I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

William Blake

CHAPTER 12 WATERLOO SUNSET


“This is Doctor Grimsby Roylot leaving the building. All right?” said the pretty PA.

“Ahhh. Ya man. Is got ya yar to ya screen,” said the security guard tapping his key board. “You got ya hand ya pass in ya man. Ah then ya signs ya name to this ya.”

“Thank you,” said Grimm wondering where the hell they got these people from.

“Den ya gots to empty ya bag man.”

“I’m sorry?”

“He has to check all bags leaving the building. It’s regulations I’m afraid,” said the PA.

“Good Lord.” Grim allowed the guard to rummage through his papers. But he was not happy. The treasury should be grateful he bothered to come down from Oxford to sort them out. Where would the economy be without people like him?

“Ya , that fine ya man.”

“Thank you.” Grim was not fine.

“Thank you Doctor Roylot. The minister asked me to pass on his sincere thanks and he hopes you can attend the next round.”

“Perhaps.” Grim was going to suggest they hold the next round of talks somewhere more convenient, perhaps Oxford, but he knew it was useless. The Civil Service loved Whitehall. Loved to believe they were at the centre of things. Many were actually reluctant to leave London if their department moved to some idyllic little town in the countryside. Crazy. “Yes, I may be able to attend. Tell the Minister thanks for the tea and biscuits, and perhaps he could attend the next meeting himself?”

“Well, you know he is very busy these days, but I’m sure he will if possible. Now you have a good trip back to Oxford.”

“Ah, actually I’m staying over this weekend with Charles Miles.”

“Oh yes.” The PA had obviously never heard of him.

“The MP, in his house in Lewisham.”

“Lewisham.” The PA repeated the word slowly and deliberately. “Well I’m sure it’s much nicer these days. And once again thank you for your advice.”

“Yes.” Grim walked down the wet treasury steps into dusky Whitehall. Zipping up his jacket against the drizzle. What did she mean about nicer these days? Was it a bad neighbourhood? Did MPs live in bad areas? Then he realised. It could be a low lying area liable to flooding, in places like Rotherhithe and Deptford the smart river front apartment blocks were worth a fortune, but the ground level houses back from the river had become unsaleable. Low rent areas. Full of squatters. He’d never actually met Charles Miles, just had an invite to join some think tank, with bed and board for the weekend. But surely an MP wouldn't live in a bad area. No, of course not. And anyway, Lewisham wasn't in the flood area.

Across the road, clouds of steam wafted from the roof of MOD Main Building, dissolving into the dank and dreary sky. He turned right towards Parliament and Westminster Abbey, both dark brown against the sort of sky Atkinson Grimshaw could have painted.

Sinister.

Then the floodlights started coming on, one by glorious one, turning it all to the majestic gingerbread centre of the nations soul.

Almost as nice as Oxford, in a way.

The traffic on Whitehall was light these days, just buses, podcabs and taxis, or small electric delivery trucks, that stopped at red lights when the green man told Grim to cross. He walked by Portcullis House, past the new piers where water buses rumbled up to meet queuing commuters. Over Westminster Bridge, over lights reflected in the Thames, under the London Eye Ferris wheel, through the next big office block, over the traffic by foot bridge into Waterloo Station.

The concourse was a huge curve of white terrazzo where commuters hurried between platforms and expensive shops and cafés. Self confidant people with lap tops, new shoes and elegant jewellery.

However Grim was not taking a fast train to the south or west, he was going via the lower station. He studied the piece of paper from a student, and found the entrance. A passage went down into a circular tube, a bridge that crossed the lower roads before curving ever downwards. Like a maze


This page has been visited 3 times. Legal and copyright information can be found here.