Free Nine Ten Begin Again: A Grasshopper Lawns affair by EJ Lamprey Page B

own.’
    ‘That’s not like you. And you sound a little different, is everything okay?’
    ‘Everything. . .’ Edge paused. Cher had been succeeded by Bonnie Tyler wanting a hero and she was unexpectedly piercingly reminded of the night Donald had saved her life. She picked the receiver up to override the speakerphone. ‘Everything is wonderful. When will you be here? I have to walk Odette but I can do it before you get here, or wait for you?’
    ‘Walk Odette? Is Donald okay?’
    ‘Donald’s wonderful too. But on his way to London.’
    ‘Wonderful? Seriously? You finally got together?’ Kirsty whooped down the phone. ‘Wow! I’ll be there in half an hour and we can walk her together. Great news!’
    Edge looked at the phone and replaced it carefully as her cat slipped in through the window. ‘Mortimer, were you surprised? Because I’m beginning to think I’m the only person who hadn’t a clue!’
     
    Kirsty is a little disapproving
    ‘Drew?’ Kirsty lifted down her coat from the hook behind the door. ‘I’m off to visit my aunt. Do you want a break or will you carry on studying?’
    She put her head round the study door and Drew looked up, his eyes weary in his usually merry face.
    ‘I’d love to come, but I’ve got at least three more hours here, and I want to get it done. Anyway, I’d as soon stay away from the Lawns while that foul woman is there. Jemima Bateman,’ he added as her eyebrows shot up. ‘The acting bursar. She’s the one who got my expenses investigated, which is fair enough, that was her job back then, but I told you how they handled it—like the whole paralegal team was skimming. No apologies to those of us who weren’t, either. As far as she was concerned, we were just waiting our chance. If she ever does become an MSP, I’m switching parties.’
    ‘Wow.’ Kirsty bent to kiss the top of his head. ‘I never heard you say anything harsh about anyone before. I’ve not met her, but by the sound of it the Lawns won’t be enjoying her in Hamish’s place.’
    ‘Proper kiss.’ He pulled her down onto his knee. ’I can take a ten minute break. Fifteen, if you insist.’
    She wriggled free, giggling. ‘Later. I’ll be back in three hours, and until then you’ll have total peace and quiet to study. I’m dying to hear what my aunt has to say.’ She hesitated briefly, then shrugged. This time, Edge wasn’t being remotely secretive. ‘She and Donald have finally got together. She sounds slightly in shock about it, mind.’
    ‘Damn, that would be worth hearing. Except she’d probably go all coy if I was there. I shall cross-examine you when you get back. Love you,’ he added wistfully as she blew him a last kiss from the door.
    ‘Love you too. And if you come across a charge I can use against the Bateman horror while you’re studying your precedents, phone me and I’ll arrest her while I’m there.’
     
    ~~~
     
    By the time they’d walked the whippet and had second cups of tea, Edge was starting to look as weary as Drew, but Kirsty tactfully didn’t say so.
     ‘I must look like hell. The lack of sleep and all the excitement is starting to catch up with me.’ Edge apologetically smothered a yawn. ‘This sort of thing is much easier at your age.’
    ‘Better late than never,’ Kirsty pointed out mischievously. ‘I’m rather pleased to know you can even get this kind of a rush at your exceedingly advanced age, Grandma. I’m not entirely pleased he hauled you out on such a dodgy adventure but he does seem to have looked after you.’
    Edge looked at her suspiciously, then laughed and patted back another yawn.
    ‘Don’t you dare mock your aunt. He looked after me very nicely, thank you. And the adventure was fun. In retrospect I can’t say I was thrilled to find myself in the same world as—no, never mind. Donald says we shouldn’t talk about people we recognized at the clubs. I wasn’t thrilled to find two people I don’t much care for were also there,