Two officers called to collect Adele and take her to see the governor. Adele was disheartened to see that one of them was Prison Officer Fox. They walked in silence with Sly occasionally leading Adele by the arm to display her authority.

As Sly’s nails dug into her forearm Adele looked at her, the contempt evident in her expression, but she didn’t say anything. It didn’t do to upset Sly. Adele had been warned about the woman’s spiteful ways. It seemed that she could make your life a misery just as much as some of the prisoners.

‘Come in,’ called Governor Jones when Sly knocked on her office door.

‘Prisoner Robinson here to see you, ma’am,’ said Sly.

‘Very well,’ Governor Jones replied. ‘Bring her in.’

Prison Officer Fox stepped inside the office, followed by Adele and the other prison officer. Straight away Adele noticed the lovely fresh scent inside the room. It reminded her of a stroll in the park and was in sharp contrast to the clinical smell of disinfectant in the rest of the prison.

The two officers stood to either side of Adele while she waited for the governor to address her. Adele hadn’t seen much of the governor to date, but now she took in her appearance. She was slightly larger than average, aged around fiftyish and smartly dressed. Her hair was platinum blond and neatly coiffured into an old-fashioned hairstyle. It reminded Adele of the shampoo and set her grandma used to have.

In terms of her features, the governor had one of those faces that was difficult to read. This was exacerbated by the fact that she looked over her glasses at Adele with her head bent forwards and her expression hidden. The governor’s eyes flitted between Adele and the open file on the desk in front of her.

Governor Jones remained dispassionate as she addressed her, and Adele guessed that she would be able to discern the governor’s personality through her words rather than anything else. While Adele was being addressed, the two officers remained standing on either side of her, watching keenly.

‘You arranged to see me?’ the governor prompted Adele, her voice lacking any warmth.

‘Yes,’ said Adele, suddenly feeling intimidated by the formal procedure, the vast desk and impassive demeanour of the governor. ‘I w-wanted to ask you about educational opportunities,’ she stammered.

‘Information about our regular classes is readily available…’ the governor began, her voice taking on a hint of irritation, which made Adele feel like a time-waster.

‘It’s not a regular class,’ Adele cut in. ‘I wanted to ask you whether I could do a distance-learning course in accountancy.’ While Sly tutted, Governor Jones stared over her glasses at Adele. Again, Adele couldn’t read her expression but she felt the governor wanted more information. ‘I’ve already got bookkeeping qualifications,’ she continued.

‘And what do you expect to gain from accountancy qualifications?’ asked the governor.