down the steeply sloping wynd, Gwyneth and Arthur at the rear.
‘What a peculiar person,’ said Gwyneth. ‘How did you say you met her again?’
‘Well, actually, it was your lot that sent me to her,’ said Arthur.
Gwyneth whipped round, looked at Lynne then turned her attention back to Arthur. ‘Oh, my God – she’s the company therapist ?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Oh, ho, oh …’ It took Arthur a while to realize she was laughing. ‘Oh my God, no wonder the department’s in such a state.’
‘Now, hang on!’ Arthur found himself getting cross. ‘She’s very good, actually. If a little unconventional. And we are planning to make the department rather better than a state, if you recall.’
Gwyneth couldn’t stop laughing.
‘Oh, ho, listen to you! Now you’re properly coming over all presidential, and we’re out in the freezing cold at five o’clock in the morning!’
Despite himself, Arthur started to smile. ‘What’s funny about that?’
‘Nothing! Every company should do this! Oh my God, Arthur, do you realize …’
He grinned, not knowing what she was going to say, but revelling in the way the cold wind had brought the red to her cheeks and her laugh brought a sparkle like the ice to her eyes.
‘What?’
‘By not being stupid enough to come out tonight, Sandwiches is a better project leader than we are!’
Finally Arthur caught the mood and started to laugh too, painfully as he pulled the freezing wind into his lungs.
As he laughed, he made to lunge for her. ‘How dare you say that to your superior officer? Hey! Come back here!’
She had started to run from him, giggling incoherently and shouting over the wind. ‘I’m sorry Sir couldn’t understand any remarks vis-à-vis his managerial competence versus that of a big slobbery dog .’
‘Right, that’s it!’ He chased her as she backed down the hill. ‘It’s going to be a bit more than a verbal warning for you, young lady.’
‘What’s that? Woof woof woof what?’
And, near hysterical, they didn’t notice Lynne watching them curiously, almost sadly – didn’t notice anything at all, until Gwyneth nearly fell into the river.
‘Oh, watch it!’ shouted Arthur, and reached out an arm to grab her as she tottered on the tow path. But before he could catch her hand, Lynne was there, grasping Gwyneth by the shoulders.
‘ Look ,’ she whispered very faintly into Gwyneth’s ear.
‘What?’ said Gwyneth, turning around.
‘Hi,’ said Sven, coming through the passageway and onto the river bank. ‘It can’t be work if you’re laughing.’
The others came through the passageway.
‘Oh my God,’ said Cathy. ‘Oh my God,’ said Gwyneth.
Cathy was exclaiming about the beauty of the scenery – a faraway glimmer of pink light had just started to catch over the top of the water, illuminating the canal boats moored on the far side, and the frost covering the trees and icing over the water at the edges.
Gwyneth was standing stock-still, peering into the dark, looking terrified.
‘Is that …?’
She turned round, her face full of fear, looking for Lynne.
‘I thought I saw a hand – a white hand …’
‘Is there someone in there?’
Arthur craned his neck. ‘I don’t see anything,’ he said.
They stared and stared into the blackness.
‘No,’ said Gwyneth, still staring straight ahead. ‘I must have imagined it.’
Arthur looked closely at the brightly-painted houseboats which seemed to rise out of the water – he’d caught the reflection of the new forming ice, and tried to work out how the houseboats could be moored in it. It had looked to his eyes as if there were buildings set on the ice.
‘Wow,’ he said.
‘What?’ demanded Sven impatiently.
Arthur turned round, but this time he was smiling and looked genuinely excited. ‘Guys – imagine if this river were iced over completely? We could walk all the way to Warwick!’
‘What would be the point of that?’ said Sven.
‘I don’t
‘What a peculiar person,’ said Gwyneth. ‘How did you say you met her again?’
‘Well, actually, it was your lot that sent me to her,’ said Arthur.
Gwyneth whipped round, looked at Lynne then turned her attention back to Arthur. ‘Oh, my God – she’s the company therapist ?’
‘Well, yes.’
‘Oh, ho, oh …’ It took Arthur a while to realize she was laughing. ‘Oh my God, no wonder the department’s in such a state.’
‘Now, hang on!’ Arthur found himself getting cross. ‘She’s very good, actually. If a little unconventional. And we are planning to make the department rather better than a state, if you recall.’
Gwyneth couldn’t stop laughing.
‘Oh, ho, listen to you! Now you’re properly coming over all presidential, and we’re out in the freezing cold at five o’clock in the morning!’
Despite himself, Arthur started to smile. ‘What’s funny about that?’
‘Nothing! Every company should do this! Oh my God, Arthur, do you realize …’
He grinned, not knowing what she was going to say, but revelling in the way the cold wind had brought the red to her cheeks and her laugh brought a sparkle like the ice to her eyes.
‘What?’
‘By not being stupid enough to come out tonight, Sandwiches is a better project leader than we are!’
Finally Arthur caught the mood and started to laugh too, painfully as he pulled the freezing wind into his lungs.
As he laughed, he made to lunge for her. ‘How dare you say that to your superior officer? Hey! Come back here!’
She had started to run from him, giggling incoherently and shouting over the wind. ‘I’m sorry Sir couldn’t understand any remarks vis-à-vis his managerial competence versus that of a big slobbery dog .’
‘Right, that’s it!’ He chased her as she backed down the hill. ‘It’s going to be a bit more than a verbal warning for you, young lady.’
‘What’s that? Woof woof woof what?’
And, near hysterical, they didn’t notice Lynne watching them curiously, almost sadly – didn’t notice anything at all, until Gwyneth nearly fell into the river.
‘Oh, watch it!’ shouted Arthur, and reached out an arm to grab her as she tottered on the tow path. But before he could catch her hand, Lynne was there, grasping Gwyneth by the shoulders.
‘ Look ,’ she whispered very faintly into Gwyneth’s ear.
‘What?’ said Gwyneth, turning around.
‘Hi,’ said Sven, coming through the passageway and onto the river bank. ‘It can’t be work if you’re laughing.’
The others came through the passageway.
‘Oh my God,’ said Cathy. ‘Oh my God,’ said Gwyneth.
Cathy was exclaiming about the beauty of the scenery – a faraway glimmer of pink light had just started to catch over the top of the water, illuminating the canal boats moored on the far side, and the frost covering the trees and icing over the water at the edges.
Gwyneth was standing stock-still, peering into the dark, looking terrified.
‘Is that …?’
She turned round, her face full of fear, looking for Lynne.
‘I thought I saw a hand – a white hand …’
‘Is there someone in there?’
Arthur craned his neck. ‘I don’t see anything,’ he said.
They stared and stared into the blackness.
‘No,’ said Gwyneth, still staring straight ahead. ‘I must have imagined it.’
Arthur looked closely at the brightly-painted houseboats which seemed to rise out of the water – he’d caught the reflection of the new forming ice, and tried to work out how the houseboats could be moored in it. It had looked to his eyes as if there were buildings set on the ice.
‘Wow,’ he said.
‘What?’ demanded Sven impatiently.
Arthur turned round, but this time he was smiling and looked genuinely excited. ‘Guys – imagine if this river were iced over completely? We could walk all the way to Warwick!’
‘What would be the point of that?’ said Sven.
‘I don’t
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