‘She’s twenty-seven and already becoming well known in the profession. This lady is no mere assistant, but a formidable legal brain.’
The last three words affected Roscoe strangely. The world vanished, leaving only a young, perfect female body, glowing with life and vigour, dainty waist, generous breasts partly hidden by the luscious hair that tumbled about them, beautiful face glaring at him with disdain.
A formidable legal brain!
‘What…what did you say?’ he asked with an effort.
‘Are you all right?’
The vision vanished. He was back in the prosaic offices of Farley & Son, facing David Farley across a prosaic desk, drinking a prosaic cup of tea towards the end of a prosaic afternoon.
‘I’m fine,’ he said quickly. ‘I just need to settle things with Miss Jenson. Can I see her?’
‘She’s in court this afternoon, unless perhaps she’s returned. Hang on.’ He seized the phone, which had rung. ‘Pippa! Speak of the devil! How did it go?… Good…good. So Renton’s pleased. You made his enemies sorry they were born, eh? I knew you would. Look, could you hurry back? I’ve got a new client waiting for you. Apparently you already-’
He checked, alerted by Roscoe’s violent shake of the head. ‘You’re already known to him by repute,’ he amended hastily. ‘See you in a minute.’
Hanging up, he stared, puzzled. ‘Why didn’t you want me to say you’d already met?’
‘Best not. Start from scratch,’ Roscoe said. Inwardly, he was musing about the name Renton, which he’d glimpsed on the papers he delivered last night, plus a mountain of figures.
‘So she has a very satisfied client?’ he mused.
‘One of many. Lee Renton is a big man in the entertainment field, and getting bigger. There were some grim accusations hurled at him by someone who’d hoped to take advantage of him, and failed. Financial stuff, all lies. I knew Pippa would nail it.’
‘So her adversary
‘Nasty character, up to every trick. But then, so is she. Great on detail, reads each paper through thoroughly. Nothing escapes her. She’ll be here in a moment. The court is just around the corner.’
‘Solicitors don’t usually appear in court, do they? I thought that was the role of barristers.’
‘The old division still exists,’ David agreed, nodding, ‘but its lines are getting blurred. These days, solicitors can act as advocates more often than in the past, and when they’re as good as Miss Jenson we encourage it. You’ve made a good choice.’
‘Yes,’ Roscoe murmured. ‘I have.’
‘Luckily for you, she’s a workaholic or she might be reluctant to add to her workload so close to Christmas.’
‘Close to Christmas? It’s only November.’
‘Most people start planning their schedule now so that they can grab some extra days off when the time comes. Pippa does the opposite, comes in earlier, works later. The nearer to Christmas it gets, the more of a workaholic she becomes. I could understand it if she was alone, but she’s got plenty of family. It’s as if she’s trying to avoid Christmas altogether.’
‘You make her sound like Scrooge.’
David grinned. ‘Well, I think I really have detected a touch of “Bah! Humbug!” in her manner.’
His phone rang. He answered it and made a face. ‘Don’t send him in or I’ll never get rid of him. I’ll come out there.’ Rising, he said, ‘Stay there and I’ll be back in a minute.’ He hurried out.
While waiting, Roscoe went to stand by the window, looking down on a part of London that spoke of wealth and manipulation, people in control, sophistication-rather like one aspect of Pippa Jenson. But not all of her, he thought, remembering the unselfconscious way he’d seen her joking with the headstone yesterday.
The door opened. Somebody flew into the room, speaking breathlessly. ‘Oh, my, what a day! But it was worth everything to see the look on Blakely’s face when I had all the figures-’
She stopped as Roscoe turned from the window.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Jenson,’ he said.
CHAPTER THREE
FOR a moment Pippa’s face was full of shock. ‘You,’ she murmured.
Then shock was swiftly replaced by a smile. ‘So prayers do get answered after all,’ she said.
‘I’m the answer to your prayers?’ he queried. ‘Now that I wasn’t expecting.’
‘Meeting you again is the answer to prayer,’ she said. ‘It gives me the chance to say thank you, otherwise I’d have had to search for you all over London. You came to my rescue three times last night-towing me to the garage, taking me home, bringing my papers over-and then I was rotten to you. I can’t forgive myself.’
‘No, that’s my job,’ he agreed. ‘Let’s forget it now.’
‘That’s kinder than I deserve. When I think-’
The door opened. It was David with the man he’d been trying to get rid of, and who was now talking nineteen to the dozen, causing David to make a face of resignation.
‘We’re in the way,’ Roscoe said. ‘Let’s have a bite to eat. Cavelli’s is very good, and it’s nearby.’
‘Great. I’m famished.’
Cavelli’s was a small restaurant over the road, just opening for the early evening. They found a table by the window.
‘I’d toast you in champagne,’ Roscoe said, ‘but I’m driving. What about you?’
‘I’m afraid my car’s still on the sick list. I came in by taxi.’
‘Champagne, then.’
‘Not on my own. What I’m really dying for is a cup of tea.’
He placed the order and sat regarding her for a moment. Her hair was pinned back again, as he’d first seen it, but the rich honey colour still had a luxuriant appearance. She was dressed for business in a dark blue trouser suit of decidedly mannish cut. But if she thought for a moment that it masked her vibrant sexual allure, she was deceiving herself, Roscoe thought.
He pulled himself together. This was a time for business. The ‘other’ Pippa, the one he’d seen last night, must be firmly banished. He did his best to achieve that, but it was hard when all around them people were turning to look at her in admiration.
They toasted each other in hot tea, and Pippa sighed theatrically with relief.
‘You don’t know what I owe you,’ she said. ‘Those papers won the case for me. Without them, it would have been a disaster.’
‘Yes, you couldn’t have made Frank Blakely sorry he was born, which I gather you did.’
She gave a triumphant chuckle. ‘I reported the figures, he disputed them, I produced the papers that proved them, he demanded to know how I came by those papers, I said my lips were sealed-’
‘That sounds a bit dodgy,’ Roscoe said, grinning, pleased.
‘Do you mind?’ she demanded, mock-offended. ‘I am not “a bit dodgy”.’
‘I beg your pardon-’
‘I’m
‘I see you believe in adjusting to their requirements,’ he said appreciatively.
‘That’s right. Ready for anything.’ She chuckled. ‘It makes life interesting.’
‘Miss Jenson-’
‘Please, I think we’ve passed the point where you could call me Pippa.’
She didn’t add,
‘Pippa-I’m sorry if I embarrassed you last night. I only wanted to return your property.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. It was just unlucky that you turned up…well…at that moment.’
‘He seemed to feel very strongly about you.’
