Lies, Damned Lies, and History(46)

I was unable to speak.

‘You are no longer my Chief Operations Officer. In fact, you are no longer an historian at all. All privileges are revoked. You may consider yourself grounded for life. You have made your last jump.’

For one mad moment, the world swirled around me. Behind me, Peterson put his hand in the small of my back. Support and comfort.

I swallowed so hard I hurt my throat and opened my mouth.

‘No,’ he said, as I made to speak. ‘You will not resign. You will remain here – partly because St Mary’s has invested a great deal of money and effort in you and I am reluctant to see it completely wasted – but mostly because you need to learn a lesson. There are consequences to each and every action. You will remain here and endure the consequences of yours. You will observe, at first hand, the unfortunate repercussions of your …’ he gritted his teeth, ‘… actions and their effects on others. Because of you, Dr Peterson is grounded until I deem otherwise. Mr Markham has lost all seniority and will be replaced as Major Guthrie’s second in command. Mr Roberts and Mr Sands have each lost their jobs.’

He stopped again and began to align the files on his desk, his hands not quite steady.

‘You have jeopardised the future of your colleagues. You have irreparably damaged the hard-won reputation of my unit. You have no conception of the lengths to which I have had to go over the years to convince various bodies that History is not a resource to be plundered at will. Only to find my senior staff have broken into an academic establishment and stolen a priceless artefact.’

He paused and I knew something horrible was coming. The only sound in the room was his ticking clock and my pounding heart.

‘You should know that the only thing standing between all of you and a very long prison sentence was the Chancellor.’

Peterson said hoarsely, ‘Was, sir?’

‘Heads had to roll, obviously. Despite making her and her university look ridiculous, the Chancellor fought our corner. Long and hard. She was, to some extent, successful. I am still here. However, as you yourselves are so fond of saying, “There’s always a price to pay” and the Chancellor is the one who has paid it. They have forced her out. They are calling it retirement on the grounds of ill health, but she is out. To expect the new regime to regard St Mary’s in a positive light will be unrealistic. At the very best, there will be rigorous scrutiny at every level. I am expecting them to establish a permanent presence here. At worst they will close us down.’

I could feel the sweat trickling down my back. Half of me was hot – the other half ice-cold. I would have given a very great deal to be able to sit down.

He pulled himself together. He hadn’t finished with me.

‘Since your actions have almost certainly compromised our future funding, you will devote such time as you have remaining here to finding alternative methods of raising the money we will soon be desperately short of. An appropriate wage will be paid to you, along with all maternity benefits you have accrued, but you will not return to St Mary’s after the birth of your child. I leave it to you and Chief Farrell to determine your future. Furthermore, since your recent actions have demonstrated that you are not to be trusted in any way, you will ensure all work passes my desk. You will not, under any circumstances, initiate any action – any action at all – without written permission from me or a senior member of staff. Is that clearly understood?’

I nodded.

‘I don’t care where you work, but it will not be anywhere near the History Department. You are no longer an historian. Obviously, there will be occasions when interaction is unavoidable, but you will keep these instances to a minimum. The same goes for all other departments. You will report to me and to me alone. Kindly indicate your understanding.’

I nodded again.

‘Having said that, I would be grateful if you could ensure your new duties keep you out of my office as much as possible, Miss Maxwell.’

And there it was. I was no longer a head of department. I’d lost my academic title. At St Mary’s, only chief officers retain the courtesy of their academic titles. I was back to being Miss Maxwell again.

‘In fact, I think it would be better for all concerned if I did not have to look at any of you for quite some considerable time. Dismissed.’

He opened a file and began to read.

I don’t think any of us drew breath until we were safely on the other side of the door.

Mrs Partridge looked up. ‘There will be an all-staff briefing in one hour when these staff changes will be announced,’ she said. ‘I am instructed to inform you that your attendance will be required.’