Small Mercies by Small Mercies (retail) (epub)

Author:Small Mercies (retail) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788639521
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2020-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

‘I hope you’ve found the evening useful, Clive.’

They were standing outside the front door of the farmhouse. Rowan Wiseman and Charlie were already heading for the car, with Greg Wardle close behind them. Robin Kennedy had held Clive Bamford back in a characteristically proprietorial manner.

‘Very much so. Thank you, Robin. And thank you for the loan of these.’ He held up a large hemp shoulder bag that Eric Nolan, at Kennedy’s request, had filled with a selection of books, pamphlets and other documents.

‘As I said, you’re welcome to keep most of them. A couple of the older books are rather rare and, to be honest, potentially valuable, so I’d be grateful if you could return those in due course. But not until you’ve finished with them, obviously.’

‘I’ll go through it all as quickly as I can. I’m really very grateful for all your help in this.’ Clive was conscious he was on the edge of sounding obsequious. ‘I hope I can do it all justice.’

‘I’m sure you’re just the man for that, Clive. We have every confidence in you.’

Clive had found the evening disconcerting. Kennedy had been consistently warm and welcoming, and had continued to be effusive about Clive’s journalistic skills. Clive knew full well that he was being flattered and perhaps even seduced. He didn’t particularly mind that, and for the moment he was quite happy to reciprocate if it helped him gain access to these people. He was confident that, when it mattered, he’d have sufficient independence to write fairly and objectively.

At the same time, Kennedy’s charisma and charm were undeniable. If he paid attention to you, he had the knack of making you feel special, Clive thought, as if you were the only one who really counted. As if you were the only one who really deserved to be admitted into his inner circle. He made you want to try to please him, to sustain his respect and admiration.

But there was also something about Kennedy’s manner that left Clive feeling uncomfortable. In the course of the evening, he had felt himself being drawn in, played off against Greg, whom Kennedy had continued to treat with some disdain. Clive had felt uneasy with that, even as he’d found himself helplessly playing along.

That was only part of the picture, though. For all Kennedy’s charm and apparent openness, Clive still felt they weren’t being given the full story. On reflection, this was what had left him feeling wrong-footed. Kennedy had continued to talk about the movement in broad abstract terms, but Clive had found himself unable to form any clear views about what its followers actually believed or practised. Whenever he felt he was drawing near to some kind of understanding, it would disappear into a cloud of Kennedy’s verbiage.

He climbed into the rear seat of the car, taking his seat beside Greg, who was regarding him with a sardonic expression. ‘Managed to tear yourself away, then?’

‘He was just being hospitable.’

‘To you, anyway.’ Greg looked amused rather than offended.

Rowan

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