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that were the only change she noticed, Tina would have been happy to pay Linnet’s wages. But the change to George came about because of changes in the office.
    First, Linnet cajoled the computer into a simpler, more humane attitude towards its owners. She also kept a handwritten diary on the desk to log appointments and calls. This was specifically for George, but Tina found herself preferring it too.
    Then she arranged their days for them so that they always had time to talk to each other. She made good use of their time, and she seemed to know by instinct which partner would suit which client and vice versa. The clients responded miraculously by paying up at the first time of asking and practically thanking her for the privilege.
    Conversely, the suppliers seemed suddenly to become very lenient about their payments. Cole-Adler no longer had to pay for their hardware up-front or cash-on-delivery. Bills came in a leisurely fashion and at last a balance was struck in the war between income and expenses.
    â€˜I don’t understand it,’ Tina said. ‘Last month these bastards were practically dunning us. Now they’re sending us free samples and purring.’
    â€˜Don’t understand,’ George said. ‘Enjoy and shut up.’
    â€˜It’s her confidence,’ Tina said. ‘Have you heard her on the phone? You’d think she was sweet-talking an industrial giant – but you
know
it’s only the warehouse foreman so he’ll send us a gross of window locks tomorrow instead of next week. And she seems to know how to talk to
everyone
from ponce to pauper. As if she’s at home in any bloody situation at all. I wonder how old she is.’
    â€˜Didn’t it say on her CV?’
    â€˜No CV. Remember? Oh well, maybe I’ll ask her.’
    But in the end Tina didn’t ask and Linnet’s age remained a mystery. She was clearly a mature woman but she moved quickly and gracefully like a girl. Clothes, however cheap and simple, looked exotic on her. Her vocabulary was racy and up-to-date, but the letters she wrote were models of restrained, educated phrasing.
    It’s all contradictory, Tina thought, but she was busy so she didn’t think about it for long. After the first week she began to relax and think that Linnet could cope with anything and everything. There was no need to watch her or check up on her, so Tina took George’s advice: she shut up and enjoyed.

II
The Sister
    My sister was up in the loft, making something from diamonds of coloured silk. Robin is always making something. She always leaves the back door open too. The crazy lady trusts people. No matter how many times she’s been ripped off, she believes in the perfectibility of mankind, the essential goodness of her neighbours. Either that, or she has a memory like a lace condom. She even trusts
me.
    â€˜Hey, Robin,’ I said. ‘Leaving the door unlocked is one thing, but leaving your handbag on the kitchen table as well, that’s just asking for it.’
    â€˜Lin!’ She turned, scissors in one hand, swatch of cloth in the other. She dropped everything and came around her work table to give me a big hug.
    â€˜You never said you were coming. You look fantastic. Are you staying? How are you?’
    I put my arms around her, feeling the softness of her shoulders, the silky greying hair on my cheek. Life must be so much easier when you give up on your looks.
    The warm welcome took us down to the kitchen where she made coffee and offered me home-made chocolate chip cookies. When her kids were small, she used to make chocolate chap cookies for Jimmy and chocolate chick cookies for Grace. She was that sort of mother.
    The house is Victorian and it’s the only one in this street which hasn’t been broken up into flats and bedsits. It’s much too big for Robin since her dumb husband left her and the kids went tocollege. But she won’t move out. Jack bought this