The elation from striking a deal with Samantha’s Father that Phoebe felt soon died down when they were faced with the task of moving Samantha out of her home and into somewhere else within two months. Even so, their relationship got stronger and stronger now that they didn’t have to hide it from anyone.

In between house hunting, Samantha continued with her plan to add some panache to Phoebe’s life and especially her appearance. Gradually her stock of ‘lawyer drab’ diminished and was replaced by clothes that were much more vibrant in colour and style. They were all what was regarded as ‘retro’ in style but Phoebe started to see that there was a certain elegance and charm in that. The downside, at least in Phoebe’s eyes was that the style really demanded at least some sort of heeled shoe. She’d eventually come around to the opinion that ballet flats were really only for teenagers to wear with elegant clothes. That was totally the opposite to how she’d been before she’d met Samantha.

Both of her friends Lana and Sky approved of her new look and general enthusiasm for what they called ‘Phoebe Mk 2’. They’d both had a good laugh when Phoebe told them about this story she dreamed up of a secretive firm of lawyers that Phoebe had recently joined in order to show some credibility when dealing with Samantha’s Father.

The house hunting was not going very well. They’d viewed a house near the village of Ashington that was about twenty miles from Brighton. The house seemed just about perfect for them and was easily affordable with the money from the deal.

The stumbling block was coming up with a deposit. The lawyers for the sellers were not keen on letting them use the money from the sale of Samantha’s home that was in escrow for another eight weeks for the deposit. There was no shortage of prospective buyers at this open house viewing so their offer was rejected.

[later that day]
Samantha was in Phoebe’s kitchen making them a meal. Phoebe was trying hard not to go and help her but the banging and clattering of pots, pans and plates that was coming from the other room told her that Samantha was in a bit of a mood. She understood why but also knew that Samantha had to work through it herself. Past experience had taught her that reality returned a lot sooner that way.

He pondering of the issue and how to solve it was cut short by the outside door bell ringing.

Phoebe at least was not expecting anyone so slightly reluctantly, she got up and picked up the intercom.

“Hello and before you say anything, I’m not buying anything and I don’t believe in any religion,” said Phoebe into the phone.

“Yes, this is she. What do you want?”

“To my advantage you say? How do I know that?”

As she listened to what the person on the other end was saying her mouth dropped open. Such was her concentration on the matter she failed to notice Samantha standing in the kitchen doorway holding a broken plate.

“You have to be kidding me!” said Phoebe when the person had stopped speaking.

“I really don’t know how you knew about all this but you had better come in.”

She buzzed the caller into the block.

“We have a visitor. I think I might be up to my neck in smelly stuff professionally,” she said to Samantha.

“Why?”

“That lie I concocted about me and who I might be working for that I told your Father about may well have returned to bite me in the ass!”

“Can you clear the table?” she added.

The look of concern on Phoebe’s face told Samantha that she was worried so she didn’t hesitate to move to the table and start clearing it. She’d only just set the places for their meal so she was a bit miffed but knew that was child’s play when compared to what Phoebe must be going through in her mind at that moment.

---

Phoebe opened the door about ten seconds after the door bell rang. Standing in front of her was a man who must be in his late 60’s or early 70’s.

“Thank you for seeing me like this. Normally I would have rang first but time is of the essence in this matter,” said the man as he was show into the flat.

“My name is Gerald Ellery. I represent a small Insurance Company that is based not far from Hatton Garden in London. You will not have heard of us but we have heard a lot about you these past two weeks,” said the man.

“I’m Phoebe and this is my partner Samantha.”

“Ah yes. Samantha Mason. It is nice to meet you at last.”

“Have you been spying on us?” asked Samantha.
“Is my father at the back of this?”

Gerald smiled.

“No, nothing like that I assure you but I will say that your father is… let me put it bluntly, not adverse to bending the law if it is to his advantage but I expect you knew that already?”

Samantha reacted with a small nod of her head.

“Please Mr Ellery, sit down and why don’t you start from the beginning as to why you are here. We don’t keep any secrets from each other,” said Phoebe.

The man sat down and removed a thick buff folder from the briefcase that he’d been carrying. He put it on the table in front of him. Then he rested his hands on the top of the folder. Phoebe had seen this behaviour many times before when dealing with client’s solicitors. It was their way of showing that they were in control and they were the ‘boss’ in the situation. She’d learned how to overcome this quite early on in her training as a Barrister but she let it ride for the moment.

He looked at both of his hosts and smiled.

“That story that you told Samantha’s Father and his Solicitor about your employer was very interesting. Very interesting indeed. May I ask how you came up with it?”

The question was directed at Phoebe.

She managed a small smile. She was unsure about where this was going.

“As strange as it may seem, I thought it all up lying in bed one night. Where the idea came from I have no idea whatsoever. Why do you ask?”

This time he really smiled and his shoulders visibly relaxed.

“As strange as it may seem… Oh sorry, I was repeating myself. I apologise for that but that slightly crazy idea you had about a very private and secretive firm of lawyers working with clients to verify provenance and ownership of items of art and antiques is actually perfectly true or as close as you can be from the outside.”

There was total silence in the room.

Then Phoebe started to laugh. The thought of a load of smelly dung being dropped on her head from a great height had suddenly receded.

“You really do have to be kidding me.”

Samantha was having a hard time stopping herself from giggling.

“But darling, how often did you say that something that is very possible and is also very believable can have its roots in the truth.”

“Ms Mason is perfectly correct Phoebe. I had to find out directly from you about how you either came up with the idea or found out about it. Now that I know that you came up with the idea yourself, I can proceed with the other reason for my visit.”

“You mean to say that you aren’t going to sue me or report me to the Law Society? I’m sure that I have not infringed on any patents or trademarks and I didn’t mention any names in the meeting you referred to.”

The man smiled.

“Far from it Phoebe. We’d like to offer you a job in the very organisation that you dreamed up lying in bed.”

Once again you could have heard a pin drop in the flat.

After a few seconds, Mr Ellery opened the folder and removed an A4 sized brown envelope. He pushed it across the table towards Phoebe. Her name was clearly printed on it along with the words ‘Draft Employment Contract’ along with the previous days date.

Phoebe moved to touch it but as her hand got close, she withdrew them out of sight under the table.

“How… How did you find out about my invented employer?”

“That is a good question and one that you really should ask your good friend Sky about.”

Samantha looked at Phoebe for an answer.

“I told her and Lana when we spoke over Skype the other night. Other than that, the only other people I have told or know about it are your Father and his scumbag lawyer Derek Gregson.”

“And the fewer people who know about us the better. When we heard about your tale and my associates and I didn’t know if we should cry or laugh at how close to the truth it really was. As a result, we did a background check on you where, we found out that you have an interest in antiques.”

Phoebe laughed.

“If you call working Saturday’s in my Uncle Idris’s junk shop then I suppose I have.”

Mr Ellery smiled.

“If those two pieces of china on your shelf are anything to go by then I’d say that you have a very good eye. If I’m not mistaken, one is an early Claris Cliff ‘Bizzare’ pattern jug from around 1925 and the other is also Claris Cliff, Melon pattern coffee pot that dates from 1930. There are many collectors who would bite your hand off to get them. From where I sit, they look in almost perfect condition.”

Phoebe could not resist smiling.

“Then there is that chair that Ms Mason is sitting on. If I am correct it is an Ercol Windsor chair which by the patination must date from the mid 1920’s. That means is it also an original from the first year or so of production. You have a very keen eye Phoebe.”

Phoebe knew that he was right on the mark. All three pieces had been procured by her Uncle Idris and left to her when he died. She’d done the research on them when they’d been bought into the shop. She also remembered the trouble she’d gotten into when she’d bunked off school on the last day before Easter and had travelled into Cardiff to look at an exhibition of Claris Cliff pottery that was on at the Museum of Wales. She’d used all her ‘Saturday money’ for the train fare so was unable to hand it over to her father for her ‘board and keep’ even though she was only fourteen.

Slowly, she remembered that the others were looking at her.

“Sorry, I… well, never mind.”

“What has this to do with a job? I’m no expert. Not by any measure.”

“No, and there are plenty of subject matter experts out there whom we call upon when needed. What we are looking for is for someone who is a qualified lawyer to represent our clients needs. Those might range from verifying the provenance of a piece to validating ownership to and on rare occasions, actually taking people to court to regain assets that have been illegally obtained and suchlike. As you dreamed, a lot of our clients do not want any publicity so we work with an insurance company as our cover. They are as it were, our public face.”

It was all so familiar to Phoebe. Everything except the role of the Insurance Company was as she’d dreamed it up to be.

“I know that all of this is a bit of a shock but believe me, it is also very true. I had a quiet word with Danny Swayne the day before yesterday and he confirmed that you have a sharp legal brain. He said ‘hello’ by the way.”

Phoebe looked a bit worried.

“I was a barrister like yourself before I joined the company. Danny had been a junior at another chambers, where I was a partner. That’s how I know him. The Law Society list showed that you had been a pupil at his chambers so I checked you out. That led me to him and after meeting with my associates last night, I am here now.”

“Mr Ellery,” said Samantha.
“Would your associates have any objection to employing Phoebe? We are getting married as soon as we can find a place to live.”

Mr Ellery looked a bit serious for a moment.

“There are some who were a little reluctant but they have been persuaded that we must move with the times so no, there is no problem. All the senior people are totally behind the offer. I would be your mentor while you get your feet under the table so to speak.”

“Where would I have to be based?” asked Phoebe.
“Neither of us want to live in London.”

That brought a small smile to the face of Mr Ellery.

“Despite London being one of the major centre’s for Art and Antiques in the world, the majority of our clients don’t live there. Many of them are based overseas as well as here. You would have to get a driving licence though.”

He turned to Samantha.

“I do approve of your choice of car. Those and others like it are the way of the future.”

“Thanks. I really only bought it to get at my Father who trades in oil and gas but now, I’d never go back to a petrol driven car.”

He turned back to Phoebe.

“Phoebe, I really do apologise for dropping in on you like this but time is of the essence. All of that is explained in the documents in the envelope. Please take a few days to think things over. Then please come up to London and tell me your answer face to face. I am very old school in things like this. I like people to tell me both good and bad news to my face. The contact number of my secretary is in the envelope. Give her a call and we can meet somewhere for lunch. Even if the answer is no, I want to have the opportunity to toast your ingenuity. You have an excellent legal mind and it would be a shame to waste all that training.”

---

Phoebe was still in a bit of a state of shock when Samantha returned from showing Mr Ellery out.

She gave Phoebe a big hug.
“That was a turn up for the books wasn’t it?”

“Nah, that was just a dream.”

“That envelope on the table looks very real. Are you going to open it?”

Phoebe shook her head.

“I’m scared to. What if it says ‘sucker’ and the rest of the papers are blank?”

They both laughed.

Samantha went over to the table and picked up the envelope.

“Last chance to do it yourself?”

“No, you go ahead.”

Samantha carefully opened the envelope and spread the contents out on the table.

Her eyes bulged when she saw the numbers.

“You really have to look at this!” exclaimed Samantha.

Reluctantly, Phoebe moved over to join her at the table.

“That is just silly. There has to be something wrong. That can’t be right.”

“I think that he was perfectly serious. His face was perfectly straight when he passed this over to you.”

“Pah!”

“Then look at this bit!”

Phoebe looked at the second page of the offer letter.

“Geneva? I don’t even have a passport!”

“Expect to spend three to four months a year out of the country. Your European base will be located in the Geneva Canton of Switzerland. All residency requirement will be taken care of by your employer.”

“Then it goes onto say, that they have staff in Dubai, New York, Moscow, Beijing and Los Angeles as well as London, Geneva and Antwerp.”

Samantha hugged Phoebe who was by now nearly in tears.

“Don’t be so sad. This is good isn’t it?”

“But… it means being away from you? That’s the last thing I want to happen at the moment.”

“There is nothing in here to say that I can’t come with you…”

“Yeah and how do Dubai’s laws stand on gay relationships? Jail time awaits all concerned if the reports in the media are anything to go by.”

“Well, then I can pass on that place but most of my work can be done from anywhere. I really only have to be with my clients when we are agreeing work and again when I’m handing it over. I use tools like Skype and Facetime all the time.”

“You’d really come with me?”

“You bet. I can’t have all those hunky and very rich men chatting up my beautiful and intelligent wife now can I eh?”

That was enough for Phoebe. She kissed her lover and all thoughts of eating and their earlier disappointment over the house in Ashington went up in smoke.

---

The next morning, Phoebe was still reluctant to read the job offer and contract. It was down to Samantha to go through it.

“This is all pretty straightforward. The confidentiality clauses are a bit severe but that is to be expected.”

“But why me?”

“Because you obviously have a brilliant mind that is good at law and also has a knowledge of art. You only have to see what you have done in decorating your home to know that.”

“But my tastes are so different from yours! Your home is very modern or contemporary.”

Samantha grinned.

“That’s because I had to get rid of all the furniture that my Grandmother had. Her equally old spaniel, Doris has chewed her way through anything and everything. There might have once upon a time been some half decent pieces but they were well past being restored when I got hold of them. I cleared everything out, decorated from top to bottom and bought new stuff. It is all functional but almost everything there came in a flat pack from places like Ikea.”

“Oh,” said a surprised Phoebe.
“It looks so… so together.”

“Luck my darling, luck and three days of frustration and crawling about on the floor putting the stuff together… Plus a good deal of luck. You only have to see the box of bits I have left over to realise that.”

It was three days before Phoebe judged that her mind was sufficiently clear and focussed to read the contract and associated documents. As she read and re-read the contract, her legal mind gradually rose to the fore and by the time she’d finished, she’d made two pages of notes relating to the contract.

Then she went out for a walk along the coast to Saltdean. There was a brisk breeze coming in off the sea. A few ships were plying their way down the channel from the straights of Dover. Gulls were flying everywhere on the lookout for some food. These were the days that Phoebe loved about living close to the coast. These were the days that they’d probably miss if she took up the job offer.

Those visions were at the forefront of her mind when Samantha came over that evening.

“I went out for a walk over to Saltdean today,” said Phoebe.

Samantha’s stomach dropped.
“And you don’t want to take up the job offer?”

“Not without some changes I don’t. Living here or somewhere close to the coast is good for me mentally. The breeze coming in off the sea today made me realise how lucky we are in this part of the world. I’m not sure that I want to go to Geneva or anywhere. The Chalk Cliffs…”

Phoebe’s eyes welled up. Samantha knew how hard a wrench it would be to move anywhere that was outside walking or a short bus ride and walking distance from the coast. Phoebe had taken her for a couple of walks along the coast and she knew how it could change her outlook on life.

She gave Phoebe a big hug.

“Then tell them that you don’t want to move away from this part of the world!”

“But… what about you?”

“I can put everything into storage and live here until we find the right place to live.”

“What about your work?”

“There are plenty of offices in the city that are available by the hour or day or month so don’t worry about me.”

Phoebe looked at Samantha through misty eyes.
“Why are you so good to me?”

“Because I love you. That’s why. I still feel the same way about you as I did that night at the speed dating. In fact, I am even more certain that I want to grow old with you at my side.”

Phoebe knew that she felt exactly the same about Samantha.

Samantha held Phoebe at arm’s length and looked her right in the eye.

“Make an alternative proposal to them. Go and have lunch up in town and put it to them face to face. See what their reaction is. If they really want you then some compromise can be found. If not then you can walk away with your head held high.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

Phoebe hugged Samantha even tighter than she’d ever done before.

“While I was walking along the coastal path, I saw a mother with her children. They looked so happy.”

Samantha groaned internally.

“Getting broody?”

“Not for a baby but it might be nice to adopt one or two children… Before it is too late and we might get lucky and find someone who is going through the sort of things you did as a child.”

They’d never talked about this sort of thing before. Samantha had thought about this many times over the years but had always dismissed it as just not possible unless she became involved with a man who already had a family which brought a whole different set of problems.

To hear Phoebe, talk about this made her both happy and sad. Sad because she could not help out with making Phoebe pregnant but happy that she didn’t want a baby but adopting was not something that she’d ever considered before.

“This is all rather sudden isn’t it?”

“It is and… I nearly didn’t mention it but what with everything that has happened in the last few months, it hadn’t crossed my mind until this job offer. This offer isn’t really about a job but a career, a total commitment. You have read the job description so you must realise that if I say yes then that’s me pretty well set for life and before I met you I probably would have said yes in a flash but I have more than just myself to consider, now don’t I?”

“Are you saying that it is all my fault?” asked Samantha with a smile on her face.

Phoebe saw this and smiled back.

“Yes, it is in a way, but a very nice way. Meeting you messed my mind up totally. I don’t regret and never will regret responding to your kiss. Now… now we are having to think long and hard about the future. Where we want to live, where we want to work and our future together. At the moment, I really don’t want to be away for long periods of time and there is the fact that I love you more and more each and every day. I’m trying to decide what to do with my life other than that I want us to be together until we grow old.”

“Write it all down and think about it. I’ve seen you do that. Seeing it all down on paper in front of you allows you to think clearly and without emotion about something.”

Phoebe chuckled.

“Emotion is what is driving me on at the moment. My love for you is there front and centre. If taking this job means losing you then I’ll say no to it in a flash.”

Those words made Samantha very happy indeed. She’d had many often conflicting, thoughts about this job causing them to drift apart. Phoebe would be working in a totally different world that was a million miles from her and her life.

Samantha then made up her mind.

“What does your heart say about the job?”

“At the moment, it says, take it. But my head says all sorts of other things.”

“Then take the job as long as we can live close to the coast wherever that might be. Give it a year and then we can as the song goes, review the situation.”

“Are you sure about this?”

Samantha grinned.

“As long as there is time for us to get somewhere else to live and for us to get married before you start work then I’m very sure. This is all new and very strange for both of us. We can take our time and enjoy life a bit before we rush into anything else.”

“But he said ‘time is of the essence’?”

“Pah. If they really want you they will wait. It is a good test on how serious they are about being in it for the long term. If they don’t then…”

Samantha thought for a moment and then said,
“Sorry to say this but the phrase that comes into my mind is cannon fodder. Get you in, work you until you burn up and then cast you adrift. I’ve seen this a lot in the IT world especially in the City. It isn’t pretty. The aftermath has even led to people walking off Beachy Head or stepping in front of a tube train.”

Phoebe looked into her lovers eyes. She could see that Samantha was serious in what she’d said.

She smiled and kissed Samantha.

---

A few days later, Phoebe travelled up to London. She’d done a lot more thinking about the contract and had decided to get a second and even a third opinion on the deal. That meant that she had three destinations lined up for the day. Firstly, she was going to visit her old Chambers and talk to the Chief Clerk, Danny Swaine.

“Hello Danny,” said Phoebe as she walked into the building where her former chambers was located.

Danny did a bit of a double take.

“Miss Phoebe! This is a surprise and a great pleasure.”

“Thanks Danny.”

“I guess that this isn’t a social call? It is only ten in the morning after all?”

“Right on target as usual Danny. I had a visit last week from Gerald Ellery.”

The smile that was on Danny’s face disappeared in a flash.

“I guess he mentioned me then? Silly me, you would not be here if he hadn’t.”

“He did say that he’d talked to you about me. How kosher is he?”

The smile returned to Danny’s face.

“He’s a good organiser but to be honest, a crap barrister. As far as I know that he’s not appeared before any Judge in twenty years. But, I do know that over the years, he has put a lot of work the way of this place in a roundabout sort of way.”

“Do you know what he is doing now?”

“The word is that he works for some almost invisible insurance company.”

“Did he give you any reason why he was asking about me?”

“He said that he’d heard about you and how good a barrister you are. Beyond that, he didn’t say much. He was never much for idle chat so I thought nothing of it. Why are you asking?”

Phoebe smiled.

“I can’t say much beyond that he’s offered me a job.”

Danny smiled.

“Are you going to accept?”

“Not without some negotiation I’m not. I’m involved with someone.”

Danny laughed.

“You are a sly person Phoebe. Not a lawyer I hope?”

“She was the reason I left Chambers and she most certainly isn’t a lawyer.”

“She? Phoebe?”

“Yes, Danny, She. We met at a speed dating evening. Neither of us were impressed by the men so we left and that was it. I was hooked. We are getting married next month.”

Danny sat back in his chair. Phoebe knew that he was thinking.

“Well, Phoebe, you are a surprise to me.”

“I am a surprise to myself at the moment.”

“You are missed around here you know. They were mad not giving you a Tenancy as soon as you qualified,” said Danny with a slight sad tone to his voice.

“I miss this place but I don’t miss having to get the train up from Brighton at some ungodly hour every day though.”

“I’m sure that you will make the right decision about the job with Gerald but don’t go in demanding changes to his offer. Negotiate and do it gently. Sometimes Phoebe, you can be a bit direct.”

“I’ll try Danny… and thanks for the advice.”

Danny thought for a moment and then consulted his ‘contacts folder’. He extracted a business card and gave it to Phoebe.

“If it does not work out with the job then give that number a call. They’ll sort you out. A lot less pressure if you know what I mean?”

Phoebe knew that Danny had fingers in many pies and had contacts inside legal companies all over the place.

“Thanks Danny. I owe you one.”

“No Phoebe you don’t. Seeing you so happy in yourself is such a change from when you were last here, is more than payment enough. Just don’t lose sight of what you have now that you are outside of this place.”

His words were still echoing through her mind when she left the Chambers.

[to be continued]