Meeting Minutes

Back to Emma's Office

Attendees: Simon Tinsley, Frank Churchill, Shirley and Martin Johnson, Evelyn Prosser, Mr. Tinsley Sr., Chester Vyse, Emma Knytleigh and John White.

Simon: Well quite a crowd again. Nice to see your smiling face again, Emma. I take it you’re off the hook now?

Emma: Sergeant Archer gave me a warning about mixing with undesirables, but no charges will be brought against me.

Simon: That just leaves John (who's applying for a job incidentally), as our representative of the criminal classes. What’s your record looking like John?

John: I’m up before the magistrates at the end of June.

Simon: Splendid. Providing they don’t charge Ann with shipping drugs and Dad for running illicit games of chances, maybe we’ll get through this thing.

Tinsley Snr: I’ve been reading. It's not cards. The dice games I’ve been playing with the pensioners are historical.  They were in a book.

Emma: Mr. Tinsley, they were played in low class taverns and were illegal in 1793, as they are now. You cheat.

Tinsley Snr: Well it’s only a few pennies, isn’t it? It's not like I have an income.

Simon: Moving on. I’ve had some estimates from renovators. Thanks to Chester for working with them. Basically we have some serious problems in part of the house that will cost a lot of money. As an alternative to fleecing our few tourists, I can announce that we have an agreement with Segovia. The Chester location thing was cleared up. The researcher had spoken to our very own Mr. Vyse and confused the name and place. Still some details to go through, evidently they want to have the house as a working farm and remove the porticos, but I think we can work it out. Bottom line is cash for renovations and maybe we can even start some restoration.

Chester: I know you’re winding me up, but I have to say that I cannot be involved in this project if it affects the integrity of the house.

Simon: Actually they do want to knock down the porticos and plough the fields, but trust me Chester, we’ll keep our integrity.

Chester: I have voted Conservative all my life but sometimes I think the communists were right. One person shouldn’t have this house.

Simon: Yes, but I didn’t inherit, Chester. All my fortune is fate. Funny, isn’t it?

Chester: Yeah, hilarious.

Evelyn: What's next for my project? I've been surveying the area around the house and further into the garden. If you've looked at my reports you'll see that there are several promising lines of research. How will Segovia affect this? I assume they don't want to film a lawn covered with holes and spoil piles.

Simon: Well I actually did read some of your reports. Maybe the best plan is that you work away from the house. John is interested in the landscape. Maybe you could work with him, as well as Emma, in starting to tie down some things in the grounds that could lead to restoration.

Evelyn: That actually makes sense, but they mustn’t dig holes near the house.   All that land is evidence.

Frank: I don't like the idea of camera people traipsing all over the place.  Will they want the Hermitage too?

Shirley: I'm just saying now that I won't have a crowd of hungry strangers to feed. And they're not filming in my kitchen. 

Emma: Should hope not. They'd close you down for health violations.

Shirley: Your own health won't be too good if you keep on like that, Miss.

Frank:  They don't want disruption, you see.  They just want to be left alone.

John: Well, some of us don't want to be left alone. Emma, if I could just have a word...

Emma: Not today, John.

John:  But Em, I...

Shirley:  What's wrong with my kitchen anyway?  I  suppose you   think you could do better.

Simon: All right, all right.  Calm down everyone.  I can see we've reached our productive limits for today. Meeting over.

Martin: Emma, can I have a word?

Emma: Of course, what about?

Martin: Well, it's just... I don’t agree with what Shirley did. She had no right to go prying like that and get you in trouble.

Emma: Thank you Martin, I appreciate that.

Martin: She feels guilty about John you see, wants the best for him and always feels she hasn’t done enough.

Emma: And I’m not good enough?

Martin: No-one can be love, it’s not you. You see, she sent Elizabeth off   when she was in the family way. Then let the wee lad be brought up by her sister. Monty was getting old; she didn’t think we could manage a baby around, seemed best what with Monty offering money. Still sometimes it's not easy for her.

Emma: And what did you think?

Martin: Oh, I wasn’t allowed too much of an opinion about Elizabeth. I loved the child mind, but knowing she wasn’t mine always kept my tongue quiet, if you know what I mean.

Emma: You knew she wasn’t your child?

Martin: Oh yes, can't have children, you see. Doctors told me years ago. So when Shirley said she was pregnant I knew it wasn’t mine. Couldn’t be, could it? But we got along well, lived the lives we wanted, kept to our places. Funny thing is, I really think of John as my Grandson.

Emma: Does Shirley know you know?

Martin: Never discussed it really. Always good to have in the background, as it were. But now I think she’s gone too far and she’s hurting John. It isn't right. So now you know, and you can hold her back.

Emma: Thank you.

Martin: Your welcome.

Emma: I have to ask, the big vegetables?

Martin: Large vegetables from a seedless man? Well I never had much patience with psychologists myself, but there you go.

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