A Servant of the Company (17 page)

Things were not improving for Carol, the overdraft arranged by the Bank Manager was diminishing fast and she still had only regret letters from her applications. In two days time she had promised to contact the bank and present a solution to her financial ills. Right now there was no hope of that being possible. Even with her positive personality, she was beginning to feel very worried and alone. Her parents were not in a financial situation to help her and on no account would she approach friends. This was her problem, hers alone. There were jobs to be had, but not the type which would pay enough to cover her outgoings.

She was up early, showered and dressed ready to chase more elusive opportunities when her buzzer sounded in the hall. Using the intercom, she found it was the postman who had a letter for her. Assuring him she would be right down, seconds later she was thanking him for the envelope. Once in the flat she opened the letter, hopefully there might be someone who wanted to interview her. Strange, no address on it. Here was something of a mystery, so unusual that Carol’s immediate interest and attention were drawn to it. It was obvious someone she knew had instigated it in some way because it mentioned her degree course and her last employer.

It also offered her a job setting up an agency in Manchester. Attached to the letter were sample adverts from airline magazines. Adverts similar to the ones which it was promised, would be placed for the company she would run should she accept the offer. The salary she would receive would be the same as that in her last job, and there would be an allowance for accommodation in Manchester while setting up the business. It was stressed that this was a P.R. company and not an escort agency of the dubious kind. The staff would be of graduate calibre, with knowledge of languages, current affairs and the arts. If Carol accepted the offer, adverts for both staff and clients would be placed in appropriate journals. It was also suggested that Carol could rent out her flat for additional income. A Mr. Andrews would call two days later at 6.00 p.m. when further discussion would take place. She was asked to treat the letter as confidential as the company did not at this stage wish to invite unwanted intrusion from competitors.

It was not the sort of job she would have considered under normal circumstances. But the circumstances were not normal. She was in debt and soon people would be knocking on the door for money she didn’t have. It all looked very bleak. And yet here was a way out. The only one after dozens of applications and knocking on doors. What would the bank manager think if she plonked the envelope and contents on his desk and said, ‘There you are, problem solved.’ He would certainly have doubts about her sanity. ‘Carol, let your brain get into the right gear before doing anything.’ It was a silent order but one to which she immediately responded. ‘Make yourself a cup of coffee, get a pad and a pen, then let’s settle down and evaluate this.’ She was in business mode and a plan of action was emerging. After an hour of various considerations, Carol had made a decision. She would treat the whole thing as a serious offer, it was a lifeline, if a tenuous one. Money would once again be paid into her account and the mortgage would be covered. The suggestion of letting her flat did not really appeal but was a possibility if it became necessary. The only things that worried her were her own set of values, and lack of knowledge on her prospective employer. If she accepted the job it would be a stopgap measure, unless it turned out to be such an enjoyable challenge that she could not walk out on it. Her view leaned towards the former. It was no use behaving like Mr. Micawber because experience to date had shown nothing turning up. What were the risks? She couldn’t think of any. There were questions on her mind, but whether Mr. Andrews would be in a position to answer them, she was unsure. She had tried to decipher the signature on the letter, it wasn’t Andrews. It could be anything. When Mr. Andrews had called he had stressed confidentiality, and this she understood. Putting down the pad, she whispered contentedly to herself, ‘Better to have an open mind about this when you might have just saved my life Mr. Andrews.’ Today she would not be job chasing. Just the thought of frosty P.A.s looking down their noses at her was enough to make her view the mysterious letter as a drowning man looks at a nearby piece of straw. She would have to be patient now, Friday would throw more light on the subject and then she could either fully relax or be out hunting again.

At six p.m. precisely the telephone rang. Carol let it ring five times before answering, she had planned leaving it for six rings but excitement overcame her patience.

‘Good evening Miss Barcroft, Clive Andrews here. You will no doubt have received the letter and had some thoughts on our offer.’ He paused, letting Carol respond.

The voice surprised her, it was she thought very top drawer. Educated, cultured and certainly not the voice one would associate with anything underhand.

‘Oh! Hello Mr. Andrews, thanks for ringing. I’m mystified how you have selected me for a job without knowing anything about me. Or me about you and your company for that matter.’ The reply was businesslike yet her personality showed through it. ‘Perhaps if you would enlighten me a little, I would feel much more comfortable about the offer.’ Picking up her pen, she prepared to jot down notes from the information she thought would be forthcoming.

It was the usual game and he was well prepared for it. ‘You are a positive, intelligent and honest young lady, these things I know. The information was given to me in confidence, and I, like you I’m sure, would not break a confidence. I suppose it’s a matter of honour.’ He smiled, enjoying the game now. How would she react to that?

Carol felt her palm slipping on the telephone handset, she was perspiring, something she never did. He was unsettling her and she didn’t know why. ‘I understand your position but you must see it from my standpoint. I’ve never in my life heard of a job being offered in this way, it’s almost one for the Guinness Book of Records.’ She laughed at her description of the event. ‘I have always got on well with people but I can’t think of anyone who would do this without contacting me first. You must agree it’s very unusual.’ The handset was transferred to her other hand while she awaited a response.

He had laughed with her on the Guinness Book of Records comment, but was ready to spread as much oil on troubled waters as was necessary to recruit a valuable team leader for his latest project. ‘You are right of course to question, I would expect nothing less than this from any young intelligent individual. You must understand my position, I too am a servant of the Company working within the guidelines I have been given. All I can say is that there has to be a degree of trust between us. The Company wishes to invest in a business which has been fully researched and you are being offered the opportunity of running it. It has great potential and with a planned recruitment and training programme we would be able to offer much more than our competitors. You will have noticed that the services on offer in the advertisements you received are rather limited. We wish to expand on these, and I’m sure that if you join us, you will have suggestions of your own which would enhance the business.’ There was just one more thing he wanted to point out, and then he expected to receive an acceptance from her. ‘As you are probably aware, many companies are now outsourcing, and we are using a similar system. We expect all of our staff to be self employed which means that they make the arrangements for tax and national insurance payments from their income. For our managers, we do however add an allowance to the package so that no-one loses out. I hope you have been reassured.’ He laughed softly before continuing, ‘I have tried my best, and I know you will succeed if you join us. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so after all that I must ask, are you ready for this challenge?’ Glancing at his nails, he confidently waited for her to accept.

Carol was confused, but drawn to the gentle reassuring voice which offered to put an end to her problems. She wondered what Mr. Andrews would think if he was aware of her present situation. Then there was the man problem, which she hoped had gone forever. Hugo might resurface, she could never be sure. A temporary relocation might avoid the possibility of meeting him again when she was least expecting it. That was a frightening proposition. From her experience with Hugo she was certain there was an even darker side to his personality and that she had been extremely lucky to avoid confronting it. She had been an absolute fool as far as he was concerned. One thing stood out concerning her conversations with Mr. Andrews, he had not resorted to familiarity or been suggestive in any way. His approach had been friendly but always businesslike. Her financial problems were real, and looming larger by the day. There were no job offers or interviews in the pipeline, she had no choice but accept although a move to Manchester did not really appeal to her.

Taking a deep breath, she gripped the telephone handset and spoke clearly. ‘Mr. Andrews, thank you for your company’s kind offer which I am pleased to accept.’ The decision had been made, the ball was now in Mr. Andrews’ court. She felt rather like a cork on a troubled sea, if the wind blew from the east, she would drift to the west. But she wouldn’t sink. The Company would point the way and she would take it.

‘Welcome to the Organisation Carol. It’s a decision I am sure you won’t regret. Our estates department has already negotiated office space in Manchester, by the time you get there it will be furnished with the items required to run the business. You will receive a briefing form with details of items you should pursue, for example obtaining headed stationery, local and national advertising for staff and the rates at which they will be remunerated. At this stage, I would just assure you that the briefing will be completely comprehensive but should you have any questions, I will answer them once you have digested the contents. Your salary will be paid into your bank by a subsidiary company, the first deposit being made one month from today. Once you have received the briefing notes, please let me know your bank address, account number and sort code. The Company will do the rest. Please remember that you will be treated as self employed. We will let you know when to report to the Manchester office and have details available of accommodation arrangements which will have been made for you. At this stage there is nothing more I can tell you. Once I have received further advice, I will contact you by telephone.’

Carol was in turmoil, the instructions she was receiving were more in keeping with M.I.5. than a business organisation, but she had accepted the offer and now she must accept their methods. ‘I understand, I’ll await the briefing notes with interest and prepare myself for a move to Manchester.’

‘I think we can dispense with formalities now Carol, my name is Clive and we are now colleagues in an international organisation. Although our contact will be on the telephone for the foreseeable future, we will be closely involved in making this venture profitable. It will be a pleasure having you on the team Carol, I will speak to you soon. Goodbye.’ He switched off his mobile phone smiling to himself. The final, final recruit. The challenge had been too great to turn down although he had promised himself that Henderson was the last one. This could be great fun as well as creative. The Company already had enterprises running from the office block in Manchester which it already owned, and ideas for running the agency from there were clear in his mind to the last detail. Miss Carol Barcroft would be well briefed for the challenges awaiting her.

Carol carefully placed the telephone on the coffee table as though it was a living thing, not an inanimate object. She looked at it for some time before saying to herself, ‘You are my bread and butter. In fact you are my bloody boss. You, a piece of plastic are going to send me two hundred miles away, put me into a hotel and pay me money. If I went out into the street and told a passer-by the story, they would call an ambulance. Stop talking to yourself Carol or you will be locked away.’ Whenever she was in any doubt, there was always her dear departed grandmother’s solution. Put the kettle on. Heading for the kitchen she suddenly had difficulty in making a simple decision. Should she have tea or coffee? ‘Snap out of it Carol, you have a job. You will have a happy bank manager, mortgage company and happy all the other people demanding money. Sod the tea or coffee, the occasion deserves celebrating, even on your own.’ There was some gin left, enough for a very large one. The fridge offered some tonic water. Carol finally relaxed, a happy but still somewhat bewildered young woman. As she sat back and considered the past few weeks, the things that had happened were a collection of oddities and she pinched herself to make sure it all wasn’t a dream. Her redundancy had been a staggering blow not only because it was unexpected and left her with financial problems but she had really loved her job. She was good at it, as she would be with any job. The Hugo affair had not only been a financial loss, it had also hurt her emotionally. He was a crook, but he too had been good at what he did. He was a born actor who unfortunately had a criminal mind, and she had been taken in by him. If she hadn’t succeeded with her own piece of acting when she told Hugo of the imaginary caller, things might have been far worse. And now here she was, recovering from the past with a job, even if she was employed by a mobile phone. Preparation had to be made for the move which would hopefully be only temporary. She loved her flat and had settled into a satisfying routine before Hugo came along and although she didn’t have a lot of friends in the area, she would miss the few she had. The first thing on her mind now was what to take with her. Fortunately her car would hold the things she considered essential for her first weeks in Manchester, after that she would collect things from the flat when she returned at the weekends.