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Ben had suggested they invite Gretchen to the conference. Liz hadn’t been sure that Gretchen would be able to come, but her friend had informed her that she would be there with bells on. In fact, her grandson had come with her, and Ben had sent a car to ferry them there and back to Gretchen’s retirement home. Liz suspected that Gretchen was loving the opportunity to see her long-lost grandson again, and she certainly looked as pleased as punch about being made a fuss of – despite her claims that she hated it.
Liz caught Ben’s eye as she started to relax into her spiel. He was standing next to her on the stage, waiting for his cue as they’d rehearsed in the office.
He smiled encouragingly at her as she started to describe the sales strategy she had developed for the Old Maids campaign, discussing her entry points into major supermarkets for the standard Loch Cameron Ten Year Old, and following that up with the limited edition Old Maid range as a way to revive their market share.
Focused on their shared task, Liz forgot about her misgivings concerning Ben. She put aside all of her worries about the fertility clinic and about everything else, and made herself think only about what she was doing in that moment.
Liz had always excelled at this; no matter what was going on for her, she had always been able to put normal life aside and concentrate on presenting well. But it was more than that. As Ben started speaking, detailing the history of Loch Cameron Distillery and his family’s ownership of it, Liz felt the chemistry between them bloom and fill the space between them.
They fed off each other well, like performers; she’d missed a note, just earlier, and Ben had filled it in effortlessly. They were formal in the presentation, making sure they said everything they needed to, but they were also having fun.
‘Back to you, Liz.’ Ben smiled at her, finishing his first few slides.
‘Okay, thank you, Ben.’ Liz shot the crowd a dazzling smile. ‘Now, I’d like to tell you all a little more about our four cover girls.’ Liz talked through Evelyn, Elspeth and Muriel’s stories and then flicked to the photo of Gretchen at her desk with the blinding white 80s power suit that she’d snapped from Gretchen’s photo album.
‘Last, Gretchen Ross. Gretchen was born in 1937 in a workman’s cottage in Loch Cameron. Here’s a picture of that. Coincidentally, it’s where I live now.’ Liz showed a recent picture of the cottage with its whitewashed walls and blue door and window frames.
‘Gretchen’s family lived in the cottage for generations. Gretchen herself, though, didn’t always live in Loch Cameron. She was a studious girl, attending the local primary school in the 1940s, then going off to a girls’ school a few villages away after that until she finished school in 1954. Gretchen was always a keen reader, and after school she went to secretarial college. From there, she got a job at the library – as was, sadly it’s closed now – in Loch Cameron, where she worked for many years.
‘In the 1960s, Gretchen wanted to spread her wings, and so she moved away from the family cottage and went to live in Edinburgh, where she started working for Dunne’s Books, a publisher of popular fiction. Publishing was very much a man’s game in those days, but Gretchen rose through the ranks and became an editor in 1970. She honed her editorial instincts and worked with a variety of well-known authors.
‘Between 1980 and 1990, Gretchen was promoted to Editorial Director at Hatch Publishing. While she was there, she adopted a baby daughter, Stella. She remained staunchly single, refusing to marry, despite several offers. She became the only female Editorial Director at Hatch, and was known in the publishing industry at that time as a formidable editor and then publisher. She promoted and developed the careers of several of her female colleagues, and set an example for including more women in the publishing workplace.
‘Gretchen is technically an Old Maid, since she never married, but I hope you can appreciate just how strong and inspiring she is – and why her name very much deserves to be celebrated as one of Loch Cameron Distillery’s new whiskies. Celebrating women, and our heritage,’ Liz finished. ‘And, I’m really delighted to say that we have Gretchen with us in the audience today. Give her a round of applause, everyone.’
Gretchen, in her seat at the front of the auditorium, turned and waved grandly at the crowd, who gave her a huge round of applause. There were even a few whoops.
‘So, we hope you enjoyed our presentation, and we’re available for any questions afterwards,’ Liz rounded off. ‘Thanks for listening, everyone.’
She stepped off the stage and handed over to the conference organiser, who announced a break for coffee.
‘Hey, Gretchen.’ She leaned in to greet her friend, who was looking much better than she had last time Liz had seen her, looking so small and frail in her bed. ‘You look great! Thanks for coming.’
‘Thanks for making me an Old Maid,’ Gretchen countered. ‘This is my grandson, Eric.’
‘Hi, Eric. Really nice to meet you.’
‘Same.’ Eric was in his early twenties and reminded Liz of an athletic dog – tall, rangy and with a bouncy gait. He was dark haired like Stella and wore jeans and a shirt with a black suit jacket over the top.
‘What did you think of the presentation?’ Liz asked. ‘And, did the doctor really say it was all right for you to come today?’
‘Pffft. You know I don’t believe in doctors. But, yes, he said it was all right.’ Gretchen gave Liz a stern smile. ‘As to the presentation, I believe the phrase is: you smashed it! It was great.’
‘Awww, thanks. I’ve been really nervous about it,’ Liz admitted.
‘Excuse me. I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to say congratulations on the Old Maids project. It’s really impressive.’ Liz turned around to find a middle-aged woman standing politely to one side. She was dressed smartly in a skirt suit and a pearl necklace and wore carefully coiffured hair. ‘Simone Ballantyne. I work at the Royal Warrant.’
Simone held out her hand, and Liz shook it.
‘The Royal Warrant! Wow. Lovely to meet you. I’ve actually been trying to get in touch with you guys for a while now,’ she said.
‘I know. I’m so sorry not to have come back to you sooner. As you can imagine, things are hectic.’ Simone smiled warmly. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’ve got your paperwork and I’ll be in touch. You and Ben should come in for a meeting soon. We’ve actually been reviewing past providers including Loch Cameron Distillery recently, and we wanted to follow up with you and see if we could reconnect.’
‘Oh, amazing! That’s great news. We’d love that.’ Liz beamed.
‘Perfect. I’ll email you. I just wanted to say hi.’ Simone nodded, and walked off.
‘Eh! That was good,’ Gretchen whispered loudly. ‘Ben’s going to love that!’
