bright and breezy. These days he got worked up about the slightest thing.
‘If you could just let me have a look.’ Grace tried reaching out for the papers, but Alistair did not appear ready to hand them over.
‘Perhaps,’ Gilbert said from the chair, ‘before you get bogged down in that, we could discuss my last payment?’ He pulled an envelope from his pocket. ‘I’ve brought in the invoice I submitted and the cheque you sent. Now, if you compare one with the other, you’ll see—’
‘I will not bloody see anything,’ Alistair shouted, his eyes flaring. ‘You don’t get it do you, Gilbert? This,’ the papers were waved again, ‘this is serious.’
‘So is my payment.’ Gilbert’s tone was affable, but Grace saw Alistair’s colour heighten further and he stopped moving, even stopped waving the papers. It was always a dangerous sign that he was about to take his tirade up another notch. Gilbert obviously thought that too, because he shoved the envelope back in his pocket, got to his feet and said, ‘How about I make us all a cup of tea?’ He hadgathered up the kettle from the small wooden table and was carrying it out of the room before Alistair could wind himself up any more.
Grace took her chance and got hold of a corner of one of the pieces of paper in Alistair’s hand, but as she pulled at it, he jerked away. ‘You’ve given me a paper cut,’ he said with a yelp and stuck his thumb in his mouth.
‘Sorry, Alistair. Really sorry … but I’m just trying to help. I can’t understand why you’ve got a bill. You pay by direct debit.’
He took his thumb out of his mouth. Stared blankly. ‘Do I? Yes. Or … or did I change it?’
Grace wondered how Emma put up with constantly having to iron out problems and sort out hiccups. At least Grace was getting paid for it. Well, some hours of it.
She held out her hand for the papers again. ‘Stop worrying, Alistair. I’m sure the electricity company has to leave twenty-eight days between sending a bill and a disconnection notice. Even then there has to be about a week before they actually do anything.’
‘Ivecheppedvedake,’ Alistair said, around the thumb that was now back in his mouth. Grace interpreted this as ‘I’ve checked the date.’
‘And?’
Alistair wiped his thumb on his pullover. ‘End of August.That’s six weeks ago, Grace. Which means that they might have sent a disconnection notice already and if I’ve … we’ve mislaid it, well …’
Gilbert came back into the room with the kettle. He glared at Grace in a meaningful way before saying to Alistair, ‘Your door is locked.’
‘So?’
‘So I can’t get through to the kitchen to top this up.’ Gilbert shook the kettle.
‘That bloody kettle shouldn’t be in here anyway,’ Alistair stormed, ‘it should be in the kitchen along with the rest of that junk on the table.’
‘But we don’t like to disturb you by coming through your room every time we want to make a hot drink,’ Grace said, trying to calm him down.
Gilbert stirred him up again. ‘Even when your office isn’t locked it’s a bind.’
‘Now, look—’
‘Perhaps I could just fill it from the toilet.’ Gilbert grinned. ‘Not the actual lavatory, of course, but the hand basin. If I tilted it to get it under the taps …’
Gilbert was acting out the extreme difficulties this would present when Alistair said very slowly and very softly, ‘If you do not put that kettle down, I will take it and shove it right up—’
‘I think there’s probably enough water in there already for two cups, Gilbert,’ Grace said hastily. ‘I’m not bothered about having anything.’
Gilbert gave her a little bow as if to underline how accommodating she’d been and what a pain Alistair was.
‘So, happy now, Gilbert?’ Alistair asked. ‘Good. Well, if it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you’d keep quiet from here on in, let Grace and me sort out this great big stinking mess?’
Gilbert
‘If you could just let me have a look.’ Grace tried reaching out for the papers, but Alistair did not appear ready to hand them over.
‘Perhaps,’ Gilbert said from the chair, ‘before you get bogged down in that, we could discuss my last payment?’ He pulled an envelope from his pocket. ‘I’ve brought in the invoice I submitted and the cheque you sent. Now, if you compare one with the other, you’ll see—’
‘I will not bloody see anything,’ Alistair shouted, his eyes flaring. ‘You don’t get it do you, Gilbert? This,’ the papers were waved again, ‘this is serious.’
‘So is my payment.’ Gilbert’s tone was affable, but Grace saw Alistair’s colour heighten further and he stopped moving, even stopped waving the papers. It was always a dangerous sign that he was about to take his tirade up another notch. Gilbert obviously thought that too, because he shoved the envelope back in his pocket, got to his feet and said, ‘How about I make us all a cup of tea?’ He hadgathered up the kettle from the small wooden table and was carrying it out of the room before Alistair could wind himself up any more.
Grace took her chance and got hold of a corner of one of the pieces of paper in Alistair’s hand, but as she pulled at it, he jerked away. ‘You’ve given me a paper cut,’ he said with a yelp and stuck his thumb in his mouth.
‘Sorry, Alistair. Really sorry … but I’m just trying to help. I can’t understand why you’ve got a bill. You pay by direct debit.’
He took his thumb out of his mouth. Stared blankly. ‘Do I? Yes. Or … or did I change it?’
Grace wondered how Emma put up with constantly having to iron out problems and sort out hiccups. At least Grace was getting paid for it. Well, some hours of it.
She held out her hand for the papers again. ‘Stop worrying, Alistair. I’m sure the electricity company has to leave twenty-eight days between sending a bill and a disconnection notice. Even then there has to be about a week before they actually do anything.’
‘Ivecheppedvedake,’ Alistair said, around the thumb that was now back in his mouth. Grace interpreted this as ‘I’ve checked the date.’
‘And?’
Alistair wiped his thumb on his pullover. ‘End of August.That’s six weeks ago, Grace. Which means that they might have sent a disconnection notice already and if I’ve … we’ve mislaid it, well …’
Gilbert came back into the room with the kettle. He glared at Grace in a meaningful way before saying to Alistair, ‘Your door is locked.’
‘So?’
‘So I can’t get through to the kitchen to top this up.’ Gilbert shook the kettle.
‘That bloody kettle shouldn’t be in here anyway,’ Alistair stormed, ‘it should be in the kitchen along with the rest of that junk on the table.’
‘But we don’t like to disturb you by coming through your room every time we want to make a hot drink,’ Grace said, trying to calm him down.
Gilbert stirred him up again. ‘Even when your office isn’t locked it’s a bind.’
‘Now, look—’
‘Perhaps I could just fill it from the toilet.’ Gilbert grinned. ‘Not the actual lavatory, of course, but the hand basin. If I tilted it to get it under the taps …’
Gilbert was acting out the extreme difficulties this would present when Alistair said very slowly and very softly, ‘If you do not put that kettle down, I will take it and shove it right up—’
‘I think there’s probably enough water in there already for two cups, Gilbert,’ Grace said hastily. ‘I’m not bothered about having anything.’
Gilbert gave her a little bow as if to underline how accommodating she’d been and what a pain Alistair was.
‘So, happy now, Gilbert?’ Alistair asked. ‘Good. Well, if it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you’d keep quiet from here on in, let Grace and me sort out this great big stinking mess?’
Gilbert
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