“I haven’t finished,” said Nathan.
Arlene’s face had blanched. Without responding, she stared at the far wall, as though considering his words. Nathan waited calmly for her response, but none came. He noticed Polly about to say something, but shut her down with a look.
“Now, as far as Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner are concerned, as she rightly states, Arlene is perfectly at liberty to take employment wherever she sees fit. As a committee, we have no power to limit her in any way. And frankly, getting such an influential company to sponsor us for the fête was a good call. However, there are other concerns. Gupta?”
“Yes, well, as you may or may not know, the Crumbington Fête Society was converted to a Community Interest Company—a CIC—when the act was passed in 2005. A CIC is a form of limited company established for the benefit of the community. As such, there are strict rules on how business can be conducted. One of those is that any legal document, contract or agreement must bear the signatories of at least three members of the committee, and one of those has to be the treasurer, Mr Mulligan.”
“FatherMulligan.”
“Uh, yes, Father Mulligan.”
“What you’re saying is that, in the past, all contracts should have been signed by three members of the committee?” asked Nathan.
“Should have been, yes. However, my understanding from Father Mulligan is that since the formation of the CIC, agreements with local businesses have always been made verbally to avoid legal costs. Up until now, no contracts were used or needed to be signed.”
“I see. And would the current signed contract be valid in a court of law?”
“To the best of my knowledge, no, not from the copy I saw, which bears only one signature. The rules are very clearly stated in the Articles of Association.”
“Let me check my understanding. What we have is a contract signed without the prior knowledge of other committee members. Would the legal team at Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner have been aware of the committee’s requirement? That three signatories would be needed?”
“If they are worth their salt, they would have checked thoroughly or, at the very least, approached the committee treasurer for clarification.”
“And am I safe in saying the current contract is invalid?”
“Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner could have recourse to challenge, but with Mrs Killroy on their payroll when she signed the contract without proper authority, consultation, or endorsement, they would have an uphill legal battle on their hands. And I’m sure dozens of very credible pro-bono lawyers would queue up to defend the committee. I imagine the only real casualty at the end would be Mrs Killroy herself.”
“Which brings us back to you, Arlene. The ball’s in your court again. Nobody’s averse to a little healthy competition from outside the village, but as always, the advertising opportunities should focus initially on local businesses before being offered externally. And, in fairness, appropriate remuneration should be agreed upon and paid to the committee if Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner want to participate. After all, our local charities will be the ones benefiting the most.Gupta and I have come up with what we believe is fair compensation, and I suggest you get this to your team tomorrow first thing because I imagine SPR’s media team has already done a lot of preparation for the big day. Now, onto the good news.”
Arlene’s eyes came back into focus and centred on Nathan as though he were an alien monster.
“Nobody in this room can deny the difference you’ve made this year, beating the dust out of the old carpet, so to speak. Not just in the creativity you’ve brought to the proceedings but in giving the people of the village something worthwhile to look forward to. With that in mind, I’m going to propose we keep you on as chairperson.” Both Mikey and Polly hiked in a breath then, but Nathan stayed them by holding his hand in the air. “Everyone has become too comfortable on this committee, and things have been allowed to slip. For that, we’re all culpable. But, Arlene, you need to be aware that from now on, everything you do will be audited microscopically, sometimes in plain sight, at other times not. Something we should have been doing all along. No contractors will be agreed upon until they’re put to the committee members for a vote. Father Mulligan will not accept any invoices over a hundred pounds unless they’ve been checked and scrutinised by Polly and one other. The question is, are you still prepared to work with us?”
Arlene finally looked defeated.
“I’ll need to consider.”
“Good. Because even if Shawbanks, Radleigh and Posner decide to let you go, once the success of this fête is headline news—probably nationwide with Clifton’s involvement—then I’m sure your legitimate skills as a marketing professional will be in great demand.”
Arlene smiled sweetly and rose from her seat. Plucking her bag from the floor, she stood tall for a moment before leaving the room slowly and gracefully, but with her tail firmly between her legs. Once the door had closed behind her, everyone sat in stunned silence. Eventually, Polly spoke first.
“What are we going to do if she doesn’t turn up on the day of the fête? We’ll be buggered.”
“We managed fine last year. But she’ll be there,” said Nathan with absolute certainty. “And she’ll do everything I've suggested.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Clifton O’Keefe and his manager, Giorgio, have been having a very stimulating conversation on our behalf with Max Killroy. Explaining what was happening. And while Arlene Killroy may not respect us, she wouldn’t dare go against the wishes of her husband.”
“Who the hellareyou?” asked a stunned Polly.
“Still me,” said Nathan, smugly.
Chapter Twenty
Fête
At two-thirty in the morning of the twenty-fourth of June—Crumbington Summer Fête Day—Nathan woke in a panic as the ringtone burst loudly from his phone on his bedside cabinet. Fortunately, they had done all the necessary baking, working late into the night on Friday, ready for the big day. Nathan had agreed with Arthur and his son that they would come in around eight to help set up the stall ready for the midday fête opening, while Nathan and Halina ran the shop for early morning shoppers. At eleven they would close up and be prepared at the stall for the opening speech by Clifton. Turning in at midnight, Nathan had savoured the idea of sleeping in until six, even though he only ever slept lightly.
