What made it even worse was that Simon seemed as fresh as ever. She could only watch in awe as he ran through his talk with Paul.
‘You are going to be just fine,’ Simon said, and pointed at the projection screen behind Paul’s head. ‘The presentation looks great. One more run-through and we’re done. Okay? Okay.’ With one final nod Simon strolled to the back of the room, sat down next to her, and stretched out his long legs before pointing towards the podium where Paul was fiddling with the laptop.
‘I hope you don’t mind but I’ve asked Paul to give the presentation on the pilot study. I think it will mean a lot more if it comes from one of the pupils instead of the project worker who started it.’
‘Actually, I think that’s a great idea—especially when Paul is so eloquent. Is he your star pupil?’
The smile on Simon’s face widened into grin of delight and pleasure, which startled Kate. The affection and delight he obviously felt for this boy was genuine.
‘Paul is the son of the paramount King of our area, and probably the greatest natural talent I’ve ever seen. You would never believe that he only touched his first personal computer at the age of twelve. He is already head boy of the local school, and I think he’s a genius. The only thing holding that boy back is the lack of opportunity and equipment. This is where we come in.’
Katie tilted her head slightly to one side. ‘I think there is more to it than that. Do you want to tell me about it?’
Simon shook his head before replying. ‘You could always see right through me, couldn’t you? And you’re right. Paul’s father gave me a home when I needed one, took me in, and then listened to my crazy schemes to introduce solar power and digital technology to a village which at that time had only the most basic school building. And by basic I mean no educational materials at all. No books and certainly no money to pay for teachers. They were doing the best they could, but it was tough.’
Kate nodded then pursed her lips. ‘Sorry to question your ability, Your Royal Highness, but I can’t see you as a junior school teacher.’
Simon chuckled. ‘I tried, but there are people better qualified to teach the basics these children need before they can even use a computer. I learned pretty fast that food and clean water and a safe place to sleep are higher up the priority list than a reliable internet connection.’
Kate sighed out loud. ‘Do you remember the first time you dragged me to that talk on graduate volunteer projects in Africa? I blame you entirely for my whole career.’
He snorted out a reply. ‘You used to call it my middle class obsession. I certainly didn’t expect that we would both be working in the same field all these years later. Perhaps it is just as well that we can never truly know how things are going to turn out? Although …’
‘Although?’ Kate asked, half turning in her chair so that she could face him.
‘Don’t hit me, but I was surprised when Andy told me that you had already worked on projects in India and Mexico. After what happened with Dad, I did wonder …’ Simon raised both eyebrows and gave her a gentle closed-mouth smile.
‘You thought I might stay clear of volunteer work?’ Kate said with a lilt in her voice. ‘That’s a fair question, and the truth is, yes, I did think very long and hard about working overseas. But at the end of the day this is the fastest way to step up the promotion ladder to head office.’
Simon nodded. ‘Which means you could live at home?
Right. That makes sense.’ He turned away from her, as though disappointed.
‘Wait a minute, Simon. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t be doing this unless I believed that the work was important. And it is important. That is what this conference is all about—and I never, ever confused the work you were doing with why you left.’
She leant forward and locked onto his grey eyes.
‘Perhaps it’s time to show me what you have been up to these past three years before I read it in Andy’s report? Let’s get this conference started.’
CHAPTER FIVE
KATE stood sideways to check her profile in the mirror and immediately pulled in her stomach, vowing that, no matter where she went, from this minute onwards she would