Chapter 10

Hank briefed Arthur first thing the following morning. The latter agreed that the children sounded as though they were excellent candidates for the grammar schools. He promised to come and tell Hank what happened as soon as he had spoken to both Heads.

Hank could not concentrate on office work so he went on a tour of inspection. He could hardly go into the classrooms so he went round the dormitories, bathrooms lavatories and the sick room. That gave him a chance to talk to Barbara and bring her up to date. She wished him luck and then, when he had wandered on, smiled.

"My boy's got it bad," she thought. "I hope for his sake it all works out but I'll miss him terribly."

Hank went back to his office and asked the secretary whether Arthur had been looking for him. He had not. Hank continued his ramble. This time he covered the changing rooms, boot room, gymn and swimming pool and then back to the office. Arthur had still not been looking for him. He went to Common Room for coffee. That was a mistake that he would not have made if he had been thinking straight.

"Are you going to do your Thursday grounds inspection?" Anthea asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "Not today, my dear, I'm, um, waiting for Arthur to give me the results of some phone calls he's making."

"Ooh, is there some new project in the wind? Let me guess ... All weather games pitch?"

Hank shook his head. "I wish it were."

"It can't be something small like new goalposts. They must be within your fund boundaries. It must be a major rebuild and he's sounding out the trustees. Right?"

Hank shook his head again.

Anthea frowned. She was now really intrigued and Hank reckoned the rumour mill would be in full operation by lunchtime. He smiled at her.

"Actually, it's nothing to do with the school," he said.

She looked disappointed for a moment and then slightly embarrassed.

"Oops, sorry," she said. "I'm not minding my own business."

Hank continued to smile. "Don't worry a bit," he said, "but Arthur and I do discuss other things as well from time to time."

Her smile returned. "In school hours?" she teased.

"Please don't tell, Miss." Hank bowed his head.

Anthea pealed with laughter which was when Arthur stuck his head round the door.

"What's going on in here?" he demanded. "Are you distracting one of my busy form mistresses from her work, Bursar?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Headmaster. In fact, Miss Tiarks was just ticking me off for talking about non-school subjects in school hours."

"Good! Quite right! Well done, Miss Tiarks. I'll take over from here. Come to my study, Bursar."

"Yessir!"

Arthur winked at Anthea who once more burst into laughter.

"Whew!" said Hank. "I think I'd saved it but it was just as well you came in when you did."

"Why?"

Hank told him.

Arthur laughed. "Now I've got something to pull your leg about."

Hank chuckled. "But you never entertained hopes."

Arthur laughed again. "Dead right."

They had got back to the office area and Arthur led Hank to his study. They both sat down and Hank looked expectantly at him. Arthur smiled.

"Not bad," he said, "but not that good either. They both said they had no vacancies. I've heard that before so I told them about Nigel and Tessa's academic ability. Both were clearly intrigued but no more. So then I told them the history and they both sympathised and, I think, empathised. Helen Ridley reckoned she could squeeze Tessa in subject to seeing her reports and interviewing her and her mother. Don McCartney was less forthcoming. He's willing to look at Nigel's reports and to interview him and his mother but he won't commit himself further than that."

"Hmm! Knowing him as you do which way do you think he might jump?"

"Difficult to say. He is a man of immense compassion but, if he reckons Nigel is going to be difficult, he'll probably turn him down. On the other hand, if he's sufficiently impressed with his potential, he could well consider him a worthwhile challenge."

"That's fair but would he take into consideration Tessa being given a place and the possible problems if Nigel wasn't?"

"Possibly. As I say, he's compassionate. What I will say is that he won't be impressed by a weepy or combative mother. For that interview your Fiona needs to be reasoned and calm."

"Not my Fiona," said Hank slightly defensively.

Arthur grinned. "I wasn't implying or insinuating anything. Don't read too much into a turn of phrase."

Hank grinned back. "You said 'not that good'. I couldn't have expected anything better. Thank you, Arthur. You've come up trumps."

He rang Fiona immediately. "Don't get carried away," he said," but I think we may have a better than fifty-fifty chance."

Despite her excitement, Fiona registered the 'we'. "Tell me, tell me."

Hank did so.

"Oh, Hank, you've given me hope. A lot of hope but I appreciate it's far from said and done. Give me all the names and addresses and I'll get the reports off this afternoon. Your Arthur Winston sounds like a gem."

"I like and respect him enormously," replied Hank, "his wife as well."

"And you're a gem too. Thank you so much."

"Well, wait and see. I may turn out to have been a busted flush."

"Never! Of course it may come to nothing but that won't be for want of you trying and I shall always be immensely grateful for that." She chuckled. "That's another hug you've earned."

"No Brownie points?"

"No, hugs are in a different category from Brownie points, which are for achievements. Hugs are for thanks."

"How many hugs make a kiss?"

"It depends on the size of the hugs. Anyway, you've had a kiss so don't be greedy."

"No, ma'am." He paused. "Fiona, if you hear anything before Tuesday will you let me know?"

"Yes, Hank, of course I will and vice versa."

"I doubt I will as a distant third party but yes indeed."

"Thanks. Got anything exciting happening in the next few days?"

"Only golf on Saturday morning. Grace may put in an appearance in the evening but I only ever know for sure when she climbs into her car and rings me."

Neither wanted to cut the other off and they chatted inconsequentially until Fiona's office phone rang and she had to ring off.

Hank sat for a while pondering on whether there was anything else he could do to help. He appreciated that it would have to be unobtrusive. He did not want to steal Fiona's thunder nor yet risk messing up her chances by intervening with either of the Heads. Reluctantly he decided he would have to sit on his hands and wait.

Fiona immediately wrote to both Heads, gratefully acknowledging Arthur's introduction, enclosing the appropriate reports and asking for an appointment for herself and each child. She suggested that the appointments be made by telephone so that a day that was convenient to both Heads and her family could be arranged with minimum delay. She sent the letters off by first class post that afternoon. Then she sat back and fretted. She reckoned that even with the letters being delivered the following morning the chances of any response before Monday was slim. She would have to be patient. She would have liked to have shared the suspense with Hank but thought that he might consider she was leaning on him for support. She was growing more and more impressed with him and was nervous to do anything that might upset him. Little did she know that Hank was resisting similar urges.

She was right. She heard nothing on Friday. On Monday morning though Don McCartney's secretary rang and they set up two alternative appointments for the following Thursday and Friday both at eleven o'clock. She then had to wait in increasing anxiety for the other call. It came at four o'clock that afternoon when she was on the point of ringing the school herself. As luck would have it Mrs Ridley was available at three o'clock on Friday afternoon. She rang Mr McCartney's secretary back and confirmed the appointment for Friday morning. Next she rang the children's current school and told them that Nigel and Tessa would not attend on Friday. The secretary was most appreciative saying that the majority of parents would not have bothered to tell her. Fiona thought that that just about summed the place up.

She was then in a quandary. She wanted to tell Hank but she was going to be seeing him the following day. On the other hand he had asked her to ring him if she heard anything before then. She rang him on his mobile.