CHAPTER 3
“Take a seat. Please”
He slumped into one of the armchairs, setting his briefcase upright on the floor beside him, where it promptly fell over.
“Harry… “
He stopped abruptly, looking down at his clenched hands, then slowly relaxed his fingers before looking back up at the two of us on the settee.
“There have been rumours, you know. I wasn’t sure… Short form, then. Mary, could I have that tea after all? Please?”
She brought an extra mug from the kitchen, and the three of us sat silently as she poured and handed him the cup.
“What do I call you? Harry seems a bit awkward”
“What everyone else does”
“Ellie? I always did wonder about why you pushed that one. Bit too glib, I thought, and I was right, wasn’t I? So, please, executive summary”
I looked quickly at my wife, then jumped in. Soonest humiliated, soonest over.
“Lots of cliché stuff, really, so I won’t go into the usual rigmarole”