Free Victoria Line, Central Line by Maeve Binchy Page A

held three successful and supposedly impromptu gatherings in her office. Always she had included several people higher in the pecking order than Garry Edwards.
    Everyone had thought it was a splendid idea to have the handsome young son of their important board member and his lonely wife in the department. He worked most of the time in the general promotions department and two afternoons a week he got what was described as a training from Sara. What it really was was an access to her files, permission to sit in her room as she worked out schemes with some of the other promotions executives, and he learned an almost overpowering respect for Miss Gray from Eve who stood up and expected him to do the same. Eve almost lowered her voice in awe when she spoke of anything Sara had done, and the well meaning,over-educated and not very bright Simon did the same.
    Simply because Eve kept him under such an iron rule Simon did learn something. So much in fact that his parents were utterly delighted with him, and the head of marketing, who had opposed his appointment as the nepotism it undoubtedly was, had to admit that that young Miss Gray was able to do the most extraordinary things. He took to dropping in to her pleasant office occasionally, and once or twice that strange colourless secretary had told him very firmly that she couldn’t be disturbed. When he implied that he was more important than whoever she could be talking to, the secretary had said very flatly that her instructions were to ask everyone to make appointments, or at least to telephone in advance if they intended to drop in. Since the head of marketing had been saying long and loud that too much socialising and twittering went on in his department in the name of work he could not be otherwise than pleased.
    Geoff came back. His latest lady decided that she must go back to her husband and children. This she said was where her duty lay. She said it when all Geoff’s money had run out. Geoff had shrugged and come back to Sara. Amazingly she wasn’t at home. He let himself in one night with a bottle of champagne, a single rose and a long explanation, but there was nobody to receive any of these things so he just went to bed.
    She wasn’t there in the morning either. He checked her wardrobe, most of her sweaters and skirts seemed to be there. The place looked neater somehow, and there were no work files strewn about. She had a lot of much more expensive cosmetics in the bathroom too. He wondered what had been happening. He couldn’t have been gone more than a month. She hadn’t run out, surely? She couldn’t have decided to end with him, surely? After all she hadn’t changed the lock or anything. His key still opened her hall door.
    He called her next morning, and a very cool voice that was not Sara’s answered him. ‘Miss Gray’s office.’
    ‘Oh we have gone up in the world,’ giggled Geoff. Loyalty to Sara and building her up to her colleagues was never his strong suit.
    ‘I beg your pardon?’ said the voice.
    ‘Listen, it’s Geoff here, can I talk to Sara?’
    ‘Can I know who wants to speak to Miss Gray please?’ asked Eve.
    ‘Hell, I’ve just told you. It’s Geoff. Sara’s chap, Geoff. Put me onto her will you, sweetheart.’
    Eve answered very pleasantly. ‘I’m afraid you must have the wrong number.’
    Geoff sounded annoyed, ‘Sara Gray’s office, right?’
    ‘Yes this is Miss Sara Gray’s office, now will you kindly tell me who this is speaking?’
    ‘Geoff. Geoff White, for Christ’s sake, who is that?’
    ‘I am Miss Gray’s secretary. Mr White can youplease tell me your business. You’re taking up a lot of time.’
    She didn’t actually lie when Sara asked had Geoff phoned. She said that a totally inarticulate man had called but it could hardly have been Geoff. Sara had only paused momentarily to wonder. She had spent five days at a sales conference in Paris, and had told Eve excitedly how she had been asked to address the