Chapter 6

“How do you mean, dear?” Frances was unclear.

“If I stood behind you, I could fondle your breasts, then if you bent over the bed and opened your legs, I could enter you from behind while still standing upright. I might be able to fuck without stretching the wound; but it is up to each of you. You will now have two options to choose from; it is the best I can offer at present.”

Frances bent to kiss him. “How considerate of you, my love. I will tell the girls of the options; they can choose for themselves.”

He added, “I forgot to mention: my toenails need cutting, and I can’t bend properly to deal with them. Can someone help me out in the next day or two?”

Frances laughed at such a miniscule problem. “We’ll see about that, Reg,” and she went off to whatever she had decided was her first priority.

Reg found himself annoyed at not knowing about Pringle. He now got his mobile out, logged on to the Internet browser, and did a search for ‘Pringle surname’. He quickly was informed that the surname was originally Hoppringle, from a place-name in the county of Roxburgh, Scotland. It had become shortened over the centuries to Pringle. He sighed with relief, for his memory had not failed him directly. He was simply unaware that it was a shortened version of another name.

Freda queried Reg as to whether the Finance Officer had got back to him about his investigation of the facts and figures.

Reg shook his head. “Not yet, Freda. I didn’t really expect a response today. He is going to have to check through his records and then speak with the maths Professor about certification, so it will probably be tomorrow before he is ready with that document. As to the Chemistry department, who knows how long it will take him to investigate that?”

Holly called them to prepare for dinner, and the Robson girls appeared, ready for clearing the table of Reg’s books and papers, to allow the table to be set. Reg asked Hermione how their afternoon run had gone.

She said, in a quiet voice, “Not bad, Mr Robertson. Elizabeth kept up with us for much of the time, but then we had to slow down to stay with her. It was the right thing to do, we felt, rather than go ahead to suit our own pace.” She looked Reg straight in the eye. “We did listen, this morning. I am sorry for my behaviour, Reg. We will do better; I want my parents to be proud of me for once.”

Reg smiled brightly. “Now that is what I like to hear, Hermione. Learning is what got me where I am, and learning can do the same for you.”

“You mean, getting stabbed in the back?” she gave him a grim look.

“No, I mean finding girls to love. Finding love is the greatest achievement in my life, Hermione, and I got there through learning as much as I could. What I learned was all factual at first, but my loves taught me that learning how to act in society was just as important as learning facts. You and Jemima are here for the same reason. Once you learn to regard other human beings as worthy of your respect, you will gain respect from the people you love.

My apologies for another lecture; I am preventing you you getting on with your tasks.”

Hermione moved to get back to her duties, but her mind was absorbing the lessons she was hearing from Reg Robertson. After today’s debacle, they were starting to sink in to her psyche.

After a night and morning of interesting explorations, Reg was able to stand under the shower while Erika washed him. The experience was deliciously tactile, as was Erika’s careful attention to every part of his body as she washed him.

She smiled at his sighs of satisfaction. “When I finish washing you, Reg, I want you to take me here, standing up, while I lean back against the shower wall.”

“That will mean washing ourselves again, Erika.”

“So what? You have enjoyed your shower; another one will do you no harm, my lovely man.”

“Okay, then, but we’ll need to be quick, or Freda will be here asking for more of the same.”

“If you can manage without pain, so what? Just think yourself lucky that Frances has gone for breakfast, or you would have a queue!”

By the time Reg got to the kitchen table and his comfy chair, he felt he needed the rest. Jessica noticed his lassitude, and raised her eyebrows at Erika. Erika simply smiled happily in return.

Breakfast was happily a fried one, so that filled Reg up satisfactorily, restoring his energy levels.

Frances demanded his essay on megalithic symbols, so that she could hand it in for him this morning. He handed it over, neatly printed on the computer printer yesterday.

“Anything else you want from me, Frances?”

“From you, no; but I’ll call in to the Finance department when I arrive, to see if they have any material for you.”

“Ah, yes. They won’t want to send such sensitive material by email. It should be interesting, if I am right.”

It was after ten a.m. when Reg got a call from the Finance Officer.

“Mr Robertson, I will hand a certified copy of the accounts of the Development Fund to Mrs Robertson at lunchtime. She called in earlier, so she knows to come and collect it. It does not make happy reading.

The gist of it is that considerable sums have been paid out to a company for surveys and draft plans for new buildings, but in discussion with the relevant staff, I can find no evidence of such work being done. It is beginning to look as it this company was being paid for work which was not done.”

Reg queried, “How could that be, sir? It is my understanding that such invoices when they come in have to be signed off by a senior member of staff.”

“Ah, yes. That would be the case, except that I cannot find any record of these invoices having been through that process. They appear to have been paid as soon as presented. Even worse, none of my staff have any record of these invoices ever coming through this department.”

“Fascinating,” commented Reg. “Can I assume that for this to happen and the invoices being paid, that it would take considerable expertise to manage this?”

“That is correct, Mr Robertson. You seem to be quite knowledgeable yourself.”

“One picks things up, sir; one picks things up. You will recall my admonition to bypass the University’s Chief Accountant? I presume that was done?”

“It was. I was puzzled, but your company has the right to advise on such matters.”

“Excellent. Then our current advice is to keep the Chief Accountant in ignorance of our investigations.”

“But why? It is not as if he is under suspicion.” He suddenly stopped, as it hit him. “You actually suspect HIM of malfeasance?”

“I am uncertain, sir, but he is in a position to be the culprit, or it might be a close member of his team. We must keep him out of the loop for his own protection until we can clear him of wrong-doing.”

“That is so, Mr Robertson. We need to get to the bottom of this matter.”

“Indeed. In order to do so, our accountant will need to speak to your bankers about where this rogue company holds its account, so that we can confirm that payment was made as shown in the accounts. To do this, we shall require a power of attorney to examine your bank account’s operation, and find what bank account the cash was sent to. Can you write an authorisation to this company, on behalf of the university?”

“I can do that. The bank knows me, so they will accept it.”

“Good. Our Company Secretary, Mrs Frances Robertson, will be able to collect it at lunchtime, then, when she is collecting the other deed?”

“I can arrange that, sir. You can’t collect it yourself?”

“No. I am medically indisposed at present, you see; confined to my residence.”

“Oh. I am sorry to hear that. I shall expect Mrs Robertson, then.”

As soon as Reg got off the line, he rang Frances and told her about the bank authorisation for checking the university’s accounts there.

“What are you up to, reg. Do you suspect something is amiss?”

“I do, but pinning down the culprit is the main problem. Can we get Freda’s mother, as Company Accountant, go with you to the bank and look at the bank’s records?”

“You don’t want much, do you, Reg? It will mean her driving down here, if she can spare the time. I’ll ask Freda to speak to her Mum and find out the lay of the land, before we contact the university’s bank.”

“Do that, please.” Reg ordered. He was beginning to feel in control again. It occurred to him that for most of the time, he was simply following what his wives wanted; but he did not have a problem with that; never had, right from the start.

The next call he received was from Freda.

“Reg dear, my Mum says she is happy to help out as Company Accountant, but thinks her personal presence is not essential at the start, but only if there are complications arising. She says we should state her name and her CIMA qualification as Company Accountant, so that they know there is a professional looking over their shoulder. She has told me what data we should be looking for in the bank records, so I have passed that to Frances.”

“Surprising, but your Mum knows her stuff, Freda. That’s why she is our Company Accountant. I’ll hear from Frances later. Thanks again, my love.”

Reg got a text from Frances after lunch, saying “Got both items safely. See you when we get home.”

Elizabeth and the Robsons went out jogging in the afternoon again, and he eventually heard them arriving at the door. They sounded cheery, so he gave them time to go shower and get dressed, before asking Sidra to fetch Elizabeth. Reg told Sidra, “I want you to be with her, so she knows not to be concerned about what I ask her.”

Sidra saw his point, and nodded before going. She was back with Elizabeth soon after. Elizabeth looked healthy, and definitely slimmer.

Reg spoke to her, “Elizabeth, you are looking good. Your exercise and diet is making a difference to you. I am very pleased with your progress.

On another matter, how are things between you and the Robson ladies?”

Elizabeth swung her head to look at Sidra for help. When Sidra nodded and said, “You can trust my father, Elizabeth,” she spoke up.

“Things were bad the other day, when I thought they were going to leave; abandon me just when I thought I was getting somewhere, but since then they have been all over me. I am still not certain it is a genuine change, or a temporary ruse to put me at ease, but if it goes on like this, I will be very happy with them.”

“Good. Let’s leave it at that, and see how it goes. Let me know if you have any concerns, even little ones. I’d prefer to correct any slips before they become major problems.”

Elizabeth was cheerful as she responded, “That suits me, Mr Robertson.”

“I meant to speak to you earlier, Elizabeth, about adoption procedures. You have heard the maxim, ‘the law is an ass’?”

“Yes. I understand that one.”

“It seems to be the case with adoption rules here. Both parents have to be aged 21 or over, which precludes me right at the start. Jessica and Fiona fit the requirement, but I don’t, and they expect two parents, male and female, to fit their model.”

Elizabeth’s face fell, but Reg continued, “That awkward fact notwithstanding, how would you feel if we simply acknowledged you within the family as an adopted daughter? We can formalise the status once we later manage to fit all the stereotypes as adoptive parents.”

Elizabeth was slow to take this in, but turned to Sidra for reassurance. Sidra told her, “It means that, to all intents and purposes, you are my sister now. We won’t have a piece of paper to formalise it, but what does a bit of paper matter? If anyone asks, you have been adopted, and that is it!”

Reg expanded, “It is similar to me and my wives, Elizabeth. We don’t have a piece of paper that says we are married, but as far as we and the world are concerned, we are married. Get it?”

Elizabeth beamed, and said slyly, “So that means I can now call you Dad?”

Reg almost giggled in his bubbling joy at her response, but nodded seriously and told her, “Yes, Elizabeth. As you are now our adopted daughter, you can call me Dad!”

She jumped up and came to Reg to wrap her arms around him, and kissed him with enthusiasm. “Thank you, Dad!”

Sidra watched this with interest, and when Elizabeth released Reg, said with a cheeky smile, “Elizabeth, I wonder if we can ask our father for a raise in our pocket money?”

Reg was taken aback, then recognised this for what it was. He replied, “I am open to a negotiation, certainly, Sidra. I would of course be expecting my daughters to excel academically!”

Sidra gave a generous laugh at this, telling Elizabeth, “Reg always expects good results from his family members, Elizabeth. Are you willing to take up his challenge?”

Elizabeth set her lips and responded, “I can at least try, Sidra, if you’ll help me.”

Sidra smiled at her successful ploy. “I thank we can arrange that, Elizabeth. It will make a change from jogging the streets!”

When Frances got home, she handed over to Reg the two items for his perusal, saying, “I need the bank authorisation to call in tomorrow, but you can cast your eyes over it.”

Reg gave it a quick read through. It seemed to be what the bank would need, so he handed it back to Frances. “Should do the trick,” he commented, and she went off with it.

The other document was of more interest. It gave a statement of all the transactions into and out of the Development Fund over five years or so. The first couple of years were all income, then it started to change.

There was a small charge, a fee from the auditors, covering the two years. That was the last fee from the auditors. The following year there was a payment made to Brown and Mayfield, quantity surveyors. Presumably this was for estimation of quantities for a planned development, as there was another payment made, this time to Williams Brothers, architects, for outline planning. Curiously, there was no payment made to the local planning authority for the expected planning department fees. One would have expected any plan to be put before them for outline planning approval before any substantial planning went ahead, and those fees should be shown in the accounts. One would not expect the company to absorb such fees; they would routinely pass them on. They were absent.

The next two years there were several invoices paid to companies, including the same architectural firm; invoices which one would expect in preparation for a substantial building development. The trouble with these payments is that the university accounts showed nothing that would imply that a major development was being contemplated. There should have been indications of a legal invoice for preparing contracts for such a major proposal. It would have been too extensive for in-house work, but there was no indications of such a major contract. The auditors would have had something to say about it impinging on the university’s finances.

So Reg was left with the question: who were these companies who were paid for apparently non-existent work? He did the obvious: looked for these companies online, but not one of them showed up. They appeared to have no online footprint, yet any reputable company today would have at least some online record of their past operations.

Reg was more and more suspicious. He was now thinking of some major fraud operation having taken place to the detriment of the university. The university thought their excess cash was being ploughed into a long-term investment for the future, but seemed unaware that it was being milked, year after year.

Looking at the final balances, Reg was glad to note that a high percentage of the total investment remained in the Fund, but around 100,000 pounds had been paid out to unidentified bodies. He would have to depend on Frances discovering the relevant facts about this skimming operation.

Unless ... unless Freda’s mother could look into these so-called companies? But if they did not exist, how could she find them? Banking records must show the money trail, he concluded, and there Mrs Dangerfield had the expertise that was required. He would toss this thought experiment to Freda for passing on.

He wondered how the university’s Finance Officer was getting on with the Chemistry department accounts. No doubt he would hear eventually.

Instead, he had a call from the university’s open learning officer, the one tasked with the summer courses open to outside learners.

“Mr Robertson? I have been given your number as you asked about the availability of short courses. We have come to an agreement with the Open University to offer certain courses at times outwith the normal curriculum. In this cases, we propose to offer short courses based on weekends, and one of them is a health-based course in basic midwifery, due to the current shortage of midwives. Would you be interested in this for the students on whose behalf you enquired?”

“I expect I would, but it would depend on other factors. When does the course start? How many weekends? Is it a daytime course – not live-in? What level of entry requirement? And what are the fees?”

“I see. Yes, I can understand your need for such questions to be answered. Our fees are not fixed yet. It may depend on the numbers. We will fix the start date if we have enough interest expressed in it. We are approaching Hospital Trusts to discover if they want to enrol nurses in the course, and naturally female members of the public will be made welcome.”

“Female members of the public? Is it your intention that only females may attend the course?”

“It was our assumption that a midwifery course would appeal to females, certainly. Whether to exclude men was not a decision we made, but rather an assumption of the likely take-up.”

Reg harrumphed. “My dear fellow, that is a roundabout way of saying it is a course for females, is it not?”

“Well, Mr Robertson, as the course involves 100 per cent female patients, it would be a natural assumption.”

“So you think that only female doctors can attend to women’s ailments?”

“That is another matter entirely, sir!”

“In what way does it differ? If a male obstetrician can examine female patients for that condition, why cannot male midwives act in a similar fashion dealing with the act of childbirth?”

“Very well, sir. I shall take your points before our panel, to see if they have any medical objection to male midwives.”

Reg told him, “Remind them that male midwives have legally existed in the UK since 1976, just in case they aren’t aware of the fact, like you.”

“Really? 1976?”

“Yes. They did actually exist much earlier but men were banned from the profession in 1951, and it was the Sexual Discrimination Act that brought the men back. They are still rare, but they do exist.”

“My goodness. They say you are always learning, and in this case it is true.”

“I am pleased to hear it, sir. I have two late teenage girls who would be interested in the course, but I might even have a go at it myself, if I can find the time.”

Reg had only just finished this call, when Frances hurried back in to speak to him.

“Reg, could the Reverend Professor visit us tonight? She has just phoned me.”

Reg blinked in surprise. “If you girls are happy about it, I have no objections. When exactly would she arrive?”

Frances looked sheepish. “I suggested she come for tea, if she has no other plans. Are you okay with that, darling?”

Reg gave her the assurance she hoped for. “Of course, Frances my love. Anything that you want, I am happy with.” She beamed her pleasure, and hurried off to warn the twins about an extra place at the table. Reg wondered if everyone could fit round the table, even with the split into two sittings.

Soon there was a buzz around the house at the thought of a visit by a Reverend Professor from the university. Most of the girls were slightly apprehensive, awed by the woman’s title and status. Reginald and his wives were less concerned, having met her before, when she gave their commitment a blessing at the time of Fiona’s addition. Reg was more puzzled than concerned at her sudden appearance, being unsure of her reason for visiting.

Frances delegated Holly to be at the door and open it for their visitor. Holly was fascinated at the idea of a powerful woman coming to have a meal at their household, cooked by her and Carol.

She jittered about near the door while waiting. Frances was just inside the dining room, waiting to hear her being received.

There came a knock at the door, and Holly peered through the spy-hole to confirm who it was, then opened the door. The woman stood outside, presentably dressed and with the inevitable clerical collar prominent. She announced herself, “Professor Jane Harris, to see the Robertson family.”

Holly bobbed a curtsey and said, “Yes, ma’am. You are expected. Do please come in. May I take your coat?”

Holly showed the Professor inside, and hung her coat on the hall coat-rack. Frances came out from the dining-room as if she had just heard, and declared, “Welcome, Reverend Professor, to our home. This young lady who took your coat is Holly LeBrun, one of my twin cousins who act as our cook and housekeeper. They are doing very well at it. Please come into the dining room. We will be dining shortly, so everyone will congregate here and I shall introduce you.”