Tony preceded Megan into the board room. The only sound was the hum of the air conditioning and she wished she’d left her cardigan on. The room was freezing and the faces of the five men sitting around the large table were as icy as the air in the large room.

“Come in.” The vice chancellor stood and gestured for them to take the two remaining vacant seats at the table. “Professor Gaines, I am assuming you are Miss Miller’s support person?”

“That is correct.” Tony squeezed Megan’s hand before taking the seat next to her. The unfamiliar man on her left poured two glasses of water from the jug in the middle of the table and placed one in front of each of them.

Megan looked up but neither of her sociology colleagues would meet her gaze. The professor in charge of her department sat to the right of the vice-chancellor and her unit co-ordinator sat on his left. They both looked down at the papers in front of them and shuffled through the pages as though their lives depended on it.

The financial bursar of the university met her gaze and he didn’t hold her eye for long either.

Tony leaned forward and directed a question to the vice-chancellor. “What the hell is this all about, Roger?”

The vice-chancellor pushed a single piece of paper across to Tony. “You are familiar with the role of the support person, of course, Professor?”

“Yes, of course I am.” Tony’s voice was irritable as he turned to Megan. “The role of a support person is to ensure you are treated fairly, and I’m not allowed to speak unless you become distressed and I request a break for you.”

Megan shook her head and tried to keep her voice confident. “Why would I get upset? I have no idea why I am here.” She looked down at her watch. “If you are unaware of my plans, I’m on leave from lunchtime and I have an international flight to catch in less than three hours.” Her voice shook and her chest ached with the effort of holding her anger and frustration in check. If there was one thing she hatedit was being out of control. Her emotions were in a fragile enough state from the events of the past few months. “So can we get started please?” She swallowed and took a deep breath waiting to hear what the problem was. Whatever it was she’d been accused of. On the way over to the building Megan had racked her brains but still had no idea what this meeting was about.

“Miss Miller, three weeks ago, a letter of allegation was sent to you with some serious concerns about your behavior in your role as acting senior lecturer in the sociology department. You were given fourteen days to respond in writing. As you have not responded, that has been taken as an admission that the allegations are correct and you are not interested in disputing them. Today, the disciplinary board will hand down their decision and the consequence.”

Tony looked at Megan before turning back to the vice chancellor. “I request a break for Miss Miller.”

“Now?” The vice chancellor frowned

“No.” Megan stood and placed her hands firmly on the edge of the table before glancing across at her brother-in-law. “I don’t want a bloody break. I want to know what this is all about and to get to the bottom of it now. I’ve received no such letter. This is the first I’ve heard of this garbage.”

“Please watch your language and sit down, Miss Miller. If you don’t require a break, we will continue.”

Megan sat back down and folded her arms across her chest. The hard chair pressed through her thin T-shirt and she concentrated on keeping her back straight as she held the gaze of the vice-chancellor.

He nodded to one of the men she didn’t  recognise. “You may begin.”

 The man opened a folder and began to read. Disbelief vied with anger as Megan listened to the words.

“Allegation number one: it is alleged Miss Miller has falsified marks in the university grade centre system in exchange for financial recompense. Allegation number two: it is alleged that her upcoming overseas trip has been funded in exchange for the granting of a High Distinction to a student in the sociology department. Allegation number three: it is alleged—”

“Stop right there.” Tony pushed his chair back. “My wife and I paid for Megan’s overseas trip and I can prove that with little problem.”

“Allegation number three, it is alleged—”

 “That is garbage!” Megan’s voice rang out over the table as she jumped to her feet and her chair fell back against the wall. She ignored the glares from the men sitting across the table. “It’s a pack of lies. Absolute lies.”

“Please sit down, Miss Miller. Once more and we will close the meeting.”

What the hell were they on about?

Tony’s hand on her arm brought Megan back to a semblance of calm. The room was spinning and a red haze filled her vision. She swallowed the nausea that was building in her chest and closed her eyes for a second to regain her balance.

Opening her eyes, she turned to the vice-chancellor and lowered her voice.

“Professor Devine, I apologise for my outburst. However, none of this is true. There can’t be any evidence because it’s simply not true.” Megan fought to stop the trembling of her chin. “This is the first I have heard of such…lies. And that is the reason I haven’t responded.”

 “Please wait till the allegations are read in their entirety, Miss Miller.”

“There’s more?”

Tony reached over and held her hand as twelve more allegations of inappropriate behavior were levelled against her. Allegations of misappropriation of funds, inappropriate relationships with students, fudging marks, impolite interactions with staff and the list went on…and on.

And there was more to come. The final allegation that she had plagiarised material for her doctorate finally brought her undone.

“You cannot be bloody serious?” Megan slammed her hands on the table and her water glass went flying. She stood and watched, bemused as water trickled across the table towards the vice chancellor. Before the water reached his papers, he snatched them off the table, and then gestured to the man beside him to deal with the mess.

A surreal feeling washed over Megan as she watched the water drip from the table.

Drip by drip. Almost in slow motion. She wanted to pinch herself.

Am I dreaming? Nothing that had been said was anywhere near the truth. The only person in the sociology department she’d ever had words with was another lecturer and—

Of course. That was it!

“Greg Cannon. It was Greg Cannon, wasn’t it?” Certainty overtook her disbelief and she squared her shoulders as the water was mopped up from the table with paper towel. “He has been doing everything he can to make me look bad in meetings because he wanted the promotion that I’m in line for. He was upset when I was appointed to the relieving position. It’s Greg Cannon who has made these vexatious allegations!”

“Miss Miller, this is your last warning. Please sit down immediately or this meeting will conclude now.” The vice chancellor glared at her. “We have documentary evidence of your wrongdoing and your most unprofessional behavior today is simply confirming that the allegations are correct.”

Tony pulled her back down into her chair and leaned across to whisper in her ear. “Calm down, Meg. We’ll sort this out. You’re not doing yourself any favours by reacting like this.”

The voices and the horrid words droned around her for another five minutes until the final words of the vice-chancellor caught her attention.

“All allegations have been upheld. The other parties involved have been interviewed and there is incontrovertible evidence of guilt.” The vice-chancellor stood and looked down at Megan. “Miss Miller, you are hereby dismissed from your temporary contract at North Shore University and will be escorted from the premises immediately.”

As Megan’s world fell to pieces around her, one of the other men who she hadn’t  recognised stood and came around to stand behind her.

“Security will accompany you to your office while you collect your belongings.”

“Don’t I get to speak? Why don’t I get interviewed? I need to show you all of this is untrue.” Megan knew her voice was rising to a screech but her absolute distress— and the unfairness and untruth— of the allegations was drowning her. She knew the tears rolling down her cheeks would be seen as an admission of guilt but she couldn’t stop them. It was as though she was in a parallel universe watching from outside of reality. “I can answer any questions that you’ve got. Ask me, I’ll answer anything now.”

Her trip to London was the least of her worries at the moment. She had to get out of this mess. It was ironic; Megan knew her ethics were of the highest standard. She was so honest, she didn’t even take the reams of photocopy paper out of the cupboard without getting permission from ‘Cankle Nancy’, let alone fudge marks or take a bribe. The allegations were ridiculous and anyone who knew her would know that.

Her heart sank as she thought of the rest of the staff. Nancy seemed to know all about his. How many other people in the university had heard these stories and believed them?

“You now have a seven day appeal period, Miss Miller. This meeting is concluded and a transcript of the minutes will be sent to your home address. “Your access to the university network, and your email account, have been withdrawn.”

Tony took her arm and led her from the room, followed by the security man. Beth waited in the foyer and her face was blurred as Megan looked at her through tears.

“Beth, this can’t be happening?” Megan put shaking hands over her face as she choked back another sob. “This is so not true.”

“What’s happened?” Beth put her arm around Megan’s shoulder. “What was it all about?”

Tony shook his head. “Not now. Beth. Not here.” He glared over at Nancy who was watching them with the same smug smile on her face. “We have to go to Megan’s office now and get her stuff and then we’ll all go for a coffee and work this ridiculous situation out.”

Reality intruded on Megan’s distress and she tried to look at her watch but couldn’t see the digital screen through her tears. Her whole body was shaking and she dug in her pocket for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes with shaking fingers.

“What time is it?” Her voice appeared to be coming from someone else. Cotton wool fuzziness filled her head and her lips were moving but she had trouble finding the words she wanted. “The…taxi is…getting…picking me up for the airport…soon… at two thirty.”

“I’ll cancel it. I’ll drive you over. Kath was meeting you there to see you off, wasn’t she?” Beth said.

“But I can’t go now. I’ll have to cancel the trip. I have to stay and fight this. I have to.” Megan’s stomach clenched, and disappointment flooded through her as the prospect of her trip disappeared. “I’m not going. Just take me home.”

Tony spoke to her quietly as the security guard led them towards the Social Sciences building. “No Meg, you can’t cancel your trip. I’ll get this sorted out while you’re away.”

“But I’ve only got seven days to appeal.” Megan swallowed another sob. “I got so bloody emotional it looked like I was guilty. You know it’s not true, don’t you, Tony?”

Tony stopped in front of her and tipped her face up to meet his serious gaze. The feel of his firm fingers on her chin grounded her and her confusion dissipated a little. His brown eyes always exuded calm and serenity. He was a great partner for Kath; he provided a steady counter to her personality. Megan still wondered how they’d ended up together but they seemed so happy, and Tony had slotted into the family well. And now he was going to be a father too.

“Of course I do. Anyone who knows you can see it’s a setup. But if you don’t appeal and have it overturned, you’ll never get a job in another university and no one else will take you on as a doctoral student.”

“That’s why I can’t get on the plane.” Megan shook her head as her voice caught. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “But if I don’t go on this trip, I’ll never have the opportunity again. The Stones are playing at Glastonbury next week and I’ve waited for the opportunity to do a Glastonbury Festival for years.”

Anger overtook her confused thoughts as determination filled her.

She set off again with long angry strides towards her office. “It’s all bullshit and I can prove that Greg Cannon is behind every malicious allegation. I’m going to front him right now.”

Beth raised her eyebrows. Megan rarely swore, or raised her voice.

Tony hurried along behind her and caught her arm. “Calm down, Megan. I know how you’re feeling but you have to step back and let the process happen.”

“You can’t know. I’m the one who’s been accused. I knew Greg was up to something. That bloody man weaseled his way into my bed, and he was way too interested in everything I was doing at work.” Megan gritted her teeth as her suspicions fell into place. “He wanted that promotion and I was a certainty over him.”

“So why do you think Greg’s responsible?”

“I thought it was strange a few weeks ago when my log-in and password wouldn’t work. They’ve been fine for three years. He obviously got hold of them and logged in as me and changed marks or something.”

“I’ll ask the IT department for a login audit.” Tony’s voice held the first shred of hope she’d heard so far.

“He’s smart enough to have covered his tracks, but I suppose it’s worth a try if you think they’ll do one.”

“Whatever we do, we have to follow the procedures for you to have any chance for an appeal.” His voice was quiet and calm.

“Huh, and look what that ‘process’ has done so far? I didn’t know anything about it and I’ve been tried and found guilty without any procedural fairness. I got no letter.” Megan kept walking despite Tony taking her arm.

Beth and Tony flanked her on either side as she strode through the building to her office, the security man hurrying to keep up with them. By the time she’d retrieved her suitcase, her bag and her laptop and the few personal possessions the security man would allow her to take from the top drawer of her desk, a small measure of calm had stolen over her.

 It’s all lies and I can prove that with little trouble.

 It was hard to believe that someone would go to such lengths to discredit her. She’d gotten through the tragedy of losing her parents last year and this situation was nowhere near as bad. It was all malicious lies, paperwork and bureaucratic bullshit and she would deal with it. It was a job, but it wasn’t the end of the world. She had to deal with it.

And I will.

If there was one thing it was going to do, it was going to make her take a bit more notice of what was happening around her. Megan knew she buried herself away; she was more than happy in her own company. Losing herself in her music as she worked had helped her get through the horror of last year.

As the security man locked the office door behind her, she stood in the corridor and bit her lip.

She could trust Tony to do the appeal. She could keep in touch by Skype, and if she was required at any further meetings, she could Skype that too. Hopefully by the time she came back from her month in the United Kingdom it would be sorted. She squared her shoulders; she wasn’t going to let this impact on her trip. She would catch her flight this afternoon. The research on the sociological aspects of the Glastonbury music event over thirty years was the final step towards her doctorate.

It would all get sorted.

It would.

If it didn’t, she’d deal with that when it happened.

##

 

Kathy and Megan were very different in appearance and personality. Megan had always been the academic one, and Kathy constantly told her she had her head in the clouds.

“There’s real life out there. Get your nose out of the dusty books,” Kathy would say. She was brash and loud, and didn’t trust easily, and when her sister had fallen for Tony, Megan had paid out on her in bucket loads.

Where Kathy was petite, fair-skinned and blonde—she always said it was her size that made her stand up for herself, Megan was tall and dark with olive skin. Burying her nose in books as a child, while Kathy had excelled at every sport she’d taken on, had isolated Megan, and confidence had always been a problem for her.

“I’m pleased you’ve decided to go on your trip. You know you can trust me to appeal and to do it properly?” Tony looked across the table at Megan as Kathy held her hand. Beth had stood behind her since they had ordered their coffee in the departure terminal at the airport. Now she rubbed Megan’s back in soothing circles.

The support of her family and best friend was going to get her through this. The problem was going to be the distance, but knowing Kath she’d call every day if she knew Megan needed her.

“Absolutely, Tony. You know I trust you. All the paperwork you’ll need is in folders in my study at the flat. That can answer the financial and marking allegations. And you’ve got the credit card records for paying for my ticket, haven’t you? The others I’ll have to deal with personally.” She turned to Kathy. “Do you know where your key to the flat is?”

Her sister nodded and Megan continued. “Any questions you’ve got, email me and I’ll sort them out. If they propose a meeting before I’m home, they’ll just have to wait till August. If they won’t wait I’ll go higher. I’ll even go to the media if I have to.” She stared at her brother-in-law. “I need to see the letter so I can look at all of the allegations in detail. It’ll all work out because I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Tony dropped his head in his hands. “Megan, you are such a Pollyanna. If there is a political move to get you out, they will, no matter what evidence you can produce.”

She shook her head. “But I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It doesn’t matter. The system can be corrupt and if there is a hidden motive for them to get you out, they will win. Don’t expect that there will be any integrity or justice, just because you’re innocent.” He held her gaze and uncertainty filled her for the first time since they’d decided on the plan of attack. “And believe me, I have seen some unfair decisions over the years. Okay, I’ll word up an appeal and lodge it for you. If I have any questions, I’ll email you.”

Beth leaned forward. “Megs, there’s no internet in Violet Cottage. In fact, Aunt Alice wouldn’t even have a phone connected. You’ll have to go into the village to the public phone. Reverse the charges so you don’t have to worry about old fashioned call cards or coins.”

 “Don’t worry, I’ll sort something out. I’m sure there’ll be an internet café or something. You just get the appeal organised and do whatever has to be done.” Megan turned away from Tony and looked at Beth. “I’m so grateful to your family for letting me stay in your aunt’s cottage. Now I just have to find my way there.”

“You can catch the train from Paddington station to Castle Cary. There’ll be buses to the festival but if you grab a taxi at the station, you’ll be able to go straight to Violet Cottage.”

Megan looked from her best friend to Tony and Kathy, the only family she had left, and tears filled her eyes.

“You look after my new little niece or nephew, Kath.”

As her sister hugged her, Megan knew they’d be there for her no matter what, and once she came home she’d show them how much she appreciated their support. She’d be the best damn babysitter there was.

Now it was time to say goodbye and make her way to the boarding gate and try to stay calm and focus on her research.

This whole stuff up could mean the end of her career and she was determined to fight it. The timing sucked but she would come back and sort it out in a month. She would try to switch off as best she could, enjoy the festival, get her research data and try to block this from her mind until she came home. Learning to meditate had helped her block unwanted thoughts last year when she’d been trying to work, and cope with the grief of her parents’ deaths; she’d do it again.

Now she had this opportunity to achieve her dream and visit Glastonbury, that sneaky, lying lowlife who wanted her job was not going to take it from her.