of my life separate, if I can.”

“I imagine that'll be hard, if you go mentioning your inheritance to complete strangers, Mrs Williams.”

“Mr Jacobs, I did have a purpose in mentioning it to you.”

“You're planning to offer to buy up the company.”

“I considered it, but no, I'm not.”

“Oh. Seen something to make you change your mind?”

“Not really, Mr Jacobs. I was just thinking that E.C.Stoves has been running for over a hundred years, and I'm not twenty-five yet. I'm sure you know far more about the stoves business than I do. No, what I'd like to do is ask you to confirm some guesses that I've been making, based on what Bob Coal has told me. Then, if I like your answers, then I'm going to ask you to think something over. Would that be acceptable?”

“I can always refuse to answer.”

“Bob told me that someone, I don't know who, had said you'd be reluctant to sell up, since that would mean redundancies. He also told me that Sandra in sales sounded rather young. Would I be right in guessing that quite a number of your workforce are family?”

“You would, Mrs Williams. Sandra's my granddaughter, just left school. Normally there's someone else there too, but she's off sick. Her mother's the secretary and her dad, my son heads up the maintenance department. Not because he's my son, you understand, but just because he's the best.”

“Bob told me that Sandra had a very professional telephone manner. You can be proud of her.”

“That I can, and am. And I don't want any of them out on their ears. Not the hired hands either.”

“I fully understand. Mr Jacobs, would I be right in thinking that you'd be one of those rare people who want to do things right, no matter if it cuts into profits?”

“I wish they weren't so rare.”

“So do I, so do I. But the company's got to stay afloat, hasn't it? Otherwise everyone's in trouble. Mr Jacobs, I was always taught to look at least ten or twenty years into the future. I'd like your company to still be making and servicing stoves that long, and beyond, and with respect, I think you could fairly easily ensure that with somewhat higher charges on the servicing side of things.”

“You're probably right.” Ernest said.

“I also wonder if Sandra would benefit from a part time distance-learning course in business skills. I'm sure she's learned a lot, but there's always more that people my age can learn.”

“Well, that's an idea I hadn't had. Aren't those things expensive?”

“They can seem it, but we're trying to look twenty years ahead, remember. Maybe it'd be worth it. As I said, I don't control my inheritance yet, but the trustees listen to me, and they're meeting next week to decide if the decisions I've been making are sensible enough so they can retire, or at least move on to an advisory role. But assuming that goes well, what I'd like you to consider is a bit of a cash injection into your company, in exchange for shares. I think, sir, that you're an honest man who pays attention to his responsibilities, but maybe you've had bad advice or didn't get any advice when you needed it. Part of what I'd be offering, along with my financial involvement, is my advice for whatever that's worth, and where there was a significant issue then the advice of real experts, consultants. Now, they don't grow on trees, and don't come cheap either. If we both agree that we really really need to call in a consultant, then we'd charge their fee to the company, but if it's just my thought, then I'd pay them myself.”

“And would I be committing myself to agree to what you or the consultant said?”

“Of course not. But if you're not going to listen to someone then you'd better have a better argument than 'I don't want to.' Unless it's something that attacks core values of the company. By the way, it's worth putting those down on paper, and in people's employment contracts, if you haven't already.”

“Core values of the company?”

“Yes. You know, things like 'We don't cheat people by selling second rate rubbish.' or 'When we say a stove has been checked then that means we've checked it properly.' I'd actually like to add one: 'We don't try to compete on price with crooks or cowboys.'”

“You think that's what we've been doing?”

“You tell me. When you lost the contract to Blackwood cabins, had they asked you to drop your prices, and did you consider doing it for other customers?”

“Point taken.”

“Oh. By the way, I presume you're aware of the sorry state of those stoves?”

“Yes.”

“Bob will be asking one of your guys to examine them as an expert witness, would you be aware of anyone who can be a second witness? I mean someone who isn't connected to your company, at very least now.”

“You're going after the crook?”

“Yes.”

“I'll look up some names.”

“Thank you, Mr Jacobs.”

“Your offer of a cash injection. Just how many shares are you after?”

“Well, I certainly don't have time to take over your company, Mr Jacobs. If you want me to buy more than fifty percent then I want your guarantee that you're not abdicating responsibility for running the firm.”

“I thought you were in the company take over business?”

“My company sometimes takes over mismanaged companies so they can be run better. I am not. Your company doesn't really fit in any divisions of my company, well, the servicing part would be, but the stove manufacturing side wouldn't, and I presume you're not interested in splitting the company in two. I know I'm not.”

“I don't really understand why you want to invest personally.”

“Because, Mr Jacobs, I think that if I'm involved in your company then it'll still be running in fifty years. But I expect the impact will change the shape of your business, and that the manufacturing side might stop making enough to keep servicing alive.”

“You're sure it'll happen, then.”

“Mr Jacobs, do you believe in God?”

“Yes, yes I do.” he said, surprised at the question.

“I believe that God has warned us of the impact for a reason, and I don't think His reason is to make fools out of us.”

“I've read that there's a lot of uncertainty about where those warnings came from, and speculation that their majesties have been taken in.”

“Well, you don't want to believe every idle speculation you come across. I know the people who received the warnings.”

“Personally?”

“Two personally. I wouldn't claim to know the other personally, but I've met him. He's a trustworthy man.”

“I thought there were only two witnesses.”

“No, Mr Jacobs, there were three. Each one indicating the same location. God is not leaving us in the dark. I don't know if you've heard about SpaceGuard's radar station that burnt down? That fire also figured in one of the warnings.”

“I hadn't heard that.”

“It may not have been widely publicised.”

“You're certain it's coming then?”

“Maybe if enough people pray, God might send it away, I don't know. But I'm most certainly not staying at home to watch it flatten my house.”

“You're in Restoration?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs Williams.”

“I'm getting used to the idea. It helps you think about priorities, certainly.”

“And in your priorities you're thinking about my little company?”

“No, I'm thinking about not storing up treasures on Earth.”

“And giving all your money to the poor?”

“That's a difficult one. Lot and lots of people depend on my company for their jobs. I've got responsibilities. But the cash I can give away. I'm just trying to be sensible about how I do it.”

“And that's where we come in?” Ernest asked.

“No, I'm investing in your company because I think if we do it right then maybe I'll be able to get as good rate of return from you as I do from the bank, and I want you to be in business so Bob can stay in business and feed his family.”

“There's only one problem, Mrs Williams.”

“Oh?”

“I was just thinking that maybe I'm not the right person to run this company any more. Too many mistakes recently.”

“Can you think of a good pair of hands to entrust it to?”

“Maybe. Maybe.”

“The owner doesn't need to run the company, Mr Jacobs, and that's a fact. But he, she, or they should set the tone and the attitude. That's one of the reasons my family have only very rarely invested in publicly listed companies. All too often they have an attitude that says profit comes first.”

“Those are an interesting thoughts, Mrs Williams. I'll certainly give your offer serious attention.”

“Thank you for that courtesy, Mr Jacobs. I hope I haven't ruined your evening.”

“Well, you've certainly given me something to talk about with my wife. Should I call you on this number?”

“Yes. If I'm not home it should direct your call to my wrist unit.”

“I'll be in touch. I can't say when, but I will.”

“Bye.”

Sarah disconnected. That had gone well, but she saw she'd missed a call from May.

[Hi May, you rang?]

[Hi, Sarah! Yes. Do you know about this job offer John handed me?]

[Technically it's not a job offer until it's got your name on it, May. But yes, I know about it. John said you'd got something to ask me about.]

[Have I got an impeccable moral character? I mean, I was doing some stupid things recently.]

[Hmm. So, why was that, now that you've had time to repent?]

[Attention seeking behaviour?]

[Really? I thought that's what three or four year olds did.]

[Maybe I didn't grow up. I guess what I mean is Mama was always dropping in on my thoughts, so, you know.]

[You had Mama control, not self control?]

[Maybe.] May said.

[And?]

[I was off the leash and running wild.]

[And now you're back on the leash and you're going to run wild again when my back's turned?]

[{denial}No!]

[Can I check you meant that, May?]

[What do you mean?]

[I'm only looking at your surface thoughts. Can I have a look at what's deeper?]

[You don't need to ask, Sarah. You're clan, and you're in Mama's seat.]

[I do need to ask, May. I've signed a document that says I will get informed consent.]

[Oh. What a silly thing to do!]

[Not silly at all. You'll sign something similar, if you're going to be a truthsayer. Eventually there'll probably be a law which says, apart from a few specific situations, you only deliberately listen to people with informed consent, and don't act on what you hear by accident.]

[OK Sarah. You have my informed consent.]

[So, May, why won't you go wild again?] And with that question, Sarah looked as deeply as she could. She couldn't see all the way, but she certainly saw deeper than the words May responded with.

[I don't want to go there again!]

Sarah saw what May meant. Her mourning for her grandmother had cut her off from everyone, and she'd felt no one listened to her. Feeling hurt and pushed away, she'd pushed away things she'd known were right, and flirting with boys had been a symptom of that, as had misusing her power, replacing love with distraction and mental games of power. They weren't a good substitute. She'd felt their emptiness and the pain of a guilty conscience too. She'd seen glimpses of the truth that Karen's warning had hinted at, and the unmerited gift of the beautiful skirt had reminded her that she was loved, that her parents did care. And she'd come back to God's love too. Why would she want to go back to that cold empty lonely place?

[I think you've learned your lesson. Nothing wrong with your character at the moment, May.]

[Only at the moment?]

[Stay close to God and you'll be OK. That does get difficult, sometimes, so stay close to other Christians too. Any other questions?]

[This thing about self-defence classes.]

[Well worth having.]

[Really?]

[You never know when someone's going to try and attack you, May. You're pretty, not threatening and someone might think you'd make good prey. Self defence is all about making sure they think again quickly.

If you're talking to desperate people, May, and you will be if you get this job, then there's a chance that someone totally fails to think. What's the point of knowing that someone's going to go for you if you can't do anything about it?]

[But isn't it all full of eastern mystical lies?]

[It can be. But not the way I was taught it.]

[You've taken a course?]

[Oh yes. Your dad's a big guy, but I could almost certainly throw him. Not that I'm saying he's going to attack me. But just as an example. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty good.]

[Wow. Could you teach me?]

[Probably not a good idea. I've never taught anyone. That job vacancy notice says you get them paid for, after all. More questions?]

[Yes. What does professional but sympathetic attitude mean? And Do you know who this rich woman is?]

[Professional: you're going to hear tales of woe and you're not going to get emotionally involved, you're going to need to talk to people with respect, and as an adult. They're not going to know from your words or your phrasing that you were still in nappies when their problems started. Sympathetic: when you're interviewing someone, you're not going to listen to their story and say 'get on with it, I've got to go to the movies', you're going to need to convince them that you're listening very carefully to what they say. As for who the woman is, yes. Is it important?]

[I'd like to know if I'm at all who she had in mind when she wrote this, or was she expecting some university graduate or thirty-five year old.]

[We discussed it, and neither John nor I thought a thirty-five year old would be willing to work as a truthsayer — too much history of hiding the power. John came up with the idea that maybe you'd be suitable, and without breaking any confidences, let her know there might be someone with a couple more years at school and no plans for university who'd maybr be willing. But if you didn't think you wanted the job then the author wasn't planning to re-write it for some university graduate.]

[Oh.]

[Out of interest, why aren't you interested in university?]

[Different factors, I guess. Partly, I guess I want to be earning, not learning.]

[What about earning and learning?]

[You think this woman would be happy with me saying that I'm not available full term for another five years, but I'd like the job?]

[Oh, I expect so. And there are plenty of students who have a part-time job. Not many are part-time P.A.s of course, most would be working as a waitress or something like that, rather than dressing up in a business suit and conducting life-changing interviews. Do you feel up to it?]

[I'll do my best. It's not like there's much future at the store, is there?]

[Not if the impact happens, no.]

[So, how do I apply for the job.]

[Tell me you want it.]

[I want the job.]

[OK. Don't you think you should negotiate your salary?]

[I'd guess that'd be discussed in an interview, but I'm assuming that this independently wealthy woman will at least beat what I get at the store.]

[What do you think this was, May? How much is that an hour and how many hours?]

[Five an hour. Eight hours a week, plus extra time at peak seasons.]

[So, forty a week, normally?]

[Right.]

[OK, how does this sound: probationary period of six months during which either of us can cancel with a week's notice, up to eight hours of your time a week plus self-defence classes one or two evenings a week, at a salary of two hundred a month, and any time left over from the eight hours you're studying for school, but not doing homework.]

[Hold on, hold on, Sarah, when you said 'OK' and 'what do you think this was.' Did you mean I've got the job, I've just been interviewed and you are the young independently wealthy woman?]

[Yes to all of the above. I will want to see references and to hear good reasons for any bad ones.]

[OK. {horror}I've just been interviewed for a job half-way into my pyjamas!]

[You'd better tell people it was a voice-only call before you tell them that, then, or they'll get the wrong idea.]

[And I can't tell people how I got it, can I? I mean, as truthsayer?]

[Don't tell them I'm gifted. But about your power? That's up to you. It might make the perfect opportunity to do so.]

[Will the contract mention it?]

[I think it should, yes.]

[And you're going to pay me for doing schoolwork?]

[No. I'm going to pay you two hundred a month for being my part time P.A., and pay for self-defence classes for you. The self defence classes will take time from your weekdays. Sometimes I'll need you to work the full eight hours, but I doubt it'll be often. So, while I'm not paying you for your time away from study for your self-defence classes, I'm insisting that you use any time I don't need as extra study time. You probably won't know until the Saturdays what I've got for you to do, by the way, so don't think you can plan on doing homework then. What's your notice period at the shop?]

[I think it's two weeks, I'll have to check tomorrow.]

[Do. I expect they'll want you to work long hours over Christmas.]

[I expect so.]

[Well I won't. So, as far as I'm concerned you can earn pots from them before you quit. I'll get Teresa to write up the contract on Monday or Tuesday, and you can let me know when you want to stop with them and start with me. Oh, except, I'm just maybe getting a bit ahead of myself. I mustn't count my chickens before they hatch.]

[What do you mean?]

[I mean that the decision hasn't actually been made that I get control of the trust my parents left me. The trustees are discussing it next week. One of them thinks I'm ready, I've not talked to the others. So maybe you shouldn't quit quite yet, until they've had their meeting and made their decisions. I'd love to get these interviews going as soon as possible, but if I don't have control, then I can't really give away any of my inheritance to the unfortunate, can I?]

[Not really, no.]

[So, don't quit yet. It's probably best not to even ask about your notice period. To some managers that's just as final as handing in your notice.]

[So there might not be a job?]

[There is a job. The question is whether it starts next week, or on on my wedding anniversary. No, hold on. You can do other stuff for me... I'm sorry, I'm thinking on my feet here. When would you like to start?]

[Actually, I think if there's time I'd like to hand in my notice so I don't have to work at Christmas. I signed up for Christmas work thinking I'd like to have lots to spend on the sort of clothes Mum won't get me. I don't really want a lot of those now.]

[Did you tell your mother that?]

[Not yet. You're going to make me tell her, aren't you?]

[I'm not going to make you, but I'm going to suggest that it might really help your relationship with her, and it certainly won't hurt it. You can also tell her you've just been offered a salaried position.]

[That's better than a job, isn't it?]

[Oh much. Much more professional.]

[You're a bad influence, you are. Next thing I know you'll be getting me to go to university to take a course in business skills.]

[Or accountancy.] Sarah sent to her, thinking about the cost of borrowing calculation that May had apparently done in her head.

[Accountancy? Is that like book-keeping?]

[Accountancy is what an accountant does. I took an introductory course in it... I've got a list somewhere. Hold on.... accounting, bookkeeping, auditing, taxation, corporate planning, cash forecasting and so on.]

[Oooh. Sounds mathematical. Fun.]

[Do you like maths?]

[Yes. But proper maths, when it's doing stuff.]

[Maths is an important tool. Doing it right keeps people in jobs. John told me about your advice on the loans, by the way. You're probably right. The idea had started off differently, which is why I didn't think of doing it that way.]

[Just paying the interest on their loan certainly makes it less risky.]

[It does. It also answers the question of what to do with people who have a loan they can't afford, but it's because of some less worthy cause than a loved one who got sick.]

[Like, they'd put all their money on the wrong horse?]

[No, I don't think I'd want to help in that case. But what about if it's a woman who took out a loan to set up her fiancé in business and then he ran off with the money and another woman? It was foolish not to get the business in her name too, but you can hardly say it was all her own fault.]

[Unless she made his life intolerable.] May countered.

[Even then, he ought to have paid her back.]

[Which he intends too, just as soon as he's paid off the bank loan, and so on.] May offered.

[I'm sure he intends to, it might never happen. So, anyway, you'd interview her initially, then I probably would too, and we'd decide what percentage of her interest I pay for her. I also set a limited time over which I'll pay the interest, say for five or ten years, which helps them get out of the hole they're in and doesn't commit me to support them if it turns out they're sponging.]

[What about 'I've just been made redundant and can't keep up the payments on my home.'] May asked.

[That probably depends why they were made redundant. But since my companies are not in the habit of laying off staff without a reason, I'd not expect many to be both in genuine need and innocent of causing it. Be wary indeed if you meet one.]

[I will. Is that the criteria? In trouble from no fault of their own?]

[That's part of it. I'd like to add that they've been trying hard as they can to resolve it, that they've looked at their expenditure and cut down on needless expenses, moved to a smaller house if that's a relevant option, taken the advice of debt counselors, and so on. I want be sure that I'm the last resort, not just the easiest.]

[And I'm here to make it a little harder still?]

[Well, to save my time from time-wasters. I do have a full time job. There's no way I'm going to be full-time fairy god-mother. But to be honest, your job is also to protect me.]

[Protect you?]

[Protect me from press attention, gossip and intrigue, from publicity seekers, treasure hunters and idiots.]

[So I get to deal with all of those myself instead of you?]

[Probably not. But imagine the headlines 'millionairess read my mind!' big news 'schoolgirl with power read my mind', not interesting.]

[What about 'Millionairess employs truthsayer'?]

[In case it happens, we prepare a press-release and sit on it, explaining how I knew you, thought your ability might be handy and snapped you up before anyone else got you. Groans of 'why didn't I think of that' from the rich and powerful worldwide. Would you mind being the first member of the union of professional truthsayers?]

[Do I need to be in a union?]

[No. Only if you think I'm going to mistreat you, under-pay you make you hold hands with slimy old men, or that sort of thing.]

[You are aren't you? The slimy old me, I mean?]

[Never heard of iron? A one metre length of stainless steel rod would be lovely, but probably a bit hard to explain, let alone fit in your handbag. Maybe a folding umbrella? Or one of those extendible map pointer things?]

[I know what you mean, but I've only seen them in films.]

[I'll see what I can find for you. You go and talk to your Mum.]

[OK. Bye Sarah.]

[Bye]

May ran down stairs, and burst into the kitchen.

“Where's the fire?”

“No fire mum, great news. Three bits. Which one do you want?”

“Number three.”

“Sorry, that doesn't make sense without number one.”

“So, tell me number two then.”

“OK. I need your help, mum.”

“This is great news?”

“I think so. You know my unsuitable clothes? I want to fix them or dump them. I was thinking that maybe we could cut some up to extend the skirts or something. Would it work? Can you help me sort them?”

Hannah looked at her daughter in wonder “What's brought this about?”

“I've been thinking of what Sarah and Karen said. A lot. Sorry Mum. God's on his throne, and I want to dress like it.”

“Praise the Lord!”

“I want to.”

“Are bits one and three as earth-shattering?”

“Possibly more. Unless John talked to you.”

“About helping Sarah part-time.”

“Did you see this?”

“No.”

“I didn't know it was her, the sneaky things. I knew her parents left her the house, but I never knew she was really rich.”

“Perhaps you'd better show me that paper.” Hannah asked, seeking that May was excited about.

“Here. I've accepted. I've got a salaried position, Mum. Two hundred a month, eight hours a week, if she needs me for it, and I needed to promise to do non-homework study with any left-over time.”

“She is sneaky, isn't she? Truthsayer?”

“It's going to work something like this, Mum. Someone has a loan, say from medical bills of a sick relative, which is crippling them. They've moved into a smaller house, stopped drinking expensive coffee, and so on and so forth, and it's still more than they can cope with. Their personnel department gives them a form to fill in blah blah, they get though that process, then I interview them to make sure they're not lying through their teeth, and if I think they're genuine then Sarah gets personally involved and either interviews them again or decides how much of the interest to pay on their loan, and for how long, so that they can concentrate on paying off the capital.”

“So this 'hardship loan' is wrong?”

“Well, Sarah had been thinking that she'd buy up the loan, but that's just silly. It gives her all the risk and means she can't help as many people.”

“You told her it was silly?”

“No, I told John, he passed it on, and Sarah agrees. Much more flexible this way.”

“And this is your chosen job for life?”

“Well, she says it's not unusual to have a part time job while you're at university. She'd be happy for me stay part time.”

“And you're suddenly interested in university?”

“I've got no real reason not to be, have I? I mean, if Sarah's going to be paying me the whole time, I shouldn't go into debt, should I?”

“Well, at only two hundred a month, you might.”

“That's for the probationary period, Mum. And it's still better than I get at the store. Oh, she's also going to pay for self-defence classes for me too. Proper ones, like she got, not full of mystical rubbish.”

“What's number three?”

“Oh, that was the university. Did you know there's some course there which is all about business maths and fun stuff like that? I'm going to need to read up on it.”

“I'm sure it's not called that, but it sounds reasonable.”

“And I was thinking, if I'm going to find myself a good husband, then a University Christian Union is probably a reasonable place to start looking, isn't it? And if I'm still Sarah's P.A. then maybe she'll help me spot the really good ones.”

“Or maybe God will, love. Are you deliberately trying to make me cry with happiness, May? It's working.”

“Can I have a hug, Mum?”

“Of course you can!”