The Partnership by Christopher Kenworthy

Author:Christopher Kenworthy [Kenworthy, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2019-07-22T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“There exists nothing in the world that somebody, somewhere, cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper.”

Scrap of ancient wisdom.

*

“Parminter, hem?” said the voice on the end of the phone.

Parminter sat upright, clutched at his back, and got a strong whiff of Grosvenor from his sweatshirt.

“GC,” he said with hysterical enthusiasm. “How ARE you?”

“A little anxious because I haven’t heard anything from either of you, dear boy,” Gin and Tonic’s voice had the casual clarity of the senior common room at Eton. “How do our, hem, plans progress?”

“We have been out of touch because we were working on the pivotal element. That is now accomplished, so we are ready to onward the contributory appendices.”

“Hem?”

“We’ve got the horse. Now we need the costume, so we’ll need to talk to Anstey and get his sizes.”

“And the costumes for the barmaids, dear boy. Don’t forget them. Silver and turquoise jewellery and the hem blouses which look as they though they are about to fall off. Hem.”

“Do we have barmaids yet?”

“I understood the delectable Polly to have some personnel in mind. If she would like to hem engage them on her own authority I shall be delighted to back her up. Trust her – hem – judgment implicitly.”

I’ll bet you do, Parminter told the cat, which was watching him through sleepily blinking eyes.

“Fine, we’ll go ahead on that basis then.”

“Hem.”

“Was there something else?”

“A pure technicality, dear boy.”

Something dodgy, then. Parminter pricked up his ears.

“Since you are in charge of the project, I wonder if you would mind moving into the premises just for the remainder of the week. The current incumbent is moving out, and the premises need a duly authorised tenant there, as much to keep an eye on the builders as anything else. Make sure the outbuildings are kept secure and so on.”

“Outbuildings?”

“There are some buildings around the yard at the back. Used for storage. I need them cleared out and kept secure.”

Old pub. Old stables, perhaps. Anything.

“Well, I have responsibilities for…”

“For our contract, dear boy, for our hem contract. A verbal contract of course is as binding as a written one, as I feel sure we all recognise. Hem. Witnesses in plenty.”

“My dear GC!” Shock and horror were quite nicely blended in that one, he felt. “I hope you have not got the impression I am less than totally committed to Pimlico Pete’s! Since we parted my every waking moment has been devoted to making sure this plan is firing on all cylinders. Polly feels the same about it.”

“Hem. Of course, dear boy. Of course. So I can count on you to move in right away then? Speed is of the essence. You have my authority to sign for anything you need – or of course that the builders need. Let nothing stay our – hem – course! Onward to victory.”

“Certainly. By the way, how did you…?”

He was talking to himself.

A check with his watch showed he had been asleep for four hours. He showered and shaved, and as an afterthought watered the plants.

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