By The Book (The Magical Bookshop 4) by Liz Hedgecock

Author:Liz Hedgecock [Hedgecock, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Rhino Books
Published: 2021-05-27T22:00:00+00:00

Dear Jemma,

So sorry to miss your debut, but I have been unavoidably detained and I’m afraid I shall not be able to log into the meeting today. Many apologies for the late notice.

Yours sincerely,

Drusilla Davenport, MA

Assistant Keeper, Berkshire

‘Tell me what you read and I’ll tell you who you are’ - François Mauriac

Jemma switched screens and looked at the faces regarding her. ‘Drusilla has sent her apologies, and she won’t be joining us today.’

Was she mistaken, or did the five sets of shoulders facing her relax a little? ‘Never mind,’ said Nina cheerfully. ‘I’m sure we can manage.’

‘I’m sure we can,’ said Jemma. ‘Is everyone happy to agree the minutes of the last meeting?’ Nods. ‘Excellent. In that case, let’s move on to the first item.’ She couldn’t help grimacing as she read Disciplinary and Punitive Measures. Then a ray of hope dawned. ‘I see Drusilla’s name is against this, so I propose we postpone this item until she is here to present it.’

‘Oh good,’ said Pink Beads Woman, whose screen name appeared to be Jane Austen’s Worst Nightmare. ‘I was dreading this. I don’t think Drusilla would actually advocate the death penalty for misbehaving staff, but she’s definitely more a stick than a carrot sort of person.’

‘Personally, I’d much rather talk about carrots,’ said Jemma. ‘Is there a reward scheme?’

Everyone looked thoughtful. ‘Do you know,’ said Nina, ‘there isn’t. It’s been discussed, but it never comes to anything.’

Just then an extra square popped up and Percy’s forehead was visible. ‘Terribly sorry I’m late,’ he said.

‘Hello, Percy,’ said Jemma, trying not to smile too broadly. ‘You’re a bit, um, low.’

‘Am I? Oh dear. Someone must have changed the settings on my chair. Hang on a minute.’ A vigorous pumping sound was heard as Percy slowly rose into view. ‘That’s better. As I was saying, sorry to be late, but I managed to lock myself out of my office again…’

***

‘I think we’ve covered everything,’ said Jemma. ‘Was that OK?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Pink Beads Woman, whose real name had turned out to be Hermione Dawes. ‘I usually end these meetings feeling lazy, guilty, or positively criminal, so today was a nice change. Do we have to tell Drusilla when the next meeting is? It’s so restful without her.’

‘We should,’ said Jemma, ‘but we have a nice positive agenda for next time. Is everyone clear on their action points?’

‘Oh, absolutely,’ said Three-Piece Suit, or Jeff. ‘I shall enjoy researching reward schemes.’

‘And I’ll think about how we can tie that into our social programme,’ said Nina. ‘Aren’t you joining that committee, Jemma?’

‘I am,’ said Jemma, ‘so that’s a good opportunity for joint working.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘That’s an hour, and I must admit I’m starving, so we’ll end there. It’s been lovely to meet you all, and I’ll see you next month, if not before.’ There was a chorus of goodbyes as she ended the meeting.

Luna looked up from the windowsill, where she was washing a paw. ‘Did you enjoy that?’ asked Jemma.

Luna gave her a green-eyed stare, spread her toes wide, and began to clean between them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.