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No wonder Mark looks tired. I bet he’s been having a hell of a time.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say to him. ‘I didn’t mean to ruin your Christmas.’
‘For God’s sake, Madison!’ Mark exclaims, causing Jane’s eyebrows to shoot up again. I don’t think she does strong language. ‘If anyone ruined my Christmas, it was Peter, not you.’
‘There’s just one thing I don’t understand,’ I say. ‘If you only got the complaint on the twenty-seventh, why did you invite me in straight away, before you had a chance to investigate?’
‘Although we knew we had to look into it properly, the complaint was detailed enough that we suspected it would come to this. We agreed that it was better to have something in the diary, rather than prolong this any more than was necessary. If it had all turned out to be nothing, we would have cancelled it.’
‘I think my role here is finished,’ Jane says. ‘Before I go and help Deborah finish processing Peter’s paperwork, do you have any further questions for me?’
‘No, thank you,’ I tell her.
As soon as she leaves the room, Mark lets out a huge sigh.
‘Sorry about all that. Because of the severity of the situation, we have to make sure we dot every i and cross every t. Are you OK?’
‘I’m fine,’ I tell him. ‘Shocked, but fine. I honestly thought I’d done something wrong, and you’d called me in to let me go.’
‘Not this time.’ He smiles. ‘In a funny way, you’ve done us a favour. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Peter isn’t a natural editor. Over the years he’s been here he’s tried really hard and worked incredibly long hours, but I could see he finds it a struggle. It was something we were going to raise in his next annual appraisal, but obviously this episode brought things to a head. Anyway, I hope we can put this sorry mess behind us. I’ve got some great ideas for you and Toby this year.’
‘Mark, there’s something I need to tell you before you go any further. I’ve been reflecting over Christmas, and I’ve decided that I won’t be tendering for any more work.’
‘What? I thought that you’d accepted our apology. Look, if there’s something more that we need to do…’
‘It’s not about that. I’ve really enjoyed the last ten years, but you know as well as I do that you can’t do this job forever. There comes a point where you want to spend more time in just one place and start to have a more normal life. I’ve reached that point.’
He studies me for a long time before he speaks.
‘I can’t say I’m not disappointed, because you’re one of the best writers I’ve worked with. I’m not just saying that to make you feel good, you genuinely are. You have an ability to bring a place to life and make the reader feel that they’ve been there. It’s a rare talent, and I doubt I’ll find anyone as good to replace you. But I do understand. You’re describing exactly how I felt when I gave it up. The stuff you have done this last year with Toby has been truly exceptional. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s game changing.’
‘Thank you. I have enjoyed working with him—’ I’m surprised how hard this is to say ‘—and we were both very grateful for the award. However, even if I hadn’t decided to give this up, Toby and I wouldn’t have continued working together.’ I search for a plausible excuse. ‘It was becoming too much pressure.’
‘I understand. You two have been revolutionary though, and our circulation figures have risen sharply over the last year. I think you can both take some credit for that.’
I smile at him. ‘It’s been a lot of fun, and I just want to say thank you to you andVoyages Luxesfor all the opportunities you’ve given me over the years. I really appreciate it, and I wish you every success in the future.’
I stand up to go. Now that the initial shock from the start of the meeting has subsided, and I’ve had the opportunity to say my piece, I feel strangely calm and detached. I’m just about to step out into the main reception area when I see Peter come back through the security barriers into the reception area. He’s carrying a box, and is accompanied by the woman I assume is Deborah. I watch as they walk to the reception desk, where he hands in his pass. He looks completely defeated and, despite his efforts to destroy my career, I feel terribly sorry for him.
‘Where do you think he’ll go?’ I ask Mark.
‘No idea,’ he replies. ‘We’ve promised him a fair reference that focuses on his years of service rather than the manner of his departure, and this might just be the shock he needs to make him reflect on what he really wants out of life. Hopefully, he’ll find something that suits him better.’
As Peter turns around, he sees me through the glass. I’m expecting his face to contort with anger, as it did at the gala dinner, but it doesn’t. For a moment it looks like he’s mouthing the word ‘sorry’ at me as he walks towards the front door, but I’m sure my mind must be playing tricks on me.
‘Before you go, I’ve just had a thought,’ Mark pipes up, suddenly. ‘Have you got five more minutes?’
‘Sure,’ I reply, and sit back down at the table.
‘Peter’s departure leaves us with a vacancy in the editorial department. How would you feel about applying for it?’
‘Are you offering me a job?’
‘Not exactly. We have to advertise the vacancy, but off the record I’m sure we’d be very receptive to an application from you. You have tons of experience, you know the market, and you know good writing when you see it. These are all qualities we look for. Plus, your spelling and grammar are first rate. I can’t remember the last time we had to correct your work. Think about it? I imagine the vacancy will be posted on our company website in the next few days.’
‘Thank you, Mark,’ I tell him as I stand to leave again. ‘I will think about it, I promise.’
* * *
