In the cabinet by his desk, Pearly had a modest stock of drinks for his more significant visitors. He rarely took advantage while by himself, but after his deputy’s call he poured himself an Australian port and sipped it as he returned to the papers on the desk. One was both less boring and shorter than the others: an invitation to address the plenary session of a local government symposium to be held in Nelson the next year. The topic? The moral imperative in political leadership. Why not? He and Helen could make a holiday of it, even go on afterwards to Sydney, or Melbourne, for a few days. And what stood in his way now of being still in office when the time came?

The reaction of some to Utterspan’s withdrawal was a source of wry amusement for Pearly. A greater warmth in attention from those who had been wavering, a falling away of posturing and point-scoring, a general return in the community of the presumption he would continue in office. Paul Wrinskley came twice to interview him, and his articles had a subtle change of tone. Both Pearly and the reporter knew that the pendulum had clearly swung back Pearly’s way. ‘Do you expect another challenger?’ asked Wrinskley. He wasn’t deferential, but he realised Pearly had the upper hand.

‘There’s time, but I’ll just concentrate on my own campaign programme and not worry about that.’

‘I can’t quite figure it out,’ said the reporter. ‘Why he seemed so committed and then pulled the plug. All about the pressure on family time, he told me, but he must have known that all along. And he’s still in for re-election as a councillor.’

‘And he’s conscientious in the role. Maybe that takes up enough time,’ said Pearly.

‘Odd, though.’ Wrinskley paused, looked enquiringly at Pearly.

‘Well, it suits me okay.’ Pearly grinned.

‘I’d say.’

‘Never a dull moment in politics,’ said Pearly.

Roger Smith came to him after the next council meeting and said that although he was disappointed at Philip’s withdrawal, he was happy to work with Pearly issue by issue, case by case. They both knew he’d continue to be obstructive, but less visibly so. At the unveiling of the revised model of the proposed port development, Esther Hall told Pearly she no longer had any doubts about the election. ‘You’ll cruise in, Pat,’ she said. ‘All I hear is good news, and this will take the wind out of the sails of opposition to the project. Do you know why Philip pulled out so abruptly?’

‘Only what he said. That it wouldn’t be fair to Deidre.’

‘Surely they would’ve talked all that over well before? Sounds odd to me.’

‘You’d think so,’ said Pearly. ‘Who knows?’

‘Ah, well, they say — don’t they? — that a week’s a long time in politics.’