Haswell purses his lips. "If it is to do with the nature of the... um, relationship, between you, I can see that it might embarrass you, but it´s hardly blackmail material; especially since I already know about it.""You do?""I do.""How...?""Charlotte, when a man of James´ age, however much I respect him, is quite so fulsome in his praise of a young woman, especially a young woman so, excuse me, but so beautiful, as you are, I have to question his motives.""He said that he got me the interview with you, but that the rest is up to me."He smiles, wryly, "Well, that´s true enough.""So...?" I say cautiously, not knowing quite where this is going."Charlotte, I´ve had an eye kept on you for the last day or so. As I said at our initial talk, I´m not too sure what to make of you. When I meet someone who seems too good to be true; academically brilliant, judging by your exam results, attractive, likeable, highly motivated... I start looking for the snag, the downside... "
I nod, swallowing hard."Are you still ´contracted´ to James?"Shake head."You are under no obligation to him?""No, after the week was up, I left and started at college, but I came back when I could. I wanted to see him and Michael again.""Michael?""You saw him, at the Club.""The blond man?"Nod."So, you met Michael during this week also?"Nod head.He stands, pours himself another coffee, offers me the jug. I accept, and again, gulp it down."So, you are telling me, quite clearly, that although he paid for, um, your services, during that initial week, James treated you well, and you are with him now entirely because you choose to be?"Nod head."Does he know you are here? Talking to me?"Nod head.He taps the console on his desk. "Francis, track down James Alexanders would you. Tell him I´d like a word. I suspect he´s not far away."Haswell continues. "He sent you in here? To face me alone over this?""No. I insisted. He wouldn´t be in this po
The realisation of what might have happened, had it not been my Master who won the bidding, hits me. Seated next to me, he watches me out of the corner of his eyes but, with Jansen there, is not going to speak. Under the table, his foot presses on mine, and he lowers his eyelids at me, in the smallest of comfort signals.My mind tunes back to what is being said. Haswell is speaking."So, Mr Jansen, you will find that the police are taking a great interest in you and...""She´s a whore. She sold herself. Agreed to anything. She signed a contract. Just like this one here...""Be that as it may, contracts come under civil law. Assault and grievous bodily harm come under criminal law..." His phone rings. "... Excuse me. I need to take this call... Yes?" He listens carefully. "Yes, he´s here. Yes? Thank you."He continues. "As I was saying Mr Jansen, you will find that the police are, in fact, very interested in you. As we speak, they are searching your premises and..." The door o
Richard raises his eyebrows, sitting back in his chair. Realising that I have just been unconscionably rude, I try to take back my words."Um, sorry. Didn´t mean it to come out like that. My apologies."Richard regards me under hooded eyelids. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. "No apology needed, Charlotte." He speaks slowly, choosing each word. "You grew up in that area and went to foster parents...?"My throat tightens...He continues. "You were in a children´s home then? Was it by any chance, Blessingmoors?"Mumbling through my food. "That´s the one." I gulp down a mouthful of wine, and then another.Michael and my Master are both staring at me. Michael takes my hand in his. Richard continues. "You are correct, of course. We demolished that... institution... towards the end of last year. The reason we demolished it, rather than renovating and rebuilding, is that there were a number of... scandals... associated with it."I say nothing.Michael silent
An hour or so later, black coffee and orange juice having worked their magic, I am feeling much improved."So, what is it for the rest of the day?" says Richard. "James, I want to discuss the works on Site C. If it suits you, we might as well do it here, as go to the office.""Fine by me."Michael says. "I want to pop out, to check things out at the Centre. A surprise visit from the boss never does any harm." My Master tosses him the car keys."Charlotte," says Beth. "I´m going shopping. Would you like to come with me? If you´re not doing anything else, that is.""Erm... Not sure if I´m wanted here..."I glance at Richard, but he shrugs. "Go enjoy yourselves, since you seem to be getting along so well." There is an ironic edge to his voice. "Where are you planning on going, Elizabeth?""I was thinking of having a mooch around Francesca´s store. Perhaps buy some new summer clothes; have a coffee in the tea rooms.""Expensive then," says my Master. He slips a card out of
On the Project site, Haswell shows me around, comparing what I see on the ground, to what the plans show.Perhaps it is his apology for misreading me earlier. He is the soul of courtesy, pointing out where old sweatshops and slums have gone, to be replaced by the upcoming, sleek and modern homes; where the bridge, designed by my Master, will span the river, the foundations and pilings already being laid. After a while, he is called away, his attention needed on some snag. "Go wherever you want, Charlotte," he says. "See everything."I trail behind surveyors and engineers, following their tracks, trying to interpret groundworks, and transform them in my head into the soaring city I saw in the model.Bulldozers are shifting huge tracts of rubble, crushing and flattening it, to lay the groundwork for the next phase of the building works. The old road layout is all but gone. Only because I know where I am, is any of it recognisable.Feeling like a spare part, I wander around a bit,
My voice is small. I can hardly speak the words. "I killed a man."My Master stands abruptly, rising upright from his chair, which scrapes backwards, abrasively.Richard remains unmoved, simply glancing up at my Master. "Go on."Breathe..."I was fourteen. It was at the home. There was a man... As the girls got older, and sometimes the boys... they would take them away..."My throat seizes up. Unspeaking, Richard pours a tumbler of water, pushing it across the table to me. I gulp it down, straining for air."He took me out, tried to get me into his car. He was telling me that I was being taken to a party where... He was enjoying telling me what they were going to do to me. He had a knife, holding it at my throat to get me into the car. He said that when we got to the party, they were going to pass me around, and if I didn´t do as I was told, he was going to... to fuck me with the knife, and enjoy doing it..."I am panting hard, struggling with my words, as the nightmare r
We walk, Michael holding my hand, along a wild track, high in the mountains. Rambling between forest and green meadows which slope down to the lake, just being here is a balm to my black mood. And Michael, with his unconditional support, and lack of pressure, is soothing company.We sit on an old stump. Michael pours me coffee from a flask, which I accept, then offers me a sandwich, which I do not."Thanks, I´m not hungry.""Charlotte, you´ve got to eat, or you´re no good to anyone, least of all yourself." He presses the food onto me. Reluctantly I take it, fighting my churning stomach, to choke down small bites.Nonetheless, the walk calms me. Clouds scud across the sky, casting light and shade across the meadows. The lake sparkles in the sunshine, the waters rippling with a shimmering light in the brisk breeze. Breathing deeply, the early autumn mountain air tastes good: of pine and snow."It´s real soul food, this place, isn´t it?" says Michael, lacing his fingers into min