“My dear man, I’m so sorry.”
Fraser couldn’t remember the last time he’d been called that, yet there was no doubting Armitage’s sincerity.
“Thank you.” He paused. “I need time, but I also need some money.”
“I can understand that.” He regarded Fraser for a moment. “I think you’re the right person for this post.”
Fraser looked at him in surprise. “You’re offering it to me?”
Armitage nodded. “Yes.”
“D’you not have other people to interview?”
“Only one other person has showed any interest and I didn’t think they were suitable. We were about to re advertise.”
“I see …”
“Perhaps I should have told you earlier, there’s a flat in the doctor’s quarters that goes with it.”
Accommodation had been one of the two things worrying Fraser. He now gave voice to the other.
“You mentioned earlier I’d be working under one of your Associate Specialists, could I meet him - or her?”
“I was about to suggest that,” Armitage said, standing up, “And it is a her – Edwina Tate.”
He took him a little way along the corridor to an open door. The woman working at the VDU swivelled round in her chair and stood up. She was tall and slim, a bit younger than Armitage, with a thin face and long dark hair shot with grey.
“Hello.” She held out a soft hand, then at Armitage’s prompting, outlined what she wanted. She had a somehow otherworldly manner and Fraser neither liked nor disliked her. He felt he could work with her.
As they left, Armitage said, “While you’re here, you’d better meet Ranjid, our other Associate Specialist and also my deputy.”
He tapped on another door, marked Dr R Singh, and pushed it open.
“Oh - I’m sorry Ranjid, you’re busy.”
He quickly pulled the door shut and they moved on.
“So you’ll think about it and let me know?” he said to Fraser as they returned to his office.
“I’ll do that,” said Fraser.
“Tomorrow? I’m sorry to push you, but if you don’t want it, we’re going to have to look for someone else.”
“Of course,” Fraser said. “Tomorrow.”
He had thought about it as the MG roared throatily back along the motorway to Bristol. Wansborough itself was possibly the most unappealing town he’d seen in his life, viciously ugly office blocks and windswept car parks and shopping malls, but he’d rather liked Armitage and felt he could rub along with Edwina.
He also thought about the scene he’d witnessed in the second before Armitage had pulled the door shut – two faces, the one behind the desk clearly Asian with good looking, regular features now twisted in anger, the other swivelled round towards them, startlingly beautiful, the beauty accentuated by the flush over the high cheek bones and the twin tear trails …
As Armitage had observed, they’d been busy – a new variant of doctors and nurses, perhaps?
Was it any concern of his? No. The Asian was obviously Dr R Singh, but he wouldn’t be working with him …
Besides, he’d thought, it was only for four months.
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Sisters of Mercy Page 19
