This is the best thing for you, my butterfly. You know I only want the best for you, don’t you? It’ll hurt now, but it’ll be good for you in the end. This is a long game. It’s not about the here and now. Everything is a means to an end. And that end is us.

11

Wednesday 18 December

One of the perks of my job is that there’s scope for working from home. Like most modern companies, ‘scope’ tends to translate to ‘make sure you get the work done and don’t take the piss’.

That policy was gratefully used this morning when Dad received a call from Nan’s carers to say it looked as though she’d taken a turn for the worse. All we could work out was that she’d been rambling incoherently about Alfred the Great being in her wardrobe, and they wanted us to go over to see her and help calm her down.

It seems to have done the trick, and Mum and Dad are happy that she’s back to normal — or as normal as she can be, anyway. We’re all staying on high alert, and I’ve taken the day as a work-from-home day, just in case we need to go over again.

I open my email software and there’s a message waiting from Matilda, the owner of the art gallery we had to organise the launch party for recently. The subject line is A few things, which immediately makes my heart sink. Whenever that woman has anything to say it’s never good news, so the thought of her having a few things to say is frankly depressing.

Dear Grace, the email begins.

I wanted to write to you to convey a few concerns and disappointments I have following the recent launch event for X1.

As you were aware, anticipated numbers for the launch event were high, and for this reason I suggested early on in the process that it might be wise to stagger the times at which guests arrived. This was not done, and as a result we had high-class guests and dignitaries left queuing outside in the wind and rain for up to half an hour. I’m sure you will agree this is absolutely not acceptable.

We were also told that a high-profile celebrity would be on hand to conduct the official opening of X1. Whilst I accept that I did not follow up with you on who the specific celebrity would be, I did trust and have faith that you had this matter in hand, and was disappointed (to say the least) to discover that the best you could manage was Brian Hapgood from ‘Gold in the Garage’. That a large percentage of my personal guests were better known than him is testament to the sheer disbelief we all had at his attendance. I do hope he does not expect to be paid for this appearance.

Whilst we’re on the subject of money, might I also add my disappointment at discovering a complete ignorance of the agreed budget. The maximum spend was stated quite clearly in our second email of the 14^th, and I have no record or recollection of agreeing any increase in the budget — and certainly not an overspend of 14%!