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Back A Place to Call Home
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. Epilogue
  58. Author’s Note
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. More from Fay Keenan
  61. About the Author
  62. About Boldwood Books

‘We’ll see how it goes,’ Holly said noncommittally, but she did draw closer to Charlie as she stood. ‘You’ve got a lot of ground to make up. And you can’t have any distractions.’

‘You won’t even know I’m there,’ Charlie said.

‘It’s a deal,’ Holly replied. She hesitated as though she was going to take his hand as they left the hospital, but held back at the last moment. In a not entirely companionable silence, they headed back to the Trenchard Street car park.

50

‘So, the way this works is that I need to apply to the Speaker on Wednesday if I’m going to get a chance to head up an Adjournment Debate over the next week. Effectively, we’ve got four days to research, time and then put the finishing touches on this speech, should it get picked by the Speaker or in the ballot,’ Charlie said as, after collecting up as many of his research materials as he could lay his hands on from his constituency office, he set up a temporary space at Holly’s kitchen table on Saturday evening. They’d also collected a takeaway from the Chinese restaurant at the top of Willowbury High Street but decided against a bottle of wine; they needed clear heads. Rachel would be dropping in briefly when she got back from the hospital later, as Vivian Renton was doing a shift at the BRHC, giving her a bit of respite, and a chance to come home and collect more things.

‘So, there’s still no guarantee it’ll be picked?’ Holly asked.

‘Well, no,’ Charlie conceded. ‘But thanks to you and the other campaigners giving the campaign a huge media boost, I’d be surprised if it didn’t get at least a fleeting moment of the Speaker’s attention. He’s quite fond of political drama, and he’s not been unknown to choose an Adjournment Debate because he knows it’ll get decent media coverage.’

‘So we’d effectively be using the media for good this time?’ Holly said wryly. ‘Instead of being plastered all over it for all the wrong reasons. But what about doing it right before recess? Is that a good time?’ Holly’s brow creased with a frown. ‘Doesn’t that make all you lot extra demob-happy, just like it used to at school?’

‘Well, possibly,’ Charlie said. ‘But it also means the Health and Social Care Committee can schedule a meeting with the drug companies over the summer, get negotiations going and hopefully have a decision by the first sitting in back in the autumn.’