Giles finished cleaning his glasses and put them back on, becoming aware that everyone was staring at him.
‘Sorry, could you repeat that?’
The chairwoman shuffled her papers before fixing her colleague with a sombre gaze.
‘Really Dr Giles, at a time like this I would have thought that you of all people could pay attention.’
‘Just repeat what you said.’
There was a gasp from around the table, it was proving to be a difficult enough meeting but there was no reason to make the situation worse by abandoning protocol and speaking out of turn.
‘I said,’ the chairwoman’s voice was laden with aggression. ‘That due to the rising the cost of maintaining this building in a fashion that befits a major academic and public institution, funds will have to be diverted from other areas. It is therefore proposed that the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities reduces its budget by five per cent and dismisses one member of staff.’
‘Fine.’
Giles earned himself his second gasp as once again everyone stared. The heads of the other departments under threat had argued long and hard over any proposed change to their budget. When they’d got to his department, Giles’ colleagues were sure that he would, as he had done in the past, mount an eloquent and passionate defence. To not even attempt to do so was wildly out of character.
‘Do you have anything to add?’ asked the chairwoman, giving him another chance.
‘No.’
There was an incredulous pause, but still Giles did not speak.
‘Moving on then. The Department of Anglo-Saxon Settlement and Burial…’
‘Dismisses one member of staff’ - Giles honestly thought he’d misheard when that had first been said but it was true, he could now sack Vix without drawing attention to himself or giving her grounds to sue for unfair dismissle. His colleagues may be amazed by the fact he’d just sold his department down the river without so much as a murmur of protest, but he’d been betraying his wife for four months and that had been agony, he could betray his department without even having to think about it. He’d get it back anyway. At the next funding review he’d fight as hard as possible, it wouldn’t matter then. Vix would still be gone and he’d be in the clear.
He didn’t even have to sack her in person. A man from Human Resources had come and explained the situation to Vix, working out when her final day would be, what reference they’d supply her with etc. She listened attentively then as soon as he’d gone walked straight into Giles’ office.
‘You bastard!’ she screamed at him.
Giles quickly got up and closed the door.
‘Calm down and take a seat.’
He gestured to a chair before retreating back behind his desk.
‘Calm down? How dare you tell me to calm down. You’ve no fucking right to tell me anything at all!’
She slowed her breathing down, then looked at him contemptuously.
‘It hasn’t worked anyway.’
‘What hasn’t worked?’
‘Your plan to get rid of me. Did you think it would be effective immediately?’
Giles hadn’t given it much consideration, he’d just hoped so.
‘I’m not going anywhere, not for a month. There are a few loose ends I need to tie up.’
She smiled at him cruelly.
‘Still, I can handle it. Another month doesn’t worry me, nothing for me to be worried about. You, on the other hand appear to be extremely worried. Do you think you can handle another month of uncertainty? Because to be honest you look awful.’
Giles looked at Vix, she was so bitter, so full of hatred. He felt deeply ashamed. He had done this to her. He had tried to convince himself that he’d been seduced and then practically forced into carrying on, but he knew that simply wasn’t true. Yes, Vix had been persistent and highly manipulative, however he’d had a choice all along.
It had actually been some time since he’d looked at her as a person rather than a problem, and he saw before him an extremely vulnerable individual. She claimed not be bothered and yet that was clearly untrue. She was only twenty-two for goodness sake, she should have a boyfriend or be driving blokes wild as she chose one. Not crying when he left her night after night to go back to his wife or begging him to tell her that he loved her.
‘Where will you go?’
The gentleness of his enquiry threw Vix completely, so she answered quite truthfully.
‘I want to go home, back home I mean. See my parents, decide what to do next.’
‘There are always opportunities for talented graduates like yourself. Wherever you go, you’re bound to do well.’
‘Why are you being so nice?’
The arch, sarcastic tone of voice she usually used when talking to him had vanished. Vix sounded perfectly normal now, Giles was prepared to say almost anything to keep it that way.
‘I think the time for arguments is long past don’t you?’
Vix started to cry, she’d been so angry now the atmosphere had changed so the emotion drained out of her another way.
Giles carried on talking.
‘I’m truly sorry, Vix. You may not believe me or indeed want to hear it but I am. Somewhere along the line this situation got very complicated, and I’m sorry you’ve got hurt. That was never supposed to happen.’
He changed his voice to an almost whispered conspiratorial tone.
‘Do you know what I think you should do?’
Vix still really wanted to tell him to go to hell, but despite herself she got swept along.
‘What?’
‘I think you should go home. Go down the pub with all your mates and have a laugh about the time you shagged your boss.’
She couldn’t help but giggle.
‘Before you know it, all this will be one of those drunken stories we all tell because everyone‘s done something they regret. ‘Have you ever had a fling at work?’ Or ‘whose the one you really wish you hadn’t?’
Giles was relieved to see her expression soften.
‘Go home, let your Mum and Dad spoil you for a bit, then take the world by storm. But don’t bother hating me, Vix. I’m not worth the effort.’
He walked her to the door.
‘It’ll be alright. You’re going to be fine.’
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