As I got up to leave, my phone buzzed with a message.
Can you come over? I have a new development. K x
I got in my car and drove straight to Kate’s house, pulling up between her Range Rover and Carl’s Bentley once she’d opened the gates for me.
‘Come in,’ she said, appearing in the doorway. ‘Carl’s watching the football in the lounge so we’ll go into the snug.’ I followed her across her dark oak hallway. Silver wallpaper with flecks of glitter lined the walls, and a huge chandelier hung above the sweeping staircase.
‘I’ll get something fiz – I mean soft. I’ve got some cucumber-infused water.’ She went towards the kitchen and returned with a metal jug of water and some glasses.
‘Okay,’ she said, pouring us each a glass. ‘God, this would be so much easier to say if there was alcohol involved.’ She took a breath.
‘It’s not like you to mince your words, Kate – spit it out.’
‘The app on my phone lets me know when movement is detected, so every time James comes in and out of his office, I get a notification and I can view the camera footage. There have been a few client visits, a few Slutty Samantha visits, and then this interesting encounter.’ She passed me the phone.
It was a girl I recognised from his office. A much younger woman. I think she worked on the reception or did admin or something like that. In the picture on the phone, she was sitting on his lap, kissing him. My stomach churned and I passed the phone wordlessly back to Kate.
‘He’s unbelievable,’ she said, putting the phone on the table so she could put an arm around me.
‘God, I feel such a fool,’ I said. ‘These indiscretions could have been going on for years. Since day one – who knows?’
‘I’m sorry, hon,’ Kate said, rubbing my back, but it provided little comfort. ‘To cheer you up, I had a little fun. I thought you might want a little gift for that ex-mother-in-law-to-be of yours.’
‘Oh?’ A gift for Frances was about as desirable as a dose of piles.
‘Okay, it’s a work in progress, and it’s been years since I did marketing at university – it actually feels great putting that degree to some use. Anyway, I made this.’ She produced a brochure of Emsworth, Haiden & Haiden Law, except it differed slightly.
I scanned the top line.
Let Emsworth, Haiden & Haiden Law help you.
Let us handle your case with care. Next to that line was a picture of James holding Samantha in his arms. She was sat on his lap in his office and the corporate logo was providing modest coverage.
We’ll examine your case thoroughly. Next to that was a picture of James with his tongue down the office woman’s throat.
We can recommend highly professional barristers to cater for your needs. A picture of one of the two with her blouse open sitting on James’s lap complemented the caption perfectly.
The leaflet actually looked quite professional. Kate had managed to get the logo right and everything.
‘My marketing is fantastic, isn’t it? Turns out I still have those desktop-publishing skills.’ I got the impression that there was more to this from Kate’s point of view than simply seeking justice.
‘I don’t know what to say.’ I really didn’t. It was so professional-looking, and her days of drinking champers and lunching were clearly a real waste of her talents. It was, however, difficult to look at, from my point of view at least.
‘I’ll take your shock as a compliment,’ she said, beaming.
‘And you should! But what were you planning on doing with it?’
‘My initial plan was to send it to the Haiden brothers but since we have something a little more substantial for them, I thought you might want to send it to Frances, so she can see how hard her glorious son really works.’
‘Whoa, Kate. Stop!’ I goggled. ‘You’re clearly very talented but I can’t possibly do that!’
Her expression fell. ‘Why not?’
I let out a small laugh. ‘Because, it isn’t very becoming of me is it? She already thinks I’m lacking in social decorum. Good effort though.’
When I pulled up outside Megan’s house, my blood ran cold. Frances’s Lexus was parked boldly outside. I’d recognise that brassy gold saloon anywhere. I thought about driving away, but a small part of me was intrigued to see what she wanted. Perhaps James had told her the truth and she was coming to apologise on his behalf. Unlikely.
‘Frances?’ I said, knocking on the window to alert her.
‘Ahh, Charlotte,’ she mouthed and opened the door. She struggled out of the car looking frailer than I’d noticed before. Maybe it was because I no longer cared what she thought and the by-product of that was that she didn’t intimidate me any more.
‘We need to sort out this separation business. James told me you’d left him.’ I was sure the weasel-like mummy’s boy had. ‘Why would you do something like that, Charlotte? Is it the hormones?’ She cast a disapproving glance over my sportswear as though my informal attire reinforced her point.
Rage began to bubble up inside my stomach, and when it reached my chest, it created a tension that could only be rivalled on the North and South Korean border. It took a few steady breaths to stop it erupting out of my mouth. ‘I take it James has been economical with his information?’ I said, clenching my jaw. ‘Perhaps he’s the one you should be talking to.’
‘I
