The Studio

Chapter 3

Who Else

Revision 10

Contents

Lisa

Who Else

Stop – Go

Lynda

Prepare for Production

Andrea

Steffi

Heather

Hazel

Laura

Juliette

D-day – Postponed

A Better View

Scheduling

The Cameo

Sarah

Michelle’s World

Alpha Who?

Keith

End of Who Else

Lisa

This was very quickly turning into the biggest thing Lisa had ever done. Bus, then train to Ipswich, then train into London, tube across town to Paddington, now onto the train for Penzance, but remember to get off at Edencombe! She bought a sandwich and a coke and an aero bar and heaved her small flight case onto the overhead rack. 

It would be another 3 hours before she was due her next train change and she'd been travelling for 4 hours already. Then on to Upper Elfinvale Halt - wherever that was. She gazed out at the countryside and tried sporadically to think of anything that would make Michelle’s life so manic, and what experience, if any, she had that would help her get this job.

She finally jumped down from the single carriage and stood forlorn as she watched it disappear around the corner. She had always believed that her little village was in the middle of nowhere, but now looking around, this was way more isolated. Despite there being a station, there wasn’t a house to be seen. And here she was, all alone with no real idea of what would happen now. She had expected Michelle to be here, maybe standing on the platform waiting for her, but no, the whole place was deserted. 

She wandered down towards the exit idly stopping at the timetable board. At least she could find the time of the next train out of here. And, looking on the bright side, the sun was shining and there were no bullies around to molest her.

“Lisa?” 

She spun round to see a shortish, slightly portly, gentleman of at least 60 with a red face and a slightly stressed smile walking towards her from the gate. He was wearing a mid-grey suit, a striped tie and a matching mid grey peaked cap. 

“I'm Colin. The chauffeur. I understand you have an interview with Michelle”

“Chauffeur? Wow! What? I mean, yes. Yes I have” 

Nothing had prepared her for this. No one had said anything about being posh. It was just an admin job, just secretary – entry level. She didn't need a chauffeur. But Colin seemed in no way threatening and she soon found herself asking about the area, while he insisted in telling her about the wildlife and the deer that roamed the forest, and that its isolation was actually one of the good points about it as they stopped at the barrier

“Just a dress code check”

Chauffeur? Dress code? She’d been used to checks like this by the monitor at the school gate, but…. And she hadn’t recovered from that before the studio came into view

“We’re not going there! Are we? Please say we’re not going there”

“Why ever not?”

“Because I’m not posh.. I won’t know what to do – or how to speak! That’s the biggest building I’ve ever seen!. I’m not posh enough for that. It must be owned by a Lord or a King or something”

“No, it used to be owned by Viscount Albert and Lady Patricia Mowlsbury and they were quite posh, but they sold it recently. And you don’t need to be posh. Even in the olden days the staff weren’t posh. Today, none of us are posh here. We’re all just ordinary folk”

But Lisa was hardly convinced

“Now all we need to do is find Michelle. If not, we’ll wait in her office” he said as he put her case down in the hall.

But they didn’t have long to wait

“Colin! You star! I got your note. I was so tied up with workmen, I just lost track of time. And Lisa! Hi! Welcome to the madhouse”

Lisa stood quietly still trying to take it all in and blindly followed Michelle into her office as Colin disappeared.

“Lisa – I’m Michelle – I’m so sorry I didn’t make it to the station. I was with the plumber and he was getting in such a muddle and it was getting so frustrating I thought I might actually drown him in that swimming pool. But Colin sorted you out all right”

“Yes thankyou. Its all… its all…. All…”

“Different?”

“Yes, very different” although ‘terrifying’ was the word she was actually thinking of

“Right” she said running an almost stressed finger through her hair “Where do we start. Oh Lisa, its so busy. The guys have been away for 5 days now, and I was up in Glasgow and London as well. And there’s so much going on. But I need to explain the job to you, and the company and …” she was interrupted by the phone ringing and she grabbed it rather fiercely

“Good afternoon. How are you going to help me this afternoon?”

“Help you? But I was going to ask you about your facility. So perhaps you could help me with…”

“I’m sure I’m not paid to spend my time helping you. Maybe if you need help, your boss should pay me as well!”

“Sorry, I think we’re talking at cross purposes”

“I don’t think so, I’m sorry, I myself am in desperate need of help and I really am far too busy to help you. Later maybe, or then again, maybe not. Goodbye”

Lisa almost stifled her giggle “Who was that?”

“I have no idea whatsoever. Now…. Lisa…”
 “Michelle, maybe there’s something I could just help you with if you pointed me in the right direction? Maybe even just answering the phone?”

“Yes. Yes. That’s good. Instead of spending time trying to explain it, lets just do it. Then you can decide if its what you had in mind, or not. Ok, so lets start with the progress chart. Behind you there’s a whiteboard. Its really important that its up to date. I’ll read out some updates”

“But you know what the board means, maybe I could read the updates for you”
 “No, I need to find them from in amongst the muddle on my desk, and I’ll tell you how to update the board. Ah, first one. Add two weeks to the start date for the driveway. Yes, that row. And then two weeks onto the end date. They say it will take less, but so far I don’t believe them”
 “So rub out that arrow and draw a new one?”

 Forty minutes later the board had been almost completely changed. 

“Ok, so the next thing is to make sure that we’ve got the dates right for the bands coming in….”

“Bands?”

“Yes. Bands. You know, pop groups. You see, if there are 4 bands each of 4 people, we’ll have an extra 16 people, like for breakfast and dinner and everything, and Janice may not be able to cope if she hasn’t got more staff by then. That’s the kind of thing this chart is used for. So can you go down the corridor – left at the main staircase and second door on the left. On the desk there is a large diary. That’s got all the information we need. Even if we don’t know which bands. Its how many people. Ok? So we can confirm the number we’re catering for and maybe then get on with recruitment”

“So… take the dates from this diary and update the chart, right?” she said as she returned

“Yes, and then put it back where it was so its available for the guys to add whatever’s next. I really need to check it every day to be sure” 

Michelle was not there when she got back this time, but the papers on the desk seemed to have sorted themselves into a much neater formation. She was contemplating looking through some of them when the phone rang. She answered it politely 

“Is that Michelle?” 

“No, it's Lisa” 

“Ok, I take it Michelle isn't there” 

“No, I'm afraid not” 

“Ok, well maybe you can help me. It's Gary. We're meant to be resurfacing the driveway. I suggested to Michelle that we postpone the start for two weeks so that we can get all our crews out there at the same time which will reduce the time it takes because its really quite a big job and you wont be able to get in or out while its going on. I didn't know if she had time to consider this proposal” 

“The start date on our board is now the 9^th and the end date two weeks after that, if that helps” 

“That's strange. Sounds like she's moved the start but not reduced the time” 

“I'm afraid I don't know. But I can find out and phone you back….” 

“I don't see how this matches up” she said to Michelle when she finally returned as she gazed blindly contemplating the board. “There’s 85 rooms completed in the ‘builders’ row and 17 left to do, but the carpet fitter has only 90 rooms in his row so that doesn’t add up to me”

“Yes, Lisa. But that's exactly what this board is for. In this case we need to phone these guys and sort them out”

“But which number is right”
 “I doubt if anyone either knows or cares. I just need them to be the same. If you get the builders on the phone I’ll talk to them. It's a Mr Fennel you need” 

“I doubt it, Michelle. It's gone 6 o’clock. I ‘spect they'll all gone home by now” 

But with that and everything else it was nearly 7 when Michelle eventually plonked herself down onto the settee in the corner of the office. 

“Oh, Lisa, you couldn't get me a coke from the fridge could you” 

“Sorry Michelle. There's only 2 Fantas and a Carlsberg in here” 

She threw her head back 

“Oh my, if you decide to join us, one of your jobs will be to keep the fridge well stocked. Maybe we should go and find some dinner instead. Are you interested in eating?” 

“Oh yes please. In fact, all I've had all day is a sandwich and an Aero” 

There was no one else in the large dining room when they got there except for Natalia who was standing near the door 

“I recommend Goulash” she said “made by real Hungarian recipe of my nonna” 

“Did you make it?” asked Michelle as they sat down 

“Yes. And I think it one of best I make” 

“Does it come with any other vegetables?” 

“Yes, in tradition Hungary, it has also potato” 

“I will definitely be trying that. Lisa?” 

The bowls were large and they were struggling to finish the plate as Natalia came back towards them 

“You like?” 

“Yes. It's excellent” 

“Thankyou. But Miss Michelle, I want you do something to me” 

Lisa looked either perplexed or worried, maybe both as Michelle glanced over at her 

“Don't worry. We need to do a little interpretation of what Natalia says” 

“I sit down? You mind!” 

“No of course you can sit down. Now, what can I do for you?” 

“Miss Michelle, you know I come England learn English. I have already degree in Chemistry at Budapest, and good job can be to me if I know the English. But now I in England, all you English, you too polite to tell me I go wrong. You try understand and that enough. So Miss Michelle, I need you please tell me when I go wrong. I no be off, off... 

“Offended?” completed Lisa

“Yes, no be offended. I be pleased” 

“Of course I will do that for you. One thing you could do to start is to use the right prepositions and the right part of the verb. You said ‘I come England learn English’, and I understand what you mean, but it would be better if you said ‘I came to England to learn English’ ” 

“Ah, I see. I need past tense - and infinitive. This is kind thing I need. Thankyou. Could I ask you something else? You see my room, it look over car park and sheep. Is I get room see over grass and lak” 

“I see. Your room overlooks the car park, but you would prefer a room that looked out across the lawn and the lake. Yes. Well you just find a room that you like, that is not occupied and we will move you across” 

“I find room, but it have hole in roof” 

“It has a hole in the roof.” she corrected “Ok, you let me know in my office tomorrow what number it is, and I will get the builders to fix the hole, and anything else that’s wrong” 

“You so kind. You know I happy work here” 

“You know I am happy to work here. - Time to adjourn to the bar” sighed Michelle “Does your room look out over the car park or the lawn?” 

“I don’t know. I don't have a room. I was thinking when you said we would go to the bar, I could maybe check in at the pub if they had any rooms” 

“Oh! Did Colin not take you up to your room? No, of course he didn't. He's really worried about giving the wrong impression especially to girls on their own by inviting them to follow him to a bedroom! Come on let's get your case.” 

Finally in the bar, the conversation moved round to what Lisa was really there for, 

“I know it's been a bit full on today but that gives you a taste of what working here is really all about. Although tomorrow is likely to be completely different. Lets leave it till tomorrow and have a discussion first thing. That will give us both the chance to think about it”

But they talked on anyway, deciding they’d rather just get to know each over a few drinks until it was late.

“But, Michelle, I must buy you a drink before I go on up. I feel I'm just a freeloader right now” 

“You can't. The bar had no facility for taking money. You just help yourself like it was your own front room, which is just as well some evenings I'm in here.” 

Up in her room Lisa turned and locked the door. A door lock! She looked at it in strange amazement. What a simple solution. Why didn’t she have one at home? Why did she not think of that? Life would have been so much less fraught. But here she accepted it as a luxury she had not had before. She looked round the other door, but it only went as far as the en-suite. She could get undressed, have a wash, maybe a shower and all without the risk of some random male wandering in unannounced. She lay down naked on the bed, just because she could, and some time later crept in under the covers still trying to reconcile where she was now with where she was only that morning in a little village in the other side of the country. 

Next morning she woke up pleasantly rested. She gazed up at the high ceiling remembering where she was and then over towards the window where the brightness of the early sunshine was creeping around the curtain. She gazed out across the meadow and the sheep and all the way up the valley to the forests without another house in sight anywhere. The shower was delightful and she felt ready for anything as she found her way back to the dining room. It was deserted apart from a group of four guys over by the patio doors, but Natalia came over towards her 

“You look for table?”

“No, thankyou. I am looking for Michelle. And you should say ‘are you looking for a table’ “

“Ah, are you looking for a table” she repeated. Then moved back across the room practising the phrase “Are you looking for a biscuit, are you looking for a job, are you looking for a boyfriend, are you…” 

Lisa headed for Michelle’s office back along the deserted corridor, with the faint sound of voices somewhere in this direction interrupted by the noise of builders banging seven barrels out of something unrelentingly solid on the second floor. She reached the entrance hall, but then followed the sound of voices down the narrower steps tucked away behind the main staircase, creeping downwards. Now she could hear what they were saying and gingerly edged forward, nervous that they’d think she was spying on them or maybe that she just shouldn’t be there at all. 

She stopped to listen, fearful of interfering and resolved to retreat if she heard anything that sounded like she shouldn’t have heard it.

“Hey, you can’t have my pie for breakfast!”

“Only looking, Janice”

“Well it’ll look better at lunchtime with carrots and broccoli around it”

“Well, that goulash that Natalia cooked yesterday was excellent”

“I didn’t manage to get any of it. I was rushing round all day long”

“You need to get more people in, Janice”
 “I know, and I’ve a few in mind, but…”
 “But nothing Janice. If you don’t get more girls in now you’ll be too busy later to do the interviews and Natalia’s getting under pressure as well. And if Adam does them goodness knows who we’ll end up with”

“Oh don’t! I know Michelle. And Damon already said I could hire four more people” 

“Yes, two focussed on the kitchen and dining room, and two on cleaning and rooms. But Janice, that was over two weeks ago. Damons told Natalia that there ought to be someone permanently on cleaning up after the builders just to stop the mess they make invading the rest of the house, and we need to sort out the West Wing extension and then we need someone on the existing bedrooms, never mind the library and the bar. So I suggest you have a good idea of where and when you're going to get at least six girls in here”
 “Six!”

“Yes! Or eight. We'll have to cover the kitchen and the restaurant from maybe 6 or 7 in the morning till 9 at night, and we're about to ramp up the building work to try to complete it early and that means even more people earlier” 

Janice looked desolate. This was all going to be too much!

“And that’s only before Karen really gets going. Oh, Jan. I sound like I'm giving you a hard time and I don’t mean to, I'm only trying to help. But we need to get a wiggle on or we’ll all be completely swamped. Maybe I'll get some time this afternoon and we can put a plan together” 

“Thanks, pet. I know you’re only trying to help. But it's just such a big step, employing people. It's such a responsibility what with it being their work, their income, livelihood and that”

“Ok. I will definitely help you this afternoon” 

“But you can’t Michelle. If anyone’s busy around here its you!”
 “Its Ok. I’ll push it to the top of my list and we’ll sort it out”

“But what about…”

 “…whatever it is it can wait”

No, thought Lisa that’s not too sensitive, if they think I was listening. 

The staircase spilled out into a large kitchen, and Lisa dropped down the last two steps with a clump that made Michelle look round.

“Oh. Hi Lisa. How are you this sunny morning? Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thankyou”

“Good, but you’ll be needing some breakfast” added Janice

“Janice, Janice I’m sorry but I’m a bit nervous right now and not very hungry”.

But Janice headed to the fridge and within minutes the bacon was sizzling and the eggs scrambling. Michelle explained that Janice was the housekeeper “and if I’m really nice to her, she cooks breakfast for me as well”

“Oi! Hands off! Yes, and Michelle is already well known for raiding the baking” 

But there was a light-hearted laugh in Janice’s voice like maybe this was just part of some continuing personal joke.

“Janice is always cooking something. And its always worth eating” complimented Michelle

“Yes, if there’s any left!”

With breakfast on the table, Michelle made no hesitation in demolishing it, but Lisa was having a little difficulty

“Are you sure you don’t want any, pet? Or is it just not how you like it?”

“I’m sorry, It looks really nice, I, well I . I’m just kinda nervous”

“Yes. We do need to have a chat, don’t we. And I did say first thing. Which is about now. Maybe later….. Lisa. Did you have a chance to reflect on yesterday?”

Lisa just nodded nervously.

“Lets just take our coffee up to the office and decide what the next steps are. And Janice, we’ll get together just after lunch, say 2 o’clock because Damon will be back by 4 and we’d better get something ready before that”

“Funny” said Lisa as they climbed the stairs “I never met anyone called Damon before, and now this is the second in as many days” 

 She sat down opposite Michelle across the low table in Damon’s office and clutched her coffee cup. The heat gave her a little comforting reassurance, and holding something tightly was helping her hands to stop shaking.

“So, Lisa. A couple of days ago, we spoke on the phone. I tried to give you an outline of what the job would be like but I clearly didn’t succeed because you decided to come on down here anyway. Well, the original plan was to have an interview, but instead we just jumped straight in and got on with stuff. But that wouldn’t actually give you any idea of what its really like around here. The progress boards need to be kept up to date for sure, but that’s only one aspect out of maybe a hundred. Its, like, if it needs doing, do it. Its more down to initiative than qualifications. The important thing is to keep me up to date on what you do do. That’s not in case its wrong cos there usually isn’t a right and a wrong, even if there may be a better way of doing something. It just that it will almost certainly have an impact on something else and we won’t keep everything synchronised if we don’t keep each other informed. So, what I’m looking for is aptitude and personality rather than someone who won the All England Admin Championship and is a registered member of Mensa. So now you’ve had a chance to think about it overnight, what did you think?”

“Me? Oh, I thought it was fabulous. I hope I didn’t make too many mistakes, but I’m sure things would improve as I get the hang of it”

“Ok. But did you like it? Was it the sort of thing you had in mind?” 

“Oh, that’s confusing me! Its nothing at all like what I thought it might be. I had no idea that jobs like this even existed. But it’s the other end of the country from where I was and that means I can start again. I know I’m good at organisation and I’ll try ever so hard. I thought there would be more sitting still and filing and waiting for the phone to ring and making tea for meetings. My friends sister works in a bank and she says its so boring that she just thinks about work instead of counting sheep to get to sleep. But this! This is different. It’s a non-stop whirlwind and no two minutes are the same. And there’s so much more than just paperwork”

“There’s bound to be Lisa. This job is about doing whatever needs doing. Sometimes Adam will want some help drawing the studio schedule or we might be sticking the labels on CDs if there’s only a few rather than fire up the machine. Or some guy shows up to do some work and you have to make sure he knows where he’s going. Or you might find something in the building that needs sorting out so you find a tradesman or someone to do it. Who knows what each day will throw at you. But that’s what’s so good about it and then in the evening in the bar you reflect on everything that’s going on and getting done and the progress of this building into the Studio that Adam needs, and you know none of it would be happening if it wasn’t for you. It gives you a purpose in life. So, what do you think about working with me?”

“This whole place is….! And Michelle….!” 

“So if I ….”
 “Michelle, do you need me for anything this morning?”
 “Don’t think so, Colin, should I?”
 “Only if Lisa wanted to go to the station”

“Me? No! Please! I don’t want to go anywhere!”

“No. We’re ok. Thanks Colin. You go on and sort out Sienna. She was looking for you last thing yesterday. And Lisa, I think that may answer my next question, which was: If I offered you this job, would you take it?”

“Oh Michelle! I'd love to. This place is amazing. And you – you’re just amazing too. I’ve never even dreamed of something like this…”

“But it's a long way from home” 

“Yes, and that's one of the plus points” 

“Ok, so I’ll write a contract letter. There won't be anything in it that needs explanation, because I can’t predict what's going to come up, so I can't give you a detailed job description, as I think you understand” 

“But it was fun. I mean, I know it was new, but it was great just getting stuff done and seeing a result. I felt I’d achieved something. I never did that before, not ever” 

“You did! You were brilliant, just picking up what needed to be done. And in the bar, I think we got to know each other well enough think we can work together! But Lisa, we haven't talked about money” 

“No, I didn't like to ask. Everything else went so well, I thought that that might just work out ok as well” 

“So did you have a salary in mind?” 

“Not really Michelle, I've never had a proper job before. I don’t know what to expect. But I was hoping it would cover my rent and food. Or maybe I need to get a tent. There's plenty of space around for that” 

“Yes, and that would work in the summer. But come December and its minus 8 out there and misty and drizzly ..no, I suggest you stay here, and that would mean you could eat here as well. That’s what I do. Some of Janice’s team will live with their own family in the village, if she ever gets round to hiring them, but we all just stay here. It also means that any modest salary will just go straight to your bank and never be seen again because you don’t have any expenses except maybe a new dress now and then”

“Oh, but could I use the swimming pool as well?” 

“Once you get it commissioned, yes. And the bar”

“Oh Michelle! I can’t wait”

“Oh, and drinks at the bar are free too. I think I said that yesterday. The down side is that we tend to talk about work in the evening. But it does mean that you can directly contribute to the direction of the company. Damon and Adam do listen. They’ve never done this before either, so any opinion is worth considering”

This was new to Lisa. She’d never considered anything other than being told what to do every minute of the day

“So when can you start? Do you need to go back to Ipswich to sort things out, say goodbye? Boyfriend maybe?” 

But Lisa had just frozen “Drinks too?! Oh my goodness! Maybe I’ll wake up in a minute”

“Lisa, catch up! You’re a question or two behind!” laughed Michelle

“Oh I’m sorry, Michelle, But no, there's no one there I need to say goodbye to. I can't think of a single person who ever did me any favours at all except maybe my mum. And I already said goodbye to her” 

“Good. So that’s all settled. Now you need to find yourself a room like I said to Natalia yesterday. Then add getting it sorted out to the list of things to do in the office and update the white board and then get up to the second floor and make sure its on the builders list of priority stuff. Maybe you could do with some breakfast before all that?”

“Yes please. I just hope Janice isn’t cross with me for not eating at the right time”
 “I’m sure she won’t be. And then, straight after that I want you to phone your mum. I haven’t really got a mum, but if I had I’d like to think she be worried about me”

 With Lisa in the office as well, Michelle was much more confident about taking extra time with Janice but the pace saw no let up. The phone was like it had suddenly been reconnected and now there was a man in working overalls standing in the doorway waiting for a break in the calls. Lisa checked the board

“I’m sure you’re due here next week” she said apologetically drawing her finger along the row on the board hoping that it actually meant what it said

“Yes, for the final handover. But I need to finish the work on the pumping system and let it run to finish filling the pool, and that’s today’s job”

Lisa shrugged and accompanied him to the swimming pool. Good job he knew where he was going!

“Is there another door that’s nearer here? I’ve got some heavy gear?”
 They looked together for another door and eventually found one that opened out towards the tennis court.

“That’s seen better days!” he said, also looking round for how he might get his van in.

“Do you know anyone who does that sort of thing?” asked Lisa thinking about what Michelle had said about if it needs doing, just do it
 “Yeah. Me. I don’t just do pools and Jacuzzis. Its pretty much any sports installation. Tell you what. I’ll take a look at it and give you a report on what needs doing, and a price. Ok?”

“Ok, no harm in that, I guess”

“Actually, I could do with the work. My missus is about to be made redundant and I need to pick up what I can get. I’ll do a good job, you’ll see that from the Jacuzzi when its finished”

“That’s a shame – about your wife I mean”

“Yeah, she’s at the Malt Shovel – does the cooking and cleaning and stuff. But they’re closing for refurbishment on Friday and all the staff are out the door”

“But we’re looking for people like that. Do you live round here?”
 “Yeah, we’re village. It wouldn’t be so far if the old gate was still open.”
 “I don’t know about that. I’m new here, I’m afraid”

“Yeah, there’s a path used to run pretty much straight to the church from here, but the gate got locked – oh, nearly ten year ago now, and never been opened since. Be well overgrown by now”

“Do you think the Malt Shovel would give her a reference?” she asked trying to think of what she herself would be asked
 “Surely would. They’ve laid off the other women over the past couple of weeks as they run down the bookings. She’s last out cos she was the best one there. I could get her pop in, if that would help you”
 “Hmm, I don’t know”
 “Yeah, but if you’s looking. I’ll get her pop in on her way to work tomorrow. 8.30 be ok?, cos she’s not due at work before 10. Then you can meet up and she can see what you’re looking for, and maybe or maybe not, Yeah?”
 “Ok, no harm in that I s’pose”

Back in the office the phone was making that annoying ‘I need attention’ noise like an electronic version of a baby.

“Michelle?”

“No its Lisa”

“Ah Lisa, we spoke yesterday. Its Gary. Look we’ve had a major postponement. There’s something not quite right about the planning permission. How do you feel about us doing your driveway starting Monday and finishing by Friday night? But – and I don’t mean to push you. Its just that I’m just trying to reschedule the world – I do need to know now”

“Ok” she said thoughtfully by way of acknowledging that she understood the question.

“Ok? That’s great – I’ll see you Monday. Thanks Lisa”

“No, I meant – oh I didn’t mean it that way, what I…. oh dear – he’s gone already” she sighed realising she’d been talking to herself, and moved to mark up these changes to the board.

The morning was fast disappearing, and lunchtime hurried in as a welcome break. She was beginning to get the idea of why Michelle was maxed out, but it was a new start, it was exciting. It was an entirely new world.

Damon had taken more time in London talking to Heather about what her plans were, some possible dates for recording and the potential for doing a few more gigs, and was only now due back from the tour. He hadn’t had an update from Michelle, so was as surprised as Lisa when they met in Michelle’s office.

“Lisa! How are you? How are you getting on with Michelle?”

“Damon! Oh my goodness. Oh so there is only one after all!”

“Was there ever any doubt?”

He took hold of her shoulders and gave her a kiss

“Oh wow. What are you doing here?”

“Not much. Apart from I live here. Oh, and I work here too. Sometimes in this office, but mostly all around the estate. Hey, someone restocked the fridge! So what’s the news?”

“I came down - oh my! Was it only yesterday! And Michelle offered me the job, so I’m still here”

And what about going back to Lesser Waterton?”

“I’ve got nothing to go back for. Well, except for some clothes. And I feel like I’ve been here forever already, even though I don’t even know where the doors are”

“Why the doors?”

“Oh, nothing. But I can’t believe you’re here too. It was a dream come true before – and now…” she sank her head into his shoulder with her arms around him

“Well, I’m pleased to see you here because there’s a manic load to be done. Where’s Michelle?”

“She’s gone down to see Janice – she’ll be back in…” 

But Michelle was back now and Damon gave her a kiss too. 

“Hi, You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you till teatime”
 “Well we’ll have tea now, just to maintain the expectation! I was going to stop for a bite to eat, but then I thought it would be better getting back here so we can make more progress”

That was no more than what Michelle was expecting

“So? That sounded ominous?”

“So, I thought we could bring the review meeting forward. You round everyone up and we’ll meet in the conference room in what? 15 minutes. Gordon decided not to join us, so we can do catch up rather than entertain him”

Lisa looked on in astonishment. This was another example of the manic pace. Not content to leave the meeting till its scheduled time. Lets do it now why don’t we? She went to check on the pool man and was briefly relieved to see that the meeting hadn’t started before she got back so she would be able up update Michelle.

“Ah, Lisa! If you see Michelle before I do, tell her to put the phone onto auto so that you can both come to the meeting. Although Adam's checking something on the mixing desk so the meetings delayed by twenty minutes. But Lis’. You mentioned something about a door earlier, Did Michelle not show you round?” 

“No, but it's because we were so busy. Instead of the interview to tell me about the job, we just got stuck in and oh my! We got so much done!” 

“Ok.. We’ve got a few minutes. It wont take very long to take a look at the main sections, but its important that you know what we’re trying to achieve” 

They set off down the spiral staircase to the studios, giving Adam a quick wave as they passed without interrupting

“Hey! That’s the guy that was on stage with you, wasn’t it?”

and then up to the main corridor, the bar, the pool, the rest of the East Wing and out onto the terrace to return via the dining room. Damon described the setup 

Lisa listened, wide-eyed

“So this is a real recording studio?”
 “Yes. Just think for a minute what this would mean to you if you were in a band, and you got your invitation and you arrive here with the potential of a recording deal and a tour, maybe to Australia. Getting this place sorted out is so that we can give these guys the best environment and encouragement so that they succeed. That’s what this business is going to do” 

“Oh my! Every time I hear about a different part of this it gets more exciting” 

But now, sitting in her dark green leather chesterfield armchair she concentrated on getting her breathing back under control and calming down, on paying attention and on hoping she might begin to understand what was happening. 

Adam was at the fridge, handing out drinks on demand and almost by accident the meeting had started. She tried to remember if she'd ever been in a meeting before, apart from school assembly, but that was well different. 

“Ok” Damon was saying “First of all, I’d like to welcome Lisa. Lisa will be helping Michelle with general organisation, but hopefully we can all help to make sure she doesn’t get bored” 

“Yes” Michelle joined in “I’m hoping that with Lisa able to hold the fort, I'll be able to recover some concentration and stop making silly mistakes because I'm in such a rush”

“Ok. Update time. Michelle. What’s changed in the last week? Lisa, you’re in charge of making the notes. But don't worry, I'll tell you what to write – if anything” 

Damon had been talking to Karen and they’d postponed the acoustic quintet, but another four piece was still coming in on Saturday. Michelle acknowledged that this was the proposal. 

“Ok”, she said “we should be all right because we’re coping at the moment, but I’ll check with the Threshers and the Malt Shovel Inn, to see if they’ve got accommodation, just in case”

“Good idea. We don’t want to get a reputation for postponements and we need to make sure Karen doesn’t get disillusioned”

“But….” Lisa exclaimed, then slammed her mouth shut. She wasn’t invited to talk. Maybe she should keep quiet

“Sorry, Lisa. Did you mean to say something?”

“Em. Well, yes. The Malt Shovel Inn– its closing on Friday for refurbishment”

“Is it now? Ok – Maybe Rosie will have some rooms at the Olde Belle. I’ll get hold of Karen anyway and see if there’s any latitude for rearranging all of these guys – except not for too long. I need the quintet for some backing strings for some stuff I want Denise to try”

“Well, if we’re pre-empting the Ozzy distribution deal, there’s another thing we need and that’s an explanatory advert in a pure English accent. They’ve got some difficulty finding anyone out there who doesn’t speak with at least a hint of Oz”

“Yeas – like you!”

“Yes, maybe, but I said we would just do that over here –its not a big job”

“But” said Damon “we’ve got the studio and rehearsal rooms scheduled, builders permitting, but we need a system in place for future bands….”

The meeting continued with what seemed to Lisa to be random comments from everyone except her. Michelle’s update made Lisa’s head hurt. So much going on! Number of rooms refurbished and ready. Carpets, swimming pool, new car for Colin on order, driveway, garden, lawn, lake. And then some stuff about extending the estate and a farm that they’d just bought. What? A whole farm!? And some guests that were due. She thought she’d heard of these guys, so they must be famous. And a guy was coming in to sort the squash court floor.

Lisa put her hand up – like she reflected afterwards - other kids did in class if they knew the answer but she would only do it if she needed the toilet.

“Lisa?” encouraged Damon 

“The driveway work is due next Monday and be finished on Friday…”

Michelle looked taken aback and Lisa nodded vigorously in affirmation “And there’s a quote due in for the tennis court”

“Ace! Getting tennis back on the schedule is a move in the right direction”

“And” continued Lisa “the builders are putting another four extra guys on from tomorrow, so that should help get the rooms finished – I think”

“Ok! Progress! Janice, what’s the state of setting up regular deliveries, rather than you going out shopping?”

“Well, without knowing how many people are in for lunch and dinner, its difficult to set up a week ahead”
 “Ok, but if it stabilises in the next week, do you have something you can call on at short notice? Ok Good, so what about people. Have you got anyone else starting?”

“Eh, no, Damon. I’m a bit behind on that”

“But” cut in Michelle “we do have a plan. And we have a good number of people identified. Janice will contact them in the next two days and we know that at least 4 of them are currently available – its just whether they want to work here, though we know they’ve all done this kind of stuff before. So Rosie is going to put a notice up in the Olde Belle because we want them to contact us in the first place rather than chase after them like we’re desperate…”

“…Which we are…”

“…But we don’t want them to know that”

Lisa put her hand up again

“Lisa – you do get to speak, you’re part of the team now”

“Em, thankyou. But we’ve got someone coming in for interview at 8.30 tomorrow”

“Oh really? Who?” asked Janice

“Em, it’s a Mrs Lynda Wendle”

“Lynda? Oh I know her. She lives in the village, doesn’t she?”

“She lives in Elfinford, I think that’s the village, so yes, I guess”

“Where’s she working at the moment?”
 “The Malt Shovel Inn. But like I said, they’re closing”

“Ok. So its behind where it should be, but we’re trying to catch up”

“Damon, do you want me to give Janice a bit of help on this – That is, if you’d like me to Janice? And I think you or me, Damon, should sit in on interviews. With Lisa here I think I can make the time because this is important”

“I think that’s a good idea, Michelle. We need to get this moving. Maybe you could sit in on the interviews if Lisa can keep the wolf from the door. Hopefully this Lynda girl will be useful”

“Yes. But surely Karen can’t just invite more and more people? We can’t just ramp up capacity at the drop of a hat”

“I’ll have another word with her” said Damon “She’s just so enthusiastic. Adam, how’s the studio?”

“Yeah. It was all going well. But I’ve hit some problems in testing. We’ve got some circuits crossed in the mixing desk. I found this a few weeks back before the gigs, but I’ve only just come to figure out what might be causing it”
 “We’re not going to get very far without a studio”

“True. It will be a quarter of the job with two people, if you can spare the time Damon? If I took the desk end and you moved the block spades?”

“I’m pretty busy on people. But this is priority. We’re going nowhere without it. So, yes… Unless Lisa could do it?”

“Lisa?”

“Yes. She should be able to move a block spade if you tell her which one and where to”

“Yeah. That might work. So long as she’s ok with all that wriggling around on the studio floor”

“If Lisa is going to wriggle around on the studio floor, can I join in?”

And so it was the next morning that despite protesting that she had never before in her whole life met a block spade, Lisa found herself flat on her back on the studio floor underneath the mixing desk. Never before had she seen so many wires, and never before had she less idea of what she was doing.

Lynda Wendle had arrived on time and seemed really interested in working there. She knew Janice from the village, but with her working in the Malt Shovel and Janice living and working here, their paths hadn't crossed for some time. Lisa had taken her over to see Michelle, and now...... 

“The blocks where you are” Adam was saying “are numbered 1 to 24, just like the one we looked at as a trial. Then the wires on each block are all coloured and the pins are all numbered too. So we're looking for the black wire on block 4” 

Lisa was still getting used to the darkness down here on the shadowy torchlit underworld 

“Adam, I've got three black ones” 

“Can't have! Oh, Ok, is one of them black and green. Like stripes?” 

“Yes, and a black and yellow and oh there a black with no stripes” 

“That's the one. I want you to pull it off its pin like I showed you, and swap it into the same pin number on block 12. What pin is it on?....” 

Fortunately the pins were numbered the same way on each block. And they ran in sequence clockwise around the block so she could make some sense of the instructions as they continued to flood in with the occasional “fingers out” command for when Adam was going to turn the power back on. “it's ok” he'd said “if anything goes bang, the pyrotechnics will be up here not down where you are” 

“Oh! That’s comforting!” 

Fireworks! No one mentioned the possibility of explosions!

But with the constant reaching up and pulling the small finished wire ends for so long, Lisa simply let her arms flop down by her sides when Adam finally called a halt 

“Are we finished? 

“No. But it's lunch time” 

Lunch! But where did coffee break get to? 

“Are you coming out of there or are you staying for the back shift?” 

“I think my back has already shifted” she moaned, but Adam had now leant down and was pulling her out across the floor by her ankles largely leaving her skirt behind, but Lisa loved it. Making real progress on the desk even if she didn't have a clue what she was doing and this physical contact with Adam had absolutely no semblance of the malice she usually encountered. And, strangest of all - it was so much fun. The time had flown by. And last but not least - she was actually going to get paid for this. 

The afternoon was equally different. Michelle had asked if she could 'borrow her back' for an hour and Adam said he'd need an hour to do the review checks anyway. She updated the board with Michelle, and it all seemed to be back under control. It now transpired that the next of the four piece bands was struggling to be able to make the date with their current commitments from their day jobs, and had apparently jumped at the chance of another two week delay. 

And then back in the studio, Adams first task for her was a microphone test. Can you just read through this script a couple of times so that we can add in a bit of emphasis and variation, then we'll just test this mic. 

Perfect he'd said, but it sounded like maybe it was an advert for a Belgian progressive-rock band. Then it was back under the desk for more wire changes. And relief! Coffee. And cake! Delivered un-requested by Michelle. 

Now it was power up time and that meant Lisa's turn at the controls as Adam played with the live wires down under. 

Finally he extracted himself

“I think it's sorted” he announced “But we'll leave final testing till tomorrow. Right now it's dinner time and I saw Janice roasting a decent size proportion of a pig earlier” 

“Oh my! It's gone 7 o'clock!”

And it was nearly half past by the time she'd got washed and tidied up even without changing her rather dusty dress. 

“There you are at last” said Damon as they sat down “we thought maybe you'd eloped” 

“No” said Adam as Natalia put down a large plate of roast pork in the centre of their table “but we do have a surprise to tell you about” 

“Really! Lisa, I know you’ve been with Adam wriggling around on the studio floor nearly all day, but you can't possibly know that quickly!” 

Lisa had no idea where to look next. She was bemused and embarrassed and elated to be caught in this cross fire banter, as Michelle put on her inscrutable smile and waited for a lull. 

“Maybe not of that magnitude, but important none the less. We've recorded Yan’s ad. We ran that as the mic test. Perfect, all done in one take in a pure Essex accent”

“Oh, and Lisa” Michelle said eventually when she could get a word in “Lynda suggested 3 of the other girls from the Malt Shovel and she’s going to check that out for us as well as joining us herself. So that’s even more progress”

That night she lay awake, winding down from the day's events with just a couple of drinks. She didn’t feel under pressure to drink a lot or keep up with anyone or be accused of trying to avoid her round, and just a couple of small measures topped up with a lot of tonic or lemonade was just perfect. Tomorrow? Maybe she'd find time to schedule in her room move. 

Mid morning, and Lisa collapsed onto the settee in the corner of Michelle’s office. This was clearly the shape of things to come, and it had already started. Wow! And all this includes me. The phone wasn’t ringing and there was no-one waiting in the doorway. Michelle was somewhere with Natalia, so now, take advantage of the opportunity of this two minute break in the mayhem to phone mum like Michelle had said a long time ago

“No, mum, I don't really know what I’ll be going today. Yesterday? I started out as receptionist for a lady who had an interview, actually I had set that up with her husband the day before so I knew about that. Then I helped the sound engineer rewire the mixing desk. He's gorgeous. Then I recorded the voiceover for an advert for something in Australia. No, its not all boring filing. In fact there’s no filing at all. Anyway, after that ...oh mum I gotta go now. Must be something up cos the pool engineer just turned up and he’s not due till next week. Coming back? No, mum, I won't be coming back, I mean I will sometime, but not very soon”

But the bigger effect was on Michelle. Luxury! she could leave Lisa in the office and take time out to check up on all the things she’d been neglecting by being stuck in the office and relying on the problems finding her instead of the other way round.

Who Else

Now that Adam had his studio fully working, he tuned himself in to getting some practice and experience in operating it. Re-mixing the bootleg album that he had planned since before the Lesser Waterton gig would be a good start. Something familiar that he already had a view on what it should sound like. But it also led on directly to the next big question. Once he was happy with the mix, they’d need to distribute it. And create the half a million copies that they’d expect to sell. And if this was one of Karens invitations, they’d be looking to go out on tour to support the album. And it would all repeat itself when Damon rounded up Heather and Gordon to record the next ‘official’ Chameleons CD. So they’d need a distribution channel, but in addition to that, who else did they need?

They’d bounced this around before, briefly, but at that time there were more immediate issues. Michelle already had a progress board for this - transport, accommodation, food, cleaning, scheduling, studio, recording, production, editing, pressing, distribution, invoicing, finance, tour setup and all of these would need people that they didn’t currently have.

They assembled in the New Dining Room. This was smaller than the one downstairs which was next to Damons office. It was the room that Lady Patricia had reconfigured as a dining room when she found the old dining hall too intimidating for just the two of them. Damon had already decided that it would become the Board Room, when or if they ever had a Board. But for now it was a lovely bright airy room with a wide balcony overlooking the terrace and the lawn all the way across the weeds to the lake. But this room was nearer the building work. And having the balcony doors open as they wanted let even more noise in. They relocated to the Old Dining room which had become their de-facto meeting room for no better reason than it was home to a beer fridge and –  it was near the offices. 

It was close enough to Michelle’s office for her to unhook her white board and bring it along and sit it on the chair next to her like an additional delegate.

In deference to relocating again, Adam was rolling cans of fizzy stuff along the table. Choice made, those not selected now had to roll back. With Adam bowling them as fast as he could, Michelle was the only one anywhere near the fridge to catch and put them back. 

But one was a lunge too far and she slipped over landing on the floor. No harm done, as she regained composure, but noticed something odd from down there at carpet level. She didn’t mention it, she’d check it out later on as Damon and Adam were concerned whether she’d hurt herself and that was the immediate priority. 

“Maybe” Adam speculated “we could leave sorting out the building to Michelle, the general admin and bands to Lisa and you and I concentrate on recruitment, Damon”

“Could do. But on the whole you know those guys”

“Yeah, like Max and Andrea, and you’d be better talking to Keith. I’ll drop in on Max. We’ll need to think of some suitable bribe for Keith”
 “Ok, Adam. I’ll track him down and I’ll keep with the finance, at least until it gets too big. It would take as much time keeping up to date with what someone else was doing as it would to just do it. And Tours? I’ll do something on that too. We need someone to do that, but finding the right person…? We knew our way around, and someone new wont. But we can’t send bands to more obscure places without checking them out first”

“Ok, so maybe Gordon could do that. I mean, we don’t want to send someone every time. You just need to hook up with a good local agent who can point you in the right direction. Maybe a good hotel, a reliable sales agent and a transfer company”

“yeah and someone to set up basic sound and lighting, unless its really primitive…”
 “...In which case, you might need a bodyguard as well”

“I think Gordon is the best bet for this. He’s at least two thirds there already. He knows all the venues we’ve been to, and he loves travelling. This is all about jetting round the world checking these things out for us. Its just which local management company should we use.”

“Yes. And its short term. Or maybe just sporadic. Like returning a view to us from where ever he is. That gives him a slice of our action while leaving him enough time to do his freelance work making himself available for touring. Its also a useful refresher so he can provide some current advice”

Michelle updated it all onto a new large whiteboard. It was only meant to be a start, but now Damon was adding more lines to it, scoring out, merging them together and thinking out loud about everything .

“Damon, I used to know what this chart was supposed to look like!”

Lisa watched, equally confused as Damon rubbed out the extraneous lines and arrows and clarity started to emerge.

“Its quite like the other. We’ve got the activity we need to do like ‘Distribution’, then we need space for some names of potential candidates, then a column for the interview date….”

It all seemed to make logical sense when Damon explained it, and now they had yet another progress chart on her wall. So, she reflected to Lisa, we need to press the master recording onto CDs. We need to distribute them which means trucks or a strong postman. We need someone to set up gigs. We need someone to schedule everything, but that might be me! Or you! We need someone to sort out all the money. Like an accountant or a bank, or maybe just Damon. He seems to do it all at the moment. And maybe each of these things needs more than one person. Accommodation! Office space! Maybe we need a bigger bar once Adams bands all start arriving as well. 

But by thinking carefully about the end objective, she decided she’d not missed anything important and she could leave Lisa to complete the tidy up. And that meant she had the chance to get back to the old dining room and check out what she thought she’d spotted. Hopefully she’d be back before she’d be expected in the bar before dinner. But first she needed to check out the daily progress on everything else.

Hal had nearly finished in the old chapel at the end of the building beyond the West Wing annexe This was looking much more like a theatre, but without the chairs. She’s called the supplier that he’d recommended from his previous work in pub refurbishing, and that was that until they all turned up in about a week.

Len was looking stressed when she caught up with him. It was all going well, but some of the guys were thinking they should find some other work rather than be solely dependant on this job which would be finished in a few long weeks. Clive was still fitting glass, just visible from the East tower as he worked his way along the greenhouse.

Next was Sienna. Oh my! Progress was everywhere in the garden and parts of it were looking wonderful - while others would need to wait for the new flowering season to look their best.

“Have you got a large hammer, Sienna?”

“Large hammer, Michelle? Yes. How large?”

“Oh, very large. I may need to knock a wall down if I can’t get out”

They walked round to the old stables and Sienna pointed her in the direction of an array of large hammers. Some were just big, others looked impressive, and then there was one that Michelle could only lift using both hands

“Michelle, you need to be careful with something like that. If you just hit the bottom of the wall it might all come tumbling down on top of you and even if it doesn’t land on your head it might break your toes. You need steel boots if you’re going to use that in earnest”

But now having heaved a not-quite-that-big hammer and the big torch that Lisa was using under the mixing desk along to the Old Dining Room, her bravery deserted her – or was it that common sense prevailed. She really should tell someone, rather than rely on breaking her way out if anything went wrong, like the door locked behind her. Instead, she bundled into Damons office. He was in deep thought and least expecting to be attacked

“Come on” she bubbled in excitement grabbing his arm “This is going to be so exciting” as she tickled him to chivvy him along.

Unquestioning, he allowed himself to be interrupted and hauled out into the hallway and all the way to the far end of the Old Dining Room 

“Where are we going?”

“Who knows. But I want you to come with me”
 “With a sledge hammer and a torch?”
 “Mmhm”

This would probably pass as normal. 

She heaved on a number of the books until the bookcase suddenly moved, swivelling round to reveal a narrow passage

“This must go to the West Wing. Where else could it go!”

Three steps in and the bookcase closed all by itself. She flicked on the torch breaking the pitch black.

“Ghost?”

The passage led to a flight of steps going down and tentatively they descended. There was no problem finding the door catch at the other end. It clearly wasn’t designed to trap anyone inside, just to be disguised in the first place and they were now out into a relatively wide corridor, a bit like the one that led to the studios. Farther along there seemed to be some vestiges of light from somewhere and they headed that way. Another staircase led up to the main hallway, and that had a huge curved staircase up to the first, then the second floor, bigger, grander and much dustier than the one they used everyday in the East Wing. And right above it there was a domed glass roof. It was largely covered with decades of dust and grime both inside and out, but there was enough light to make out the banister and the walls. On the first floor, the darkness crept in around them again as they headed away from the main stairs, opening doors and flashing the light into the corners of the darkness. The rooms were pitch black with the windows all bricked up but the furniture all seemed to be still in place, like settees and armchairs and a harpsicord.

“Damon. I was trying to think where we’d put all these new people on our latest board, if Adam takes up all the bedrooms with the 20 odd bands he wants hanging out at any one time. And then I found that bookcase when we were in that meeting. And look! a bed, and its all still made up! Damon, no-one will have made love in that for over a hundred years!….”

It was clear that Michelle had every intention of rectifying that situation, and, considering the event, Damon was only too pleased to co-operate. This was nothing to do with finding a forever partner, but it had everything to do with making the most of opportunities that would never be repeated and it wasn’t everyday that you happened across a bed that had been untouched for over a century. And a suitable reminder to Michelle that she really was irresistibly attractive.

Refreshed, elated and still bubbling with the original excitement they made their way back to the main hall and checked out where the main door used to be with immediate thoughts of how to re-instate it. Closer inspection, however, found something rather strange

“Michelle! Look here”

He flicked on the light switch. There was a flash above them, then darkness again

“Ok, so the bulb didn’t last long – but for it to work at all? And it looks like its bakelite. That’s pretty old but doesn’t go all the way back to 1870 something”

They checked as many rooms as they dared, not knowing how long the torch would last and Damon led the way trying to remember their way back and which bookcase opened into the secret passage.

Clearly this was an option, but a huge amount more work. Adam really wanted to get started and more delays would be an issue, but they also needed somewhere for their additional people. Maybe the West Wing annexe could more easily become offices. 

This was looking almost impossible, but as a diversion Damon phoned Lady Patricia to ask how it was that they managed to install bakelite switches half a century before they were invented.

“Oh no, Damon. All the staff were given firm instructions to tell anyone who asked that it was bricked up in 1879. But it didn’t really happen until just after the war, 1946. It was to avoid the government adding it to the list of historic assets that they were compiling under the Town and Country Planning Act. These would have to be preserved in their original condition which apparently would have been good for the nation, but I hardly see why it should have been at my expense. Damon, have you any idea how expensive that would have been!”

Yes, thought Damon. And it would have prevented me turning the cellars into a recording studio, although you might not have thought about that at the time.

Stop – Go

In the bar, Damon was back in contemplative mode. The estate was now his. The West Wing was a salvageable possibility and they were charging headlong into recruitment. The people they needed might quite reasonably be on a month or even three months notice from wherever they were working. 

The Studio was working, exceeding expectations. The second rate bands that Karen had found resulted in some quite startling discoveries, especially Denise. He knew there was a market. 

But despite all that, everyone still had The Threat. The threat that something would crop up that terminated the whole project – dead. That concept would put people off. Ok, if it proved to be unviable and didn’t make any money it would have to close down, but that’s no different to any other company, and no reason for putting that possibility explicitly on everyone’s agenda. It was decision time. In fact, the ball was already rolling and he’d have to actively stop it rather than just stop it starting. It was time for that discussion with Adam. The one he’d always said they’d have when they were confident. Just one drink to calm down from the day’s mayhem.

“Oooh! Is this a secret discussion, or can anyone join in?”

“Lisa, you can only join in if you get another round on your way over here”

But that was a small price to pay because the bar, as she was now appreciating, was completely free.

“Lisa, this is about something that you will know nothing about. When Adam and me started all this we put aside a certain amount of money. We were both prepared to lose all of it, but expected that it would last us a year. The plan was to review progress as we went along and at each review decide if we thought that the concept was still viable, or if it had moved up to a maybe or even a distinct possibility. Then towards the end of the year we’d make a final decision. 

However, reviews have been almost continual, as you both know, and the plan has been running for only three months – yes Michelle, only three – so we could easily defer. But events are overtaking us and this ball we’ve set rolling is developing a mind of its own”

Michelle tensed up. The Decision! She knew it would catch up with them sooner or later, but it was a good 8 months early! and she held her breath as Adam placed his glass firmly on the table

“Damon, The Studio works, Finding the bands works. We’ve got a lot of the key players lined up and for the others we’ve got names in the frames, all documented on Michelle’s board. This building is ideal now that you and Michelle have sorted it – or nearly…” 

She let out a sigh and gulped in air instead as Adam continued with a mischievous smirk “Damon, it’ll work - if you want it to. This ball of yours is over the hill. Left alone it will simply run down to completion”

He paused watching Michelle still holding her breath “…But I’m saying no more until after Michelle explodes!”

Damon looked pensive.

“There’s just one thing I need to think about. But dinner should be a good thinking time”

Michelle finally breathed out, and quickly gulped a fresh air supply. She was all ready for the elation or devastation of that decision, and now…

But it wasn’t the decision that Damon wanted to think about. That was, at least to him, obvious and had been for some time. It was the enthusiasm and the way that every obstacle was simply addressed one at a time and solved. And then the way that Michelle was able to integrate everything on her white boards that made it all look like part of one single picture. It was how to make the announcement more personal to everyone, and more fun. And bigger!

But he didn’t have long. Enough time to find some red and green crepe paper left over from the previous Christmas. Damon remembered – He’d always considered the Chameleons as his band. He did all the organisation of where they were playing and staying and how they travelled and how much they got paid …. And everything else. But then it was Alex that had pulled the plug on it. The paper had been to encourage a lighter note over the Christmas period, and to some extent it had worked. But here was a much more frivolous use for it. Fifteen minutes, 4 cut pieces and some sellotape later he was ready for dinner.

“Have you had a think?” asked |Lisa nervously, but Damon only nodded with a poker face

Word had got round that this major decision was about to be announced and the bar was busy with a fragile air of expectancy after dinner and everyone on-site seemed to be in here. Adam positioned himself at the keyboard  on the dais, turned up the volumes and dimmed the lights

"So, Damon, what's the verdict. Is it Go!...” 

He ran a drum roll on his keyboard that was joined by some enthusiastic noise from around the room 

"Or stop! .. " 

He slid down a minor scale as the few joined in with 'no' 'boo' as he handed the microphone to Damon.

“A decision like this is such a big deal for everyone, which is why we needed to get together. I was going to toss a coin, but that would not be big enough for a decision this size. And not public enough, no one would be able to see! So instead, I've got two big buttons. The Red Button and the Green Button. And I'm going to chase these buttons till I catch the right one. Michelle, you're the Red Stop Button. Lisa, come here, you're the Green Go Button" 

He slipped his makeshift tabards over their surprised heads.

Adam took over with some rousing chase type music "let's go" he hollered down the microphone 

"Quick..” called someone near the door “Get Michelle out of here" 

She escaped out of the door and round to the dining room, onto the terrace and peered back in through the patio doors to see where Damon was.. 

Damon gave chase. At first he had a clear run, then, as it became clear that this was a participatory sport obstructions appeared – chairs.. people and everyone trying to get Lisa in line for being caught

Michelle hid behind the bar while Natalia, catching on, pushed Lisa in Damons way. 

It was all quite ridiculous the way he swerved round her but with everyone having now had three or four, or more drinks, and with the air of anticipation, it all seemed  good clean fun - even if it was more suited to eight year olds. Damon stopped briefly to catch a new drink, and , being concerned about being trapped, Michelle bolted from her hiding place and fled through the gaps that opened up in the crowd as she tried to respond to calls of go that way and come this way. 

The chase went on for a good ten minutes. Now everyone was joining in, mostly getting in each other's way, but trying to get Lisa in the right place, while making way for Michelle to escape or hide. What was patently clear was which side everyone was on. The chase made it back to the bar as everyone lost track of where Damon was and with Lisa and Michelle heading into the bar but from opposite doors. Damon stopped suddenly, picked Lisa clear off the floor and carried her over to Adam

"I'm pressing the Big Green Button" he shrieked, building the euphoria. Michelle jumped up onto the stage ripping her tabard off and shredding it into small pieces. A cheer went up and Michelle collapsed down. 

"I'm not used to that much exercise" 

“And I always thought that if  Damon was chasing anyone they’d stop running!”

Fresh drinks were being passed from the bar as fast as they could be poured and excited chatter broke out all around 

"I would have thought that Michelle would be the green button" gasped Lisa, completely out of breath 

"No, Lisa . Michelle wants this to go ahead so much that she'd go to far more extreme lengths to escape. And with no rehearsals or scripts, that's how we made sure it would work this way" 

Damon grabbed the mic "Just one serious point. Everyone's contract will be reviewed because most of them have a clause in there that relates to this decision. Have a think while you’re still sober enough, and tomorrow I'll start talking to y'all individually to get a reaction. But tonight - celebrate" 

Danon pulled another pint and took it over to Adam, still sitting behind the keyboard. He’d been commentating on the chase trying to keep up with the action, and now seemed as out of breathe as Michelle

“So we go” said Damon quickly “We kick all the doubts into the long grass and just solve whatever crops up”

“Yep! There was never any real doubt, but the melodrama makes it more memorable”

Breathlessly, Michelle arrived to the bar and sank the shot that Lisa had poured for her, returning the glass for a refill. Lisa was now on her fourth drink in fifteen minutes. Back at home, this would have put her in very tricky territory, but here it was just another positive difference. 

And that was it! Michelle knew now it was a multi-million pound decision and that was it. No drawn out discussion, no procrastination. Just…. Oh my! But was that not just how this whole place operated? Is that not what Lisa had just said? She leant her head against Damon’s shoulder, looking around the bar. She remembered back to her first introduction to this house. This room was one of the things that told her this whole project was a deluded fantasy – that and the crazy memory of a giant speaker stuck halfway down a spiral staircase with Damon pinned against a wall. She re-opened her eyes and watched Lisa returning from the bar. 

She watched the group that would be in Studio first thing the next day. They’d started on a high from their all afternoon rehearsal but this took them to a new level. That was yet another hint of success. When she’d first seen this, it was all impossible. Working at Simmons had persuaded her she was capable of almost nothing. Working with Damon had showed her she could do anything. Now she believed she could do everything.

The evenings celebration continued well into the early hours. It was staggering just how much enthusiasm these two guys had, and now it was rubbing off on Lisa as well, now that she was beginning to understand just what was going on. Michelle was more than jubilant. Ok, so her job now seemed secure, but that was largely irrelevant. Way more important than that was that Damon’s vision for the future that she had become almost religiously passionate about was really about to become reality. Not just giving bands the chance they deserved, and helping young artists like Megan and Dawn, but she’d talked to Heather who had described some of the antics that the likes of Jason Rheinhart got up to and that side of the industry would change too. And she, herself? She could now become everything she’d ever wanted to be.

There would be obstacles, but she’d find some way to climb over them, round them or under them. The pace was already frantic, but the next two months would far exceed any pace they’d achieved before. 

She woke that night from a vivid dream. She was facing a tennis machine that was firing balls at her in an almost continuous stream and she was hitting them all back across the net, matching its increasing pace. Only when the machine stopped because it had run out of ammunition did she look around to survey the result. Oh my! This would be one manic summer and all thoughts of a holiday, maybe on Druze’s yacht completely disappeared.

This confirmed that the ball would continue rolling. But other balls that they’d set rolling were continuing in their own way too.

Now with that major decision, Damons focus was to make sure that everyone knew the implications o that definite plans could be made. The next call was to Karen so that she could now plan the other aspects of her life as well. She said she knew who the next few bands would be, but had something else in mind as well. She just needed a final check on it, and that was intriguing because he knew that Karen too was caught up in the euphoria of the concept.

Up on the second floor, the comments from Natalia were largely predictable. Damon wasn't sure how long she would want to stay because she was only in the UK to learn English and there was a real possibility that she’d be wanting to return to Hungary. But that discussion could wait till after he talked to Janice. 

Janice was not ecstatic. As something of a disappointment, she was well less than enthusiastic. She knew that the final decision had not been taken and that everything was to some extent speculative. Maybe that’s why she was reticent about hiring more people. Damon had thought that she was looking forward to the house buzzing with guests again like it would have been in it s hay day. Now, with the new situation she was decidedly downbeat 

“Oh Damon, I don't know. I know that’s been the plan, But Damon! The work! I need to think about it”

Not wanting to get deflated to her apparent level, he got up to leave, but was interrupted by Lisa bounding in from the garden

“Whoa Janice! Its all gonna really start moving now…..Oh dear. Are you all right?” as she sat down at the kitchen table with a questioning glance at Damon.

“Lisa, I thought I wanted the house to be busy again. It would be just like the old days. But Lisa, I really don't think I can do it. When Lady Patricia was here, it was just her and the Viscount. They had a decreasing number of visitors. I think I got used to that and as the entertaining tailed off I didn’t realise that that was happening to me too. To go back to 80 or even a 100 people staying, it surely scares me half to death, I quite haven't got the energy any more” 

It was a sorrowful, mournful face close to tears that looked over at them across the kitchen table 

“Janice, I can understood that. We’ve got a lot of the building work going, but it's not going to reduce for quite some time. And in the meantime we need to get on with the real purpose. We need to get a lot more permanent people in here in the next month and then start bands moving through. The very nature of why people are here builds the excitement. A lot of those guys survive their four days on coffee and adrenalin. And guys in the music industry are not renowned for keeping regular hours. I can see this being a very different place in two months time. Jan, if you think it’ll be too much, maybe now is a good time to think about retiring. You and Colin could move into that cottage over by the lane that you've been sorting out.” 

And with that in mind, it was time to talk to Natalia. Having explained the situation and asked her to think about it, her response was immediate.

“I have a suggestion to you” she opened. 

It was always interesting talking to Natalia, partly because she didn't say much unless she had something to say, so it was worth listening to, and partly because she was quite direct. Damon had got used to this from people whose first language wasn’t English because they had less vocabulary and nuances to hide behind 

“What I think is that you should make two jobs. One for me in Cleaning, especially the rooms and keep Janice in kitchen and restaurant. What you say?” 

Not so much what I say, he thought, more what Janice would say

“I think it makes sense” she said slowly. That would give you a supervisor in each area. And that surely would reduce some of the pressure”
 “Ok. Lets try that”

But Janice looked hesitant and seemed to be about to say something, finally persuaded by Damon’s continuing questioning look

“But even just catering for all those folks. I’m just thinking about a hundred breakfasts, and lunch anytime from 11 till 3 and enough potatoes for 100 dinners. Running the kitchen from 7 in the morning till late. And odd requests at any time and hour. Its so different from Lady Patricia, cooking for two with a very specific timetable. It surely would all be too much”

“Ok, Jan. What about you continue in the kitchen for the time being. Natalia will take over all the cleaning and we’ll look for a restaurant manager as soon as we can. When we find one, you can retire. What about that?”

“Yes…” Natalia agreed “Is good plan. And I get to make my goulash and torte, but only occasion” 

“Occasionally” Damon corrected “You need the adverb. So you've decided to stay, Natalia? I thought you might decide to go back to Hungary?” 

“Yes. I stay another time. If Janice was here I might go home because she gets in way so much, but...” 

“Gets in the way? That's concerning. Not that it matters too much because she’ll move on soon anyway” 

“Yes, Damon. So many times Janice say not to do, she need think about it. Then I wait and then I say to myself ‘go and do’, and until two days she say you should do it and I say it already done. But without Janice, Natalia would like to stay because I like so much here” 

“Ok. That’s settled. But I want you to get the staff numbers right. Natalia, you shouldn’t have to work 18 hours a day. You need to recruit enough staff. Make sure that you talk to Michelle and she will go through the plan for how many people will be here as we ramp up the recording”

“I ask Janice for help before, maybe people in village. But now she going I will get this done”

That probably solved the domestic recruitment. Natalia seemed keen to get Janice out of the way, and maybe that was fair. So she’d be putting in extra effort, not just to get her own team established, but to get the kitchen sorted out too so that she didn’t have to cover that as well. And now with the freedom to do it, Damon was quite sure it would all get done.

Things happened quickly, in true Studio style. The decision was made. Janice was dithering about what they should consider in setting the moving date for her and Colin, but Damon simply announced that it would be the day following the arrival of her successor. In the short-term, Gustav at the gatehouse would take over chauffeuring as well. And Lisa or Michelle would operate the barrier remotely from their office. Although, Damon offered, there would be an opportunity there for Colin to do some part time work, if he was interested.

So far, it was a lot more fraught than expected, but Sienna was a revelation. She'd always been the epitome of shy and introverted, even to the extent that both he and Adam curtailed their innuendo when she was around. It was no surprise that now in the late afternoon following Damons invitation to meet him in the bar for an important discussion, she seemed reserved and almost frightened. She sat down close to him with a nervously reserved smile. Ok, so she’d changed into a brightly coloured dress which was acceptably short and was trying to wear a smile. She was definitely trying her best but hardly prepared him for her unexpected response and his announcement.

“Oh, Damon. When Lisa came to see me, I was so scared it was all going to come to an end” she almost bubbled as she threw both arms around him squeezing half the life out of him.

He returned the cuddle and decided that he’d dare to steal a kiss from her. Just a quick one – it had been a long time coming.

“Sienna, you're doing such a good job of restoring the garden. Its becoming such a wonderful place. I think you’ll be surprised by the effect it has on our musicians and the impact that has on the whole company”

But she'd accepted the kiss and was still clinging on to him, and that had to be a step in the right direction.

Sasha

It was later that same day that Michelle and Damon had retreated to the Board Room to discuss the West Wing trying to avoid interruptions. It certainly appeared that it might be less work than they had thought to reinstate that part of the building. It all seemed in good condition. But even if the cabling needed to be replaced it would be a whole lot easier than wiring the whole place up from scratch, just pulling new wires through instead of cutting drilling and refilling. If they were going to do all that, it had to start soon. But it would complete the building instead of it being in two contrasting halves. And, as Michelle had insisted, it would give them the additional space she had convinced him they would need. And if they used that space for offices, they wouldn’t need all the work of putting in en-suite bathrooms which was taking the time in the East Wing.

Natalia was on the phone in Damon’s office when they got back and she jumped putting the phone down quickly looking terminally guilty

“I sorry, Damon, Miss Michelle. I need phone my friend…” but Damons questioning look persuaded her to continue 

“She in London and near starving to the death”

“Maybe Crispin could invent a way of sending protein down a phone line like he did with our music”

Michelle laughed, but Natalia didn’t understand. Her English was improving, but not yet as far as sarcasm. He found three cans of Heineken in the fridge and passed them round. Natalia took hers with some astonishment as they all sat down around the coffee table

“So, Natalia. Why is your friend in London, why is she suffering a famine and what can we do to help her?” 

“Oh Mr Damon. You are so kind. I thought I be in the trouble, but the phone in bedroom, he no work”

“No, a lot of them are disconnected. Its to stop the workmen from making calls instead of getting on with something useful”

“Is my friend from my town in Hungary. She is … she is … in French is au-pair…”
 “Also in English. We use the French word. Looking after children”

“Yes, but she get paid almost no pence, and only some little lunch each day. She cry a lot, but no money to go home. Her people there, they not kind like you and she have no choice. I very sad for her”

“Maybe she’d like to work here instead”

“Oh yes. I sure she be happy here like me. Is better do cleaning here than do children in London. And Miss Michelle, you teach me the English too and tell me I go wrong. Maybe you teach Sasha too!”

“Well, you call her again and if she wants to, you should write her a letter, and I will give you enough money for some food and the train fare to add to the envelope. And then Colin or Gustav would pick her up from the station”

“Oh thankyou. And you no cross for me use phone?”

“No. Sometimes you just need to do what needs to be done”

Natalia had barely reached the door when Damon continued his previous conversation with Michelle

“But lets not say anything about the West Wing to Adam. He’s nervous about how long the building work is taking, and this would only prolong it if we decide to do that as well”

“But West Wing, she is brick up” joined Natalia, turning in the doorway

“Yes, Natalia. But we were thinking about unbricking it because we may need more space. Except that might take too long and delay everything else, so we need to consider it carefully. So don’t mention this to Adam”

“No. No Adam. I sorry. I ask you, I phone now”

“Yes. You come and find me when your letter is ready and I will put some money in it for her”

She was back early the next morning. The letter was already in an envelope with the address on it.

“Maybe I ask something else for you. I thinking, you need work done on West Wing, but no more time. You need more men working”
 “Yes, I know that. But we’ve already got all the available men, and some of them want to get back to doing normal and more varied work”

“Yes. But pay here very good. Is many times more than in my town. My uncle, he build houses. Has many men. Maybe he come and do work here?”

This sounded like a solution. Damon hadn’t specifically intended to extend Michelle’s recruitment to Eastern Europe, but if Natalia was recommending a building company within her own family, then it was worth serious consideration.

Damon listened to the conversation without understanding a single word. This must be how Michelle felt when Chantelle phoned him. It started quietly, with some surprise from the other end. Her uncle was probably not expecting her to phone, but the excitement soon crept in

“He say, he can leave men work on own. He come here look at work. He bring pictures of work he done. If ok he come not tomorrow or next day but day after”

Colin took Natalia all the way up to Heathrow to meet her uncle Rojey, but she was back at the Studio in time to pick up the phone-call from Sasha. She was very excited at the prospect of escaping from her London job and was intending to work a week’s notice, then travel to Somerset using the money that had arrived.

Rojey was a tall, well build man in his mid fifties. He seemed alert and excited rather than apprehensive despite speaking none of the local language. Natalia translated as best she could, but they spent a lot of time looking for words in their dictionaries and pointing out the translations. It was only over dinner with Natalia still translating that the conversation moved to more informal background. Rojey said he’d never been to England before, but had travelled a lot around Poland and Czechoslovakia and had spent three years in Berlin.

Damon almost jumped “Sprechen Sie Deutch, Rojey?”

The Hungarian stopped abruptly “Ja wohl! Sehr gut!” 

All three of them burst out laughing. How did Damon miss that obvious solution. Natalia left them, no longer compelled to stay and was relieved to relax with a long drink in the bar on her own.

It was mid evening when Michelle joined them. She’d had an early dinner with Sienna, who had now gone home, and she’d updated her boards to reflect everything that had happened, reminding herself not to tell Damon how manic it was because that alone had pushed up the pace by at least an order of magnitude. She’d only just sat down with a large vodka thinking the day had now finished and anything else would wait till tomorrow as Damon turned to her

“Tomorrow, Michelle, can you get hold of Hannah. See if she can recommend a charter company. We may need a plane that can pick up 22 people in Natalia’s village and bring them over here next week”

And yet another line on her board. Initiatives had been started, people phoned, possibilities explored. 

Following that final decision, Michelle had been surprised that everything didn’t take off like a ballistic missile, but that now appeared to be the lull before the storm.

If before, they had been playing football, kicking the ball up the field and dealing with whatever situation it led them into, now it was like they’d suddenly got another nine balls. Damon had given each of them a mighty punt up the field and now they were chasing all of them with the intention of getting them all in the net by the time the building work was finished. None of these was continuous and while it was initially quite daunting, she had a line for most of them on her board and kept it all up to date the way she had for the building work. That was under control - it was Damon that was doing most of the running around. 

It was different - no change there - each day had always been different. It was exciting - no change there either. Another band scheduled in, more people on site. More staff in the dining room. More chamber maids. More space would become available in the West Wing and allocating that space would be coming her way too. That was good. It made her feel like she was in control, and, after all, no-one else would know where to start. But because she’d build the whole thing up she was in prime position for knowing why they needed more space. It was clearer just how many rooms would be needed by Adam for bands and groups and singers and all the time she wondered how they’d ever get all these singles and albums out to Melbourne for world distribution.

Tuesday rocked in uninvited and Michelle rocked into Damons office uninvited. Gently, she took the phone that he’d just picked up out of his hand and replaced it in its cradle.

“Before anything else happens, we just need to clarify the diary before we all get carried away and end up in an enormous muddle”

“I thought it was fairly straightforward”

“I’d be very pleased if it was! We’ve got even more going on than ever and we don’t want to miss something important. Ok? 

So the Hungarians will get here on Wednesday. We need to make sure they know what they’re doing. I know you went through it with Rojey, but did he understand and does he still remember?”

“Maybe – but I’ll go through it with him again when he gets here. So long as you release the catch on my cage”

She ignored the implied witticism

“And we need to get him to co-ordinate with Clive who’s getting the windows although I doubt if Clive speaks German – or Hungarian”

“I’ll get them together with a tape measure and they can go from there”

“Ok, Clive’s already measured up all the windows, or at least the holes that are likely to appear when the Hungarians start lobbing brickwork into the skip, so that he can confirm the glass order. Maybe if he just writes that down Rojey will understand the numbers. 

When’s Heather coming back for the recording session? cos Gordon’s talking about some session work in the States that might delay everything?”

“I’ve suggested that we don’t start till the 14^th. Maybe spread out over three or four days”

“Ok Gordon should be back by then”

“And that will give Heather some more rehearsal time for the new material. The album will be all new songs, whereas the gigs were mainly old songs that the fans all knew. Studio wont take all day, but we may need to work around the builders noise”

“Yes, that noise is a major restriction”

Once upon a time, she reflected, there was a plan to have only one band every couple of weeks as a sort of practice run until the building work was finished. However, that plan seemed to be failing miserably. Karen was being quite careful about not sending the best ones she found, instead reserving them until everything was ready. The ones that did turn up were generally over the moon about just being invited. It gave them some real studio time, some constructive coaching from world class professionals and a huge boost to their credibility as a band. They were only there for two or three days each, which maybe added up to and averaged out at the target plan. But bands came and recorded and were reviewed and went and all of these were working together without any major trauma. This was hugely more work, but it proved to Michelle that she could rise to that challenge as well.

“Ok” she continued “So I’m guessing that the one band per week target doesn’t include the Belgians that the board says are coming in this week – any idea what for? They’re not from Karen. Is that the guys that were here before?”

“No they’re a band called East of Bruges that me and Adam have know for years. They need an injection of inspiration”

“So, do I need to do anything on that or is it all down to you?”
 “They’ll need accommodation and Janice needs to know they’re here for food. But nothing special apart from that. If they show up they can just hang out here – its inspiration they’re after”

“Next. The pool engineer is finally due in tomorrow to hand it over to us. He’s spent ages on it. I’ve no idea what the bill will be!”

“But if it all works, we may not care too much”

“And Adam’s been working on a bootleg album of the Lesser Waterton gig. How are we going to distribute that?”

“Adam’s due to see Max. He runs an independent duplication and distribution business. We need that kind of expertise, although I can’t think that his system would cope with that volume even if he joins us. But there’s no show stoppers. We’ll use Australian Media for copying and distribution of that album. We’ll suggest that Adam picks that up. He knows all the guys in Melbourne”

“Ok but we still need to get the master to them. I can’t imagine you’ll be posting it”
 “No, but you might like a few days in Oz?”
 “Thanks Damon, but I’d rather not take time out right now. I might never catch up when I get back. Next. We’ve got that five piece acoustic band from Karen coming in next week too. We’ll have to try to get some quiet time from the builders”

“We can schedule studio time for after five o’clock. They’ve been stopping earlier more recently. I think they think they’re coming towards the end” 

“Oh, I do hope so, but I’ve been leaving Len to get on with it. He’s become very reliable. Next. Stuart has no idea what to do with that farm you bought”

“Really? I thought he was a farmer turned estate manager. He should know what to do with a farm. I mean its already got cows and sheep and stuff on it”

“I think its more that he doesn’t know what you want to do with it”

“That might be because I don’t want to do anything with it, Michelle. All I want is a quiet buffer zone all around the house and garden. No residential estates, no building work, no noisy neighbours. Just peace and quiet for thinking, recovery, writing, inspiration, composing and producing awesome music”

“Ok, I’ll tell him just to carry on farming as it was”

“That’s it. No change, except now we own it we can dictate its quiet, peaceful future. Is that everything?”

“No. Sasha is arriving from London any time. Natalia thought she might work her week’s notice, but she may just tell them to poke it”

“Yes, I understand she’s been struggling a bit, so I expect she’ll be very tired”
 “I want Natalia to get her settled into her room and give her some recovery time before we give her any work to do”

“Yes, but I expect Natalia will haul her into the bar. I’ll be interested to see what action she takes on her own” 

“And Adam’s looking to get Keith to join us in production. Do we need to add him onto the board too?”

“No, he goes on the Who Else board as a potential candidate for the studio production role”

“Ok. So he’s the first onto that board but then after all that we’ve got the rest of our vacancies board. Gigs, Accounting, Scheduling. Have we got any front runner names yet?”

“I think I’ll carry on doing the financial stuff, at least until it all takes off. And scheduling… think about it. A band rocks in from Karen. We drop them down to Studio. Adam and me review it. Then its either the bums rush or its back to recording and out on tour. So the important one is Gigs. I’ve talked to a couple of people, but that one is critical. Scheduling wont be that onerous till it gets busy….”

!....which could be any time….”

“….but hopefully after the building work is finished, even if decorating continues in the West Wing.”

What Michelle hadn’t mentioned was all the things on the original board that she had under control already. The Tennis Court, the original East Wing building work, the outhouses, the greenhouse, the electrics out to the garden…Oh my! And the other 15 lines on that crowded board.

She slid off the desk and slipped both arms around his neck the way she did when she wanted him to return the gesture and hug the very life out of her

“Oh, Damon. I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to give you a hard time. Its just that we keep inventing new things to do without making enough progress on the ones we’ve already got. Sometimes we just need to wait for the world to catch up before we move on too far”

She waited until Damon loosened his squeeze on her just enjoying the comfort that she knew he’d respond with

“And I’m going to push Len into giving us an end date. I want them all out by the time the Hungarians are finished” 

“That’s a good milestone to work towards. Rojey is confident that six weeks is enough. I’ve offered him and his crew a weeks bonus if he pulls it off. And two weeks if he finishes in five. It would be a major milestone if we can get Len finished as well”

Denise

The ball Damon had set rolling at the Studio was gaining momentum, but other balls that they’d set rolling were also developing a life of their own as well.

The pace at the Studio had notched up from just Manic and was now matching Denise’s brain activity as she continued to speculate about the future. Back in Sheffield, she hadn’t stopped thinking about what Damon had said since she left the Studio. She studiously scanned the local papers and the music press looking for adverts from musicians. She dropped in on jam sessions and listened intensely to each player trying to separate them out. But it didn’t take her long to come to the conclusion that this was going to be a long haul. Finding a band that could do with a vocalist would be fairly straightforward. Finding a band that needed a vocalist and was up to the standard Damon would expect was something else entirely.

Days were spent trying to be enthusiastic about her job behind her reception desk. In the evenings she took in the known music venues with Mollie but most of the bands were, quite frankly, not very good. Or maybe they were just not her taste in music. Or maybe spending time with the top musicians in the world had clouded her opinion and raised her expectation of what good actually was. 

They found themselves sitting on two stools at the bar in a loud venue in Leeds. She thought she’d recognised the name of one of the bands on the poster, but they’d seen so many bands and looked at so many adverts that it was all something of a blur. All was not well on the stage. The music stopped abruptly before restarting and the interlude caused a buzz around the bar as the cello player headed for the steps. She was sure she recognised him as he headed their way to get to the bar and caught his arm

“Kieran?”

He stopped. The last thing he was expecting was to be accosted by an attractive girl who seemed to know him and he stared at her, questioning his memory

“Were you with Cerise at the Studio?”

“That’s right. Do you want a beer?”

“Yes. Thankyou. Woa! A friendly face at last”

She introduced her flatmate and chaperon, Mollie, as he sank three quarters of his Murphey’s without it touching the sides

“They’re all getting bent out of shape. Its not my fault”

“So what’s their grief?”

“Ok, so I missed a few cues. But they’ve changed the arrangement and they didn’t tell me when the rehearsals were. Ok, I might have been in London anyway. But just stopping the show like that – that’s unprofessional”

“Yes. Not sure Damon would be impressed. Did you get another date to go back?”

“Yeah in a couple of weeks I think. But I’m not sure I want to do this”. 

But Mollie was lost and they spent the rest of the evening in a quieter part of the club explaining it all to her

“When I got to the Studio there were four of us. Then the two guys got ratted and missed studio time, Then as you know Cerise got booted out. But Damon still gave me a chance because he thought I was good enough to be worth it. And you are too. Kieran, if you don’t want to play with those guys, just don’t. Hey, come on Kieran. You’re better than that. Anyway, you should phone Damon and talk about it. Just have a chat”

Maybe this music world was smaller than she’d imagined

Belgians

Michelle was updating her progress board again, aided and abetted by Lisa. One day the end would come into sight, but it wouldn’t be today. And tomorrow was equally likely. Instead her office was being invaded by the anticipated heavy metal band from Belgium. They’d arrived in a new van brightly painted with musical instruments – a multicoloured guitar, a gold Roland keyboard in exaggerated perspective, an intricate harpsicord, a bass guitar with a neck as long as the whole van and round onto the rear door… This was such a contrast to the rusty white vans used by the tradesmen that had become a seemingly permanent feature. Thank goodness they’d all moved rather than be set into the new surface when the tar machine got that far. 

They were older guys, more Damons age than her’s, but she took ages to show them around. They asked so many questions, and their English was near perfect. They’d known Damon and Adam for years, but were looking for new inspiration and were fascinated by the studios. With that in mind, she detoured out to the formal gardens asking if Sienna’s efforts would help with their inspiration. Yan was impressed. This, he said, was the real deal that Adam had hinted at. 

But Damon added a few other ideas. Yes, stay a few days if you like, and yes the garden was remarkable. But it would also be worth going up to Leeds or Manchester and he’d give them the names of the hot venues that Karen used just to listen to what was going on there.

Damon also had a more ambitious plan for them to develop a new direction to rejuvenate themselves and hopefully make it as a live band rather than as session musicians. Damon’s idea was simple, but he wanted to be seen as a catalyst rather than a dictator.

“Denny!” whispered her colleague loudly “Phone. Its a personal call I think so be quick. You know what they're like about things like that”

Her friends knew where she worked, but also knew not to interrupt her unless it was imperative

“Denise” she whispered nervously

“Denise, its Damon”

“Damon! Oh Hi. Is it quick? I’m not supposed to take calls. Can I call you this evening?”

“Yes. But lets see how far we can get before you need to hang up on me! I’ll try to be discrete. Have you had any success with your band?”

“No”

“You definitely don’t want to go solo?”

“No, no I just can’t”

“What about fronting an already established band?”

“Oh! Maybe. Depends on the guys and if its the right kind of stuff. That’s what I’ve been looking for around here” 

“How do you feel about a blind date?”

“Emmm”

“With four guys?”

“Four!”

“Ok, Denise. Foyer of Jurys Inn. Central. 7 O’clock. If you’re not sure which group of four guys ask for Sergio”

“Ok. Damon, I gotta go”

She buzzed through the afternoon, continually turning over ideas of what she ought to wear. Was this a kind of interview? Or more of a kind of date? but sank into a deep hot bath anyway when she got home

“You out tonight?” called Mollie “Date?”

“Kind of”

“What’s his name?”

“Sergio?”

“Oooh, sounds continental”

“Yes, I’m not at all sure about this”

“Well, if it doesn’t work out I’ll be in the Royal Oak – unless I get lucky early!”

She was right on time and looked round the foyer from the doorway. There was only one group of 4, and they all seemed to be looking expectantly her way. She walked over slowly. This was quite scary. She was running solo but it wasn't on stage so maybe she’d be ok. The guys all looked mid thirties, intense or maybe just serious, or nervous. Two of them were wearing sunglasses, all of them had hair down to their shoulders and they were all wearing at least some denim. But they weren’t at all scruffy and didn’t look out of place in this four star hotel. Maybe they were what Damon had in mind, an established band

“Hi, are you Denise?” 

She nodded, not really knowing what to say “Sergio was just saying as you came in through the door that he hoped that you were the girl we were due to meet because you looked so gorgeous”

She sat down as another of the group offered to get her a drink “Or maybe a coffee?”

None of them sounded English

“Coffee would be great” and in response to questioning looks “I’m meeting not one but four guys I don’t know. The last thing I need is to have too much to drink!”

Sensible. That seemed to get the show off on the right foot as they introduced themselves. They all knew Damon from some time ago but talk was about their music rather than mutual friends. They were confident, they seemed professional and they'd made some impression in Europe and in particular in Belgium where they were from.

“We’re pretty good” Yan was saying “We all make money and not everyone in this business does that, but its mainly as session musicians in the studios in London and that’s not what we really want to do. There’s just too many heavy metal bands growling their way through the same chords”

He pressed play on the portable CD player that was on the coffee table

“This is our sound. This is our kind of music….”

He identified each of them as their solo started playing

“Wow! You guys are good”

“Yeah, But Damon wants us to try a session with you and see if that could break the mould”

“Ok. So what do I sound like? …. Damon says I’m good over two and a half octaves, but a little scratchy beyond that. This is not a style I’ve sung before. But that’s not to say I can’t”

There was so much to talk about. Two hours disappeared and they rocked through three rounds with Denise finally foregoing the coffee as she started to get to know them

“This evening was supposed to be just to see if we liked each other enough” 

“And do we?” she asked hoping that she’d made the right impression. Was this the opportunity she was looking for? But she had to keep control of herself. This was an interview, not one of Butch’s one night stands.

They adjourned to the curry house where she was persuaded to give a couple of impromptu unaccompanied solos much to the surprise and entertainment of the other diners, and finally poured out onto the street at gone one o’clock. Ok, so maybe it was a date.

She didn’t hear from them the next day which worried her slightly. But she nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang the following evening

“Denise, its Yan. Have you had a chance to think about it?”

“Yes. And I’d really like to work with you guys. If Damon thinks it’s a good idea, I’m all for giving it our best shot”

“Really! Hey great. We’ve been figuring out what kind of bribe or incentive we can give you to join us and see if we can make it work. We’re really excited about this. I think this may be what we’ve been looking for. And Damon seems to think it is”

The next evening she found the package from Yan that had dropped through her letterbox. It contained the music and lyrics for the tracks they had in mind for the trial they'd planned.

Each day she buzzed in to her work on a permanent high of just where this might all go next. Yan hadn't asked her to do anything, but she learned the tracks he’d supplied. Thursday afternoon she picked up the call

“Yan!”

“Denise. Damon has offered us studio time on Sunday. Can you make it?”

But now it was time she did something positive. She phoned Damon. He knew about all this. He was setting it up. He was backing it. But he’d also said that if he could do anything she should call him, and she took him at his word.. Then it was phone Yan back.

“Yan, can we meet in Gloucester on Saturday?”

“Maybe. What time?”

“Afternoon”

“Should be ok but we’ve got some session stuff in the morning so we’ll be coming down from London. Be mid to late afternoon”

“Its just that we can get the theatre there and that would be ahead of the studio on Sunday. Like a full stage rehearsal. It would be good to play together before we’re in front of Damon. Like, take the pressure off”.

The guys had their kit set up on stage when she got to the Cameo and climbed the steps to the stage.

“I don’t know how to do this” said Sergio seriously “I don’t know what introduction we need to set the track?”

But Denise was still on her high “You guys start playing it. I’ll join in. And we stop as soon as we think its going wrong, and we work out how to fix it”

“You mean, we just go for it. Like a jam?”

This was the first time she’d heard them play live. They started with a largely instrumental track just to give her the context as she listened, swaying gently against her microphone stand 

“We’re going to segway to ‘Energy’ “ gasped Yan as he slid past her hopping slowly round the stage with his guitar.

She turned to face the band, her back to the audience if there had been one and watched for the cue. She knew the song, she'd learned the words. What she didn't know was the arrangement. But Olan counted her in while still concentrating on his keyboard. They were off, loose at first, and Denise was unsure of some of the notes and missed most of the key changes. Take two was infinitely better and they tightening up as they flowed from one track to the next. Yan knew which tracks he'd given her and soon he realised she'd learned them all. He called them one after the other and Olan segwayed effortlessly on the keyboard giving the lead guitar a break. Five tracks in, Yan called a timeout. They blasted a crescendo and stood still where they were grinning like Cheshire cats at each other. 

Denise was even higher. Even if nothing else happened with these guys, this would go down as the best afternoon of her life 

“We’ll probably only have time for two of three tracks in the studio, so let's rehearse those again. Then we should get on down there in time for some dinner and a couple of drinks from Damon’s free bar” 

And on that they were all agreed. 

The studio was familiar territory to her now. The ambience was relaxed because she knew her way around but charged with a sort of excitement at the other end of the scale from her reception desk at a Sheffield dentist.

Studio time was over mid afternoon and Damon invited them to see the waveform on screen. But he wasn't taking too much time on this. It was going to work. It wasn’t just adding Denise, the guys were changing their style to fit in with her as well. And it was working a whole lot better than expected.

While the Chameleons were touring he had become used to getting decisions right. More recently, he'd made some mistakes but this now convinced him that he was back on a winning streak. But it wasn’t just the three tracks Yan had expected. Damon had asked what else they had in the bag and Denise had volunteered all ten of the tracks she’d learned.

Sergio and Karl took the van and headed back to London, while Yan, Olan and Denise bundled into Yans car and headed north. They dropped Olan at Bristol airport for his flight to Bruges and next stop was Sheffield. 

Nothing more had been arranged, and that was a little concerning. She asked Yan if he had any plans when they stopped for fuel and a quick snack on the M42 but he seemed to be taking it all one step at a time without being over optimistic and was intending to do more research and maybe set up a couple of gigs to gauge audience reaction

“What about a beer before I drop you at your apartment?” 

But the pub they rolled into had an extra surprise in store. They were still discussing their impromptu closed doors Gloucester gig and Denise hadn't dared move on to what's next when the ominous shadow of Cerise overtook them 

“Hey Denise! You've not been round much. Where you been hiding?” 

Denise hadn't seen or heard of her since that fateful day and would have been only too pleased not to meet her now 

“We're just back from the Studio” answered Yan innocently 

Cerise went ballistic again. The air turned blue, some customers left immediately hoping to avoid the anticipated violence and the manager appeared from behind the scenes. But Yan had no intention of staying for an ear bashing. He rose from his seat, touched Denise's arm and they headed for the door with the rant hanging in the air behind them. 

An explanation was needed. And a new pub. And it was now Denise's turn to explain everything. But it also gave them a quieter environment to make a plan. Denise convinced him that if they came up with a viable suggestion, she could get Damon to support it, and by midnight they'd decided which tracks to lay out on an album, and which ones would then supplement that on the live tour. And that maybe Sheffield was not the best place to launch their revised line-up.

She'd be sad to leave her job, but this alternative future had suddenly become available and it was so much more exciting. 

In her office, the senior consultant was stressed and her announcing her departure was now unlikely to be private 

“Leaving us? Oh dear. Oh my goodness. Has something gone wrong?” 

Suddenly her assorted woes had receded as she stopped to hear the detail 

“Oh my! I didn't know you were in a band. But it's a very risky business, you know. So many people have such high hopes and then don't seem to be able to break into it” 

“I agree. But we’re farther on than that. If we were only playing locally I’d be able to stay. But we’ve already recorded our album and the tour is scheduled for next month starting with 8 dates in Belgium and Germany” 

Lynda

It wasn’t just Denise that was moving on. The Malt Shovel Inn had closed its doors and Lynda was now stunned by her good fortune to have found another job already. Not working there that day and therefore not having an invitation, her husband dropped her at the gatehouse barrier and she walked down from there taking in the fresh morning air and the imposing sight of her new workplace. She’d liked working at the Malt Shovel. It was friendly, if understaffed, and the focus was on profit rather than on customers. But this would be different. She hadn’t really come to terms with the way it would all work. Michelle had said so many encouraging things. They’d been interrupted a number of times during her interview, which was really just a chat, and each time Michelle had simply solved the problem without fuss or fanfare, without recriminations or blame. And that was so encouraging and refreshing.

She’d been told the dress code was to look smart and certainly wear a skirt, and now approaching the front door she felt that it was wholly appropriate. She felt good, it was new. Ok, so maybe it would be just the same old stuff – cleaning different rooms, cooking the same round of dishes, but working in this building would make even that seem exciting.

She tapped on the office door and pushed it open, only to find there was nobody there. She was still standing there, suddenly lost when Damon appeared through the far door

“Lynda, Wow! You look fabulous”

Maybe that was the last thing she had expected the Lord of the Manor to greet her with 

“Do come through and sit down….” 

She was expecting to be lead straight down to the kitchens or taken on a tour of the house, but it all seemed to be more of an interview all over again. What did she actually do in her previous job? How many people worked there? Was there an overall supervisor? What was the structure, What did she prefer doing?

Michelle joined them part way through and sat passively at the end of the settee until the conversation lapsed. Lynda was nearly out of energy and certainly out of answers.

“You see, Lynda…” started Michelle slowly. Oh dear! Maybe the job needed to be signed off or something and Damon had other ideas. Maybe it doesn’t exist any more for some other reason. She felt her new improved exciting world had become suddenly fragile…

“….Lynda. At the Malt Shovel, you weren’t actually the supervisor, but you took on that role when it was needed. And it was you that tended to have any necessary discussions with the manager”

“Well, yes. Mostly it was obvious what was needed, so we all just got on with it”
 “Its largely the same here, Lynda. Except that its much bigger and about to explode. Adam thinks we will have up to 80 or ninety visitors on site within four months. That’s in addition to the permanent staff here”

“So with the world moving on we need to set things up for the future, not just for today. So we’ve recently created two new roles – a supervisor on cleaning and a supervisor on food”

Lynda stopped breathing “So what does that mean to my job? Wont I be working for Janice?”

“You certainly wont be working for Janice because she’s retiring. And the job offer that you accepted last week still stands if that’s what you choose to do And the staff may well still move from one side to the other to help each other out and cover whatever is needed. 

Now, the supervisor on the cleaning side has already been appointed, but we also need our other supervisor to head up the whole of the food side of things and we wondered if that was something that might interest you?”

“Oh my goodness. That would be like Catering Manager!”
 “Yes, although we haven’t decided on a title yet”

“Oh my! I mean, yes. Yes please. You know, before I moved to the Malt Shovel I was acting Restaurant Manager at the Dragon in Edencombe”
 “Really! Why just ‘acting’? Why did you leave?”
 “The overall Catering Manager had three small children and all sorts of other family commitments, and his time keeping became very erratic, so I guess I just stepped into the gap. Then the General Manager changed and he assumed this situation was normal. He was only interested in profit. Service standards had to drop to save money on staff. I had to be there at around eight in the morning and I wasn’t getting out till maybe 7 after dinner service was underway and with an hour’s drive each way, and there was too much pressure for it to be any fun, It wasn’t worth doing. I didn’t want Jack to have an affair just because I was never there”

“You’ll find it all quite different here. The focus is primarily on serenity. That means having enough staff to minimise the pressure. There are other differences as well, but I think you’ll find the whole atmosphere rather refreshing”

Yes, I was beginning to get that idea – like the dress code and the invitation list.

Damon led her over towards the dining room 

“Lynda, I want you to have a think about how many people we’re going to need on catering, and then how much you’d like to be paid. Tomorrow you can familiarise yourself with how service would run, and then we can finalise the details. Ok?”

“Michelle asked if I knew anyone else who would like to join us, and I said I had three people in mind”

“Yes, and you should move that forward as soon as you can. But can we have another chat before the first of these interviews because our criteria are different to most places. Politeness, attention to detail and attitude are top of our list and in order to understand why, I need you to understand how we work and what we’re trying to achieve”

Michelle watched Lisa updating the progress boards and then drifted upstairs to see what else she should add. Looking out of the windows, Sienna was in weed destruction mode, again. Clive had another truckload of glass parked outside the front door to finish the greenhouse and it appeared that Natalia had hired someone. This was a breakthrough. How many times had she reminded Janice that she needed more people? Now it seemed that both areas would rise to full strength without farther encouragement from her.

Another box ticked, one more person proved that they could take whatever was thrown at them, one step nearer to getting the Studio into production.

Janice

Damon had been convinced from his first chat to Janice after the decision to definitely go ahead that she wouldn’t be able to cope. She had come to that conclusion herself way before that and was now making sure that everything was as clean as possible for Lynda’s arrival. It would be sad introducing Lynda to the various cooking appliances and where the cutlery and crockery lived, knowing that Lynda would be taking over the kitchen from her, but there was no alternative. 

 Janice had worked there for over 40 years and Colin for over 25. But the next longest serving resident was Damon who'd been there about four months. So it was a big deal to Janice and Colin, but hardly significant to anyone else. 

Lynda was over the moon at being promoted before she’d even started, and being invited as a member of the staff to Janice’s leaving presentation seemed even more surreal.

That evening, Lynda took Jack out to the Threshers for a celebration. Any increase in salary had not been discussed but everyone seemed to have an implicit trust in Damon and she was confident that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

But established habits die hard and Janice turned up in the kitchen the next day 'just to make sure you're all right'. Lynda had everything under control. She'd often done the breakfast service at the Malt Shovel, and had handled it largely on her own. Now, there were going to be more people, but not all at once. So service would be no more manic, it just went on longer. Her first priority was to re-employ her previous team. Service was the priority here and that was another thing that was so refreshingly different.

“Lynda” said Adam who she hadn’t been introduced to yet “its important that you maintain a calm ambience in the restaurant and out on the terrace. We don’t want the musicians infected by the stress if your team is under pressure. And you can’t do that if you’re under staffed” 

Oh my! What a turnround.

Damon had looked forward to this as a big day for the Studio. Since they started, he had no real idea how many people it would take to run the house the way he wanted – calm, tranquil with no-one rushing around. Ok so the bands would get nervous and panicky and may even rush around causing something of a disturbance to everyone else, but he wanted there to be enough staff for that behaviour to be confined to the guests. Natalia had the accommodation under control with another colleague starting and Lynda was now filling the remaining gaps with a whole bunch of people.

She’d huddled them all into the small reading room next to the library for a short introduction intending to adjourn to the kitchen as soon as everyone had regained their composure. Natalia had joined them with Adrienne so that Lynda could say everything only once and Natalia would know how Lynda wanted to operate.

She’d nearly finished telling them about shift patterns and what she expected them to do if they were sick, or their child was sent home poorly from school, when Damon discretely slipped in. But he didn’t go unnoticed for long. With ten of them now in the room it was decidedly cramped

“Is this a private game of sardines Lynda, or can anyone join in?”

Most of the new comers were still in shock from their introduction to the building and a nervous giggle spread round the room.

Lynda introduced him as the owner of the house and therefore the boss as he made his way through to stand next to her, facing the team

“Hi. And welcome. Your workplace is where you spend more time than anywhere else, so I want you to enjoy work. Everyone who is already here has a great time and I’m expecting that to be contagious enough to include you. But this is not a hotel. You can’t phone up or rock in off the street and check in. Its called the Studio because its function is as a music recording studio. Its purpose is to make music which is awesome enough to be popular, get to the top of the charts and make money for everyone involved. That’s what pays the wages. Its one big team. Musicians only get to be here by invitation and mostly they are here for only a few days to do a sound test. However, if they pass that and want to continue, they’ll be back. Your job is to make lovely food for everyone and serve it in the dining room, occasionally in the Board Room if I have a private function, and on the terrace, the veranda and the patio. One of the things that is continually on trial for bands and artists when they are here is ‘attitude’, so anyone being disrespectful to anyone else on site is likely to be evicted onto the next train home. I don’t expect you to provide room service. Asking for room service displays the wrong attitude, and food and drink should not make its way to the sports facilities because in the event of an accident, broken crockery or glass would be extremely dangerous in the swimming pool or squash court. But lets be clear, you are not here in the traditional Manor House capacity of below stairs maids or servants. Your function is catering, but you are very much part of the same team as the musicians. So join in, when you’re not on shift. Come in an hour early and have a swim, walk round the garden on your break. Arrange to play tennis after you finish, take your coffee break on the veranda. You are as much part of the whole team as Matt, the lead vocalist from Alpha Tyger. Your contribution is that he does not go hungry, his contribution is to sing on stage to a paying audience to contribute to the bank balance. So I think we should ask for two volunteers, one of which is Lynda because she knows her way around, to make some coffee, rustle up some cake and we should all migrate to the terrace where we can take in the view of the lake and answer all the questions you have”

“Wow! That was different!”

“Natalia, you can join us as well, or not, as you prefer”

“Thanks Damon, I very busy this morning, but I think Adrienne should stay”

Out on the terrace there was much more space. They moved three tables together and sat down as the coffee arrived. At first the questions were around their specific work and recipes and if there was a table reservation system - “Oooh This is so different. Lynda, we should have the time to make everything look so perfect…” 

But then Adrienne asked why Damon had chosen this manor house as a recording studio, and that set the scene for questions on the history of the house, the estate, whether the estate was the main source of produce for the kitchen, and which bands could they expect to meet…

Natalia’s ‘very busy’ morning was scheduled to check out the room that Janice had occupied, but it was late morning when she knocked on Damons office door. 

“Can you remind me which room Janice was in... But yes, I go there and is empty. But it has three large rooms. One is living room, one bedroom with big four post bed and one office with many files. Damon, it is more like room for Lady of Estate than for housekeeper. Maybe if I am housekeeper, I get rooms like that too?” 

Damon accompanied her up to the recently vacated suite. Being led up to a bedroom by Natalia held a certain excitement, but Damon dismissed that thought as they entered the room. He'd never been in it before, having been informed it was the private quarters for Janice and Colin. But Natalia was right, it was much more opulent than one would expect. And filing cabinets? Janice had very little to organise, and decreasingly so over the previous decade. Natalia was right, but did it matter? The rooms were clean. Not like some that still had decades of dust. Or like the West Wing where the grime lay like a warm grey cloak over everything.

Natalia cleaned the office first. That made way for Lisa moving in to find out what all the files were about and if any of them were of any value. 

She poured through the papers with no real idea what she was looking for until she found a section on how to operate the wood fired boilers. Then in amongst the historical invoices, she found the section on staff pensions, and then the one on bricking up the West Wing.

Damon nodded at the information,

“Lisa, can you track down Stuart. Suggest to him that there must be at least a million trees in the forest and that feeding one or two a day into the heating system would hardly make a difference. So could he organise a way of doing that. Electricity is expensive and it would be more reliable if we didn’t run it so close to capacity so often. And the West Wing. Lisa. That confirms what Lady Patricia told me, and that explains why this building isn’t listed”

“What about the pensions stuff. Would that affect Janice?”

“Send it all to Penny Walstone and ask her what we need to do, if anything”

Prepare for Production

Lisa reflected on this. This was the first paper work she’d come across, apart from invoices, and it reinforced just how different this all was from Lesser Waterton. Oh! I do hope there’s not another shed load of work comes back from Penny, she thought as she checked out the rooms the Hungarians would be staying in. Then, before she forgot, went straight down to the kitchen to update Lynda. She had already told Natalia because she was in the office when she was booking the coach to bring everyone down from Bristol airport. And that really would fill the bar up. Maybe this was a trial run for when Adam had all his long list of bands and musicians queuing up to produce their next album. 

But Rojey had other ideas. He let them all take their bags up to their rooms - which was so much simpler than they had expected because Natalia had organised it and she spoke Hungarian - then before they’d recovered enough from the sight of the ‘castle’, he’d rounded them up in the West Wing and described the work and how they were going to achieve it. That night the bar was heaving, as Michelle had expected, but Rojey’s enthusiasm was infectious even if she was getting the story second hand from Damon’s translation from German.

This was hugely encouraging as she updated her board early the next morning. Their discussion had barely finished when there was a timid knock on the door. Normally everyone would come in through Michelles door, but this was from Damon’s office. The door opened a crack and a face slowly appeared around it. He beckoned her in, and Sasha closed it, joining Natalia standing next to his chair.

“Damon. I sorry, but I make mistake”

“Oh dear. Does Sasha not like it here. She’s only just arrived!”

“Oh yes, except….”

The conversation took some time. Damon had previously resolved to try to correct Natalia’s grammar as she had requested, so everything now had to be said four times. Natalia would start, then Damon would correct her, then she’d repeat the correct phrase, and then translate it into Hungarian for Sasha. 

It seemed that when Natalia wrote her letter inviting Sasha to join the team, she said the work could be in the kitchen or the restaurant or in cleaning, much like a hotel. She’d wanted to make the offer as attractive as she could so she’d said that other possibilities would be available as well. But now Sasha had been talking to some of the builders. It was a relief to have other Hungarians around so that she could talk in her native language that she was thinking she might be forgetting with her London concentration on French. They’d asked what she did in the house, but when she mentioned these ‘other possibilities’ that had not been fully explained, they’d immediately suggested that these would involve activity in the bedrooms, maybe as entertainment for Damon and Adam, or maybe even for them, the builders. Sasha had been horrified, but had heard stories of such things from the people she’d met in London and was now in tears, assuming that she had been foolish enough to be duped.

Damon denied all these suggestions, but Sasha asked in her limited English, what other possibilities existed, just to confirm that other possibilities actually did exist. Clearly, with her limited English, working in the office was a non-starter, so the three of them were now walking apace out towards the large greenhouse where Damon was hoping to find Sienna. Sasha had quite taken to gardening at home with her mother’s encouragement before she’d gone to University, and seemed to have recovered a little at this prospect.

This was an option, and certainly enough to prove that other options were available, although not top priority with everything else going on as Michelle had pointed out. Sienna appeared with a trowel in her hand as the deputation approached.

“Sienna, Sasha here was wondering what gardening she could help you with” 

But instead of suggesting repotting seedlings or joining in weed destruction, she pointed to the mini digger that was just a few yards away

“Does she know anything about diggers?”

But Sasha hadn’t waited to answer. No, she didn’t know anything about mechanical diggers, but had already climbed into the cab. The levers were all labelled with universal diagrams and in the few seconds it took for the others to reach the digger, she’d already started it up. Damon jumped out of the way as it lurched backwards. And then forwards. And right and left and within the minute it had lurched fifty metres down the path towards the lake, not waiting for farther invitation,. It took off along the unmade path, weaving right and left as Sasha got used to steering using two brake levers rather than a steering wheel, but it levelled out as it disappeared beyond the overgrowth bushes. Natalia and Sienna looked on in astonishment, but Damon burst out laughing.

“I didn’t know you had one of these”

“Yes, I need it for the path lighting. The cables need to be 2 feet down and it would take me a year using a spade”

“Ok babe, I wasn’t looking for justification. It was purely a statement. But if you’re putting in lighting, maybe you could consider the driveway as well? But it’ll take you even less time if Sasha does it for you…” just as the digger reappeared, now running slower but this time keeping a less erratic direction

“Hope she’s found the brake” said Damon, but Natalia’s reply was to hide behind Sienna’s gardener’s hut. They each looked at each other and over at the ear to ear grin that Sasha had acquired. Natalia asked her if that’s what she’d like to do and Sienna suggested that she get some practice digging reeds out of the lake before attempting the more precise job of digging channels for her electrical cables through the rose garden.

And that was another one that he could tell Michelle to tick off her list when they finally made it to the bar that evening.

Back to School

It had only been two weeks? but Lisa had already settled in. Occasionally she missed her mum, but that was completely overshadowed by the relief of leaving everyone else behind. The move out of Suffolk was proving a revelation. It seemed that every day there was more to do than the previous day. The weekend had merged into the weekdays and because each day was different she hadn’t actually noticed. She liked having answers when she was asked and she looked forward to actively contributing to the team rather than waiting for someone to ask her to do something. But with all this continuous effort, she felt no guilt at all on this occasion in taking a break to explore the ‘garden’ as Damon called it. It was in fact a bonus. Instead of working 9 to 5 she could take a break anytime during the day when the sun decided to shine and enjoy the walk she’d been looking forward to, rather than peer out at the drizzle at 6 or 7 o’clock and forego the fresh air for another day.

It hadn’t taken her long before she bumped into Sienna driving a trailer full of compost to a vegetable bed that she was trying to reclaim from neglect.

“That looks fun”

“What does?”

“Driving round the estate”

“I suppose so. This would take me all day if I only had a wheelbarrow. Do you drive, Lisa?”

“No, well, kind of. I mean, I think I can drive. But I don't have a licence” 

“Oh, so you have been behind the wheel before?” 

“Yes, on quite a few occasions. I remember the last time I drove a car. I was with this boy who was really trying to impress me. He asked if I'd like to have a go at driving the car, so I said yeah why not. I did ok, and we were heading out of the village when he said don’t go too far because he’d only borrowed the car, and we needed to get it back before the guy he borrowed it from found out” 

Sienna laughed “I used to know a bunch of kids that got up to that sort of shenanigans. But you should learn properly. Get some lessons. And practice up and down the driveway, and the farm tracks. I’m sure Damon would support you if you asked him and you’d be a bit more independent too”. 

Damon was supportive – as always, she reflected, and he had little hesitation in suggesting that she should simple drive the Range Rover round the estate for a short time each day while it would otherwise sit by the front door. However, Lisa’s ‘short time’ quickly turned into a longer time, often all the way from dinner until it got dark.

She practiced on the tracks and lanes that led through to the farms and quickly gained confidence even if she found the car sliding on the mud if she went round a corner too fast. And she didn’t have to continually look out for the old bill. She got the hang of changing gear without looking at the gearstick and road position without continually moving her eyes from one front wing to the other, and looking ahead, although this tended to be on the lookout for wayward wildlife and escaped sheep rather than other traffic on the farm tracks. 

Adam, Damon and Michelle all contributed to her improvement, sitting next to her as they ventured out onto the public roads pointing out critically where she needed to be more careful if she was going to pass her test.

But with everything else that was charging ahead, Damon wanted this particular task completed. 

“Lisa” he'd said with a seriousness that made her stop “you know that we're not too bothered about qualifications around here. Attitude and aptitude are more our thing. However, there is one qualification that you should get. So I’m sending you to school” 

This was different. Not asking her politely as he always did. This is something he was telling her to do. Oh my! School! I do wish I'd paid more attention in class and got some better grades. But it was always difficult to concentrate and fend off unwanted fingers at the same time. But what was this? Surely not night school. How would I ever get there, and what subject? Or maybe it's just shorthand or typing or something else on the secretarial side. She looked over apprehensively for clarification 

“So unless you forfeit an entire night of passion, Gustav will drop you off at the school tomorrow. You'll need to be out by 7 to get there for 8.30 start. It's an intensive 4 days long, so you'll need an overnight case. Its across the weekend to reduce the number of days people need to take off work, but I didn’t think you’d mind. Oh, and take your drivers licence. They may want to see it” 

She looked glum, “don't look so sad – You’d probably work over the weekend anyway although you look like you might even be considering the night of passion option!” 

She thumped his arm, suddenly considering just how many jobs there were where thumping the bosses arm was considered acceptable behaviour, or for that matter, him suggesting that alternative option. 

Traffic was heavy and she missed most of the signs at the entrance because she was already looking for the way in. 

“Lisa!” 

“Yes?” 

“Yes, you must be Lisa, because you’re the last one. This way” 

The whole place looked like a disused airfield and the instructor led her into one of the old hangers. 

The classroom was laid out formally with rows of tables all facing the front like good little children. 

“Ok” said the loud teacher “grab a coffee and we'll get the show on the road” 

She looked around at the diverse mix or characters, eight in all, and all except her looked eager to get on with it. Still, it was only 4 days. But oh, supposing she failed the exam? But surely he wouldn't have sent her if there was an expectation she'd not get through? And how can you learn enough in 4 days? Subjects took whole years at the schools she’d been to.

“Right then! Welcome everyone to Fast Track Driving School. In this case the Fast Track does not relate to a racing circuit, but to the fact that this intensive course takes only six days to get you to your driving test and I would like to remind you that our success rate is in the high nineties. For those who pass, which I must assume is everyone, may I remind you that we also run training courses in advanced driving, car control in adverse conditions including skid pan, driving accuracy, racing driving, rally driving and hill climbs. But first lets get you legally on the road…” 

Hold on there. Just a minute! Driving school? And what's this six days? 

“…There will be two groups for classroom theory sessions. If your name card has a blue background, you are in the blue stream, and red backgrounds are the red stream. I'm going to go through some necessary site safety rules, then without farther adowe will disperse to our blue and red groups for the first theory class” 

With her group now down to four they had to split into two teams of two

“Choose who you’d like to team up with for the next four days….”

 Antoinette and Lisa immediately looked at each other, bewildered, but the two blokes and had already teamed up and the deal was already done. 

Antoinette was in her mid-thirties. She said she’d taken her test 7 times already and was determined to find out where she was going wrong by focussing on this concentrated attack and having someone who can identify with her particular anxiety. 

“…. And Lisa, would you like to share with the group your reasons for joining this course?” 

“Actually I had no idea where I was…” pause for group laughter “….I didn’t even know where I was going and I still don’t. All my boss told me was I needed a qualification and he was sending me back to school for a few days”

She was by far the youngest there and looked quite a lot like a school girl, and this broke the ice with everyone rather well. The other three were significantly older than her and not wanting to be left behind as a kid, she opened the conversation

“I thought the boy in there said six days?” she asked apprehensively

“Yes they’re taking six. We’re doing the same course, but in four. The only difference is we go faster. Faster in everything except when we’re actually driving. You sound disappointed by that Peter?”

“Yeah, well I’m here because I got banned mainly for speeding. I need to pass a test again to get back on the road”

“We’ll do some extra stuff on how to avoid treating driving as a competition. Make sure you mention that when you’re in the car and your instructor will focus on that, but if we all do well then we’ll try to make time to go over to the race circuit as well, and that might introduce you to a safer way of venting that particular aggression”. 

She tried to pay attention as the instructor started his first presentation. It reminded her so much of school which was a recent memory in her rear view mirror. But this was different. The room was quiet, no-one was messing about, there were no interruptions and after only a few minutes she realised she didn’t have to continually watch out for unwanted attention. It was all making sense. If school had been like this she would have actually learned something. And all too soon he was asking if there were any questions. 

Then it was out to the car to actually drive it. Antoinette climbed into the back and she let the clutch up slowly making sure she had enough revs on the engine and took off quite quickly. At least it wasn’t an imitation of a kangaroo! And then second gear and third. It was smaller that the Range Rover she’s got used to, but somehow it felt easier to handle, and she lost some nervousness.

“This is a simulated urban area, Lisa. What are you watching out for?” expecting a reply of pedestrians, or stray dogs, or parked car doors opening

“Police”

“Why?” he asked, puzzled.

“Because its not my car”

Antoinette burst out laughing

“Ok, but you’re doing over 40. So lets see if we can slow down a bit, get down to second gear for this roundabout and see if we can stick to the speed limit on the way back”

But now in second gear she was still doing 30. The surface was wet and the roundabout quite small. He braced himself as the tail of the car slipped out of line expecting it to spin off taking out the marker cones. But this was nearly normal for Lisa – just like the Range Rover sliding in the mud as she wound up an armful of opposite lock to correct the slide and carried on as if nothing had happened. 

“Whoa! How’d you do that!” exclaimed Antoinette

“I’m not sure” replied the instructor “But next time we’ll slow down a bit more. Your examiner wont appreciate rally driving at this stage”
 “Sorry. That’s what I do after its been raining in our muddy lanes”

Then it was Antoinette’s turn. She seemed to be perfectly competent at making it go and stop. Why on earth would she fail so often? Maybe this wasn’t as simple as it seemed? I’d better concentrate harder just to make sure.

The conversation over dinner was largely about fear and nervousness and panic and the other reasons everyone was giving for not being able to get this right. This had not occurred to her before. Everyone learned to drive, didn’t they? In her village it was usually aged 15 or 16 in a ‘borrowed’ car. 

Alcohol was limited to one drink only, and that seemed to be enough to bring everyone together and be a bit friendlier, but she’d already finished hers before someone commented that they thought they’d heard that she might only be 17.

The next day, driving practice was in the morning. She opted to stay in the classroom on the pretext of not disturbing Antoinette when it wasn’t her turn and read through the notes and booklet on road-signs. She had to pass this. Damon was giving her every chance and the future looked unbelievable – so long as she didn’t mess up. 

“Tell me what these signs are as you approach them” the instructor asked when it was her turn and she surprised even herself that she knew all the answers. 

Quick fire question time, but it was played as something of a game. The instructor would flash up a question or a road sign and the person who got the last question right had to immediately nominate someone else to answer it, and everyone paid attention.

The evenings were spent as a group and the instructors joined them as well. They were good guys, serious but with a sense of humour when provoked. They were all ex-policemen and particularly liked her tales about her previous driving experience, especially because it ‘wasn’t on their patch’, and she talked a lot to Antoinette.

The lessons were interesting and the instructor talked almost continuously correcting every move when she was actually behind the wheel. My! Was I that bad! Then back to the classroom for a roundup of things everyone was getting wrong and then more theory and questions. The day continued through till 7.30, and then it was straight in to dinner, a quiet drink afterwards and a collapse in her room till breakfast.

Both of the guys were struggling with the pace, but this level of frantic activity was normal to her. So, she realised, its not only the Studio that moves at this speed! And because she was keeping up with the pace, Antoinette made sure that she did the same.

Finally it was test time. It crept up on her because she was simply having an amiable chat with her instructor while she drove him around the local streets. She pulled back into the car park, he exchanged places with the examiner and they were off again. She thought nothing of reversing out of the car park space hardly hearing the examiner

“Your instructor would turn the car round, if you wanted him to… No matter”

“Oh, Sorry, was I meant to leave that bit to him. Should we start again?”

She concentrated hard – check mirror, no, be seen to be checking mirror. Oh!! But no time to get wound up about it. Just a constant round of gearchanges at junctions, sets of traffic lights to stop at, yet more young guys on the sidewalk not to get distracted by, try to bounce the examiner off the windscreen when he askes for an emergency stop, and eventually back to the school. 

He wrote out her pink slip, smiled quickly and congratulated her right ahead of informing her that the next candidate was already waiting.

She got out wondering what she had to do next, but the decisions were already made. Gustav was leaning on the front wing of a very shiny Ford Escort and the smile on her face meant he didn’t need to ask if she’d passed.

Instead he handed her the keys and a small envelope.

“Its your next assignment” he said as she opened it turning over the credit card between her fingers and glancing through the instructions from Damon

“He wants you to get some driving practise. And this is something that needs doing – so he says”

“So, how far is this!”

“Don’t know Lisa. I don’t know anything about it. Where are you going?”

She chose a place she’d never heard off almost at random from her list 

“Sunderland”

“Sunderland? That’s way up near Scotland I think”

But Lisa looked blank “You’ll just have to find it on the map. But I know its nowhere near here”

He scanned down the list as she held it out to him “doesn’t mean anything to me. But you’ve got till next Saturday”

“Ok, but if I’m going there, how are you getting back?”

“You need to drop me off at the Mercedes dealer. I’ve got a small minibus to collect” 

But Damon had also suggested that she might like to call in to Lesser Waterton, before her drive up to Nottingham.

Her mum opened the door while standing out of sight behind it, appearing suddenly as Lisa closed it. She was dressed in black lacy underwear with a sheer black negligee, knee high black stiletto boots, a black leather eye mask and a whip

“Lisa! I was expecting someone else!”

“A good thing too, mum. I hope you wouldn’t get dressed up like that just for me. But its ok. I just dropped in. I’m not staying, it wouldn’t be safe what with Joe in danger of rampaging around. And I certainly don’t want anyone to think I’m part of your new setup. I’ll just pick up a few things and we’ll have a cup of tea and then I’ll be off. I’ve got to be in Nottingham tomorrow morning anyway”

“All right, pet. But Nottingham? All the way into London and then out again!”

“No, I’ve looked at the map and I think I can just take the A14 then up the A1”

“Oh! You’ve got a car!”

“Yes mum, weren’t you listening?”

“You probably didn’t hear that I won’t be needing any of my jeans or trousers either!”

“Maybe I missed that too”

“Yes, because I need to wear a skirt to work, and I need to look smart. And because I live in the same place, I need to look smart all the time. Mum, you’d never believe how awesome the Studio is. Is huge and 600 years old and…”

Mum’s client was late, which meant the cup of tea was uninterrupted but she was fairly sure she saw Joe loafing up the street as she drove off, and equally sure he would never have noticed her. But she was glad she’d got out in time.

Now sat in the bar of the Kingston Arms waiting for her table for dinner her heart sank as she recognised the group of 3 blokes that elbowed their way through the doorway together.

Maybe they wouldn’t notice her – but no such luck

“Hey up Lisa! Wotcha doing here?”

“Having a quiet drink before….” 

She was going to say ‘dinner’ but changed it at the last split second to “… you came in”

“Oh that’s friendly. Least you could do is get the beer in”

But Chas had already ordered 3 pints

“You want that on your room?” the barman had called unhelpfully

“Oh, Ok then”

“Room bill? What you staying here for?”

“Because Joe’s gone a bit berserk and its not safe back there”

“Its not safe anywhere round here. Not with Chas around!”

“ ‘Specially if there’s young Lisa to chase”

“Well there isn’t. I only came over to see my mum, then I’m moving on again. And I need this evening to make some notes before my appointment tomorrow”

“Oh get you! Little miss posh! Just wanna leave all yer ol’ muckers behind?”

“Yes. Now if you guys don’t mind I’ve got a quiet drink to finish”

“Listen girl! Whoever told you you could speak to us like that - he was mistook”

“Look, just leave me alone. I’ve bought you a beer. That’s enough”

“That’s never been enough for Chas and me before”

“And get you! Not even jeans! Pretty short skirt and everything”

“Look, just leave me alone”

But the barman had inched out and the Manager had covertly slid in to the end of the bar

“Madam, your table is ready for you. If you’d like to come with me”

“That’s ok. We’ll still be here when you’re finished”

“Actually, your table is not quite ready, but I thought that was a polite way of defusing the situation. I was going to suggest that you would be more comfortable in the residents bar, but residents are allowed invited guests. But I will keep a close eye out for you during dinner. We don’t like our guests to feel insecure. I’ll stay with you till your starter arrives, if you don’t mind”

“That’s great. Thanks”

“So, you’re from around here?”

“Yes. Lesser Waterton”

The Manager gave a short chuckle “Considering there’s only about 100 people live there, we get most of our trouble from there”

“That figures. Although I thought I was far enough away”

She took coffee at her table and unfolded the paper that Gustav had given her detailing her assignment, but her mind wandered off into what was happening to her. Damon was trusting her. He had faith in her. The answers she came back with would directly affect the whole company. Oh Damon! I’m only 17. I don’t know enough to make these decisions. I’m scared. I want to be back in the Studio with Michelle and Adam. But then there was opportunity. Do I want to go back to mum’s? I can’t. That door is well and truly closed – unless I want to join her ‘business’! And then these guys. Oh my! No thank you! They don’t normally stop at just ‘molesting’.

“Excuse me Miss, but I thought you’d like to know that the 3 gentlemen you were with earlier have now left the car park”

“Thankyou” she said vacantly

“Perhaps I could get you a drink on the house? As a gesture of good will? I feel that we have not lived up to our normal standards of security”

“Thanks. Although its not necessary. I knew all these guys. They were just being the way they’ve always been. That’s one of the main reasons I moved away. I only came back to see my mum. But I won’t even be doing that for some time now”

“That’s a shame”

“I guess so. But I just need to move on”

He dropped a glass on her table a few minutes later and moved on to other diners without another word.

Oohh – gin and tonic. Not something I normally drink but nice as a change. But it added another reason for just why she had to succeed. 

Next morning she checked her map and crept out of the car park. The morning rush had cleared but her confidence had evaporated. No longer was she looking forward to the drive. Nor finding signposts, nor staying in another hotel, maybe with a Chas lookalike and two bullies. 

Rather late she spotted the sign for the A14, but a sweet smile to an older guy in a Ford Granada let her switch lanes into the queue. Now. Keep your eyes open and concentrate. You will get the hang of it – one day.

The Cambridge bypass came and went and now she was looking for signs to the A1, and then Nottingham, and the town centre. Now what? Where would you find the Lace Market? Ask someone? No, see if there’s a map. And sure enough, there it was just under the postcards in the kiosk. She laid it out across the bonnet of her car but before she could become confused again an older guy in a shapeless suit approached her

“You lost, me chuckie?”

“I suppose so. I don’t know this town”

“Look, tha’s here” he said pointing to the map “Where’s tha goin’?”

“The Lace Market Theatre”

“Don’t know it, but I figure it’ll be in Lace Market. See, that’s Lace Market. Yeah and there y’are. Lace Market Theatre. So its not far. Best walk from ‘ere. Out at gate, go left, second on t’ right and its just down ’t road on left”

Damon’s note had suggested that the stage door would be a better bet than the front door, at least mid-morning, but it also occurred to her that she might have difficulty getting her car in there, so a band with a van might be impossible. Or it would completely block the lane if it was parked outside. Think I should make a note of that.

The furrows in the assistant manager’s forehead deepened noticeably as she asked about booking the theatre

“What performance do you want?”

“No, I don’t want tickets. I want to know if I can book the whole theatre”

“Why?”

“I’m in a band. We’re looking for a bigger venue than the pubs” she invented based on Damon’s suggestion. She followed him through to the office and, once there, he seemed to mellow. Yes, they took bookings from individuals – or he hinted, from anyone. Yes they had dates in October and November including some Fridays and Saturdays. Yes, he could arrange local publicity at additional cost, and yes large vehicle access has been known to cause problems, but there was space at the side for three medium size vans like maybe a long wheelbase transit. She wrote that down, not knowing what it meant but not wanting to admit that.

She gave him her name and the number for the Studio, and the band name as Alpha Tyger because she knew that was the band that Damon was delaying due to the building work. And that was the end of round one. Next objective was to find out where Derby was and do the same thing there. Or maybe it was to catch a late sandwich for lunch.

Having done this once, and with memories of the helpful guy in the car park – and he hadn’t even been hitting on her - it wasn’t quite so daunting. Some confidence returned as she followed the signs to ‘out of City’, relieved when a sign for Derby materialised out of the ether. 

Derby done as well, she headed north again. But it was getting late – late afternoon anyway, and time to head off the main road and find somewhere with a vacancies sign - she passed a small pub that gave her the idea that if she simply continued straight ahead then sooner or later she’d come to a village or town with an accommodation sign, and fifteen minutes later the Queens Head Inn came into view. 

“Just me” she said at the bar which was also the check in for the 8 rooms they had. “And dinner?”

“Its served in the main bar. I’ll reserve you a table. 7.30? And payment?”

“Company credit card”

Funny, she thought. As soon as she presented a credit card everyone assumed she’s over 18. Which is handy at the bar.

“On your own?” asked the barman as he continued to polish glasses.

“Yes.”

“On business?”

“Yes. Next stop is Sunderland – where ever that is”

“Sunderland? Up the A1. If you get to Newcastle you’ve gone too far”

“Gee thanks”

“How long you been doing that. Like travelling round the country on your own?”

“Not long”

“So what kind of business you’ in?”

“I’m in media. I’m checking out theatres as potential venues for rock bands”

He stopped polishing abruptly “Oh Wow! How d’you ever get a dream job like that?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. But a few weeks ago I was rewiring a mixing desk in the studio. Is this your job?”

“Yeah. I’m the waiter as well. But mainly evenings. I’m at tech college 3 days and out on site the other two. Civil Engineering”

“You like it?”

“We’re building a car park at the moment. I really wanted to go and build bridges in the Amazon rainforest”

“Maybe when you graduate”

“Yeah, maybe”

But with other customers filling the bar, the conversation lapsed and she went to sit at her table instead. She watched the rest of the people as she ate. Guys, girls, couples of all sorts and ages. But no one spoke to her more than to say a cheery good evening. And most of all – no guys giving her a hard time.

A short conversation with the ‘waiter’ at breakfast saw him sitting next to her showing her how to get to Sunderland. He wrote down the different road numbers for her 

“And if you think you’ve gone wrong, stop. Look at the map. Drive on till you find the next village or major junction and find that on the map. Use the index. Don’t carry on getting more and more lost and probably farther away from where you’re meant to be” 

That was kind. Chances are she’d never see him again, but he was still looking out for her.. 

Sunderland was good, but it was mid afternoon before she got to Carlisle where she found a posh 

thatched pub for her overnight stop. She felt more confident in Lancaster and then there was only 

Worcester, Swindon and Gloucester before going home. Home, oh my. How easy was it to think of the Studio as home? And the car was wonderful, and driving it was amazing. And the thought of losing all this if she made a mistake frightened her half to death.

Damon gave her a quick kiss as she entered his office. She’d forgotten about that aspect of life at the Studio, but it brought a smile to her face and she relaxed a lot more than she expected. It had been quite an adventure. She’d succeeded, at least in getting back in one piece. She’d gained confidence and she felt she’d grown up a bit. Or maybe a lot.

“Do you want me to tell you about the theatres?”

“Yes. But we have a meeting first thing tomorrow about that. You, me, Adam and Michelle. We need to capture everything you’ve learned for when our tour person gets here”

Which sounded a little dismissive until he added “But I want to hear all about your whole trip in the bar this evening”

Lisa was ecstatic. Ok she admitted she wasn’t in love with him, but she might be if he asked her to. There were so many other girls around too. And he was twice her age – and Michelle had already told her that he’d said she was too young for him and she knew she was even younger. This all added up to no chance whatsoever – except that he wanted to meet her in the bar that night.

He listened with interest as she bubbled on and Adam kept replacing their empty glasses without actually joining them. Maybe he was staying out of the way for a reason.

But what it all added up to was an evening with Damon in a bar ending near midnight with him holding both her hands and reminding her that he was really pleased that she’d joined them and that she had a really positive future ahead of her working with Michelle and helping everyone else as well just to keep things interesting. Despite all that, she was relieved that he hadn’t made a direct invitation because she already felt under pressure and being in that spotlight as well was one spotlight too many.

The next day in the office, he simply handed the meeting over to her “If you can just tell us what you found out, we can figure out what else we need to know”

Oh my! Rise to the occasion Lisa. Again!

Andrea

While the band was touring, Damon had dealt with the venue management and their hotel and sorting out the schedule of gigs. But it was Adam who identified with the road crew and the sound engineers and the girls selling merchandise and tickets and souvenirs. Over the years he’d built up a network of friends and acquaintances in the technology side of the industry. He’d done his covert research and now he was headed to London to call on Max Fairweather to discuss the potential of working together and what that would mean in terms of timescales and cost.

His recent information indicated that Max was still running as an independent. Adam didn’t know him well, so had resolved not to give too much away. This was a cut-throat business, and the longer you could keep your hand secret, the less chance there was for the opposition to put in the kybosh.

He was in his office, which was the front half of the garage attached to his house when Adam pulled up. Andrea, his wife of 13 years, looked decidedly downbeat as she brought in tea and biscuits as they all sat down together, intrigued at the unscheduled appearance of a Lamborghini. Carefully Adam described his previous business setup, where a few selected bands would be laying down a few tracks for their radio programmes. Andrea smiled a very half-hearted smile at this. It sounded like it was providing opportunities for new bands, and that’s what she and Max were hoping to achieve by providing copying and pressing services to get their work out there, even if only to radio stations. It sounded like a very similar idea.

But the atmosphere was still depressed. Adam asked about timescales for potential volumes and the kind of turnaround that might be available until Max interrupted him

“Adam, we’d love to help you and take this on. We really would because it sounds like its right up our street. But we’ve got a problem. And that is we probably won’t be in business long enough” 

He reached out and took hold of his wife’s hand 

“Two months ago, we took an order. It all seemed good. The guys said they were already getting airplay on local radio and were expecting to go national. They asked us to make four thousand copies, Not huge in the industry, but a lot bigger than our usual job. The next day, we heard the track on the radio, and that seemed to confirm it. But we’ve still got them. We never saw those guys again. We tried their number and there’s no one there. The address is derelict. When we tried to ship them, we were told that the track was already on release and in stock, but not by the guys we were talking to. It was a spoof. Someone trying to put us to huge expense for nothing, trying to break us. And I think they might have succeeded”

Andrea welled up with tears

“If it was just us, maybe we’d try to recover over time. But we’ve got the children and that’s got to be our priority”

“But you’re still here!” Adam tried to encourage

“Yes, but not for much longer. We still owe on some supplies, but while we were trying to sort this out we missed a bank loan repayment, and the bank is threatening to close on us”

“They just did” added Andrea trying desperately not to break down completely and handing an opened letter to Max. 

“That’s pretty much it. I went to see a broker earlier today. He’ll only give us five grand for all the kit. Its expensive new, but there’s not much call for ten year old stuff, and that won’t even cover this” 

He waved the letter before dropping it onto the coffee table

“There are some big players in this game, and they don’t like competition” said Andrea

“Sounds like you’re not too keen on those guys”

“Adam. What I think about those guys in unprintable, but maybe I shouldn’t be saying that to you”

“Don’t worry about that. I’d assumed that as an independent they wouldn’t be your best mates”

“I guess. And you and Damon haven’t exactly been aligned either”

Adam leant forward. “Listen. There’s a bigger plan. We’re only investigating it right now. I’ve got another meeting over dinner tonight to talk about it. But it opens up a whole bunch of options. But I need to know where Damon’s got to before I can discuss it. Look, I got go now to be back in time for this, and I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know”

“Sure, if there’s a possibility, you let me know. You got any ideas – we’re listening”

“In the meantime Max, don’t do anything rash – like selling the kit”

The next day, Adam’s other discussions with potential associates was overrunning by a vast amount and it was Damon who phoned them instead. 

Andrea answered with a soft whisper that Damon could hardly hear

“Andrea?”

“Yes”

“Its Damon Lehrer here. I’m a good friend of Adam McNab”

“Oh hello Damon. Are you the Damon that Adam mentioned that he’s working with?”

“Yes that’s right. Actually Andrea, I think we may have met before. If I remember correctly, you were in the girl band Pink Survival. And you were playing in Frankfurt the same time as I was there, but its over 10 years ago now”

“Not many people remember that”

“No, too much water under the bridge since then, I guess. Is now a good time to talk, or should I try to get Max on the line as well?”

“Max isn’t in right now. He’s gone down to the estate agent to see about selling the house”

“Its that bad huh?”

“Adam told us not to sell the kit, but we’re having a complete re-think and something’s got to go! Its not all bad though. I’ve wanted to move the children out of London anyway. I don’t want them growing up here”

“Well, that’s nothing if not looking on the bright side”

“We’re trying to stay optimistic for the children”

“I guess. It isn’t a place I’d choose to live. But …..” he paused hoping to phrase this encouragingly 

“That’s a very doubtful ‘but’ “ she interrupted “Adam suggested there might be an opportunity, but I’m guessing this is the ‘but’ ”

“I wouldn’t look at it like that. Andrea, The ‘but’ is that I don’t want to raise any false hope and I really don’t want to say very much on the phone. But, how about you guys pop down to the West Country for the weekend and we can talk a bit then, and you’d get a break anyway”

“I don’t think that’s practical, Damon. We’ve got two children”

“Yes you said, how old?”

“Leon’s 10, and Ellie is 13”

“And are they city kids? Down here its all sheep in the lanes and the smell of cow poo. But there’s no shortage of space for you all to stay. I’m trying to get a plan together, so you’d be doing me a big favour”

“So there is an opportunity after all!”

“ Seriously Andrea, that’s all I want to say just now. Except, whatever you spend on petrol minus what you’ll probably save on food would probably make it worth a look”

Max was stunned and amazed when she told him they were taking a countryside break, but she just hugged him and whispered 

“Maybe I’m clutching at straws Max, but Damon Lehrer has been round the block a few times in this business”

“He certainly has. He was basically responsible for all the money the Chameleons made. Every other band handed the management to their record company. Not him, Oh no, he kept control. I’m led to believe he set up his own gigs, booked his own hotels, and even drove the van. And then when they made the big time, he raked in in for all of them”

Leon and Elie were less enthusiastic about being packed and in the car by 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning. The main routes were busy and a stop at the rural side of Swindon was welcomed by all. 

“We’re only half way there” moaned Ellie “and we’ve been going two hours already”

“So, it’ll be lunchtime when we get there”

“Where are we going, anyway? Nobody told me”

“Yes they did, you weren’t listening”

But they calmed down as the fields became more visible, and Ellie was content just to watch the sheep and cows speeding past.

“You two ought to try doing your homework” suggested Andrea. Then you won’t have to do it when we get home”.

“And it means mummy and daddy are on hand to help” cut in Max.

“Well, that’s that done” said Leon an hour and a half later “That means I’ve got the whole journey home tomorrow to get bored”

“Oh, look on the bright side why don’t you!”

But now the journey became much more interesting. Ellie was in charge of navigating from the directions that Max had taken from the girl in Damon’s office. 

“We’re looking for the road to a place called Farthingbridge” she said as they slowed through the rural town centre. It was bustling with market stalls and assorted farm trailers as they wound their way through the crowded streets and main square. 

“Now, next down here we turn right to Elfinford. Its only a small village and we’re looking for the pub. It’s called the Olde Belle and we turn left when we find it.

“Is this what they call the back of beyond?” asked Leon

“Yes” said Max “This is the back of beyond and now we head for the middle of nowhere”

“….And turn right at the end” continued Ellie as they made progress up the hill.

“Daddy, what’s a hairpin bend”

“Its where the road does a U turn back on itself. Like a Kirbie grip. Why?”

“Because we turn right when we .. here?”

Max swerved right across the cattle grid and immediately spotted the sign on the grass verge that said ‘The Studio’

“Are you sure. This looks like a private road”

“Maybe they live on a farm. Look out sheep!”

Max noted the raised barrier as they passed it and wound their way between the sheep that had wandered out from the unfenced meadow and Max slowed until they’d gone

“We should see the house on the right. It says here you can’t miss it”

“Famous last words” said Max as they climbed towards the crest

“Well we can’t” Ellie was saying “Because the track ends at the hou…” her words trailed off as the house came into view.

“Wow. Is that where we’re going!”

“That’s certainly where we’re going. But I don’t know if that’s where we’re meant to be”

“Welcome to the Studio” said Michelle brightly as they headed in through the grand entrance

“What kind of studio is it?” asked Ellie “Art?”

“No it’s a music recording studio. Come on in, I’ll show you around”

Andrea glanced over to Max – Recording studio? 

But even the children were awestruck by the building as they gazed up at the chandelier refracting shards of colour, and caught sight of the staircase, the frescos and the vaulted ceiling

“I want to run all the way up that staircase” enthused Leon

“Well, off you go. What stopping you?” said Damon as he arrived to meet them.

“Is this a castle?” asked Ellie as Adam joined them

“Sort of. It started life as an Abbey” Damon said bending towards her level rather than talk down to her “The vaults date back 600 years”

“And the dungeon” added Michelle to Leon as he slid down the banister, jumping off the end and crashing into her at the foot of the stairs

“Have you got a dungeon?”

“Oh Yes! and I’ll show it to you later on. And.. .. If you’re very very good, I’ll even let you out again”

“Oh what! I don’t want to get locked in the dungeon”

“Well it sounds like it’s up to you” suggested Damon “Now, I need to talk to your mummy and daddy so we need to discuss what you’re going to do this afternoon. So let’s go find some lunch and have a chat”

They turned to follow Adam along the wide hallway

“Are you Damon from the Chameleons?” asked Ellie

“Yes, do you know our music?”

“I love it. Especially Colour Change. I play that album on repeat. And I can’t believe I’m really meeting you”

She was oozing with nervous excitement and Damon realised she’d taken hold of his hand without seeming likely to let go all the way to the dining room 

“The next door up is the bar. That’s where we’ll probably be if you can’t find us”

Once in the dining room, the children ran over to the window

“Oh! Look at the park!”

“That’s the Great Lawn”

“It’s probably got keep off the grass signs”

“No, it’s for walking on, for running on, rolling downhill, playing football….”

“Is that a river beyond that? It looks like its shimmering”

“Yes, it’s a lake, but the river flows in at one end and out at the other”

“Can we go there! Please!”

“Yes, you can go wherever you like”

“What? Anywhere”

“Yes. But I think you should use a bit of common sense. There are a lot of rooms in this house”

“How many?”

“No-one knows, well over 100. But if one of them is occupied, you should find a different one to go in”

“What about the lake. Is it big?”

“It’ll take you about an hour and a half to walk around it. An hour if you run all the way”

“Can we go there.”

“Yes, and there’s a boat down there. You can row out to the island. Just try not to drown yourselves. That might be difficult for me to explain to your mum and dad”

This all sounded like way more freedom than they were used to in London and the excitement continued through lunch. For those not used to having younger people around it was energising - and exhausting. This was yet another new dimension to the excitement for Michelle, realising that she was closer in age to the children than she was to the adults.

“Are we allowed to go around and touch things and explore” asked Ellie

“Yes” said Damon with some puzzlement

“It's only, well, in old houses like this you're never allowed to touch anything and you have to keep to the paths and don't cross into the roped off area. And you get hung drawn and quartered if you as much as try to play a note on the piano” 

“Ellie, there’s a piano in the library and an electronic keyboard in the bar that you can play as much as you want – so long as you try to play it not just thump a few random keys…”

“Yes – we’re not jazz artists” added Adam

“….And you can do anything you want and go anywhere you want. And….”

“What! Anything? there must be some things were not allowed to do. There always are!”

Lunch was coming to an end, albeit a premature end as the children had finished and were itching to go exploring. Ellie was gazing at Damon with a faraway look, and Leon was getting impatient. He hadn't seen his sister like this before.

“So what are we not allowed to do” he repeated

Max was trying to formulate an answer and was about to when Damon replied quietly

“Ellie, Leon. What I don’t want you doing is anything that would make me disappointed in you when you come back for tea and tell us all what you've been up to”

“Like?”

“Like maybe throwing stones at the ducks. Or causing damage. That sort of thing”

“Oh..ok, that sort of thing”

“Yes, and we’ll go down to the dungeon later” added Michelle

Now with the children gone, more coffee arrived at the table.

Damon looked questioningly at Adam, then at Michelle

“I don't know who that is” commented Damon with a note of concern

“Me neither” said Adam

“Not that I'm complaining” he added

“Nor me” said Michelle “but I did tell Natalia and Lynda to get on with hiring enough help, and more immediately for the renovation cleaning. So maybe they were listening”

“Whatever” said Damon passively

“Have they jumped the gun, perhaps” asked Max, eager to include himself in the discussion

“No” said Damon doubtfully “Whatever”

“That’s fairly laid back”

“Yes, but Michelle's right. We're going to need a lot more domestic help in the near future. And its better a few weeks before we need them than a few weeks late”

“More help?”

“Yes, as everything ramps up over the next couple of months. Now, I said to Andrea on the phone, this is a competitive business, and the fewer leaks we have the better, so I'm trusting everyone round this table. Ok? We were planning a small scale recording operation just to fill in the track gaps for our playlists. The plan was to use unsigned bands which would be less expensive. However, having now started looking, we’re finding there’s a whole mess of talented groups out there going nowhere. We came to the conclusion that we might be missing a trick. What we should be doing is concentrating on the sector of this industry that we know best and maximising the potential of the bands we’re finding. And what that means in real terms is starting up our own record label. However, there are some important factors to take into consideration. We know we'll be up against the big boys, particularly IMD and we know the way they work. They’re ruthless and they don’t care who they trample on along the way. And they don’t actually care much about music. Nothing matters to them except power. So, I want to be in complete control of every critical part of our supply chain. I'm happy to buy paper for our printer from ‘most anyone, because there's plenty of different sources around. But I want to keep control of copying, publishing and distribution. Just the same as I want to keep control of A.& R, recording and production”

“Wow” enthused Max “a new independent label, now that sounds like it's got its fair share of risks”

“It has” replied Michelle, “but we've spent loads of time identifying them and building them into the plan”

“That’s one of the reasons for keeping control of the supply chain. That way we're in control of the solution to whatever the issue is”

“So the summary is that the things we don't need control over are those that are easily replaced, like consumables, and the other one is venues”

“Venues?”

“Yes, we’re going to need to set up tours and gigs to promote the singles and albums. Ok it might feel the other way round, but we still need them. What we really need to do is own all the theatres and stadiums in the entire world, but that’s way outside budget. Even if we bought a couple we couldn’t expect the people in that area to pay out for a different gig every night, so we’ll have to live with that downside. Anyway, that's where you can join the show. And that's what I invited you down here to discuss”

“Where's it all based” asked Andrea hardly concealing her initial excitement

“Right here. It's got the space. It's out of the way and when we need to go public, we can explode out of here with a bang. Because we're in control of everything this side of the gatehouse.”

She looked over at Max who was suspiciously silent

“Well, we don't know much of the details, but it seems to me to be an opportunity to get in at the start of something that could be huge. More than that it's the chance to work with some really nice people who've got the experience. And its here at exactly the right time. I'm sure we can work out the details to everyone's advantage”

 Max raised his head to look round the table

“My view is, This is too big to miss. But Damon, its not certain to go ahead is it?”

“That’s a yes and no answer. The stage we're at is that we're working out the details of how its all going to work. Who we can involve, who we need to avoid, and at the end of all that, how much is it going to cost and is there a sensible profit. So this stage is going ahead, and we need some good guys like you to help with that. We’re putting the right people in place to set everything up. They’ve all got experience in their area and they understand the risks. They also understand the potential and are prepared to take that risk. If it doesn’t fly we’re going to shut the doors, declare a failure and think of something else to do and everyone here knows that”

“Like re-form the band maybe?”

“Maybe. Right now we’re confident enough to buy the studio equipment and we’re paying good rates because we’ve been clear it may not last more than the year. And there’s risks all around, like we’ve nearly finished all the work on this building and restoring the garden”

“And the more we do….” Adam confirmed “….the less likely we are to can it”

“But..” added Max “..the bit you’re missing, that is the extension from what you first envisaged, is the reproduction and distribution because you’ve got the A & R and the recording”

“That’s right, if you then include tours gigs and merchandise”

“Sure, but the repro and distribution, that’s where we come in because that’s our bag, right?”

Damon nodded

“But you’ll need something much bigger than the kit we’ve got if you’re going to hit the charts”
 “Yes. We can use Australian Media Distribution even though they’re not cheap. But we still need lower volume internal capacity for radio releases and we need expertise and experience in that kind of distribution”

“So that means that Andrea and me are more in control of our own destiny than we'd thought. If we can make that bit add up, if flies. If not, it folds”

“That’s a pretty good summary”

“But Andrea and me - we'd be employed? Right? I mean. In different circumstances we might be looking for co-directors working at risk and putting in investment. But you already know we're not in a position to do that”

“That’s right again. I appreciate you guys are not in a position to invest in this, but me and Adam are putting up the initial capital and the way expenditure is going there’s no shortage for the planned setup. Your risk is that you move down here and then have to move on in a year when we admit defeat”

“That’s understood. But the opportunity in the meantime….!”

“And it solves our immediate issues. And it moves the children to the countryside”

“Yes. But we need to ask Ellie and Leon. If they're dead against it, it will be an uphill struggle. 

“I've got another card” said Damon “We'll see about playing it when they get back for tea. Why don't you two take a walk round, discuss it between yourselves. You're bound to come up with a host of questions. See how Sienna’s getting on recovering the garden. But please, no mention of this outside this estate. Think of what kind of deal you might want. An offer for your company maybe? And then you stay on as employees of Chameleon Media to operate it?”

Michelle was the first person Leon and Ellie ran into as they bounded back in through the dining room “Come on” she said cheerily “Time for tea. Lets go to the dungeon”

“I don't want to go to the dungeon” squeaked Leon, backing away to where his mum was appearing along the hallway. But Michelle and Ellie had already set off down the narrower staircase. He followed some way behind, carefully peering around each corner as he descended the stairs.

“Come on scaredy. There’s sandwiches and cake and biscuits and pepsi and fanta down here”

He edged forward nervously, torn between his fear of the dungeon and his interest in food

“There's always food available in the kitchen” encouraged Lynda

“Kitchen?” squeaked Leon

“Yes, kitchen” she repeated, being unfamiliar with the problem

“Where's the dungeon?” as he edged towards the table

“Oh Leon! did I say Dungeon? I meant Kitchen” said Michelle with a mischievous grin

“Michelle! You’ve been tricking me all along. That’s not fair!”

He hung onto his mum’s arm as he sat down at the table

“Now, don’t you two eat too much. This is just a snack. We've got dinner at seven o’clock and Lynda is going to a lot of trouble to prepare it. So you need to be in a fit state to eat it”

“Oh! Look at that chocolate cake!” enthused Damon as he arrived with Max

“Hey! this is supposed to be for the kids”

“Well, I'm just a big kid really” and then turning to Ellie and Leon “Maybe over dinner you can tell us what you got up to this afternoon, but before that, I've got a little quiz for you”

“A Quiz. What sort of quiz”

“Its an explore quiz.” 

“Like a treasure hunt?”

“Yes. After tea you'll probably want to have a bit of a rest, and later you'll get tidied up for dinner. And in between you might need to watch some TV. Dinner will be in the boardroom. If you go along the hallway, past the dining room you'll find a staircase on the left, and at the top of that there’s a room on the right. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late. But before that, I’ve made this treasure hunt for you. You'll find all of them on this level, just go to the end of the hallway past this staircase I mentioned, and that’s a good start. I've given you the initials. Some of them are as big as a room, some a bit smaller, but all of them are much too big to carry. And then you can tell me the answers at dinner. Ok?”

“Can mummy and daddy help?”

“Oh no. This is for young person’s only”

He handed them each a piece of paper and a pencil. The papers are the same. Its not a competition, its teamwork. Ok? but if you can't find one, you might want to split up and look in separate areas”

7 o’clock was approaching fast as Damon invited everyone to sit down at the boardroom table which was set for dinner, and there were two empty places.” 

“Mummy, mummy, you'll never guess. There's a great big swimming pool just downstairs from here and ...” 

“Shushhhhh” 

Leon suddenly became aware of his surroundings and went quiet as he pulled in his chair. 

“How did you get on with the little quiz?” asked Damon, and the room went quiet because everyone was interested in the answers. 

“So the quiz was to find these things, and also to find what was wrong with them, given just the initial letters. Now, did I hear you say swimming pool?” 

“Yes enthused Leon, it's just downstairs. You turn right and just go through the door” 

“It actually took us a little while to figure out what you were looking for, but I think we got all but one” added Ellie 

“So we've already got SP and what, beginning with W is missing?”

“Water” said Leon. “It's empty. Can we get it filled up?”

“Yes, the answers water, and yes, we're going to refill it. But first the engineer wants to run some more tests on the new pumps” 

“That won't be today then” said Leon, disappointed 

“No, but it wouldn't be ready today anyway. If we started now, it wouldn't be full till Thursday” 

“Why not?” 

“Because it takes that much water. And it can only flow through the heaters at a fairly slow speed. Otherwise it would be cold, and you wouldn't want that would you? So what else did you find?” he asked, while at the same time teasing Ellie by trying to peek at her notes that she was hiding. 

“TTT is the table tennis table and it's missing its net. 

TC is the tennis court, and it’s missing its lines 

SC is the squash court and its missing 'potf' which is part of the floor, although I don't know what a Squash court is. It just says that on the door”

“And finally” said Leon trying to get in on the act “J is the jacuzzi but we don't know what it's missing. It begins with B” 

“That's very good, especially getting potf. The b you're missing is bubbles. The air jets aren't working” 

“But” added Michelle “the engineer is coming back on Wednesday.” 

“In fact” Damon announced “Ellie and Leon have done so well, that I think they deserve some dinner” 

The conversation soon turned to the main purpose, and Max broached it with the children 

“So, have you had a good time today? …. How do you think you'd like to live here, or is it just a good place to visit?” 

Leon seemed quite enthusiastic, even when Andrea reminded him he'd have to leave his friends behind 

“I will do anyway when I go up to the big school. And Gazzy’s going off to St Useless's anyway” 

Ellie was quieter, and more contemplative 

“I'd like to live here” she said eventually, wistfully “Its peaceful. All the fields and trees and animals. It's so much more interesting than London. That’s just more and more buildings and people you don’t know just rushing around” she continued dreamily

“What about your friends?” prompted Max 

“I'd miss Lottie, but maybe she could visit…. I could just walk for hours, just by myself, through the meadows and the wild flowers, and by the stream” 

“I don't think she should” said Leon “There's something happened to her. Maybe she left her brains down by the lake, or even back at home” 

The conversation lulled as Ellie seemed to drift back into some kind of dream 

“Is it” Andrea started “a bad time to raise practicalities, just as everyone seems to be on an ethereal high” 

“Like what?” asked Max, hoping she'd raise the issues he was avoiding for fear of losing the deal now that it was so close 

“Like, where's the school? And where would we actually stay, and is there a supermarket anywhere about?” 

“Well, certainly initially, say the first six months, you would be staying here” 

“What, right here. In this building?” 

“Sure. There's plenty of space. And Ellie and Leon would be near the swimming pool. It would also mean you would eat here, so no need to go shopping. Now, school? You'd have to drive into Farthingbridge for the nearest comprehensive. I think you would have come through there on the way here. There’s a primary school in Upper Elfinvale which is about five miles from here. If you do decide to join us, it might be worth moving before the end of term which would give Ellie and Leon a few days at their new school as a head-start on next year. Oh, and there's also a very good private college...” 

“I hardy think so. At least not in the current circumstances” 

Max turned for a quiet word with Damon “on that subject, we don't know quite where we'll end up financially. Is there any likelihood of salary as well as board and lodging? I don't want to appear greedy, just, well, asking” 

“I missed that?” queried Andrea, and Damon turned back to the table 

“I don't think it's that much of a secret?” 

Max shrugged 

“Max was asking about salary. I don't want to commit to a specific number without some discussion. So instead I'd say that staying here takes out a big chunk of worry over the essentials. And ....” 

“Does that mean we're going to stay here? Like, dead near the swimming pool. And we could get a new net for the table tennis table. Oh wow” 

“Can we? Really?” asked Ellie quietly in contrast to Leon’s euphoria. 

“That's the plan, Ellie, yes. Unless we think of something major that will change it” 

“Oh, mummy, that's wonderful. Damon, you live here too, don’t you?” 

“I think that's the children sorted, Max. But staying here would be your least expensive option, although the downside is you’re never far enough away from the office. I think it would simplify the situation if I simply bought your company, but you need to think about how that would fit in with your exact circumstances. We've got some fairly large numbers floating around this setup. I don't want to commit right now to pouring thousands into your problem, but I'm certainly not going to let a few quid get in the way of getting the right answer” 

“Max and I will think about it overnight, but I think this is an opportunity we would be crazy to miss. It provides so many immediate solutions that I can't see why not. But with recent events we’re just a little cautious”

The pieces were all tumbling into place and Michelle could see the end of this phase charging into sight although still some distance away if similar progress could be made on the other lines on her board.

 “So what’s happening with Max and Andrea,” she asked “and how much do we need to sort things out for the children?” 

“Adam thinks that they’re our best bet. Its at exactly the right time for them, and they’ve got everything we need to cover the initial distributions”

“Ok. But that’s just minor distribution” criticised Michelle “For successful bands we’re going to need much higher volumes. Ok, so Max can run his machine 24-7, but that doesn’t sound like the right solution. How reliable would it be after a fortnight continuous running?”

“Oh my! Michelle! You’re so much getting the inside line on this industry. But you’re right. Max and Andrea are the start, and we’ll always need a low volume facility, particularly to release unheard of bands to selected DJs and they’ve got the distribution lists and contacts for that. 

“Ok Damon. But how many copies of Adam’s bootleg album are you expecting to sell? And what about the album you want to cut with Heather? How many of those? 500? No. Thought not. But that’s the sort of volume that Max and Andrea handle. We have no way of making a million copies for world distribution. And until we have we’re going to have to delay release. What I mean is, this issue is immediate, not just when we ramp up Karen’s bands”

“Slow down babe. You’re right on most of that. I’ve talked to the Ozzie’s and they’ll handle our high volume stuff in the short term but they’d still need our steer on distribution and Max has a lot of experience in setting that kind of thing up.”

But he still didn’t tell her about Kessler.

“Ok. So we’ll need to sort out where to put Andrea and the kids…” he continued changing the subject “… I was thinking about that annexe at the back of the West Wing. Its self contained, although it may be more space than they need”

“I think that’s right. It was my reserve space for the new offices we’ll need, but they would be better somewhere in the West Wing, now that we’re opening that up again. It would be quieter than the main accommodation in the East Wing. I’ll add that to the list and get Natalia to check it out. Maybe Sasha could do that. One more line on the board!”

“And I’ll phone Max and find out when they’ll make a decision”

Andrea was a little surprised. They had already decided that, even if the deal varied a little from what was originally discussed, it would solve all their short term problems and moving was already arranged. She understood what was expected but she also appreciated that no-one would have any idea about volumes. Not that it mattered, they’d simply solve it when it happened.

And in true Studio style, the timescale for Natalia to sort out the West Wing Extension had reduced from about two weeks to less than two days. Andrea wanted to be decisive with the children, and moving immediately would give them a week at their new school to get the measure of it before the summer holidays.

The next call from Max was in the same vein. Max had already established a number of distribution lists to record stores and radio stations. He was known in that circle and that would be invaluable to Damon. On Adam’s advice, Max hadn’t sold the mastering and duplication equipment. Ok, as Michelle had pointed out, it was low volume, but it was enough to get started. Damon also knew that Max needed the kind of rescue that he was proposing. They’d been ripped off recently and they’d be a bit more cautious now. Max was also being realistic, maybe because Andrea had already decided that they should take this opportunity and do whatever it takes to make it work

“Damon, I think that we should agree a price for my company. It’s still a viable proposition. Its just that we don’t have the cashflow to continue right now. But I’m reluctant to sign away the distribution lists completely if I can avoid it. In the event that things don’t work out between us, that’s the bit we can’t buy off the shelf, even if we came into some money”

“Understood, Max. but I need to be in control of all the critical parts of the supply chain. I can’t afford to have a chink in the armour. What about a deal on the kit and then you operate it as employees. And you sell me a copy of your lists. Then as we update them, we update both copies. That way you’re not stuffed if you return to independence”

Sounds like you were a bit aggressive with him” commented Adam in the bar that night

“Maybe, but it’s a cut-throat business and right now we’re throwing him a lifeline. We’ll bail him out, and then he’ll have to put the effort in to make us all successful because that’s his new job and he’s got nothing to fall back on except experience. Not just that but I’ve sent them an advance so that they can clear the supplier debts sooner rather than later. They should be impressed that he’s doing what he can and also that he can rustle up additional sources of funding. That should restore a certain confidence, and we’ll need that”

“Ok,” continued Michelle accepting that Max and Andrea had been steamrollered “that’s our small volume solution. I think I should add the large volume solution as a line on the chart so that its not forgotten when everything starts getting busy”

“Michelle. If you want a line on the chart for high volume production, you just go and add it”

But he still didn’t tell her about Kessler

Michelle picked up the next conversation with Max. This time they avoided finance and instead finalised the plan for moving his equipment. Their first tasks would be to review their distribution network and Andrea would update her invoicing system to reflect the Chameleon Media branding. Her intention was to send out 500 release letters to invite independent retailers to join the new distribution circle while retaining her old systems, but would be looking for some short term help with processing the replies. And that really did seem like tangible progress.

Moving day, and would Ellie and Leon still be as enthusiastic about moving to the countryside as they had been on their first visit? The swimming pool was now operational, the Jacuzzi worked, and the table tennis table had a net. Max was looking at this whole setup far more rationally now that his immediate financial issues had receded. And that was good. He had a good working relationship with Australian Media Distribution who were far enough away from IMD to prevent any threats being taken seriously. As Damon had suggested they were renting out their London house, and seemed to have remarkably little with them when they arrived.

“We just thought this would be easier” she said as Max unloaded 2 children and four large cases from his car. Ellie bounced over towards him, stopping suddenly right in front of him. Maybe she knew what she wanted to do but was too shy. Or maybe she just didn’t know what to do next. He smiled gently and reached his hand out to her. 

“Are you looking forward to this?”

She nodded quickly

“Really?”
 “As much as ever”

“There’s been a few changes since you were here last. Some things are working that needed to be fixed last time. And there’s still lots of flowers in bloom along the stream”
 “Mmm…”

“So welcome to the Studio. Now you go and sort out where you’re staying and maybe I’ll see you at dinner”

Leon was slightly less up-beat. If his sister was going to be as dreamy and silly as last time, he’d be a bit on his own. On his own? He’d never be allowed to do anything on his own in London. It simply wasn’t safe. Still thinking about this, he wandered down to the sports end of the East Wing. There were some guys playing table tennis and they even invited him to join in as he stood watching. Maybe he’d be ok with a little less of Ellie.

Isaac

With Max and Andrea on site and actively working towards production, the focus moved swiftly on to the next issue. Artwork. Max was quite used to asking bands that he dealt with what design they had in mind for the cover of their CD, and then suggesting they came back when they’d worked that out. This would be different. Chameleon Media would be helping, mentoring and coaching their bands rather than expecting them to have all the answers and Adam would have been surprised if any of them had considered artwork. Max had previously dealt with bands that had already recorded something and were asking him for help with distribution – Adam’s bands were straight from the backstreets of Manchester.

They may have dreamt about recording but would be unlikely to have considered album covers, posters, and other assorted promotional material. But no sooner than Max had raised it, Ellie sorted it. 

She wasn't a particularly shy child. She'd helped her father with a number of business meetings, like bringing in the coffee and tea and operating the music system so that he could concentrate on the band's reaction to certain issues - like costs. 

She was beginning to find her way around. Oh my, it was so different. In London, she'd walk to school running the gauntlet of assorted groups of hooligans going both towards and away from the school and changing her route to meet up with other girls when she saw them. Here, everyone had got the impression, understandably, that she was from a very rich family because, as far as she could tell, she was the only one who was delivered to the front gate by chauffeur driven limousine. She'd managed to minimise that by being humble and friendly and interested, which is just the way she was anyway, but there were still quite a number of kids in the class that she'd decided not to get to know - at least not well and not yet, 

She’d got to Miss Warwick's study as requested. The door was open and she stopped outside, listening to the conversation to find out if she should knock and go in, or covertly disappear and come back later never to breath a word of what she'd heard. But Miss Warwick had given her a specific time, and that was now. She waited as long as she dared so that she wasn't late, knocked twice and went in. The teacher was talking to a man who Ellie thought might be the supply teacher, but he had his back to her and she couldn't be sure. 

The conversation stopped abruptly 

“I'm sorry to interrupt, but you wanted to see me. And I didn't want you to think I was late” 

“No probs” said the man “see you later” and edged past Ellie and through the door. 

“How are you settling in, Ellie? “ 

“Ok. So much is new, but I'm ok” 

“Oh that’s good, but I need to ask you about swimming. We try to take year 9 twice a month. I'd rather it was more often, but it's quite a long way and takes out the whole morning. But I didn't know which group to put you in. Do you swim at all?” 

“Yes” 

“Would you say you were a good swimmer?” 

“Yes. I swim quite a lot” 

“Really? Or was that just in London?” 

“No. The pool in London was full of hooligans trying to drown me. But here our apartment is almost next door to the pool. I’m trying to swim every day. I’ve swum in the lake too, but its rather chilly” 

That was strange, but right now she had other things to concentrate on 

“Good. I'll not put you in with the novices. Thankyou Ellie”.

That meant she was free to go. Or in fact, ought to go, but clearly her hesitation had been noticed 

“Is there something else, Ellie” 

“Em. Well. Miss Warwick, I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to, but I overheard part of your conversation. I know someone who is looking for a creative artist to do some work for him and maybe join his team, and that might be of interest to your friend” 

Ellie hesitated again “em, I think it's creating something original, but given a particular theme, but I don't know the details” 

There was a welcome knock at the door. as Miss Warwick's next appointment arrived saving Ellie the embarrassment of saying she shouldn't say any more about this job. Miss Warwick frowned 

“This is very considerate of you Ellie. I'll ask him if he might be interested in finding out more about this, but in the meantime, would you please keep this conversation confidential” 

Ellie sighed “That's wont be a problem, Miss. There's so much stuff around where I live that I don't get to talk about outside” 

Back in the staff room, she related this to Isaac 

“But I'm intrigued too. Or maybe I'm worried. She said her apartment was next to a swimming pool, but her address on file gives us no clues whatsoever. And she's forbidden to talk about what goes on there. Is that cause for concern?” 

This was a wonderful excuse to go looking for Damon in the bar that evening, saying she'd said as little as possible, but Damon prepared an envelope for her anyway, just in case. 

It was lunchtime that she found herself sandwiched between Miss Warwick and Isaac saying that, confidentially, he'd be interested in finding out more about this opportunity. 

“In that case, you'll want this” 

The art staff gave a shocked glance at each other as she handed over the envelope.

“That's impressively organised” 

“So” summarised Isaac later that evening “Its all marked ‘Strictly Confidential’ but Ellie's friend appears to have produced a CD. It's got 12 tracks on it. His band is called East of Bruges and the job is to listen to the Music and create a suitable CD cover” 

“That fits with what Ellie said yesterday. Creative, but on a given theme” 

“And a phone number for someone called Michelle” 

Last day of term now, and Ellie was looking forward to the 'surprise'. Everyone she'd met had said the same thing - how stunned speechless they were when they first saw the Studio. And now it was her turn to introduce people to this same sight. 

She felt very important getting into the front seat of Gustav's Mercedes as Isaac and Miss Warwick climbed into the back. Isaac had spoken to Michelle and was now on his way to an interview. Miss Warwick was simply there to spy on Ellie's home life.

This first surprise was being taken their by chauffeur, the second was stopping at the gatehouse for invitation and dress code checks. Then Ellie insisted that they slow as they reached the crest and pointed out the Studio, nestling at the foot of the hill beyond the sheep meadow. 

“Welcome to the Studio” she announced “This is the headquarters for the company, but lots of people, like me, live here too” 

“Do you want to show Miss Warwick round” asked Lisa as she took Isaac in to see Damon, “or would you prefer if I did?” 

“I'd like to.... But...I also need to see Damon. Oh, maybe I can do that in the bar later” 

“Ok. You show miss Warwick the house and get yourselves a snack and a drink and I'll see you on the terrace. Damon said he'd likely be an hour, possibly a bit more” 

In true Studio style, the interview was informal accompanied by a slow walk as far as the orchard.

In theory Damon was free to walk round the gardens any time he liked. But in practice, he hardly had time to draw breath, never mind wander aimlessly through the scented flowers unless he had an excuse to find Sienna. But on this occasion - result. One fired up, enthusiastic, creative artist, ready and willing to create album covers, posters, advertisements and anything else that needed drawing. And as hoped for and anticipated Ellie was in line for a reward when she met Damon in the bar later that evening.

And Miss Warwick was simply stunned.

Steffi

It was less than a week since Steffi had felt the tight grip on her arm in the crowd. Not as aggressive as one of the blokes at the bar, but someone clearly trying to intercept her. She turned in trepidation and the grip relented. 

“Sorry, Hope I didn't hurt you. Its heaving in here and I really wanted to make sure I caught up with you” 

She breathed a long sigh of relief. No it wasn't one of the known crew, or one of the aggressives. But the assailant was wearing a mild smile as she looked across at her as she regained her composure. 

“Can I get you a drink?” she continued and Stephanie had already heard herself accept. Yes, she could use a drink, especially a long one with someone else buying it. 

A friend of hers had suggested that she might like to read some of her poetry in the interval while his band took a break, and Steffi had landed up on stage, and now propping up the bar together, the reason for the assault started to emerge. 

“I was really impressed by your performance. The lyrics are really quite subtle. Do you write melody as well, or restrict yourself to poetry?.....” 

It was during mid morning coffee break when the thoughts that had been spinning in her head all night finally wound up on top of everything else. She could interrupt her work now as she had a viable draft for her latest task, although it would inevitably need some refinement. 

She’d been reluctant to give too much away, but as the conversation unfolded and the drink continued to flow, she'd admitted that yes she did have music but it wasn't in sheet music format. In fact she didn't play any instruments and could never get her head around a blank music score despite trying innumerable times. It was a hobby to her and mostly it was covert. 

A couple of guys from her section had arrived at exactly the wrong time. They'd mercilessly taken the micky out of her and her poetry writing on a previous occasion when they'd somehow found out what her hobby was, and now it seemed to her that accepting the invitation to that gig might retrieve some credibility if she was actually reading it to a paying audience.

And then Karen had grabbed her arm, poured drinks into her and persuaded her that she might be a valuable addition to the recording studio she worked for. What! Join the record industry? Well of course. What else would you do with a catalogue of over 600 songs, even if the score was in a primitive code format just to remind you of the tune you'd imagined. 

And now Karen was on the phone to her, which was an amazing surprise. 

What was not good is that the office nuisance was at her desk and had left the door open. So with one hand holding her recently completed work from being blown away in the wind and the other holding the handset she was short of anything to repress the attack on her body from this young know-it-all apprentice whose only definable attribute was a penchant for making her life miserable. 

“This is Stephanie” she'd answered innocently 

“No it's not. Tell them your real name. It's Fanny. Like we all call you” 

“Shut up! And go away. This is nothing to do with you! Sorry, Karen. Yes I have. It's certainly sounds interesting. I’ve always relegated something like this to being impossible dreams so I’ve just never seriously considered it, so I’ve not been looking. No, of course. I don't expect any promises at this stage but I'd be very interested to see what your colleagues say” 

And now she had an itinerary and an invitation and what she took as a stern warning about the dress code. So much so, that she was now in her office wearing one of the shortest skirts from her wardrobe that she’d normally reserve for Saturday night clubs, and was now grateful to be on a train as lunchtime approached as a respite from apprentice nuisance leering at her most of the morning

The aftermath of feeling like she was in a cage at the zoo lingered on to make her feel self-conscious on the train and then suddenly hugely overdressed as she got off at Upper Elfinvale Halt. There were three farmers in working overalls and a couple of youths in ripped jeans, and her, dressed up like she was going to a wedding. She let them all leave the platform before venturing down to the exit gate. Someone would be meeting her but she had little idea who. She felt hugely overdressed, but there was a possibility that his name would be Gustav or maybe Colin. Now at the car park it was none of the so many scenarios she'd thought of. 

Smartly dressed, bright smiling eyes, slightly older than her maybe? Light chinos, striped collared shirt, no tie. And attractive! Oh my. Never mind that he was leaning on the front wing of an Aston Martin convertible and gently calling her name 

“Stephanie?” 

“Hi!” and even if my name was Francis or Marina I'd be Stephanie for the weekend just for you!

The Studio was no less of a surprise. She'd seen stately homes before. Like, who hadn't? Which kid had never been dragged along to such an old building, although she'd never quite worked out why. Because its historic! - as if that was an end in itself. But this was so different. This building had a purpose and inside it was so civilised. Conversations were muted, everyone was smartly dressed - no jeans, no ripped shirts, no scruffy apprentices! And Damon Lehrer who she'd half recognised from an album sleeve was asking her about her poetry. Lisa popped in silently to drop something onto Damon’s desk and suddenly she realised she was no longer overdressed at all.

 He'd already pointed out the various people in the bar as members of a band. She’d never heard of them, but that, Damon said, was the whole point. They're new, they're undiscovered and they'll be breaking out onto the scene in the next few weeks. They were one amongst many. Most of them could do with some extra material in their repertoire. And that’s where she came in. This was so different. Suddenly her invitation was not just to join the industry but to be right at the centre of it. 

Dinner would be in half an hour and she was already ready. It was with Damon. Maybe it would just the two of them. Maybe Adam would join them – but that would be too much, she was already shaking just thinking about it. 

Her walk outside found her in the walled garden. The path to the lake that she had intended to take to calm hers nerves had been over-ruled on impulse and the left turn took her to the rose garden instead. The expectation of what it would be like next year seemed to mirror her expectation of what having dinner with Damon would be like and new lyrics flooded her head. Oh my! A week here and my wrists would be sore with scribbling the ideas before they faded!

Dinner lived all the way up to expectations. He asked her about herself and her poetry, and expanded on what his interest was. Quite a number of new bands were expected in the next few months and he was looking at a number of sources of new material. 

She figured out that the 5 guys in the bar were booked for studio time the next day. They all looked twitchy and seemed to have coke or orange juice in front of them rather than pints. That was strange. Why go to a bar and then not drink? That was until a girl called Lisa bounced in and landed next to her uninvited. She resolved quite a lot of the mysteries of the Studio and explained that studio time was essentially the equivalent of their finals exam and they’d either pass or fail. It was a big deal and the biggest chance they’d get, possibly ever. And now it started to dawn on her that this is where Damon saw her fitting in. He had these bands, they needed more songs, and she had…….Oh my! This could actually be real!

Damon was amazing, Adam was wonderful, Lisa had the energy of a thousand and Michelle seemed to know the answer to everything no matter how obscure the question was. They all helped her to understand what the Studio was all about and Damon had asked her to ‘think about it’. 

So far, this was all only a possibility but it gave her the confidence to shrug off the unwanted attention from the nuisance apprentices but still felt very strange indeed on her next trip to Upper Elfinvale. Previously, it was all part of a dream that she would inevitable wake up from with interminable disappointment. Now, knowing where she was going and who she was going to meet, and what she thought they wanted from her, it all seemed unimaginably possible. 

Lisa met her at the station and dinner was with a girl band she’d never met before. She’d walked through the garden before breakfast. But the nervous energy seemed to be radiating from the four guys on their way to the studio and it seemed to be infectious. She sat down with no less trepidation. She’d written her lyrics for fun. Ok she’d occasionally dreamed of one of them making a top ten hit. One time she’d actually stood in front of her mirror pretending to be a DJ introducing a fictional band who’d taken one of her songs to number one!  But she’d never done anything to actively make real progress on that. Now, here was someone she’d only ever listened to on CD asking her about her whole catalogue and what sort of deal she wanted! She had no idea. She hadn’t expected this, not that she’d expected anything and had no idea what the possibilities were. But Damon explained the options and put some numbers in as well. How much!

“You also have at least a concept of the music for each of these, which makes it more than poetry?”

“Yes, but its in my own code. I’ve tried to write it on a music sheet but without any success”

He moved her to the low settee by the coffee table so that they could sit next to each other and more easily see the annotations as she explained it to him and together they transcribed her ideas into music score. The next stop was back in the bar. There was a beautiful Roland keyboard sitting quietly in the corner and Damon played through what he'd written down. Steffi frowned, and he played the last few notes slightly differently, and again. 

“Sure?” 

she nodded nervously 

“Gooood”, and went on the next few bars. It was a serious task, but Damon seemed to be making it almost frivolous with gestures and deliberate weird notes. “No?” he’d grin and she mercilessly interrupted him, but with a smile and a giggle at his questioning frown. Finally they corrected the last bar and Damon played it through as a complete piece. This was very much like what she had in mind and Damon sang it to her. It was fun, they laughed a lot and it was really constructive because she now had so many ideas on how to adapt her coding system to better reflect her ideas.

“What do you think?” she asked nervously

“Its good. I like it. Its not how I would have done it, but its yours not mine and just because its different doesn’t make it better or worse – just different. And you’ve got this level of detail for each of your songs?”

“Yes. But its all in here” she said tapping her head “The issue I’ve got is just getting it out” and then suddenly in panic “That doesn’t kill the whole thing dead, does it? I do hope not!”

“No, no Steffi. Not at all. What we’re trying to do is find out exactly what we need to do to get from where it is to where I want it to be. Including how much I have to put on the table to get a deal signed. I’m really interested in getting hold of your catalogue. I have a number of bands due to come down here and I’m almost certain that additional tracks will be needed by all of them. But that would mean you working with them to create the track the way you envisaged it, within the boundaries of their style. Or it might be you could suggest something else once you hear them. There’s so much variation – ballads, rock, metal. Even some country”

“I’m sure we could work something out”

“Yes. Steffi. We ought to be able to if we both want to. I asked you to think about how much you’d want for your catalogue, but to get the music with it, you’d have to work here with the bands. How do you feel about that?”

“Oh, Damon, I’d love to work here. I was in the garden earlier and I had so many new ideas for lyrics all bouncing into my head. I could write so much more than I can with the traffic noise in Derby”

“We didn’t come to any real conclusion” she moaned to Lisa in the bar before dinner “I think Damon wants my songs, and that’s what I want to do too. Its just there’s nothing agreed”

“That’s a real shame. I was talking to these guys over there and I know they need three or four new tracks to complete their album and give them renewed enthusiasm to get out on tour. They’ve been trying to write in the garden, but, Steffi, they’re just too nervous. They know there’s a deal if they can keep their nerve and they know they’re good enough”

“Maybe I could just let them have some. I mean, they’re all still mine until ….”

“That’s so kind. But I’ve no idea how much you should ask for them. I mean if they went down well it would be quite a lot I guess, but if they fluff it up, then maybe not”

“Damon hinted at that too. Each song would only be suitable for certain bands, not everyone. And until I can get the music written out it would be really hard to tell which ones are suitable”

Lisa was trying to be helpful, but the conversation went round in circles after dinner as well

“When are you meeting Damon again?”

“I’m not sure I am. He’s really busy, and I’m due back at work on Tuesday”

“That’s tomorrow!”

“Is it! Oh my, where did the time all go?”

But the impasse was broken as Damon arrived

“Steffi, we didn’t come to any conclusion earlier. As I said before, I’m really interested in your catalogue. But in addition to that, how would you like to work here as resident song writer?”

“Emm. I… Sorry, Damon. I’m stunned…..”

“Write down your current salary” he continued handing her a beermat and a pen from the bar.

He glanced at it, then back towards her total surprise, considering it for a moment 

“I’ll add fifty percent to that, plus you get to live here if you join us as resident composer. Have a think. Call me on this number” he said passing the beer mat back to her “And I think I’d put a bonus on top of that for chart success. In any case, I want access to your existing catalogue. Have at think on how we can do that as well.”

Steffi nearly dropped her glass

“Is that a definite offer?”

Damon considered this or a moment

“Yeah. Yes it is. We need to work it out in more detail, but it shouldn’t be much different to that. Especially if something really takes off.”

Kieran

Despite the frenetic pace, and Michelle’s fairly direct hints that there was actually too much going on, Damon now felt that the future was clearer. The obstacles had largely been defeated and the remaining pieces of the personnel puzzle were falling into place. Recruitment was moving on each line of Michelle’s chart and she gazed at it with mounting anticipation of what it would be like when everyone was in place. 

This was a good time to take a look at the progress boards and find out what the next priority was. Or maybe check out the garden since Sienna was making visible progress every day, not least in appearing more frequently in the bar after she finished work. But all of those were overtaken as Lisa put a call through to him. “Its Kieran” she introduced “he was the cellist that was here a few weeks ago”

The conversation started nervously. Kieran was being evasive and Damon was trying to guess what his real issue was. It must have been important or he wouldn’t have phoned. They had an invitation to return the following week, so it really must be about that or it would wait till then. 

“Ok” said Damon eventually catching on “so the guys are questioning the value of the cello”

Kieran bit the bullet

“Damon, its not just them. Its me as well. Ok, Its unusual and its gets us noticed to start with. But it’s a talking point. Does it really fit in with their music?”

With the elephant in the room finally exposed the conversation warmed up. It was amiable. It wasn’t terminal as Kieran feared it might be. He didn’t want to spoil it for everyone

“Actually, I agree. Its unique. It’s a selling point. It’s the kind of thing we’d make a big fuss about on posters and live gigs. But what about you? If they carry on as just the four of them?”

“Damon, I’m not sure its really me anyway. Playing in the band on tour, it would be the same stuff every night. That could drive me crazy. I like playing different stuff. And different instruments too. I’d like to do a bit more on sax and violin and piano”

“Do you play all of these?”

“Yeah. Some better than others, but actually I’m pretty good on the lute and mandolin”

“So have you considered being a session musician?”

“Yes, but work is hard to find and mostly its in London”

“Yes. And I think you’re three hundred years too late for a major demand for lute players. But what I think is that you should come down here as planned – maybe a day early so we can have a preliminary chat”

“You mean the invitation stands, even though you know the score?”

“Invitation stands. We’ll have a full sized conversation about what value the cello brings but if you’re not happy with that role, then we need to make a different plan. The guys are a good rock band now they’ve tightened up a bit, and you’re a fine musician too. We just need to find the right place for everyone” 

He’d already arranged to meet his band mates – ex bandmates, that is – at the Studio rather than travel with them and now he also had an alternative invitation from Damon that sounded refreshingly optimistic. 

‘No’ was an answer Kieran was used to hearing. Mostly they were polite ‘no-s’, but occasionally there was a more curt and abrupt reply to his question. Session work was hard to come by – he made enough to keep the wolf from the door, but on this occasion these phone calls would not be contributing. He phoned his band colleagues again to find out if he was still included, not that they had any gigs planned. He was definitely ex-band. 

“Don’t know why you’re even coming to the Studio. Unless its to carry the guitars”

“I think I ought to turn up. The invitation was for all of us, and its only polite, except Kieren was now three days ahead of them.

The only people he recognised in this familiar bar were Adam and the young girl who worked in the office. But there was a buzz in the air and he was happy to join in the chat. 

The next day he was invited to sit in on the studio sessions and then it was back to Damon’s office for the surprise of his life.

“Hi Kieran. How do you like it here at the Studio”

“Its great Damon. It’s a fabulous place you’re creating here. There’s real music being made and real potential for so much. The enthusiasm, the electric buzz…”

“I agree. I’m hoping that the new bands we invite can maintain that buzz because I think we can all thrive on it. Ok, you heard what those guys were turning out in the studio. What did you think?”

“Me? What I think? Oh wow. em. I think they’re good. Accurate, consistent timing, all in sync”

“Yes. I agree. Any ideas on what might improve it?”

“Well… I think the slower tracks need more depth – like, maybe over dub on the mixer”

“Yeah. Except that’s not so easy to reproduce when they play live – not that I’m rejecting it out of hand. But what I think, and Adam too, is that the heartbreak tracks which are more mellow could benefit from some strings to give them more pathos. Might that be up your street? Or maybe even a bit of orchestration?” 

“Seriously? What just play in a bit of violin and cello? Certainly would!”

“Pretty much! It needs to be integrated, but based on their existing themes and riffs. Its not really a transposition, but it’s a bit like that. It could go off on its own for a solo, but not too far away”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m with that. Sure. Sounds great – starting when?”

“Now”

“Right now! Em. Sure ok”

“They’re should be back in Studio about now. We should rock on down and suggest this, then if they’re ok with it, you could give them a quick taste of that cello of yours which might persuade them, then maybe get with their guitar girl and see what difference a violin makes”

Damon led the way out and down the spiral staircase as he continued

“But there’s a couple of other things. Lets see how you get on with this. There’s also another group in tomorrow with studio the day after. They could do with some backing to give them more depth. They don’t want to take on a whole string section until they know what difference it will make. They’ve experimented using a decent keyboard but they still need to be convinced that that’s the best way forward. But if…”

“…if I sat in on that with a cello, we’d all find out!” he interrupted with mounting excitement

“Yes. If. If that’s the sort of thing you’d like to do. You said you had pretty much given up the idea of being in a band because you’d be playing the same stuff every day. This stuff is always different”

“Damon, this is sounding seriously interesting. But as you ramp up, it could become more common”

“No real doubt about that”

“Like, it could turn into something full time maybe?”

“Would you be interested in a full time role”

“Would I ever!”

“That’s good. Ok. Because, Kieran, there’s something else you may be interested in. Lets see how this works out first, before we get carried away!”

Adam was happy, the band was happy, Kieran had something approximating to a date with the guitarist in the bar later and he was already trying to figure out how much of this he’d like to do. He recognised his own restriction that he didn’t want to do the same stuff every day. But this looked more like it would never be the same thing twice. And considering there might actually be a job here…!

Two drinks in after dinner he adjourned with the guitarist to a rehearsal room. She fired up the amps and her guitar and ran through the track she liked best. She’d written it herself and had sheet music for it as well. Kieran cued in as she gave him the nod. They were both concentrating. This was serious, and more serious for her than him. But if it worked it could make all the difference to both of them. She dropped another two songs onto his music stand now realising that here she had a serious musician who was at least as good as anyone she’d ever played with before. They clicked in, got on the same wavelength and Kieran was a bit more adventurous on his variation from the script. Two hours had flashed past before they stood their instruments aside and returned to the bar to discuss the result.

Keiran’s cello made it to the final cut the following morning. Adam, Kieran and the band were all happy with the result. But Damon was particularly happy. That had been the right call, and that gave him the confidence to continue

“There’s also something else that you would be able to help me with, if you were interested” he said to Kieran over lunch

“Just keep talkin’ Damon. Its all sounding perfect so far”

“Ok. There’s a girl called Steffi. She has at least 600 songs that she’s composed. She’s got an idea of the tune for each of them, but its in her own code because she can’t get on with music score”

“So you want me to write it down for her, huh?. That could take a while. And then orchestration on top…”

“Not quite. What I was thinking was that you would help her create a more detailed code that she would understand….”

“….Then Steffi.” Damon continued the same conversation the following weekend “…you go through your code and add in more detail”

“Ok, but Damon, it still leaves it in my code and proper musicians still won’t understand it”

“Lisa, can you find Crispin. He’s supposed to be here. Yes. But that’s where Crispin comes in. He’ll be along any minute now. He’s our tame computer geek and he can write something that will turn your codes into notes printed on a music score”

“So. I’d update my codes and then key it all into a computer. Yes?”

“Not quite” interrupted Crispin appearing through the door “Your codes are already positioned against the words, so you’d do the same with the detailed codes and then you give it to Lisa….”

“….and she keys it in”

“Not quite. She puts it into a scanner – like a photocopier - and that gets it into the computer for it to do the rest. Then after all that we print it out on music score paper and give it back to you and Kieran. He will play it on whatever - piano, cello, guitar, flugelhorn and you can fine tune it from there. We also have to remember that the target band may want to adapt it for their particular style”

Steffi grabbed a fistful of her hair as if maybe she was going to pull it out 

“Are y’all joking. That’s incredible!”

“I’ve already put a test system together just to prove it should work. Its pretty innovative, like leading edge. What its really doing is trying to recognise the symbols it needs from what is essentially a photograph. Its still got a few errors, but I don’t want to spend more time on it if its not gonna fly”

“But it might still need orchestration?” added Kieran speculatively

“It might, and that would be between you, Steffi and the band to produce the best track that we can. And as always, if we think its not going to work, we set it aside and try a different one. This system is just to get what Steffi’s already got into sheet form as a start for anything else”

There was a stunned silence

“I’ve got a test band in mind…” Damon continued unphased “… I’ve known them for a long time and they’re realistic enough to work with you and not expect the earth on day one”

“It only gets better”

“It’s a Belgian band except for the singer. That’s a Sheffield girl called Denise…”

“…That’s not the same Denise who was in the duet with Cerise that made that huge scene when she got the bums rush?”

“Yes. The same Denise”

“Oh wow! I was talking to her in a club in Leeds only a couple of weeks ago”

But to Damon, this was another piece of the puzzle that could largely be left alone to operate on its own with minimal interference from him.

Heather

Heather was also on Damons agenda. It was important that he got her thoughts on the plans for recording the album, but before he could do that Lisa interrupted him with a call she thought he ought to take 

“Damon, it's Heather, But she's upset” 

Her voice faltered and she sounded downbeat speaking unusually slowly and hesitantly

“Hi Damon. Have you got a few minutes? Just to talk? Please” 

Of course he did. Heather was lovely. And as much a part of the band as Gordon, although he thought she still might not believe that, and he listened patiently 

“Damon, I didn’t think twice about it. Its the local hall we’ve always used for rehearsal. I’ve always just met the guys there. They said they wanted to meet up again. I got there and they just accused me of deserting them even though it was them that all fell out with each other. They all worked themselves into a fury, all over again like they did when the band broke up except this time they all …. they all just turned on me - started hitting me, pushing me. They tripped me up and started kicking me, just beating me up. I managed to get up and scrabble to the door, and limp down the street. Damon, I'm in some sort of shock I think, I didn't know who else to call. All my friends up here are friends with the band too” 

“Heather, are you ok to travel? Could you just come down here and we can look after you for a few days. On the train maybe?”

“I don’t know. I hurt in so many places. I don’t even know if anything’s actually broken”

“Ok. What about I ask Julian to pick you up?”

“Would you? Can I? I’ll pay him, if my share covers that much”

“You leave that bit to me”

“Oh, Damon. It would be great just to see you again, but I'm sure you're much too busy” 

“Heather, I’m busier than ever. But not too busy for you. The Studio is a great place to recover and it would be great to see you too. We’re up to our necks with a couple more things that we’ve decided to do, but not so much as we cant look after you. And we might even find you something useful to do and that would act as a diversion and help you recover. I’ll talk to Hannah and get you scheduled in”

She phoned the only member of her ex-band that she was in any danger of being able to have a civil conversation with and told him before he could speak that she was going away for some time, and not to wait for her to return before moving on with his career in whichever direction he cared – because she didn’t.

Damon had to see Heather anyway. The totals were in, the bills had been paid, the deposits to the bank were complete. Gordon was jetting off to the States and that would delay any thought of recording.

“I think he enjoyed being back on stage even more than we did” Damon was commenting 

“But that might be because he doesn’t have anything else to do” suggested Michelle 

“Whereas we have” said Adam still itching for completion. 

“Yeah, we need to complete the line-up. We’re making progress, but we need to cover all the bases. But, Adam, don’t you think it would be great to fit in a bit of recording? It would capitalise on the tour and introduce Heather to a wider audience, just in case we want to do some more gigs sometime. And now’s a good time cos we've got the studio and we’re only recently back from four days of rehearsals. Gordon was all for it, if it was the following week after his Stateside commitments. And if we ask Keith to help with production, that might entice him down here”
 “Yeah. Then we can kidnap him” 

As anticipated, Hannah figured out how they could fit Heather in. It was a tight schedule, but she was keen to help Damon as much as she could, now that he was pushing so much business her way.

Heather did indeed look fragile. Natalia took her to the library when she arrived. It was usually quiet, and certainly quieter than the bar. Natalia brought her tea and cake, and she settled down on her own with some song sheets. She didn’t want to look like a free-loader and pretending to learn some lyrics might be sufficient disguise.

Damon had talked about the possibility of recording an album, and she wanted to be ready. And getting ready slowly would be preferable to needing a concentrated frantic effort. She knew she was in trouble physically, but this would help distract her from worrying that it would destroy the recording schedule. And the Studio was so much more suitable for this that her mums front room. And being with Damon and Adam made her determined to recover, something that was by no means certain in Sheffield.

Sure enough, Damon popped in to see how she was and brought coffee and more cake.

“You take time, now. Don’t worry about those song sheets, they’re only here as a distraction and we’re not even thinking about recording for another couple of weeks and only then if you’re up to it. The flower garden is very peaceful and the important thing is for you to get better. When you feel up to it, I’d like to get into the studio because it would capitalise on the gigs and reinforce the new Chameleons line up if we can do it quite soon. I think we’ll leave Megan out, but you are an integral part”

 Oh wow! Wonderful, but oh no! I do hope its not too soon

“Gordon’s gone to the States to help out Huck. His bass player fell off the stage and sprained his wrist and Huck was thinking he’d have to cancel the rest of the tour but he’ll be back when the bass player recovers or the tour ends in two weeks. Recording should only take about three days…”

“Three days? Damon? Some bands take six months in the studio…”
 “Yes, they do Heather. But we work differently. Bands that take six months or a year have been told to record an album as part of an on-going contract with their management company. So they go to the studio and hang out and try to write some stuff an argue about how its supposed to sound. I’ve watched it happening and its painful. Here – and that includes us – bands are expected to know their material before they even arrive. We’re here to record, if it still needs to be written, or even just orchestrated, do that first, check it out in rehearsal, then book studio time for recording. So we rehearse like for a live show. And then we’ll cut the tracks. Often in just one take”

“Ok, that makes sense. So all the arrangement stuff is done before that?”
 “Yes. All done and agreed and practiced in rehearsal rooms, or the garden or the bar or somewhere else that isn’t tying up a quarter of a million pounds worth of electronics. It will be all new tracks Adam and me wrote since Alex left, and I know you’ve learned most of them already. We’ll probably record it raw and balance it later. But we want it to sound a lot like it would live. That’s so it sounds the same if we go out on tour and we’ll push it out through our new distribution network as a test. It’ll be titled Top Hat and Tails. I’m sure you can figure out why”

Damon had selected the tracks. Adam had taken a quick look at them and suggested some changes, but on the whole, he was ok with them the way Damon had arranged them. Over the last ten years Damon had usually taken his comments into account as improvements and he saw no reason to think this would be any different, and that would mean they were ninety per cent ready for recording and for their next series of gigs.

That final 10% would be fine tuned in odd moments in the bar when they were together, and they knew Gordon would be happy to run with the flow and just pick up his percentage.

Adam had also produced their own version of the tape that Tristan recorded at Lesser Waterton

“That was the fourth gig, Heather. We wanted to try out a venue as a trio, and we wanted a particularly small one so that scumbag Rheinhart gets only a miniscule income even if it means we get nothing. We gave away most of the tickets as direct invitations and the rest were sold locally in aid of the village hall. Because its like a bootleg, we’re going to be a bit adventurous on the title : ‘Hung, Redrawn and Three-quartered’ ”

It was sooner than Damon expected that Heather declared herself fit for recording. The Studio had made all the difference to her,- calm, peace, quiet when she wanted it and as much mayhem in the bar in the evening as she could handle as the invited bands got over-excited. Gordon was back, but on a short timescale. He wasn’t short of offers and Heather now appreciated why it would only take two days to lay down twenty tracks, although it would take Adam another two weeks to finally select which tracks to include on the final version.

So now Michelle had twice as much distribution to worry about. Now there were two albums raising the question and yet again more information was needed. What was it Damon had told her she had to do way back on day one when they’d first met?

But he still didn’t tell her about Kessler

Not Your Average Barmaid

Damon was early into Gerrards. It had hardly gone eleven o’clock, and lunch wasn’t even beckoning.

“How’s your German?” he asked Emma who simply tilted her head slightly sideways and looked to him for some sensible expansion.

“I’m expecting to meet a guy here later. Trouble is the call we were on had to be cut short. So I know he got his plane, and I know he’s got this address. But I don’t know where he’s staying so I could just wait for him to call me again, but this may be an alternative. He doesn’t speak English much, which is why I need you to speak German”

“I’m actually rather flattered that you think I can learn enough German in just this afternoon to explain all that to him – even if I knew who I was looking for”

“Ok. He shouldn’t be too hard to find. He’ll be looking lost, asking for beer – probably with no please or thankyou or anything else except a German accent, but he’s not really rude. He’s just pretending. What I want you to do is simply tell him that I’ll meet him here at seven o’clock this evening”
 “Ok, so that’s all!”

“Yes. Simple. Even for you. So when you recognise him. You say ‘Guten abend Herr Kessler. Herr Lehrer wird um sieben Uhr hier sein’. Ok?”

“No - After that, he’ll give me some long spiel about something and I wont have the foggiest what he’s talking about and I’ll look really foolish”
 “No you wont. Look. I’ll write it down and you can make sure he sees you reading it. Or you can just show him the paper. What about that?”

“Its all in a days work for your everyday barmaid”

That had moved the Duplication issue forward and now it was on to thinking about this series of gigs, another tour, maybe in the States, maybe in the far east and Australia. He could set that up for the Chameleons, but it also focussed his mind on recruiting his gigs manager to set it up for everyone else, and he was now clear on what sort of person he wanted. Now all he had to do was find them. It was a sort of project management type of job. Chat to a few project managers? Start to define what it is I need! And someone who would know a few project managers is Verity. 

Hazel

Maybe Evie was just naturally empathetic. She'd helped her good friend Verity get back together with Gerald after her fantasies about Damon, each accompanied by an admission that it could never possibly work. Now it was her boss, well, sort of. 

Hazel was project manager, and Evie's assignment from her agency was as project coordinator. It was largely clerical admin, arranging meetings and reminding each of the team leaders when various reports were due. It had none of the responsibility that Hazel had, which, Evie reflected, was just as well. She'd been in this company before on a previous assignment and at that time everything had gone equally badly. 

Hazel had just finished a call, put the phone down and then left the room in something of a flurry. The call clearly hadn't gone well, probably more changes to the spec, more obstacles in the way and her job was to bring the whole thing in on time and budget, even if the ‘thing’ kept changing. Either that or explain and persuade the department director that one or other of these would have to change. Even though none of this was of her own making. 

Evie had been watching and caught up with her in the loo. She'd clearly broken down and was only now making a vain attempt to disguise the tear stains. Evie had another solution - adjourn immediately to the pub, after all, it was already gone six o’clock. 

But it wasn't just a rum and coke and a dry shoulder to cry on, Verity had confided Damon’s call to her. Evie had been thinking a lot after her trip to Wembley. Damon had said then that the next stage of his plan was to recruit all the specialists that he needed, and that one of those was a project manager, of a sort. So while the fact he’d phoned her at all was a surprise, the subject was almost expected. 

“Hazel, listen. Are you serious about finding a new job? It's just that, as a temp, I get round different companies and pick up different leads” 

Next day, the project board turned down her requests for an increased timescale and budget to accommodate these new features, suggesting instead that she find 'efficiencies' somewhere within the team. That was another insult. It suggested that the team wasn’t working hard enough or that she'd deliberately overestimated certain areas so that she could claw that back in circumstances such as now prevailed. It was the final straw.

She was alone in her flat when the phone rang. Achmed wasn’t in. He was never in. Life as a junior doctor was 100 per cent work. Work till you can’t stand up, then crash on a chair somewhere for ten minutes, then carry on. While his girlfriend listened alone to classical music, surfed the tv channels and intermittently read her book. Hopefully this would be someone hauling her out to a pub somewhere 

“Hi. Is that Hazel?” 

“Yes” 

“Have you got a few minutes to talk” 

“I guess so. But who is this?” 

“The name's Damon. But you won't know me. It's about your job. I heard you might be looking for a new one” 

“I might be. Are you an agent?” 

“No. I run a small company. You could call it a startup because we're not fully operational yet. We need some extra people to complete the line-up” 

“Oh! So what sort of job is it?”
 “I don’t think it fits into a recognised category. Being a small operation, there aren’t any of the usual departments or herds of secretaries or superfluous managers. The job would suit someone who is currently a project manager, but there’s quite a lot of admin, booking things. That would be in the job as well because it would be easier to just do it than try to delegate it then check it had been done correctly. But you’d be very much in control from end to end, so there’s a lot of responsibility”
 “Ok” she agreed thinking she was not really any the wiser but she did her own admin anyway.

“Maybe you could tell me a bit about yourself?”

She described herself as best she could on the phone and gave some details of her previous career. But Damon seemed more interested in her and her background and her hobbies and boyfriend and whether she’d consider moving out of London. 

But all these questions made her think and she found herself giving one answer, then immediately modifying it like she was only then formulating the ideas in her own mind. There was little or no formality to the tone of the conversation and she found herself asking him what his opinion of her situation was, like it was just a casual chat-up in a pub somewhere and it was all delightfully easy

“So what's wrong with your current job?” Damon was asking, but she was now so relaxed she was losing concentration

“It's too frustrating” she bubbled “Just when I think I'm going to bring the project in on time, something crops up to delay it”

“But if you're project manager, isn't it up to you to be on time irrespective of the hurdles along the way?”

“Yes. But there are all sorts of things that are outside your control”

“Like?”

“Like senior management changing their mind”

“And is that what normally delays projects?”

“Quite often, but sometimes it's finding you need to do something which isn't in the plan”

“Well, don't do it. If it's not in the plan”

“No, that's not an option, I mean things that should have been in the plan, but were left out”

“But if it's your plan, why would you leave out things that are essential? Or did you just get it wrong?”

“No, its planned that way to get the cost down to budget”

“And then, you increase the budget when you announce one of these missing activities?”

“That's right. Most projects wouldn't get approval if the true cost was published in the beginning. So to get anything done you need to underestimate and then revise the budget once the commitment’s been made”

Damon sighed “Ok. But I live in a different world. We need to know what the costs are going to be way before we get too far along the line. If its not going to succeed, you have to say why and we’ll try to think of a solution. If not and that particular project is unviable, we can it and find a different one”

“But that's brilliant. You want to know the total cost up front? You want to know if things are going wrong so you can help fix them. You want to do things properly, and that's what's wrong with my current job. Sometimes I think they do it deliberately to make my life miserably impossible”

“Could be, Hazel”

“Sometimes I think it may be deliberate. If nothing went wrong in a big enough way to need senior management involvement, they wouldn’t be necessary. I’m sure that some senior managers employ people specifically to make things go wrong, which will then justify their existence. It would be so much  nicer if we were all on the same side”

“I agree. Which is why we work that way. Ok, Hazel, But this job isn’t really project management like you do at the moment”

“I thought you said it was project management?”
 “No, I said it would probably suit someone who’s in project management at the moment but who doesn’t mind doing the admin as well. Its probably too much for someone who’s in admin because of the responsibility and thinking about alternatives if there’s an obstacle. There’s a lot of admin, so you might say maybe it just needs a secretary. But someone would have to decide what to ask that secretary to do, and that’s in this job as well. And the reason you don’t need a manager and a secretary is that by the time the manager explained it, they’d have been able to just do it. And that way they get it right without any misinterpretation passing the task from one to the other, especially if the chosen option is unavailable and an immediate decision is needed on a change of plan”
 “Oh, I see. That’s why you were asking about the levels of admin I do myself”
 “Exactly. Now explaining it to you, I think it’s a cross between a travel agent and an events organiser, but with all the responsibility of a project manager. In addition there’ll be no-one rocking in with any artificial restrictions. The only restrictions will be the ones that you impose on yourself”

“So the spec might change as it does in my current job?”

“Technically, yes. But only if you change it”

“This is weird. I’m intrigued. I can’t quite visualise this. Its not really a project. There are no staff except me – I mean if I get the job - the spec only changes when I change it and I’m in control of everything that I set up”
 “That’s right. And its vital to the company, and there’s no room for error, so you change the spec as often as you like to make sure its all going to work, and work first time, because there is only one time. So, Hazel, what’s your first impression”
 “Sounds intriguing”

“Sounds like you might be interested. The next stage would be for you to send me a cv. A photo would be good too”

A photo! What! Ok, so there was no invitation to the pub but wow! So informative. I can’t remember the last time I did anything that had been so useful, so informative about me or created so much clarity about what’s wrong with my life!

Back in her office she mentioned it to Evie, just in case she'd set this up 

“It was really quite weird. He didn't tell me anything about what sort of projects he had in mind, or even what industry they were in. He just asked the odd question that set me off talking for another ten minutes and I just rambled on. But it was lovely just talking to him” 

“Did he say who he was” 

“He only identified himself as Damon - so effectively no” 

“I might be responsible for that, indirectly. I hope you don’t think I was interfering too much”

“Oh, no. Even if it doesn’t come to anything, the chat clarified so many things in my own mind, So, this Damon. What’s he like? Is this genuine?”

“I’ve met him. Once, briefly, after the Chameleons gig at Wembley and he’s gorgeous, but I don't know anything about what he's trying to do. He’s into music but I don’t know exactly what. When my friend Verity did some work for him it was all based in a remote farmhouse. Somerset, I think” 

“So are you applying there too?” 

“No. I don't think he's got any secretarial vacancies. And I like the excitement here in London” 

“He said there weren’t many secretaries there. He had quite a few questions on how much admin I actually did myself. I said ‘most of it’ because you know how useless our project secretary is. He asked me to send a cv with all the usual details. Evie, he even asked me to send him a photo! What’s that for? But the address he gave me was the Starburst Radio office in Edencombe, so maybe its in broadcasting, but there seems to be a strange level of secrecy. Its not military, is it?” 

“I don’t think so, unless the Damon I met was on the security side. I’m pretty sure he's a musician, but I've no idea what he needs a project manager for. Unless maybe he’s got some building projects around the farmhouse of his. Or maybe its like setting up a new radio station. Don’t know, Could be anything. I mean, what is a project anyway?” 

Damons call, the questions he was asking, and the answers she found herself giving had crystallised the situation in her own mind. They’d discussed her current job in some detail and it sounded to her like this was something worth a bit more time. Especially if its more money, and maybe in the countryside, or just talking to him again for another hour and a half. She revised her cv and found a rummaged holiday photo that might just be suitable. Details were hard to come by, and she started making a list of questions in the event that he called her again - do I need to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you tell me anything! Is it military or MI5 or security? How much holiday do I get? What’s the salary? Where is it based?

She wanted to talk to him again. Actually, she decided, she wanted him to take her out to the pub although maybe that was a hope too far, especially because she was already engaged to Achmed. She churned through a dozen revisions of her cv, printing the final copy just in time to get it into the post. And now that she was thinking in that vein, she grabbed a copy of the specialist press before going home to see what else might be around even though she was disparately hoping that this cv would produce the right result.

Now browsing through the columns of ads on the back pages she got to wondering if all IT projects suffered from the same restrictions and interference as her current job. Maybe she should be taking a wider view. Supposing Damon did want someone to set up a new Radio Station, could she do it? Would she want to? And maybe there were dozens of companies out there who needed project management but not in IT! After all, what was a project anyway, as Evie had asked? Just about any activity with a defined result could be deemed a project. So even if he didn’t phone again, that might already have been the most important phone call in her life, and all this would be so useful in whichever interview she went to next.

The next day she existed on hope. But the day after disappointment clouded her as she slumped onto her office chair. A look was all it took from Evie

“Damon didn’t phone last night”

“Haze’! Did you expect him to? He won’t even have got that cv yet!”

But project problems took over and held her in her office till late.

She was scrabbling something together to eat when Damon interrupted. The previous evening she hadn’t realised how much she’d wanted him to phone, but she’d already written that off as being silly. But now he was back on the line asking how she was and how the project was going and all sorts of other irrelevant details like maybe he just needed someone to talk to. Suffering from an overdose of elation the serious question caught her off guard

“Thanks for the cv. Just wondered if you’d thought any more about it?”
 “Oh, Damon! I thought of so many questions after your call”

She ran off the top six on her list in quick succession by way of examples not waiting for answers.

“Ok, so it sound like you’re still interested?”

“Well, yes. If interested and intrigued are the same thing”

“Ok. So you do IT projects at the moment but my company is in the music business and the only computer involved would be the one on your desk”

“But that’s ok. I was thinking only yesterday that I should consider project management in a wider sense to increase my opportunities”

“Ok, this is definitely in that wider space of yours. What we do in my company is find new bands who are playing the pubs and clubs already but are good enough to go a lot farther. We invite them to our studios to record a single or an album and then, to support those record sales, they go out on the road on a tour playing gigs in different cities. The job we’re talking about is to organise these tours for rock bands”

“Rock band management? Woohoo, I’d never though of that!”

“Ok, so how it would work is that we identify a band that wants to go on tour. You get together with the band and decide which region they should head for – maybe the Far East, and Japan, or Central Europe, USA or just maybe the UK and you set it up. Everything. Flights, trains, boats, taxis - for equipment and personnel, hotels, venues, advertising, ticket sales, everything. The objective is that all the band has to think about is getting on stage and playing – and that’s what pays the salaries. You would be left to get on with it. Ok, I’d check in with you along the way and more frequently to start with. But the tour has to turn in a profit. There’s some flexibility in the ticket price, but apart from that… If its not going to fly, can it and send someone else somewhere else instead. Like I said, just do a different project. There are lots of decisions to be made along the way. No point setting up a major stadium when the band is unknown in that country and would be better off in the town hall. But town hall bands don’t stay in five star hotels – not till they’re better known. And spec changes? Like maybe you cant get 5 rooms at the hotel in Helsinki. Ok, change hotel, or cancel that venue and go to Tallin instead”

“Wow! So that’s what this is all about! Sounds fabulous. But its quite different from the usual project management”

“Yes, which is why I was evasive in describing it to start with. So are you still interested?”

Still interested! What! She just stared at the phone – Rock band management – what!

“Yes” she whispered, stunned.

“Ok, so what about we meet up and I’ll explain it in a bit more detail and a bit more about what I’m looking for and see if we think we can work together. Who you work with is as important as what job you do, so I think its important. I was thinking we might make dinner tomorrow. Maybe L’Ortolan. Its just south of Reading. Not sure if its Michelin starred, but it should be”

“Emm….” This was too much of a surprise. It was an invitation, but not quite the invite to the pub she was still waiting for. But it was perfectly normal to meet up for an interview even if it continues to be this casual

“Although that does mean you’d have to get yourself out of town a bit. 7 o’clock? I don’t want to be too late. I need to get back to the Studio afterwards to catch up with Adam, my business partner, and he wont be in the bar much after midnight and it’s a couple of hours drive”

What! Need to get back for an after midnight meeting! This guy is on another level.

“Emmm. Ok. I mean, yes. Please, and thankyou. But how will I recognise you? Will you be wearing a white carnation or something?”
 “No. I’ll be at the bar and I’ll find you so long as you look something like the photograph you sent me”

It was with increased excitement that she caught the train out of London. She’d not been to this restaurant before but Evie had told her she’d heard it was excellent, Michelin starred and in an old listed building. This was definitely not being hauled out to the pub. She got a taxi from the station, but this was by a very long way the most opulent restaurant she’d ever been to. And he’d already said that he was on a short timescale so additional activities were not on the agenda, so no worries there. 

Except that was now becoming a disappointment as she noticed the guy at the bar who was looking all too directly at her, reducing her to a jelly. Oh my! Evie had said he was gorgeous.

“Hazel?”

“Yes”, and why is this only an interview and not a date. Oh! And the table is right next to the window overlooking the lake!

At his invitation, she talked more about herself and learned next to nothing about him too. After about an hour, they switched the subject and instead talked through her experience and CV. He explained that she’d have total responsibility for delivery because there wouldn’t be any staff to delegate to, but she also had to understand that, although the band may express a preference, she would be in control. So this was different, but it was ‘different’ that she was looking for. And this was looking very much like there might be an offer on the table 

“Of course you wouldn’t be entirely on your own. Its not in any of our interests for a tour to go wrong. In the event that it did, its likely that you’d have to fly out there at short notice to represent the company on the ground while Adam or me try to sort it out. But you wouldn’t be a band manager in the usual sense. You wouldn’t be expected to travel with them and wipe their noses. The anticipated profit in our business model dictates that we simply don’t deal with guys that need a full time nanny. Once a tour is set up, the guys should be independent, and you would go on to the next one. But we can’t get it wrong. Not only do we lose reputation, but you’ve got anything between 300 and 30000 fans wondering who screwed up and where do they get their money back. And a lot of people travel long distance to a gig. We need to respect that. Individual guys could lose hundreds of dollars on travel and hotels only to turn round and go home. And that can’t happen with my name on it”

Damon could see her eyes had widened and a disbelieving smile had ventured onto her face

“From what I’ve heard so far, Hazel, I wouldn’t expect you to struggle with this – if you wanted to do it. There’s a lot of admin and it needs attention to detail. But its your own admin. You need flights? Book them. You need 5 hotel rooms in Buffallo? Phone the hotel. You’re nervous about the venue in Bratislava – send the guys to Minsk instead, or if you can afford the time, go there and check it out. You’re not a secretary. No-one else’s admin is coming your way. But at the same time, you’re in total control and its your responsibility. Here, unlike you’re current company, we have a 100% success rate because if its going to fail or lose money we identify that early and can it. I don’t want my name on anything that will generate bad press”

Dinner was finished, coffee was finished, their extra drink after that was finished. It was time to go even if she wanted this to go on forever.

“Is there a salary that goes with this as well” she had the temerity – or maybe the alcohol - to ask

“Yes there is. There’s no issue with that” was the reply which could have sounded curt, but in fact sounded up-beat, almost jovial. “But” he had continued more seriously “It is only for the right person”

 “Do you have many other candidates to interview?”

“No. Not until the current prospect proves that they’re not the right person. Come on, I’ll give you a lift back to your train”

Aston Martin! Surely not! 

Now lost in a whirlwind of emotions, she prised herself out of the low sports car. Would it be inappropriate to kiss him goodnight? Oh my goodness! Apparently not!

“Think about it. The next and final stage would be for you to come down to the Studio. Meet some of the team, especially Adam, and see if it’s the sort of place you’d like to work. You will only succeed if this is something you actively want to do. Which is why we’re not talking about money”

She had just stopped. This was definitely the back of beyond but now perhaps she could relax a little. First hurdle was cleared because she’d found the gate. And she was a good fifteen minutes ahead of time. She breathed out a long sigh of relief as she waited behind a beaten up old Ford Transit converted to a mini bus. 

The gatehouse had hardly surprised her. There seemed to be a serious level of secrecy inherent in this company. She’d tried to find out something about it but had come up with a complete blank. The conversations with Damon replayed through her mind. Were there any clues hiding in there that she’d missed? 

And now here at the entrance to something verging on secret she got out and headed towards the security checkpoint where the only man on duty was in debate with the guys from the van. She held back, not wanting to interrupt.

“Sorry lady” security was saying “you’re not properly dressed, I can't let you in”

“You’re joking me!”

“Look man, we've worked so hard to get here, you can't just turn us away”

“No, ok you guys can go in, but your friend here cannot”

“Man, what do have to do to get in?”

“Dress properly. Its quite clear in the letter y’all got sent”

Hazel had read her letter, and, yes it was quite clear. Girls and any other female had to wear a skirt or a dress. She’d noticed that it did not attend to what type of dress, but she hadn't given that aspect much thought. She often wore a dress anyway and was more concerned about what would be most suitable for this occasion. The shorter the better maybe, to get the attention. But no. She needed to be taken seriously as well for this executive job.

“No way, lady. It ain't gonna happen. There are only two criteria for gettin’ in. One is that you’re on the invite list, and the other is that you’re suitably dressed. Unfortunately, you’re not. So its end of story”

“So what do you expect me to do? You can't just leave me outside in the road!”

“Why not? That's up to you. If you'd complied with the conditions, you wouldn't have this problem. That’s why its in the letter”

Hazel stepped forward. She loosened her belt and now wriggled out of her satin underskirt.

“Hey, you can borrow my slip, if you like. That'll get you in and be ok till you get yourself sorted out”

She held the satin skirt out to her 

“No! No one. Like no-one tells me what to wear! or do!” she screamed at security, grabbing the satin and throwing it on the ground into a muddy puddle “And…” she fumed turning on Hazel “…you can butt out as well”.

She picked up her satin, distraught now and took a step back towards her hire car as Security continued unperturbed. 

“The best I can do is ask if anyone is available to take you to the station”

He spoke briefly into his intercom and a few minutes later what looked like an adapted off road golf cart stopped next to them. Wow! If that’s the kind of guys that work here, I definitely want to pass this interview. Damon, and now him!

“Hi Adam. We've got Rocket 7 here as expected, but one of them is improperly dressed, and now she's becoming agitated”

“I am not agitated! I'm just telling you no one tells me what to wear!”

Adam turned to her “you can wear exactly what you like….”

“Oh! At last! common sense”

“….Anywhere you like except here. Yep. I don't care what you wear unless you're in the Studio. You were told that there was a dress code, and you have failed to comply. So, no, you're not coming in. I can offer you Colin’s services to take you to the station” he continued as a large Mercedes pulled up “ Beyond that, I can't help you”

“But why?” she wailed

“Because, you clearly don't have the temperament, emotional stability, attitude or ambition to work with us here at Chameleon”

“I've got more ambition than anyone!”

“I’d question that. Clearly wearing what you want is more important than a career in music with us. Look, we sent you the rules, few as they were, and you ignored them. Working with us is not just about musical ability. There’s a number of other essential factors that we’ll be looking for over the next couple of days. Attitude is one of them and you have failed before we’ve even started. You’d only be wasting more of your own time continuing from here because you’d never make it” 

He turned to face the others “What's that? he asked pointing to the satin dripping brown from Hazel’s hand”

She flashed a smile. “It's my slip. I offered it to her to break the deadlock.”

Adam smiled at her and nodded with his head on one side.

“We’re through here. The rest of you, meet me in the meeting room, third door on the right as you get into the main building”

But Hazel’s time was now running out

“We can't give up now” the boys were arguing amongst themselves “We've worked for this as well. We can't let it go just cos you're pig stubborn”

Hazel stood at the meeting room door waiting for the others who seemed to have got stuck in the foyer still debating whether to return to their colleague. The initial shock of the building was buzzing in her head and she gazed upwards, studying the frescos. Evie had mentioned a farmhouse. Farmhouse! This place was awesome. Why would you not want to work in a place like this, as Adam eventually returned and they all bundled in

“Look guys” he opened addressing everyone “it's tough in this business. Like I said to your colleague, you don’t just need to be the best musicians, you need to be able to keep the pace and that requires a certain type of personality that she hasn’t got. She’s already fallen at the first hurdle and there are quite a few more that are attitude dependant. But you guys need to make a decision. Your invitation was for the whole band, so how are you going to work now?” 

Adam noted the blank looks and continued “choice is yours, but I think it boils down to going home and coming back when you find a new lead singer, moving someone else into lead vocals or just throw the towel in and join your friend on the trip homeward and take your chances with the likes of IMD. If you go through the door just beyond the main staircase, that will take you out onto the terrace and Adrienne will sort out coffee for you. Take half an hour to think about it and I'll be back to see what you want to do”

He frowned and looked puzzled “And... how come there’s still 7 of you?”

“She's not with us. She's not in the band”

“Oh! So who are you?”

“Hazel Whitworth. I was due here for an interview with Damon but then you said everyone had to go to the meeting room”

Adam stared at her disapprovingly, then mellowed.

“Yes, yes, Hazel, right. He’ll be wondering where you’ve got to. Let's get you checked in. C’mon”

“This building is just awesome, like the hall, the chandeliers, the stairway” she said as she followed him

“I agree, but they all pale into insignificance when you hear the quality of the sound in the vaults that we use as studios. Hey Natalia” he called to the girl approaching him, “can you find out which room is allocated to Hazel, and then let me know. We'll be with Damon”

“Know that Adam” she replied in her strong Eastern European accent “It's 218”

“Struth! At least accommodation is under control. So, that's up the stairs, two flights, to the second floor, then turn right and then 9 doors down on the left. Nice. It will overlook the lawn and down to the lake. But we're a bit later than expected, so let's get this show on the road”

Damon rose from his chair and invited them to sit around the coffee table.

“Hazel! Delighted you got here at last. I understand you got caught up in a bit of drama at the gate,. Unfortunate. Michelle will bring coffee any minute now, so lets recap on where we are. We’ve talked about the job. I’ve tried to tell it like it is, and you’re interested enough to spend your weekend with us. We’re not going to go back over everything again just for Adams benefit. This is to introduce you to some of the team and I want you to experience the environment we work in to see if you like it. The only person you need to convince is Adam. This role is critical and if he hasn’t got confidence in you I’m afraid you will fall at the last hurdle”

She bit her bottom lip considering this, and the fact that everyone was on first name terms before they were even introduced, finally looking up and seeing Adam watching her

“I’m fairly easy to impress”

“Ok. so any questions you’ve come up with since we last met?”

“You said the office location was rural…?” she speculated, praying

“Yes its based here. The whole operation is based here. That way we minimise the communication issues. The bands will be down here for sound tests, rehearsal, recording and various other reasons. Its important that you know the guys and their type of music”

“Type of music?”

“Yes. Some of the more upmarket venues are nervous about the more raucous hard core bands. We’re trying hard to avoid that kind of trouble, but venues don’t know that. Not until we can establish some sort of reputation, so we may need to reassure them and you’d be key to that”

“So I really would be joining at the beginning?”

“Yes.” joined Adam “We’re still setting it up, but there’s only a couple of pieces of the puzzle left, and once they’re in place there’s still a lot to do to get the whole machine moving with bands rolling in, recording and getting out on the road. And its that last bit that you’d be responsible for”

“So I’d set up a whole tour? Who signs it off?”

Adam and Damon looked at each other

“You do. Why would anyone else know better than you if its done properly? In the early days I might ask you why you booked Easter Road rather than the Churchill Theatre or are sending the band to Australia rather than Germany, but you wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t a good reason”

“So if it makes sense, just do it”
 “Yes. If I had the time to go through it all with you, I might as well just do it myself”

Well, yes. The interminable meetings I have in my current office explaining some decision to some senior interferer who had no background in the circumstances. Why? What value was he bringing? He wasn’t even justifying his own existence, except maybe to himself.

And all the names were first names, no departments, no teams, everyone with their piece of the puzzle talking to the next people in the chain. And finally… me!.

“The point is, you’re responsible for it – from start to finish”

“Of course, we will work more closely until you get the hang of it. Its not in anyone’s interests to screw up”

She froze momentarily. This was huge. And she would be critical. But the girl she assumed was Michelle had put coffee and cakes on the table

“Michelle, This is Hazel. I’m trying to persuade her to join us as tours controller. And Adam is trying to put her off. Hazel, this is Michelle. She started as my PA but she’s been critical in setting everything up since we started with the original dream”
 But this had defused a situation that was getting tense

“You must’ve already spent a fortune setting up…”

“Yes. Damon has” smiled Adam “And one thing that has done is increase the resolve to make sure it all works. And make sure the right people are hired. So what do you think of the show so far?” 

“It all sounds fabulous. But its all so completely different. I’d have to move down here…” she continued evasively “Do you know if there’s any flats around to rent. Its quite remote here”

“The best thing, and certainly initially, is to stay here at the Studio”

“Here! In this building?”

“Yes. You’re booked to stay here tonight. That should give you a view of what its like to live here. And you can talk to everyone else and see if it’s the sort of environment you’d like to join. So take a walk round the garden - there’s a huge amount of restoration going on. At least take a look at the swimming pool, a dip even. There’s swimwear in the changing rooms, have a drink in the bar, sit on the terrace and order a snack. In my book, working is not just about the job you do, its about who you work with and the environment you work in. Everyone contributes to the environment, the ambience, the atmosphere, so its important that everyone contributes in a positive way. That’s why we invited you to stay. Its not just because we’re quite remote. This afternoon is your time to decide if this whole show is something you’d like to be part of. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take chat part 2 after we’ve all had time to think and review if we’re both interested in working with each other”

She glanced down at her notes, hardly believing this was happening to her and her voice faltered on the next question and somehow seemed to miss the reply

“We haven’t discussed salary, although you’ve hinted that it would be more than I get at the moment. But I’d like to think about that as well…”

“Hazel, you can’t do this just for the money. Its got to be something you’d really like to do. That’s why I’ve been evasive so far. I don’t expect you to do the job for nothing, but I want you to decide if you want it first, even at the risk that you’d then have to turn it down because the salary was so disappointing. However, what you could think about is what number you’d be happy with,….”
 “And we’ll see how it compares to the number that Damon has already written in this envelope he’s hiding…” teased Adam “…Ok?”

“Part 2 tomorrow morning. Might see you in the bar later, but that’s just a statement not a command”

She drifted in some sort of dream down the corridor gazing at the ceiling with a quick glance into what she assumed was the dining room, then next right into the bar. That was a bit more definite. It was definitely a bar. What? A whole pub just built into a single spare room? but no barman…

“Bar’s free, so its help yourself” said one of the guys sitting near the patio doors, and now armed with an unmeasured vodka and orange, she glanced at the guys who were engrossed in their own discussion, and walked out onto the terrace. She gazed down towards the lake and over towards the formal gardens. She left her glass on a table and wandered as far as the walled garden. Did she want to organise rock band concerts? Tours? Like a travel agent, but with a lot more responsibility. And live and work here. With zero failure rate. So I’d need to do some initial estimates, see if it would work and if not, send someone else to some other part of the world. Oh my! How different could everything get?

She wandered mindlessly into the restaurant and sat down on her own.

“Would you like menu? For dinner?” said the girl that Adam had called Natalia as she approached

“Yes please”

“You on own? Now, these guys very friendly. Come on, you join them. I introduce you”

She felt embarrassed being steamrollered like this, but there was no malice intended and the five guys were only too pleased to have her join their table. They were in Studio next morning and were nervously discussing all the things that could go wrong. Hazel, however, changed the mood. Instead of issues, they were more interested in telling her about the band and how good they were, and the process and why Studio time was so important. This must be what Damon had in mind when he said she should talk to people. This was a first hand introduction to an industry she knew very little about, except as a consumer. And this was the industry she might be invited to join. 

That evening, she made a point of talking to Adam. It was Adam she had to impress and that would be difficult because she found herself turning to jelly every time he smiled at her. Damon rescued her. He was awesome too, but she was less tense with him. She felt she knew him better, he was gentler and he would be more forgiving. The third interview was more like a date anyway with dinner and a beautiful bottle of wine in a hugely expensive restaurant and even a goodnight kiss. The conversation had been mainly about her, and she reflected, she’d hardly learned anything at all about him.

Next morning, she made her way down the spiral staircase. The guys she’d met at dinner were in Studio at 9, and she hadn’t been told of any boundary limits. This was a critical piece of the maze. She stopped silently at the door and watched as the band ran through their first track. Not really her kind of music – the drummer was too prominent. But it flowed, and everyone was in sync and they looked happy, wordlessly communicating with each other as the song progressed. Adam was on the mixing desk and she gazed wide-eyed at the huge matrix of dials, switches and sliders each with its own pilot light. She wouldn’t have a clue how it all worked, but it was huge, and hugely impressive, it must have cost a fortune and this now made the whole thing real. Not the talk, not the speculation, not the theoretical process. This was something she’d never even dreamed of and it knocked her previous projects into a cocked hat. Her IT project in London that was supposed to make invoice payment more efficient now seemed completely pointless. It was so ethereal, whereas this was so tangible. Oh my! How do I persuade Adam to like me?

Damon and Adam were both waiting for her. 

“How much thinking did you manage to do?” opened Damon. 

What sort of question was that! Dreaming, yes. Thinking, maybe not so much. But the atmosphere was so laid back. She’d felt rather claustrophobic down in the basement studio, but here it seemed like a sociable chat with two really nice guys that she’d like to get to know a bit better

“We find that it can be a bit overwhelming and that seems to be the antidote to rational thought” continued Adam, but Damon was looking very directly at her cutting through the vagaries of her thought process

“If Adam offered you the job right now, would you take it?”

“Yes!”

“Good. That’s all I need to know. I want to get the studio reset before 11 for the next session”

And that was that. Adam had gone giving nothing away, not even a goodbye. 

Now alone with Damon, she still had so many questions. Could she really just walk anywhere in the gardens anytime she liked? Could Achmed share her room until they found something suitable locally? And what about staying in this mansion? How much would that cost. And were the sports facilities extra, and…

“Really?” he asked seriously “You still want this job after all its put you through already?”
 “Yes”

He pulled two cans from the fridge that she’d not noticed before and slid one across to her. 

10.15, and beer time already!

He looked, puzzled, at the label

“Not sure what this is. But it must be drinkable. Lisa will have personally tested it before she put it in here”

She wasn’t really a beer drinker, but…. When in Rome…

“Welcome to the Studio. You are going to do so well here”
 “I’m glad you’re confident. I wasn’t so sure about Adam. Are you sure he’s ok with this?”
 “Adam? You had him convinced at the gatehouse when Rocket Seven still had seven members. But Hazel, to do this successfully, you need to want to do it. It simply wont work if your sole motivation is your salary cheque. Everything’s fairly fluid around here. The hours are relatively flexible, its more important that the job gets done. Some calls may need to be made at odd times if they’re to diverse time zones, but the whole thing needs to be equitable. You can’t do a good job if you’re unhappy or if you feel you’re being ripped off, or if there’s so little to do that you get bored. And you’re sure you want to join us here at the Studio”

“Yes”

“Good. Now, you’ve asked me about salary 4 times now, so what did you have in mind?....”

She watched him slide a white envelope across the table, as Adam had teased. “…how much did you want above your current salary?”

“I really don’t know! I don’t know how much it would cost to stay in this part of the country, or even here in the mansion”

“Ok. Adam, Lisa, Michelle, Andrea, Max, Natalia, me – most of the critical people stay here in this building. More domestic staff will be joining us and some of them will stay here as well. The downside is that there’s a lot of talk about work in the bar in the evening, but the big advantage is that commuting times are low, apart from the fact that it doesn’t cost you anything. This house has no facility for taking money. Everyone who stays here stays here free of charge. That’s the main reason you need an invitation. Most of the guys in the bands that come down here are virtually penniless. Some have spent their last couple of quid just on the train fare, so this tries to balance that out and give them the best environment and opportunity to do the very best they can”

“So does that mean its taken out of my salary?”
 “No, that’s too complicated. So often people make things complex and problematic just to create obscurity for the preservation of their deluded superiority. Governments are experts at it. We keep everything as simple as it can be and try very hard to avoid exceptions. Its simply free

“So the bar’s free? How does anyone ever get any work done?”

“That’s all part of the attitude that’s needed to become part of this team. The wrong attitude means you’re in the wrong company and you will need to find a new one. Just like that girl at the gate. Staying here also means that you’ll be able to use the sports facilities. Are you sporty?”
 “I love tennis, but I see you’ve got a squash court here”
 “We have a tennis court as well. Adam is a fiend for tennis. Back when we were at uni he played for the county. And you’ve already found the restaurant and the bar”

He pushed the sealed envelope towards her

“So taking into account what’s in that envelop, is it more or less than you were anticipating?”

Slowly she picked it up. With no accommodation, no meals, no drinks to pay for. …. I could afford to do this for a lot less than I get now. Maybe half. Half my salary goes on my flat. Its such an opportunity. Its everything me and Achmed need. And we’d have enough to live on while he finds a practice that he likes. Oh I hope its at least half of … but … “How much! Oh m’gosh”

She looked back up from the short note to see him studying her waiting for her reaction.

This in itself was scary. Is every little thing orchestrated to test one or other point of personality? – like that attitude to the dress code at the security point?

“Then once you’re up and running we’ll have a discussion about an incentive, based on the nett margin of the tours you organise”

“Incentive….” but her brain was in overload.

“Ok. So what’s your initial reaction? Not that it’s a final commitment. Its got the excitement, the responsibility, the countryside location. Its all based here, and that’s quite a change from the big city .Its probably just down to whether you like us” 

Like you! Oh my, I’m already so wobbly I doubt if I can walk. And that’s before I get to the free bar.

“Like you? I think you guys are fabulous. The guys I met in the bar were great too. Still interested? Absolutely. When do you want me to start?”

Monday morning and Hazel had already said she’d be in late. The whole experience of the Studio had left an indelible mark on her. Everything from the way people behaved – quietly, considerately, team based – even the top guys. And the dress code! Draconian! But for a purpose and as a bonus - no scruffs! It just lifted her spirits seeing everyone nicely dressed. Wasn’t it so much happier? Didn’t it just make you feel better! She liked looking pretty and maybe slightly flirty. All the girls at the Studio did, but in her office? Maybe there it was a little risky rather than just risqué, Might attract the wrong sort of attention, and be interpreted as the wrong kind of invitation. It wouldn’t at the Studio – there were no such threats or implied limitations. The bands that came and went might be variable, but surely that was down to confidence. And where was her confidence now?

She slipped on the short black geo-patterned dress she’d worn to the interview and headed in to work. She was aware of getting some quizzical looks, but Evie was first to comment

“Yes, I went down to that mansion of Damon’s. Wow! What a weekend….” but was immediately hauled off to the café to tell all about it.

“….So, Evie. I’ll drop my resignation into HR when I eventually get to the second floor. And after that this whole shambles will be someone else’s problem”

“Like mine maybe. I might not be Project Manager, but I’ll probably be expected to sort out continuity”

“Oh Evie! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would be your problem”

“No, maybe not. But what sort of project is it? We couldn’t figure that out last week and it sounded all so evasive”

“Damon didn’t want anyone to take the job just to work there or just for the salary. He needs someone who wants to do this sort of work. I will be setting up the concert tours that rock bands go on. There’s a lot of admin. Like booking hotels and flights and taxis…..”

“…..doesn’t sound like promotion, Hazel”

“It is really, and it’s a lot more money because of the responsibility. You see, I also need to book the venues like concert halls and stadiums or just town halls. And its me that has to decide which of these to book. Like, if I cant get the stadium in Helsinki, I book Tallin instead, but then I have to change all the flights. Or if I can’t get the venue I want, I find a smaller one and double the ticket price to make up. And its all down to me. I have complete control – and responsibility. So I’m quite keen on doing all the admin myself to make sure its done properly because there is no, like zero, margin for error. I’ll be part of the team but I’ll be the only one doing this. So, no staff to manage. If it needs doing, I just do it. But there’s no-one interfering either. I don’t need signoff from senior management. I am senior management and I don’t need to explain it to someone who needs to know the ins and outs of a duck’s ass before they’ll agree to anything. By that time I’d have the thing done and moved on”

“Wow! Do people really work that way? Did you meet Adam as well?”

“Oh my! Adam. Evie, If I don’t do any work at all and fail my probation it’ll all be his fault. But the whole place is so laid back. And they know about that industry. Its completely different. In every way. Its so exciting, its frightening. Really, its like stuff somehow gets done in the middle of one great big house party”

“Leaving! Just because you’re under a little pressure now!”

“No. Its not the pressure. Its because this whole company is a shambles. No-one knows what they want and they keep changing their minds and then expect me to deliver inside the original budget and timescale which was for something completely different”

“Well, yes. The project has to start before we can visualise what‘s needed! If the full scope was published at the beginning, the budget and timescale would never be approved and we’d never start anything!”

“Exactly. Because the IT projects don’t actually have a genuine payback. The company would be better off just employing a couple more accounts clerks than spend a million pounds on software. Whereas in my new company, they want to know the real cost, the actual detail and the overall net impact on margin. And if that impact is negative, they can it and do something else instead. They’re up-front, they’re honest and they’re realistic and my contribution will drop directly to the bottom line. Its exciting, its real and its nothing to do with replacing people’s jobs with machines”

Even more excitement rolled in on Tuesday. Achmed was finally getting an evening off and she booked a nice quiet restaurant for dinner. This would be ideal to surprise him. They’d talked about living in the countryside after he was fully qualified and finished his time at the hospital. This was now a month ago, not that there was any urgency and he could simply carry on at the hospital until they had everything sorted out. She’d got dressed up more than usual, and already had a more expensive bottle of wine on the table before he arrived. It was perfect, and she positively fizzed excitement at the prospect of making this huge leap forward in their dream together. She bubbled about it and how wonderful the grounds were and the garden and the lake and the atmosphere and then stopped suddenly in confusion.

Achmed wasn’t sharing this. He wasn’t fizzing, more fuming and finally broke…

“You’ve done what! But you cant! You’ll have to call them and cancel it”

“What? Why? Achmed! This is what we’ve always wanted – its our dream and this job has come up at exactly the right time. Its such a fabulous place and that whole valley is perfect. Its everything we wanted it to be” 

He was shaking his head slowly and eating was completely off the menu

“No!”

She cancelled the rest of their dinner. She’d been looking forward to this, building it up and looking forward to the whole evening with him. But now it wasn’t just her special dinner that was in ruins, it was her whole dream, their whole dream. If that was finished, what about the engagement? If that wasn’t the plan, what was? Her whole life had just suffered an unnatural disaster.

The next morning he delaying leaving for work

“Now. You phone these guys now and cancel whatever it is”

“No…why?”

But his insistent look burned through her and she dialled the studio in submission as he towered over her

“Lisa, Its Hazel. Listen can you give Damon a message. Tell him…. Tell him, I can’t take the job. Tell him I’m sorry” and she hung up

“One thing you will learn …” said Achmed as he was swinging the door open to leave “….is that you will obey me without question”

He was back unexpectedly that evening, but Hazel was still distraught, still in disbelief. This is the man she loved, that loved her. That she would spend her life with. What was happening!

“So what’s the new plan?” she finally asked partly to break the two hour silence. They’d never had a row. They’d never had a separation like this. They’d never been silent when they were together. 

“New plan? Its not a new plan, it’s the same plan we’ve always had. It is the custom in my country that the couple will live in the grooms village”

Ok, so they didn’t spend much time together because of his incessant work but they’d always made the most of the time they did get. But she continued her silence, stunned by the few key details.

Achmed was back at work and her next call to the Studio continued her trepidation. Damon wasn’t there, but Lisa had given her the number for Starburst Radio where he would be later that day. By the time she recovered her composure enough to try again he’d moved on from there as well and Emma finally got him to the phone in Gerrards bar. 

Damon gentle voice was a welcome relief from Achmed’s sudden brutality

“Don’t you like us any more, or did something else go wrong?”

Oh my! There’s a question…

“In setting up the Studio, we’ve tried to create a place that helps you recover from the inevitable setbacks, like a single that wasn’t as popular as you expected or a studio session that just crashed. Even if you don’t join us, the Studio is a wonderful place to help you think and straighten out your mind..”

And she found herself accepting the unexpected invitation to take advantage of that ambience.

Wasn’t that just so considerate? even if there was some ulterior motive that she hadn’t yet identified but she was too distracted to drive all the way to Somerset and it would take too long to organise the car hire, and Lisa had said someone would meet her at the station….

Adam was first to notice her arrival as Gustav dropped her at the door. It was late afternoon and he wondered just what had unsettled her so much. She seemed so positive when she was on site. And then to actually decide to come back! There must be at least two sides to this.

 He met her by the stairs just as she was placing her case behind the bottom step ready to take up to her room later. 

“Hi” she whispered “Thanks for the invitation” - whispering was not Hazel’s style 

“It was Damon’s invitation”

“Adam, is Damon not talking to me anymore? I wouldn’t be surprised”

“Of course he is. He invited you didn’t he? But he’s in a band review right now. They’re not up to standard, they’ll never make it on our terms. They’d need too much looking after and that’s not our style. But apart from that, he’s more gently persuasive than me. I’m more direct. Now, you know your way around, so you just make your way through to the bar. I’m right in the middle of something so I’ll see you in a while”

She smiled weakly “it’s ok” and headed slowly towards the restaurant. 

Lisa popped in to Damon’s office to let him know Hazel was here, and suggested that she looked like she was suffering the after effects of a good weekend. Damon would have been more than pleased if that had been the case but managed to finish his band review before his concern overtook him.

He walked out through the bar to the terrace where she was standing on her own leaning on the parapet, staring blankly across the lawn to the lake. Ok, thought Damon. Right again, which was good, but Hazel looked very distant and that was bad. 

“Maybe I should get you some coffee…?” 

But a short negative head twitch put an end to that idea before it even started. 

“Hazel… “ he said very quietly “… what about a little walk in the garden. It’s so peaceful, so fragrant. It soothes away all sorts of disappointments” 

She turned her head, raising it slightly with what might have been a nod and walked slowly with him down to the patio and out onto the lawn. In her previous company she’d have been in serious trouble and the invitation to walk would have actually been a command. He would have held her hand but she clasped them in front of her firmly closing that particular gate. 

But here in the walled garden for the first time in days she felt no aggression. She actually felt numb, so maybe that was predominant, but they’d reached the rose garden and the fragrance was penetrating her depression. 

Sienna’s new bench was a convenient place to break and she smiled hopelessly as Damon patted out the few tears that were forming in the corners of those faraway eyes. 

She managed a very faint smile turning towards him, which he returned with a brighter more concerned look. She felt him gently touching her hand and looked down at it as he closed his fingers around her palm. She’d always been a resilient person, and Damon was in line for being her boss not her boyfriend. She’d always liked him ever since his first phone call, but with Achmed in the background she’d never even thought about anything else between them. But now this minor act of concern and kindness overwhelmed her and she could no longer hold herself together. She took the tissue from him as he folded his arms round her and she hid her face in his shoulder. 

He held her gently for a long few minutes till she recovered enough to say ‘thank you’, but Damon’s intention was to stay there through to the explanation 

“Achmed?… is he fully qualified now?” 

“Yes. He has been for over a month. Damon, I was so excited to tell him about all this. But then he bullied me in to cancelling it all because now… now… now… we’re going to Bangladesh. He’s told me I’m to go with him. Damon, I didn’t know that was the plan. I thought we were going to live in the countryside. I’d assumed it was the English countryside, but its not. Its in his village” 

“Oh, Hazel, that’s a huge culture change. Much more for you as a girl going over there than him as a guy coming over here” 

“Yes. Have you been there!” 

“Yes. We played Islamabad just after three gigs in Afghanistan. We never saw any trouble, and we were glad we’d done it, but it never struck me as being the safest of places. I was pleased to get across the border into India. But then, we were all guys, and essentially just tourists” 

“So you’ll know that I can’t go there. Damon, I wasn’t expecting this. I was sure he was planning to stay in England. I don’t know how he ever thought this would work, but to him, going back is more important than me. ... It’s like that girl at the gate the first day I came here. Her blue jeans were more important to her than her career or the guys in her band. Adam gave her the heave-ho. And now me”

They were interrupted by Adam with an almost unnaturally concerned smile all over his face

“Careful now, Hazel. We don’t want any hasty decisions, and any serious discussion we have must result in your own decision not you just going wobbly because Damon has asked you”
 Oh wow! Ok, so that’s quite direct! But it almost made her smile – As if I didn’t go all wobbly with you as well…..
 “Hazel. Damon – and me – don’t want people who don’t want to be here. It takes more than money to succeed here, but something has completely disoriented you, so Damon wanted to give you the opportunity to sort yourself out. And its not a sales pitch because if you’re not a hundred percent committed, we don’t want you anyway”

“Sounds like I’m out already, like that girl from Rocket 7. She failed on attitude, maybe I’ve failed on commitment?”

“Maybe, but not yet”

“Ok. But I’m sure you guys’ve got things you need to do” 

“Nothing that can’t wait. And nothing that is more important than looking after you…” said Daman as Adam gave him a reproaching look. She smiled a proper smile as Damon continued undeterred “…And I’m certainly not going to leave you crying in the rose garden” 

She dried her eyes 

“Come on, let’s walk back now” 

“But we might leave you with Lisa and a cup of coffee on the terrace”

The late afternoon had drifted in, just drinking coffee on the terrace looking all the way down to the lake. A couple of guys had stopped on their way past and asked if she was ok, but there was no pressure.

“How you feeling?” asked Michelle catching up with her “Are you ok on your own or would you like a sympathetic ear to listen to the better offer you got after Damon’s deal was on the table. But you don’t have to” 

They walked down towards the lake in almost silence, then back towards the flower gardens. Hazel was almost overcome by how genuinely concerned these people were about her, as they reached the orchard finally standing on the grassy edge overlooking the ha-ha with a view all the way down the valley with sheep quietly munching the fresh grass just below them

“The alternative Michelle? Oh my!...” 

She brushed away a tear as her voice faltered “We had a dream. I think all couples share a dream when they get engaged. We’d live in the countryside. He’d be the local doctor and I’d get a project job in a nearby town. Maybe we’d keep chickens or ducks or goats. I’d always assumed it would be in this country. But its not. Its in Bangladesh. He’s going back and he’s expecting me to go with him. No. He’s commanded me to go with him”

“Bangladesh? That near India, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Its one of the most populated countries in the world, and I have to convert to Islam”
 “Muslim girls all have to wear some sort of full length gown or robe or something?”

“Yes, but I don’t know exactly. I know we were taught all this at school, but its very different when it becomes real like this”

“I remember thinking is was very repressive. I remember thinking I’m glad I wasn’t born there. But then if you were born there it would just be normal and that would be what you were expecting”

“Yes. Funny what individual things you remember from school. And the only single good thing about any of it is that Damon invited me here to sort myself out. Can you believe that? We hardly know each other. And he knew I was engaged”
 “Hazel, Damon’s not like that. He wont be expecting anything in return. He just wants to help you because it sounds like you needed help”

Dinner, with Michelle, Damon and Adam was peppered with light hearted banter, interrupted almost continuously by different band members asking random questions. But it was so different and she felt her smile returning. The bar that evening continued the recovery and she found herself shivering as Adam slipped his arm around her

“You look absolutely fabulous, and you’d look completely anonymous in a hijab”
 “And a niqab…..”

“And the slippery slope to complete anonymity” completed Damon as he got up to get another drink for everyone

“Do you think he’d let me change my mind again. Or is this indecision terminal? It doesn’t quite align with what that job is all about”

Now, finally, she had made up her mind. The only question left was ‘why on earth did it take so long’. But it had to. It was such a huge change in direction from repressed fiancé looking forward to family life, to single, free and let loose in London.

She was enjoying herself, enjoying the company, enjoying being in a bar with loads of guys. For the last two years she’d lived as something of a recluse or a hermit, sitting alone waiting for Achmed to come home and fall asleep. And in all that time their few minutes together had prevented him from revealing his true self.

She felt calmer on the train back to London. She was a western girl, it was her life and she’d make her own decisions. 

Achmed was in the middle of a mess, packing, in the living room when she opened the door. Packing. Packing everything for their emigration to the sub continent. 

“Where have you been?” he demanded 

“That has nothing to do with you” she retorted far more aggressively than she would have wanted “and what are you doing with all my things?” 

“Our things” he corrected “and I’m packing them for shipping at the weekend” 

“Well stop right now because I’m not going” 

He stopped, rising from his kneeling position beside the transit crate. 

“What d’you mean, not going? We are going. It’s the plan. Its always been the plan. And it’s about time you realised who’s making the decisions around here. We’re going. And the least you can do is help pack” 

“No. I’m not. I’m not going, I’m not going to convert to Islam, or live in the third world. I’m going to stay….” 

But the slap across her face was so hard that she stumbled across the room, losing balance and crashing into the far wall. 

Scrambling to her feet, she fled the room escaping the fight, retreating to the bedroom and wedging a chair against the door as an effective barrier to him and his shouting. Whoa! If nothing else had sealed it, that had. She'd never been hit like that before. Even the rougher hooligans that she'd been attracted to as a teenager had been violent with each other and she'd witnessed plenty of cuts, fights, bruises and blood. But seldom her own, and that had always been by accident.

Next morning she heard the front door close. Presumably he’d slept on the settee or the floor. She crept out, seeing that the packing had been nearly completed. Everything was gone from the shelves, from the cupboards and from her heart. Surely he knew they were finished, but everything she’d collected for their future little cottage was now mixed up with his stuff in this large crate. She stared at it. Unpack it? Turn it upside down! No. Just forget it. These things weren’t wanted any more. They were all part of ‘them’ and what 'they’ would become, not part of ‘her’ and her new unexpected individual future. He could keep them. All of them. Maybe they’d remind him of her and, if Adams comments were anything to go by, everything he was missing by letting her go. 

She practiced her line just in case he was there when she returned to the flat, but was more concerned – or frightened – of more violence.

‘We’re through, Achmed. You must have known that I’d never agree to moving to your country and your religion. But even if you decide to stay in England, letting your dominance break into violence meant we will never get back together no matter what’

Hesitantly she approached, listening carefully for any sounds that might forewarn her that he was there. She turned her key, ready to bolt back down the stairs and seek refuge in one of the nearby shops. But no need. The flat was empty. Empty of Achmed, empty of almost everything. Last week he was packing for shipment at the weekend and the weekend had gone. Her clothes were still in the wardrobe. Oh, that’s unexpectedly kind! No, maybe not. All of these would be contrary to the dress code in Bangladesh, that’s why he’d left them. Although, she mused, most would more than a suitable fit to the dress code at the Studio. She started to pull them out and lay them on the bed. She’d chosen them all carefully, they were expensive, at least compared to what she could afford, but there was no way they’d all fit in any suitcase she could carry. And that meant that most of them would have to stay behind. Ok so she could buy new ones – eventually, but there was also a feeling of hollow, of opportunity lost. She’d recovered enough to keep her head from spinning, but she’d resigned from her job and Damon had not renewed her offer despite inviting her to the Studio. 

She needed to move out. She needed to terminate the rent, she needed to get a new job. She needed to avoid Achmed. She needed to rebuild her life having just thrown away perfection while under the influence of a domineering bully. Maybe Michelle would have talked to Damon about it and he’d reconsider. 

Lisa answered the call and put her through to Adam. She knew Adam was more direct, but it was direct that she needed right now. 

“He’s reconsidering the whole thing, Hazel. He thinks you would have been the best match to the job he described, but now he’s considering a different way of doing it. Having talked it all through with you at some length, and then you becoming unavailable, he now thinks there may be a less risky way of operating. But what are you going to do now?” 

“I need to move out. Achmed cancelled the rent a month ago to coincide with the move, but right now I’ve nowhere to go. I’ll look for the least expensive hotel this afternoon, and check in for a couple of days and start looking for a new job, but I’m struggling Adam, and even more when I think about it all at once” 

“Hmmm. I’m not surprised you’re struggling, but I’ve got a suggestion for you, if you like. I own a house in north London. It’s next to Hampstead park, but I can’t explain exactly where because I don’t know the area at all. It’s empty, completely empty, but you could stay there for a while. There’ll be no-one else there because there’s no furniture in it, but if you checked in to the Holiday Inn in Swiss Cottage, maybe you could buy a bed this afternoon and get it delivered tomorrow” 

“Really! Can I really stay there?” 

“Yeah. In fact, if you’ve got a spare couple of days, you could troll round a few shops and buy a whole house full of furniture. It’s naff all use as it is, and if it was furnished there’s a number of friends of mine that would like somewhere to crash” 

He agreed to transfer some money to her bank to cover the initial costs, and now armed with an address to go to, she packed all three cases and called a cab. 

Eventually she found the large stone that the keys were hiding under and moved herself in. It was a big house, much bigger than she would ever afford, but for the moment it was all hers and furnishing it would take her mind off everything else. Is furnishing a house a project? Its certainly not an IT project. 

Laura

For Laura, that evening in the Stag’s Head was no different to the previous evening, or the one before that. The one before that was a quiz night and so Rob hid in the back room playing pool whereas this evening he was in the back room playing pool, but not actively hiding.

She listened patiently to the other girls and drank more than she ought to. Occasionally she joined in, but generally the gossip was so shallow that she had learned that any intelligent input went over their heads, until they eventually decided she was taking the rind. Frequently she came to the conclusion that this was just not her scene. But it was easy and only a few yards from her flat. It didn’t require any thought or organisation and that let her mind wander to the more obscure and intellectually challenging problems with her work while preventing her from becoming a complete hermit.

Rob reappeared. It was getting late anyway and Laura was looking forward to going home and snuggling up in her bed planning what she what she was actually going to do at work tomorrow. He staggered over towards her. “Ok? Yeah. I’ve been thinking…” 

This could be dangerous. Rob thinking! 

“Yes? I’ve got a big day at work tomorrow, so I was thinking of heading off now”

“Oh. Ok Yeah. But I was thinking - Yeah. I think I should move into your place. Make things so much simpler. We should do that Saturday. Ok…..”

“No! no way! What?” Laura surprised herself by the sudden vehemence, and the spontaneity. She always considered things first

“Well, if you’re off – give us a kiss first. He grabbed her roughly by the bum. “I’ll see you Saturday with some stuff” and lurched unsteadily back to the poolroom.

Laura smiled weakly at the other girls hoping successfully to avoid all conversation 

“See you” and was gone.

Her head was spinning as she walked slowly back to her flat. Move in? What? What could be worse? That would mean being stuck with him, maybe for ever! She didn’t deserve a life sentence…did she? What for? Sure she’d occasionally had a bit of fun with him, when he wasn’t ratted, hung-over or playing pool, or any combination of these, but moving in ….! 

She was nearly at her block. Her mind was swimming with negativity. Rob.. move in … oh No.., and hardly noticed the two young guys blocking the path and very nearly walked straight into them. In this neighbourhood it paid to be very careful about avoiding any guys that were just hanging about, but now…

“Where you think you’re going?”

“I’m going home”

“Oh yeah..” he moved to grab her arm. Laura shook free. 

“Oh get out of the way, you silly little boy!”

She walked on fearlessly, with her heart in her mouth and trying not to break into a run. There was no way she could run faster than them, especially in these shoes. But they were taken so much by surprise that they didn’t respond, or maybe they were too high and chilled out.

She made it to her stair, and felt safer. Back at her flat she shut the door, locked it, lay down on her bed, and burst into tears.

A natural reaction, she told herself an hour later. Get some sleep, and figure out what to do tomorrow. 

That night she slept fitfully, dreaming of devils and trolls and ugly monsters that kept touching her. She wriggled around the bed to avoid and escape them, and woke exhausted to find she was running late. Not that it was critical, just that she had so much that she wanted to do.

Ludvig wasn’t cross at all when she finally made it to the lab and rattled off a new update to the theory they’d been working on. That immediately sparked some aspects that they could check out quite quickly with some minor amendments to their experiments and she was just as pleased that her suggestions were equally quickly accepted as Ludvig moved to update the work schedule.

She liked this job. It paid almost nothing and even with her very modest flat in the least salubrious end of town, living was very much towards the subsistence level. 

She walked home that evening telling herself that it saved the bus fare. But really it was to give herself some quiet alone thinking time. This was working well until a couple of girls from the pub who were gossiping at the foot of her stair interrupted her thoughts

“You down the Stags tonight?”
 She shook her head

“Can’t afford it Shannon”

“Rob’ll be disappointed”
 “Maybe, but I can’t see him wanting to pay for me all night”

“You wasn’t so keen on his movin’ in, was ya?”

“No I’m not. We just hang out together sometimes. Its not that serious”
 “Ah think he’s just tryin’ to push ya along a bit”

“Yes. But if he is, I’ll be pushing off somewhere else”

“He aint all bad, Lau’. He’s got a good job”

“Yes, I know. And not everyone has, that’s true. And we get on ok, but Shannon, we don’t really click in. Its ok. But its not exciting”

“Can’t blame ya for wantin’ more if ye can get it so good luck with that”

They were a kindly bunch but at the average age of 24 had already reached the pinnacle of their world adventures. Now it was life on the estate, babies, families and occasionally bickering and whingeing together in the block hallways. 

But Laura hadn’t given up yet. She still had her dream and Ludvig was helping her achieve it. Actually, it was his dream and she’d joined him in her final year and then as a PhD student as his lab assistant. That was seven years ago and huge progress had been made. Each year they’d submitted their grant application and each year they’d celebrated the ability to continue. It was close. They’d had some success and that was an epic breakthrough. But there were failures as well. It didn’t work all the time and they had to find out why before more progress could be made. 

She cooked some minimal tea for herself and phoned her few friends till she found one that was in and invited herself round. That would get her out of her flat in case Rob came looking for her. Sally was there as well when she arrived and was talking about her boutique before the three of them simply watched a movie on tv, drinking tea and finishing the biscuits. She made a lunch date with Sally for Saturday and that would focus her on not being in her flat if Rob showed up then too. Or she could just go in to work.

Gordon had never been keen on this new venture. The radio program idea was interesting. They knew of no one who was doing that, although they now knew why, but creating a new record label to hit the likes of IMD head on was not his bag. He’d been talking to a number of friends and it seemed that there was no shortage of offers of a guest appearance at wherever these guys were performing, including studios, and his preference was to stay in mainstream music.

Damon accepted his perspective. As with Adam, he had no intention of falling out with Gordon over this. In fact Damon was quietly relieved. He’d be better off without him if he wasn’t a hundred percent enthusiastic, and making decisions would be ten times easier with just Adam than with Gordon as well. 

But Gordon was interested even if he wasn’t committed enough to put in any investment. Damon’s request that he take over the negotiation with Kessler was accepted without hesitation. Gordon could see Damon’s perspective. Some secrecy was essential but Gordon could be talking to Kessler on any one of a hundred different things as he pursued his own opportunities. Meeting his friend Damon was in no way suspicious, although Gordon also quite enjoyed the covert nature of the task. There was no telling what violent antics IMD would employ when they found out what Damon and Adam were planning – or they might just dismiss the whole thing as irrelevant, having the arrogance to believe that their market dominating position was unassailable.

Continuing Damon’s original strategy of keeping control of all the critical parts of the whole business meant that he’d have to set up his own duplication plant, and neither of them thought that he would be able to do that unnoticed. There were only a handful of companies that made that equipment anywhere in the world, and they all already dealt with the major players in the industry. 

Damon considered Wolfgang Kessler as something of a parasite. He was known throughout the industry and his business was setting things up. Anything and everything from booking theatre tickets, to hotel rooms, to hiring private jets or stadiums for gigs. If you didn’t want anyone else to know who it was really for, get Kessler to sort it. And to retain anonymity on this occasion, get Gordon to talk to him. 

Usually, Gordon was happy not to venture out of London, and more particularly, Soho and the West End, unless it was to another large city with similar night-life, but this project appealed to him. It was slightly on the edge. It was working with Damon’s money rather than his own, it kept him involved with this new scheme of Adam’s without actually being part of it and it gave him an excuse to go to Austria. Damon, however, was equally unwilling to take a whole day out to meet him in London and the compromise was that he’d agreed to take the train to Edencombe which, as a provincial West Country town, could still retain some interest for him. But he drew the line at continuing out to the back of beyond to Damon’s house which, by Adams account, was pretty much still under construction.

“Hey!! Sally!” he suddenly rang out right in Damon’s left ear. Oh my! What next? Damon was doing what he could to prevent Gordon missing his train because then he’d feel obliged to invite him to the Studio and the danger with that was the he might stay! They were still friends, but Gordon’s decision to continue playing music provided the perfect smokescreen to hide the small level of separation between himself and Kessler. He also needed a level of separation between the steady stream of younger musicians arriving at the Studio and a predatory Gordon hanging around destroying the entire environment they were trying to create.

Gordon had already scheduled to meet Kessler again and was planning on another meeting with Damon as soon an Tuesday to keep the ball rolling. But on this occasion, they were already late.

He was halfway across the street dodging the traffic before Damon focussed on the object of the interest settling unsurprisingly on the two girls on the opposite pavement as the traffic started flowing again leaving Damon stranded.

 “Didn’t know you ever got down this way” 

“Yeah, but I’m just leaving”

“Ow, that’s a pity”

“I’m on a tight timescale. Well late already” 

“Ok” Sally shrugged, “so why you hanging around in the street talking to me then?” although Damon was more distracted by her friend.

“Couldn’t pass by without at least saying Hi”

Damon glanced quickly at his watch. 

“But I’ll be back Tuesday. But we gotta rush now, I’ve got a train to catch. Listen, Sall, What about Tuesday evening”

“I’m around…”

“We’ll go somewhere. Ok”

 “I can only guess where it is you want to go” she said with a smirk “You’d better make it worth while”

“Ok, I’ll call you at the boutique. Keep the date” 

“I’ll look forward to it” called Sally as Gordon rushed Damon on down the road.. 

Laura was taken aback and Sally picked up on it as the episode replayed in Laura’s head

“Gordon’s a bit of a character. I bumped into him in London a couple of times….” and then in response to Laura’s continuing questioning look “….He knows how to have a good time. Knows his way around Soho. Doesn’t mind spending a bit of money…” 

Laura nodded approvingly as Sally continued with an interesting glint in her eye 

“…But don’t expect to make it back home that night”

Laura fell silent for a minute as they headed back to the boutique.

“His friend looks pretty cute?”

“I don’t know him. Not seen him before, but yes, maybe – looks like he could be a bit serious – but that might be because they were in such a hurry”

They got back to the shop but Laura was still a bit dreamy “You want me to ask Gordon about him?

“No!” 

“Sure?”

Laura immediately reconsidered “Would you?” she said, surprising herself

As expected, Gordon failed to phone her but turned up as arranged before she closed the shop on Tuesday evening. She made sure that she asked him before they’d had too much to drink or got too distracted, but Gordon had said that Damon would be in Gerrards Basement on Thursday with guys from work till 7 or half past. After that he’s likely on his own – if that helps Laura. “I’ll tell him to look out for her”

Wednesday rocked in unannounced and Laura tried to concentrate on her test results. She was far too distracted to try a new experiment. Catching up on results was often left till late because it was usually boring. Occasionally something odd turned up, but it was very much a rarity. But this time wasn’t boring because she only had half her brain to use. The other half was still going round in circles - speculating and waiting for Sally’s call. 

Was she still interested? A strange question, but yes, tentatively. 

“Oh good. Because he was asking Gordon about you too. They used to work together all the time and they’re still good friends. They’re just taking a different direction now, but his name’s Damon”

“So! If you’re going out on Thursday, you’ll need some new gear. Look, I’ve got some new lines fresh in from Milan. Just how much do you want to impress this guy? You gotta make some effort”

Laura continued to vacillate between building this up into something spectacular and deciding not to go because it was far too risky. What sort of impression would this create! But no, the first impression was already positive. This would be the follow up because they’d actually spend some time together and not just glance at each other. They’d be on their own this time, unlike the first time.

“So – how short? Dress or skirt?” 

Laura was looking blank. Still taking in the fact that Sally had just set her up for a blind date – well, maybe not completely blind but certainly pretty short-sighted. 

“Now, come on Lau’ “ encouraged Sally, “You seemed really keen on the idea. Don’t chicken out now. Remember, you can always just say ‘no’ ”

By Thursday morning, there was no doubt about it. She would go. And make the most of it whatever it was. After all, Sally had taken the trouble to set this up. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and everything to play for.

She reflected on how reckless she’d been dipping into her savings for this new dress. And from Sally’s boutique too! That’s not the least expensive place in town by any stretch of the imagination, even with ‘friend discount’.

Ludvig was encouraging. Laura had told him about giving up on Rob and a friend setting up a blind date. He was surprised and happy for her that she was bubbling with so much excitement. 

But she still left work early to give herself plenty of time, only later reminding herself not to build this up too much. Of course it was exciting - which is more than Rob had been – ever.

Nervousness took over as she put on the new dress that Sally had persuaded her she needed. She found that her short coat was just longer than it and spent ages on her hair but was still completely taken aback when she did her final check in the mirror. Is that really me? 

The bus bounced into town, and she felt a little out of place on the shortcut through to East Street avoiding the square. What would she say? Need to think of something. Don’t want to just stand there tongue-tied like a zombie.

Gerrards Basement was not a bar she was familiar with but it wasn’t hard to find with its wonky sign dangling from one hook screwed to an upstairs window. She held her breath as she pushed the door open at just gone half past seven. What if he’d already gone? What if he was still with all his work colleagues? Was she sure she'd recognise him! Supposing she got the wrong guy? She'd only seen him for a few moments. Or… Or any one of a dozen other things that could go distressingly and terminally wrong. 

She glanced back nervously checking the door in case a speedy exit was needed to avoid continuing embarrassment. She hesitated at the top of the open staircase which gave her a panoramic view over most of the bar. It also made her uncomfortably conspicuous. 

Half way down the stairs she paused on the platform glancing round the room hoping she’d recognise him. What if he was with his boss! Oh my. And what would he think? Was she too interested and he might try to take advantage. But don’t back out now! You’ve come this far.

The guy that she thought was Damon glanced up and smiled at her which gave her a little confidence before she realised that the three guys at the foot of the stairs were all flashing inviting smiles in her direction. 

She heard the conversation finish as she approached him

“Ok. I was going to be at the Studio tomorrow, but I can catch up Saturday. So I’ll divert into Starburst first thing”

“Thanks Damon, Appreciate it. Annabelle and me could handle it, but it would be better from you so we don’t upset the rest of the applecart”

“No hassle. I’m ok taking the blame. Won’t be the first time” 

The man he was talking to left without introduction and now she was suddenly alone with him in a crowded bar and completely at a loss as what to say

'Laura! Hi! Can I get you a drink?” 

“Yes please! Bacardi and Coke, if that's ok?” 

But Emma was listening and had already poured it before he could reply. 

So, no embarrassing silence . No embarrassing introductions. No...... 

“Wow. Its great you came along this evening. Actually, I got a bit cross with Gordon for rushing us off before we even got introduced. I think he was expecting to have to queue to get into the station like maybe it was Hyde Park Corner, but in the end he had three or four minutes to spare. I'm just really glad that the hint filtered all the way through…” 

Rescued! And how friendly he was as he explained that he comes down here with his work colleagues to just catch up without the usual constraints and inhibitions that would prevail in the office environment. That was interesting. And he also noticed immediately that her glass had run dry so quickly.

“Thirsty? Or just nervous? But either way, you look so gorgeous that you may well have missed out eating while you were getting ready. I suggest we migrate to somewhere that serves food?”

“Yes please. But it doesn’t need to be anything special”

“Maybe it doesn’t need to be, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be. There's a lovely little French restaurant in West Lane, but if you've already had dinner, we can just stay here. It seldom gets busy...” 

She nodded. Introduction was over and that was the bit she had feared most.

He guided her back towards the square talking mainly about the town centre itself and how it seemed to have evolved as he turned into the narrow back street that would once have been the service alley to the shops on Fore Street.

Chez Pierre was a recent addition to the menu of town centre restaurants. 

“Oh Wow!” she gasped as she saw the well spaced tables set with crystal glasses diffracting rainbow shards. The lighting was low but not dark and the décor was identifiably French.

Pierre emerged from the kitchen and greeted Damon in French. Laura had little idea what the conversation was about, but it all seemed up-beat, even jovial

“I am always pleased when people talk to me in the French” he said to Laura “It makes me feel that I’m not so far from home”

The menu was French, and mainly in French. The waitress was German or maybe Swiss who’s French pronunciation was as bad as Laura’s and was visibly relieved when Damon suggested that unless Laura spoke German, they’d all speak in English instead despite Pierre’s instruction

‘But this is the French Restaurant - we should all speak the French!’

It was before the starter had arrived that Damon asked her about her work.

“I do research”

“Market research? Or for a magazine maybe?” he asked with interest

“No, its scientific. We’re developing a new medicine - or trying to”

“So what field would you call that?”

She looked over at him nervously, hoping her answer wouldn't appear too arrogant or high brow 

“I’d call it zoological pharmacology”

“Wow! There’s something! How long have you been doing that?”

“About eight years. I work with an older man called Ludvig. He's Hungarian. We were working on viruses and trying to isolate common features between them so that we could develop something generic”
 “Hey! That’s awesome. So what level are you concentrating on? Is this at a cell level? Or nucleus? mitochondria maybe? Or just an inert complex molecule?” 

Mitochondria! That wasn't a word that was used in everyday conversation, and her surprise showed. 

“I'd love to hear more about it, although I guess it might be quite confidential. And I’ll apologise in advance for if I start getting jealous” 

“We were working on mice. And then we noticed that no matter how sick the mice were, they almost all recovered if we transferred them to one of our large cages over in the corner of the lab. So we started working on the plants that were growing there. They’d all spilled in as weeds, but we weren’t using that cage except for the animals that wouldn’t recover – or so we thought. About a year into studying those plant cells, I noticed that the cage had also been infiltrated by a particular species of ants. We’ve made so much progress since turning our attention to ants”

“Really! I did a little bit on viruses back at Uni, but I don’t remember ever studying ants. Then we took up music instead...” 

But from there she was unstoppable. She’d never talked to anyone before who actually understood without her over-simplifying it. But he seemed to understand the technical terms, the complexity and even why you would become so engrossed in it that it entirely took over your life. But Damon listened with only minor interruptions all through the main course and through to dessert and coffee. 

The meal was now clearly over and she only then realised that he’d said almost nothing all evening. Now what? she thought. Oh my! I do hope I’ve not missed my last bus! But Damon rescued her again.

“That work with ants is so fascinating. I’d love to learn more about it”

“You would?”

“Actually, Laura, I’d like to know a whole lot more about you too. But now I hope I’m not going to disappoint you…..”

Her face fell and Damon looked like he’d noticed as he continued “First thing tomorrow I need to let someone go”

“You mean, make them redundant”

“Its more, give them the sack. They’re just not putting in the effort and it’s a major negative impact on the rest of the team”

“Oh, that’s a shame. Maybe they’re just in the wrong job?”
 “Possibly. But the meeting is first thing, and I still need to write the letter and double check the paperwork. Then I’ve got a meeting with a major supplier and I need to work out what to say to him too. But what I’d like to do is get you into a taxi back to your place and maybe you’d forgive me for deserting you and agree to meet up again next week. Thursday, maybe. I’ll be back in Edencombe then”

“Oh my! I don’t know what to say!”

“What about ‘yes’ “

“That’s not quite what I meant…” she said with almost a laugh as they headed for the door “..but I can get my bus. Its not gone midnight yet”

“No, just as well. I think I turn into a pumpkin”

“Do you really want to meet up again? I’ve done nothing but rabbit all night even through that wonderful meal. I feel I’ve let myself down a bit, but “

“Action replay next week….ok? Please say yes”

They’d got to the taxi rank now, but there were far too many people around for any intimate contact. Instead he got into the cab with her

“Western Lees estate please. And then we’re coming straight back here to the Eastern Drive car park”

He stole a quick kiss from her as she got out of the cab, and walked with her to the foot of her stair, watching her all the way up to the second floor and along to her door.

Wow. Oh my goodness. She is, just something else.

Inside her flat she closed the door and leant back against it. That… That was perfect. That guy is just – just – oh wow. Beautiful dinner. Intense, but he actually understood. And after all that and me talking all evening he still wants to go out again.

“Maybe” said Ludvig the next day “he just wants to get a word of his own in”
 “But he was so interested! He just kept encouraging me to explain more and more. And Ludvig, now that I’ve tried to explain these last issues to him, I’ve got quite a few ideas on what we can try next”

This was an unexpected diversion for Damon. Just as Starburst was getting established, something else rocks in to take up time. Not that he was complaining, it just needed to be edged into the schedule somewhere.

Juliette

Gavin was essentially running Starburst. Not on a micromanagement level, but keeping track and mediating issues as they came up. But either way, it didn’t take a lot of his time and no longer was it his number one priority. Annabelle was running the office and feeding back information about trends and popularity and Lisa was passing that through to Karen. And it was making money rather than losing it. Juliette was supposed to keep track of income and costs – particularly playlist royalty costs, but the results had become somewhat erratic. Annabelle had picked up the issue and highlighted it as a staff issue but Gavin suggested that, although Damons stated view was that anyone not pulling their weight should find somewhere else to be a passenger, it might be excessive to actually fire someone without Damon being involved when Damon himself had recently hired them as part of the Starburst Radio phoenix.

It was Annabelle’s request that diverted Damon into the Starburst office that Friday. Ok so he had a number of things he wanted to sort out but they were unlikely to take all day. He liked the Starburst office. It was friendly and buzzing, and lacked the tension that was often distributed by bands immediately ahead of their recording session at the Studio. Although, ultimately, it lacked the excitement and purpose.

Annabelle arrived looking like she had too many things on her mind and largely ignoring Heidi who was collecting her papers together following her even earlier meeting with him.

“But you said there’s something else that’s important before all of that?” he said in an expectant tone as he finished running through his list of issues.

“Ye-e-es” she frowned as if waiting for Heidi to finish packing up although it was really that she was not looking forward to this. “Heidi, can you ask Juliette to pop in please”

But Juliette wasn't in. Not yet. 

It had gone 10 before she turned up, bleary eyed, desperately in need of coffee and looking in no way like recovery from the night before was imminent

“Damon wants to see you” Annabelle cautioned almost before she had sat down

“Oh no, not already. It's too early for that kind of thing”

“Good morning, Juliette”

“Hi Damon” she replied as though the words themselves might be her last, as Annabelle returned with more coffee

“There’s a lot happening today… “ but he could see already that she wasn’t paying attention “…but I’m not sure about that dress” he continued by way of mischief

“Thankyou. Oh no! Not a lot happening?” 

“Well I'll tell you one thing that's not happening…” 

Annabelle looked over inquisitively suddenly paying more attention.

“…I'm not taking you to the Old Mill for lunch. And that means we won't be coming back past the quarries, and so we won't be stopping at the high viewpoint to make love overlooking the river” 

Annabelle gasped, although Juliette had got lost somewhere along this journey of multiple negatives. It made her head hurt and she had only really picked up that these were things were not going to happen 

“Why not” she asked quickly without too much thought 

“What!” gasped Annabelle again, beginning to think that maybe she shouldn’t be hearing this conversation.

“Because your hem line is way too low. Very sophisticated, very nice for meeting your granny, but…..” 

“I could go home and get changed!” she blurted out to counter the criticism 

“Juliette! You're not listening at all are you?” 

Annabelle could no longer hold it together and burst out into a full scale laugh

'No” she admitted sheepishly, then turning round “Annabelle, what did he say?”

“He said your dress isn’t sexy enough for him to make love to you today. I guess other days maybe it is. But you’ve already suggested you’ll go home and change”

“I did what?” she asked in dismay, sparking into life

“I’d suggest we all sit down, but I’m concerned you might just fall back to sleep!”

“But we do need to have the follow up to last weeks meeting” added Annabelle

Juliette slumped down in her chair and concentrated on not spilling her coffee

“So what was it we’re not going to do today?” asked Juliette now that coffee was beginning to take effect and realising where she was, sitting opposite Damon in his office feeling very alone 

“How do you like your job here? 

“It's good. Thankyou” 

“Although sometimes you don't seem to be able to get finished in time, deadlines seem to be a problem to you” 

“Yes, that's true. Sometimes things need to be held over to the next day, but then, sometimes someone finishes them off by the time I get in” 

“Quite so. So how's your memory?” 

“I think it's ok” 

“So do you remember what time you got in today?” 

“Yes” she said with increasing suspicion “it was 10 past 10” 

“And what time are you supposed to start?” 

“8.30” she said sheepishly now waking up enough to sense where this was going

“Quite. Now, let's test your long term memory. What happened a week ago in this office? The clue is, Annabelle was here then, as she is now” 

“Oh” she said without expanding 

“Oh, indeed. So back then, Annabelle suggested to you that your work output, accuracy and deadlines had to improve. As did your timekeeping. You do remember?” 

“Yes” she whispered 

“And have they” 

“No” 

“Good. At least we agree on the facts. So here. This should be yours” 

He pushed a large brown envelope into the centre of the desk as he continued 

“Here is an envelope with your name on it. Inside is a letter from me stating what we have just discussed, that is, that your performance is unsatisfactory. I have said from the very beginning that there would be no passengers and that anyone who was not pulling their full weight would not last long” 

“No!” she whispered looking up towards him and shaking her head slowly “no no you can't do this” 

“It also contains” he continued unperturbed “the whole of next months salary in lieu of notice and your P45” 

“No. No. No, please don't do this!” 

Damon put his hand on the envelope and drew it away from her. 

“It sounds as though you’re not very keen on this idea? However, your behaviour is putting extra pressure on the rest of the team. You clearly have other priorities in your life that prevent you from keeping your commitments here at work. That will not do. It's like if you decide to turn up for the match at half time because you were walking the dog, while your team mates run around like dervishes covering for you to try to avoid a crushing defeat. It's simply not fair, and it will stop. One way or the other. Annabelle told you that last week, and as far as I can see you have done precisely nothing about it. Yet. 

Now, this letter is dated next Friday. So you have 5 days to metamorphose into a model employee. On time. Deadlines met. Accurate output. And not so tired, exhausted and dishevelled that you look like a disgrace to the company. Do you understand?” 

“Yes” she whispered and silence prevailed. She looked up at him trying hard not to cry “Mr Lehrer, I need this job. Please don't get rid of me” 

“But Juliette, this job does not need you. You are a burden on the rest of the team, and the company as a whole. Juliette, I'm not victimising you, but I am trying to protect the rest of my staff. You'd expect me to do the same if it was someone else that had become just a tourist. Everyone has their task, everyone plays their part. If you are not pulling your weight, then the others have to fill the gap. Now, you know what you need to do. You have 24 hours in your day just the same as everyone else. You need to move work up your priority list. Otherwise the answer is simple. You stop coming to work so that you have more time to do your important stuff. And I stop paying you and give your wages to someone else to do my important stuff.” 

They looked at each other across the desk in an awkward silence 

“However, I appreciate that being as busy as you obviously are, you might need some time to sort yourself out, maybe make a plan. So you should take the rest of the day off. Starting right now. You can pick up your coat and handbag, and return on Monday. Take the time to reflect on what your priorities are and what you want to do, paying particular attention to the implications. Oh, and you won't be paid for today because you have achieved absolutely nothing. That may help to focus your mind” 

She gasped as the full impact began to sink in 

“Your future is in your own hands. Now off you go” 

“Thank you Mr Lehrer. I’ll see you Monday.” 

Outside in the cooler air she walked on autopilot back down to the square. Her bus came. And went. She wondered slowly up the road in the direction of home, thinking of almost nothing, and noticing her surroundings only as much as to avoid accidentally walking out into the traffic. She cut through the small park and stopped near the children's playground where a number of young mothers, some younger than herself were gossiping and laughing. She imagined that none of them had jobs and were equally likely to be single mums, so how did they survive and buy food and pay rent?

There was a strangely aromatic smell to the house as she opened the door. 

“Who's that?” came a cackle from upstairs 

“It's me” 

“Oh good, you're early. You'll be able to get lunch for us” 

“And dogs pooped in living room again” came another call “You'll ‘ave to clear that up in all.” 

She felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck, but Damon’s words were still buzzing round in her head, and she seemed to have the memory of 'you won't get paid for today' playing on repeat. Priorities, she thought. Sandwiches, then dog poo, then plan. Why! She screamed silently to herself. Why not do the plan and screw the dog poo. And the sandwiches. Neither of these lazy geriatrics could be bothered to get out of bed before midday, and now here she was a few short days from unemployment, ruining her career, writing off the rest of her life. What for? She delivered the sandwiches and cups of tea. 

“And you!” scolded Brian pointing a crooked finger at her, “you need to make sure the dog does it's business before you go to work, or we'll be forever living with a smell of poo till ye gets home”. 

She drifted into the kitchen. Bacon buttie might help. Yes, sit down with bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee and work out how to do this.. 

“Hey” came the muffled call from all the way up the stairs “Make one for me too!” 

“There isn't any more” 

“Well give me that one and go get some more for yourself” 

Jeez! No wonder I’m stressed! “Have you got some money then?” 

“No. Lost on ‘orses again this morning. But you get paid plenty anyway” 

The penny finally dropped as she now realised how simple the problem was. Where was her life? 

The afternoon vanished in a hail of requests and orders, and she was relieved when it was late enough to justify going to bed. She pulled the pillow over her head and hoped that she would go to sleep before the next task landed on her. 

Say no, she told herself, just say no! But for someone who had always by nature been kind, dutiful and helpful, that was easier said than done.

Saturday was housework day but in the afternoon she slipped out to find a letting agent. Working at Starburst set the bar high, but that’s why they paid top wages, so she could just about afford somewhere of her own. But then, in the agent’s office, the commitment made her nervous. Supposing Damon did get rid of her, how would she pay the rent then? No, she had to have more security at work. This was becoming Catch 22. 

Sunday she redid the cleaning after the dog had pooed and peed what seemed like everywhere, and by Sunday evening she felt worn out and drained. Tomorrow was back to work, and she felt dreadful. 

She wandered in to see her mum 

“You're looking a bit peaky” 

“Yes mum” she agreed. And then, with Damon’s words still haunting her and forcing her to grab her courage in both hands, she took a deep breath “Look mum. I need to tell you something” 

“Oh yes?” 

“Yes. Listen, mum, last Friday. I didn't come home because I wanted to. I was sent home. Yes, sent home from work, like a naughty girl from school. And I was sent home without pay because I'm now on a final warning. And unless I start getting to work on time, and doing a proper job and not completely exhausted I’ll get the sack next week” 

“Get the sack?” cut in Brian from the next door room “you won't be stayin’ ere if ye can't pay yer rent” 

Juliette had intended to discuss a compromise with her mum. She was going to suggest a few alterations to the regime that would give her a chance of keeping her job, but this jibe from left field flipped her. She stood up. 

“No one asked for your comment you smelly old geriatric. Butt out of my private conversation” 

“Now Jools, calm down there” 

“Never, ever call me that! The name’s Juliette” she retorted vehemently “No mum. This is it. Ever since you moved that boyfriend of yours in, with his mangy mutt, I've spent my whole life running round after you. The day after, you took to this bed and have hardly been out of it since. He simply lies in his own filth 24/7. I'm not doing it any more. None of it. I've got four days to sort myself out or I'll get the sack. I can't do everything, so I've got to concentrate on my work. Mum” 

Her tone mellowed, “it's my career, my life, my future, and…” she said getting angry again, “…that is a damn site more important than being slave to that indolent vegetable you've installed next door” 

“You mind your language young lady. I've a mind to get up and give you a clip round the ear” 

“I'm safe enough if it involves you climbing out of that pit. I'm surprised you haven't installed a hosepipe to the loo.” 

Monday morning didn't go to plan either. Mum had got up but was bumbling around trying to do things, and asking where this was and that was and how do that and how did this work. 

“Mum, you've been doing this stuff for 30 years. How come you forgot everything in just a few weeks!” 

Damon just happened to be passing her desk as she was taking her coat off at ten to nine. 

“Not a good start” he commented 

“No” she managed to say without showing tears of pure rage and frustration. “But I'll make it up, Promise I will” 

“But…” he conceded “…it is a start”

“Oh dear. It's so difficult. It's not complicated. It's just difficult” 

“That's quite a conundrum” he replied “I tend to find that things are difficult because they're complicated. But this must be different?” he prompted expecting her to elucidate. 

“I need...” she 

“You need?” 

“Sorry, it's not your problem” 

Damon grabbed the chair from near the next desk and sat down on it back to front 

“But it is my problem. You're making it my problem because its impacting the company that I own and you work for. So…”  he asked so much more gently than she had any right to expect “…What is it you need?” 

“I.. I need to move out from home. I went to find a flat on Saturday, and there's a few around, but. But. But I can't sign up for a year without job security and right now I don't have that. But then if I don't find somewhere else to live I'll be out of a job because of the situation at home” 

“Hmm “ said Damon “I'll have a think,” but she had no idea what that actually meant. 

The next day she had managed to get into work by 09.15. Oh no! Worse than the previous day. It was so hard. She just had to say no, but leaving her mum in the lurch wasn't easy either. Not, she reflected, that her mum would help her out if she did get into difficulties. She was expected to bring home the bacon, she was expected to do the housework and walk the mangy dog, all on top of the nurse maid act now for two malingering geriatrics. Of course it was all too much. How could she be expected to go to work as well? It was so unfair. 

But she focussed on her figures, determined to work faster and was making good progress. She might even catch up by mid afternoon, and certainly by early evening, so deadlines would be met. Except…. 

“Can you spare a few minutes? Damon wants to see you in his office” 

“Oh! Annabelle. Not Now?” 

She nodded apologetically 

Juliette skimmed her pen across the desk in frustration. “Just as I was making sense of all this!” 

“Ah. Juliette. How are you this morning?” 

“Ok. Thankyou, Damon” 

“A bit later today” 

“I'm afraid so. But I'm making good progress. I won't miss today's deadlines” she offered hopefully. 

“And still want to move out from home?” 

“Oh my! Yes. But I don't know when I'll fit that in as well” 

“Hardly, Juliette. It doesn't take long. Just call a cab, pack a small case and say you'll be back in a few days. If you had a mind to, it would take you ten minutes” 

“If only it was that easy. But I don't have anywhere to go” 

“No, you were looking for a flat. Any particular requirements for this?” 

“Not really. Just somewhere to escape to for a few days so that I can reprioritise and try to convince you to keep me on” 

Damon looked at her more severely 

“Ok. Look. A friend of mine has a spare room in her flat which I don't think she's using at the moment. It's two bedroomed and only ten minutes’ walk from here. Any good?” 

“Sounds perfect. If it's available?” 

He picked up the phone “Emma. Hi babe, its Damon. Are you using that second bedroom at your place?” 

“No, but if you you’re short of somewhere you can always share my room” 

“Thanks, Emm’. By the way, you’re on speaker”

“Oops”

“But it's not for me. I'm in the office and I'm with Juliette. She's short of somewhere to crash for a few days” 

“Oh. Ok. I'm up for that” 

“Maybe you and she could meet up for a short discussion. She’s particularly interested in something immediate and it may be rather short term, so she doesn't want to sign up for her own place” 

“If she’s got your recommendation Damon, I can't see a problem. But I like your steer of meeting up first” 

“I'll point her in your direction at lunchtime” 

“Ice” 

“Thanks Emma. But look. There’s no commitment been made. If it's not going to be ok then just say so. Ok? Its your flat and its your shout” 

“Ok Dame’. See you Thursday, yes?” 

“Yeah, see you Thursday” 

He refocused on Juliette. “Emma works in a bar called Gerrards Basement in East Street. What I suggest is that you rock on down there. Now would be a good time in case it gets busy over lunch, because she'll be working. Introduce yourself, have a chat. Emma will be the only girl on duty, probably the only person in the whole bar, so she won't be hard to find” 

“Oh wow. Thanks Damon, but… but. I don't know how I'm going to make today's deadline if a take another hour out” 

“Juliette. It's a matter of priorities. Sometimes, you have to make brave decisions and believe in yourself” 

The chat with Emma went well. She was fun, a little older than her and laid back like nothing would phase her. 

“Are you Damon’s girlfriend?” she finally had the temerity to ask 

“No. Are you?” 

“Me! No way. He's about to fire me” 

“He seems to be helping you out a lot. You know, for someone who's about to get their cards” 

Juliette hadn't looked at it that way before, but then Emma was Irish, and they always saw life from a different angle. Nevertheless, Emma gave her the address and the spare key that she kept behind the bar, and suggested that she grab a few things and stay there starting tonight. 

“After you drop your stuff, pop back in here. It'll be quiet, being Tuesday” 

It was gone one before she got back to the office. She had considered getting a cab back home and shifting some clothes there and then. But, she considered, she'd probably get stuck falling for today's tale of woe, and then she really would be stuffed. And right now it wasn’t looking good as Damon headed her way. 

“Sorted?” 

“Yes. Yes it's good. Emma's great too. She certainly seems to like you” 

Damon raised a smile. “Yes” he said with some finality “And I like Emma a lot. But she’s more like a sister to me”. 

He pulled a chair round to her side of her desk. “And now we're going to focus on meeting today's deadline” 

“We?” 

“Yes, we. I don't think you'll make it on your own” 

Juliette attacked her lists, and was more than surprised at Damon’s contribution. Knowing the industry better than her he could give her a lot of the answers without looking them up, or going through previous similar issues. And, she found, he was an accomplished photocopier operator. In fact, he seemed to be doing the clerical side of everything, while she did the complex brainwork. And by four o'clock, it was done, dusted, and on Annabelle’s desk. 

“Right! So your plan now is to go back home, get a case packed and stay at Emma's tonight. That means you can be in early tomorrow. Like maybe 8 o’clock. Assuming of course that you don't stay with Emma in Gerrard's till closing time. I'm not in. I'm at the Studio tomorrow and most of Thursday, but I'll be in on Friday. That, remember, is D day. D for deliverance or D for doom”.

She walked home, turning over the events of the day. Damon had put her in touch with Emma for somewhere to live, and then helped her with the admin to complete her work and that would keep Gavin and Annabelle off her back. And he’d reminded her about Friday, and told her what she had to do. What else could you expect your chief exec to do for you? Except maybe move you to an all expenses paid apartment in St Tropez and only show up once every second fortnight for a bit of nooky. Now she had to step up to the plate. She hardened her resolve as she approached the house, steeling herself for her entrance. 

“Is that you Jools. I need a cup of tea. Haven't had one all afternoon. And dog’s pooed somewhere. I can smell it. You'll need to clean it up. You really have to take more care in the morning to make sure he does enough. And I fancy a fish supper for dinner. Chippie will be open in a few minutes” 

This was just the opening salvo that sealed it. Juliette saw red. She marched into the kitchen and made some tea, and took it upstairs. 

She placed it carefully on Brian's bedside table ignoring the assorted evil odours that hung around that area. She gave a cup to her mum as well, then went back to her own room. Case packed, she phoned for a taxi. And returned upstairs. 

“Oi. Jools, have you sorted that dog yet. And chippies been open ten minutes already” 

She grabbed what was left of her confidence and all the courage she could muster and went into her mums room 

“Hi mum” 

“Hello Jools. What up with you?” 

“Mum, I'm going away for a few days. I need to make my work a priority or I won’t have any. You'll have to sort yourself out. I told you yesterday” 

“But Jools ..” 

“Don't call me Jools. The name you gave me is Juliette. You've only started doing that since you moved Brian in.” 

“But you can't go. What'll happen to Brian? 

“I don't care. I'm not going to be a slave any longer. You were fine till he arrived. Then you decided that if he stayed in his bed all day, you'd stay in yours” 

“Well, yes, no point in getting up really” 

“Well there is now. Because I'm going. Right now. I'll be back in a few days maybe. I may need to if I lose my job”

“You're not coming back if you can't pay the rent” came the call from the next room

“Then maybe all I'll come back for is my stuff” 

“Well! That's rich. After I've looked after you these 25 years and….” 

“No you blooming well haven't! You. You have always had someone or something more important than me to look after. If it wasn't a stray cat or a dog, or an injured hedgehog, it was the old lady two doors up or the disabled moron across the road, or now in this case, some smelly geriatric vagrant that you hauled off a street corner. Well, if that's what you want, that's what you can have. But I’m not part of it” 

Mum began to cry as Juliette continued “your demands, your old vegetable friend’s demands, that mangy mutt. They're all yours and looking after them and you has cost me my job, my career, my future. Or at least it will have unless I appeal to all that's holy for a miracle. I'm going to make every effort to save myself and that means something has to give. And what’s going to give is staying here and doing every little thing under the sun for you two” 

“Oi, Jools, where's my fish n chips” 

“I'll see you sometime mum. And you, you're to blame for this whole disaster. You're to blame for driving a wedge between me and my mum, and what you should do is stick your head in a gas oven” 

“Well I'll go, if I'm not wanted” 

“Well, you're not” 

“But I can tell you, many more nights sleeping under' hedge, I'll be a goner” 

“Good, then you won't go wrecking someone else's life as well” 

The doorbell rang “that's my cab!” and she left without saying goodbye. 

Just chatting to Emma across the bar was wonderful. Juliette hadn't been this relaxed in weeks, but was careful not to drink too much. Emma helped because she herself wasn't drinking, at least, not much. Naturally they got round to discussing Juliette's position. Emma listened attentively in between serving customers, “you should keep a diary” she'd said “so that when Damon asks, you can have the facts and figures. He'll appreciate that. Even if they're not as good as you'd like” 

But the chat with Emma gave her a new impetus for success. Emma believed she'd be ok and now Juliette wanted to prove that to herself. She left early to get a good night’s sleep. Emma bowled in about half past midnight and gently nudged her door 'You ok?' she whispered, but Juliette only murmured and stayed asleep. 

Meanwhile, Laura was spending a lot more time at work and managed to avoid Rob all the way through till Tuesday. You couldn’t avoid people forever on that estate. Sure there were a lot of people lived there, but it’s a small area and the housing density is upwards, not outwards. He was on his way to the Stags as she headed for her stair.

She claimed poverty for avoiding the pub and he said he’d buy her a drink,

“Thanks Rob. But my work’s really taken off. I’m not getting out till late and I’m whacked”

“I think you’re just trying to avoid me”

“No, not really. But Rob, listen, I don’t want to get serious with you. So maybe we should just let it go and give yourself time to find someone else that you click in with better”

He looked totally mortified

“Whoa! Look, Lau’, I know its not the most exciting boozer, but like you, like, its hard cash. And it doesn’t grow on trees”

“I know Rob. And I don’t even get overtime. But that’s just another reason not to waste it on me”

“Its not wasted Lau’. Look, Friday. I’ll take you somewhere special, not just hang out in the Stags. Just to give us another chance. Please Lau’. Please. Just one last chance”

No – no! she screamed at herself inside. But seeing this quivering wreck reduced that to a possible maybe. And if it didn’t work out at least Rob would know why this time. Oh, maybe.

“Rob, I’m whacked most days after work, Not Friday”

“Ok, so what about Saturday. Saturday Lau.’. Please”

“Oh, ok then. Saturday”

“We'll do something special”

Oh Laura! What have you agreed to? But this is to show him just why it wont ever work. Then it wouldn’t be a problem if she bumped in to him around the estate or in the Stags Head. Before that there was Thursday. Oh my! Thursday! She stayed late on Wednesday to be out early although Ludvig warned her not to get too excited – for her own preservation. He was nice. She liked him a lot. They worked so well together. And he did look after her. He was like the grandad she never had and was certainly old enough. But money was tight with him too and they seldom saw each other outside work.

Juliette was up early the next morning and got ready for work quietly so as not to disturb Emma. She slipped out and with an early start, a refreshing sleep, no extraneous chores and a clear head, that all made her streets ahead of where she would have been. She rounded up the final figures and stapled the pages before one o'clock. She took a short break and a long sigh and sat back in self satisfied relief. That - was in the bag. 8 am start and figures all done within time. Another performance like that tomorrow may, just may, be enough. 

“Hi, d'you know where Alice is?” a voice said interrupting her wind down 

“Sorry Heidi, no idea. Lunch probably. But maybe I can help you?” 

“Ohhh, maybe” 

“I get in a complete muddle with these expenses every week. Do you know the system?” 

Juliette asked her about working at the Studio as she hadn't seen her around since the Starburst launch buffet. She was pleased for Heidi as she bubbled about the possibilities in her new job, but it only served to strengthen Juliette’s resolve and trepidation.

They worked through the form together with Juliette working out the numbers, while Heidi pulled receipts from everywhere and checked her diary for where she'd been. 

“You could do this monthly” suggested Juliette 

Heidi looked horrified “No way!” it would take me days! and then I'd forget about loads of stuff and it would cost me a fortune!” 

“We could set it up on a computer”

Heidi looked interested 

“Then all you'd have to do is fill in the start and end points, mileages” 

“Ok. but what about meals and hotels?” 

“We'll have separate columns for them. Look, like this. And if there’s nothing in there for a particular date, that’ll prompt to go and check where you were”

It took them till 4 to put the spreadsheet together, but Heidi quickly got the hang of filling it in and they printed the result. Juliette copied it out onto a floppy disk just as Annabelle appeared looking for the playlist figures from Juliette. 

“And” she said to Heidi “Your expenses are due. Do you need a hand?” 

“I'm ok thanks Annabelle. Juliette has written a system for me. Its awesome. I mean, it must be because even I can understand it and make it work” 

Annabelle looked a little puzzled, but just took the papers without asking for any farther explanation. 

Juliette stayed on late sorting out her desk but was back in Emma's flat by seven and in Gerrard’s Basement by eight parking herself at the end of the bar for an evenings sporadic conversation. She felt much better just having something specific to talk about. It let her lead the conversation rather than simply listen or ask questions. Suddenly, she could participate rather than spectate. It made her feel valued, and she resolved to keep it that way, praying that she’d be given another chance.

Emma was as optimistic as before and Juliette went home feeling more confident and content. It was going as well as she could expect, but it still made her nervous to think it might all be too little too late. Still, another good effort tomorrow, and then early on Friday was as good as it could get, and might just be enough. It was all relatively simple, when you got rid of the distractions. She wondered how her mum was getting on, but dared not go round there or even phone as the inevitable imposed guilt trip would be unbearable, and almost certainly derail her whole job rescue. 

But the clear road ahead became suddenly misty as Damon appeared in the office unexpectedly. Annabelle's invitation to go and see him was not what she needed right then. Ok the figures were complete, so that at least was a plus point, but she was expecting to have another early start on Friday to add to her case. She went through her diary with Damon. Yes. it was a flaky start, yes it hadn't gone well until she'd moved to Emma's, but, she had emphasised, since then it had gone well. 

“Hmm. Poor start. Late rally” 

He leant on his hands pondering “So, not the full result we were looking for” 

Juliette was deflated. It was looking like her too little too late possibility was now the front runner. 

“Juliette” he said at length raising his head to gaze distantly straight at her “if you were in my position, what would you do?” 

That took her by surprise. She thought as quickly as she could. He clearly wasn't fully convinced yet so a muted response might be better 

She screwed up her face in disappointment 

“I think the best I can hope for is that you extend the trial” 

“Well” he said doubtfully “There's an option. That's a possibility” 

He sat back in his chair, clearly thinking, although she wasn’t sure he was thinking about her. 

“What time do you need to be home tonight?” he asked suddenly out of the blue 

“No particular time. I'm staying at Emma's so there's no pressure. She'll be out anyway” 

“I'd like you to attend a meeting, but it won't start till six. Maybe later. But we’ll get down to Gerrards for the second half of the Thursday party

“But I thought that was just a management thing” 

“No, it's always been everyone. It's just a more sociable, less formal environment, and you don't have to talk about work. It's just most people do because it's the only thing they have in common” 

Juliette now realised that her self imposed obligation to get back home had meant she’d missed out on this more social aspect to the new company. 

There were only 4 people in the meeting. Damon put a fresh pot of coffee on the table and then gave each of them a small piece of paper 

“I guess it's a bit like a party game, but maybe that just makes it less formal. I want each of us to write down, in 10 words or less, and preferably much less, what the primary objective of Starburst Radio is” 

Gavin shrugged “ok” 

He was as amiable a man as you could reasonably expect for a senior executive but was a bit reserved in his dealings with the rest of the staff. Considering he was broadcasting director, Juliette thought he would have been a bit more people oriented. But he was doing a good job as far as she could tell and had seemed much happier since Eden closed. But that was much the same as everyone else.

“Now, pass the paper to the person on your left to read out” 

Juliette had been thinking hard. What was the company about? What answer was Damon looking for? Why were they all here at all? It was all too philosophical for her. She researched and collated data as a job. Ok so she had to dig around a bit to find it. But she wasn’t a strategy manager or something. 

Annabelle's was first to be read “to positively contribute to group operation and profit”, then Gavin read Juliette's “to provide entertainment and news to the people of Edencombe”, then Gavin’s “to make a sustainable profit” and finally she read Damon's “to be the public lens for Chameleon Media” 

Gavin opened the discussion, perplexed by Damon’s answer. 

“I thought we were here to make a profit. You know, the same objective as Vauxhall, except they use cars and we use music”

“Yes” agreed Annabelle “Surely we have to make a profit to stay in business?” Juliette felt the need to participate “surely” she said, “we need to provide the music people want to hear, or we won't make profit or stay in business”

The discussion went round in circles for several minutes, until Damon broke the loop. 

“Everything you wrote down is valid in its own way. Its more a matter of what takes priority. The issue I've got is that the operating model we seem to be migrating to is one of an independent company doing whatever it can, and whatever it takes to maximise its bottom line” 

“But that's what all companies are for, isn't it?” cut in Gavin

“Ye-es” drew out Damon rather more vaguely than Gavin understood “Taking the entire company as a whole, but not necessarily each individual unit on its own. So its not really yes, its not quite. You see, Starburst is the vehicle for promoting Chameleons new acts, and testing the market for new tracks. It's for tracking the trends in music genres so that back at the Studio we can hire the right bands, we can run the right tours and we can produce the music people want to listen to. Starburst is our public interface, and it's our only real feedback loop. Ok, so folks feedback after a concert, but they're a subset. They'd never have paid their money and gone to see the band if they hadn't thought they'd like it. Radio’s different. It reaches loads of people from all backgrounds and who like all sorts of music. So ok we need to play music they like or they'll stop listening, but the big bucks are in selling music and theatre tickets which are global, not in advertising revenue which is purely local. So the feedback from Starburst is the most significant pointer to the future direction and that's why its so important. Its so that we can direct A&R to target the next bubbling trend, sign those bands and get them into a studio ahead of everyone else”

“So that's why we play so many Chameleon tracks, rather than from megastar artists?” 

“Yes. In fact, my preference would be that we play exclusively Chameleon tracks. That way we don't promote the opposition, and we don't pay royalties, and our feedback loop would be more accurate and comprehensive” 

“But” Juliette hesitated “that would mean that you wouldn't need me. Because that's what my job is all about” 

“Well yes, that would be true” conceded Gavin. 

Juliette was devastated - again. All that effort. All that hope, and now - all for nothing because her job was about to vapourise. She'd be redundant. Oh my. She felt very much as though she would either cry or hit someone, and was increasingly hoping that it would be the former.

“That's a bit harsh on Juliette” defended Annabelle, but it was clear that Juliette was in danger of getting upset. 

“De ja vue” said Damon turning to Annabelle. “De ja vue, Heidi.”

Gavin and Juliette looked at each other, and both looked puzzled. 

This was clearly a private joke, but Juliette hesitated in her choice to break down and retire wounded to the ladies loo, or dive in fighting 

“Damon! You can't just let someone find out they're redundant during a normal meeting. That can't be right!” 

“Nonsense, Juliette. People realise they're on the short end of the stick during change planning meetings every day. But if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it” 

Juliette reflected on that rather dismissive comment. Previously he'd asked what she would do if she were in his position. Now he's saying if he was her he wouldn't worry! 

“It's quite a different way of working for me” Gavin said, re-establishing the flow. I'm used to radio stations that are run for a profit. I'll need to figure out how to do this. I’ll need to take a look at what Chameleon only would infer. And if I can't, well, I'll have to move on too” 

“Gavin, just think about it this way. If we can identify an emerging trend through our feedback from Starburst and get a new band on a world tour ahead of IMD that could make us two million dollars a month. That kind of return could help to focus your perspective. Maybe all you need is a different view of calculating profitability”

Juliette was stunned. The other three had shown no surprise at that number, but it was more money than she’d earn in her whole lifetime and she wondered just what she was doing here at all, except to learn she’d be redundant. But not that either, because he’d told her not to worry. Bizarre. But they all made it down to the bar for seven o-clock.

Strangely Laura was even more nervous on the staircase down into Gerrards Basement this time. Supposing he wasn’t there! Or surrounded by work colleagues, or in deep discussion with his boss, or maybe some girl at work or.. or… or any one of the dozen more things that she’d thought of that could go wrong right now.

There seemed to be a lot more people around him this time. The bar itself was quieter, but that end of the room was busy. She stopped just short as he turned late to catch a glimpse of her.

“Laura! You look fabulous. Bacardi and coke?” as he leant forward with a small kiss – small - but right in front of everyone! That was almost embarrassing. But there was someone else there that she recognised. She’d been to school with him and then seen him around the estate a few times and most recently in the Stags Head about a month ago.

“Hi” Simon started “I didn’t know you knew Damon?” just as Damon got hauled into a side conversation with Judith about how to use Esme to collect more feedback data. But chatting to Simon was a suitable distraction as his possible girlfriend Esme was included in Judith’s chat. 

She knew her date with Damon was supposed to be after his work meeting, and now at gone 7.45 most of the crowd had drifted off. That had included the group that had hijacked him and now there were only 4 of them left. Except it looked increasingly like Simon and Esme were intent on crashing her date. No matter. It would be a good chance to get to know Damon a bit better anyway. 

Dinner at a small Greek restaurant that she’d never noticed before was over rather too quickly. She now knew that they all worked at Starburst Radio and that Esme was a lot younger than Simon and that he was a lot more interested in her than she was in him. And that Damon had paid the whole bill. But it seemed to be a fun place to work although the pace was frenetic and this evening had solved quite a few of their outstanding issues and it did sound like they were urgent. But... Not sure that was the purpose of meeting Damon tonight!

“I’m so sorry!” Damon apologised “That’s not what this evening was meant to be about” as they got up to leave the restaurant “Maybe we could get some time to ourselves if we adjourned to the East Street Club”

Laura had never heard of it but nodded in excitement. She’d monopolised their first date by explaining her research and that was different. Now this was different again. 

“Did you say the East Street Club, Damon. Count me in”

Damon looked over to Laura. He didn’t want to say they weren’t invited, but this was meant to be a date for the two of them. Laura shrugged, not wanting to be overheard and smiled as invitingly as she could.

The reason they were unfamiliar with it became apparent when they approached the door. It was set back from the street, hidden unless you knew it was there. The entrance fee was £25 each. Simon faltered. He didn’t have that much money on him – never mind paying for Esme as well, after all he’d invited her to crash Damon’s date with him. But, conceded Damon as he paid for all of them, it did include a thimbleful of champagne.

The bar was quiet with soft audible wallpaper, while the next room was louder with a live band thumping out a danceable beat from the far corner. Esme and Simon took to the floor and finally Damon had a chance to talk to Laura. He asked her about her work and whether she’d made any progress on the issues that she’d identified just talking about it last week. And all of a sudden it had gone pumpkin time.

She apologised, but it was getting late and she had a huge amount to concentrate on the next day. Damon agreed, he had an hour drive ahead of him because he’d prefer that to driving back to the Studio in the morning ahead of his seven o’clock meeting. She assured him that she’d be ok getting from the taxi to her flat and that would save him going all the way over there just to come all the way back. 

“This wasn’t really what I was intending for this evening, but Laura, would you like to try again”

“Oh, yes please” she exclaimed almost too quickly

“We need to meet somewhere else, or pick a day that Starburst aren’t in Gerrards”

Laura liked Gerrards. She liked being known well enough by the barmaid to have her drink poured before she reached the foot of the stairs

“So not Thursday…”

“Ok. Wednesday”

Despite everything, Juliette was in the office early on Friday. This was D day, and she tried to keep herself focussed on Damon’s comment. It all bounced around in her mind. On one side, she hadn’t been doing a good job, but she had improved dramatically over the last couple of days after moving in with Emma. On the other side, he’d helped her out so much, the flat, then doing her admin for her because she wouldn’t get done in time on her own. Maybe, of course, that was just for his own benefit. Now he’d done everything he could, so he wouldn’t feel bad about letting her go. Oh dear. Now she felt that even the positives she’d been living for might not be enough to save her. There were so few jobs around.

Gavin was in early as well and heading her way. He sat down on her desk in a rather over familiar way and suggested that she dropped the usual data collection and figures. Instead simply work out what percentage of the playlist was Chameleon produced and what the cost impact would be if it increased in units of 10 percent until it was all Chameleon. That, was a lot simpler that her usual day job. But it gave her something to take her mind off the main subject that she was trying hard not to think about. And, if she did it well, it might even be another plus point.

But Damon wasn't in, and D day didn’t happen because Damon was in Vienna. Annabelle phoned her to say that the meeting with Damon was postponed till Monday. Rats! A weekend of uncertainty, but surely Damon knew that as well and surely he appreciated she would be concerned. 

But it also meant that she could not afford to be hit with a guilt trip which could completely derail everything on Monday and she decided to stay at Emma's rather than go back home.

Damon’s meeting went anything but to plan. Wolfgang Kessler had made more progress than Damon had expected and Gordon had already moved everything to the next stage. This was completely new territory for them, but they listened to Wolfgang’s plan. He was impressed that the whole meeting had been in German but conceded that his main supplier was nervous about the scale of the development. England was unfamiliar to them and this new customer had little or no credit references. Damon said he understood their position and suggested that he’d simply pay a certain percentage up front. Now armed with that sort of commitment, Wolfgang could complete the deal. The end client in many of his deals was often never revealed. Gordon had said it would be the same in this case, which Wolfgang liked so that he also would not be identified. Damon was now even more convinced that he needed to be in control of all the critical pieces of his supply chain, and it only now occurred to him that this was the way he’d successfully run the band for those twelve years. This is why it felt the right thing to do. Max could handle low volume duplication, but number one hits were anything but low volume. This would ensure that they would be able to produce their records in sufficient quantities in the shortest possible timescale and until it was fully commissioned, they’d use the Ozzies and not hold up the show any longer.

The technical equipment itself was being supplied by a Polish company. Kessler had already placed a provisional order and had arranged for them all to fly to Krakow where the MD would meet them, hoping that Damon would be confident enough to finalise. 

Damon signed the final deal, taking the risk that his identity would now be available, but there was no reason for anyone to reveal this to IMD and no reason for IMD to suspect and start asking questions. 

Somehow, he was expecting it all to be more complicated than this. The bank transfer for the deposit was completed, and the delivery date agreed. The Poles would install, commission and demonstrate how it all worked. Max would then take control of production and that would be the final piece of the puzzle on the board and connected up.

What it all added up to was that he could get back home. Gordon would stay in Krakow to discuss the supply of raw materials which could also be available, keeping well out of the way of any conflicts with the opposition. Kessler was doing a good job. Not cheap, but this was all going to work. He was leaving nothing to chance and his reputation for being meticulous was proving true.

 Damon mulled it all over on the flight back. He felt that he’d resolved the understandable nervousness and also decided that he would offer a pre-payment on the first supplies order as a goodwill gesture and return to normal after that. And with that decided, he’d now have some unexpected time to catch up with reviewing the recent studio output while no-one knew where he was and so couldn’t interrupt.

He’d also suggested to Michelle that he’d be in Vienna for as long as it took, although she still didn’t know why he was going there and what was so important. Zurich, she could understand. But what was happening in Vienna that was so important? Not a new Chameleons tour! Surely not. Not with everything else happening. No-one at the Studio was expecting him back till late Sunday at the earliest, and that now meant he’d have a quiet evening in his flat in Edencombe. He was looking forward to having time the next day to go through some of the gratuitous tapes he’s been sent from bands asking to be considered. It gave him a renewed focus on what was actually happening out there. Mostly they were decidedly average, but occasionally…..

Turfed Out

The plan worked for all of six hours, right through till not long after midnight.

The clock said ten past midnight. The phone said answer me and Damon’s brain said it ought to be time for some sleep. He’d been looking over some lyrics and artwork thinking that the one that made him fall asleep would be first to be rejected. If its that interesting then it can go.

But the phone continued to ring and he gave in

“Hi, Damon, sorry to disturb you but – I guess it’s a long shot - but…. You haven’t got Laura there have you?” 

“Laura? What would I have Laura here for”

“Same as any bloke might have a girl like Laura in his flat at 1 a.m.”

“Hmm. Fair point, Simon. Anyway you’re right – I don’t have Laura here. Why?”

“She’s gone missing”

“How do you know that?”

“She went somewhere with her ex this evening. They had some kind of disagreement, so he turfed her out of the car”

“Turfed her out?”

“Yeah, somewhere on the way back”

“Where about?”

“Dunno. So we’ve tried her flat, and she’s not there, and she’s not at Hannah’s cos that’s where we were when Rob rocked in. And Sally was there too, so she’s not round there. Rob didn’t say much when he got back, but enough for us to get worried”

“You’re joking!” said Damon suddenly waking up with a thousand thoughts “What, just pushed her out of the car somewhere”

“Sounds like it”

“Jeez! So where about?”

“Somewhere around Silver Hill, I’m figuring. Which is your end of town, so we thought she might have turned up with you”.

Chance would be a fine thing, Damon thought to himself “I guess there’s no answer from her place?”

“Nothing. So we’re phoning a few of her friends”
 “They won’t be for long with you waking them all up at gone midnight”

“Well, maybe, but Sally was talking about driving out there and see if she can see anything. Except she’s been drinking since 7 o’clock and I’m a bit worried about that”

“Ok. I’ll take a drive out and a have good look round”
 “Oh wow Damon. That’s ace! I’ll tell Sally not to go, cos I’m really worried she’ll kill herself. She’s well ratted”

“How long you gonna be wherever you are?”
 “Till half past one, maybe 2. I guess. Party will wind up about then”

Damon tried to calculate the timing. If this Rob guy had left her somewhere on Silver Hill, how long for him to get across town and how far could she have walked? But Simon seemed concerned enough to go breaking in to everyone’s early Sunday morning. So she’s either phoned someone in a different circle or she’s still out there and if she is, she’s in trouble. He swung off the settee and into the kitchen. The weather station showed the temperature down to single figures and with something of a breeze. That figures, with the amount of water falling out the sky. Its like a monsoon out there, and has been all evening. They’d even announced something to that effect at the airport earlier on. 

He took the lift to the garage and fired up his car, still trying to figure a plan even as it purred out and headed east.

There were two routes through Silver Hill - the main road and the back road which wound its way up to the farms, isolated cottages and deserted quarry workings. Damon tried to figure out how to cover all the ground. Main road first – then return more slowly on the back lane, then.. don’t know what then, have to wait and see… Or maybe, maybe the other way round. But hang on, Damon. Its not that complex if you just think rationally about the circumstances….

It was only a couple of minutes out of town before the turn off for the quarries, but he wished he knew how far up this road he should be looking. It was dark, raining hard and the road surface was puddling up. It needed quite some concentration to check out the shadows as well as everything else including flood water and erratic verges as the visibility reduced. 

It was a good six miles up the road that he first saw something. He’d only passed one car, a land rover and there was only an elderly farmer in that. Maybe he was checking out livestock considering the weather. He was trying to keep one eye on his mirror and thought he saw the farmer’s headlights pick out a figure dodging out of sight behind a bush in the verge. He turned at the next field gate to check again but this time was out of luck. It was half a mile farther down the hill before there was any possibility of turning round and he headed back peering into the almost complete darkness aided and abetted by the blustery downpour. Guess she’s worried about her ex coming back – whatever the fight was about. 

He was fairly sure he saw some movement, but now at the spot it looked as deserted as ever. Turning at the next cottage some minutes later he cut the engine and lowered his window, listening for more than the sound of the rain as the car rolled silently down the hill. Sure enough on the next rise there was a figure. Damon tried to remember exactly what she looked like from the back, but decided that it hardly mattered as he could only see shadows in the near darkness. And anyway, how many people would be wandering around in this downpour at this time of night. Maybe she sensed she was being followed as she suddenly turned round and spotted the car. She dived towards a disused field gate as Damon followed on foot. She’d stopped and turned at the gate, now trapped.

“Laura, Laura its Damon” he called again, shouting through the noise of the rain. A face moved hesitantly from beyond the gorse bushes. The moon flashed momentarily from behind a cloud. “Laura – its me, Damon, come on I’ll take you home”

She crept forward timidly from her bush. 

“Damon?” she whispered moving quietly, slowly towards him. He stayed still until she was close enough to recognise him before stepping forwards and folding his arms round her. 

“You’re frozen” he commented flatly “and drowned. C’mon lets get you home”

She said nothing as she walked towards the car and sank into the soft leather seat as he moved off silently. 

“Damon! What are you….?”

“Just passing” he smiled 

She shivered, and he reached to the back of the car and pulled forward a travel blanket. They drove in silence for some time with Laura shivering and gasping for breath until a sudden panic overtook her

“Damon! Where are you taking me? Are we going the right way”

“Laura, there is only one way” 

“But its miles! I’d have had to walk all this way…” 

She collapsed back into the seat exhausted by this major revelation

“Its about eight miles back to town, then a bit farther over to your place in Western Lees?”

“How far!”

She remained motionless until the next urgent “But I can’t go there” 

Damon looked at her quizzically as she moaned “Rob might be there – he might come over tonight, or tomorrow. Oh no! I can’t face that” 

“Ok, so where do you want me to take you?” 

“I don’t know. I can’t think”

“Ok so how many friends have you got that will want to be woken up at half past one on a Sunday morning?” 

There was no reply, and they continued to the main road. 

Words were hard. She was upset, distraught, and the thoughts of ‘what if’ pounded her brain. 

Damon didn’t know what sort of relationship she had with Rob. He knew he’d like to get to know her better, but there hadn’t been the opportunity during their previous dates because there were too many people around. On their first date, he was about to sack Juliette and the second was gate crashed by a pair of gooseberries. He justified his silence to himself by thinking he was letting her collect her own thoughts. 

On the main road the car-phone came back into service as they cleared the cliffs. Simon got to the phone remarkably quickly considering the situation at his end 

“Hey Simon, Sorry I couldn’t get you before, I was out of range. We can call off the search because I’ve got her in the car with me now” 

“Well thank goodness for that. Its late, so if you’ve found her, I’m going home to get some sleep. Esme’s already crashed out somewhere”

Damon glanced over at Laura slumped next to him. No coat, torn dress, breathing irregularly and her hand was still cold as he touched it, and then held onto it. He thought he saw a smile flicker across her face, but it was dark and the road was becoming increasingly slippery with the mud washing down from the fields. And he was quite keen to get back to somewhere dry. She was soaked through, but he wasn’t much better himself. The car was warm, but evaporating that much water was out of the question. And the thought quenched his spirits.

“Ok, so any other friends you want to wake up at gone one o’clock on a Sunday morning?”

“I don’t know, Sally maybe? “ 

“Don’t think so, Sally has been drinking at Hannah’s party all evening and is still there”

He could also see she was exhausted, possibly just mentally. But definitely not thinking straight 

“I don’t know…” she gasped “I can’t think straight. I can’t believe how far I was from home. I’m not even sure I know exactly where she lives. Damon, I’m out of ideas. Maybe I could crash on your couch”

Damon closed his eyes momentarily. My goodness! Here was Laura asking to stay at his place. Was this a dream come true? But almost immediately he reigned in more adventurous thoughts. No, it was simply not right to take advantage of her while she was defenceless. She was relying on him, even if that wasn’t the way it was planned. She was still watching him, waiting for a reply. 

“Sure, you can stay at my place, there’s plenty of space”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” 

“You’ve got nowhere else to go. You’re half drowned. You shouldn’t even just stay in the car, you’d shiver to death”.

Damon swung the car into the underground garage, and parked up, helped her out and noticed for the first time how much she was covered in mud. He helped her slowly to the elevator, and she made it to his apartment before sinking onto the settee, as he poured her a small brandy. 

“Here, try this” 

She took it gratefully, sipping it. Damon just gazed at her, falling into unconsciousness. 

“C’mon, he said, let’s get you into bed for some sleep”

He lifted her up, with an arm under her shoulders. She really was almost out of it now, as he helped her to his second bedroom. He folded back the cover. It looked very much as though she didn’t care what happened to her now, but maybe this was just what trust looked like. 

“One thing has to go,” he said reaching his arms round her and undoing the zip on her dress. She looked forlornly at him as it fell to the floor as she collapsed onto the bed. 

“Laura. Its too muddy and dirty to get into bed with” he explained as she slid her shoes off and crept under the covers. That underwear was pretty wet too, but that would be a step too far. He tucked her in like he remembered doing to his little sister when he was ten.

How could he let a chance like this go? Just a few days ago he spent a small fortune on her just to get the next date. Now she was in his bed and he was letting her go. He turned out the light and closed the door quietly, killed the rest of the lights and headed to his own bed. This is where I came in he thought. But then tomorrow, she would still be here, and tomorrow is another day.

Laura woke peacefully next morning and quietly snuggled into the pillow. It was soft, and smooth and a lovely pale shade of yellow. Yellow! She raised her head suddenly looking around. Her pillows weren’t yellow. She carefully turned her eyes across the bed. There was no one else there, thank goodness. Her underwear was on the floor beside her – at least it wasn’t all round the room, but it was still wet. She heaved a big sigh of relief and sank back onto the pillow remembering the night before and feeling increasingly shivery as the events returned to her. 

She looked around again. So this must be Damon’s flat. Tentatively she got out of bed, and winced as she put pressure on her right leg. She put on the white robe from the back of the door and opened it slowly. The tempting aroma of fresh coffee hit her as she walked across to the kitchen area as Damon turned to her. 

“Sleeping Beauty finally awakes!”

Laura melted, almost unable to speak. This was really a dream come true, and was already thinking that Rob had actually done her a favour - of sorts. 

“How you feeling?”

“Great”

He looked at her questioningly and the smile sank from her face

“No. I guess I’ve felt better”

“Yes, you probably are great, apart from the wobbly leg and hyperthermia” 

His hand swept gently across her forehead.

“Hmm. But I think there’s a serious danger you’ll recover, although I expect you’ll feel chilly for the rest of the day while your core temperature recovers”

She nodded weakly “I don’t feel bad, just my leg hurts”

“Coffee will help. If that doesn’t, then maybe we’ll try brandy”

The thought of drinking brandy at half past ten in the morning returned the weak smile to her face.

“So, what did you have planned for today, before you decided to pop in here?”

She sank onto a stool at the breakfast bar. 

“Oh my! I was going to bake a cake for my niece. They’re having a fete or something at her Sunday school”

Her smile disappeared again. “Oh Damon, she’ll be so disappointed”

Damon shrugged “Lets make sure she’s not! If its a cake she’s expecting, we’ll make a cake. We don’t want to disillusion the little girl, do we? I’ve got nothing else planned” then continued “Y’see, I’m not really meant to be here. I had no real idea how long my business in Vienna would take and I was quite prepared to stay there all weekend if any progress could be made. But everything went better than anticipated, so I came home. When do we need this cake ready?”

“Start time is 2 o’clock, I think” she frowned “But I’m not sure. My memory isn’t working properly. And I hurt. I don’t know what shape my leg is in”

“Can’t be too bad. It still reaches all the way to the floor”

She drifted the robe away from her right leg exposing the bruise which was continuing to rise even then

Damon stared at it “Jesus wept!” he exclaimed, quietly searching for the tube of arnica cream from a kitchen drawer.

Laura’s heart rate leapt as he started to massage the cream gently into her upper thigh. 

“There’s a distinct imprint of a shoe here” he commented “He must have literally kicked you out” 

Her whole brain was racing with the pain conflicting with the gentle massage, and the memory of Rob’s boot, against the gentle sensuous touch of Damon’s finger tips.

“That’s bad. But I’m sure it’s only bruised, so it’ll clear up soon. Ok. You go through to the en-suite and have a nice shower. Unfortunately your dress didn’t make it. It had too much gravel embedded in it to let you sleep in it. I put it in the wash although its got a big tear in the right hand side. But there’s a fair number of clothes in the wardrobe, so maybe you can find something that you like. And while you’re doing that, I’ll pop down to the corner and get some cake stuff. It’ll have to be a sponge cos a fruitcake will take too long to bake”

The shower was wonderfully refreshing, but she still felt cold inside despite winding the temperature up and the hair dryer hardly helped either. Feeling only slightly better, she slid the wardrobe door as Damon has suggested. And wow! What’s this! Two or three dozen dresses to choose from and all from top designers. Trying on a number of them improved her spirits no end. And she assumed from those that had labels that Damons girlfriend, or she prayed, ex-girlfriend, was the same size as her and also assumed, rather rashly she reflected, that he wasn’t expecting her to pay for it - not at those prices which far exceeded anything that even Sally would dare to charge.

The final choice was a soft Versace shimmering mini dress in bottle green. If anything it was slightly shorter than she’d normally choose, but in this case that was just perfect and encouraged her to set her hair. And it was just long enough to cover her bruise.

Damon was back when she eventually emerged. He’d laid the ingredients out on the worktop in the kitchen area and was looking for a cake tin in a lower cupboard.
 “Hey! Feeling any better?”

“Yeah, I’m great”

He looked at her suspiciously as the smile drifted from her face

“I’m.. I’m maybe not at my best “ she said bravely

“Are you still feeling cold?”

She nodded weakly as Damon moved over beside her with a gentle cuddle

“You look fabulous. But I think you may not be back up to full strength. So we’ll just go slowly and not do too much”

She smiled in acceptance of the sympathy “Have you got a recipe?”

He shook his head “Its only a sponge. We won’t need one”

They shared the tasks in cake making – Laura measured the flour and cracked the eggs while Damon did the energetic bit, beating the butter and sugar and mixing everything together. 

It all just seemed so natural to her. Just her and the most amazing guy in the world making a cake together in his kitchen. Later they’d take it over to little Isobel’s church and then …. and then? Who knows. Hopefully something, but not too much, as she started feeling worse. Then she noticed the heart shaped cake tins that Damon was pouring the mixture into

“We’ll just write ‘to someone special’ on the icing. I think that may just make it stand out from the crowd”

She just looked on, speechless. What a lovely idea. But it was for the fete, it wasn’t for her, was it?

“Ok, so that’s in there for the next 25 minutes. But Laura, I think that whatever happened last night will have sapped out a lot of your energy. What about you just lie down on your bed quietly so that you don’t do too much. And then when its out and cooled down we can ice it and take it over to the fete”

Was this real? She remembered how quickly she’d accepted his invitation to meet again and she already knew that she wanted him as more than just a sometimes date, but this was extreme. 

She did what she was told, lying down on the bed that was so soft and cuddly and warm while she felt so cold inside. But he didn’t seem in any kind of rush to do anything. Maybe it was the weekend for him and that meant he didn’t have to go to work. But surely he must have had something planned. And what about all those women’s clothes in his wardrobe? Where was that elusive girlfriend of his while he spent time with her. And a lot of these dresses were still in their original covers. They’d never been opened! And some even with prices on but all in francs. Strange. Maybe that girlfriend was back in France. 

Her head hurt and she dozed a while – till Damon tapped on her door. Her door! How did Damon’s second bedroom suddenly morph into her room in all of three quarters of an hour?

This time, emerging from the bedroom, Damon was sitting on the settee, but with some awesome music that she didn’t recognise playing from somewhere. He mixed the icing and she spread it all around the cake before he piped ‘To Someone Special’ on the top. 

“So that’s for you” he said as he finished. But she simply watched him, wide eyed.

Cue Jenny’s Eyes by Last Autumn’s Dream

 There was little conversation in the car. Damon dropped the roof and wound up the heater and the warm air bristled through her hair. She heaved a sigh of relief that she’d taken his advice to tie it back in a pony tail, and, contrary to the instructions of the car park marshals, he parked right outside the front door

“I was driving a Bentley for a while…” he said by way of explanation “…and one thing I learned about it was that you can park it anywhere you like. No-one seems to mind having a Bentley parked right outside their shop, restaurant or café. This Aston has the same effect. And anyway, I don’t want you walking too far. Was I right in remembering that your niece is called Isobel?”

“Yes, but she’s not really my niece. She’s my cousins daughter. But we all think of her as my niece. Its just simpler. She’s probably with a boy called Lenny. He lives two doors up. He’s a year older, but they’ve been almost inseparable since she was about two ….”

But the next words were lost as a boy of perhaps nine or ten interrupted excitedly

“Auntie Laura...Auntie Laura. Come with me. Quickly”

“Lenny!” she said picking him clean off the ground and giving him an embarrassing kiss “I’ve got to give this cake to Issy first. Then I’ll come with you”

“But Auntie Lau’ – there’s a brand new Aston Martin parked right outside and you’ve got to come and see it with me. Its the most awesome car in the world!”

Damon tagged along without a word. What was it with 10 year old boys? It would be so much more useful if it attracted girls three times that age. But this was Laura’s world and as a guest he’d just have to behave himself. 

“Look!” Lenny exclaimed after finally hauling her outside and walking all the way round it to show it to her as if it was his own.

“Maybe you’d like to go for a drive in it?” as Laura took the cake to find Issy.

“Where’s Lenny. I though he was with you?”
 “He was. But my boyfriend just took him for a short drive in his Aston Martin”

And that solved Laura’s next problem which was how to introduce Damon. A bit rash? Maybe it was just wishful thinking. 

And little Lenny’s excitement was infectious as they returned from their ten minute ride of the century.

Laura had been leaning more heavily on him as they walked slowly round the fete. Picking Lenny clear off the floor was over impulsive and she was now suffering for it. At first he thought she was just being more friendly, but soon realised that this leg injury was taking its toll. The rib injury wouldn’t be helping either. 

She slumped into the car misjudging how low it was and fell the last couple of inches landing with a loud ‘ow’ jarring her bruised leg. But she squeezed out a smile as Damon joined her. 

She thanked him again for rescuing her and for the cake and preserving her reputation with her niece and then hoped silently that he’d have even more time to spend with her.

Back in the car, it made sense to go somewhere. Surprisingly it was such a fine afternoon as the morning had not looked promising but now the last vestiges of cloud had evaporated and it was perfect convertible weather. With nowhere in particular to go, they headed for the coast road. He’d already decided that she was in no fit state to walk any farther, but just watching the waves from a sandy car park or a rocky cliff top may be more suitable. 

Without the stress of using her leg or her rib, she seemed to be recovering, and dinner in a harbour inn helped as well. Then it was time to go home and that was a bit harder. 

She wanted so much to avoid her flat. She’d rather stay with Damon, but was worried that her injuries would be a fatal distraction in he wanted to become more intimate. 

He had asked her where she wanted to go, and had picked up on the nervousness about both her flat and her bruises. Back at his flat he poured another drink from a very drinkable wine bottle, and settled onto the settee. He’d subtly hinted that he thought she was in no fit state for much physical activity and suggested instead that a quiet cuddle would more appropriate and they just talked and sipped wine. And when the wine was finished, they just talked. It certainly seemed that he lived a very different lifestyle to her. Premium wine, French restaurants, Awesome convertible.

Or maybe it wasn’t completely different. Like her, he worked 7 days a week. Like her, he was on a mission, not just in a job and like her, he seemed to want them to see each other again. But sooner or later she’d have to pour some realism into this pot even if that would destroy the dream.

“Damon, That was another perfect date with you. And now I’m falling asleep even though I want it to go on forever. Except. Except. Oh, Damon maybe this is the wrong time to say this, or maybe there is no good time”

“If its that you don’t want to go out with me again, then there is no good time”
 “Oh, I do Damon. Its just that… Oh, Damon, I really cant afford this lifestyle. Please…. I exist on a meagre research grant. I live in the most downmarket part of town in a second floor one bedroomed flat. Designer clothes, private members clubs….Damon, I’m tired, I’m emotionally drained, I’m praying that you ask me out again. But I’m a realist too and I need to be honest. With you, and with me as well”

“Laura, Laura. We’ve still got a date for Wednesday, haven’t we?...”

Laura nodded with an expanding smile and a less excited voice

“Yes. Please. If you still want to”

Monday morning came up early. He shook her left shoulder gently to wake her

“Laura, its only six o’clock, but I need to be in my office at seven”

“Six! Oh my? Do I need to get ready for work too”

“Don’t rush. There’s no hurry for you”
 “But Damon, I’ll need to sort myself out, and get back to my flat. And…Oh gosh, what a mess!”
 “No Laura. Just take time. Take another dress from the wardrobe. And stay here instead of your flat if that’s what you want”

“Ok. I’ll stay today, and tonight. Then I’ll go back home”

“Stay longer if you want. And I’ll see you on Wednesday, if you still want to?”

“Still want to? Of course I still want to…”
 He sat down on the edge of the bed for a kiss that was in danger of becoming something else

“Laura, please. Believe me, I do want you. But more than that, I don’t want to hurt you”

“And I want you to invite me out again.”

D-day – Postponed

The new week had also started early in Emma’s flat. Juliette was now completely refreshed but seriously concerned. Unlike her, Gavins decision to stay was his own. His wife was only just getting settled in their new house, and another move was unwelcome, and in any case, it was a different type of challenge. And, Gavin confided to her, there was more potential with Chameleon Media because of its diverse music interests than at most small radio stations. And having a focus that was more than purely financial provided the scope for far more creativity and more peaceful staff relations.

Juliette, however, was none the wiser on her fate, sitting in limbo until Damon ambled in late morning He invited her to join him in the office before he’d even taken his jacket off and she repositioned her chair to face him across the table as Annabelle made more coffee. Interesting. She felt slightly more relaxed being offered coffee as Damon opened 

“So, looks like the job you were doing has disappeared. So what do you think we should do with you now?” 

Juliette was taken by surprise. That’s not what she was expecting to be asked. Maybe she should suggest the St Tropez option!

“Well, I'd like to stay on. If that's possible. I got all the figures out on time and I was in early over the last three days. And I think I was quite efficient at producing those revised Chameleon only numbers for Gavin” 

She bowed her head realising that it sounded barely enough “I know I wasn’t doing very well, and I’m sorry. But once I got organised, actually, once you got me organised, it all went so much better” she offered optimistically.

“True. And Wednesday's work was quite useful too. So let's explore if there are any possibilities. You see, I can't see a place for you here at Starburst” 

That didn't sound encouraging 

“That doesn't sound very promising, especially with my track record. But I've proved I can do better…” 

“So maybe I should ask you why you didn’t do better before that? But I agree. Everything improved when you put your mind to it. And really, you were never in the right job. But the impressive thing was when you did get sorted, you had time to find a completely different problem, and then just got on and solved it. And that was the basic expenses system you did for Heidi”

What! But that was nothing to do with my job. That was because she needed help...

“You do drive, don’t you?”

“Yes, although I don't have a car right now” 

“And would you consider being based in a different location. And the reason I ask is that I understand that one of your issues was the pressure you were put under at home”

“Yes. That’s right. But things have moved on since I moved in with Emma so I'd be quite happy almost anywhere” 

“What about a bit of travelling around the country?” 

“That sounds quite fun but what kind of work would that involve?”
 “I'm glad you asked that. Lots of different things, maybe. You remember back when you were as at school, sometimes you had a supply teacher?” 

“Oh yes, we had them all the time with our teachers going off sick and on courses and having babies and all sorts of other things” 

“Really? What sort of other things?” 

“Other things? Well, one of them was put inside for a few days for conspiracy to cause a riot during a demonstration he was at. But he was allowed back” 

“Sounds like an interesting school. Anyway, we have the same sort of thing. That is, a requirement for an extra pair of hands to sort out some random issue. We could fill this requirement using agency staff, but it would take them several days to get up to speed. And even then, they seldom understand what the company really needs. If Gavin can miss that, then what chance does a secretarial temp have? So what I need is someone who can go into a situation, pick up the pieces quickly because they already have a company ethos, and keep the show on the road” 

“Wow! That sounds fun, but maybe a lot of responsibility!” 

“Both of those, I expect. Juliette, I don't know how much independence you can handle, because in this job you may have to just make some decisions because there’ll not be anyone there to hold your hand and the people who have the problem may not be able to properly define it, because if they could, they’d have sorted it. It may be that all that's needed is a solid two days photocopying, or a week of refiling misplaced documents, or maybe just knocking two heads together so that they both start seeing sense. Or it could be something completely different. We wont know until you get there. It will take a level of diplomacy as well as some clear thinking. But I expect there will also be the opportunity for doing things differently to prevent the problem happening again, and with every issue, there’s always a kind of root cause that ought to be sorted as well, especially if its something more fundamental. Do you want to give it a go?” 

She blinked several times to clear the possibility of it all being an illusion, and agreed with huge relief, that this was an opportunity not to be missed. 

“Ok” said Damon. “You don't need to hand over your work to anyone, because, frankly, it's simply not needed any more. So phone Lisa – do you know Lisa?”

“No I don’t think so”

“She works for me at the Studio. Ask her to get you a car from Avis for the next month. You’ll need it to get around”

“Oh Damon, thankyou so much” she blurted out 

“But, Juliette, this puts you back on trial. If it doesn't work out, or you decide it's not for you, or you cause me to start losing sleep over it, then we need to think again, ok? Let me know when you're ready to go and I'll tell you where you're going” 

She floated back to her desk and put her few personal belongings into her handbag. Looks like she was leaving after all!

Lisa was the epitome of helpful. She even discussed what sort of car she’d prefer. Maybe, Juliette reflected, that was how she got to be working in Damon’s office. Her car would be delivered just after lunch and she decided to walk down to Gerrard’s to see Emma and keep her up to date and make sure she could still stay at the flat, even if she wasn't going to be there! 

Oh dear, maybe the Irish is rubbing off on me!

Damon was on his way out of the office when the Avis driver asked for a signature. 

“Who needs to sign this?” asked Juliette 

“You do” replied Damon “you'll be looking after that car, you sign for it. Oh, and you’ll need this” he said handing her a credit card “Michelle will be checking it line by line. Handbags are not a valid company expense. Good luck”

The car was exactly what she'd dreamed of having, although small and mainstream, it was cuddly rather than sporty, and the most wonderful shade of sparkling ruby red. She stopped to buy a large road atlas, and now armed with that and the address, she was on her way to her first assignment. 

Jasmine, Damon had said, was in meltdown. She was the administrator at the Conference Centre that Chameleon Media had inadvertently acquired near the Studio. No details, but go and find out. She’d dropped by the flat and packed her small case, and with that in the boot it was full steam ahead to … to whatever. 

She turned over these events in her head as she drove west, slowly. A new job, something completely off the wall. And a Conference Centre ‘inadvertently bought’! How do you buy an entire Conference Centre by accident? And then not get a grip on it? Oh well, we’ll see when we get there.

She wandered into the deserted office at the Centre, exploring the conference room itself and the small meeting rooms along the corridor. She checked out the dining room and the kitchen then ended up in a large bedroom overlooking the lawn with a far reaching view out over the undulating pasture to the hills beyond. It was gone six. Surely someone should be locking up soon. She heard movement back in the hall and made her way down just as she heard the front door slam. 

The lone female figure stood stalk still in the middle of the large entrance like maybe she’d just seen a ghost, or maybe just escaped from one. She turned only slightly as the stair Juliette was on creaked loudly. 

“Jasmine?” she asked tentatively 

“Yes” she replied almost imperceptibly with a distinct lack of anything resembling enthusiasm 

“Hi. I'm Juliette” 

Jasmine looked round ambivalently. 

“Weren't you expecting me?” 

“Eh. Not really, let me check. I didn't think the delegates were coming in till next Monday” 

“No, I’m not a delegate. I was told you might be able to use a little extra help?” 

“Little extra help! The only thing that will save me now is a miracle from the Lord himself. Every morning I pray to Mary to have mercy on me” 

That was hardly encouraging. That’s almost exactly a reflection of herself only a few days ago. Already this didn’t sound as though two days photocopying would sort it.
 “So what are the main issues?”

“Oh, Juliette! I don’t know where to start!”

“Ok. So is there a pub nearby we can catch a drink in, and you can start to explain. Maybe?”

“The Olde Belle. Its about 15 minutes’ walk. Out the gate, turn right and down to the village”

Jasmine started hesitantly “I don’t know what the main problem is. But there are 10 people coming down here a week today to have their national sales meeting. And when they get here they won’t have any paper to write on, pens to write with, coffee to drink, lunch, dinner or, in fact, anything else”

“Why ever not?”

“Because I haven’t had the time to organise anything. I’m supposed to be the conference administrator, but Ross drags me in to help him with every paper he issues, and when that’s done, he uses me to bounce his ideas off, and then there’s the interminable phone calls to potential suppliers and then I have to type up the notes of what we’ve done and send out letters to suppliers and contracts I don’t understand and…. And – oh my, when I describe it all like that it convinces me its already hopeless. I was so looking forward to this job. And the extra wages would take the pressure off my Paul. There’s not a lot of money in farming these days”

Juliette listened carefully as they walked. Jasmine looked about the same age as her mum, slimmer and maybe more weather worn, and now, closer to breakdown.

The bar was homely with a log fire burning quietly with just enough heat to dry out some of the wet jackets hanging beside it and just enough people to show it was open. 

“Ross is a nightmare” she said, opening up a bit as they sat down. 

“But surely he’s aware of the problems”

“Not really. He’s giving himself three months to establish the Centre and organise suppliers. Only when that’s moving will he start selling and only after that will he expect anyone to show up. Those conferences won’t start for at least another three or four months, so he’s got plenty of time” 

“But what about those folks next Monday?”

“Not his problem. He didn’t set it up”

“So who did? Maybe its their problem?”
 “No. They were scheduled before we even bought the Centre”

“So can’t you just tell him. Like. No?”

“Oh Juliette, if only it was that easy. Ross – well, of course you know him don’t you – he’s such a big guy, he’s domineering and overpowering at the best of times. And when he gets cross that voice booms out like a foghorn. He’s like, I don’t know, a steamroller maybe. He just flattens me”

“Ok, but, well what about if you just think of it like this. He’s just told you to come upstairs to one of the bedrooms with him. Like, come on Jas, chop, chop, upstairs, clothes off, into bed, come on. You’d say no then, wouldn’t you?”

“I never thought of that. And I don’t know if I could say no even then, he’s too scary – well at least to me. But that puts an even worse aspect on it. Suppose he actually did do that! Oh my goodness!”

But now feeling even worse, Jasmine had to get back to look after her Paul. He’d started work at 5.30 and was only now finishing at gone 7 as Juliette returned to the bar looking for food. 

Rosie was the plus size landlady with an infectious grin and an over attentive attitude. Food was good, but Juliette was tired and didn’t have a plan, and her head was spinning with so many thoughts. This job wasn’t at the simple admin, recovering misplaced files end of the scale, although Damon had suggested that the variety would be unpredictable. She returned to the room overlooking the garden and woke to sunshine streaming in through the window.

She gazed out over the landscape wondering where to start when she heard Jasmine and Ross talking in the foyer.

“Look” he was saying “If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a hundred times. Our conferences don’t start for at least three months. Whoever set up something else can sort it out. Now, we need to get another RFQ out today. Come along”

Juliette waited till they’d gone and then made her way to the office. The desk diary clearly showed the booking for Berkley Wholesale Pet Foods, 10 people staying for four nights, and then 8 people the next week from Hardman Electronics. She slumped into the large leather chair. She’d never been to a conference, but from the photos it looked a lot like a meeting, except it went on for days, apparently. Jeez! A meeting that goes on for days! Why would you ever want to? She meandered back to the front door, muttering quietly to herself looking at the pin board that said simply ‘welcome’. She found the box of letters and made up a passable welcome board for Berkley Pet Foods. Now, I’ve just arrived. I need to .. .. em .. check in, like a hotel. She returned to the office to grab a notebook and returned to continue where she left off. Question – who does check in? Which room? Need to allocate the rooms…..

Then they need to go to the main conference room. She checked the large photo on the wall, studying the detail. Pad of paper, name badges, pens, and water glass, water jug, squash of some kind. But all these could be bought quite easily. Coffee? She migrated to the kitchen - coffee jugs, coffee machine, coffee – oh and milk, sugar, cups, saucers, spoons, question – who makes the coffee? biscuits. And then lunch. She continued making her list as she role-played through her pretend afternoon, - more coffee, what about tea as well, and then dinner – oh my, and, oh what’s this, the bar?, but no drinks. Maybe I need to be barmaid for the week – and supposing someone asks for a cocktail I’ve never heard of?

But lunch was on her real agenda now, and a trip down to the Olde Belle was in order. 

She sat at the quiet bar as her sandwich arrived replete with chips.

“Rosie” she asked having already started eating “do you do, like, lunch for events?”

“You mean external things?”

“I guess so”

“We do a fair number of funerals, if that’s the sort of thing you mean”

“Really! What do you do for them – sandwiches?”

“Whatever they want, sandwich, sausage roll, pork pie, vol-au-vent. Why?”

“Do you think you’d be able to do something like that for me?”

“I should think so. What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Well. It would be lunch for 10 people. No actually, it would have to include Jasmine and Ross as well”

“So where about is this”

“Its at the Conference Centre. Just up the road opposite, about a half a mile on the left”
 “Is that the place Jas in working?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

“I heard something about this a month or so ago. Not heard anything since”

“Well, it all kicks off next Monday. Just there’s some things not set up yet”

“Do you know much about conferences then” asked Rosie with a hint of doubt

“Me! Not a thing. I was hoping it would just be admin. But there’s so much else needs done and my job is to sort it out”

“Well, I’ve been to a few conferences. The Licenced Victuallers Association. So I’m thinking, you’ll have some additional people as well. Not that I want to interfere”

“Oh no! Not at all. I need all the help I can get!”

“So, how many are staying?”

“10”

“But then you might have guest speakers, and maybe senior management that aren’t staying overnight”

“So maybe I need lunch for 14 or 16? What d’you think?”

“I’d make it 14. But if it changes substantially you can always just phone me in the morning, We’ll only be making it on the day”

“It would be every day next week. Monday through Friday. Everyone goes home after lunch on Friday”

“Ok. I can certainly do that for you. Do you have any particular preferences?”

“Not really. Its not me that’s eating it”

“Of course. I’ll take a think about what would be best”
 “Do you need me to get you an official order or anything?”
 “No, But if you could just write it down, it gives me something more formal to remind myself and get the invoicing right”

“So, just a note?”

Rosie nodded

“Ok! So that’s that sorted”

“If you don’t mind me asking” Rosie said as she leant across the bar “What are you doing about dinner for all your guys?”

Juliette heaved a huge sigh “That’s the next problem. I’ve not started on that yet. I guess I could just bring them all down here. I’ll frogmarch them down the road! Indian file, like a primary school”

Rosie laughed as her Cheshire cat grin spread all over her face

“Supposing – and this is only a suggestion – I don’t mean to be pushy, but supposing you handed out our menu at morning coffee, then at lunchtime everyone could pre-order off the menu, and we’d prepare it all here and bring it up and serve it to them up there. Then, clearly, you settle the bill with us”

“So we just order off your menu and, hey presto, dinner is served?”
 “Yes. I could arrange a couple of girls to do the waitressing as well, if you like”

“That would be awesome! I’ll have to check that. I’m pretty sure that nothing has been arranged yet, but I need to check that before you go to too much trouble”

“That’s ok. But if you can let me know by tomorrow so I can make sure the girls are available. And I’ll need an extra chef for the afternoon”

“Each day” confirmed Juliette “We need this Monday through Thursday”

“Oh, yes of course, And I was thinking just one day. But no problem. But you need to let me know tomorrow. Now, what else do you need?”

“Breakfast?” she suggested hesitantly…..

Juliette consulted her list “I’ll have to go into town to get the stationary… “ she was saying to herself …” and track down enough coffee and tea” just as Rosie was passing on her way to the till.

“Well, I’m going to the cash and carry anyway on Thursday. Do you want me to pick some up for you? How much have you got?”

“How much what?” Juliette asked in some confusion

“Coffee and tea?” repeated Rosie
 “None”

Rosie laughed again “You really are starting from scratch, aren’t you”

“Yes. In fact my plan for tomorrow was to phone them and tell them, sorry but the building burned down and we need to cancel”

“Oh now! Its not that bad. I’ll sort your coffee, and tea, Biscuits – you’ll need huge quantities of biscuits. Do you want to put sweets on the tables as well?”
 “Sweets?”

“Yes, at the Licenced Victuallers we always have small bowls of mints of fruit bon-bons or something”
 “Sounds like a good idea, but I don’t think we’ve got any bowls”

Jasmine was hammering away on a keyboard when Juliette got back 

“Hi, have...” 

“Not now” she interrupted harshly 

“Later maybe?” 

“Yes, yes, just give me a few minutes”

But the few minutes didn't materialise. Ross bundled in, in a strop. I've not had any positive responses to my RFQ for the licenced facility. Jasmine, what have you been telling these people when they phone up? Oh never mind. You need to phone each of them today and find out if they're interested and if not why not”

Jasmine moaned 

“Can I get five minutes before you do that please?” 

“No you can't. This is important”. 

“Well my questions are important too”

“Not as important as this. This relates to the whole setup of the organisation” 

“Well my questions relate to the setup of next week’s conference and that's happening a lot sooner”

“Next week’s conference, whatever it is, is nothing to do with me” 

“But it is to do with Jasmine. It's her job to set it up. Maybe you should go back to your office and phone those folks yourself”

“I do not need any insolence out of you, whoever you think you are. Jasmine, come with me” 

He grabbed her arm to chivvy her along, abandoning the keyboard and disappearing through the door. 

Juliette dropped her head into her hands as Damon’s words returned to haunt her 'Do whatever you think best to keep the show on the road. Remember, everything that has our name on it reflects on the rest of the company, good or bad. But people remember bad more than good' and then Annabelle had told her ' If you can justify it from what you knew at the time, it'll be ok' 

She gazed up again at the photo on the wall. Don't forget the squash, she thought turning to her notebook. No, do it now. She phoned Rosie and added it on to the list of stuff she was getting for her on Thursday. 

Now, new excitement! Stationery. 

It was only later in the pub having dinner as she perched on a bar stool on her own that Rosie commented 

“Did you include the breakout rooms?” 

“The what?” 

“The breakout rooms. That's when the meeting breaks into a number of different smaller groups and they go off to discuss a particular issue and then they report back to the whole group” 

“Do they?” 

“I guess you didn't!” 

“No. That must be what those small meeting rooms are for. Do I need squash and glasses and notepads and everything in there as well?” 

“Probably. It's worth doing as a precaution. Even if it's not used this time, it'll be there for the next time” 

Juliette recalculated her squash requirements and was persuaded by Rosie to get lime and orange, which she said, was more sophisticated than just lemon. 

She also recalculated the amount of stationery and an over eager young man helped her load it all in to her car the next morning. 

She was in the middle of unloading it when a full sized tractor pulled in through the gate. The driver was about her age and Juliette found herself paying more attention to him than she initially expected, studying him from his mop of blonde hair through his torn jumper to his mud caked boots 

“Hi, I'm looking for Juliette” 

“You found her” 

“It's about the conference next week. Is it still on?” 

“Yes, unless I hit another brick wall in the next 24 hours” 

“Oh, ok. And do you know what's happening about the bar?” 

“No, not....” 

“Oi, Liam. C'mon. Y'ain't got time fir chatting up birds. We got them heifers to move” 

“Be there in a minute” he called back “damn! Aint got time to discuss it now, but I need to talk to you about the bar” 

“Ok” said Juliette “I'll be in the pub later for my dinner” 

“I'll see you in there then. But I can’t get there till about 8, maybe slightly later what with this herd, and then I've got them ewes to round up and fix the chickens. Sorry I gotta go. See you later” and was gone with the rumble of heavy machinery.

Back at the Olde Belle, Rosie was looking for confirmation of the dinner deal. Without consulting Jasmine, Juliette was nervous. But she'd originally said there was nothing set up, and she hadn't even had five minutes to talk to her, so she can't have set up something else in the meantime, and if she didn't confirm this with Rosie now, there wouldn't be enough time left. Do what you need to do, Damon had said. Is it justifiable Annabelle had cautioned. Yes, yes let's do it. “Yes” she said, much more definitively than she had planned “And for the 8 people the following week as well, which could easily be 12”. 

Rosie disappeared to serve other customers as Juliette slowly munched her way through the giant sized Barnsley chop. Tomorrow, she'd walk through the whole thing, pretending she was a delegate. Oh my! ‘Delegate’. She was even getting to grips with the jargon, as Rosie interrupted 

“Did Liam talk to you about running the bar?” 

“No. Not yet.” 

She'd remembered that the older guy had called him Liam, so assume it must be the same one “No, I'm meeting him in here later to discuss something about a bar, but he got called away as soon as he'd arrived” 

“Oh that's all right then. I told him he ought to get hold of you”

“But where did all that come from?” 

“Jasmine raised the question a month ago. She was looking into organising a bar. Liam and Jamie were sitting over there just next to the fire trying to dry out. They overheard her talking and offered to set it all up for her. Then we didn't hear any more of it. But with you getting the catering sorted out, thought it wouldn't hurt for him to get in touch” 

Liam showed up at 8.15. He accepted her offer of a drink and they perched at the bar. 

“Have you taken over from Jasmine, then” he opened

“No, it’s just she’s really busy and I’m just helping out”
 “So this Conference Centre is actually going ahead?”

“Was there any doubt?” she asked suspiciously

“Only that what I hear from Jas is that everything she’s doing seems to get nowhere”
 “You know her well?”

“Not really. But Juliette, this is a small village. Tha’ll be lucky if there’s 200 people livin’ ’ere. Everyone knows everyone else. But maybe you can help me here, Where did this Ross Cunningham bloke come from. Seems like a barn-full of laughs ‘e does”

“I’ve no idea”

“But he hired you, didn’t he”

“No. I’ve never even heard of him before. And if I never see him again in this world or the next it’ll be too soon”

“Careful what you say, Jool….”
 “Juliette”

“….. word here gets around so fast it bites you in the bum before you can move”

“I’m not too worried about that. I’ve got a job to do, and he’s just obstructive. But you were saying something about a bar?”

“Yeah. Jas said she needed a bar for her conferences. I guess you do too. I’ve never been to one. Conference that is, not bar. Don’t even know why you’d go. To a conference I mean, not a bar”

“No, I’ve not been to one before either, but Rosie has, and she’s been really helpful”

“Oh right. Is she doin’ the bar then?”

“No. I’ve not got round to that yet. There’s so much to do, and its all like I’m fighting all the way up hill against that Cunningham guy. He’s not lifting a finger to help”

“When Jas said to us about it, oh, must be a month ago now, me and Jamie saw an opportunity to make a bit extra on top of the farmin’.We told ‘er we’d run the bar. We do that for anythin’ that’s ‘appening at t’ village hall. But then we ’eard nowt”

“Well. I do need a bar. So if you’re still up for it?”

“Actually Juliette I’d be up for about anythin’ with you”

She paused and looked round at him. He’d scrubbed up rather well from earlier on. Still rustic, but in a gentler way now he had a neat shirt and clean boots. 

“Liam, I’m only here to sort out a few issues. Once I get this sorted out, it’s anyone’s guess where I’ll be next. At least, that’s the plan”

“But that doesn’t stop us havin’ a few drinks together”

“No, no it doesn’t. But I need to get the other problems solved, and then I might have some time for me”

“Sounds like you’re workin’ as long days as us”

“Right now, there’s always something else needs sorting, or fixing, or making or typing or sending, or whatever else!”

“Ok. But you still want Jamie and me to do that bar” he said switching the conversation back to safer ground

“Yes” and then more definitively “Yes I do. What did you have in mind?”

“Nothin’ complicated. We’d get a keg from ‘ere. That way we can bring back what’s left over an’ not waste it. Then just get some spirits. Mixers, a few snacks – just peanuts an’ crisps” 

Juliette was nodding 

“Hey Rosie! Can you get me an’ Jamie a keg of Odd Fellows for this ere bar at t’ Centre”

“Already did, Liam” she said as she approached from the other end of the bar “It’ll be here with the rest of the brewery order on Friday” 

“Tha’ll give it time to t’rest if tha’ takes it up on Saturday. What else d’y need. D’y say crisps?”

“Yeah. An’ peanuts. I gived y’ a list w’en Jas said owt befor’ ”

“Oh yes, Now, where did I put that”

“We sa’d t’ Jas we’d open t’bar at 6. Earlier if we can get there, what with chuckies t’ feed”

“So that’s about that…”
 “Are you having wine with dinner” interrupted Rosie

“Rosie! I just saw light at the end of the tunnel of all my known problems. And you throw a spanner in the works from left field”

Rosie’s grin filled her face again. It was impossible to stay cross with a woman like that. And, reflected Juliette, she was only trying to help

“Tell you what. I’ll increase the stock here and then we’ll bring up a selection when we serve dinner. Just in case”

“Wot Jamie came up wiv was that we’ve got the same guys all week, so if there’s owt missin’ on Monday, we can get it for Tuesday”

Juliette lowered her head to her upstretched hand

“What’s up wiv you kid. I thought we’d sussed it”

“Yes, but then something I hadn’t even considered came up. You see Liam, I’m working through a list. But the list is only what I thought of, and a few extras from Rosie. What about all the things we’ve not thought of yet?”

Juliette got back to her room around midnight. She'd stayed in the bar with Liam, and then a few others joined them at their table. It was relaxing, different and an insight into the culture of a close knit village community, and they’d all made her welcome. She hadn't agree to meet him again, but, she admitted to herself, she had hinted that there was a better than average chance she'd be in the pub again the following night.

Things were falling into place. Maybe yet she could save her skin if this conference actually went ahead. 

Thursday would be Starburst day for Damon and likely he’d be staying in Edencombe on Wednesday for an early start – Maybe, but not quite. Damon had a date with Laura and that was the overriding factor on this occasion.

She got to Gerrards before him, but Emma recognised her as she came down the stairs looking around for him and had her Bacardi on the bar before she even asked for it

“Thankyou” she stammered, not being accustomed with this level of service or familiarity

“That’s ok. Damon wont be wanting you paying for that yerself”

“You seen to know him quite well?” she suggested, now slightly more confident

“No. Laura, I know very little at all. The only thing I know is that he’s the most wonderful fella in the whole of the Lord’s good world”

The next few minutes saw the bar start to fill up and Emma disappeared to serve everyone. But Laura’s heart sank as Emma was now replaced by Simon and Esme 

“Is Damon’s tab still open? Oh good!”

She’d asked them if they had anything planned for the evening, hoping maybe that she’d find a clue to something she could claim to not want to do. Damon, however, was ahead of the game. He caught Emma at the entrance end of the bar and cancelled his drink.

“Has Emm’ not got you a drink already?” Simon opened cheerfully

“No. Can’t stop, actually. In a bit of a rush”
 Are we? – oh good!

“Are we?” she asked perplexed when they were out of earshot on the stairs

“Yes. To find a pub that they’re not in. I mean, I like Simon and Esme’s great. But my plan is to have a date with you”

They took the moor road that snaked up the side of the valley rather than the main routes. There were a lot of small villages out here, but Damon had stopped exploring the area after he found the Studio. Laura had hardly been anywhere, concentrating her life on her research and hanging out with penniless drinkers at the Stags Head.

They passed the first pub because it was partially hidden and by the time they’d seen it, it had gone. Damon slowed down. There really was no rush. The next village seemed to have a pub sign in the main street, but closer inspection showed it to be extremely run down and possibly deserted. Next was a large car park attached to a building called The Gun Dog. They pulled in slowly making sure they avoided the two horses tethered near the front door. The glances they exchanges placed this pub squarely in the category of a definite maybe, until two farm workers emerged from a mud caked land rover. 

“I doubt if that’s all good clean mud on those boots” said Damon as the farmers pushed open the door and shuffled inside

“We are way out in the country, so I suppose we should expect that sort of thing”
 “Yes, but not inside the pub”

“Three down!”
 “Ok, Laura. Next pub - we give it a go no matter what”

“That’s just doing anything to avoid Pizza Hut”

The sharp right turn took them over the hill and his sense of direction told him it would join the Silver Hill main road if it continued to meander down the valley. The brightly lit Fox and Hounds came up on their right with a large crowded car park with only a single spare space at the far end. Maybe that was an omen, but no matter what, they were going in. 

It was heaving. They edged their way through to a far corner where there seemed to be two vacant seats at a table

“Maybe they’d let us share”

“Say guys, its pretty busy in here. D’you mind if we share your table?”

They both looked up with interested welcoming smiles 

“Sure…. If you get a round in”

“Tom! I can’t believe you said that! Of course you can share”

“Thanks. So what you drinking?”
 “That’s ok. Tom wasn’t being serious”

But Damon bypassed that comment “Tom, what you drinking, buddy?”

“Pint please. IPA”

Damon turned to his girlfriend as Laura relayed the order “Just half of lager, but you shouldn’t really”
 “Babe, you’ll never get half of lager in that glass. Looks to me more like it used to be orange juice. Maybe with Vodka in it?”
 She relented “Yes. Please”

Tom and Angie had been together for nearly six months and she was only now getting used to his sense of mischief. He managed to wear a constant smirk and very much seemed to be one for chancing his hand in every situation. 

He pinched several chips from Laura’s plate without asking but with much retribution from Angie, a bemused smile from Laura and a replacement chip from Damon. 

They’d nearly finished eating when a long beard edged its way up onto the dais with an acoustic guitar. He played two tracks in an attempt to imitate a folk singer and handed the microphone over to a would-be Jon Bon Jovi. Damon had noticed the Marshall amp and two microphone stands when they came in, but with no-one occupying them he didn’t comment.

“Its open mic day” said Tom to Damon’s questioning look

“Open what?” asked Laura

“Open Mic. Open season for anyone who wants to assault a microphone. Anyone who wants to can get up and sing - or try to. It’s a regular event. On every month”

“Any good?”

Tom shook his head but Angie was more sympathetic
 “That’s why its very busy tonight. Its very variable. But I don’t think tonight has been one of the better ones”

“So, it’s a bit like karaoke?”

“Yes, but there’s no backing track. You’re expected to strum a guitar or at least whack a tambourine”

This, thought Damon to himself, is the sort of event that Karen would absolutely love, but by no stretch of the imagination were these guys anything that he’d consider for the Studio. 

“They got up there and did their best!” defended Angie “Not everyone can do that, performing in front of an audience isn’t easy and at least they tried”

“Yeah. Tried and failed”

“Oh, Tom. That’s not nice”

“No” joined Damon “But the music industry is like a Rose Garden – Its full of thorny individuals, and can be quite prickly even if you think you know your way around. But Angie, there’s no marks for trying. The only thing that counts is succeeding”

“You used to be something in the music industry, didn’t you Damon?” 

Damon nodded “Yes. A bit. Before I changed direction”
 “You gonna give it a go?” goaded Tom with his inscrutable smirk

“Are you Damon? Do you sing? Do you play? Oh, Angie, we’ve only known each other for a few weeks”

Damon considered this. He’d always liked being on stage with a positive audience reaction. The only down side could be on Laura. What if she didn’t want to go out with a rock musician. But you’re not, Damon. You’ve really moved on even if you haven’t completely forgotten. And she is encouraging you…

“I’m more into media these days” 

“But if you used to play something. Its like riding a bike, isn’t it. Like, you never completely forget”

“Hmmm. Well, yeah, but that guy came prepared. I haven’t got my guitar with me” 

“I’ll see if we can borrow one…” 

“Oh go on Damon. Give it a go!” Laura gasped, then held her breath for the answer

“Ok, But only if Tom buys a round”

Angie burst out laughing. That was instant karma.

Tom was away a while but returned with a loaded tray and a guy carrying a rather nice mid range Fender.

Damon took a long sip from his new glass 

“That’s just so that Tom can’t take it back and get a refund” 

Angie burst out laughing – again. This was raising her evening to a new level as well, and Laura was up on cloud nine. Even if Damon couldn’t play a note, it was such fun and so amusing and all four of them were taking everything in such good spirits. It was just so different treating people she’d only just met as though they were old friends.

Damon took to the stage. He plugged in the guitar, switched the Marshall back on and sat on it. Tom stretched round on his chair to see better and the owner of the guitar leant on the bar next to them to keep an interested eye on it. 

Without a word Damon played a single note from his perch on the amp. Then another. Then another. Then played the rest of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, one note at a time with a definite pause between each one. He slipped down on to the stool. Most of the bar had gone quite, largely through astonishment and the guitar owner looked decidedly nervous, although so far this was not in danger of doing any damage.

“Thankyou” said Damon quietly into the microphone “That was the first song I ever played to an audience. I was six years old and like now, it was on a borrowed guitar. The audience was my sister and our parents and its very special to me because that’s what persuaded my mum and dad to buy me my first guitar”

“Did you get any better?” heckled Tom

“You decide”

Damon got up from the stool, then without warning leapt half a metre in the air and crashed out the chorus chords from ‘Another Life’ while landing. He replayed it from the beginning, blasting through it like the fast, love tortured anthem deserved focussing on extending the instrumental that should have been reserved for 3 minutes into the track. The background buzz in the whole bar had gone silent. Tom’s jaw had dropped open, and Laura was on the edge of her seat. Damon drifted into a little know Chameleons instrumental that focussed on high speed guitar, not moving much and concentrating.

Cue Excerpt from Lord of the Flies by tRK Project

It wasn’t as intense as Meridian man, and no where near as technical. But shredding the guitar made it sound impressive all the same, finishing high in the upper octave. Damon bowed and thanked the audience. 

“En-core!” shouted guitar owners girlfriend and Damon picked the guitar back up

“Its nice to be invited back”

 He played through a standard heartbreak track that he had played hundreds of times with the band, but changed the girl’s name to Laura

“I’ll finish on a track for someone very special who is in the bar this evening…” and drifted immediately into another intense track that he hoped Laura would understand (Every Note by Mystery)

“One more?” asked someone speculatively

“Ok. Just one. This one’s called Paradise” (Within Temptation)

This was more technical. He wound up the reverb to simulate the strings that Adam would have played on keyboard to give it sufficient depth. He’d made this work before, so long as the amp could take the pace. This is the track that had reduced Megan to tears the first time she sang it all the way through and it seemed strangely appropriate now for Laura. He wanted her more than anything and that gave the song even more pathos as he changed the words slightly and inserted her name here and there to make sure she knew it was really just for her. He was coming to the end, but this was too questioning a song to end on, it was too open ended. There was another opportunity here with Laura and instead of finishing he turned the volume down as he closed out the last few bars and drifted in to ‘The Way You Want It’. This wasn’t really the love song anthem he wanted to sing to Laura, but this wasn’t the place for that anyway.

Cue The Way You Want It by Fair Warning

This time he really did finish. It was never meant to be a full sized concert. Guitar man reached his hand out accepting the guitar back

“Thankyou. Nice instrument”

“No my friend. Thank you. That was awesome”

Back at the table, Laura was overcome. Angie had slipped her arm around her shoulders and Tom was, possibly for the first time ever, lost for words. Laura threw her arms around Damon’s neck with an ever widening smile through the tears, but Angie was first to speak as applause round the bar dried up

“You know what Tom. After that, you can poke it. I’m going out with Damon instead!” while Laura had a disbelieving glow beaming out through the emotion.

Tom got up and moved to the bar. The intention was to get another round in, but the barman had already poured it and it was ready on the counter.

“Ok Tom. I guess it is a bit like riding a bike….”

“Used to play a bit, the man said. Jeez. That’s gotta be the best guitar I ever heard”

Back in the car and on their way down the hill and Laura was in replay mode as Damon concentrated on the winding lane. That was… awesome. She found herself shaking. But was it all too much? 

What a perfect date – again. Sooner or later, realism would crash in on this fairy-tale, but hopefully, not today.

“What about Sunday? Can you make some time at the weekend?…” 

Oh my! So the fairy tale continues till Sunday – oh yes please

“….Afternoon? Although I know your schedule is as manic as mine and I’ll understand if you want a different day”
 “No, no. Sunday will be great”

“Anything in particular you’d like to do?”

“Not specially. Actually….” she hesitated wondering if this would be misinterpreted “… I’d be happy just spending some time together. But I hope you think I’m being flexible rather than just boring?” 

“Can I pick you up at 2.30?”

Can you? I thought I’d dropped enough less than subtle hints that I’d accept as many invitations as were offered! And also that I’d break down in tears if they weren’t.

Yes, he didn’t seem to be short of money and certainly had a high speed lifestyle. But he also seemed more interested in her than in how much she owned or how much she earned. This was about how she could fit him into her schedule, but to her it was all about how much of him did she want and how much of her did she want to give him. And she was now fearful that her answer was becoming ‘everything’.

For Juliette, Thursday was not going well. After the euphoria of sorting so many issues the day before, now she was increasingly concerned about things she'd missed that she didn't know anything about. She felt that she was idling away the remaining time by checking all the bedrooms and laying out the tables ready for Monday. She walked through her act as a pretend delegate. But every time it was just as expected and just as she'd planned, with a constant nagging doubt that this may all be a fantasy and nothing like the real world. How would she know? She slumped into the hard leather chair in the office and wondered how she'd managed to land up in this position, and why, oh why, was she doing this at all. Surely there should be someone on site who knew what they were doing, like, maybe they'd done this before. But, she reminded herself, jobs were hard to find. Maybe that’s why she was immediately popular in the pub for buying a round or two. And she was getting paid for this, and she was back on trial as Damon had reminded her.

But of course there were people around who knew more than her. There were two people. And neither of them was lifting a finger to help her. She resented that. Here she was doing her best to recover a basket case, and the pair of them were disowning the whole situation. She talked up the resentment as she replayed the last few days. Well! No longer! 

She'd grabbed all her courage with both hands. She’d done this so many times in the last couple of weeks, she was now fairly sure she knew where to find it. 

She tapped gently on the sales office door. This was where Jasmine and Ross hid all day. Or maybe it was Ross's domain and he'd just kidnapped her.

She pushed the door out of the way and walked in. 

“To what do we owe this uninvited interruption?” opened Ross. 

“Hi guys. I think I've got most things sorted for Berkley Pet Foods on Monday, but I would like you to run through the arrangements and see what I've managed to miss out”  

“Certainly not! Don't you know we've had no replies whatsoever to my rfq on operating the licenced facility, and Jasmine has had no success whatsoever in contacting the right people about it. Although, I suspect that's as much down to Jasmine as anything else. And in any case, what happens in the next three months is nothing to do with me. Now if you don't mind, some of us have a Conference Centre to establish, and it would benefit from fewer interruptions from you” 

Juliette was fuming. Here he was belittling Jasmine and trying to humiliate her. She desperately wanted to let go and just hurl obscenities at him, but keeping calm was always a better option, if you could actually manage to keep control of yourself 

“Now, just a minute. Who is it that's meant to be manager of this centre? And who is it will have to answer to Damon if it all goes pear shaped on Monday?” 

“How dare you! How dare you try to threaten me. Get out of my office, and don’t come back. Jasmine, how did you hire such an insolent little girl!” 

“It wasn't me! I thought you hired her!” she screamed in reply getting caught up in the moment. She knew that ultimately it was her and not Ross that was responsible for organisation, and Juliette was right. Someone's neck would be on the block. And here she was blindly following Ross like a puppy on a short lead. 

Ross had fully stood up as Jasmine screamed at him, but instead turned to Juliette. So if it wasn't you, and I know it wasn't me. Who did hire you? Juliette looked dumb. She didn't really understand the question. As far as she was concerned, nobody on the site had hired her. She was just here to help wherever it was that help was needed. 

“Hire me? I’ve always worked for Chameleon. But it hardly matters” she said through the tense silence “because we'll all be out on the street come Monday if it all goes up in smoke” 

“We will not! It's nothing to do with me!” 

“Oh for goodness sake, grow up. And accept the responsibility of being manager of this place, because that's what you're supposed to be”

“You have tried my patience to the limit. Get out now, before violence prevails” 

Juliette turned to leave. Somewhere she needed confidence. Maybe she should ask Rosie to walk it through with her. She drifted back to the office stopping starkly at the door at the sight of a familiar face 

“Damon!” 

He stood up politely as she entered, but, still in a daze and breathing in deeply, she continued towards him 

“Just thought I'd make sure you’re all right” he started. But by now she was right next to him silently slipping both her arms round his neck and burying her head in his shoulder 

“I know” she said slowly and softly “this is not the correct thing for a girl and her boss especially if she’s still on probation, but oh boy, am I glad to see you!” 

He left her hanging there for a few moments then untangled her and smiled gently 

“It's always nice to be wanted” 

“Damon, can you run through the arrangements with me. I'm skint worried I've missed out a great chunk I don't even know about” 

“I've only got about 10 minutes” 

“No matter!” 

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him back into the hallway. 

“Right. You're a delegate. This is what happens...” 

She pounded through the welcome, the check in, the meeting room, the coffee, the breakout rooms and the arrangement for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

“...And then…” she finished breathlessly “… after that they go to the bar and get so bladdered that they don't notice all the things I've missed” 

“I can't see you've missed anything. But surely Jasmine and Ross have already checked this” 

“Oh Struth! Give me strength! Damon, you have no idea! That pair have done absolutely pig all. Oh! Oops! Sorry, Damon. I'm just a bit stressed just now” 

“Look Juliette…. “ it sounded like she was back in trouble again 

“Sorry, so sorry” she burbled 

“Look Juliette” he started again but this time so softly while gently holding her arms “I'm late for an appointment already and I need to catch Stuart before he goes home, but it seems to me that there's more to all this that immediately meets the eye”

“Seems to be!?”

“Maybe we should have dinner tonight, and you can tell me all about it. Yes?” 

“Oh! Yes please! I would so much like to tell you about it” 

Oh, well Liam will have to go whistle, and anyway, I didn’t promise. 

“I'll see you here at 6. You do gave a dress don't you?”

“Why? Do you want to borrow one?” 

“Thankyou Juliette. But not on this occasion. It's just that if you don't wear one, you'll not be allowed in” 

Ross was just leaving as Juliette got into Damon’s car, and while she was more interested in where they were going and Ross was more interested in who the guy with the expensive sports car was, Damon clocked that neither of them spoke to or even acknowledged each other. 

As Damon expected she was surprised by the dress code check at the gatehouse, and almost overwhelmed by her first sight of the Studio 

“Oh my!” she turned towards him as her eyes widened “Is that the Studio? I had no idea. Its huge - enormous. Is it all the Studio?” 

“Yes, but there’s still a few rooms that we don’t use yet. I'll give you a quick tour of the major functions”

He took her hand as they headed for the main entrance door and pointed out the murals on the ceilings in the hallways, the staircase, the chandeliers and then led her along to the bar. Now with a large vodka and orange they headed for the basement recording studios

“This is what its all about here, Juliette. This is where the chart topping bands of tomorrow are getting their big break” 

Now with the calming effect of a second vodka she was better able to articulate the situation. 

Damon listened without interrupting as she related a diary of events and was just coming to the end when Adam and Michelle joined them. 

“And now” Damon said quietly as they headed for the dining room “I’d like you to repeat all that for Adam's benefit” 

He listened to the story all over again and was impressed by how consistent this version was with the first one, as Adam listened with increasing incredulity. 

“So what’s the biggest issue?” he asked innocently. 

Juliette thought about it for a stony minute’s silence 

“I'd like to say Ross is the main issue, but that’s not really the point. The main issue is that I don't know what I don't know. I mean, I made a list of all the things I figured I had to do, and I've done them all. But the things that haven’t been done are the things which were not on the list in the first place. Things I never identified as needing done. And I guess it goes without saying, I don’t know what they are, because if I did I‘d have added them to the list and done them” 

Michelle was nodding, knowingly “That’s the main issue I’ve found with all the building work. Its not doing it, and its not keeping track of the cost. Its knowing all the stuff to put on the plan in the first place so that you get everything done that you need to do, not just the stuff on a random list” 

“Hmm. I think that’s where I’m at, Michelle. I’ve got a ticked off random list, but then, I've never set up a conference before. I’ve never even been to one, so I don’t even know what its meant to look like” 

Michelle sighed “No, that wasn’t why Damon sent you in there. It was to help Jasmine with the details. You weren’t meant to be doing everything. And certainly not from scratch. But at least we were right, Damon, there is a major issue there” 

Damon turned to look directly at Juliette 

“But it seems that you’ve turned round this disaster”

“Trouble is….” Damon said at length as he finished eating “I'm booked wall to wall with reviewing bands studio efforts. That...” he explained to Juliette “...is the important part for any of the bands that make it this far. That’s when we decide if they’re going or staying, if they’re going to be global rock stars or local meteorites crashing down to earth. Adam, can you pick this up with Michelle in the morning? Because, Juliette, the plan is or maybe was, that your next assignment would be with Michelle in looking at the scheduling system and everyone has different ideas about that. We need to get a more robust system for scheduling the studios. Everything is ok now, but we’ll hit problems as soon as bands start going back round the loop for their second or third time, rather than just new bands coming in. We’re doing far too much rescheduling and its difficult to keep up with the changes, and there’s implications on the rest of the operation as well” 

“Unless, of course, you happen to be Michelle” 

“Juliette, you haven’t met Michelle before have you? She's the one that takes these changes, figures out what the impact on everyone else is, and then goes around and sorts it. She makes it all look so easy, until you try it for yourself” 

“No, we’ve not been introduced. But you were in the Starburst office one time and then again on the day it opened, and its you that signs off my expenses”

Adam and Michelle were early at the conference centre the next morning. They had arranged to meet Juliette there, but not for another quarter of an hour. The last conference that Adam had been to was when he was at Uni a dozen years ago and Michelle had never been to one. She’d only ever been to a few meetings before she joined the Studio, and they, she expected, would have been very different to what was needed here.

To give themselves some background to work on, they started with a general nose around - into the main meeting room, into the breakouts, up to the bedrooms and into the kitchen and bar. Finally they headed down the corridor opposite the main entrance and into Ross’s office. He raised a puzzled head from the papers he was studying. 

“Who are you?” 

“Ross Cunningham, I presume” said Adam rather than answering 

“That's Lance Corporal Cunningham to you. Who are you anyway?” 

Insubordination riled him a little, especially from an ex-military man who should know better. He'd always assumed that they were all trained to be rude, but only after they knew who they were talking to

“Adam, I co-own this company with Damon and this is Michelle who I’ve come to regard as our Chief Operating Officer. Damon couldn’t make it this morning so he asked us to pick this up” 

Juliette had surfaced, but had stopped short hearing the conversation start, and she waited, hiding, just outside the door. She grabbed Jasmines arm as she arrived and noticed her wince in pain but responded positively to Juliette's gestures to stay both quiet and out of sight as Michelle continued

“We just thought we'd pop in and make sure everything was in place for our first commercial conference on Monday. Perhaps you could show us round and point out the facilities our guests will enjoy” 

Juliette took Jasmines arm again and hauled her into the luggage storage alcove. Jasmine winced again and Juliette pulled up the sleeve of her cardigan without waiting for an invitation 

“What's happened to you? Where did all that come from?” she whispered 

“That's just Ross pulling me into his office to listen to his interminable tales of woe” 

Juliette was about to respond when they heard Adam’s voice again, slightly raised this time 

“I'm sorry I don't quite understand that comment. Are you inferring that you don't know what's been set up?” 

“That is correct. My conferences don’t start for at least three months. Anything before that….” 

“You mean, like next Monday?” 

“Yes, like next Monday, is nothing to do with me” 

“So who is it to do to with?” 

“I really couldn't tell you, because it's not my problem” 

“But, and correct me if I am wrong, you are the manager of this facility?” 

“Yes, and I expect to be sufficiently established to accept booking in about three months” 

“And in the meantime? Am I to believe that you have not made any provision for the conference on Monday?” 

“Madam! If there is a conference on Monday, it is nothing to do with me” 

“Even if it's a complete train wreck?” 

“Quite so. I have enough problems of my own without taking on nebulous previous problems which are not of my making” 

“Mr Cunningham...” 

“Lance Corporal Cunningham” 

But Adam ignored the correction and continued 

“As an ex-military man, let me make an analogy. Suppose you are given a new posting in charge of a platoon. The enemy is advancing on your position as you arrive, and they continue to advance. You, however, take no action because the offensive started before you took over and was therefore the previous sergeant’s responsibility. The enemy reaches your position and wipes everyone out. How do you explain your lack of action to your commanding officer?” 

Ross stayed silent and Adam continued 

“So, you are the manager here because that is what you were hired to do and you don't know what's going on. if anything. Should we phone Berkley Pet Foods and tell them to cancel?” 

“I have no idea” 

“No idea? You are the manager in charge and you have no idea about out first conference under Chameleon Media control?”

“Well, who does?” asked Michelle to defuse Adam

Juliette decided she ought to make an appearance, now being several minutes beyond the rendezvous time 

“Well, she might!” 

“Juliette, do you know what arrangements have been made for Berkley Pet Foods?” 

Juliette refrained from just saying ‘yes, like I explained last night, twice!’ This was clearly to be played to the audience. 

“I've made some arrangements, but I don't know what I've missed out, not having done this before” 

“Ok. So! Arrival. Who's checking in the delegates and have room numbers been assigned already?” 

“Room numbers are assigned, and, as centre administrator, I'm expecting Jasmine to do the check in” 

“I should think not! Jasmine has far too much to do in here helping me, to spend time on that” 

They ignored the interruption and Adam motioned Juliette to continue

“What about coffee in the main room?” 

“Coffee. And tea will be available from when the first delegate shows up. That will be me doing that. The coffee itself will be delivered tomorrow. Along with the beer for the bar - not that we expect to open the bar at 8.30 in the morning” 

“Bar?!. What bar?” 

“The bar for the delegates in the evening” 

“So who's doing that?” bellowed Ross 

“That's Liam and Jamie. They're local farmers, but have a load of experience, both sides of a bar” 

“You can't do that. I've got an rfq out for that” 

“Mr Cunningham” Juliette said as fiercely as she could without raising her voice to a shout “ I have no idea what an rfq is, or where I'd find one or what I'd do with it once I’d got it. What I do have is two experienced guys rocking in with a keg of beer at six pm to run a bar. They always run the bar for events at the village hall, so they know what they’re doing” 

“But what about the respondents to my rfq? 

“Whoever they are, can they start on Monday?”

“No. ... “

“That is probably your first correct answer” Adam interrupted “But what is an rfq”

“rfq! It’s a Request for Quotation”

“What for?”

“To run the bar, and there’s another one for the catering and another….”

“So who have you sent this request to?”
 “Everyone who might be interested”
 “Everyone?”

“Yes. First you send out an rfi which is a request for information, then and rfp which is a request for proposal, and then an rfq which is the request for quotation. All government departments use this system to award major contracts”

“Juliette, you're looking perplexed?” 

“Sorry Adam. But I don't see how anyone could respond to an rfq, which someone said is for a quotation, right? when we don't know how many people we are catering for, or when, or any indication of how much they might drink. I mean, they could be a temperance society, right?” 

“Absolutely right, Juliette. So I assume you’ve not used this system?”
 “No Adam. I just chatted up this boy in the pub and he’s gonna rock over with a keg of beer and a case of spirits”

“Which is great. Unless Mr Cunningham’s guys are coming in on Monday as well”
 “No. I haven’t had any responses yet”
 “So Monday is impossible, and at that rate any time this side of Christmas is equally unlikely. So Juliette, what do we have in place, or do we need to cancel the whole thing as a damage limitation exercise” 

“Oh dear! I really don’t want to cancel it now. I’m sure its very close even if its not perfect. And after everything I’ve been through to get this far. But, it's not for me to judge because I don't know what I've missed out, but catering, on the whole is being done...” 

“Catering! But I have an rfp out for that..” 

“Good. So who have you got delivering the bacon butties at 10 o'clock next Monday morning” Juliette shot out at him.

“Well I’m still waiting for a response They won't gave started by..” 

“Oh shut up” Adam snapped “Mr Cunningham. You clearly have nothing constructive to contribute. Juliette, do continue” 

“I've got the rooms assigned, and the beds and are all made up. The room tables are all set including the breakouts with notepads and pens, glasses, squash and mint sweets. The coffee and tea and sugar and biscuits all turn up tomorrow, with the beer. The rest of the bar will come in on Sunday evening when the guys will familiarise themselves with the layout. Bacon butties are at 10 on Monday, Danish pastries are at 11.30. That's when we give everyone the dinner menu so they can pre-select before lunch for pre-dinner drinks at seven. 

Lunch is a buffet, sausage rolls, sandwiches, fruit. Then the bar opens at six, One draught beer. Lager and other beers and cider in cans, 6 spirits, mixers, soft drinks. Then dinner is served at 7 30, and we've got two waitresses coming in to help with that. There'll be a limited wine list here, but if anyone wants something else, like champagne, then we can get that up from the pub in about 10 minutes. All the catering is being done by Rosie at the Olde Belle, though the bar is Liam and Jamie, though the drink is actually being supplied by the Olde Belle as well.. And then the same the other days, and the following week. Spare stationery supplies are in the cupboards in the office, the projector works, and there are enough water glasses and jugs to go round.” 

She paused for breath, thinking hard “Lime and orange squash will be on each table. I’m sure there’s more. Maybe things I’ve missed altogether. But I think that's about it.” 

“That sounds excellent” enthused Michelle. 

“Should we have a look round as a double check?”

“Yes please. See if you can spot any improvements! Like I said. I don't know what I've missed” 

“Juliette” Ross said in his version of a whisper that everyone could hear “looks like you may just have saved my skin” 

“Struth! I sincerely hope not!” 

“I'd change the welcome board”, said Michelle as they started the grand tour “I'd say VHR conferences that's Views, Horizons and Reflections, welcomes Berkley Wholesale Pet Foods”
 “ Jasmine, I think you need to say a few words” Adam continued “As a prelude before the conference starts just to introduce yourself and tell them where the loo is and so forth. Also cover the procedure for ordering dinner and when the bar opens. That sort of thing. And I think you should put notepads on the tables in the breakout rooms”
 “And Juliette “ Michelle added “did you envisage putting any toiletries in the en-suites?” 

“Oh no, Sorry. I’ve missed that as well!. It never occurred to me I'm afraid but I'm sure I can organise that this afternoon. I wonder how many other things I missed?”

“No, no don't. Jasmine, can you phone Natalia at the Studio and ask her to bring over a dozen sets. She's in charge of accommodation over there, and she’ll have a stock of several hundred. So that gets me thinking, who’s the chambermaid next week?”
 “Oh my! I’ve overlooked that as well. I think I’ve just been concentrating on day 1”
 “No, no, Juliette. You’ve got lunch and coffee and dinner and everything else sorted out for all week. Jasmine, talk to Natalia. Ask her to allocate one of her girls to come over here. I think the only other thing is that the garden needs some tidying”

“Juliette can do that next week then” suggested Ross cheerfully. Adam glared at him, and turned to the girls “Jasmine, can you talk to Stuart and see if he can get a team on to it over the weekend. I’m sure that Damon would authorise an overtime rate. And now, why don't you two go and action the few details we picked up on, before we forget. Oh Juliette, you have made notes, Oh, well done” and the door closed behind them.

“So, Mr Cunningham. You're employed as Centre Manager, but have completely abrogated responsibility for the impending events. You have provided no support or encouragement to Juliette who has tried so hard to rescue this situation. You left her floundering in the dark without any leadership whatsoever, while you squandered your time on a pointless and fatuous exercise of issuing impossible contracts. An rfi indeed! What information were you asking for? Its plain obvious what was needed. All you had to do was talk to a few local people. Like Juliette did. In short, you do not possess the sort of attitude or aptitude that will contribute to the success of the Chameleon Group. Being neither team nor leadership orientated, you are not the sort of person who will make a positive contribution to the company and as such you should leave” 

“Are you making me redundant?” 

“No. The job still exists, but you are leaving. However, I am prepared to offer you the option of resigning, in which case I can supply you with a reference that says that you and the job were simply incompatible. The alternative is I simply sack you for incompetence and derogation of duty, in which case your reference would simply state that you appeared to be incapable of performing the necessary role” 

“The former” he said, finally finding a quieter voice 

“I will get this into the post to you today, along with a month’s salary in lieu of notice, and your P45 post-dated by a month. You should go now” 

He picked his jacket from the hook, checked the top drawer for personal belongings of which there were none and made his way through the hall without a farther word. 

Adam walked slowly down to the admin office. It was never nice letting people go, but as Damon had told him, sometimes it's necessary to protect those that remain 

“So, Jasmine, what are we to do with you” 

“I don't know, Adam. But I do know that whatever else, I don't want to work with Mr Cunningham” 

“Well you won't be, because he's already gone. But I've a feeling you ought to go the same way” 

“Adam! It's not really Jas’s fault. She did try to come and help me. And look” 

Jasmine let out a loud ouch as Juliette revealed her arm again. 

“This is all as a result of him literally hauling her into his office to work on those lousy contracts” 

“Oh my goodness!”

“And we need her here next week to help run the show” 

“Oh, I suppose so. But Jasmine, you should really not have let everything get this bad”

“I know. But at least I warned Michelle in time, even if it was a bit tight” 

Adam let Michelle drive his Lamborghini back to the Studio. At least there was one positive came out of all this. 

Juliette collapsed onto the arm chair in the office. Jasmine had just finished writing a few notes for Monday morning’s introduction. 

“Have you got the bit about fire exits?” Juliette asked as Jas looked blank 

“You know, the ‘we're not testing the alarm today so if it goes off the exit is through the door, or the window for that matter cos if the buildings on fire just run like hell”

“I'll put something like that in. Oh Juliette, can't you do this instead?” 

“No Jas, I can't commit. Even when I said I was making the coffee first thing, Michelle said we'd see about that” 

“I heard that. But I can't do everything” 

“No, but it might not be me. It could be anyone. Maybe someone from the Studio. This Natalia girl seems to have some kind of team. Might even be Lisa from Damon’s office?” 

But the phone interrupted the discussion. It was Damon, inviting Juliette to dinner again. 

“So, you work directly for Damon? Wow! I had no idea you were part of the senior team” 

Juliette kept quiet. Sometimes, both truth and lies could be avoided by simply saying nothing. 

“I'll try to pop in on Monday, but Damon’s already got my next assignment lined up so I may not even be here by then. Who knows?”

Dinner was with Damon, Adam and Michelle, but the main topic of conversation had already moved on from the Conference Centre. Now it was the Estate. Here was another new area of the company that Juliette had no knowledge of whatsoever, but it also sounded fascinating. It also appeared that Adam was equally in the dark, but then they went back through the Conference Centre setup. 

Juliette was itching to ask a question, but felt too far out of her depth until Damon asked her 

“I think you may be puzzled by something. You have that look?” 

“Sorry, but I was just wondering. What happens next to the Centre, without a manager?” 

“Not a lot, I hope” replied Michelle “not until we have a good think about what its contribution will be to the company as a whole. So far, it's been nothing but trouble” 

“Maybe I should just have cancelled both those bookings when I got there” 

“No, you did the right thing. Sometimes you need to keep something going, even if it appears to be a basket case, just until you get time to think about it properly” 

“And what are you up to this weekend” asked Damon changing the subject towards next week’s assignment 

“I think I'll hazard a trip back home. And go and see Emma.” 

“Well, if you're doing that, I would like you back here on Sunday evening. I’ll expect to meet you in the bar here. I can't afford for you to rock in exhausted at 10.30. on Monday morning” 

“But first I’ll have to wait for the beer to show up tomorrow morning. And I might pop into the Centre on Sunday evening to make sure its ok”

Damon smiled to himself. This was a bit more like it. This is the model employee I asked her to become.

Meanwhile in the Olde Belle, Stuart cupped his hands round his jug and considered another beer. No, he decided. Go home and keep out of wife trouble. Right now he didn't know how much of the fallout from Ross was coming his way, but limiting other stresses would almost certainly help. 

“You're looking thoughtful”, she said over dinner. 

“Aye. Ross got the sack today” 

“No! Really! What for?” 

“Couldn't do t’ job” 

“Oh, what a shame. After you took so much trouble to get him in there” 

“Aye, and that's not all. Jas is beaten and bruised all down her arms. Apparently he'd physically haul her into his office when he needed some't done” 

“Why didn't she just go?” 

“Cos she 'ad 'er own work to do. An then that didn't get done neither” 

Ohh. What! So what's happened?” 

“Some young girl showed up outa’ nowhere and got things organised. Looks like she just ignored 'im and got on wiv it. Trouble is, reckon some of the glass is comin my way for hiring 'im in't first place” 

“Oh dear. That's partly my fault. I was only trying to help him out. He seemed so down on his luck” 

“Hopefully won't be too serious. I'll try to straighten things out first thing int’ mornin' rather than go downt' forest” 

“Remember we're going in to Edencombe shopping” 

“Aye, won't take long” 

Next morning was Saturday. Juliette was at the Centre doing the final checks and washing all the glasses for the tables and the bar as she waited for the delivery and wasn't surprised when Stuart bowled in. He was a large man, well built with a well worn Barbour jacket and a flat cap. Not quite the archetypal delivery driver, but then, Juliette mused, how would she know what a driver was meant to look like in this neck of the woods. 

“Hey up, missy” 

“Hi” 

“Do you work here..” 

“Yes” 

“So you must be the girl who's bin sortin’ stuff out” 

“I guess that's a fair description. I'm Juliette” 

“Good to meet you. I'm Stuart Bailey” 

“I've heard the name. .. Are you the Estate Manager?” 

“That's right. But now I've tracked ‘e down, I've come to 'pologise” 

Juliette turned her head to one side and looked puzzled

“See, it was me that hired Ross. He came over good at the interview, not that I had that much time with him, and now ‘t seems like he's caused no end o’ trouble” 

“Yeah, but he's gone now – say, do you want a cup of coffee? 

“Please, if it's no trouble. Caused enough already” 

She poured out two cups from the pot she'd made earlier to test that the machine was working. 

“No, people often manage to blag their way through interviews. And with you not being directly involved, you weren't to know” 

“So, where you from so you’re not from round these parts that's for sure” 

“I was working at Starburst Radio in Edencombe before I was sent here” 

“City girl then?” 

“Yes, and no. I've spent almost all my life in the town, but it's so refreshing to be out here. Imagine having an office overlooking all those fields of cows and sheep, and being able to just walk by the stream on your lunch break. But I'm learning a bit about it” 

“You interested in animals an farms and the like then?” 

“I don't know enough about it yet, but I'm hoping I can get time off to go to the auction on Tuesday” 

“Auction?” 

“Apparently. It's at Old Jeds farm” 

“ ’Course. He passed away, sadly. Was only last month. But 'is family ain't so keen on farmin', so they're sellin' everythin'. Didn't know it was definitely Tuesday though, or at the farm” 

“I think it's so at they don't have to move all the machinery. But there's also some land for sale, but that doesn't move anyway” 

“Say, thanks for that. I'm lookin’ for some additional plant. Need some extra tractors. We're spendin’ more time mendin’ them things than drivin’ ’em. Maybe pick up a bargain. Anyhow, I came to say sorry, and I've done that. Say, I also heard Jas's got a bit roughed up too. Is she all right?” 

“Her arms are in a bad way, all black and blue and bruised. But she ok apart from that” 

“So how come!” 

“I never really found out, but he did grab hold of her if she didn’t move quick enough for his liking. But largely I stayed out of the way and just got on with what I had to do, so I can't say exactly how it happened. And I've no intention of finding out, either. As far as I'm concerned, it was a sad little episode, that's now finished. So what I want now is to move on, not dwell on the history” 

“Aye, I'll be off then. Thanks for the coffee, might see thee at auction?” 

“I hope so” 

Michelle arrived just as he was leaving. Stuart explained what he'd popped in for 

“Yes” Michelle said “a sad affair indeed. Actually, I think Damon wants a word with you about it as well” 

“I was afraid 'e might” 

“I wouldn't worry. I don't think it's serious” 

She sat down and Juliette poured another cup. 

“Everything set?” 

“Not quite. The delivery isn't here yet. But I know that most of the stuff is at the pub, because Rosie picked it up on Thursday. Just waiting for the brewery, I guess” 

“Apart from that?” 

“Well, no. not really. You see, do you remember that I said I was worried about things I hadn't thought of?” 

“Yes, but we went through the schedule for the day, and it all seemed to work” 

“But Michelle, last night it suddenly came to me. The thing I was worried about but didn't know what it was” 

“And?” she prompted with growing curiosity 

“And it's money! Michelle, I haven't discussed the cost with anyone” 

“You mean, like Ross, or maybe Damon?” 

“No, Michelle. I've completely forgotten to discuss the costs with Rosie, or Liam”

“I suppose you were just expecting the prices to be the same as on the bar menu”

“Well, not really that either. It's just that I didn't think about it at all!” 

Michelle looked up from her coffee “So, now that we've identified the missing worry, we can do something about it” 

“But, Michelle, they could charge anything they like! They know I’m over a barrel” 

“Yes, but it's also a small, close community, and maybe they won't want folks to think they're bad people, taking advantage. It might be a bit more expensive, but then they're doing a bit more work, delivery for instance. And Rosie's providing evening staff as well, you said?” 

“I suppose so. But I'm also worried that you and Damon will be real mad at me. I'm still on a kind of trial from Damon” 

“Well, maybe we should amble down to the Olde Belle and have that discussion right now. And we can find out when the delivery is scheduled for too and then we can get this sorted out before you have to report back to Damon” 

Rosie was as helpful as always. Yes there would be a premium for delivery, and there would be an additional charge for the staff. But apart from that it would all be as per the menu. Oh, note to self.. Restyle the menu without the prices. 

With that now covered as well, Juliette calmed down enough to head back toward town.

Her mum was dressed was pleased to see her when she bundled in unannounced, and there was no sign of Brian or the dog. The house had a fresh aire about it. Lighter, brighter, and it didn't smell of poo or even dog and she was greeted with a cheery “Hello Juliette. I've been worried about you” as she opened the front door 

“I've been worried about me too. And a little bit about you as well” 

“But you didn't get the sack, did you?” 

Juliette related the events, and mum explained that she'd been very upset after Juliette had left, to the extent that she had a big think about what she'd said. And that resulted in Brian leaving and going back to living on the road. 

“I didn't like doing that. I've looked after those less fortunate than me all my life. But he was just taking advantage. And d’you know what! He wasn't even grateful. And it means you can come and stay whenever you want as well. Especially” she emphasised “if you're going to contribute to the rent” 

That last comment took the edge of the invitation. Not wanted because she was family, just because she was a source of income

“He left, the same day as you…” she continued “…I think he took it to heart and decided to move on, and do you know, its the best thing. I was just wasting away lying in bed being looked after like some old invalid” 

Yes thought Juliette, that's what I said as I was leaving 

“Thought you might like to go over to walk round that rose garden at that big country house you like. It’ll look nice in the late sunshine, if you want to, and then this evening, I'm going out to see a friend of mine in town” 

This was different, Juliette setting the agenda, but mum was pleased with the plan 

“You got a car then, if we're going over to Halstead Manor?” 

“Yes, it goes with the job I've got now. Same company, just different job” 

“So what you doing then!” 

“All sorts of things. It's a bit like being a swimming teacher. I get thrown in at the deep end and everyone watches to see if I can drown” 

“What?” 

“Oh, never mind. I’ll probably be out late tonight, so I’ll stay at my flat in town. But I’ll drop in for a cup of tea tomorrow morning on my way back. I'm due in the office tomorrow and who knows what I’ll be off to on Monday morning” 

The rose garden was lovely. Peaceful, fragrant and for once an interesting chat as they walked slowly, stopping often to take in the scent. It had always been a favourite place for her mum, and now she too found it quiet and restful after the manic madness of the week. So, at peace with her mum and with Emma as bubbly as ever, Juliette was recharging ready for whatever next week would throw at her. She managed to lose a fair bit of that in the club they went to after Gerrards had shut around one, but there was no problem her staying at the flat even if she wasn’t really living there. 

Her confidence was returning. She’d actually had something interesting to talk about with the guys that tried to chat them up, and Emma was definitely as mad as a box of frogs. And that all added up to a late start on Sunday.

Juliette was out by 10.30 heading to her mum for that cup of tea, while Emma convinced herself that Gerrard would be ok by himself in the bar till 12.  Damon wanted her back by dinner time, but she figured more on going back for a late lunch at the Olde Belle, and then take a bit more time getting to know her way around the Studio. 

The cup of tea with mum did not go as well as expected. Mum was disappointed that she wasn't going to be staying at home even after she tried to explain her new job. But then it degenerated into trying to make her feel guilty about it especially after, she said, everything she'd done looking after her when she was growing up. 

“Mum, just think about it. You brought it on yourself. You have to think of the consequences when you do stuff like that. You have to think how its going to affect other people and sometimes there’s no going back afterwards”

But keen to avoid a protracted argument, and to leave the door open for another unexpected visit, Juliette explained again that it was only a cup of tea she’d dropped in for.

The Olde Belle was a diametric contrast. It was busy, even at that time, being late on a Sunday lunchtime. Juliette edged her way through to the bar where Rosie had a vodka waiting for her. 

“Was thinking you'd disappeared! Liam was in yesterday, and Friday and day before looking for ye. Still, its good to see you. You are all right aren't you? You’ve not been ill or anything?” 

She ordered up a salad, but with chips just as Liam made it to the bar 

“Hey! Stranger.” he said loudly with a widening grin, but the bar was busy and they were both under people pressure as he ordered a round for his table. 

“You gotta join us. Can’t have you sittin' up here all on your own” 

“She wouldn’t be on her own for long” interjected Rosie. So with the five round the table making room for the sixth, she looked around. Most of them she recognised from her previous evenings, but was decidedly unsure of the names. 

“Where did you get to last Thursday?” Liam was asking, but Juliette realised that any private conversation would be impossible, so explanations would be left at a general level, 

“My boss phoned me for an update. And the only time he had free was dinner time. But it was a very nice dinner. And then Friday I was going through stuff looking for things I’d completely forgotten, and then yesterday, I went home to see my mum” 

“So, what is it you do?” asked the girl opposite her 

Juliette thought for a few moments. 

“What I do is go to anywhere in the company that needs an extra pair of hands, and help out” 

Her salad arrived and Liam pinched a chip.

“So, you’re a bit like a temp?” 

“Yes. That in fact, was the plan” 

“But?” someone prompted 

“But..” 

“Can I have a chip? Thanks” 

“But, sometimes its more than just helping. You see there’s always a reason for the problem that needs the extra hands, and its up to me to find that reason and do something to stop it happening again” 

“Oh, wow, so you’re a kind of trouble-shooter as well”

“Yes. Hey! how many chips are you having” 

“Not many more” 

“That’s only because there’s not many left!” 

“And you travel all around” 

“Hmm. Last week was here in Elfinford, not sure about next week, could be anywhere” 

“How long for?” asked Liam 

“Who knows? As long as it takes. I won’t know till I find out what the problem is, and I can’t start looking till I get there. And because no one can tell how long something will take. I can’t schedule the next one” 

“What company is it?” 

“Its called Chameleon Media.”

“That sounds familiar for some reason. Yes, I remember, that guy Damon works there. He's been making a few waves around here” 

“Careful Jamie!” 

“Yeah. It was him that bought the whole of Old Edgars farm back a month or two and them woods all up the rise beyond Farthingbridge Lane. We's all right nervous 'bout that. Whats he gonna do with it? Its us jobs an every'fin” 

“Well, I'd be pretty sure there’s nothing to worry about. Damon is the kindest, sweetest, most generous man you could ever hope to meet” 

“I thought the bloke buying Ed's farm was the same bloke as bought that old Fitzbrigand Manor, although Hal tells me its changed its name now to The Studio. What is he, some kind of artist?” 

“No” said Juliette “he's a musician. The whole company is into music” 

“So what does he need a place that big for? And a farm?” 

“'Ow big is it. I ain’t seen it ever?” 

“Most folk haven't. Its been right hard to get near it for years. The whole boundary grew out with twenty yards of thick brambles. 

“Its just as hard now. There’s a bloke on the gate” 

“Wot? like a sentry” 

“Yeah. stops everyone” 

“But you must know, Juliette. You work there, right?” 

“No. Not really. I only work at the Conference Centre just up the road” 

“So if you wasn’t there where was you before bein' 'ere?” 

“At Starburst Radio, in Edencombe” 

“So this Damon guy. Is he boss there as well?” 

Juliette nodded as a large bowl of chips landed in the centre of the table and everyone dived in.

“Hal says he went into this Studio place to build a bar. He says it was like building a whole pub, but in one room. Says it looks like he might be turning it into a hotel maybe” 

“As far as I know, its going to be a bit like that with lots of different people staying there” 

“Rosie won’t be likin’ that. Takin' away from 'er rooms 'ere” 

“No, not really. All the guests are invited. You won’t be able to just book up, or rock in off the street” 

“But, where ever they all come from, if there’s lots o’ people staying there, they’ll all need lookin’ after. I mean there must be jobs going” 

“I think there might be” 

“So, who do we need to talk to.” 

“Depends what kind of thing you want to do” 

“Anything! cleanin', cookin', anythin’, admin or office, garden, anything” 

“You should get hold of Natalia” 

“Natalia?” 

Juliette screwed up her face thinking hard 

“I don’t know her second name, but she’s from eastern Europe. She looks after accommodation. No doubt point you in the right direction for anything else” 

“And that Damon will be looking for some help too, if he’s just bought every square inch of land around here, cos Stuart Bailey is already struggling. He is still the estate manager for the manor, isn’t he?” 

“Yes he is. But as far as I know all the land round about will be kept for farming. Damon wants to prevent any development so that he can keep a quiet atmosphere all around the Studio which is better for composing music and writing songs and stuff like that”

“Things is lookin’ up, eh. You’re a star Juliette. Work is hard to find round here, but Stuart and this Natalia sound like a couple of good leads” 

“And you are set for doing the bar on Monday, aren’t you?”

“That in all. We won’t be lettin’ you down”

The bar thinned out and she remembered the invitation from Michelle to meet for dinner, and then more seriously, the need to move herself out of her large bedroom on the first floor overlooking the lawn, to a smaller, more bijou room on the second floor well out of the way of the delegates, always assuming she would be there next week. 

Juliette relayed the episode to Michelle and Adam at dinner 

“I do hope I didn’t say too much” 

“No, no” dismissed Adam “You’ll find that’s the way things work around these rural villages. Each person finds out one little thing, then they all get together in the pub and put all the pieces together, sometimes they even make a complete picture” 

“Gloucester” said Adam plonking a large vodka onto the table in front of her “I think Damon has suggested that you have a look at that problem?”

“Only that he said I might need to go to Gloucester next. More than that, I have no idea”

“ I think he also wants to get you involved in the Estate. Would you like to involved in the Estate?” 

“Oooh yes. I liked working in Edencombe with the city life and the constant background noise but I could so easily get used to an office that looked out across sheep meadows and just walk along the river after work. I was hoping to get to the auction on Tuesday. It seems to be a major event in the village”

“You should go. Just be careful you don’t sneeze at the wrong time” 

“So if you want to go to the auction you don’t want to be a hundred and twenty miles away. So, as Damon’s not here, what I’d like you to do is have a think about a scheduling system. We’ll have to leave Gloucester for the time being. It’s important, and it needs sorting, but so do the scheduling issues”

“Ok” although she had no idea what the issues were, or what a scheduling system should look like 

“Ok, Juliette, so we’ll see you here tomorrow so don’t forget your dress and hopefully you can sort out Scheduling - once Damon explains what the problem is. And I’ve asked Lisa to go over to the Centre tomorrow to help Jasmine” 

“But, I thought that I...” 

Michellle was shaking her head “No, Juliette. Jasmine is supposed to be running that show, although she needs some help tomorrow because she can’t do everything. But if you went, it would be her helping you. And that isn’t going to tell Damon if she can handle this” 

“Oh My! Is she on trial as well!” 

“No, Juliette…” finished Adam “…she's already convicted. Its just Damon never told us what the charge was” 

Juliette took that as a good excuse to snuggle into Adam’s shoulder in the bar. He was understanding and supportive. Not as gentle as Damon, a bit more abrupt, but Damon wasn’t here and she found herself thinking about him. He’d fairly obviously been interested in Annabelle when they were setting up Starburst, and now having got to know him a bit better, Juliette was at a complete loss as to why Annabelle hadn’t been more responsive. Maybe it was Annabelle that Damon had gone to Edencombe to see. But no matter, Adam was lovely too and she was happy to enjoy the public cuddle. Maybe it was her turn. At least until Lisa arrived.

Juliette remained the centre of attraction as Michelle slipped in question after question on the events at the conference centre. It was easy talking to her. She picked up on everything so quickly and at least appeared to be genuinely interested. And suddenly it was late. The boys in the bands had drifted off as those in studio the next morning bailed out early. 

“I think you ought to stay here tonight” Adam said to her. 

Juliette gave a noticeable twitch, Michelle broke into a bemused smile 

“Adam, I think you should rephrase that, unless of course you meant what everyone heard even if it wasn’t what you thought you’d said” 

Adam stared at Lisa immediately placing his glass on the table and turned to look from one to the other trying to figure out the problem.

“Adam” said Lisa “I'd be rather embarrassed if you'd said that to me in public.. .. Ever so pleased of course, but very embarrassed” 

That seemed to break the tension as everyone gasped a laugh 

“Oh I see! No, Juliette. What I meant was that we've all had more to drink than would be sensible driving you back. We've got at least 80 bedrooms here, and I was suggesting you occupy one of those instead. And then go back to the Centre tomorrow” 

“Any particular one you think she should occupy?” teased Lisa running her tongue across her lips.

“I'm saying no more” said Adam, “When in big hole, stop digging. And Juliette, make sure you update the room board in the hall”.

A Better View

Laura tidied up the lab on Sunday morning. She chastised herself for being so childish that she was too excited to do any new experiments but justified it because she preferred to work without the mess that Ludvig created. 

She heard the tap on her door and looked out of the window. Damon would have parked his car so that he could see it at all times, and she didn’t immediately see anything she didn’t recognise. Maybe it was Rob! Oh no! Ok, maybe just a neighbour. Nervously she peeked slowly round it. No, it was Damon. Oh thank goodness. These extra scares did nothing for her blood pressure.

“I was thinking we’d just take a look at the countryside on an afternoon like this. Then maybe we’ll find a nice country pub for something to eat”

“Sounds great! Are we walking from here?”
 “No…Oh! I thought we’d drive out a bit first”

“Really? Wow. Because that convertible of yours really is stunning”
 “Yes, Yes it is Laura and I promise I’ll take you for a long drive with the roof down sometime, but sorry, it wont be today. Today we’re in the 4 x 4. Its more suitable”
 

“That’s ok” she said sounding more disappointed than she intended

“It’s quite high up isn’t it. This should help us get a better view of the countryside” as she climbed the step up into the cabin. 

“We’d get an even better view if we were even higher” 

But that offhand comment didn’t prepare her for the next surprise as they headed out of town 

“Is there a plan for today?” 

“Yes. I’ve set something up. I’m really hoping you like it. There’s a certain amount of standing up, but beyond that, nothing too strenuous. Unless we crash” 

“We do what! So do we have a specific tortuous route we’re going on? Like, off-road? maybe” 

“It’ll definitely be off-road. But no. The route isn’t set. In fact it will be quite random. Once we get going, there’ll be no real telling where we’ll go”

Hence the possibility of crashing! That sounded dangerous, but Damon didn’t seem too concerned. What kind of riddle was that? Finally they turned sharply in through an open field gate and headed across the meadow where there was already some activity. Only now did she see the plan 

“Balloon! Damon, are you serious?” 

“Mmm. I think I said we’d get a better view from higher up…. Do you guys need a hand?” 

“If you like, but you don’t have to. We’re happy to do everything, but sometimes our clients like to get more involved, and that’s fine too. Its your shout” 

They helped load the equipment and a large cool-box from their Land Rover as the balloon inflated and the team checked the stays 

“You said we should use your car as chase vehicle. Is that still the plan?” 

“Sure. I think the plan is that you use my Range Rover as well so that it ends up the same place as us. Then you recover the balloon with your Land Rover as usual, while we head off in search of the nearest pub” 

“Suits us perfectly, although we have got a light snack for you on board” 

Laura climbed over the edge of the basket. Not the easiest thing to do as Damon had suggested that she wear something warmer, but she’d been reluctant to wear just jeans and a jumper. She wanted to look smarter than that and she still felt the need to impress. This longer tweed midi skirt and satin top seemed far more suitable for going out with Damon. But maybe not best for climbing obstacles – like the side of a balloon basket.

Cue Can’t Fake Affection by Kingdom Come

Ground crew released the tether and they rose into the air with a jolt and the soundtrack of the burner. Once at a height, it was much more serene. The pilot commentated on the course they were taking, and Damon confirmed that the direction was largely irrelevant so long as they didn’t land up out at sea. The co-pilot pointed out the landmarks on the ground with reference to her map, before opening the cool-box and serving petit fours and champagne. 

Laura was stunned. ‘Take a look at some of the countryside’ Damon had said. And as a simple girl, she’d have been happy just going for a countryside walk or at most a drive. Her eyes welled up involuntarily. This was wonderful, even though she didn’t need it – but she did need Damon.

They drifted over steep wooded valleys with tumbling streams, forests and coniferous plantations and fields of yellow and green. It was magical. Serenely quiet with some landmarks she thought she recognised, her eyes wide open with excitement, sipping champagne, nibbling smoked salmon, drifting slowly across the county.

They rose higher over the bleaker high moorland and the time seemed to vanish with so much to try to identify. Eventually the wind strengthened and veered to the east. That could blow them out towards the sea and it signalled the end of the journey. Down below they saw the two pursuit vehicles homing in on a landing site. Nearly down, but not quite as they bounced and she grasped the basket to steady herself, then feeling Damons arms all the way round her pinning her to the edge of the basket. Ooh – a crash landing would be worth it just for that! 

The second attempt bounced them a few feet off the ground again but this time they stayed vertical and with a significantly deflated balloon, they were down. 

Another fabulous date and Laura’s head was still spinning as they thanked the crew and repossessed Damon’s car. 

It was late afternoon, still rather too early to find a pub for dinner, and the shady forest they’d just driven into looked like the perfect place for a gentle walk to work up an appetite. They followed the track up the hill as it got narrower, hemmed in on each side by encroaching brambles. The gate at the end had seen better days and clearly hadn’t been fully opened for some years with rotten timbers and a high probability of complete collapse. He opened it carefully and only as far as necessary and they squeezed through into the grassy meadow beyond, populated with glacial boulders and sheep. The flat topped rock they climbed up onto had been warmed by the sun and Damon lay down on it as she sat close beside him. But they’d stopped moving now – flying, driving, walking, and they were alone together with little prospect of interruption and talked quietly in the isolation. Finally, they were alone together with plenty of time for a kiss, and a cuddle, at first gentle and inconsequential, but building into sufficient passion to persuade each other that they didn’t want this to be their last date.

She walked very close to him back down the hill. Now she felt closer to him than to anyone else before. She was also coming to the conclusion that she’d do anything and everything to keep going out with him. 

The pub they’d found was busy and occasionally noisy. The landlord squeezed them into a small table in a back corner that he seldom used unless it was absolutely essential, but it was perfect for Damon to hold her hand across the table when they weren’t actually eating, and it was so delightfully childishly romantic. 

He suggested that they stop on the way back, just for a kiss, as there’d be no privacy at all outside her apartment block. 

But that same issue was apparent here as car after car pulled in beside them. Instead, they moved as close as they could with the wide transmission tunnel between them and laid their heads together talking quietly till it got so late it was nearly early.

The car floated her back into town and a very brief kiss 

“Damon, are you around next week at all. Tuesday?” she hinted “Or Wednesday?”

“I’m up here in town on Thursday, so Wednesday’s a possibility. Depends what else you’re doing”

Scheduling

It was Monday morning. Juliette was at the Studio, it was only 8 o’clock, and Damon had already explained it once.

Michelle had simply assumed the task of scheduler as the bands sporadically arrived. It fitted in with her control of everything else that was happening, and it meant she could spot any issues and conflicts. Lisa was involved as well making sure everyone was informed and keeping that board up to date. However, it was becoming something of a juggling act trying to fit everyone in. 

It was working, but only one day at a time and Damon could see that it would only increase and increase hugely. He’d discussed this on many occasions with Adam, and they’d agreed that they needed someone specifically allocated to the task, particularly when bands started to come back around for their second album or after a tour.

Ok, so they had someone in mind for the job, but before that they needed to reconsider their capacity so that the scheduler had the job of diary manager rather than wizard, juggling bands between rehearsal rooms and the studio and fitting in three bands where there was only really room for two.

“How much flexibility have we got? What would the impact be if we moved a band to the following week? That would be important if we wanted to get another album together to coincide with an extension to a tour, or if maybe we have to have to delay the tour. Everything’s flexible and there’s lots of options but we don’t have enough information to make confident decisions. So far, we’ve fitted in all the bands that arrive here, but as that ramps up, how much extra studio time do we need? Have we got enough rehearsal rooms? Ok, so there’s no reason not to rehearse in the rose garden, but it hardly suits everyone and all seasons. But how many bands have we got going round again. Its not just what could theoretically happen, its what do these bands want to do? Continue touring? Spend some time here for one good reason or another? Get into the studio for another album? We need a board marked out to display all this so that we can see what the impact is. So what I want you to do, Juliette, is to spend some time thinking about it. We don’t have much real data at the moment so I think you need to be creative. Start with a theoretical date, say the first of next month. Define some assumptions, and create the scene as it would be, given those assumptions. That will give us something to consider and adapt”

Damon hadn’t restricted how far she should go, but her interpretation was that she’d need a presentation that said. ‘Assuming we start with this, that’s what the schedule looks like’.

She increased her secrecy by commandeering a small basement room near the stairs that led from the main hallway to the studios. At first it felt like a dungeon, but with a few scribbled posters and some background music, she made it feel like home. 

She drew a sign for herself - a large surreal drawing of a demon of some dark shade incarcerated in a medieval cell with crumbling stone walls with water dripping down them and a look of tortured rebellion on its face. 

This was very different from her Conference Centre task. That had been all frantic doing and organisation, this was all mental gymnastics and tying her brain in knots. Relief, however, was not far away. Tomorrow would be auction day.

The Auction

Staying at the Conference Centre, she had a cast iron excuse to leave the Studio bar early and Monday evening saw her back in the Olde Belle for a quick round up with Rosie and Jasmine who was there with her Paul. She’d set her thoughts on scheduling aside because the next event in her calendar was the auction. Oh my! And that was tomorrow! And it would be a first for her. She'd never been to an auction and was concerned about the behaviour. She drifted back to the Conference Centre. Maybe she could just squeeze in on the end of the bar and see how it was all going.

“Is it true that you can bid just by raising your little finger, or twitching an eyebrow? she'd asked Liam as it got late and the delegates were largely ratted. 

“Oh yes! You have to be so careful you don't make any sudden movements or you'll be the proud new owner of 25 geese, of a 43 year old hay baler.”

She stayed back at the Conference Centre that night, this time relaxed and exhausted after staying in the bar till late. Now she just lay in bed looking out at the moon and stars. So many more stars than from her mums house in town, and the sound of an owl. 

She felt she'd made it. She'd succeeded. She'd held her own all the way through and got the result everyone needed. But Damon was annoyingly right again about her needing to get back Sunday night. And yes, she nearly fell into the guilt trap that her mum had primed for her. But now! Now she had everything to play for. She thought about the issues her scheduling task was raising, but that only helped her go to sleep.

Damon was missing the auction. He was in Vienna again. This deal was hugely more than Kessler usually took on, and Damon wanted to make sure that it was actually progressing. Wolfgang, however, was completely on top of it. The Polish manufacturer was already working on it and had the basic system completely assembled. What it now needed was the specific options that Damon wanted. Gordon sounded very much like he was now an industry expert in duplication systems, running through the options over lunch, double checking that Damon understood the benefits, the negatives and the costs, while Wolfgang watched, bemused, as Gordon did his job for him.

Damon also wanted to move this forward as quickly as possible. The ball that was the Studio Setup was now tumbling ever faster down the hill with a mind entirely of its own. Wolfgang too was keen to get this completed if only to get paid, and returned to the lunch table with the announcement that they could fly to Krakow that afternoon. There they would meet the supplier for dinner, confirm the options, and finalise the consumables, chemicals and raw materials supply to provide all the confidence needed to complete the order and ship it. This was real progress. Apart from the Studio itself, this was by far the most expensive part of the setup. Most of the established labels used the specialist companies for this type of production, but that was too risky and ultimately too expensive for Damon.

Wolfgang bailed out early evening claiming that he’d been working on this since six o’clock that morning, but Damon had a final question. ‘What would be the lead time and cost of a second system to the same specification’ .

Meanwhile Juliette met Liam amongst the chaos at the barn door still seriously nervous about perhaps owning a 43 year old hay baler. Like, how would she ever move it? or where would she keep it? Best just keep stock still for the next two hours. 

But in the event, the whole thing was much more laid back. For a start, you had to get a registration number before you could bid at all, and Juliette made a point of not getting one. She sat with Liam to one side for the first lots, then as they moved on to the first of the tractors, the whole assembly moved round the barn. 

“Make sure that if you intend to bid, that you stay with me” said the auctioneer as he moved between the equipment. It was all new to Juliette. So much machinery, all with odd spikes and pipes sticking out at strange angles, and hoppers and blades and wheels, all for less than obvious purposes. Liam explained some of it, but it was important to keep noise levels down. 

“We’re going to clear the minor machinery first. Then there will be four property lots, then the larger machinery, then another 5 properties and finally the late entry tractors”. 

Liam tried to describe what each of these pieces of equipment would be used for, but Juliette’s knowledge of the whole farming world was barely enough to understand it. It was fascinating, and the bidding was fast. It raised the atmosphere and she felt herself getting caught up in the excitement. Oh thank goodness I don’t have a registration number!

Juliette noticed that Michelle had slipped in. Strange, but she said nothing and just kept a low profile with Liam. He however had noticed her. It was difficult not to. Michelle was the kind of girl that made drivers take out entire bus shelters just watching her on the sidewalk. Her smile would melt the Antarctic, but she managed to retain a perfect innocence while looking drop dead stunning. 

She was standing at the back on the far side of the assembly as the lots moved on to property, although it occurred to Juliette that three quarters of the people were just there to watch. The auctioneer drew attention to the large map that was hung on the wall behind him to show where these lots were. 

Initial bidding was fierce, but slowed as the numbers got more serious until the tense swing of the event was suddenly interrupted.

“What d’you mean 725! You already own it! And you ain’t even got half that much money”

The auctioneer paused the bidding “There’s a serious accusation being made here. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am suspending this lot and will restart after these gentlemen’s credentials have been checked, which is the standard procedure”

Some commotion broke out, but Liam was able to explain some of the larger machines and the delay was less than 15 minutes. The lot restarted with the auctioneer stating categorically that there was no planning permission. The developer was steaming, and dropped out of the bidding at only a hundred thousand. The bids continued up to 160 but with one of the previous bidders no longer there.

“Its only worth a fraction without planning” whispered Liam

“Going once! Going…And new bidder. 170?” the auctioneer was saying as he scanned round the rows. Then pointing to a gentleman in the second row “it's against you at the back at 170? No? Going once...going twice”

He brought he gavel down and noted a number. Was that someone over by Michelle? No matter, Juliette couldn’t see clearly. The next two lots were farm workers cottages in the next village, but bidding was fast and there certainly seemed to be a keen interest. 

But it was the fourth lot that caught Juliette's interest. The barn had seemed to fill up with newcomers as the auctioneer was talking, summarising the auction so far and now he described the next lot 

“This is most likely the highlight of the auction. The most substantial Ebdin estate, comprising....” 

The newcomer next to Juliette coughed loudly and she missed the next part of the description. She did however see the outline the auctioneer described on the large map. 

“Liam! That’s huge”

“Shh”

“I'm opening the sale at 250 000. 250 000?. Yes on my right. The bidding spiralled up leaving three guys near Juliette bidding against each other. 

“That bloke, in the suit – he’s another developer” whispered Liam

The barn had gone quiet, and the air had become tense. 

“At 925000. At 925000?” 

She saw one of the guys shake his head as another raised a finger

“I'm at 950000 on my left. Any more? Are you out, sir or do I hear 975? It's at 950 on my left. 960 perhaps? A short tense silence then “My goodness! New bid at 960 000. Can I confirm that is a bid of 960? It's now against you at the back at 960 000.

“970?. No? A shame to lose it for just 10 thousand. There was a long pause, then a nod. “970 sir. The bid is in the second row at 9 hundred and 70 thousand pounds. At the back? Do I hear 980? It's at the back at 980 at 980. At 980000 pounds.” 

Juliette held her breath. It seemed everyone else was as well. The guy on the left was clearly thinking, and equally displeased. 

“No, the auctioneer said suddenly “you don't need to bid at the back, the bid is already with you. At 980 thousand. I’m selling at 980 thousand to the young lady standing at the back” 

The guy on the left shook his head and the gavel came down. Juliette watched dumbfounded as Michelle raised her card for the clerk to note the number. 

“Jul’ – she’s only a kid! Where she get that kind of money from!” hissed Liam

But the day wasn't over. 

“After the excitement, next up is lot 54, the lumber truck, seven years old but in excellent condition” 

Juliette had no idea what you would do with one of these. It was huge, and again she was glad that she did not have a registration number. Ending up as the owner of one of these would be a nightmare, even worse than a 43 year old hay baler, and even if it was, as the auctioneer had described, unique.

“10,000 pounds. Who’ll bid me 10 grand? Ok 8? 8 thousand I have. 10. 12, 14. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure you’ll forgive me if I break with protocol for a second and point out to our young lady at the back in the light grey coat that there is very little woodland on the Ibden estate”

The tenseness of the auction subsided as the audience laughed at this semblance of humour 

“I’ll make a point of planting some” replied Michelle to another ripple through the audience as the auction continued “I’m at 15000 on my right…”

And despite everything that Juliette was unprepared for, Michelle's number went up at 16 thousand five hundred. And the next lot as well. Here she was, five years younger than her. Standing out like a supermodel at a vagrants party, and spending over a million pounds. 

But the day was not over yet

“The next lot is the substantial Furzecombe Farm. It was extremely productive until about two years ago when agriculture there ceased abruptly and the land has largely lain fallow for that time”

“Yeah, the boys that owned it got locked up” whispered Liam, but Juliette was paying more attention to Michelles number going up as the final bid. She also picked up the last two property lots as well, and for some reason the bidding on the final agricultural machinery seemed rather boring, although Juliette noticed Michelle’s ticket on the final two tractors as well.

Most of the assembly retired to the Olde Belle and the discussion was largely about the sale, particularly who the mystery girl in the short grey coat was, who, it was now speculated, had suddenly become the biggest landowner in the county. Juliette listened, and talked quietly to Liam in between listening, but decided not to enlighten any one on Michelle's identity. Then she made sure Jasmine was ok over at the Centre on her way back the Studio. 

“You don't know where Michelle is, do you?” asked Adam 

“No, but she's been at the auction all morning” 

Again it was good to be able to contribute. She could get used to this, rather than just being one of the herd. She took up residence in the bar and tried to get her mind re-focussed on studio scheduling.

It took a number of attempts at drawing the layout to be capable of displaying all the data, but it was very different, it challenged her brain, but it began to feel like maybe she wasn’t still on trial. Or if she wasn’t on trial, maybe she’d been sentenced and was now on probation, or maybe she’d built her own cell already!

The plan was coming together and lists and draft charts replaced her posters round the wall. Annabelle had been particularly helpful in providing her facts and figures from Starburst. But then, Juliette argued with herself, she would, wouldn't she? Because this schedule was what was going to focus the production of new material of the genre and type that Starburst wanted, which is what Gavin needed to grow the profits.

At first she looked at it like it was purely a diary, and events would move around as more important issues appeared. But soon she realised it wasn’t quite that simple. Each event was there for a reason, and often dictated the timescale for subsequent events. And if one of those was a tour that had already been scheduled it was effectively immovable and these reasons all needed to be available before the options could be fully considered.

She got to thinking that this schedule provided the focus on the reality and opportunity for the new bands that Karen kept finding, and that was what grew the whole company. She leaned forward on her desk cupping her hands around a fresh mug of coffee. This schedule was seriously important. And how surprisingly useful her background experience at Starburst was becoming.

No doubt, there would be some serious discussion as she presented her results. But the bottom line fact that emerged, that she could not possibly escape, was that there were simply not enough hours in the day for everything she’d been told needed to be done. With the slow trickle of bands arriving at the Studio there was enough time but if there was anything like the number of bands Adam was anticipating, multiplied by the amount of time he’d estimated each of these types of band needed, it was a completely different situation. 

Hidden away down here in the vaults, she didn't get many visitors, just the odd lost soul on their way - or not - to the studio. But it was Damon who interrupted her train of thought.

He asked how she was getting on and if she was enjoying herself and when she wanted to schedule something to present her results. 

“We'll need Adam, me, you and Michelle. So have a think about it. In the meantime, a note for your diary. A week next Tuesday in the Boardroom 3 pm. I want you to join a discussion with me, Stuart Bailey and Michelle. Jasmine may be there as well”

She scheduled her own meeting for Friday. 10 a.m.

This was all quite scary. She’d been in a few meetings before, but most of them had been painful. She couldn’t remember ever having had her own meeting. Nervously she scanned through her script notes and rechecked her slides. 

The meeting room did nothing to reduce her trepidation. Ancient wood panelling, making her feel claustrophobic. Equally ancient leather armchairs, historical portraits that were all watching her and a solid walnut table that looked like it hadn't moved in centuries. This was the traditional dining room when the house was owned by Lady Patricia, and Juliette could just imagine the place settings with five of six sets of cutlery, and half a dozen different glasses, and a floral centrepiece that had taken three gardeners four days to arrange. She was still nervously rehearsing her presentation when the others arrived.

Damon was last and Michelle opened the meeting, explaining that Lisa was there as well in case any reminders needed to be written down while Michelle could concentrate on identifying implications.

Damon looked at her as if he was expecting her to say something. Well, yes, she should. It was her meeting to present her results of what she thought. She was expected to lead this and that thought made her feel worse. She knew she shouldn't have felt like that, but Damon just seemed to be putting so much faith in her and that set the bar so very high, and she was wilting under the assumed pressure. She was worried about failing the standard and him watching her intensely was not helping and instead she focussed on Adam. Talk to him instead and maybe she'd survive. 

She opened with what she’d understood the brief to be, and then explained what data she'd used, and what assumptions she’d made. She described the other factors she’d included, the way she'd done her calculations and finally her conclusions. Everyone had listened all the way through without interrupting and that had increased her nervousness. Like, maybe this isn’t what they were expecting at all and she’d misunderstood the original brief. And why didn’t they interrupt with questions?

Adam looked concerned. She glanced over at Damon instead. Oh dear! This really does look like it's the wrong answer! 

“So we've got two options, yes? One is to extend the working day by maybe 12 hours and the second is to construct another studio?” said Lisa, hoping that she was actually supposed to be included

“Yes, but that’s only for the initial volumes that Juliette has started with. It’ll get bigger” Adam added

But Michelle was looking concerned as well 

“The knock on effect of either of these is going to be on you guys. We've got the accommodation to handle the increase and we can increase the domestic team at fairly short notice, but Damon, you’d have to find the time to QA the output and Adam, you’d need to delegate more of the production. Even if we’ve got the studio time you can’t run two recordings at the same time – or maybe you can?” 

“No Michelle. We need to do things properly. We always said we’d need more people if it ramped up. It’s a matter of timing. But Karen seems convinced there’s enough bands out there. I’ll try to contact Keith again. See if he’s interested. Juliette, is scheduling the rehearsal rooms on your plan? and if so, how many?”

“Yes, but only the 2 that are fully fitted”

This was really the first time they’d all sat down together to consider the practicality of inviting so many bands, and they were glad that they were considering the issues now and not after they’d happened, but Lisa’s next concern was ‘Can the bar take the capacity’

“Maybe we need someone else less experienced. Just to take some pressure off. They could handle the initial recording sessions when the guys are most nervous. You know, the dress rehearsal, except we don’t tell them that. Maybe we need to think back through the technicians we’ve worked with?” 

“Or” Damon said finally joining the discussion “we could raise the bar. The bands have to be better to be invited here in the first place” 

“Except that might push some of then to sign with IMD” 

“But” agreed Adam “ - especially if we’ve raised their expectations - we should be committed to doing our best for them” 

“Are any of our existing bands marginal? I don’t think so. But lets just keep a cool head. We’re here to take the best, and make sure they make it. Ok, so we can apply a bit of coaching and we’re pretty good on target audiences – like whether they’d be better in Japan or the US. But we’re not a charity”

Juliette was confused and then impressed. The discussion wasn't partisan with different sides sparring with each other. It was genuinely open with Damon and Adam accepting all comments rather than dismissing them, and adding new perspectives without getting entrenched in a particular viewpoint. They didn’t know the answer and were accepting all contributions in an effort to find it, and they all adjourned to the bar to continue the discussion and consider her proposal. Clearly this had gone better than she had thought, and it had certainly stimulated debate. Juliette expected there to be another meeting to discuss it, but had no idea what more she ought to do before that. And it would be after everyone had considered the proposals. 

So now again, she’d be dropped into something completely different – maybe it would be something in the Estate. After all, she’d been encouraged to go to the auction.

This was good. These assignments meant that there was unexpected free time every now and then to wander aimlessly round the garden. This time she made it as far as the western ha-ha and stood somewhat surprised by the brambles and nettles that grew unfettered 

“No” said Sienna unannounced “I’ve not done this bit yet. But one day I will”

Juliette turned round and instead looked back through the gardens that had been renovated. My! What a transformation. And that’s what Damon was aiming to do to the music industry. And her scheduling review would play its part. She’d described the new schedule being laid out on white boards on the wall of the ‘scheduling office’ the way that Michelle’s office looked like a war room, but first she’d wait for Damon and Adam to approve it. And that garden transformation, archway after archway leading to the next part was really a reflection of what was happening to her.

“Hey Juliette…” Damon caught up with her at lunchtime “.. can you get as many white boards as you need and get Colin to set them on the walls in that big empty ex ballroom in the West Wing. We’re going to build 2 more studios and find someone to create another 10 rehearsal rooms taking the total to 12”

“So we’re going to expand!”

“Yes. And we need a bigger scheduling room which will be the main control room for the music side of the business. That will take over from Michelle and Lisa when we find someone to take it on. In the meantime can you help Lisa operate your new system, just to see if it needs any additional refinement”

I see! Prove that it works – and if it doesn’t, mend it. But this was Damon, so he’d said all that, but more politely. 

Except, before Lisa could try to operate it, it would need to be installed. Damon hadn’t actually said this specifically. But her general brief was to find the issue and solve it. So this must be included by inference – or just to prove initiative! Colin, whiteboards, desks, chairs, pens, phones… Oh my goodness! What all next! But it didn’t take long – if she simply got on with it. Monday she got into Edencombe to buy everything, oh, and see Emma. In the afternoon,  Colin started the installation and Juliette could start marking out her charts and lunchtime Tuesday it was ready to go. She walked through it step by step with Lisa and by bar time that day, it appeared to be working. Ok, so she could tweak it as Lisa came up with amendments and improvements, but for now, she could describe that assignment as successful too. Her analysis had been accepted although that hadn’t been apparent at the meeting. She felt that some of the pressure of being on trial had lifted and rather than being terrified she could now be excited about what the next one would be. 

The Cameo

“I'd like you to go to Gloucester”

“Yes, Adam hinted at that before. But I think I might need more of a clue than that!”

“You don’t think that’s just the initiative test?”

“I wouldn’t put it past you!” she hazarded

“Is that about the Cameo?” asked Michelle sounding concerned 

“Yes, the Cameo. Juliette, It's a small theatre. Lisa dropped in there on her UK tour of potential venues. She said that they were very interested in us continuing to use them as a live rehearsal stage and we’ve sent quite a few bands up there. There was no formality when East of Bruges booked it prior to their Studio time. They were told to just show up and waltz in, but we’ve never had an invoice for any of it including the Chameleons rehearsal before the mini tour. So something is not quite right up there and....” 

“You want me to go and find out what. Yes?” 

'Yes. But before that, can you find out what dates we booked from Michelle so you have a few facts. We don’t want a reputation for not paying what we owe. Theatre management is a fairly close knit organisation and we need to build up our reputation so that they work with us, especially if we need a favour or two” 

He explained the way he wanted it to work with bands using that theatre for rehearsals. Some might be open to an audience, but most would be behind closed doors while the groups perfected their acts. 

“And they haven’t said anything at all?” she confirmed with increasing puzzlement 

“Exactly. So we need to sort it. We need to pay what we owe, because it seems to be an eminently suitable venue for bands especially if its their first time on a full size stage in a proper theatre, and I don’t want us to appear like the devil in the deal before we’ve even really got started”

And that was it. Her second assignment was complete, and hailed as a success, even if the direction had changed a bit in the process. And now, on to the next one. 

Juliette reflected that she ought to review whether she wanted to do this sort of thing at all, but somehow the opportunity just didn't materialise and she found herself heading north on the motorway. A bit over a hundred miles - not really very far, but far enough to stay up there. She checked her map. From the direction she was coming, it looked like she just headed for the centre of town, and sure enough there it was. The Cameo Theatre. 

First impression was that it was in good shape rather than falling into dereliction like a lot of older theatres. She reflected on what Damon had said. There's something going wrong there. We haven't had an invoice from them, and he'd said, we need that place. It's near perfect. The only thing that would improve it is if it were nearer.

The stage door was unlocked and the whole place seemed deserted. She wandered round between the rows of seats, and up to the balcony and down towards the green room, backstage. A small office was tucked away beyond the dressing rooms on the first floor, and the two elderly residents looked like they were both fast asleep - one slumped over the desk and the other had let their head fall back as they slumped on an equally ageing armchair. At first she thought the worst, but on closer inspection there were signs of life with slow breathing and the odd muffled grunting of geriatric sleep. 

She returned to the main auditorium where the noise of a hoover starting up made her jump. She watched the heavy build guy in his late twenties with blonde hair and scruffy jeans start to clear the dust from the side flats. A bit like Liam, but significantly fatter. She was nervous of saying anything in case he was startled and maybe unpredictable, so she slipped quietly into the sixth row of seats and sat and watched. 

It was a good five minutes before he turned her way, maybe it was because of the next part to be cleaned, or maybe he sensed someone was watching him. He switched off the cleaner and peered towards her from the bright lights of the stage into the darkness of the auditorium. 

“Who's here?” 

“I'm not sure about this play” she said “it seems to be lacking a bit of action, and it's pretty low on dialog too” 

“Who's that?” 

Now that she was in no danger of surprising him, she got up and climbed up onto the stage 

“I guess you work here” she opened 

“Yeah. It's a pity there aren't more” 

“So are you the only person that works here?” 

“I'm the only one that does any work” 

Juliette examined the chip on his shoulder 

“Is the cafe open? I could do with a coffee” 

“Well, it aint. It's only open for performances” 

“So you don't do that as well?” 

“No, just everything else” 

“Like stage production, and scenery and box office and selling ice cream at the interval” 

“Are you taking the mick? Who are you anyway, and what do you want?” 

“My name's Juliette, and I'm looking for whoever deals with the financial side of this place” 

“Hi. I'm Fin. But you'll be looking for old Josh and Mary”

“Is that the couple asleep in that office up there?” 

“Yes. But I wouldn't wake them up. They're grumpy at best of times, and waking them is just asking for grief. I mean, like, you can. But you're braver than me” 

“In that case, I definitely need coffee. And donut, and maybe a sandwich. Is there a cafe round here somewhere? Must be one on the main road” 

“Yes, but head into town. I wouldn't chance the caffs the other way. Well, not if I was a girl on my own. Too may truckers. Tell you what. I'll come with you” 

Parked in the café, Juliette explained her mission which was to pay whatever the bill was for the time that the theatre had been used by her bands, and then sort out a system that would work in the future. It was, she emphasised, very important that they were regarded as good clients.

They continued talking as Fin showed her round, pointing out the various features and some of the repairs he’d done and a few that still needed doing. She wasn’t a surveyor, but there were no big cracks in the walls and no holes in the ceiling. The upholstery on the seats was all in reasonable condition and the carpets in the aisles still had a few years left in them.

The issue, as Fin described it, was relatively simple but the solution was more complex 

The two people that owned the theatre, and had owned it for at least half a century, were now quite old and suffering from assorted old age ailments, not helped by being confirmed alcoholics. 

Juliette however, said she personally had nothing specific against drinking alcohol and they migrated to the Highwayman Inn to continue the conversation.

Her take on it was that Fin made an impressive attempt at keeping the show on the road but did little outside of practical maintenance. He kept everything tidy as best he could and in his few spare moments was fixing all sorts of minor things that needed fixed. That is, in between various bands turning up and even when an entire repertory company that rehearsed for 4 days and then performed six times in the following three days. 

The duet of geriatrics however, started their day with a drink, usually gin but sometimes whisky somewhere about 10 o' clock. That was on days when they actually made it home the previous night. On days that they failed to make it home, and these were becoming more frequent, they crashed out all night in the chairs they spent all day in, and that meant that the next day's drinking started at 7 or 8 rather than 10. 

This was all very interesting and Fin seemed only too pleased to explain it all to her, except now it was getting late. Juliette checked a room at the Highwayman but although Fin was not surprised, he was disappointed not to be invited to stay. 

Next day they met back at the theatre. Fin was in the process of fixing some electrical sockets that had somehow become detached from the wall, but cautioned her on interrupting the geriatrics. It had been an early start day and now at nearly 9 o'clock they would probably be four drinks in already. 

“Four! Already?” 

“Yeah. Although it tails off later because they both crash out and spend a large part of the afternoon asleep - like yesterday - maybe a bit like a cat”

Although, Juliette reflected, she hadn't come across many alcoholic cats. 

But she was unrelenting. It was only likely to get worse throughout the rest of the day and the sooner she tried to make progress the better. 

Fin tailed her up to their office. They both had their eyes open, and that was a start. 

“Who are you” 

“Hi. I'm Juliette. I owe you guys some money” 

“Money? How much money” 

“I'm afraid I don't know exactly, That's why I've come to see you” 

“Don't know! Well nag off and come back when you do” 

They both burst into a cackling laugh as though it was the high point of comedy to unceremoniously turf out such a welcome visitor. 

Juliette retreated to the stage to discuss it. 

“The trouble is that if they're not issuing invoices. They'll just run out of money” 

“Yes” agreed Juliette “and then they'll have to distil their own booze because they won't afford to buy it” 

“Hmmm I suppose. Quite apart from me not getting paid. And it will be such a shame if it closes down” 

Juliette headed for the office again. She'd been told to come back when she knew how much and Michelle had told her how many days they’d used it. So, based on that and at an invented day rate, she would just bundle in, declare it as fact, and immediately agree to any new number if they had any contrary evidence. 

With some trepidation she silently peered round the open door. They were both still there, but now with heads fallen backwards and mouths wide open like a pair of chicks in a nest waiting to be fed. This, she said to herself, is a lost cause. 

“It's a lost cause” she repeated out loud to Fin but was met with a groan from one of the chairs. 

“I've come to give you cash to buy more drink” she regaled in a loud voice 

“More drink!” 

Oh my. At least it was a response 

“Good idea” and another glass was poured and half-drunk with a terminal sounding gurgling noise which looked like it may have swallowed Juliette’s progress with it.

Instead she wandered around the theatre. Ok, so it looked a bit tired, but as Fin had pointed out, the stage curtains were in good condition. Mostly it was ok. It's just the woodwork in the main passageways that was looking scuffed, scratched and faded. 

“If you're likely to increase your usage, maybe you should just buy it” suggested Fin and they retreated to the Highwayman for lunch. It was clear that Fin thought she was so much more senior in her company than she really was. Had she done that deliberately? She wasn't leading him on, she wasn't trying to impress him. She wasn't aiming to have any relationship with him at all. But maybe he didn't know that. 

Back in the office both geriatrics had surfaced and again she raised her point on owing money. Again there was no sensible response 

“Oh! It would be easier if you just sold it” she exclaimed in frustration 

“Sold what...... “ 

That had a sensible response. Even if it was a question rather than an answer 

“The theatre” 

Maybe if I can get a conversation going, I can bend it back to my invoices. But her original suggestion was having more success. 

“Talk to the agents” 

She thought that maybe he was about to slide off his chair and lie on the floor under the desk which would at least be suitable for his condition. Instead he pulled a file from the drawer and extracted some papers. She glanced through the estate agents details. They were dated two years ago but obviously no sale had been concluded. 

Down at the agents office she handed over the details. The agent frowned, looking perplexed 

“Do you know what the current state of this property is?” she asked 

“No” 

It was clear that it was one of their brochures, but also that it was well out of date. Properties stayed on sale until they were actively removed. And the file that he had now found had no such directive. He excused himself to make a phone call returning all smiles and good news. 

“I've just phoned them. I spoke to a Mr Finlay and he confirms that the property is still available. There has not been much interest recently so he’s retained the previous price” 

Suddenly she felt alone. Her confidence was deserting her. She'd been sent there to pay what was due and put a permanent solution in place to avoid the issue happening again but now found she could just buy the whole thing. And if they were to use it maybe 4 days a week, it could have as little as a two year payback. And it would relieve some of the pressure on the Studio that her scheduling work had revealed. 

She turned sharply as the door blew open in the wind. Maybe she hadn't closed it properly. Maybe that was her confidence returning, charging in like the cavalry. 

That evening she nervously phoned Michelle. 

“How much can you sign off, Michelle” 

“How much do you need?” 

“A bit under two hundred and fifty thousand pounds....” 

“Ok. Who's the cheque to?” 

Oh my! Was it that simple to spend that much money! Well, yes! It was even simpler for Michelle at the auction! But it must be a good deal. They could take as much time as they wanted, send as many bands as they wanted. Rehearse entire concerts…. But. Ooops. Maybe something else!. Maybe running costs are huge. There would be more maintenance to do than Fin seemed to do just now and electricity bills and wages for Fin and anyone else they would need, like a replacement for the geriatrics. Maybe she could just retain Fin. No. She needed more information before she should be that rash and collapsed onto a chair wondering which lucky star had reminded her of such things before it was too late.

She was deliberately late at the theatre next morning. Todays work could only begin after the geriatrics had crashed out. But they hadn’t made it home that night and Juliette now had reason to be more optimistic that luck was now on her side.

Fin looked on as she rifled through the filing cabinets and desk drawers. She wasn’t a seasoned burglar but maintenance costs must be here somewhere even if they were a year out of date. It wasn’t exact numbers she was looking for, just enough indication to have answers when Damon asked her if she’d considered it.

She spread the files out on the table that had been left over from the previous stage set and wondered where Fin had disappeared to. Lunch, alone at the Highwayman, and no Fin as she returned. Maybe he just didn’t want to be party to this villainy.

But she’d never been told to always act independently. She’d found the source of the problem. She identified the solution, but there was no time pressure. This wasn’t the conference centre! And it wasn’t that far back to the Studio.

Damon seemed pleased to be interrupted and listened patiently.

“Quarter of a million, Juliette? That’s quiet a lot of money.”

“Yes. That’s why I thought I’d ask you first. But pay back will be less than three years and a lot less if we ramp up. And it gives bands a proper stage to rehearse on when they’re used to playing in the corner of a pub. And if any of these performances had an audience, there’d be income from that as well”

“Go do it. Ask Michelle for Penny’s address. She’s the conveyancer we’re using. We’ve got quite a lot going on at the moment”

To Juliette this was a huge deal, but with an absolute minimum of fuss. Why was the rest of her life not so simple? Maybe because she didn’t want it to be? Maybe it just had a mind of its own.

That evening in the Belle, Rosie had a vodka on the bar for her before she got that far. 

“What’s happening to that Conference Centre of yours? Is anything else planned?”

“I don’t know exactly but there’s nothing on that I know of”

“That’s all right. Just worried I might have missed something”

“I’ll be back in Gloucester next week so I may not even find out”

“Gloucester, Juliette? What’s going on up there”

“It’s a theatre I’m trying to sort out…” 

Leon had joined them, but was shaking his head “You know all about theatres as well as Conference Centres, do ye?”   

“Any more like that you’ll be wearing this pint. I know next to nothing about running a theatre. The conference centre was ok but only because I got bailed out by Rosie helping me every step of the way”

“You need an expert in theatre management”

“Wow Leon! Another revelation! Yes. If I knew where to find one”

“Maybe Rupert would point you in the right direction” suggested Rosie

“Rupert?” queried Leon

“Yes. You know, his parents run Far Brook Farm down the Farthingbridge road. You cant have missed him!”

“Oh yeah! The nutter….”

“Now Leon! Everyone’s strange in their own way”

“Aye, Rosie, but some ’s stranger than others”

“He used to do something in the West End, but I don’t know what” cut in a man sitting on the next barstool sipping a scotch

“Well, he’s down the far end of the lounge. Least he was twenty minutes ago. I’ll have a look for ye”

Chat around the table was about farming and the future and what impact Damon buying so much land would have. And who the mystery in the grey coat was at the auction.

“I don’t know very much” she apologised “There’s an important meeting about it next week, so I might know a bit more after that. Then again, I might be none the wiser if its anything like that Conference Centre I had to sort out”

“Or that Theatre” smirked Leon “Ah! Rupert” he continued as a square set, jovial looking man, possibly in his late forties appeared at Juliette’s right shoulder. And while the farmers were all wearing heavy duty jeans and tea-shirts, this newcomer was wearing an offensively startling jacket sporting wide multicoloured vertical stripes in primary colours and certainly bright enough to label the wearer as something of an eccentric

“Juliette?” he speculated in an educated accent “Rosie suggested that there’s an outside chance I might be of assistance to you?” 

“Ooh! Yes! Maybe. Excuse me guys”

She moved over to the bar with him “Rosie was saying that you used work in a theatre?”

“Yes indeed. I was assistant manager at the Little Islington for a good number of years. Not exactly the Albert hall, but it was great fun all the same”

“Oh My! Can you spare me a few moments? Can I get you a drink?”

Suddenly it became clear why she should stay close to these guys in the Olde Belle. She added a round for Leon’s table onto her order for Rupert. It would be good to keep in with all these guys. And Rosie might just add it onto her business tab anyway. 

“Leon! Make sure that round’s in on my tab, there’s a good boy”

She thought for a few minutes wondering how to summarise the situation. Her explanation was rather fragmented because he kept interrupting but eventually seemed to get the picture

“So, Juliette. You’re about to buy an entire theatre but then you’d have to return it to being fully operational and you have no experience of this whatsoever”

“Yes”

“Would you care to borrow my jacket? Because you are clearly as daft as a box of frogs”

That was a bit harsh. But it did seem like there were theatre managers somewhere in the world, and finding one can’t possibly be that hard – even if they didn’t walk straight into the pub she was in.

Still recovering, she retreated to Leon’s table “I don’t think I’ve explained the problem properly. He just thinks I’m a loony”

“Pot ’n’ kettle.”

Within minutes of ringing the agents the next morning she had a call back accepting the offer. Interesting. I’ll bet it was Fin that answered that call and accepted that offer. And no-one would be any the wiser. I’m just going to pass it to the lawyers and if it doesn’t go through I’ll think of something else. 

But in the meantime, there was nothing else she could do. Then again, its Saturday. Maybe I could take some time off to explore the Studio garden before I get given something else to do before Monday.

“Juliette, have you got a passport?”
 “Pardon? I think so Lisa. I’ll check that its still in date”

But there was no follow up question.

She was on an exhausted high. Both conferences appeared to have run well. The girls who were organising it from the pet food company seemed to be happy just to get on with everything as Jasmine answered questions and kept out of the way. And jasmine had a lot more idea of what was supposed to happen when the electronics company rocked in and now her solution to the Cameo issue had been accepted without question! Relax Finally, the deck was falling her way.

Sarah

Juliette’s conclusions on the Studio scheduling rekindled Adam and Damon’s discussion about who they needed to do this. Damon was fairly sure that this was a smokescreen for offering the job to Georgina, and that was an issue for Damon. So often had he seen the girl singer in a band team up with one of the other members, and when they eventually fell out, the knock on effect on the band was terminal. It didn’t need to be this way, its just that very often it was. And Damon was nervous about something similar happening at the Studio. – like he’d discussed once with Michelle.

To help them with their discussion, they'd named their scheduling person Sarah. It was just easier to visualise, even though she didn't exist - yet.

For the time being, Michelle was handling this. But, argued Adam, how sustainable was that? Damon wanted Michelle to be doing so much other stuff, particularly in the Estate and running the House.

It wasn’t too much work so long as it was only new bands. But it would soon escalate, and they needed to be ahead of the game

“We could wait to hand it over from Michelle and Lisa when bands start on their second album”

“Yes. Or after a successful tour, like maybe in Oz and we want to try them in say, Japan” 

But I think we’d be better with someone who gets familiar with the system before all that hits us. Lisa’s already suggested some amendments but it will be easier while its only sparsely populated” 

“And also we need to get our tour organiser sorted out. That’s all part of scheduling too. Hazel seemed perfect – her attitude and attention to detail”
 “Yes Adam, I’m grateful to you for keeping in touch with her. But now having talked her into it, and adding this discussion, I’m not convinced it’s the right approach. Having just one person is too much of a risk”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, and I think we’ll need more than one person once the show starts moving”
 “Maybe we can persuade Hazel to take on the control job and get an admin person to make all the phone calls. I remember just how much hanging on the line I used to do while they find the right person or even just waiting for international connections”

“Well, she’s still at my house in Hampstead, as far as I know. I would hope she’s got her act together by now, and if Achmed has already left the country that should help”

“I’ll invite her back. She was so enthusiastic before. I think changing her mind was an Achmed influence, but she doesn’t know how to remedy the situation”

More Land, Damon?

But it wasn’t just Hazel and Scheduling that was cause for distraction. Ever since he’d moved in, he had been on the lookout for any of the land adjoining the estate becoming available. So far he’d had significant success, especially at the auction at Jed’s farm. This had brought him back into contact with National Agricultural Land Limited. They were based in Northumberland and for various commercial reasons were reorganising their portfolio to concentrate on the North of England. 

The deal sounded straightforward. The lot was significantly bigger than Damon wanted. He only needed the fields and forest area that adjoined his existing property. But Nat Agri were more interested in a quick sale of the whole offering, which would raise them more money, but not, as they had pointed out, proportionally more. Damon understood this and was sympathetic to Nat Agri’s case. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d bought a job lot to get the bits he wanted and it was unlikely to come up again. He could always sell off the bits he didn’t need.

This was exciting and Damon was disinclined to create any dissention. This would be the last piece of the ‘moat’! This was the last piece to go all the way round the Studio to protect it from unwanted noise, disturbance and development. They knew how much annoyance the interminable renovation had caused to recording and creativity. Damon was certain that this was the right thing to do because it would get that whole subject off the agenda and he was now sitting in the bar with Penny Walstone, the solicitor doing the conveyancing. He’d wondered why she’d opted to come down to the Studio rather than wait till Damon was next in Edencombe

“Really, Damon, it’s such a magical place you’ve got here. Now, I admit that I tend to prefer classical composers, but some of your musicians are really quite excellent. Very impressive guitar work indeed! But to get to the point, Damon, the contracts are ready for exchange and that is what I intend to progress, but while going through the detail of the legalities, I’ve found something really quite interesting. Did anyone at Nat Agri ever mention ‘The Lease’?”
 Lisa wandered in, and, not recognising Damons guest, offered to get them another drink. She sat down and, realising that this was more of a business meeting, leant on his shoulder, remaining silent as he draped his arm loosely round her neck.

“The Lease, Penny? No”

“It covers the dwelling houses, and the pub”

“No, I saw them on the balance sheet list, but with no income and no expenditure. I assumed they were all just privately owned and there just for completeness”

“Well, it's quite possible that NatAgri don’t know anything about it. But they are not privately owned. They are all rented from a company that took out a block lease on all of them some considerable time ago. The lease was signed before NatAgri bought that land, and it hasn't expired yet. The income, the costs, the expenditure and any profit are all the responsibility of the company that bought that lease. With no costs associated with the properties, Nat Agri may not even know it exists. And even if they'd ever been to the village, there would be nothing to suggest this particular state of affairs”

“So if they’re all signed out on a long lease, it hardly matters. Like NatAgri, I’ll just ignore it”
 “Yes, there's no doubt that you will inherit all that property whatever it's worth when the lease does expire. And yes it was along lease of 101 years” 

“Penny, if its bothering you, you should discuss it with Nat Agri, but without making a fuss about it. Its just a question. I don’t need that bit, its just part of the job lot, so its not a show stopper”

 She was put straight through to the CEO who appeared to be very interested in talking to her about it.

“Mrs Walstone. Due to a combination of unfortunate circumstances we are suffering from a short term and temporary cashflow issue and we are really very interested in finalising this deal as quickly as we can. There is no income from the properties in question, although there is no expenditure either. Clearly they would have a value when the lease expires but who knows what their state will be at that time, although its unlikely to be completely valueless. I understand the lease to be 101 years and there is a date on some paperwork of 1946. However, it is currently classed as a zero value asset, so our auditors will have no issue with it, any valuation work would take additional time and we may not survive that long. In the meantime there’s a cash offer on the table from your client that we are happy to accept which would ensure our survival. Providing of course that we can reach a speedy conclusion within the short timeframe to which I have already alluded”

“That is all uncommonly honest of you”

“In the circumstances, Mrs Walstone, I believe that it is my best option because I am looking for your co-operation in expediting this. I appreciate why your client is really very keen to acquire the land that borders his boundary and I would very much appreciate a large cash influx in the next few weeks”

She dispatched the signed contracts and phoned him again to let him know. 

A very pragmatic way of looking at it, she reflected to herself as she read the notes that accompanied the box of papers that he had sent by return. It looked as though it may not have been opened for several years, maybe decades, but she was fastidious in her work and intrigued to discover the precise situation. The deal was going through anyway, and she would continue to help NatAgri if she could, as Damon would have wanted. She still intended to check the detail and trawled through the legalise finding it surprisingly archaic, but eventually unusually exciting.

“I’ve got all the papers relating to the lease. Its really very exciting” she bubbled to Damon the next day.
 Penny was a seasoned solicitor who had been practising for over twenty years. One of the reasons Damon continued to use her was because he thought that she was unlikely to get over excited which would help her stay focussed and avoid mistakes, and this appeared to be remarkably out of character.

“But it’s a hundred years long this lease. Maybe we should leave it for another twenty odd years?”
 “No no no Damon. The Second World War brought chaos to property and the property market. So much was destroyed or commandeered. After it ended everyone had to re-assess and re-value and longer term leases tended to be reviewed. This lease was reviewed in 1946 and re-confirmed but it was originally signed in 1896 and was for a period of 101 years and that means that it expires next month. I need to double check the exact date and maybe even the time of day to synchronise it with the sale completion and confirm that our provisional completion date is ok, but it gives us an extra reason to co-operate with their request for a short timeframe”

Damon listened patiently with a bemused expression as Penny continued. He was about to acquire what? and Nat Agri were only too pleased to bring the completion date forward.

The excitement spilled over to his discussion with Michelle. The prospect of owning the entire village of Upper Elfinvale was something of a quandary. She’d been through the village many times and noticed that it was mainly old Victorian houses, but had no recollection of it being in terminal disrepair. Someone, somewhere in his existing estate office already rented out a number of properties such as farm houses and barns so another fifty houses and a pub could just be added to that. Couldn’t they? She already knew that land only came in job lots and he couldn’t be selective, which is how he acquired the Conference Centre, so this would just be yet another interesting diversion. 

But Penny did not want to do anything underhand. Of course the situation at NatAgri could be used to Damon’s financial advantage, but she also knew that Damon would not want to do that unfairly.

 “Yes, Damon, I thought it only fair to point this out and avoid unnecessary complications later on, but they weren’t prepared to jeopardise the deal that would rescue them. Valuing those properties to bring them back onto the ledger would simply take far too long, and restructuring the deal to take them out altogether was equally risky. Simply re-reading this archaic legalise that constitutes the lease could easily run over their timescale before they even understand it”

But Penny’s perseverance only served to increase her conviction that her original assessment was correct, and now the discussion was on what Damon would want to do now. Damon was discussing two options with her and Lisa. Either they extended the lease or sold it all which would involve lengthy valuations and negotiations, or they could keep the property and pass its management to Stuart to add to the existing agricultural buildings that were rented out. The village itself would be out of audible range and so wouldn’t be part of the protective moat, but Damon had other concerns

“Valuation and selling sounds like a shedload of work. And its people’s homes we’re talking about. They’ll have had no warning about this and could all be homeless if we sell up”

“It will certainly arrive as a shock” Penny confirmed “I’ve already written to the chairman reminding him of the expiry of the lease, and asking him for confirmation of receipt if nothing else, but so far there’s been no response. I’ve explained that there is absolutely no ambiguity and that relevant precedents have been definitive”

It was a moral duty rather than a legal one, and Lisa was despatched to the Eagles Ridge Inn late that Wednesday afternoon. 

“Would it be ok to pin this notice to your notice board?” she was asking the landlady 

“Is it an advertisement?” she'd asked while pulling a pint for someone else 

“Not really. It's more a Public Information notice. It's very important that people know about this, cos it affects where they live” 

Susie read through it quickly expressing surprise bordering on disbelief 

“But this isn't from the landlord” 

“No. But the landlord will be changing on the 18th” 

“Well, this is the first I’ve heard of it. I think I'll just pay the rent as usual till I get formal notification” 

“Yeah. But if you don't change your payment, you’ll pay it to the wrong company and you might not get it back. And the Brigands Estates will think you're in default and mark you as bad debt. They think its important that everyone knows about this but they can’t send individual letters before they take over. That's why I've been asked to come up here and see where this letter can go so that everyone can see it so they know” 

Sarah was on her way home when she stopped in the pub foyer. She often stopped there to read the adverts and see if anything was happening in the village, partly because so little ever happened. She finished reading it a second time with some distress. Enough to persuade her to seek confirmation with a small lager. 

“A young girl. I think she said she was from Brigands Estate office” replied Susie

“But it says the rent should be paid to them instead! Would have thought they’d write to everyone individually?” 

“Apparently because we're not their tenants. They can write to us after the 18th when they take over, but not before because its not their responsibility until after that” 

But Sarah was one step ahead of this and left with some serious trepidation. If Brigands Estates was taking over, then the admin office she worked in coordinating maintenance would no longer exist. Unless it was transferred! Now, there's a hope, but it would surely have been discussed before now.

This was not good. Losing herself in her own thoughts, she wandered across the road and down the hill through the forest trying to figure out what to do and how serious this was. Change of landlord usually meant an increase in rent. And if the office wasn't needed or if it moved because the new landlord already had his own office, that would give Trevor the excuse he needed to make her redundant...... And.... And that would turn her whole world upside down. 

She'd meandered a long way down the hill thinking of so many different possibilities, wondering from path to path exploring potential options. A couple of hours of lost concentration later her surroundings looked very unfamiliar. Odd, a huge heap of twigs and small branches!. How would that get here? It must be part of the forest she’d never been to before. Not frightening or spooky, just different as she kept walking slowly taking little or no notice of the open gateway she'd gone through. Now turning a corner round a hedge, she'd lost the sidewalls of encroaching brambles broken only by her narrow path and she spilled out into.... She stopped dead. Wow! Just look at this place! All colours of flowers were scenting the air, the ground had been recently mulched and the lawn paths recently manicured. Past the next hedge and she felt she had to sit down gazing at the tall fountain burbling away and the fruit trees sprawling across the walls.

“Good afternoon” interrupted Sienna politely as she returned to where she was working and not recognising the new comer. But Sarah hardly acknowledged her, instead whispering how beautiful it all was.

Sienna finished clearing up the cut foliage and weeds into her trailer and detoured back past the house. She’d decided that she was not too muddy to find Lisa in her office and report that there was a strange girl in the walled garden

“Doing any damage?”
 “No, just sitting there. But Lisa, she’s wearing faded blue jeans!” 

This was as serious a crime as you could commit. Musicians had been turned back at the gate after a journey of several hundred miles for such delinquency, and Damon was unlikely to make any exceptions for fear of setting a president. Sienna dumped her compost and headed back to continue work. She hadn't recognised her, but then, new bands showed up every day. But she didn't know what she was supposed to do - arrest her! No, don't be silly. She’d told Lisa and that was enough. 

It was Damon that showed up a few minutes later loping casually in through the archway and sitting down at the end of the bench 

“Hi. You ok? You're looking very distant” 

“Oh! Hi. Maybe. I'm not sure. I think my life is about to turn upside down” 

“So then you could move to Australia. That would turn it the right way up again” 

She chuckled. It seemed to break the spell 

“So what is it that brings you to my garden this evening?” 

“Your garden? Oh my! I didn’t mean to intrude…”
 “Yes, you do seem to be in something of a daze?”

“No, I’m trying to think, so yes, I suppose I am. It's just a rumour. But it's serious. So if its true it's a problem. I’m concerned that my office may be about to close down. And my rent is about to go up because the landlord is changing. Except no one is saying anything official. And I'm told my rent needs to be paid to the new landlord or I'll be in default. But I can't afford to pay it twice. I’m so distracted trying to decide what to do because I don’t have any facts and I don’t know who to ask. I've just been wandering through the forest” 

“Sounds to me like maybe you live in Upper Elfinvale?” 

“Yes! How did you guess that? So it's all true?” 

“No. But it might be. Property in Upper Elfinvale will transfer to the Brigands Estates on the 18th, so some things are bound to change. But I don't think anyone knows exactly what because no-one has the whole picture. But you're a long way from Upper Elfinvale now” 

“I guess I must be. Although I don't know where I am. This place is so magical. I might even have come here deliberately if I knew it existed” 

“Except you wouldn’t get in” 

“Not get in? Even if I asked politely and promised not to be a nuisance” 

“Even then...”

Her face fell “That sounds quite mean”

“No, Its because there is a dress code here that is strictly enforced and at the moment you do not comply. You're in the garden at the Studio, but I don't think you should try to walk back to Upper Elfinvale through the forest. It’ll be six or seven miles with a lot of uphill and the forecast is for torrential rain so you’d be half drowned before you get home” 

Sienna took her home in her buggy along the farm lanes that eventually spilled out on the high road to the village. She'd had an interesting chat with her and it reminded her of how much she valued her job and the security that it gave her in stark contrast to Sarah's perceived position. 

Next day she pulled up at the front door. She wanted to apologise to Damon for leaving the gate open, although it was extremely long odds that anyone would be aimlessly wandering around in that part of the forest at precisely that time. 

But Damon skimmed over it 

“Sienna! Just who I wanted to see. Dinner. This evening?” 

“Ok. I guess. I’m not busy. I mean, yes please. Thankyou” 

“Just you and me” 

“Do you need an update on part of the garden?” she speculated “Or my plan for the orchard maybe? Or is something wrong, maybe?” 

“No, this is something completely different. Can you pop into the office around 5 and we'll go from there” 

Part of her more confident self was hoping that the ride out would be in the Aston Martin. She looked over towards it as they seemed to be heading for the Range Rover that she'd been in before with him, the first time they went out shopping to buy all her new equipment. That had been a surreal experience and maybe this would be too. He noticed her looking

“You prefer the Aston?”

She gasped, and a reply was unnecessary as they changed course 

“Did you know that we've made another large land acquisition?” 

“Gareth asked me that same question. He'd heard something but without any details. So no, I didn't, but it's not a complete surprise” 

They stopped just after the Upper Elfinvale village sign as Damon pulled the car off the road onto the grassy verge 

“The plan is that we walk from here through the village looking at all the houses and ending up in the pub for dinner. On the way I'd like you to tell me how much work would be involved in getting the horticulture back into shape. This whole village will soon be part of the estate and as you can see, it's a disgrace” 

“Ok. That's a bit left field! Is this going to be part of what you want me to do?” 

“We need to talk about that. Hopefully we'll have time in the pub” 

“Is the pub part of the estate as well, now?” 

“Yes. It will be next week” 

They walked on, Damon asking how often the verge would need mowing to turn it into a grassy pavement and what it would take to recover some of the front gardens. The primary school, too, needed a lot of attention, but the walk all the way up the path to the railway station was considered too far for today, and in any case, that was just a track between grazing meadows.

Instead they tumbled into the pub. Damon had tried to make light of some of the worst parts 

“We could get Leon up here with a plough and simply turn the whole lot over and plant barley. Then we could turn the school into a distillery and get the kids to work there producing whisky instead of going to class because that would be suitably authentic for a mostly Victorian village” 

She'd laughed. She didn't laugh very often, tending to take things rather too seriously, but she'd wanted to have dinner with Damon again after her first time, even though she knew it would be all about work, and she was still on a high, not just from the ride in the Aston, but the fact that he’d changed his plan just for her.

“It's another restoration job. A lot like at the Studio, but on a smaller scale. If I do this, work at the Studio will be put back a lot. I guess it's a matter of priorities” 

“Do you want to do this as well?” 

“What I really want is to restore the Studio garden. After the comments that Druze made, and Steffi as well, it's given me a new impetus, not that I actually needed it” 

But that comment redirected the conversation and they talked far more about her than she thought might ever be possible. This was far more in keeping with the table layout. Lisa’s reservation had been for two, so Susie had set it romantically in a dimmer corner with candles and a small posy of flowers. Sienna had never really been on a romantic date. She'd always been too afraid of what might happen. The times she had been out had been with the guys from where she used to work and that was just the public bar of the Threshers Arms for a pint after work. Except for the dinner she'd had with Damon when he took her shopping. And now with Damon again, with her, the new, improved, more confident Sienna who was telling him about all the places where she’d worked and her training with the Royal Society. And also about how she was so shy and could never think of the right thing to say and so many of her other fears that she’d never revealed to anyone before. But he’d listened, encouraging her quietly with his gentle smile and the occasional sparkle from his eyes. 

Until it all came full circle and reality crashed back in. She really wanted to know if this was her job and reverted the conversation.

Damon sighed “there are always different ways to organise things. If you think as head gardener this should be yours too, then we can do that. But it would mean you'd have another person working for you and that takes up time. When we finalise the purchase, this will be part of the Estate, and therefore comes under Stuart. Except. He's a farmer and forester, which is why I want your assessment. Then we need to hire a gardener to do this. That gardener would report into the Estate office, unless you'd be all bent out of shape in which case we can change it” 

Like he’d changed the car they went in. That was nice. He was asking her advice as the resident expert, and making sure she was ok with the plan and this romantic dinner was just making her envious of everyone who had romantic dinners on anything like a frequent basis 

“Damon, I'm fine with the plan. I could help Stuart recruit someone, if you like? But I'd prefer to concentrate on the garden at the Studio which has a whole other purpose rather than just looking nice” 

“That’s what I’d prefer too. It keeps it simple. This is part of the estate, so the gardener should work for Stuart. But it’s also important to take into account the perspective of all those closely involved” 

She sighed deeply “Damon, you don’t need to take account of what I think” 

“I need to know what you think, even if I can’t do everything you want” 

“That’s like trying to please all the people all of the time and you can’t do that”

“No, but I can try, and I can make sure everyone knows I tried” 

Dinner was over. Discussion was over. Actions had been allocated. 

They walked back towards the car, out of the village and into the darkness. The clouds had bubbled up and rain looked imminent. Moonlight continued the romantic ambience of this business meeting until it disappeared behind the clouds plunging them into a sudden blackout. It was like someone had switched the lights out at a party and she grabbed his arm in fright. He turned towards her and squeezed in the arm that was round her shoulders for some minor reassurance. They walked on assuming rather than seeing that there were no obstacles in the road, all the way to the car. It was time to return to the Studio. He'd asked her here to assess the horticultural tasks. It wasn't a disguise for any more adventurous activity. Her body language throughout the evening had not given any hints and now that it was pitch black, he was disinclined to assume any advantage beyond another squeeze by the arm around her shoulders. And back in the bar at the Studio, she felt both relieved and slightly disappointed in herself for bypassing the opportunity.

Time was charging along and Penny Walstone was becoming perturbed. It wasn't her responsibility and she might well be seen as interfering. But as the solicitor on the case she knew the score, and it was perfectly possible that she was the only person who knew the exact position. It appeared that those most seriously affected did not, so surely it was her professional duty to tell them? Even if they didn't want to know. 

Her call was diverted to Nicola, the office manager, who was herself a resident and tenant. Nicola replied that the accepted view is that this rumour was a scam to con them into paying their rent money into a bogus account. The situation, she said, was on the agenda for the next meeting towards the end of the month. That, reminded Penny, would be too late. The transfer date was the 18th. 

But the scam theory was losing credibility as they continued talking. Nicola’s parents had moved house three years previously and used the company Penny claimed to work for as their conveyancers. Penny was able to access that file and provide enough details to establish some credibility and that was enough evidence to provoke Nicola into calling her friend Sarah that evening. 

They met in the Eagle and the conversation was joined by people who had seen some sort of garden survey going on. Word soon spread around and the rumours went from bad to worse. By the time the Chinese Whispers reached Sarah's estate maintenance office, everyone was going to be evicted on the 18th if their rent wasn't paid in advance. And that included this little building that they used as an office. 

Trevor, the maintenance manager, had been unwilling to do anything before. He was happy to let it ride, assuming and believing that whatever action was needed would be taken by his boss. But now he wasn't so sure. Getting evicted was serious. Paying rent to the wrong people was serious. Maybe he could phone this solicitor person, or he could drop in to the Eagle at lunchtime and ask Susie who the girl was that put up that original notice, and phone her. 

“I guess so” Lisa replied to Trevor's not particularly polite request. But she was by no means sure she should accept the invitation. It was like she'd been asked out by a not very nice boy and she'd have to ask her mum 

“I'll see if anyone is available” 

“Its ok, Lisa. Why don’t you go. You know as much about this as anyone. If you don't know, nobody knows. And you can just say that” 

She’d talked to Nicki about when and where, and was relieved by Nicki’s quiet, interested tone, and she posted an invitation to a residents meeting at the Maintenance offices on the pub noticeboard.