In The Name Of Love Read Free

your waistcoat buttons," Joyce whispered in a bossy tone.
    Cyril ignored her comments as he sat his large, gangly frame
    down, and looked across the room at the mature secretary snuggled behind her
    enormous desk covered with mountainous piles of folders crammed with documents,
    he said, "Is Graham ready for us yet, Betty?"
    "I think he was just waiting for you to arrive," she said,
    picking up her intercom phone and pressing a button. "Hello sir, they're all
    here now." She put down the phone and forcing a smile said, "You may go in
    now."
    Joyce was fast on her feet, but Beryl Bainbridge was quicker
    and pushed past her to enter the office first and take the seat by the side of
    the Department Head's desk. Joyce ignored her smug smile and shook hands with
    Graham Baines, before taking her seat alongside her husband.
    "Thank you for coming along this afternoon, Mrs.
    Worthington, but the matter is quite important," said Graham, giving both Cyril
    and Joyce his most serious look. They'd had dinner together and then played
    whist on many a Saturday evening, and were on first name terms. It was obvious to
    Joyce that he was pained by the reason for this meeting.
    She nodded to him, and thought it best to not respond, but
    let him continue without interruption. The sooner it was over, the better for
    all concerned.
    Graham glanced at Beryl and then continued, "I'm afraid
    there has been a further serious complaint against your behaviour in the
    office, Cyril, and I have asked your wife to be present because of the nature
    of the complaint."
    "That sort of behaviour is just not good enough, especially
    in a man of his age," said Beryl, with a loud sniff and an accusing toss of her
    head.
    Joyce looked studied Beryl closely before answering, hating
    her skinny body, her tight-lipped mouth, and straggly mousy hair pulled into a
    tight bun. "What does his age have to do with it?" said Joyce, glaring at her,
    "Are you suggesting the behaviour you refer to will be more acceptable in a
    younger man?"
    "No, not at all…" said Beryl, stammering as she tried to
    regain control.
    "Ladies, please, let me continue," said Graham, looking pointedly
    at Beryl.
    "Well, the first thing I need to know is what the complaint
    is all about," said Joyce, "Because if this is just another waste of time over
    what somebody ‘imagined' they saw, like Miss Bainbridge's complaint last year,
    I suggest…"
    "Mrs. Worthington; please," said Graham, anxious to get the
    meeting finished with as little fuss as possible.
    Joyce sat back in her chair, and waited for him to continue.
    "Thank you. A complaint has been made that your husband ran
    his hand up the skirt of one of the young female assistants in his department
    and fondled her bottom," said Graham without stopping for breath. He mopped his
    brow with a handkerchief and waited for a comment, but none was forthcoming.
    Nonplussed, he looked around at the three persons at his
    desk, but when nobody volunteered to speak, he said, "Well, that's the serious
    complaint."
    Joyce stood up and said, "You must be joking, Graham. You
    drag me halfway across town to listen to that rubbish—what a waste of time. Who
    made the complaint?"
    Graham looked straight at Beryl, who went red and managed to
    say, "I made the complaint on the same day it happened, because it is terrible
    behaviour."
    "Yes, well you would say that, Beryl," and turning to Graham,
    Joyce said, "What did the young person involved have to say about this matter?"
    "Well, I haven't actually spoken to her directly, with her
    being a woman, you understand. Beryl questioned her about it."
    "That is just not good enough. Please have the young woman
    attend this meeting, will you. If she wishes to accuse my husband, I want to
    hear her say so to my face."
    Graham turned to Beryl and said, "Miss Bainbridge, if you
    would be so kind as to go and ask…"
    "No Graham, that is not acceptable. I'm not having them
    colluding before she attends. Ask your