Despite the Angels - By Madeline A Stringer Page 0,130

place. Well done. Now on we go.”

Lucy stepped out of the lift and looked around for the lounge. She walked down the corridor to her left, following a buzz of conversation and found herself at ‘Barnacle’s Bar’. She pushed through the throng in search of her group, Trynor at her heels, shouting unhappily, “No, No, not in here, you’re wasting time.”

“Can I help you?” The floor waitress was young and perky.

“I’m looking for a group. From the Earlsfort Clinic.”

“Did you try the lounge? Past reception and straight on.”

“Thanks,” Lucy pushed her way back out of the bar and hurried along the corridor. Why do I feel so worried? It’s only a work meeting. Same old faces. Same old jokes. She came into the lounge and caught sight of her colleagues, squeezed around a rather small table. A group of business men were just standing up from the next table along and moving away.

“Hi, Lucy. Was the traffic awful?” Her colleagues spread out to take over the table recently vacated and made room for her. “We’ve a few more minutes before the meeting, would you like a drink?”

Lucy looked around vacantly. She felt terrible, as though she had just been robbed. She checked for her bag at her feet.

“No, it’s all right, the drinks are on the company. What’ll you have?” Gemma was getting to her feet.

“I don’t know, I’m driving.” A wave of despair ran through her.

“I’ll go now, Lucy. You don’t know what you’ve just lost. I’m making you feel bad. I’ll see what we can do. Maybe he’ll be around later, after your meeting. Have a drink.”

“On second thoughts, I’ll have a G and T. It’ll have worn off by the time I leave. Might as well.” Lucy leaned back and smiled. She was glad she had moved from the hospital to the private clinic, apart from the small rise in salary. She had a little autonomy, was able to try out some of her own ideas. These were good people. She felt at home with them.

David looked at the menu without interest. There didn’t seem to be anything he really fancied, though he felt really hungry, empty even. Yes, there was a huge hole in his stomach, the toast he’d had before coming out must have gone down really quickly. Better have something filling.

“We’d better sort a more foolproof plan the next time and quickly,” Jotin was talking to Trynor in the hall between the lounge and the dining room, “or David will get so heavy Lucy won’t look twice at him, if he’s going to try to fill his emotional void with food.”

“And Lucy is going to get drunk. Oh, Jo, what are we going to do? We have to be more sure things will work and stop them feeling our panic and disappointment. It’s not fair to them, we got them in this mess and we’re not helping them feel good.”

“Well, you have to work on Lucy, to make sure she leaves Martin. Is she anywhere near, yet?”

“Not really.”

“Well, why don’t we talk to all her colleagues’ guides and fill them in? Then some of them could say some things that would make her think?”

“Good idea.”

So Jotin and Trynor went back into the lounge and talked quietly and intensely to the guides who were gathered loosely around and who had thought they were more or less off duty for the evening. Many of them nodded and said ‘see what I can do’ and ‘well, maybe not tonight, but I’ll try’. One of them leaned forward and whispered in a woman’s ear. Elaine turned to Lucy and asked

“So, are you going to go on the job-share scheme when they bring it in next year? I think it’s a great idea. I’d love to share with you, I know we’d get on really well, be able to work it out between us to suit us both.”

“No, I can’t,” said Lucy, feeling embarrassed.

“Why not? Your kids are little, aren’t they, like mine? I mean, it cuts down on child-minding. After paying that and the tax, it’s hardly worth our while working. I got almost nothing last month. Just do it to get me out of the house.”

“I need the money at the moment. I can’t afford to do fewer hours, ideally I should do more. This is really only a big part-time job anyway. I can’t afford full time child-minding at all. I just juggle things with my Mum and sitters.” Lucy didn’t mention that Martin did not