TEST DRAFT 3 With LLaregub footnotes The Boy Who Shot Flimzy Bubbletrumpett- macbook 2

Artemesia said, quietly leaning forward and taking the phone out of James’s hand and
switching it off before slipping it into her pocket. I should have been driving more carefully.
I’m so sorry. I just wanted to catch up all our lost time.
What… ?
Artemesia looked carefully at James. Was there something in her tired look that said, Oh no,
here we go again!? (You as a reader will never know. But the writer knows that was exactly
what she thought, because the writer knows everything Artemesia thought. And much of it is
best left unwritten.)
I was driving. Artemesia said curtly.
No! No. No. I cannot allow you. This is entirely my responsibility, and I must face the
consequences. I will not allow you…
James, said Artemesia, a trifle wearily, This is not entirely up to you. You may be our leader.
our inspiration, and it is your money, your businesses that fund the foundation and pay our
wages, but we work as a team. We cannot manage without you and you know very well that
you that you cannot run a business, let alone a global foundation, on your own. This is just
one old man who by his own stupidity got knocked down by our car. We cannot get in the way
of everything you are trying to do. Because it will. It will take your time, and your time is
very, very precious. And it could damage your image, and that is even more precious. We
cannot afford to take you away from your work with our schools, our farms, our hospitals.
What about all those people? Countless people, who rely on you to save them from their
wretched lives. Lift them out of the poverty and misery they are in. You know only you can do
that. It has to be you. You. Yes, there are plenty of talented people in our organisation, but
they all look to you to lead the team.
You are always telling us we are a team. So listen to me now. This is a problem, like any
other, and:
Together We Can Solve any Problem.
Remember that?
James stretched out an arm and rested it on Artemesia’s shoulder, and looking straight into
Artemesia’s eyes he said,
You are right. Thank you Artemesia. I admit I am something of a control freak, but I cannot
control everything. There are times when I must let others take charge. That’s true. What do
you suggest we do.
I suggest we go back to the car and talk about it there.
Together they clambered up the loose gravel slope to the road leaving Inknavar Marz lying, as
if asleep, under a wild broom bush, a scattering of yellow flowers on the brown skin of his
face.
Artemesia idly picked up some of the scattered shoes and tossed them to the side of the road
then walked over and examined the Ferrari.
We can’t do nothing. There are the scratches on our car, for one thing, and the dent on the
wing. Those gypsies will have seen us pass. So we say we changed drivers after that. You
were tired, so I took over. No other cars on the road so far, but there will be soon. Before all
this I noticed a castle somewhere off to the right. Look you can just see some turrets over
there.
She pointed over the heath to where they could just see, poking above a ridge, a flag flying
from a tower of the castle.
Let’s go there, and ask them for help.
Before she had finished the sentence she had climbed into the car and switched on the engine.
James McQuarry scrambled into the passenger seat.
! 30