Four Warned

When he reached his desk, Dick wrote the details of his appointments into his diary. He was just about to drop the piece of paper into a wastepaper basket when he decided just to check and see if it contained anything important. He unfolded a letter, which he began to read. His smile turned to a frown long before he’d reached the final paragraph.

He started to read the letter, marked ‘private and personal’, a second time.

Dear Mrs Barnsley,

This is to confirm your appointment at our office on Friday, 30 April, when we will continue our discussions on the matter you raised with me last Tuesday.

Remembering the full effects of your decision, I have asked my senior partner to join us on this occasion.

We both look forward to seeing you on the 30th.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Symonds

Dick immediately picked up the phone on his desk, and dialled Sam Cohen’s number, hoping Sam hadn’t already left for the day. When Sam pick up his private line, all Dick said was, ‘Have you come across a lawyer called Andrew Symonds?’

‘Only by reputation,’ said Sam, ‘but then I don’t work on divorce law.’

‘Divorce?’ said Dick, as he heard a car coming up the gravel driveway. He glanced out of the window to see a Volkswagen swing round the circle and come to a halt outside the front door. Dick watched as his wife climbed out of her car. ‘I’ll see you at eight tomorrow, Sam, and the Russian contract won’t be the only thing on the agenda.’

* * *

Dick’s driver dropped him outside Sam Cohen’s office in Lincoln’s Inn Fields a few minutes before eight the following morning. The senior partner rose to greet his client as he entered the room. He gestured to a comfortable chair on the other side of the desk.

Dick had opened his briefcase even before he had sat down. He took out the letter and passed it across to Sam. The lawyer read it slowly before placing it on the desk in front of him.

‘I’ve thought about the problem overnight,’ said Sam, ‘and I’ve also had a word with Anna Rentoul, our divorce partner. She confirmed that Symonds only handles marriage disputes, and with that in mind, I’m sorry to say that I will have to ask you some fairly personal questions.’

Dick nodded without comment.

‘Have you ever talked about divorce with Maureen?’

‘No,’ said Dick firmly. ‘We have had rows from time to time, but then what couples who have been together for over twenty years haven’t?’

‘No more than that?’

‘She once threatened to leave me, but I thought that was all in the past.’ Dick paused. ‘I’m only surprised that she hasn’t raised it with me before consulting a lawyer.’

‘That’s all too common,’ said Sam. ‘Over half the husbands who are served with a divorce petition say that they never saw it coming.’

‘I certainly fall into that category,’ admitted Dick. ‘So what do I do next?’

‘Not a lot you can do before she serves the papers, and I can’t see that there is anything to be gained by raising the subject yourself. After all, nothing may come of it. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare ourselves. Now, what grounds could she have for divorce?’

‘None that I can think of.’

‘Are you having an affair?’

‘No. Well, yes, a fling with my secretary – but it’s not going anywhere. She thinks it’s serious, but I plan to replace her once the pipeline contract is signed.’

‘So the deal is still on course?’ said Sam.

‘Yes, that’s why I needed to see you so urgently in the first place,’ replied Dick. ‘I have to be back in St Petersburg for May the sixteenth, when both sides will be signing the contract.’ He paused. ‘And it’s going to be witnessed by President Putin.’

‘Congratulations,’ said Sam. ‘How much will that be worth to you?’

‘Why do you ask?’