The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2642 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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I opened my diary and suddenly realised that come Saturday I was supposed to be helping with a dormouse survey and someone had to go and collect Danielle. Then I realised that Danielle would only be away during Friday, so I could collect her on Friday evening if Sammi wasn’t coming back from Bracknell. I’d need to check that, also check to see if Danni wanted to come dormousing with me. That would mean asking Jacquie or Helen to watch the others.

“Professor, there’s someone here to see you?”

“Oh” I wasn’t expecting anyone. I rose and went to my office door. “Professor Mullins, an unexpected pleasure, do come in. Tea?”

“No thank you, Lady Cameron.”

“This sounds rather formal?” I asked sensing his mood was unusually frosty.

“Yes, I’ve had a complaint from Dr Charteris about your behaviour during and after the meeting this morning.”

“During? You were there, did you see anything going on?”

He blushed, “No I didn’t. However, she claims that you were casting unpleasant faces at her.”

I laughed, “You’re joking?” but the look on his face showed he wasn’t. “You’re not joking are you?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“But she was the one scowling at me because I was a few minutes late.”

“She seems to think it was the other way round, she also alleged that you made some unpleasant accusations after the meeting, claiming that she was ugly and unable to find a man.”

“I did not. I suggested that she was making faces at me because she was jealous of me. What really seemed to set it off was your address of me as Lady Cameron, that really got some sour looks.”

“I don’t recall seeing any, are you sure?”

“I’m positive. She’s jealous because I got a professorship before her and that I married an aristocrat, while she’s stuck on the shelf.”

“That’s quite an accusation to make, Lady Cameron.”

“I’m not the one making accusations, that’s Josephine Charteris all of which are based upon malice. This is like a schoolyard squabble but that’s because where she seems to be stuck.”

“She alleges that you instigated all of this.”

“For what reason?”

“You dislike her.”

“I do now, but I didn’t before she gave me the evil eye at the meeting.”

“She also alleges you told her that she was closer to the dead than the living.”

“i told her that she was suited to her specialty because of that yes, by then we exchanged a couple of insults.”

“I see.”

“She accused me of sleeping my way to my chair.”

“Oh.”

“I can’t help being younger than her,” or prettier.

“No of course, so you consider it to be a storm in a teacup?”

“Exactly. If she thinks I insulted her then I am happy to apologise providing she does the same to me.”

“ I have my doubts that she’s ready to do that.”

“Alas, so I do I, but she’s making the most of it by the sound of things.”

“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“Look we had a minor spat after she gave me funny looks. I am happy to forget all about it, after all it’s her word against mine. But her accusations against me were worse than mine to her. If she maintains her accusations then I may be forced to consult my counsel and issue a writ for slander.”

“Um, don’t you consider that’s a bit of an over the top reaction, Lady Cameron?”

“I’m not allowing a sad old crone to impugn me without there being consequences. If she withdraws her accusation then I’ll forget about it. If she doesn’t then I have to insist she resigns from the committee as she isn’t a professor, either that or my department will have to withdraw from sitting on it until my legal action is completed. If she loses, I don’t have to tell you what the consequences are likely to be.”

“Indeed not. Look, let me talk to her again.”

“She’ll accuse me of bullying her or making threats to wipe her out financially. That isn’t my intention, my only concern is to protect my reputation, apart from my chair here I’m also a director of High Street Bank and obviously the wife of another director whose reputation is essential for his work, as is my own. I cannot therefore walk away from the accusations made by a bitter old woman which are patently untrue.”

“I see.”

“She made the accusations to you?”

“Yes.”

“I may well call you as a witness then, sorry.”

“I see, that hadn’t occurred to me.”

“So if you can talk her out of this madness, it will save me some time and legal fees and her a potentially very damaging legal battle, not to mention how that would reflect upon the university.”

“Indeed. You’re not seeking an apology?”

“I doubt I’d get one. Look, I’m not trying to destroy her but if she starts something she has to realise the consequences and once it begins, it will run its course.”

“Are you still using Jason White?”

“I am, we retain him for the bank and family business.”

“Very clever chap, seen him in action a couple of times.”

“Well that’s who she’d be up against.”

“I’ll speak to her.”

“I would.”

He went off and I emailed Jason to keep him up to date with my various bits and pieces, including this one. Most of the time, once it was known he was representing us, the opposition settled out of court. I didn’t blame them at his rates, a couple or three days could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees.

In some ways I know I was bullying her but she started it. Perhaps I should have let things lie and just walked away from the meeting, but I didn’t and now have to deal with it and all of it because she hasn’t made a chair yet nor got herself a man. If it went to court, it would be one for the tabloids, for sure.

I told Delia I was going to collect the girls, I’d had enough of the day anyway. Once at the school I checked with Danni that it was just a training session and she agreed, it was just Friday afternoon/evening. I wondered what chance she had to get into the women’s team without someone doing her damage, especially if they suspect she could take their place—and let’s face it, she is probably good enough to do so.