The Fourth Estate (53 page)

He had been
trying to convince himself for some time that she was not altogether serious
about the whole idea, but it was now clear that those were the only terms on
which she would agree to lead a double life. He decided that he would deal with
the problem on Friday.

That morning he
arrived unusually late at the office, and immediately asked Sally to get his
wife on the phone. Once she had put Charlotte through, she began to prepare the
papers for the trip to New York and his meeting with Margaret Sherwood. She was
aware that Dick had been on edge all week-at one point he had swept a tray of
coffee cups off his desk onto the floor. No one seemed to know what was causing
the problem. Benson thought it must be woman troublej Sally suspected that
after getting his hands on 33.3 percent of the Globe, he was becoming
increasingly frustrated at having to wait for Margaret Sherwood to return from
her annual cruise before he could take advantage of the information he had
recently been given by Alexander Sherwood.

“Every day gives
Townsend more time to find out what I’m up to,” he muttered irritably.

His mood had
caused Sally to postpone their annual discussion about her pay rise, which
always made him lose his temper. But she had already started to put off paying
certain bills that were long overdue, and she knew she was going to have to
face up to him soon, however foul his mood.

Armstrong put
the phone down on his wife, and asked Sally to come back in.

She had already sorted
through the morning post, dealt with all the routine letters, drafted
provisional replies to the remainder, and put them all in a folder for his
consideration. The majority only required his signature.

But before she
had even closed the door, he began dictating furiously. As the words came
tumbling out, she automatically corrected his grammar, and realized that in
some cases she would later have to temper his words.

As soon as he
had finished dictating, he stormed out of the office for a lunch appointment,
without giving her the chance to say anything. She decided that she would have
to raise the subject of her salary as soon as he returned. After all, why
should her holiday be postponed simply because of her boss’s refusal to
consider other people’s lives?

By the time
Armstrong came back from lunch, Sally had typed up all his dictation and had
the letters in a second folder on his desk awaiting signature. She couldn’t
help noticing that, unusually, there was a smell of whiskey on his breathi but she
realized she couldn’t put it off any longer.

The first
question he asked as she stood in front of his desk was, “Who in hell’s name
arranged for me to have lunch with the minister of telecommunications?”

“it was at your
specific request,” said Sally.

“it most
certainly was not,” said Dick. “On the contrary, I distinctly remember telling
you that I never wanted to see the prat again.” His voice rose with every word.
“He’s basically unemployable, like half this bloody government.”

Sally clenched
her hand. “Dick, I feet I must . .

“What’s the
latest on Margaret Sherwood?”

“There’s still
no change,” said Sally. “She returns from her cruise at the end of the month,
and I’ve arranged for you to see her in New York the following day. The flight
is already booked, and I’ve reserved your usual suite at the Pierre,
overlooking Central Park. I’m preparing a file, with reference to Alexander
Sherwood’s latest piece of information. I understand he’s already let his
sister-in-law know the price at which he’s sold you his shares, and has advised
her to do the same as soon as she gets back.”

“Good. So do I
have any other problems?”

“Yes. Me,” said
Sally.

“You?” said
Armstrong. “Why? What’s wrong with you?”

“My annual pay
rise is nearly two months overdue, and I’m becoming. . .”

“I wasn’t
thinking of giving you a rise this year.”

Sally was about
to laugh when she caught the expression on her employer’s face. “Oh, come off
it, Dick. You know I can’t live on what you pay me.”

“Why not? Others
seem to manage well enough without complaining.”

“Be reasonable,
Dick. Since Malcolm left me .

“I suppose
you’re going to claim it was my fault he left you?”

“Most probably.”

“What are you
suggesting?”

“I’m not
suggesting anything, but with the hours I put in...”

‘Then perhaps
the time has come for you to look for a job where the hours aren’t quite as
demanding.”

Sally couldn’t
believe what she was hearing. “After twenty-one years of working for you,” she
said, “I’m not sure anyone else would be willing to take me on.”

“And just what
do you mean by that?” shouted Armstrong.

Sally rocked
back, wondering what had come over him. Was he drunk, and unaware of what he
was saying? Or had he been drinking because he knew exactly what he wanted to
say? She stared down at him. “What’s come over you, Dick? I’m only asking for
an increase in line with inflation, not even a proper rise.”

“I’ll tell you
what’s come over me,” he replied. “I’m sick and tired of the inefficiency in
this place, plus the fact that you’ve got into the habit of fixing up private
appointments during office hours.”

“It’s not the
first of April, is it, Dick?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Don’t you get
sarcastic with me, or you’ll find it’s more like the Ides of March. It’s
exactly that sort of attitude that convinces me the time has come to bring in
someone who will carry out this job without always complaining. Someone with
fresh ideas. Someone who would bring some much-needed discipline into this
office.” He slammed his clenched fist down on the folder of unsigned letters.

Sally stood
shaking in front of his desk, and stared at him in disbelief.

Benson must have
been right all along. “It’s that girl, isn’t it?” she said. “What was her name?
Sharon?” Sally paused before adding, “So that’s why she hasn’t been in to see
me.”

“I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” shouted Armstrong. “I simply feel that...”

“You know
exactly what I’m talking about,” snapped Sally. “You can’t fool me after all
these years, Dick. You’ve offered her my job, haven’t you?

I can hear your exact
words. ‘It will solve all our problems, darling.

‘Fhat way we’ll
always be together.’”

“I said nothing
of the sort.”

“Used a
different line this time, did you?”

“I just feel
that I need a change,” he said lamely. “I’ll see that you’re properly compensated.”

“Properly
compensated?” shouted Sally. “You know damn well that at my age it will be
almost impossible for me to find another job. And in any case, how do you
propose to’compensate’me for all the sacrifices I’ve made for you over the
years? A dirty weekend in Paris, perhaps?”

“How dare you
speak to me like that.”

“I shall speak
to you in any way I like.”

“Carry on like
this and you’ll live to regret it, my girl.”

“I am not your
girl,” said Sally. “in fact I am the one person in this organization you can
neither seduce nor bully. I’ve known you far too long for that.”

“I agree, far
too long. Which is why the time has come for you to leave.”

‘To be replaced
by Sharon, no doubt.”

“It’s none of
your god-damned business.”

“I only hope
she’s good in bed,” said Sally.

“And what do you
mean by that?”

“Only that when
she temped here for a couple of hours, I had to retype seven of her nine
letters because she couldn’t spell, and the other two because they were
addressed to the wrong person. Unless of course you wanted the prime minister
to know your inside-leg measurements.”

“it was her
first day. She’ll improve.”

“Not if your fly
buttons are undone the whole time, she won’t.”

“Get out before
I have you thrown out.”

“You’ll have to
do it yourself, Dick, because there’s no one on your staff who’d be willing to
do it for you,” she said calmly. He rose from his chair, red in the face,
placed the palms of his hands on the desk and stared down at her. She gave him
a big smile, turned round and walked calmly out of the room. Fortunately he
didn’t hear the ripple of applause that greeted her as she walked through the
outer office, or several other employees might have ended up having to join
her.

Armstrong picked
up a phone and dialed an internal number.

“Security. How can
I help you?”

“It’s Dick
Armstrong. Mrs. Carr will be leaving the building in the next few minutes. Do
not under any circumstances let her drive off in her company car, and be sure
that she is never allowed back on the premises again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” said
a disbelieving voice on the other end of the line.

Armstrong
slammed down the phone and immediately picked it back up again, then dialed
another number.

“Accounts
department,” said a voice.

“Put me through
to Fred Preston.”

“He’s on the
phone at the moment.”

“Then get him
off the phone.”

“Who shall I say
is calling?”

“Dick
Armstrong,” he bawled, and the line went dead for a moment. The next voice he
heard was the head of the accounts department.

“It’s Fred
Preston here, Dick. I’m sorry that...

“Fred, Sally has
just resigned. Cancel her monthly check and send her P45 to her home address
without delay.”

There was no
response. Armstrong shouted, “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, Dick. I
assume she is to receive the bonuses that are due, as well as the appropriate
long-term severance pay?”

“No. She is to
receive nothing other than what she is entitled to under the terms of her
contract and by law.”

“As I’m sure
you’re aware, Dick, Sally’s never had a contract. In fact she’s the
longest-serving member of the company. Don’t you feel in the circumstances...”

“Say another
word, Fred, and you’ll be collecting Your P45 as well.”

Armstrong
slammed the phone down again and picked it up a third time. This time he dialed
a number he knew off by heart. Although it was answered immediately, nobody
spoke.

“It’s Dick,” he
began. “Before you put the phone down, I’ve just sacked Sally. She’s already
left the building.”

“That’s
wonderful news, darling,” said Sharon. “When do I begin?”

“Monday
morning.” He hesitated. “As my secretary.”

“As your
personal assistant,” she reminded him.

“Yes, of course.
As my PA. Why don’t we discuss the details over the weekend? We could fly down
to the yacht...”

“But what about
your wife?”

“I rang her
first thing this morning and told her not to expect me home this weekend.”

There was a long
pause before Sharon said, “Yes, I’d love to spend the weekend on the yacht with
you, Dick, but if anyone should bump into us in Monte Carlo, you will remember
to introduce me as your PA, won’t you?”

Sally waited in
vain for her final paycheck, and Dick made no attempt to contact her. Friends
at the office told her that Miss Levitt-as she insisted on being called-had
moved in, and that the place was already in complete chaos. Armstrong never
knew where he was rneant to be, his letters remained unanswered, and his temper
was no longer mercurial, simply perpetual. No one was willing to tell him that
he had it in his power to resolve the problem with one phone call-if he wanted
to.

Over a drink at
her local pub, a barrister friend pointed out to Sally that under new
legislation she was, after twenty-one years of unbroken service, in a strong
Position to sue Armstrong for unfair dismissal. She reminded him that she
didn’t have a contract of employment, and no one knew better than she what
tactics Armstrong would employ were she to serve him with a writ. Within a
month she would find she couldn’t afford her legal fees, and would be left with
no choice but to abandon the case.

She had seen
these tactics used to good effect on so many others who’d dared to retaliate in
the past.

Sally had just
arrived home one afternoon from a temping job when the phone rang. She picked
up the receiver and was asked, over a crackling line, to hold on for a call
from Sydney. She wondered why she didn’t simply put the phone down, but after a
few moments another voice came on the line. “Good evening, Mrs. Carr, my name
is Keith Townsend and I’m.

. .”

“Yes, Mr.
Townsend, I am well aware who you are.”

“I was calling to
say how appalled I was to hear how you’ve been treated by your former boss.”