Don’t panic. One stepat a time.
First things first.A new job.
Try the newspapers, starting with thisone here.
She ordered another cup of tea and turned to the Vacancies pages. Pen in hand, she circled everything that might be worth a try. She turned a page and something caught her eye.
Plain Jane Wanted
Live-in Assistant/Companion For A Retired Disabled Gentleman.
Channel Islands.
Generous Salary. Room And Board.
Suits Patient, Mature Person.
Does Not Need To Be Attractive.
Words that were written just for her.
A new job and a new home. Far away from London, Henry, andhis world.
And since she was fat and ugly, so much the better.
She pulled out her mobile phone and dialled the number on the advert.
A female voice answered on the second ring.
Millie explained she was calling about the advert.
“Which advert wouldthat be?”
Millie swallowed her embarrassment. “Um… Plain Jane Wanted.” She braced herself fora snigger.
“Oh yes, the Du Montfort position.” The agent was very professional. “Are you calling from a smartphone? Do you haveFaceTime?”
This had to be their way of checking if she was indeed unattractive.Well, Miss Beige, today, you lookthe part.
She gave the recruitment lady her number and waited for the FaceTime call. Ten minutes later, she was having a phoneinterview.
The agent explained that the job was simple enough. Mr Du Montfort was elderly and wheelchair bound. He had a team of carers and nurses but needed someone to read to him, deal with minimal correspondence and phone calls. Probably three or four hours a day. The pay was very generous on top of accommodation.
“But…” The agent hesitated delicately. “Mr Du Montfort… er… well, he is a little… erm…”
What?
Finally, the recruitment agent found a roundabout way. “He’s an old gentleman and might be difficult to please. Er… He can be a little… you know, blunt, not so sensitive.”
Millie laughed for the first time that day. Nothing could be less sensitive than the words she’d endured today. No one could be harder to please than the man she was leaving behind.
If life was going to give her lemons, then she was going to make the best lemonade inthe world.
OceanofPDF.com
TWO
Five days later, London, the Gherkin building, 8am
