God's Crusade

Part Thirty-Three

"He wants a deal, Crispin...it's obvious." Robin Sullivan grinned, having thought it through on the drive home. "He hasn't got a lot on anyone, and what he has on us probably exists on the records of a lot of his friends and he knows that if he throws us to the lions he will be seen as the arch manipulator and risk reprisals, or at least be seen as the beneficiary of someone else's manipulation if he distances himself from it all...so he would prefer to make a deal...it's good for us..."

"Each of you is due to speak to the party before the vote." Hall replied, still looking rather more concerned than his friend, still remembering his own conversation with Radcliffe. He had detected something more sinister behind the threats than Robin felt inclined to think about. "But there is no timetable yet...so a deal could be done. There are a lot of people who would prefer this to be a coronation rather than an election...that much is true."

"Exactly, so if we agree a deal we will ensure a smooth transition of power. He knows he needs to listen to us, and give us something and the other crap was just to soften us up a bit first...he is just playing games. The party has always avoided scandals so he won't want to throw us to the lions anymore than we want to be thrown...he is just yanking our chains to see if he can scare us off."

"So, what do we do?"

"Oh I think we go along and hear what he has to say to us. Come on Crispin, if we can get some concessions and a seat or two at the top table, it will be a triumph...he knows I know I can't win outright, but he doesn't want the collateral damage." Sullivan insisted, trying to encourage his friend. They all had to stick together to get a foothold, to win some concessions and change the tide. "I mean, we are nobodies as far as the public are concerned, so we were never going to actually win...but if we sat back and did nothing there would be no liberal representation in the cabinet at all, and Radcliffe could be Prime Minster for as long as Buckingham, if not even longer? We have to do the best deal we can now and build for a proper challenge in the future. It's still about the politics...the other shit is just kite flying and bravado. I mean do you think some of his friends never got anyone out back in the day? Half of these po-faced Reformists were as reluctant as we were before they got their noses into the trough...Radcliffe is just trying to scare us."

۩

Miss Scott poured tea for Miss Lewis in the kitchen at the Slade's Meadvale house. She had been very impressed with the girl when she arrived at Cranbrook College two long years before, and in her absence young Miss Lewis had apparently shone. But an interview was still necessary in this case. Despite her long experience and being aware that it was happening to her, Miss Scott was very fond of Hermione. She could rationalise it, because she had seen the child through the harrowing weeks of watching her grandmother die as well as the confusion of her parent's relationship with each other and her. Hermione was in shock, and vulnerable in the extreme, and in trying so hard to be gentle with her in the circumstances, Miss Scott had invested her own emotions in her charge. She certainly considered it unprofessional, but also quite inevitable. It had happened to her before. A good guardian had to get inside the head of her charges to change her behaviour. In doing so, it was inevitable that a close bond could develop, which was only a bad thing if it stopped the guardian being firm with her charge. Miss Scott was sure she had avoided that particular mistake, although she did admit to Miss Lewis that she had soft-pedalled with Hermione.

"She has had a lot to cope with apart from her maidenhood...I was concerned about pushing her too far too soon." She said, having got to the end of the background briefing stage of the interview. "So I have been quite gentle. I have coaxed rather than forced...so how would you approach Hermione if you replaced me?"

"Oh, I think I would try and be firm but fair, Miss Scott." Miss Lewis said, her face full of concentration, well aware that she was close to a very good job if she impressed her College Principal with her answers. "Miss Slade seems to be a very good, genuine girl at heart and she has obviously benefitted from your care and consideration, but it would be a mistake for any new guardian to come in and try to replicate your relationship with her. It is important that your replacement is fair, because she has become used to all your kindness and patience in God's love, and any perceived unfairness would ruin all your preparatory work, but she needs to be moved along a little for her own sake. A good guardian is always fair of course but I think Miss Slade now needs a rather firmer hand...to help her earn God's love after such a difficult time..."