friendly. ‘I see our UK share price has dropped sharply.’
‘The market here’s a bit volatile at the moment,’ said Grossart, feeling his throat go dry.
‘I certainly hope that’s all it is,’ said Vance. ‘I wouldn’t like to think anyone there was trying to unload large numbers of our shares, if you get my drift?’
‘I’m sure that’s not the case,’ lied Grossart.
‘Glad to hear it,’ said Vance. ‘You have a nice day.’
Grossart tried to reciprocate but the line went dead.
Glenvane, Dumfriesshire
It had been a good day and Steven had insisted that Sue and Richard go out to dinner while he babysat: they didn’t often get the opportunity, so there was usually one night when he offered to do this on his visits. Earlier, he and Sue had taken the children up to Edinburgh, where they had visited the zoo, eaten ice cream and generally had a fun time. The children had walked like the penguins, growled like the lions and behaved like the chimpanzees all the way home. The afterglow of a happy day was still with him as he watched a film on late-night television while nibbling potato crisps and sipping a Stella Artois. He always found it easy to unwind at the house in Glenvane. It seemed a million miles away from the bustle of London.
The earth was in danger of being hit by a giant asteroid but the missiles launched by the USA were on their way. Men with caps and epaulettes carrying several kilos of scrambled egg watched their progress on a giant screen, but instead of a nuclear impact Steven’s mobile phone went off and he hit the mute button on the TV remote.
‘Dunbar.’
‘Duty officer at Sci-Med here. Mr Macmillan would like you back in London as soon as possible, Dr Dunbar.’
‘I’m on leave.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell him that yourself.’
‘What’s the problem?’
‘Don’t know but you could try working the words “shit” and “fan” into a well-known phrase or saying.’
‘Gotcha. I’ll catch the first flight in the morning.’ As Steven spoke, he heard the clatter of a diesel engine outside and saw Sue and Richard get out of a taxi. They were giggling like naughty children and it made him smile.
‘Bad news?’ asked Sue when she saw the phone in his hand.
‘I’m on the first flight to London.’
‘Tough luck, old son,’ said Richard. ‘But I’m glad they didn’t take you away earlier, because we have just had a bloody good time.’ He slumped down into an armchair with a silly grin on his face. ‘We really are very grateful, you know.’
‘Not nearly as grateful as I am to you two,’ said Steven, thinking on a different plane. ‘I couldn’t begin to tell you.’
Sue smiled and put her finger to her lips. ‘Coffee?’
‘I’ll make it,’ said Steven.
Steven crept out of the house a little before five in the morning, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was dark and there was a damp mist hanging in the still air. He looked up at Jenny’s bedroom window and imagined her sleeping there, snug and warm and very much part of a loving family. He blew her a kiss before getting into his car and heading north to Glasgow airport to catch the first British Airways shuttle of the day to London Heathrow.
‘They seem determined to deny you a holiday,’ said Jean Roberts when Steven arrived in her office.
‘Next time I’m just going to disappear without saying where I’m going,’ said Steven.
‘Strikes me Mr Macmillan will still know where you are. He has an uncanny knack of knowing where everyone is at any given time.’
‘Electronic tags would be a better bet,’ said Steven. ‘I’m going to take a closer look at my shoes when I get home. What’s up?’
‘I don’t know everything but I do know that the government’s chief medical adviser, several Public Health people and two senior people from the Department of Health are with him at the moment.’
Steven looked at his watch. ‘So I just wait?’
‘I suppose so. He
‘The market here’s a bit volatile at the moment,’ said Grossart, feeling his throat go dry.
‘I certainly hope that’s all it is,’ said Vance. ‘I wouldn’t like to think anyone there was trying to unload large numbers of our shares, if you get my drift?’
‘I’m sure that’s not the case,’ lied Grossart.
‘Glad to hear it,’ said Vance. ‘You have a nice day.’
Grossart tried to reciprocate but the line went dead.
Glenvane, Dumfriesshire
It had been a good day and Steven had insisted that Sue and Richard go out to dinner while he babysat: they didn’t often get the opportunity, so there was usually one night when he offered to do this on his visits. Earlier, he and Sue had taken the children up to Edinburgh, where they had visited the zoo, eaten ice cream and generally had a fun time. The children had walked like the penguins, growled like the lions and behaved like the chimpanzees all the way home. The afterglow of a happy day was still with him as he watched a film on late-night television while nibbling potato crisps and sipping a Stella Artois. He always found it easy to unwind at the house in Glenvane. It seemed a million miles away from the bustle of London.
The earth was in danger of being hit by a giant asteroid but the missiles launched by the USA were on their way. Men with caps and epaulettes carrying several kilos of scrambled egg watched their progress on a giant screen, but instead of a nuclear impact Steven’s mobile phone went off and he hit the mute button on the TV remote.
‘Dunbar.’
‘Duty officer at Sci-Med here. Mr Macmillan would like you back in London as soon as possible, Dr Dunbar.’
‘I’m on leave.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell him that yourself.’
‘What’s the problem?’
‘Don’t know but you could try working the words “shit” and “fan” into a well-known phrase or saying.’
‘Gotcha. I’ll catch the first flight in the morning.’ As Steven spoke, he heard the clatter of a diesel engine outside and saw Sue and Richard get out of a taxi. They were giggling like naughty children and it made him smile.
‘Bad news?’ asked Sue when she saw the phone in his hand.
‘I’m on the first flight to London.’
‘Tough luck, old son,’ said Richard. ‘But I’m glad they didn’t take you away earlier, because we have just had a bloody good time.’ He slumped down into an armchair with a silly grin on his face. ‘We really are very grateful, you know.’
‘Not nearly as grateful as I am to you two,’ said Steven, thinking on a different plane. ‘I couldn’t begin to tell you.’
Sue smiled and put her finger to her lips. ‘Coffee?’
‘I’ll make it,’ said Steven.
Steven crept out of the house a little before five in the morning, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was dark and there was a damp mist hanging in the still air. He looked up at Jenny’s bedroom window and imagined her sleeping there, snug and warm and very much part of a loving family. He blew her a kiss before getting into his car and heading north to Glasgow airport to catch the first British Airways shuttle of the day to London Heathrow.
‘They seem determined to deny you a holiday,’ said Jean Roberts when Steven arrived in her office.
‘Next time I’m just going to disappear without saying where I’m going,’ said Steven.
‘Strikes me Mr Macmillan will still know where you are. He has an uncanny knack of knowing where everyone is at any given time.’
‘Electronic tags would be a better bet,’ said Steven. ‘I’m going to take a closer look at my shoes when I get home. What’s up?’
‘I don’t know everything but I do know that the government’s chief medical adviser, several Public Health people and two senior people from the Department of Health are with him at the moment.’
Steven looked at his watch. ‘So I just wait?’
‘I suppose so. He
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