‘I am sixty-one,’ she said eventually. ‘Over the next two years, I plan a staged withdrawal from the business and thereafter the eventual transfer of the practice to new ownership. I have been presented with numerous offers from various parties which would enable me to do that.’

My pulse increased further, as a feeling of breathless anxiety was joined by one of nausea. I wondered how soon we would feel the influence of new management and whether Vincent Lovelock or, God forbid, Ruby Blair might one day be sitting behind Alison’s desk. I put down the pencil with which I had been unconsciously doodling and moved my hands to the arching metal arms of my chair, gripping them tightly in order to stop myself from getting up and walking away.

Alison, meanwhile, was still talking.

‘We are a practice renowned for an unfettered style and an ego-free, collaborative approach. Those who do not share our ethos find themselves uncomfortable and go elsewhere. The only way to identify whether an architect is a good fit is by working alongside them, and this applies also to identifying professionals whom I feel sufficiently share my philosophies and values to take the practice in a direction of which I can continue to be proud. This being the case, the obvious solution is to transition from within.’ Having addressed her opening remarks to the surface of the desk, she now looked up and eyed us steadily. ‘So I should like you, Edith, and you, Cameron, to think about whether you can work together to take the practice forward, following my retirement. We have two years to assess whether this can work. I believe it can. However, that does, of course, depend entirely upon your ambitions and your ability to work together. Personal conflict hinders the pursuit of professional harmony and is not conducive to a creative, efficient workplace. Any questions?’ she asked, bringing her speech to an abrupt and wholly unexpected end.

Momentarily struck dumb, I looked at Cameron and saw that he had made almost a full page of notes. I, meanwhile, had drawn two windows, each with a distinctly ecclesiastical edge to them.

‘I’d like to go away and consider what you’ve said,’ said Cameron.

She nodded. ‘Any questions, Edith?’

‘Not immediately,’ I murmured, still feeling shell-shocked.

‘Excellent,’ said Alison, clearly judging it time to smile. ‘Let’s meet again in one week’s time, when you have had a chance to reflect further on the idea of running the practice in partnership.’ She stood up. ‘Thank you, both.’ And with that, she returned to her desk and we silently rose from our seats and exited.

Neither Luke nor Roger looked up as we emerged. In fact, no one said anything at all until a minute or two later when Cameron came over to my desk and, pointing at my scribble pad and offering me a smile, said, ‘Mind if I take a look at those windows?’