Page 28 of The Women at Ocean's End

‘I think what Tom means is that we’re so sorry to hear that,’ Sonia said.

‘Thank you,’ Ros said, because it was what you were meant to say.

‘The big question is, of course, why you didn’t follow up your degree with work in the field you were so well qualified for…’ Maybe Sonia thought that this had to do with her mother’s death, maybe not, but she looked up, pulled her lips into something that was a thin smile. ‘You chose to work in a bar after you graduated, right up until you came here?’

‘No, that’s right, I suppose I sort of fell into it, I had debts to pay and…’ Ros was so thankful to see that Sonia seemed to be already moving on.

‘Hmm, everyone is trying to make ends meet these days, but from what I can see, young people still have enough for fancy coffees and overpriced bagels,’ the captain murmured.

‘And what do you think you bring to the job of ranger then, Miss… Stokes?’ It was obviously Tom’s question to ask.

‘Well, I’m efficient and…’

‘We’re not looking for an office cleaner.’ Captain Jeffers sniffed again.

‘Sorry, Ros, what he means is, we’d like more of an idea of what your personal qualities might mean in terms of broadening the post. You know, making more of it than any of the other applicants?’ Sonia said. It was obvious she was from HR, keeping everyone on an even, legal keel.

‘Erm, yes, yes of course. I was only saying about being efficient, because I think it’s important, especially if some emergency was to crop up, like a pollutant in a river or something along those lines. You need to be proactive, getting things moving along as quickly and properly as possible.’

‘Quite right too,’ Sonia agreed but she hadn’t lifted her head from the scoring sheet before her. ‘And is that it?’

‘Of course not.’ Ros hadn’t meant to snap, but at least it made Sonia’s head pop up and seemed to waken up the other two old sods as well. ‘I’ve already shown that I’m good at writing up detailed reports. I’ve worked hard to keep habitats both monitored and safe. I’ve carried out additional work, taking samples and checking them too, and sent back any results that I’ve had.’

‘To be fair, she’s done all that, probably better than Max Toolis ever managed it, if the truth were told.’ Tom threatened to break into a smile at Ros and it gave her some small measure of encouragement.

‘And?’

‘Well, if I’m successful at this interview, I’ve already been talking to the local primary school teachers and they’re willing to have me come into the school regularly to talk to the children about conservation and about the wildlife and habitats on the island and how important it is that we keep them safe.’

‘Good to get the kids involved,’ one of the older guys murmured again.

‘And, I’ve set up a beekeepers’ group. We’re hoping to start our first hives this year. We have six members and the plan is to set up communal hives in the grounds of the old monastery – we have permission and…’

‘That’s a great idea.’ Tom was positively beaming now.

‘I thought so, it took a few months over the winter, to get people together and on board. There was a big educational part to it all, you know, helping people learn about how to take care of the bees and what to look out for, but we should be getting the hives across in the next week or two, everyone is really excited about it.’

‘Hmm,’ Sonia murmured, but at least that led to a large tick on the page before her, which Ros hoped was good news.

‘And, of course, I’ve done quite a bit of work on the cottage, you know, cleaning it up, clearing around it. I would hope to set up a kitchen garden, maybe revive the old vegetable patch, have a go at encouraging some of the native flora and fauna to make it more attractive to some of the local wildlife. And…’

‘Hmm, it’s all very admirable that you’re trying to live sustainably but…’ the grumpier old boy, Jeffers, sniffed.

‘The food I’m producing will be going for the most part to the local meals on wheels. It’ll mean people are getting organic produce and, hopefully, it’ll encourage more people to cultivate a small patch in their gardens.’

‘That all sounds very promising…’ Sonia said. ‘You’ve heard that there are moves to convert a large tract of the island into National Park land?’

‘Yes, I’m very excited about that, of course it’ll mean more work.’ It was work Ros would enjoy.

‘How’s that?’

‘Before it happens, there will be quite a bit of bringing the islanders round to the possibilities for the island if we’re successful. At the moment, all the farmers will see is a loss ofcommon grazing areas and restrictions around what they can do, I know that change isn’t always welcomed with open arms.’ She smiled warmly at this. ‘But I do feel, that with a little work, plenty of dialogue and a plan that involves the islanders, a National Park on the island will be great for the residents as well as the wildlife.’

The interview continued, and they seemed to talk for an age about how to bring the islanders on board, but Ros had thought a lot about it and, really, she felt she’d made some good points by the end. Points that could be actioned easily and make the transition as smooth as possible.

‘Right, well, that’s all well and good, but I think it must be almost lunchtime.’ Keith Duff leaned back on his chair, made a big thing of checking his watch and then folded his arms behind his head and actually man-splayed. Urgh, if Ros had thought before that she couldn’t like him any less, she had been wrong.

As she was leaving the building, Sonia caught up with her. ‘Well done.’ She squeezed Ros’s arm.

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