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someone to a level where both they and the business would be reasonably safe would take a minimum of six months. It's a non-starter.’
    ‘Could you run it from home if you had someone to do the legwork?’
    She'd dismissed that too. ‘I wouldn't want to hire anyone who'd be prepared to work like that. Think about it, Daniel. Who's going to leave a responsible job for a short-termcontract with questionable security, some personal risk and a back-seat driver for a boss? The only people who'd apply would be cowboys, and they'd ruin the business even faster than me neglecting it. I don't think I have a choice. I have to go on as long as I can, then shut up shop and start from scratch in a few years’ time. And just hope there's some goodwill left to draw on.’
    Every time she'd thought about it, and she'd thought about it a lot in the last six weeks, she'd come to the same conclusion. This was the least worst option. It might take her years to get back to where she was today, but she saw no alternative.
    Daniel said nothing, and finally it struck Brodie that this wasn't the conversation he'd bounced in here expecting to have with her. She squeezed his hand. ‘Sorry. I didn't mean to dump all this on you. Just – the opportunity was there and I went for it. I've been needing to talk to someone, and you're always my first choice. But there was something you wanted to tell me. What was it?’
    There was a stillness in his face that meant the cogs were working overtime, spinning and meshing and producing something intricate and valuable. When he had all the pieces in place he blinked and came back to her. ‘What? Oh – yes. Sorry – just thinking.’ He smiled. ‘I'm going back to work. It's time, and I'm ready.’
    To her credit, all her own worries were not enough to sully her delight. He'd thought she might be hurt that he hadn't discussed it with her first. Of course, sitting on an enormous secret of her own for the last six weeks rather limited her scope for indignation. Delight painted her face like sunrise.‘Daniel! That's terrific. When? Where? How long have you been planning this?’
    ‘As soon as possible,’ he said. ‘And, for a little while. I've known I was ready, I just needed to do something about it. This is it.’
    ‘What is?’
    Daniel met her eyes as if he'd been a liar all his life. ‘Actually, it's quite a coincidence. Because obviously I'd no idea what you were going to say when I got here. But what I came to say was, can I work for you?’
    Des Chalmers understood. Or he understood that this was what Daniel needed to do, even if he didn't entirely understand why. ‘The offer's there, any time you want to take it up.’
    Daniel hoped the man didn't know how close he was to tears. ‘Des, that's too generous. You can't keep a place for me.’
    ‘I don't intend to,’ said the Principal. T have an adequate maths department now. But when you change your mind, or your circumstances change, I will expand it by one. You're a fine teacher, Daniel. Quite apart from anything that's happened, any school with its pupils’ interests at heart will always have a vacancy for a good maths teacher. There aren't that many around.’
    Daniel made himself meet the older man's gaze. It wasn't that he expected to see contempt there, or pity, or any of the tacit criticisms he felt were due. Experience had taught him that usually people treated him better than seemed altogether reasonable. Of course, every so often someone levelled the score, but still on the whole he found the world was good tohim. He just wished he understood it better. Understood why people who owed him nothing went out of their way to help him. He said levelly, ‘You think I'm making a mistake, don't you?’
    Chalmers shrugged. ‘I think you're doing what you feel is best. I just wish I thought it was
you
you felt it was best for.’
    ‘I owe her so much…’
    Whatever he hoped, Chalmers could hear his heart breaking in the plangent note of