[The Three long-time friends were in a Central London Bar for their monthly get-together]

They were discussing their different jobs and how things were progressing.

“What about you then Pheebs?” asked her long-term friend Sky Woods.

“Now that I have passed my Bar Exam and… well I don’t know what to do next.”

“What do you mean? After all this time and you have been working your socks off… Now you don’t know what to do next?” asked the third member of the trio, Lana Moore.

“You know how it is. They work you into a grave as a pupil and then once you get qualified, there is no certainty of a job after that. That is what I think is going to happen to me. For the first time in god knows how many years, I don’t have any exams on the horizon. All I get is a feeling of emptiness.”

“Are you saying that you will be out of a job or that you don’t want a job now that you are qualified?” asked Sky who was still not quite able to comprehend what Phoebe had just admitted.

Of the three, it was Phoebe who was always the most certain about her career direction.

“Yep… Well, could be the way the cookie crumbles. As you know, I signed on at the Chambers for a three-year pupillage. Everyone thought that it would take me that long to become a Barrister. Well, two and a half years in, I’m qualified and there is no certainty that in six months I’ll have a job. The ‘Times’ carried the Law Society results list. I was surprised to find that than one hundred and fifty others passed the bar exam at the same time as me. That means that a heck a lot of competition for a relatively small number of Junior Barristers roles. Ok, so those roles are not all in London, Edinburgh or Cardiff but… I just have this feeling that the writing is on the wall for me at the Chambers. Nothing has been said to me directly but… is I try to bring the topic up, it gets deflected onto something else. Add all that together and…”

“Two plus Two makes five?” said Lana.
“Bummer,” said Sky.

“Our Phoebe here needs a man,” remarked Lana.
“To take her mind off things and… well, you know… those other little benefits.”

Phoebe glared at Lana.
“That’s exactly what I don’t need. I have six months to get my career sorted or I’ll be out on my earhole. The last thing I need is a man diverting me from trying to sort out my future.”

“Have you been to see your boss…. The head of Chambers?” asked Sky.

“I did that first thing after the results were posted. He congratulated me naturally but he was non-committal about the long term. I nobbled the chief clerk and he said that the Head’s granddaughter was on the pass list just below me. You can guess the rest. They say that they want to have more women in Chambers but a healthy dose of nepotism would kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Two new female junior Barristers is probably one too many at this time in the chambers. To me, that means I’m out of the door in six months.”

“Bummer,” said Sky for the second time in as many minutes.

“So… I’ve been thinking.”

“Groan,” said Lana and Sky together with huge smiles on their faces.

Phoebe grinned at her friends and carried on.

“I’ve been coming around to the idea that this law malarkey isn’t all it is cracked up to be.”

“She needs a man in her life to give her a cuddle in bed. Too much thinking if you ask me…” said Lana.

“It’s all right for you love… Damian earns a good crust. Add to that what you get plus all the perks and you are pretty well off…” remarked Sky.

“That’s not the point Lana darling. Pheebs here is in a bind and what are we going to do about it?”

“I don’t know but I do know one thing and that is… It is your round!”

“Pah!” said Lana as she got up and headed for the bar.

Lana had an evil grin on her face when she returned with the next round of drinks.

“We have six months to get our Pheebs here, a man!”

“So…? what’s new?” asked Sky.

“Hey, don’t I get a say in this?” protested Phoebe.

“No!” said the other two together.

“Look Pheebs,” said Lana.
“We have to try to get you settled down. Then you can go on with your life with someone to be there for you when you need it. Times like this are what partners are for. We have six months to get someone into her life, don’t we?”

“I’m really not that interested in having anyone else in my life at the moment,” said Phoebe.
“I know that you two mean well but I really don’t need organising.”

Phoebe stood up and said,
“And… I have a train to catch in case you had forgotten. I’m also in Court tomorrow so I’d like to appear before Mr Justice John Deed having had a bit more than four hours sleep...”

“Ok Pheebs,” said Sky.
“See you next month?”

Phoebe didn’t answer but headed for the door of the Wine Bar. Her mind was already on getting the 21:06 train home from City Thameslink. With any luck, she’d be home by 22:30. But she’ll still have to be up in time to catch the 06:09 train back to London the following morning. She had to be back in the office at 08:00 for a legal team briefing. Phoebe needed to be on the ball for that as she was the lead counsel on the case.”

Her ability to switch her mind off of things had always infuriated her friends even back when they were at school. They knew that she was a bit different to them from an early age but she’d been a good friend to them at many times in the past. Lana especially owed her as it had been Phoebe who had introduced her to her husband Damien.

---

[one month later]

“Hi Pheebs,” said Lana

“Hi Lana. Sky not here yet?”

Lana smiled.

“She called a few minutes ago. She said that she’ll be a bit late. Her flight down from Newcastle was cancelled so she’s on the train. Her train gets into Kings Cross in just over half an hour.”

“Typical Sky. She’ll be late for her own funeral given a chance.”

They both laughed as Lana got the drinks in.

Once they were seated, Lana said,

“Look Pheebs, Sky and I have been talking.”

Phoebe groaned.

“Don’t go all groany on me. How long is it since you have had a date eh?”

Phoebe didn’t answer.

“Far too long so… we have been thinking that you need to get out there and get a few dates under your belt before anything serious.”

“And how do you propose that happens then?”

“Blind Date. If it does not work then move on. No commitments from either side but a chance for you to meet some people who aren’t lawyers. How long has it been eh?”

Phoebe didn’t answer but Lana could see a small tear forming in the corner of Phoebe’s eyes.

“Don’t go all weepy on my Pheebs,” said Lana softly.

“Sorry Lana. I don’t know what to say.”

“Errrrr. How about thank you Lana.”

“Thank you, Lana.”

“Good. Now that’s settled, I have a profile of a couple of prospective dates for you to look at.”

The pair spent a good hour going over the profiles. They ended up laughing at more than a few. Neither of them noticed that Sky had arrived as the bar. Sky saw the happiness in Phoebe’s face and decided to leave well alone. She left without saying anything. She hadn’t been delayed but she and Lana had spent literally hours talking to each other over the previous week trying to work out how to get Phoebe to start dating. It appeared that the first part of their plan had worked.

---

[three weeks later]

“Hi Sky,” said Phoebe into her phone as she prepared to leave the Chambers.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Yes, I did take a shower this morning and I’m free for the rest of the day. My client decided to plead guilty after two witnesses pointed the finger at him from the witness box. I’d told him that the case against him was total solid and that pleading guilty was the only way to get off with probation and not to get sent down for one to three years. He decided to avoid the prison option.”

“I know where the Hotel is. It is less than five minutes’ walk from Crawley Station. I’ll be there don’t worry.”

“No Sky I’m not taking any condoms. I’m certainly not going to have sex with a man on a first date.”

“Thanks Sky. See you Tuesday.”

Phoebe sat back down at her desk for a while thinking hard. That evening was supposed to be her first blind date with a man called Kevin Jones in Crawley. That was the only upside as far as she was concerned as Crawley was only half an hour or so from home should things go wrong. Even so, she was dithering about actually going on the date. Her history with men and dates was not exactly one of success or even second dates.

“Oh, fuck it!” she said under her breath. Then she gathered her things and went to leave the Chambers. For her to leave this early was not usual. The chief clerk, Tommy Edwards noticed.

“Going home early Phoebe?”

“Well Tommy, I’m not going home but meeting someone at Gatwick Airport. My case Southwark Crown Court finished early so leaving on time for once is allowed isn’t it?”

The Clerk smiled.
“Only pulling your leg Phoebe. Enjoy your evening.”

Phoebe smiled as she walked out of the door and into the afternoon sunshine.

---

She was still smiling as she walked into the bar at the George Hotel right in the centre of the old part of Crawley. Her smile lasted all of ten seconds after she’d stepped through the door.

The place was full of people watching a football match on several large TV screens.

She quickly scanned the bar and could not see anyone who looked even remotely like her date. She turned on her heel and returned to the Hotel reception where she literally bumped into the man who was going to be her date that night.

“Oh… Hello. Sorry I’m late. My flight seemed to take forever to get to a gate. I thought that I’d missed you.”

Phoebe looked him over. He was older than she’d been told but seemed not to have gone to seed (yet).

“Hello Kevin. I’m Phoebe. The bar is showing a football match so I left.”

“What’s the…“ He, muttered then decided against asking for the score.

“Shall we sit over there. I’m sure that we can get served there?” he said hurriedly as he pointed at an alcove that was for the moment empty.”

“Ok,” replied Phoebe slightly reluctantly.

They did get served with some drinks and started talking. Phoebe noticed that whenever a cheer or a boo came from the bar Kevin’s eyes looked in that direction. After the fourth time, Phoebe came to a decision.

“Look Kevin, it is clear to me that you’d rather be in the bar watching some overpaid prima-donnas kicking a ball around so why don’t you go and do just that eh?”

She didn’t wait for a reply but stood up and left him alone. He was going to have to pay for the drinks as well. She left the Hotel and didn’t hesitate or even look back until she’d reached the Station. When she saw that she’d only have to wait a few minutes for a train she let out a huge breath and muttered ‘Fuck that for a game of soldiers’.

The next evening, Sky initiated a video call with Lana and Phoebe.

“Well Pheebs? How did it go?”

“Disaster,” said Phoebe with a very downbeat voice.

“Why? He came highly recommended to me,” asked Lana.

“He was late. Something about a flight but he was clearly more interested in the footie match than me so I left him to it.”

“A flight?” exclaimed Lana.

“That’s what he said. Something about not being able to get a gate. You said that he was a teacher so something’s not right there. He was very evasive when it came to describing his job.”

“Don’t worry Pheebs. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“Lana, please don’t bother. He was clearly more interested in the Footie match that was showing on TV than in me. That was obvious right from the start. He’s not the one for me by a long, long way.”

“Want to try again?” asked Sky.

“Maybe. If we put last night down to experience, I certainly don’t want that sort of thing to happen again. Then I will get a bit miffed and you know what I’m like when that happens.”

The other two women knew only two well that a ‘miffed’ Phoebe was trouble for everyone. They’d both seen her in action in court when a witness had tried to intimidate her. She’d torn the witnesses statement and previous answers to the court apart. The phrase ‘A woman scorned’ had been taken to a new level right in front of them. At the end of the day, even the prosecution Barrister had taken time to tell her ‘well done’. Phoebe was on cloud nine for the rest of the trial. Her client was acquitted of all charges.

“Don’t give me the eye Sky!” said Phoebe as she noticed Sky raising one eyebrow.

“Thanks for trying to set me up but from here on in, I’m going to do it my way. Ok?”

Reluctantly, the other two agreed to her request but during a phone call later on that evening, they agreed to keep on trying to get Phoebe a boyfriend.

[to be continued]

[The three friends are meeting up once again in London]

The girls laughed themselves silly when Phoebe said that she was not going to go on any more blind dates but that she’d signed up to a speed dating evening.

“But Pheebs…?” exclaimed Lana.

“But what?”

“But… you are just putting yourself… out there.”

“Isn’t that the aim of the game? To go out with some men in the hope that I find someone for a long-term relationship?”

“She’s right Lana,” said the third member of the trio, Sky.

“The more men that she meets outside of work the better. Even if ninety nine percent of them are complete jerks or morons or even worse, married men out for a bit on the side, she’ll get an idea about who she really wants to date.”

Lana shut up for the time being.

“When and where is this going to happen then Pheebs?” asked Sky.

“Thursday Evening in Brighton,” replied Phoebe.

“Then we will expect a full report on Friday won’t we Lana?”

“I can’t,” said Lana.

They both turned to look at Lana.

“Have you forgotten it is a bank holiday weekend? That means the in-laws will be visiting so Friday evening I’ll be knee deep in ironing and cleaning. His mother has a nose that sniffs out dust the moment she steps foot inside the house.”

“Tuesday then?” suggested Sky.

“Tuesday is fine. It is my last week at the Chambers.”

“No change on that front?” asked Lana.

“None at all. The head of chambers is away in the Med on his Yacht until next week. Everyone is keeping their heads down and saying nothing. I’m leaving no matter what.”

“You sound very sure about that?”

“It is time for a change. Where and what that is, I don’t know at the moment but I’m done getting the 07:04 train to London in the morning and more often than not, not getting home until midnight. The law sucks at least it does from where I sit. Fourteen-hour days! I’m done with that.”

“I’ll drink to that!” said Lana.

The three of them toasted the event.

---

[The following Thursday at the Speed Dating Event]

Phoebe arrived early and took up a position in the bar where she could see the others attending the event arriving. She still had some pride and was not going to put herself out there if they people on the other side of the table were in her words, ‘total tossers’ or married men out for a bit on the side.

A few men arrived and things didn’t look very promising. Phoebe bought herself another drink as solace. When she did so, she noticed another woman. You could hardly miss her because of her bright blue hair. From the direction of her gaze, she was ‘man watching’ as well. Phoebe turned back to watching the men.

More arrived and none of them were remotely interesting to Phoebe.

After a minute or so, she noticed a perfume in the air around her.

She turned to find the woman with the blue hair standing beside her.

“Doesn’t look too promising does it?” remarked the woman.

“Eh?”

“The quality of the men going into the Speed Dating event. I assume that is what you are here for isn’t it?”

“Y… Yes I am,” stuttered Phoebe.

“Same here. I try to size them up before going in. If there aren’t any possible then I don’t bother. These evenings can be incredibly frustrating don’t you agree?”

“It is the first time for me and yes the men for tonight are a bit iffy to say the least. Did you see the man in the Black Leather Jacket remove his wedding ring before going in?”

The woman smiled.

“I can see that you are a smart person. Very observant.”

The woman looked at her watch.

“It is time. Shall we go?” she said smiling.

“I’m not sure.”

“Why not give it a try. There is a break at eight. If it is hopeless we can do a runner.”

“We?”

“Sorry. I’ve done a few of these events and it is very noticeable that quite a few women go to the loo and don’t come back if the quality of the men is… well questionable.”

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ve paid for it so I might as well see what it is all about.”

“Lets’ go then…”

Together they walked into the room. All the men were grouped together on one side of the room and all the women on the other. People were eyeing each other up.

[one hour later]

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be taking a short break. Please be back in fifteen minutes,” said the woman who was the organiser.

There was a general dash to the toilets for the women and the bar for the men.

Phoebe walked out of the room and dithered. She couldn’t decide to just leg it or to go to the loo and suffer another hour of men trying to get her into bed on a first date. Only one man had been not like that but he was so boring that Phoebe even doubted that he’d even say ‘boo to a goose’ if his life depended on it.

“Going to leg it?” said a voice.

It was the woman with the coloured hair.

“I think so. That was a total disaster. A complete waste of twenty quid if you ask me.”

“I agree. I only came to this one as it is a new company running the show but most of the men I’ve seen before at other events like this.”

Then the woman said,
“Fancy legging it to a pub down the road? I could do with a drink after all that talking about nothing much at all?”

Phoebe thought for a moment. She didn’t have anything else to do.

“Yeah. Same here.”

Phoebe was surprised when the woman offered to buy her a drink.

“Thanks. I’ll have a pint of Harvey’s please.”

The woman grinned.

“Same here. I live only a few miles downwind from the brewery. I can smell it when they have a brew going.”

That told Phoebe that the woman lived in Lewes or just outside it. She immediately assumed that she worked in Brighton.

They found a quiet table and sat down.

The woman raised her glass and said,
“To better times ahead.”

Phoebe couldn’t disagree with that so she raised hers as well.

The woman put down her drink and said,

“I’m Samantha Mason.”

“Phoebe Russell.”

Samantha smiled.
“Nice to meet you Phoebe.”

[two hours and two pints later]

“I must be going. I have an early train to catch in the morning,” said Phoebe.

“Commuter then?”

“Yeah but not for much longer. One more week and that’s it.”

“What do you do?” asked Samantha.

“I’m a newly qualified Barrister but there is no room at my chambers so I’m taking a break. I’m not sure if I want to carry on with the law or at least carry on working in London.”

Samantha smiled.

“Good for you. I got out of the rat race more than five years ago. Now I work most of the time from home. Far better for the body and the bank balance.”

Phoebe finished her drink and stood up.

“It has been nice meeting you Samantha. It rescued what was turning out to be an awful evening.”

“Same here. Are you going my way?”

“I need to get the bus to Withdean.”

“Then we can walk together towards the bus stop in Old Stein if that is ok with you? I have to go past it on my way to the station.”
Then she added,
“If you don’t mind that is?”

When they reached the bus stop, they saw Phoebe’s bus disappearing into the night.

“Twenty minutes before the next one,” remarked Phoebe.

Samantha didn’t say anything right away.

“Phoebe, I rather like you. Can we do this again?”

This took Phoebe by surprise.

That level of surprise went through the roof as Samantha kissed her full on the lips.

For an instant Phoebe thought about breaking apart but didn’t. The kiss turned into a full-on snog.

When they broke apart Samantha said,

“Sorry about that. My mind went a bit crazy.”

“Same here.”
There was silence between the two of them for almost a minute.

“Yes,” said Phoebe finally.

“Yes, I’d like to do it again.”

They kissed again and Phoebe found herself enjoying it even more.

“I’ve never kissed a woman before,” she said when they broke apart.

“Same here,” replied Samantha.

“I never thought of myself to be a lesbian,” said Phoebe softly.

Samantha just smiled as she opened her purse and fished out a business card.

“That’s me. Give me a call when you get your mind back in gear. I’d like to really get to know you.”

“Same here,” muttered Phoebe as she took the card from Samantha.

Before they could say much more a load of people arrived to wait for the bus. Samantha hugged Phoebe and said quietly…

“Perhaps you aren’t a lesbian after all.”

With a final hug, Samantha disappeared in the direction of the Railway Station.

Phoebe was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost missed her stop but somehow her subconscious made her press the button to stop the bus at the right place. She was still in a daze when she got home.

The next day was no better. As it was a holiday weekend the courts normally rose at midday so many of the staff were let go just after lunch. By three in the afternoon, the Chambers were strangely quiet. Phoebe sat at her desk and started putting her meagre belongings into a bag. She’d been very distant all day. The events of the previous night were still uppermost in her mind.

She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t notice that her head of Chambers, Malcolm Edwards standing looking at her.

Eventually, she noticed him and she recoiled in surprise.

“Oh! Mr Edwards, I didn’t see you there. I thought that you were on holiday until the end of next week?” exclaimed Phoebe.

He smiled. His white teeth would not look out of place in a Hollywood Movie.

“That’s all right Phoebe. I also thought everyone had gone home for the weekend.”

“I’ll be gone in a few minutes. I was just packing up some of my things so that I don’t have to worry about them next Friday.”

“So, you are leaving us then?”

This threw Phoebe.

“Apparently so. No one has said anything about a position here and my pupil-ship ends next week. Besides, I was under the impression that your granddaughter was taking the spare room in Chambers? At least that’s what she told everyone when she came to measure up my desk space.”

The smile disappeared from his face in an instant.

“That is certainly not the case. Someone tipped me a nod to say that you were thinking of leaving us. That’s why I cut short my Holiday.”

“Oh!”

“Exactly, Oh!”
Then he added,
“Come into my office and let us discuss this like two adults eh?”

Reluctantly, Phoebe followed him into his office. She’d never been in there before. The walls were as she expected lined with law books but to her surprise, there was what was an original Picasso sketch on the wall near a very unused fireplace. Phoebe had heard rumours about the Picasso. Even though it was a sketch, it seemed very beautiful.

“Please sit down,” he said softly pointing at a large leather covered sofa.

Phoebe sat down. Malcom sat opposite her.

“There has obviously been a failure to communicate.”

Then he chuckled.

He saw Phoebe looking concerned.

“Sorry. I just remember that I watch the movie where that line came from on the flight home last night. I do apologise but it is true. I left instructions with my Clerk that you were to be offered the position in Chambers. My Granddaughter would have had it but was stupidly arrested for hitting a policeman when she was celebrating her passing the Bar exam. As you well know, we do not employ anyone with a criminal record or even if they have just been arrested and not charged. She’s gone home with her tail between her legs. She might, if she grovels enough she may be able to get a job doing mortgage conveyancing but I don’t hold out much hope for her. My son is livid as you’d expect.”

Phoebe was rather startled.

“No one has said anything about it at all. I just assumed that once my Pupilship was over that was it. I would be out of a job.”

“That is not what we want. You have been a real asset to Chambers and we want you to carry on that way.”

Phoebe was not going to be brushed off like that.

“I have been giving what I do next a good deal of thought.”

Malcolm smiled.

“I’m basically done with catching the train at seven in the morning and at least three nights a week, not getting home until close to midnight. And before you ask, I like living in Brighton and can’t afford anything more than a closet here in London. With the hit and miss of a Barristers income, getting a mortgage on anywhere decent for a few years is also out of the question.”

Malcolm nodded.

“I understand. I was pretty well broke by the time that I passed my Bar exam.”

It was Phoebe’s turn to nod.

“You didn’t have more than forty grand of student debt hanging over you though.”

“I didn’t, that is very true.”

“To be honest Mr Edwards, I have no idea what I’m going to do next. I may well take a year away from the Law and do something totally different. I need a break. If you recall, I started here a week after I graduated from University. Since then I’ve forgone six weeks of my statutory vacation because of the case load we had on at the time.”

“Oh! I didn’t know that.”

“Well, if you took the time to look at my timesheets over the past three years you will see that I’ve even worked on many public holidays because the lead Barristers decide at the last moment that they need more precedents dragged out of the archives before they can go to trial. I vowed never to work that way and the two cases that I have led which we won by the way, didn’t involve any burning of the candle at both ends and in the middle.”

Phoebe stood up.

“Thanks for finally taking an interest in me Mr Edwards but from where I’m standing, it is a case of too little too late so I respectfully decline the offer.”

Phoebe’s abruptness clearly rattled her boss.

“I’ll wish you a good night and I’ll see you after the holiday weekend.”

Without waiting for a reply, she left him alone.

Phoebe hurried back to her desk and gathered her things and headed for the exit. She’d almost reached it when she said ‘fuck!’. She turned around and went back to her desk. She had left her laptop on her desk. It needed to be locked away.

With that done, she made it out into the street and almost ran towards the station. The last thing she needed was her boss coming after her in the street.

Fifteen minutes later she got onto her train. She even managed to find a seat not that that was much relief. The seats on these new trains were as hard as rock.

Phoebe had stopped shaking by the time the train had stopped at Gatwick Airport. The farther they’d gotten from London the calmer she became.

By the time that she alighted from the train at Preston Park, Phoebe was actually starting to look forward to the weekend. She fully intended to sleep as much as possible and then perhaps, just perhaps go for a walk across the racecourse to a pub that was on the coast road for a late lunch on either Sunday or Monday.

---

That night, Phoebe slept like a log. All the tensions of the past month seemed to drain away in a hot bath fuelled by a nice bottle of wine. She rose to find a sea mist covering the whole town.

Phoebe knew that the mist would not stretch that far inland but was unsure about going inland or just getting something to eat and going back to bed.

A stifled yawn made the decision very easy.

The only trouble was that there was very little food in her flat. Normally on a Saturday, she’d have done her shopping for the week ahead and had cleaned the flat by midday. It was already past eleven and she had no determination to do anything normal at all.

She found some cheese in the fridge and coupled with a bit of pickle, it would keep the hunger pangs at bay for a while.

After eating it and drinking some water, she went back to bed. The months of working long hours was at and end for at least the time being.

It was getting dark by the time Phoebe woke up again. This time, she felt refreshed.

As she laid in bed, she started thinking about her encounter with Samantha Mason.

After a bit, Samantha’s parting words came back to her.

“Perhaps you aren’t a lesbian after all.”

Phoebe thought about it for a bit and then laughed.

“I’m not a lesbian but those kisses were really nice.”

---

[The following Tuesday]

A much-refreshed Phoebe arrived for work just before nine. The atmosphere in the Chambers Offices immediately told her that something was wrong. Everyone looked at her but didn’t say anything.

She reached her desk and found that the pile of work in progress ‘briefs’ that had been there before the weekend had been removed. She took this as a sign. A sign that she wasn’t welcome any longer.

After an hour, no one had spoken to her so she went in search of the chief clerk, Danny Swayne. He basically ran the chambers.

“Hi Danny,” said Phoebe, as she poked her head around his office door.

“Ah Miss Phoebe. I was wondering when I’d be seeing you.”
“Come on in and shut the door behind you.”

Phoebe sat down and didn’t wait for Danny to say anything.

“I guess I’m persona non grata around here now?”

Danny looked at her and nodded.

“Orders from above. I hear you told the boss that you were leaving.”

“Funny that Danny. He said that he’d told you to offer me a room here but I heard nothing from your direction…”

“Miss Phoebe, what you say is very true. One hundred percent true.”

“Why? We all know that you are a conniving devious SOB so?”

Danny smiled.

“I confess that it is all my doing.”

“But why?”

Danny sat back in his chair.

“It is well known that you are fed up commuting so I put some feelers out with an old Pupil of mine who just happens to be based in Brighton.”

“Eh?”

“For a job Phoebe, for a job.”

“I’m not sure.”

Danny laughed.

“The boss said that you were fed up with the law and might want to take a break. That’s good. This old pupil sat right where you are and said much the same thing. He took some time off and came back to the law. His chambers are different to the ones here in London. Why not setup a meeting and see what he has to offer eh? What have you got to lose?”

Phoebe didn’t answer so Danny answered for her.

“Nothing. You have nothing to lose.”

She knew that he was right.

“Ok. I’ll give him a call.”

Danny smiled.

“I’ll send you all his details to your phone.”

“Thanks Danny.”

“Now get yourself out of here and there is no need to come back. I’ll be sending you your P-45 and if I know the boss, an excellent reference. Officially, we will be making you redundant so that you can sign on if you want to and the boss says that there will be a nice settlement for your redundancy.”

“Redundant?”

“Redundancy pay is tax free for the first thirty grand.”

Phoebe twigged what was going on.

“I think I understand.”

Danny stood up and gave Phoebe a big hug.
“My door is always open to you. Don’t be a total stranger eh?”

Phoebe didn’t know what was really happening but before she really got her wits about herself, she was walking towards the Station and her train home.

---

Phoebe spent a couple of days moping around at home. Suddenly not having to get up at the crack of dawn was slightly unnerving at first but a few walks over the downs between the showers got her brain working again.

It turned first towards finding another job but soon the memory of the meeting with Samantha pushed it to one side. There was no doubt that Samantha had made a huge impression on Phoebe. She’d never met anyone remotely like her and that was part of the problem. She could not put her finger on what it was but it would not go away.

Was it the hair? Was it her clothes? Was it the kisses? Was it something she’d said? Phoebe began to get frustrated at not being able to pin what ‘it’ was down. Her otherwise perfectly logical mind had been thrown by that evening. The evening at the speed dating event that she didn’t go to but instead she’d met Samantha and suddenly her whole world had been turned upside down.

In the end, Phoebe could not shake off the image of Samantha so one evening, she called her.

“Samantha, its Phoebe…”

[to be continued]

[Phoebe was on the phone to Samantha Mason]

“Sorry for not calling you before this. Things have been a bit hectic since we met.”

“How? Well, I’m now unemployed for starters.”

“A bit of a long story but that isn’t why I called.”

Phoebe took a deep breath before she replied.

“To be honest Samantha, I could not get you out of my mind.”

Phoebe relaxed when she heard Samantha say almost the same thing.
“I would love to meet you again.”

“That would be great. How do I get there?”

“That sounds better. I’ll get the train from London Road. I’ll let you know what train I’m on. I’ll probably be there in a couple of hours.”

Phoebe laughed.

“Why? I’m still in my jimjams and I know it is after ten.”

“That would certainly give my fellow travellers something to talk about all right.”

“No, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“Bye.”

Phoebe put the phone down and found that she was shaking.

Until now her life had been one of certainty and things going to plan. What she’d done since meeting Samantha for the first time, was certainly not in her grand plan for her life. But, she’d made the decision to quit her job and she’d have to go wherever her spirit lead her. The past week had all been ‘off plan’ and while unsettling it was certainly interesting and very much out of character for her but she was enjoying it.

He biggest task was to find something to wear. Her wardrobe contained two basic sets of clothes. Black or Dark Grey suits for work and a mismatch of clothes where most of them had been bought on a whim and without any real thought as to what sort of look she wanted to create. Her dress sense was almost non-existent which was totally different to the image that Samantha had presented at the Speed Dating event.

Samantha had been immaculately dressed. Her outfit went with her hair and… well everything. Phoebe knew from bitter experience that, that sort of result does not come easy or cheap.

Phoebe was a very different animal. She had to try to dress to impress at least a little bit.

Her bedroom looked like a bomb had hit it by the time she’d decided on what to wear. Grey Trousers and Black Ankle Boots with a Light Blue and Green Tunic top.

Then she panicked. Samantha had been impeccably made up plus her accessories were just right for the evening. Phoebe and makeup really didn’t get on very well. Minimal makeup was good for appearing in court. For many Judges, even a whiff of perfume could lead to a contempt fine. She normally just used deodorant and that was it.

As she applied some she chuckled as she remembered her Prosecution Barrister getting a reprimand from Mr Justice Hammond for having too much ‘smelly stuff’ on. He denied it and after approaching the bench, the Judge had to agree. Then all the fingers were pointing in her direction as the only woman on either team until the clerk of the court pointed out that it was the Prosecution Barrister who was the culprit. The law has many strange ways.

Once she’d applied just a little mascara and some translucent lip gloss, she pronounced herself ready to go.

---

Phoebe arrived in Lewes just under the two hours that she’d estimated. Samantha was waiting for her outside the station. What Phoebe hadn’t expected was that Samantha was driving an Electric Car, a Red Tesla. There was far more to Samantha than Phoebe had realised from their one meeting.

“Quick get in. That Traffic Warden over by the car park ticket machine, has been eyeing me up for a while now.”

Phoebe climbed in and put on her seat belt.

Samantha took off out of the station. Phoebe was startled by the lack of noise.

Samantha saw the look of concern on her face.

“Don’t worry, it won’t run out of power. Well at least not this side of Birmingham it won’t…”

Phoebe relaxed and let Samantha drive. It soon became clear to Phoebe that Samantha was an excellent driver.

Ten minutes later, Samantha pulled off the country lane into a driveway that led to a large house in the distance. She didn’t head to the ‘big house’ but turned a sharp left and pulled up behind the gatehouse to the property.

“Here we are. My little home from home.”

Samantha led the way into the house. Phoebe noticed straight away that it was furnished in a very modern style. She tried to think of the word for it. Then it came to her, ‘Contemporary’.

“Come on through,” said Samantha as she led Phoebe into the Kitchen. Sunlight streamed through the south facing window.

Phoebe started to feel a bit unsure.

“Please take a seat. I’ll put the kettle on.”

“Err… Sorry, I don’t drink tea or coffee after midday. There is nothing worse than coming down from a Caffeine high when you are trying to get a witness to confess to a crime or you are presenting your closing arguments at the end of a case.”
Phoebe suddenly felt a bit silly. She was not likely to be representing someone in court for some time to come, if ever.

Samantha chuckled.

“Water then?”

“That will be fine.”

“Flat or Fizzy?”

“As it comes out of the tap will do fine.”

Samantha put a glass of water on the table in front of Phoebe. She sat opposite her.

“It was nice of you to call. I was thinking a lot about you these past few days.”

“S… same here,” replied Phoebe.

“I’m sorry for being so forthcoming the other night.”

“I… I didn’t expect it that’s all.”

Samantha chuckled.

“Neither did I but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Phoebe felt herself going a bit red in the face.

“I… I enjoyed it but I shouldn’t have.”

“I noticed at the time.”

“And now you feel rather guilty?”

“I do but… Oh tosh. I don’t know. Everything is up in the air at the moment. I’m out of a job and I fancy the heck out of another woman.”

Samantha was suddenly very alert.

“You mentioned something about that. What happened?”

“I told you that my pupilship was coming to an end and that the head of chambers hadn’t offered me a position as a Barrister in the Chambers?”

“Yes, you did so what happened?”

“Well, after our little encounter at the speed dating, my mind was all in a mess. The next day it was if anything a lot worse and the head of chambers came to talk to me about the future. I told him that I was going to do something different. The next thing I knew was that all my cases had been re-assigned and I was out on my ear. Ok, so I got a nice pay off but that was it. I was made redundant so I can sign on and I have some contacts here but that’s not the point. I meet you and my life has totally gone to pot since.”

Samantha hugged Phoebe.

“Sorry for messing you up like that. For what it is worth, you did the same to me. I nearly lost a contract because I wasn’t concentrating. Luckily, I grovelled and the customer gave me another week to get it done. Then you called. Thankfully, almost all the outstanding work is all finished.”

Samantha sighed as she let Phoebe go.

She looked Phoebe right in the eyes.
“This is all rather strange for both of us. I don’t know about you but I’d never looked at another woman before I met you and then… As we talked the other evening I got this vision of us being a couple. Then I thought I’d messed it up by kissing you but, you responded.”

“I sort of did, didn’t I? That messed me up as well but it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”

There was a bit of an uneasy silence between the two. It was Phoebe who broke it.

“Do you want to try a relationship? Just to see how it pans out?”

Samantha didn’t respond right away. In the end, she just nodded her head.

“I do. I do want to try.”

This time it was Phoebe who made the next move.
She kissed Samantha.

When they broke apart she said,
“You have work to do so during normal office hours, you do your job.”

Samantha laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“You were speaking like a Barrister giving instructions to your client about what to say when being questioned…?”

“Sorry.”

“No, it is good. Setting some limits is ok by me.”

Phoebe thought for a moment before saying…

“I do have a problem. You remember I told you about my two friends?”

“Oh yes. Lana and Sky if my memory is correct?”

“Yes, that’s them. I’m due to meet them next Tuesday and I was wondering…?” asked Phoebe.

“If I’d come with you and let them pass judgement on me?”

“If I told them that I was in a relationship with another woman they’d laugh themselves silly but once they meet you, they might get a better idea of what I saw and indeed see in you?”

“Sort of like meeting the parents?” Joked Samantha.

Phoebe’s face drained of colour in an instant.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“I have not spoken or even thought of them for five years. They never wanted me to study law. They had a future for me all planned out with me getting married and having a fistful of kids by the time I was twenty-five. Mum had me and four brothers and her mum had her and five other siblings. Then I went and told them that I was going to Uni rather than getting married to the boy from the next street. That’s what life is like in the Welsh Valleys. You do what your ma and pa did and don’t complain. If the pits were still open, my brothers would be down the mine like their forefathers did before them. Instead, they are all car mechanics. I’m not sure that they’d like me turning up in your car. They’d see it as a threat to their livelihoods. I think they are wrong by the way. We represented a client who owned a Nissan Leaf where the battery died after six months. The garage initially tried to get out of honouring the terms of the warranty that came with the car but in the end, they settled out of court… but I’m rambling.”

Samantha took Phoebe’s hand and smiled.

“I get the message. I’m pretty well a stranger to my family as well.”

“So? Will you do it?”

Samantha smiled.

“Yes, I will. It will be fun to meet your friends and to see the expression on their faces but there is one problem we have to sort out before then.”

“Eh?”

“What you are going to wear. I can’t be seen to show you up, now can I? What would they say then eh?”

Phoebe had to admit that even today, Samantha looked perfect. Not a hair out of place and her clothes were brilliantly coordinated. Phoebe by contrast looked like a slob.

Before Phoebe could object Samantha raised her hand and said,
“We can sort that out over the weekend but my dear, you are going to have to start taking care of your skin, aren’t you?”

Phoebe knew exactly what Samantha was talking about. Sky had been on at her for months to start looking after her skin but she hadn’t gone any farther than buying the cleansers and creams. It was just too much of a ‘faff’ to do when she had to get to work so early.

“Ok, ok! Message understood. You aren’t the only one to mention that to me but I never had time.”

“And now you do so no skimping eh? You don’t have a train at some ungodly hour to catch so make use of the time.”

“Yes… yes dear!” said Phoebe mimicking Samantha.

Samantha smiled.

“Now give me a really good kiss before I take you to the station!”

Almost an hour later the two kissed again outside the station. Phoebe on cloud nine as she waved goodbye to Samantha.

---

Phoebe arrived home full of beans. Her joy was short-lived. Lying on the mat was a credit card bill for some three thousand pounds.

She sat looking at it for almost an hour. She’d not bought any of the items listed apart from one thing. It seemed obvious to her that her card details had been hacked.

Phoebe picked up her phone not relishing the call that she was going to make to her credit card company. Her only bargaining point was that as she didn’t own a car why would she have bought a whole load of car parts.

She need not have worried. Less than a minute into the call, her legal training kicked in and the poor person dealing with her didn’t have a chance. She got the bank to look into the delivery address for the parts. Those parts had not been delivered to her first floor flat. There was no way a replacement gearbox for a BMW M3 would have been carried up the stairs to her flat and that she didn’t have a driving license and never owned a car.
She asked for the delivery dates and addresses. The bank stalled so she mentioned reporting the fraud to the Police. Her legal training helped her ask a load of questions in such a way that it was hard for the bank to wriggle out of giving her an answer. She’d recorded the whole conversation with the bank just in case.

After nearly an hour of frustration on the phone Phoebe was put through to a Fraud Department Senior Investigator. Using her best persuasive manner, she managed to get the charges removed at least on a temporary basis. The downside was that her one and only credit card was toast. The bank had told her to cut the wretched thing up. She did this gladly but it stymied any clothes shopping beyond one complete outfit.

---

That episode left Phoebe in a pretty down state of mind. Other women may well have gone shopping just to get rid of the blues but she was not really that sort of person. Going to town with her friends really had not appealed to her but she went on most of their trips. Most of the time she’d gotten away with just buying something that she needed and especially not shoes. Her long time ‘BFF’ Mandy from back in Wales, had a shoe collection that may well have rivalled Imelda Marcos had she not died due to some mysterious infection that she’d picked up when her family went to Brazil on holiday.

Phoebe to that day always asked herself ‘what would Mandy buy?’ when faced with a mountain of choices when it came to shoes.

Thinking of Mandy made her even sadder. She sat alone in her flat thinking of what might have been until it was quite dark. Then she cursed herself for not putting on the light as she stubbed her foot on the large wooden posts that made up her bed frame.

The day which had started out so well had gone downhill from the moment she’d arrived home from Samantha’s.

It was times like this that she would have loved to have someone to cuddle up to.

Just a few miles away, Samantha was in a similar state of mind. Meeting Phoebe again had made her anxious and that was something that she’d not been for a while. Doing any work that involved anything but a modicum of concentration was next to impossible so she set off the system to run some soak tests. They should be done by the morning if all went well.

That gave her time to go over her meeting with Phoebe. After a couple of hours, the only answer she could come up with was that it just felt right. Holding Phoebe was unlike any feeling she’d ever had before and certainly not with a man.

That left Samantha with a huge problem. Sooner or later, she’d have to tell Phoebe about her past even though it was pretty horrible. Samantha for all her external appearances knew that she was damaged goods in the eye of many people.

About the time that Phoebe was stubbing her toe on her bed, Samantha was making a resolution to tell Phoebe about her past before she met Phoebe’s friends.

The two women went to sleep that night dreaming about each other and wondering if they were any good for the other one in the long term.

[to be continued]

Phoebe moped around home for the rest of the week. She was unsure about calling Samantha because she didn’t know what to say to her over the phone and she didn’t want to stop her doing her job. In the end, late on Friday afternoon, she called Samantha.

“Hi Samantha, this is Phoebe.”

“Ha-ha, yes, I have been thinking about you. A lot actually.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting your work?”

“Oh good,” said Phoebe breathing a sigh of relief that she hoped didn’t make it down the phone.

“Would you be open to coming to Dinner tomorrow night?”

Phoebe burst out laughing.

“Great minds and all that.”

Then Phoebe’s legal training kicked in but she hoped in a nice way.

“As I asked first, how about you come to me?”

“Good. I’ll text you my address and how to find my front door. It isn’t exactly straightforward.”

“About seven good enough?”

“To be perfectly honest Samantha, I don’t have a clue. Is there anything that you don’t like?”

As soon as she’d said it, Phoebe hated herself. All her training was about not asking open ended questions. Luckily, Samantha answered directly.

“Nothing? That is a surprise. My friend Sky is so picky with her food.”

“No, I have no idea at all or should I say a bit of ‘wait and see’?”

They both laughed at her joke.

“Oh, and there really is no need to dress up.”

Once again, Phoebe had put her foot in it.

“Again, to be frankly honest, I really don’t have anything suitable to wear. Clothes and me really don’t mix. I’m not one of those shopaholic women. I’m sure that you know some of them yourself.”

Once again Phoebe had put both feet right in it and she was sinking fast. How dare she presume that Samantha was not a ‘shopaholic’. She knew that Samantha had fantastic dress sense and … She realised that she was up shit creek without a paddle. Samantha was really having an effect on her.

Luckily, Samantha came to her rescue and suggested that they met earlier in the day to hopefully rectify Phoebe’s lack of clothes suitable for going out with Samantha.

“Yes, I know where it is. Why?”

“Oh! Wait and see?”

Phoebe laughed.

“I’ll see you there then.”

When the phone call had ended, Phoebe wondered what she’d let herself in for. She’d agreed to meet Phoebe at a Self-Storage facility near the port in Shoreham the following lunchtime.

Five minutes later panic set in. Without really thinking thing through, she’d invited Samantha for Dinner and… and what if she stayed the night? Would she find all that dust that she’d been ignoring for months?

There was nothing for it but give her home a much needed thorough clean from top to bottom.

---

Phoebe called it a day just before midnight. The kitchen, bathroom and her bedroom gleamed. Well, they did if you didn’t look too closely at the curtains in her bedroom. They really needed to be taken to the cleaners but that would have to wait for another day.

Feeling totally worn out, she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep still dressed in her cleaning clothes happy that only her sitting room come dining room remained to be cleaned.

Phoebe’ slept but only for a couple of hours. She woke with a start and realised that she still hadn’t a clue about what to serve her guest. She collapsed back onto the bed, her mind a total mess. Samantha had this effect on her which was causing her cosy and organised world to slowly disintegrate in a way that she’d never experienced before.

She’d been called ‘OCD’ at times in her past. Everything had to be just so. Not any more it didn’t. The habit of a lifetime had just blown away on a stiff sea breeze probably never to return.

Phoebe laid there for a good hour tossing all sorts of things around in her mind. She’d wanted a change and meeting Samantha had really brought that home with a bang. She was also sure that the changes would continue which both pleased her and troubled her. She was riding this wave of emotion and like all waves, she had absolutely zero control on when that wave would come crashing ashore onto some rocks.

---

The morning dawned and Phoebe felt as if she’d been through the wringer, twice! She took a long shower and gradually turned off the hot water. That was followed by two large mugs of black coffee. Slowly, some form of normality returned to her demeanour.

As she sat in the kitchen, Phoebe started to think about the day ahead. The question uppermost on her mind was… ‘what was Samantha going to show her at this storage unit? And what was so important that she saw it that day when she should be cooking dinner for the pair of them?’

Those and a load more questions had to remain unanswered for the time being. The question of what to wear had to come first.

She reasoned that if they were meeting at a storage unit, something might have to be moved so black leggings, black ‘Chelsea boots’ and a dark top that was not exactly new seemed to be the order of the day.

As she put on the leggings she realised that her one and only pair were getting rather thin. A good look in the mirror revealed not only a panty line but she could see the colour of her knickers. That was not good. Then she had an idea.

After a good rummage in her bedroom which at the start of the day looked nice and tidy and was now anything but, she found an old denim mini skirt. With an intake of breath and a bit of a prayer, she stepped into it. It fitted… just but would have to do. She made a mental note to throw it out and get a new skirt at least one size larger. She was no longer a fairly skinny sixteen-year-old girl about town. Then she laughed. She’d never been a ‘girl about town’ when she was sixteen or seventeen let alone now!

---

With one eye on the clock, Phoebe put on some makeup. ‘Less is more’ was flavour of the day. She was sure that Samantha would be perfectly made up but this would have to do.

Feeling at last happy with her state of mind, she put on her jacket and left her home only to return two minutes later. She hadn’t realised just how persistent the rain was. She put on her waxed cotton jacket that had been a present ‘for going away to University’ from her Grandmother. That was the last time she’d seen her alive. Two short months later she died. Out of respect she’d worn the jacket to the funeral which had not gone down well with some of her relatives. Once she’d explained why she was wearing it, most of them calmed down. Only her father remained intransigent. He said ‘you are not coming in the car wearing that thing!’. That was his word which in her family home was a good as passing a law. She was left to get two busses to the church which resulted in her missing the service. Luckily the vicar took pity on her and gave her a lift to the crematorium much to the chagrin of her Father. They’d not spoken since. He thought it should be Phoebe who should apologise and she thought that it should be the other way around. The ‘Mexican’ standoff had lasted ever since and the new Phoebe was even more determined to live her life as she thought fit and not how her family wanted it to be.

The very thought of having a multitude of children in quick succession fathered by god knows whom which seemed the norm in the part of South Wales where she’d been brought up made her shudder. That was not her in any shape or form. Never had been and would never be if she had anything to do about it.

She put those memories behind her as she went down the hill towards Preston Park Station. She knew the timetables back to front and upside down from her time commuting. There was a train that would take her to Shoreham due in ten minutes if it was on-time. She chuckled. Since the May timetable change, services running on-time during the day had been almost an event worthy of headline news on the BBC they were that bad. Still she hoped that if it was running that it would be only a few minutes late.

To her surprise, the train was on-time. She chuckled to herself. ‘now that I don’t need them to run on time, they do!’…

---

Samantha was surprised to see Phoebe waiting for her outside the storage units. She’d driven over from Lewes in the pouring rain.

She leaned over and opened the door for Phoebe. As she did so, she noticed a red car pull into the entrance. She swore. ‘Fuck!’.

“Sorry love, not you but that jerk who has been following me off and on all week.”

Phoebe half turned to look at the ‘jerk’ but stopped. She closed the door and buckled up the seat belt.

Samantha drove slowly to a container in the far corner of the site and stopped. They both looked around and as yet, there was no sign of the red car.

“What are we doing here?” asked Phoebe.

“With that tail, leading them up the garden path I hope.”

She dug around in the centre console and extracted a tool.

“This is a valve removal tool. You take off the dust cap and…”

“I know, unscrew the valve and let his tyre down!” said Phoebe as she completed the sentence.

Samantha leaned over and gave her a brief kiss on the lips.

“That will have to do for now. Well, until we get rid of him that is. Are you up for it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. If you leg it, you should be able to get to his car and do the dirty while I open the unit I have here and appear to be doing something inside. There isn’t anything inside but an old dressmakers dummy and some furniture that really needs sorting out.”

Phoebe took the tool and without hesitation got out of Samantha’s car and disappeared around the back of some other containers.

Samantha meanwhile, opened the doors of the container and disappeared inside hoping that Phoebe could disable her unwanted tail.

Phoebe managed to get to the red vehicle without being seen by the driver. There was no one in sight so after taking a deep breath, she knelt down at the rear of the car on the passenger’s side. It didn’t take long for the air to start escaping from the tyre. It quickly went flat once she’d removed it completely.

With a bit of a smile on her face, she screwed the valve back into the tyre. Then she legged it back to Samantha hoping that the driver would not put 2 and 2 together.

As she turned the next to last corner, she literally ran into a man. Then she had a flash of inspiration.

“Do you own a red car?” she asked the man.

“Yes. Why?”

“One of the tyres is flat!” replied Phoebe with a grin on her face.

“Why you!” said the man as he lifted an arm. He didn’t strike her but instead ran off towards his car.

Phoebe ran to the container where Samantha was waiting. Samantha saw the look of success on Phoebe’s face and locked up the container without waiting for an explanation. They both got into Samantha’s car.

Samantha stopped at the entrance where the man was looking even angrier than before.

She lowered the window and said,
“You can tell my father that I’m meeting with my lawyer and you and he are not invited. Understand!”

“Why you little…” said the man. He had anger and revenge in his eyes.

Phoebe leaned over and said,
“You really do need to stop following my client or I’ll get a restraining order on you. Stalking of women is frowned upon by the law these days. You can tell your client to stop or we will take you and him to court. Do you understand that?”

The man glared at both women. Slowly he nodded his head.

“Good. Now we will be meeting to discuss legal matters with my client. Any more interruptions will mean getting the Police involved. Before you start thinking that I’m just some unqualified paralegal, I am a fully qualified Barrister who just happens to have a one hundred percent success rate in court. So, do you really want to carry on stalking my client or not? Up to you. If you do then I will make sure that you are arrested for stalking. That would not look good on your CV now will it? When you get out of jail that is…”

Phoebe didn’t wait for a reply. She operated the button to raise the window. Samantha took the hint and drove off.

Phoebe sank back into her seat shaking like a leaf.

“We ain’t Thelma and Louise that’s for sure,” she said as Samantha drove onto the A27 road and headed west.

“Oh, I don’t know. That was pretty good in my eyes. You gave him both barrels and then some,” said her partner in crime.

Then she added,
“I took a number of pictures of you wagging your finger at him just in case.”

“Where are we going now?” asked Phoebe trying to change the subject.

“A little place called Ford. Do you know it?”

“Sort of next to Littlehampton? Also, home to an Open Prison and an old WW2 airfield.” replied Phoebe.

“That’s the place. Besides the Prison and where there are car-boot sales there is an industrial park.”

“What’s there?”

Samantha smiled.

“A veritable treasure trove. That’s where we will solve your clothes problem.”

Phoebe didn’t like the sound of that but relaxed and let Samantha do the driving.

The car was so smooth and quiet. This was the first real journey she’d made in an electric car. Everything about the car said ‘expensive’ but from the way Samantha zoomed past a slow-moving car it was worth every penny of whatever it cost. Phoebe was too polite to dare to ask how much it cost but she knew that is wasn’t cheap.

After a few minutes, she saw that Samantha’s left hand was really doing nothing. Phoebe put her right hand into hers. The both smiled at each other.

“I missed you,” said Phoebe quietly.

“Same here,” replied Samantha and gave Phoebe’s hand a squeeze.

“We are going to have to do something about that man,” said Phoebe as they got stuck in the traffic around Worthing.

“It is all down to my father. He wants me out of my home even though my grandmother specifically gave it to me in her will. He had to pay all the inheritance tax himself which went down like a lead balloon. We have hardly said a civil word to each other in over ten years. And he insists on calling me ‘he’ or ‘it’.”

Phoebe knew that there was a lot of history behind what Samantha was talking about. She decided to keep quiet in the hope that Samantha would find the right words to tell her all about what had gone on between her and her father.

Samantha stopped at a roadside burger van.
“They do a good cuppa here,” remarked Samantha as she got out of the car.

Phoebe followed her and they ordered two ‘drivers teas’. With them in hand, they walked back to Samantha’s car.

Once inside, Samantha said,
“I owe you an explanation about so many things.”

Phoebe noticed that Samantha was unsure about what to say. This was totally out of character for her. She let Samantha take her time.

Samantha reached into the back of the car and pulled out a photo album. She put it on the centre console. She didn’t open it right away. Instead she said,

“If you want to bail out when you see what is inside, I’ll fully understand. Not everyone can handle this.”

Phoebe smiled.

“I’ll try.” She said,

Samantha opened the album. There was one picture on the first page. It showed a man, a woman and a young boy.

“That’s my father, mother and….”

Then in almost a whisper she added, “me.”

It took several seconds for Phoebe’s mind to grasp what was on show in front of her.

“I knew from about the age of six, that I should have been born a woman. My gran saw this as clear as daylight.”

Then she turned the page.

Again, there was one photo. This time it was of a young girl aged about ten.

“That’s me in my first dress. That was the first day in my life that I felt happy. I felt as if I’d been reborn. Gran and I went up to Croydon by train and we bought it together. I changed into it on the train coming back to Lewes. Gran was so pleased to see her granddaughter so happy.”

Phoebe looked at Samantha. She could see a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

“From that day on, I spent as much time as I could with Gran. Dad didn’t mind as he was always up in London doing his business. Mum didn’t work, Dad said her place was in the home. With servants, she had nothing to do so she turned to drink. She eventually went a bit bonkers and was committed. He never told me where she was or is. He moved on and has had a series of escorts ever since.”
Samantha paused for a second.

“He’s never really been able to accept that I no longer his son but his daughter.”

Phoebe’s mind had done about ten ‘ctrl-alt-del’ reboots by now an was just about operating again.

“You are trans?”

“Guilty as charged I’m afraid.”

Phoebe sank back into the car seat.
“Oh fuck! It all starts to make sense now!”

Samantha looked horrified.

Phoebe leaned over and kissed her briefly.

“Samantha Mason, you have come into my life and not only turned it upside down but inside out and ten times over. I think I have fallen in love with you. Sitting here right now, is the only place I want to be.”

Samantha froze solid. She’d never had anyone say that to her and especially when she’d just told them about her past.

“You don’t mind? You don’t mind having a relationship with someone like me?”

Phoebe looked Samantha right in the eyes for several seconds. Then she replied,
“I honestly don’t know for the long term but at the moment, I’m like the Elvis song, ‘All shook up’. To have a relationship with someone is a rarity for me so I’m kinda flying blind here as I expect you are to some extent. I say, let’s go for it and see where it takes us eh?”

They kissed for a long time. Phoebe felt Samantha relax in her arms.
Then Samantha’s words from the end of their first encounter came into her mind.

Phoebe could not stop herself from laughing even though their mouths were locked together. This caused them to break apart.

“What was so funny?”

“I remembered what you said to me at the bus stop that first night.”
Before Samantha could answer, Phoebe carried on,
“You said, ‘Perhaps you aren’t a lesbian after all’. I now know what you meant.”

They both laughed.

“I tried to let you know but you called me and… well, here we are,” said Samantha.
“I felt something about you the moment we started talking in the pub. That’s why I kissed you. My heart went bonkers when you responded to my kiss. Then you called me and…”
“But I had to tell you the truth about me today if there was to be any future in us being together.”

Phoebe looked Samantha right in the eyes.
“I’ve never even felt remotely like I do now about someone as I do about you. I meant what I said just now. If this is what love is, then I want it all, I want it now!”

This time, Samantha laughed.
“What’s so funny?”

“You just quoted a line from a Queen song.”

They both laughed again.

“It’s true, I do,” said Phoebe.

“Same here,” whispered Samantha as she wiped a tear of happiness from her eyes.

[to be continued]

“Shall we carry on?” asked Samantha after a particularly long kiss.
“Or do you want to sit here kissing all day?”

“Oh... that is a difficult choice, but upon reflection, please carry on. I want to see what more surprises you have for me,” replied a very happy Phoebe.

Once back on the road, a very determined Samantha took control of the car. She had a definite purpose in her attitude now that the weight of telling Phoebe about herself had been lifted.

Phoebe sat back and let Samantha drive. She clearly knew where she was going. Once they reached the small business park in Ford, she stopped outside one of the many identical units on the site. A sign on the wall said ‘Schwartz Brothers, Props and Theatrical Costumiers’.

Phoebe wondered what the connection was between the Schwartz Brothers and Samantha. Mason to the best of her knowledge was not a Jewish name. From her limited knowledge, anyone called Schwartz usually was or had some Jewish connection but, as they got out of the car she reminded herself that she must not jump to conclusions and go only by the facts.

She needed not have worried. As soon as Samantha opened the door, she saw a picture of a man who could only be a Hasidic Jew. The Black hat, coat and ringlets really gave the game away.

Samantha saw Phoebe’s eyes that were almost staring at the picture.

She chuckled.
“This is all part of the disguise. The name is totally fictitious as is the picture. Well, it was taken over forty years ago in Hebron and he was an old man then. At least that is what my Grandmother told me when she told me about her little secret stash of goodies.”

Phoebe waited for the next part of the story.

“Gran was a top fashion model in the late 1950’s and the first half of the 1960’s. She was too curvy for the changing fashions when the likes of Twiggy came onto the scene so she retired. In the time, she’d been at the top, she’d amassed a huge collection of clothes and other items. Much of the fashion is typical of the ‘Haute Couture’ of the time. The rest is from top ready to wear labels. That is where I get the clothes I wear from… Or well, t least the designs. I’m too big for the clothes that Gran modelled. She would be a size 8 or 10 by today’s standards. I browse the collection to decide on some new clothes for the coming season and I give the originals to a lovely lady called Jackie. She should be here soon. She takes the clothes I select and makes me new and slightly updated versions of those items.”

“How does that affect me?”

“Well my dear Phoebe, if you are going to be seen in my company then you need to look the part don’t you. No more lawyer drab I’m afraid.”

Phoebe started to understand.

“But… what about your Father. Hadn’t I better look like a lawyer if… if I am right that you want me to get him off your back once and for all?”

Samantha went a bit red in the face.

“That first night, I kissed you because I wanted to. There was something about you that told me that you must not let this girl go. It was only later and after your visit to me that I started to wonder about you and my father but I knew that I’d have to come totally clean about who I was and how I got here first. If you hadn’t run a mile once I’d told you, then I was going to bring it up. The numpty who followed us today made that cunning plan totally redundant. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner about me and so far, you have not run a mile. There is a railway station about a mile away by the way if you do want to bail out...”

Phoebe stood silent for nearly a minute. She looked at Samantha and her heart was pounding away at sixty to the dozen.

“I’m going nowhere. This has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride so far and I want it to continue. I expect that one day I’ll probably crash and burn but my past experiences of relationships, is that none of them have gotten anywhere near where we are today.”

Phoebe leaned over and kissed Samantha. It went on for quite a while and was only interrupted by the arrival of another woman.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said quietly.

Samantha laughed.
“Hi Jackie.”

“Good morning Miss Samantha.”

“Jackie, this is Phoebe. Phoebe, meet Jackie, the wizard seamstress if this part of the world.”

“Pleased to meet you Jackie.”

Jackie gave Phoebe the once over from top to bottom and back to top again.

“This is going to be fun,” she said in a distinct Liverpudlian accent.

Phoebe suddenly felt naked. Jackie had obviously mentally undressed her in an instant.

“Phoebe here is by training a lawyer and a barrister so needs plain clothes but I want her looking the part when she is with me,” said Samantha.

Jackie looked at Samantha. Then at Phoebe and back at Samantha. Then she raised an eyebrow.

“I get it,” said Jackie.

Then she addressed Phoebe.

“Samantha here has never told anyone about this place before today. You must be really special to her if she has brought you here. I don’t want Sam to regret doing so understand?”

“Samantha is very special to me and I know when to keep my mouth shut. I already know that there are people who would love to know about this place. Samantha is…”

She smiled and looked at Samantha

“is or will be when she gives me a retainer a client of mine. That means anything she says or tells me is privileged.”

Then Phoebe smiled.

“Besides, I want to look my best when I introduce Samantha to my BFF’s next week.”

Jackie’s face dropped.

“I can work miracles when the mood takes me but they don’t happen overnight.”

Samantha laughed.

“Don’t worry Jackie, we’ll get something nice for Phoebe off the shelf for next week. But her wardrobe is by her own admission, mostly black and grey. That needs to change if we are going to be seen in Public together.”

“Good!” said Jackie.
“As long as we are clear about what I can and can’t do.”

“Jackie, if what Samantha has told me is true then I know that getting me sorted won’t happen overnight. There is a lot more that I need to work on apart from clothes isn’t there?”

Jackie just grunted.

“Why don’t you let Jackie run her tape measure over you while I go and look for a few things?” suggested Samantha.

“I still have not finished that last skirt for you so why don’t you give Phoebe the grand tour while I get it done then I’ll clear my bench so to speak?”

Samantha thought for a few seconds. Then she smiled and took Phoebe’s hand. Then she led her into the back of the unit.

As they stepped into the large warehouse part of the building, the light came on to reveal rack after rack after rack of clothes. Most were encased in plastic covers.

“There are almost a thousand items here. The covers are the same sort of cover that museums use for vintage garments.”

Phoebe stood there open mouthed.

“This place is huge.”

“The next-door unit is also mine. It has all the accessories and lots of period furniture.”

Phoebe’s ears picked up at the mention of furniture.

“Do you like that sort of thing?”

“Yeah. My Uncle Idris used to run what he called an ‘Antiques and Curio’s Emporium’ in Ebbw Vale. It was mostly junk but every so often someone would come in with a decent item to sell. That table by the door in your container is the sort of thing that he’d loved to have had.”

“Eh? That old thing?”

“From the brief look that I got of it, I think it is a late Victorian copy of an eighteenth century gateleg table. If it is by who I think it is, it might be worth five hundred quid. The same would go for a lot of the early sixties designer pieces. Anything from that era by Panton, Ghyczy or Conran and the like could fetch a small fortune these days.”

Samantha was obviously shocked by not only the knowledge that Phoebe had but equally by what she was saying.

“If it was all collected at the time by your Gran then you could well be sitting on a lot of Museum quality pieces,” added Phoebe.

“Fuck!” muttered Samantha under her breath.
“Sorry for that I don’t normally swear.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too soon. I’ll need to spend a good time looking at it all and doing some research.”

Samantha smiled.

“Are you sure that you are a Lawyer? Shouldn’t you have become a dealer?”

Phoebe laughed.

“I can’t sell a thing. I never had the knack when I worked with Uncle Idris. It was a complete disaster. I lost him a good bit of money before he banned me from front of shop. Dealing with the law is a very different kettle of fish.”

“When a new piece would come in, Idris would give it to me to clean and then research it. One day, we had a piece of pottery come in. He hated the bright green and blue colours. He soon changed his tune when I said that is was a very early piece of Moorcroft Pottery and not only was it early but it was rare. He asked with a totally straight face, ‘how much?’. That was Uncle Idris down to a tee. When I told him, that it was worth over five hundred, he fell in love with it. He’d paid a tenner for it in a job lot.”

Phoebe decided to bring the conversation back to clothes. She could see that Samantha wasn’t really into antiques and the like but clothes were her thing.

“Where do you think we should start looking as clothes?” she asked.

“Let’s try the fifth row down. I’ve not really looked there much.”

Hand in hand, they walked through the rows of clothes until they reached the spot that Samantha had mentioned.

“Dresses or Separates?” she asked.

“I think Separates what with winter approaching?”

Samantha smiled and started flicking through the items on show.

It didn’t take long before Phoebe had an armful of possible items.

“This is too much!” she complained.

“Well… you did say that you only had black and grey stuff. Clear some of that out and there will be room.”

“It is still too much. I was thinking of just a few items.”

Samantha laughed.

“A few items a month is about right for most women when they build their wardrobe isn’t it? Aren’t there some who get addicted to shopping? Isn’t it even worse with online shopping. The instant gratification from a purchase lasts only a short time and then the need or for some, the craving comes back. Just like a user of hard drugs isn’t it?”

Phoebe knew only too well that online shopping could be addictive. She’d represented a woman who had been totally hooked and went more than a hundred thousand pounds into debt. The more she spent, the more the credit card companies upped her credit limits. The problem was, she was unemployed and had no means in the way of assets or income to pay it all back. The credit card companies sued but the judge took the side of the woman thanks to Phoebe’s good work in the court when she’d put the boss of one credit card company on the spot when it came to using credit checks when it was obvious that the card user was literally sinking before their very eyes in debt.

“It is still a lot. I’m also out of work in case you had forgotten. Jackie does not come cheap. There is no way that I can afford more than one or two of these.”

Samantha wrapped her arms around Phoebe.

“Darling… Take these as a gift from me. No strings. I want you to look really good when you are out with me not someone who looks like that they are dressing to look invisible.”

It was that last word that hit Phoebe hard. She knew deep down that she’d dressed for years to blend in, be part of the furniture. She’d always envied her friend Sky who had legs as long as the Eiffel Tower and shapely and was drop dead gorgeous even when she’d just crawled out of bed. When they’d shared a flat in their early days as undergraduates Sky could make Phoebe and Lana seem drab even in a darkened room. That wasn’t a problem for Phoebe and Lana had soon wised up and had snared a really good-looking guy for a husband well before their finals. Phoebe just plodded on, her head seemingly always deep in a law book promising herself that she’d find someone once the next set of exams were over. Only, that never came… until now.

Slowly, Phoebe had to admit that if she could look even half as good as Samantha was looking today she’d be happy with life.

“Ok…” mumbled Phoebe after seemed what was an eternity to her but was in reality little more than ten seconds.

Samantha led Phoebe and her armful of garments into the workroom where Jackie was waiting for them.

“I was just about to send out a search party…” she joked.

“Phoebe here needed a little persuasion. That’s what took so long.”

“Humph!” muttered Phoebe.

---

Jackie soon had all of Phoebe’s measurements noted down in her little black book.

“Now, materials and colours!” she exclaimed.

Phoebe was well out of her depth. She shuddered yet again when she remembered the awful dress that her mother had bought for her ‘prom’ at school. Hers was the first year that the school had put one of them on which was to her, a horrible US Import that should die a death and everyone involved should die as well.

The embarrassment of a total dress failure made her a total laughing stock amongst her peers. The dress was almost two sizes too small for her but her mother would have none of her complaints. All she’d say was ‘I paid good money for that and you are going to wear it come hell or high water’. That calamity was the last straw for Phoebe. She’d moved out of town and down to Cardiff for the summer. She’d only returned once more and that was to get the letter with her exam results.

Phoebe let Samantha and Jackie decide on what materials and what things needed to change in order to make them look more modern.

“No,” said Phoebe.

Jackie and Samantha looked at Phoebe.

“Leave them alone. I saw this woman the other week in Brighton and she was wearing clothes from the early fifties and she looked gorgeous. Everyone was looking at her.”

Samantha laughed.

“That must have been Doreen MacLaine. She’s one of the few truly retro people in town.”

After seeing this ‘Doreen MacLaine’ in the street, Phoebe had spent some time thinking about her future dress style.

“Look, the last thing anyone wants is for me to be a clone of Samantha isn’t it? Let me at least try to develop my own style eh?”

Samantha smiled so Phoebe continued.

“I know it won’t happen overnight but I need to do this myself… with your help naturally but I need to be me. The real me and not some half copy of someone else who is drop dead gorgeous all the time I might add!”

They all laughed at her compliment to Samantha.

“You have no idea how…”

“I do my darling. I know that it takes a lot of effort to get to look like you do and that I have a long way to go but now that I think about it, the more certain I am that this is the way I want to go.”

Jackie smiled.
“That makes my job a lot easier.”

---

An hour or so later, Samantha and Phoebe left the property in Ford and started the return journey to Brighton. As they passed Shoreham Airport, Phoebe said,

“Can you pull off at the top of Devils Dyke. There is something we need to talk about in private.”

Samantha looked a bit worried.

Phoebe squeezed Samantha’s hand as an act of reassurance.

A few minutes later, Samantha parked the car and the two of them got out and walked along one of the many paths that cross crossed the beauty spot.

“There is still the little problem of your father to deal with. If I am correct in my assumptions, he lives up at the big house at the end of the drive that goes past your home?”

“Yes, he does,” replied Samantha.

“And he was somewhat miffed that your gran left the property to you and is even more miffed at you not following him into the city and even worse, you have become a very good looking woman to boot.”

“You aren’t wrong about him. Where is all this leading?”

Phoebe managed a small smile.

“Patience my dear, patience.”

Samantha rolled her eyes.
“Don’t go all legal on me!”

Phoebe laughed.
“That is precisely the right thing to do at the moment… If I may continue?”

Samantha just grunted.

“The PI… lets call him that for sake of a title… from earlier today will be reporting back to your father that you have a female lawyer. That’s good.”

“Why is that good?”

“Because I want you to let me offer him a way of getting his hands on your home…”

“What! You can’t be serious.”

“Please darling, bear with me for a bit.”

Samantha shut up.

“What is your place worth? Six or Seven hundred?”

“Closer to seven fifty but why?”

“I want to make him an offer that is so high he can only refuse it, but it will give us an idea about how serious he is in wanting you out of there.”

“What sort of number are you talking about?”

“Three point five,” replied Phoebe very calmly but with total conviction.

Samantha laughed. Then she realised that Phoebe was perfectly serious.

“You are serious, aren’t you?”

“I am totally serious. He may well have a buyer lined up for the big house but can’t complete until he has your home to complete the set so to speak. What would that house fetch on the market?”

“The core dates back to Charles the First and was extended in the late eighteenth century and the current façade put up just over a hundred years ago. I suppose with twenty bedrooms, a large ballroom, and… well twenty million if you include the whole estate and my home.”

“Which he inherited… Apart from your home that is?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Then giving you three point five million would still allow him to walk away with a very tidy sum indeed.”

“But how am I going to explain you representing me?”

This time Phoebe grinned from ear to ear.

“I know exactly how this can be explained but I’ll tell you over dinner. I’ve not had anything to eat today so? How about it eh?”

[to be continued]

Shopping for dinner together was a new experience for both of them. Phoebe pushed the trolley into the huge Tesco’s Supermarket on the outskirts of Shoreham with some trepidation. The last time she’d been shopping like this was at the end of her first year as an undergraduate. She and Lana had raided the last of their budget for an end of year party. Sky had invited almost everyman, woman and their dogs. To Phoebe, it had been like feeding the five thousand.

This was very different. For one thing is was not just throwing lots of things into a trolley and hoping for the best.

While they wandered the aisles of the store, they planned their first meal together and to Phoebe’s surprise they liked much the same things and there were almost no arguments over any of their suggestions for the meal. Phoebe even approved of the bottle of wine that Samantha picked up and showed to her.

As they loaded their shopping into Samantha’s car, Phoebe smiled. She was starting to imagine this sort of event happening every week.

The couple even worked well together in Phoebe’s cramped but functional kitchen. As they prepared the ingredients, Phoebe outlined her plan to Samantha. The regular bouts of laughter and clinking of wine glasses would have told any onlooker that Phoebe’s plan while pretty ‘far out’ was actually workable or at least both of them thought so.

Working together like that was a bit nerve wracking at first but after a glass or three of wine, they just worked as a team. Both of them enjoyed the experience.

Eating the meal proved to be a bit of an anti-climax after the events of the day. With the plates cleared away, the two of them snuggled together on the couch.

“This is rather nice,” said Samantha.

“It most certainly is. Are you going to stay the night?” asked Phoebe.

Samantha didn’t answer straight away.

“Are you sure that you want me to?”

“I am and I’m very sure.”

“Then I’ll stay. Thank you.”

Phoebe hugged Samantha a bit tighter.

---

Neither of them wanted to get out of bed the next morning. They just felt nice and cozy beneath the duvet, wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Come on sleepy,” said Phoebe after a glance at her bedside clock.
“It is after eight already.”

“Go away. I’m sleeping,” came a voice from under the duvet.

Phoebe slid out of bed just before Samantha tried to grab hold of her and bring her back.

She failed but only just.

Phoebe dashed to the bathroom and answered the call of nature. It was only then that she began to feel slightly guilty but also very happy.

The smile on the face of the person that she saw looking back at her in the mirror made it very clear that it had been very nice to have someone to cuddle up with in bed. They hadn’t done anything more than that but to be together with Samantha who just felt and smelled so nice was more than enough for her.

She gave a visible shudder as she remembered one episode while at University where she’d gotten quite friendly with another student, Rob Green. Rob had been or so she thought at the time, a great catch but his body odour was horrible once you got past the cologne or whatever it was that men put on their bodies. One serious date with him was more than enough. Since then there had been no one until… Samantha had burst into her life and taken a chance on kissing her totally out of the blue.

Samantha was altogether different from any person she’d ever met. Phoebe had drifted off to sleep with Samantha’s hand gently massaging her left breast. As she visualised the experience in her mind, Goosebumps appeared on her arms.

Once Phoebe was done in the bathroom, she looked in on Samantha. Her guest was sprawled over most of the bed and once again, fast asleep. With a huge smile on her face, Phoebe left her alone and went into the kitchen. The sun was shining through the window. It felt nice and warm on her naked body. This again was a new experience for her. She had never slept naked before but it had just felt right when the two of them went to bed.

Walking around her flat naked was also something that she’d never done before. Thankfully, her windows had net curtains over them so she felt safe from prying eyes.

Phoebe put the coffee on to brew and did the washing up from the previous night as quietly as possible.

She’d just about done all the dishes when two hands covered her eyes.

“Guess who?” said a voice from behind her.

“Mother Christmas?”

“Right first time.”

Phoebe turned around and was met by a pair of lips on hers.

When they broke apart, Samantha said,

“I really enjoyed last night.”

“Me to. It was one that I’ll never ever forget.”

“Don’t you want to do it again?”

“Oh yes I do but you were the first person who has ever shared my bed so that memory will stay with me forever.”

“It was nice because we didn’t try too hard.”

“Or perhaps we didn’t know what to do?”

Samantha laughed and kissed Phoebe once more.

“That’s what I love about you. When you are truly you, you are the nicest person I’ve ever known.”

Phoebe looked concerned.

“When you go all legal on me, I really would not want to tangle with you in a courtroom. It is almost as if there is a totally different person living inside that beautiful body of yours.”

It was Phoebe’s turn to laugh.

“Beautiful? Now who is telling a porkie then? But… yes, it is as if some inner demon takes over when I ‘go all legal’ as you so eloquently put it. That’s the bit of me that I felt was starting to take over my whole life and why I knew deep down that I had to change. One of the other Barristers in Chambers was always in that mode. He didn’t or couldn’t switch off. Working with him on my last case taught me a lot. Mostly that while I admired his skill, I saw myself becoming him and frankly that scared me shitless if you know what I mean.”

Samantha smiled.

“And then you met me who really screwed up your life then?”

“Yes, I met you and you did mess my life up and for that I’m truly thankful.”

“Glad to hear it. It is nice to be appreciated.”

“Then Marry me?” blurted Phoebe.

The smile on Samantha’s face disappeared in an instant.

“Are you serious?”

Without thinking, Phoebe got down on one knee and took hold of Samantha’s left hand.

“Samantha Mason, will you marry me?”

Samantha froze solid for several seconds.

If a painter could have captured the scene of two naked women in a kitchen with one of them down on one knee and proposing, it would sell for millions.

Then Samantha knelt down and touched her nose on the tip of Phoebe’s. Phoebe momentarily shivered.

“Yes, I will marry you but it isn’t as simple as that as you well know.”

Before Samantha could elaborate, Phoebe kissed her lover.

“I know it isn’t as simple but didn’t my cunning plan from last night show a way to make life a lot easier for both of us?”

“I don’t know. You don’t know my father like I do.”

“You must mean that he’s only interested in money. Well, Money and Sex like most men.”

Samantha laughed.

“Yes, you are right. Money is everything to him. Then some bit of stuff on his arm looking good and hoping for him to become their sugar daddy only to be discarded for another one in a few months.”

Phoebe stood up and lifted Samantha after her.

“Getting back to us, we have the little matter of Tuesday evening to get past first.”

“Ah yes, the Spanish inquisition by your friends.”

“And I still don’t have anything to wear.”

Samantha stopped Phoebe from complaining by giving her another kiss.

---

“Come on darling, we haven’t been in this shop yet,” said Samantha as she dragged an unwilling Phoebe around the shops in Croydon.

“Do I have to? So far I’ve seen nothing that even comes close to what you have in your collection.”

“Humph!”

“Not Humph!”

Their first shopping expedition together had so far not gone very well. Apart from some new and decidedly more risqué underwear they’d not bought anything other than the cost of the car park for Samantha’s car and two coffees more than an hour earlier.

“What about this?” asked Samantha picking a dress from the rack.

Phoebe looked at it and sighed.

“In case you have not noticed, I don’t have what it takes up here to wear that.”
She cupped her breasts.

The dress was a sort of ivory with a red tint with a black flower pattern printed onto the fabric. It was also strapless. Phoebe had never worn a dress like before.

“Don’t worry about that. I have some inserts that will give you a little extra. Why not go try it on?”

Phoebe gave Samantha a look that said ‘do I really, really have to?’.

“Yes, you do. Don’t give me that look!”

Reluctantly, Phoebe took the dress and headed for the changing room.

When she appeared a minute or so later, Samantha’s heart skipped a beat. To her it was perfect.

“That is very you!” she exclaimed.

“Really?”

“Yes, it is. Add a pashmina and some decent shoes and some nearly nude or black tights and you are there. Well, apart from your makeup and bling.”

“Are you sure about that? And what’s this about ‘bling’?”

Samantha grinned.
“I certainly am. Nothing you have tried on today even comes close.”

“If you are certain about it?”

“Yes. Go and get changed. We need to get you some shoes next. Don’t worry about a little ‘bling’, I have something that will suit you very nicely.”

Samantha’s idea of shoes and Phoebe’s were very different.

“These are so high. I could never walk in them,” complained Phoebe as she wore a pair of shoes that in colour matched her dress perfectly. The heels were at least four but more likely five inches high. A one-inch platform helped as did stacked heel that was not too narrow at the bottom which helped with the wobble factor. They were also coloured black which matched the flowers on the dress.

“They are great and you have until Tuesday evening to break them in.”

“Or cripple me in the process?”

Once again Samantha gave Phoebe a kiss to stop her moaning. It was proving a very effective method of stopping her complaining indeed.

Phoebe paid for the shoes and arm in arm, they walked out of the shop mission accomplished.

---

On the journey back to Brighton, Phoebe said,

“Are you sure you want to meet Sky and Lana?”

“After all what you have told me about them? Of course, I do. Having second thoughts?”

Phoebe hesitated a bit.

“Don’t worry darling. Think of it as bringing your latest beau to meet the parents.”

“That is one thing I really don’t want to think about. They’d have a fit if they saw you. That hair of yours would give them a heart attack. If they survived that then finding out that we are a couple would give them the final push to leave this world…”

“You sound as if you would like that to happen?”

“Oh, believe me, there have been times when I wished it would come true. As they say, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, in my case it is ‘absence makes forgetting a lot easier’ so no I don’t. I’ve gotten over them.”

“What’s wrong with my hair anyway?”

Phoebe laughed.

“I thought it a bit odd at first but it grows on you.”

As soon as she said it, she realised what she’d said.

“I meant to say, I’ve gotten used to it.”

Samantha gave her a dirty look but it turned into a grin.

---

[the following Tuesday evening at an hotel in London]

“Are you sure that this isn’t a bit much?” complained Phoebe when she saw how Samantha had done her makeup.

“I think you look very good. And with that dress being fairly muted in colour, a bit of red lippy never did anyone any harm.”

Samantha was still nervous about meeting Sky and Lana that evening. This was to be their first outing as an engaged couple. Things had really moved on since the evening they’d met.

Phoebe’s breasts seemed to be at least three sizes larger thanks to the inserts that Samantha had given her but deep down, she knew that they were just the perfect size for her. Much of her unwillingness to dress up in the past had been down to her tiny breasts. As she preened herself in the mirror, she knew that those dark days were in the past. She smiled at her finally being able to walk around in those devil shoes without a wobble at every step. The shoes that Samantha was wearing made them equal in lip height once more which made her even happier.

Phoebe stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that what she saw was not the usual image of Phoebe, the lawyer but much more of the young woman about town. In some ways that was good and some bad. Every day that passed made her less and less keen to return to a full-time career in the law. Somehow, she would hoebave to find a way to get some gainful employment without letting all that training go to waste.

What Phoebe could not stop looking at was the way that Samantha had done her eyeliner. She’d extended it well beyond the eye and then tapered it off in a dash dot sort of pattern. Then she’d glued a small rhinestone right at the outer edge and another larger on right on the inside of her eye. The final thing was that Phoebe was now wearing rose pink contact lenses that matched the colours on her dress perfectly.

Samantha was wearing vivid blue lenses that matched her hair. He makeup was also done to perfection.

Phoebe knew that she’d attract a lot more male attention. Both of them would, given the amount of cleavage that was on show but they were a couple and no one was going to take that away from them.

“Time to go?” said Samantha softly.

Slightly reluctantly, Phoebe agreed.

“I texted the others to say that I’d be a little late.”

Samantha smiled.

“Good. Are you all clear on the plan?”

Phoebe sighed.

“Yes, I go into the restaurant and sit down with the others. Then I’ll give you the signal to come in and make the introductions. I can’t wait to see their faces.”

“Great. Here’s your coat.”

Phoebe was glad of her jacket. It would cover up her cleavage. She was not used to having any on display so tonight was a big step for her in so many ways. She knew that over time, she’d get used to looking like this almost every day.

Together, they left their Hotel room and walked to the lift. Samantha squeezed Phoebe’s hand. It felt cold but clammy. She smiled at Phoebe. She knew that her lover was nervous. She was as well. Things had happened between them so fast that they’d really not had time to take stock. Theirs was truly a whirlwind romance but Samantha felt that first night in the pub after the speed dating that Phoebe was the one for her. There was just something about her that made Samantha go all funny inside. She knew that tonight was the first big test of their relationship.

The bell dinged signifying the arrival of the lift. They stepped forward together and smiled at each other. Phoebe hesitated for half a second before pressing the button for the ground floor but overcame her nerves and pressed it. The doors slid shut and she got that sinking feeling in her stomach. She hoped that it was not a foretaste of the evening ahead.

---

They took a taxi to the Restaurant in Borough Market. The couple had almost had their first argument over where they should meet. Phoebe wanted to meet in their usual pub but it could get a bit noisy at times with city people. Samantha eventually agreed to this place even though she’d never been there before but the reviews were pretty good and it didn’t cost the earth.

Lana and Sky had questioned the change in venue but all Phoebe would say was that she didn’t fancy the pub that week. She guessed that her friends had been speculating about the real reason why there was a change in venue but as Phoebe said that she’d be footing the bill, they were not going to argue.

Phoebe and Samantha stood in the shadows outside the restaurant. Both of them were nervous about the meeting but they were here now.

“Time to go in then,” said Samantha after Phoebe had confirmed that both Sky and Lana were already inside.

“Into the breach then?” joked Phoebe.

Samantha squeezed her lover’s hand before letting it go.

Phoebe stepped up to the door of the restaurant and hesitated for half a second. Then after a fleeting glance back at Samantha, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Samantha watched as the three friends greeted each other. She afforded herself a slight smile as Phoebe showed off her outfit for the evening. Both friends pointed at her shoes and laughed. There were numerous comments about her hair and makeup. Neither Lana nor Sky had seen Phoebe looking so good.

After Phoebe did a final twirl, the trio sat down. That was the signal for Samantha to move.

With a deep breath, she went inside the Restaurant to join the trio.

Phoebe saw Samantha enter and smiled.

“There is someone I want you to meet,” she said nervously to Sky and Lana.

All three of them turned towards the door and saw Samantha heading in their direction. Both Sky and Lana gasped.

“Phoebe?” they said together.

“Sky, Lana,” said Phoebe as she stood up and gave Samantha a brief peck on the lips,
“This is Samantha.”

“Samantha, meet Sky and Lana.”

Samantha have them both a peck on the cheek and took off her coat and sat down. Lana’s mouth was wide open. Sky was smiling.

“Ok Pheebs, what’s the story? How did you go over to the dark side and not tell us?” asked Sky.

Phoebe smiled.

“Didn’t I tell you darling that Sky was the joker of the pack?”

Samantha relaxed as she took Phoebe’s hand in hers.

“We met at a Speed Dating event,” said Samantha.

“Yeah, the men were crap so we left at half time and went for a drink,” said Phoebe.

“At the end of the evening, I gave Phoebe, a kiss and she responded.”

“It was nice,” said Phoebe slightly sheepishly.
“So, I kissed her back.”

“Then my life went all to pot because I could not get her out of my mind.”

“A few days ago, I popped the question and Samantha said yes!”

The two looked each other in the eye and smiled lovingly at each other.

“Bugger me, I have never expected that from our Pheebs!” said Sky.
“Shit. If I wasn’t sitting down, I’d probably fall down,” said Lana.

“It is really nice to meet you at last,” said Samantha.
“Phoebe has told me so much about both of you.”

“Not all bad I hope,” joked Sky.

“Not at all. I hope you won’t think of me as taking Phoebe away from you. I want us all to be friends for the long term. I know just how much Phoebe thinks of both of you.”

Before anyone could respond, a waiter who had been hovering stepped up and took their drink orders.

Once everyone had relaxed a bit, Samantha made sure that the conversation was not all about her and Phoebe. She’d seen far too many cases where a new fiancé had caused a lot of strain or worse on long term friendships. She’d discussed this with Phoebe over the weekend and Phoebe was happy that Sky and Lana were going to be in her life for as long as she wanted them to be there.

Samantha let the three friends chatter amongst themselves for much of the evening. This was Phoebe’s evening and had no wish to take over their conversations even when Phoebe felt a bit guilty and deliberately involved her.

At the end of the evening Phoebe and Lana disappeared to off the toilet Sky said to Samantha,

“If the new Phoebe is anything to go by, I very much approve. She’s been a plain-jane for far too long.”

Samantha smiled.
“She is still a work in progress but I’ve already got her thinking about her own style.”

Sky laughed.
“We have tried many times to get her to do that. If you can manage it then well done,”

“Thanks Sky, your vote of confidence is much appreciated.”

“But what is she going to do for a job? She deliberately sidestepped our questions.”

“I noticed that. Don’t worry, she is going to do some legal work for me that could turn out to be very lucrative indeed. Once that is over, we can try to sort ourselves out. It might be that we move out of where we are currently living and get a place together.”

Sky smiled.
“From what I’ve seen tonight, you two are a good fit for each other but I’d have put good money on our Pheebs not being a Lesbian. That knocked both of us for six.”

Samantha smiled. She and Phoebe had debated at length about telling her friends about Samantha’s past but had decided that it was neither the right time or place for that at the moment.

“I didn’t think so either but as we got talking, I just felt so attracted to her that I had to try to see if she was interested in me. Thankfully, she was and still is.”

“Well, I’ve never seen her so happy and it looks like you are having some success with her on the dress front. That lawyer drab she always wore hid a pretty good-looking person.”

“Thanks. I knew that with a bit of work, she could turn heads. She’s done that tonight.”

Sky had to agree about that.

“But Sky, please believe me, while it has been a real rollercoaster ride up to now, I know that there is a lot of hard work ahead for both of us to make us a really good couple. Rome wasn’t built in a night and all that!”

“Thanks Samantha. The last thing we want is for Pheebs to get hurt.”

“I know. I know only too well and I promise you that I’ll do everything I can not to hurt her. She and I have a connection… here,” said Samantha putting her hand over her heart.

Before Samantha could continue, Phoebe and Lana arrived back from ‘powdering their noses’.

---

Once back in their Hotel room, Phoebe sank onto the bed. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Thank you darling, you were fantastic tonight. You got the thumbs up from both of them!”

Samantha sat down next to her.

“They seemed to like me which was the object of the evening and I like them.”

She took Phoebe’s hand.

“If you want to carry on with your dates with them don’t worry about me. They are your only real friends and I don’t want to come between you.”

Phoebe sat up and kissed Samantha.
“You don’t have to keep telling me that. I know and that’s part of why I love you so much.”

“Only part?” said Samantha grinning.

“Well…?”

Samantha crowned the evening off by producing a double ended dildo. Much merriment ensued as they worked out how to use it to both their satisfaction.

[to be continued]

Phoebe and Samantha met up again the following Friday.

“How was your week?” asked Phoebe.

“Wednesday was good. Well, waking up next to you made it a good start and the company liked what I’d done to their website.”

“I sense a but coming?”

“Are you sure that we haven’t been together for ten years?”

They both laughed.

“My father was a real pain on Thursday. He sat in his monster truck outside my bedroom window at four in the morning revving it hard. He stayed there for almost half an hour. In the end I got fed up and went outside with a hammer and broke two of the god knows how many lights he has on the front of that thing. He took the hint and roared off up the drive. I’d swear that he was laughing as he passed me.”

Phoebe wrapped her arms around Samantha.

“What was worse, was that he had a new woman with him. She’s younger than both of us!”

Phoebe knew that was the real cause of her pain.

“I guess then it is time that Lawyer Phoebe returned?”

“Are you sure about this?”

Phoebe sighed.

“I thought you liked my plan?”

“I do but… You don’t know my father like I do.”

“I have to try… We have to try to get him to see reason and either leave you alone or to buy you out then you will be out of his hair or rather sight once and for all…”

“I know but?”

“We both need to make a fresh start and you need to have him off your back and out of your life. Only then will you be able to concentrate on the future. Am I right?”

Samantha looked Phoebe right in her eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head.

“Good. Now do you have the contact information for his Solicitor?”

“I have it somewhere at home.”

“Then let me get into ‘Lawyer Drab’ and we can get this going.”

Samantha sat and looked at Phoebe.

“You really are a lawyer at heart, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?” asked Phoebe.

“Your eyes have grown larger; your nostrils are flared and everything about you is more alive…”

“Are you saying that I was dead before?”

They both laughed.

“No, you were not but the scent of a case has… It is as if you are high on something?”

“Oh! Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It is just that I’ve never seen you or anyone for that matter get enthused like you are at the moment.”

“I must learn to curb my enthusiasm.”

“Please don’t. It is all part of you. The you that I love.”

“You say the sweetest of things. Things that I love so much.”

Phoebe went to get changed for their meeting while Samantha sat thinking that she was so lucky to have found Phoebe at the Speed Dating Event.

Samantha approved of Phoebe’s outfit when she returned.
“You’ll have to do it again tomorrow. I’ve arranged for a meeting with him and my father for eleven. I’ll have to go home and look for something a little less vibrant…”

Phoebe shook her head.
“Sorry darling. I don’t want you there. You will get all emotional. This meeting will be like playing poker. A dead-pan emotionless face will win the day and the best deal for you.”

Samantha showed her displeasure at Phoebe’s insistence that that she must not be present at the meeting.

Phoebe took hold of Samantha’s hands and looked her right in the eye.
“I mean it darling. You are a novice when it comes to situations like this. Lets’ say that is a case of act in haste, repent at leisure. Let me do my job and get a good deal for you.”

Then she said,
“Please… let me do this. You deserve to take your father for a as much as you can. With my help we can get you enough money to start afresh.

“What about us? You keep talking about me. What about you?”

Phoebe thought for a moment and smiled.

“I have to act like that. You are my client. Personal relationships have to place in situations like this. I’ve seen two QC’s tear each other to pieces in court. Outside they are a happily married couple. It is what we have to do in order to get the best for our clients. The moment I put on my wig or gown, nothing else matters apart from getting the result that my client wants.”

Then Phoebe laughed.
“Afterwards is a different matter. I take off all this clobber and ‘Lawyer Phoebe’ goes away. That was getting harder and harder to do until I met you. I owe you this much for saving my life.”

Samantha relaxed and hugged Phoebe.

---

[the following day]

“I’m Phoebe Russell. I’m Ms Mason’s Lawyer. I have a meeting with Mr Gregson and Mr Mason,” said Phoebe when she arrived at the offices of Lever, Gregson and Young, Solicitors and Commissioners of Oaths.

“Ah, Ms Russell. They are expecting you. Please go into the first room on the right,” said the receptionist as she pointed to a doorway on her left.

“Thanks.”

Phoebe strode purposefully towards the room. The door was open so she walked straight in.

As she entered the two men inside looked up from the papers that they were looking at. Phoebe could see that they were plans of the plot of land that Samantha owned.

“Good Morning Gentlemen, I see that you are ready for me. I take it that you have reviewed the deeds to Ms Mason’s property?”

She gave a small smile and closed the door behind her.
The two men didn’t say anything so Phoebe sat down and took the papers relating to the case from her briefcase. Then she sat down and waited.

“I don’t know what game you are playing Ms Russell but you are not going to win,” said Samantha’s Father.

“Mr Mason, I can assure you that I am not playing any game. I am perfectly serious about striking a deal over the sale and purchase of the land that you were looking at as I came into the room.”

“Ms Russell,” said Mr Gregson,
“What sort of offer are you talking about?”

“How about three point five for starters.”

Both men gave a sharp intake of breath.

“Are you high on something? You can’t be serious if you think that I’m going to pay…” gasped Mr Mason.

Mr Gregson put his hand on his client’s arm.

“Ms Russell, what my client is trying to say that your opening gambit is unacceptable, totally unacceptable.”

“We, that is, my client and I think that it is perfectly reasonable indeed. I’m sure you are aware that Mr Mason’s daughter has total rights to the road that runs through her property. She can and she will erect a permanent barrier across the road as well as re-instating the large metal gates that used to be there. There would be no more access to the main road from Mr Mason’s home. Then consider just how much money that will wipe off any possible sale price for the property should he be able to sell it in the immediate future?”

“You keep saying, ‘my daughter’. I don’t have and never have had a daughter. I assume you are talking about my idiot of a son who seems to think that putting on a skirt and wearing crap all over his face will turn him into a woman. He is my son not my daughter.”

Phoebe removed two sheets of paper and handed them to Mr Gregson.

“Mr Gregson, what you have in front of you is a copy of a deed poll that shows Mr Mason’s son changing his name to Samantha. The second is her birth certificate. I say her as that Samantha Mason is legally a woman and under gender discrimination laws, if Mr Mason continues to call her a man, I shall have no qualms about filing suit against him.”

“It won’t stick. No judge will ever convict me,” said Mr Mason in a loud voice.

“Tony, please shut the hell up and for once listen,” said Mr Gregson.
“What Ms Russell is saying is totally legally correct. Your son is now legally a woman and according to the law, she should be treated as a woman. Failure to do so is against the law.”

“Hello No. I’ll be dammed if I’m going to do that.”

“Gentlemen, the clock is ticking and our offer is now four point zero. Every time Mr Mason calls his daughter a man, the offer goes up by half a million. Do I make myself clear?”

Phoebe’s words caused both men to shut up and stare at her.

“Good. I have your attention. Are you prepared to make a deal with me in a civilised manner?”

“Why the hell isn’t… she… here? Can’t it stand being in the same room as me?”

Phoebe was prepared for taunts like this.
“Mr Mason, your daughter has instructed me to act on her behalf. We both agreed that her presence would only inflate tempers all around. It seems that… that was a good decision.”

“Who the hell do you work for eh? You sure as hell don’t work for those slimy Barristers any more. Just what law firm pays your salary?” demanded Mr Mason.

“Mr Mason, I have recently started working for a very discrete law firm that is based in the City of London. We are discrete because of our client base. We specialise in Art and Antiquities in areas of ownership and authenticity. They are letting me do this case because I had agreed to take it on before I left my previous employer.”

Slowly, Mr Gregson nodded his head.
“I’ve heard about a company that does that sort of stuff.”

“Bollocks. How… If a company like that did actually exist why would they employ someone still wet behind the ears eh?”

Phoebe bit down on her lip before answering.
“Mr Mason, I am a qualified Barrister and I have an interest in Antiques having worked in my Uncle’s Antique Shop as a child. For instance, I know that the picture on the wall behind you is a reproduction. The original is in the Kelvingrove Museum just outside Glasgow.”

Mr Gregson smiled.
“She is perfectly correct. In any case, Ms Russell, is the appointed legal representative of your daughter and deserves that respect.”

This did not satisfy Mr Mason.
“Is he bonking you?”

“Four point five million,” said Phoebe with a straight face.

“Tony, will you just shut up. Insults will not get what you want.”

“Mr Mason, may I humbly suggest that you please take the advice of your lawyer.”

He glared at Phoebe and started to say something but stopped himself just in time.

Then he stood up and flung open the door. Before he exited, he said,
“Get a deal done. You know my limit but I’m not paying that understand!”

Then he slammed the door behind him.

There was silence in the room for quite a while before Phoebe said,

“Shall we talk turkey Mr Gregson?”

“I think that we should do just that Ms Russell.”

[half an hour later]

“I think we are agreed then Two million nine hundred thousand and the property is yours?” said Phoebe.

“Agreed,” said Mr Gregson.

Phoebe pulled out a draft contract from her briefcase. She filled in the date and the amount in words and numbers. Then after she had signed and dated every sheet she passed it to Mr Gregson.

“This is a pro-forma contract. There should be no objections to the terms. It signs over all rights to the property and the surrounding land upon payment of the agreed amount.”

Mr Gregson had been reading the contract. As he did so, he smiled.

“I do like the bit about the all the money going into escrow within five working days of signing.”

“Is that too fast?”

“No, it will be fine. He’ll grunt and groan a bit but if he wants the property he’ll find the money in time.”

Mr Gregson stood up. Phoebe did the same. He offered Phoebe his hand.

She shook it and smiled.

“Mr Mason is a bit of a hothead when it comes to spending his money. Spending other people’s money is very different.”

“It does not matter. We have reached a deal. All you need to do is ensure that Mr Mason signs on the dotted line and then stumps up the money. Then two calendar months after that, the property is his free and clear. If not, it remains the property of my client plus five hundred thousand pounds of the purchase price as a non-returnable deposit.”

“You drive a hard bargain Ms Russell but fully understood. I would not like to be cross examined by you in a court of law, you are a real tiger.”

Phoebe smiled.
“Thanks for the compliment Mr Gregson. I think your day is going to get an awful lot harder.”

He smiled.
“I think you might be right about that.”

“I’ll look forward to hearing from you about Mr Mason agreeing to the deal.”

Mr Gregson showed Phoebe out of his office. She walked around the corner and sank back against the wall of the building. She was knackered. Her supply of adrenaline was just about on empty.

---

Despite being tired, she was elated. She’d done a deal and if Mr Gregson could sell it to his client then Samantha would be well setup provided the deal went to completion. Even if it didn’t once the money was in escrow it would be hard for Samantha’s Father to pull out without losing a sizeable chunk of money. She’d done her part, now it was down to Mr Gregson and Samantha’s Father.

Phoebe arrived back in Brighton in mid-afternoon. She was rather frustrated that Samantha was busy with clients all day so she just had to keep the good news to herself for the time being.

For someone that had been content to sit in the shadows before she’d met Samantha, now, she wanted to sing it from the hilltops. That was the effect that her lover had on her.

Instead of getting the bus home, she took one in the other direction and went shopping. On the spur of the moment, she decided to look at engagement rings. Even though Samantha had said ‘yes’ to her proposal, neither of them had said or done anything about rings. Phoebe had some time on her hands so she went shopping or rather looking at what was available.

After a couple of hours, Phoebe had not seen anything that wowed her. It looked like it was coming on to rain so she decided to give up for the day and started to head towards the bus stop and her No 27 bus home.

Her route took her through the ‘Lanes’. Normally, she’d not stop at any of the retailers as everything was usually very expensive but one shop caught her eye and within two minutes, she’d seen a pair of rings that were in her eyes perfect. The only problem was that they were priced at over £500 each. There was no way that Phoebe could afford that so with a sigh, she carried on walking.

She could not get them out of her mind so she turned around and returned to the shop and went inside.

The assistant asked if they could help her.

“There are two matching rings in the window. Tray eleven.”

The assistant smiled and went off to get the tray.

“Those two,” said Phoebe when he returned with the tray. She hoped that she was sounding confident. Her efforts at doing deals for antiques and collectables had usually ended in failure.

“Ah yes,” said the assistant.

“What is your best price on them?”

After a bit of umming and arring the assistant said,

“Four hundred each.”

Phoebe tried not to react. That was still far too high for her.

“I’ll give you five hundred cash today for the pair?”

The assistant remained expressionless.

“Sorry, but we paid a lot more than that for them,” was his eventual reply.

Phoebe knew that he was lying but she guessed that he wasn’t going to budge.

“Five fifty. Cash today. My final offer?”

After some more delay, the assistant said,
“Sorry, we can’t drop that low.”

Phoebe had been expecting to get that sort of reaction but she had to try.

“Ok, your loss.”

Phoebe left the shop and headed for the bus stop totally frustrated by the whole thing.

---

That evening, Samantha came to Phoebe’s. Phoebe had sent her a text with the brief details of the meeting in London so she was in a good mood.

“Did his lawyer give any indication of when he might get a signature?”

“He didn’t but he knows that for both sides, time is of the essence. I got the distinct feeling that there is already an offer on the table for the whole property so… If your Father says no then that offer might just go away. It depends upon how much he wants to move really.”

“Yeah, you might be right about that. He always said that he would sell the place once he got his hands on it. With Gran giving me the gatehouse for my eighteenth birthday and living beyond the inheritance tax limit, pissed him off as he had to pay a load of tax on the house after she died.”

Samantha gave Phoebe a big kiss and ducked outside of her flat only to return with a large bunch of flowers.

“These are for you for a job well done!”

“It didn’t all go well though,” said Phoebe.

The smile disappeared from Samantha’s face in a flash.

“I went looking for engagement rings. I saw two but they were just too expensive for me.”

Samantha hugged Phoebe.
“Then we can both go hunting for some at the weekend.”

Phoebe still wasn’t happy.
“But as I proposed, it should be me that buys the rings.”

“It does not matter who pays for them darling. What matters is that we have them.”

Then Samantha said,
“Don’t forget your cut from the sale.”

“Cut from the sale? What do you mean?”

Samantha smiled.
“Agents who broker a deal get a percentage of the sale price don’t they?”

Phoebe started to understand what Samantha was going on about.

“At one point five percent, you just earned yourself over forty three grand. Not bad for a day’s work.”

Phoebe sat down. She was visibly shaking.

“What’s wrong darling?”

“I didn’t think.”
“I didn’t think about that.”

Samantha sat down next to Phoebe and held her tight.

“I don’t want your money,” muttered Phoebe.

“Why? It isn’t really my money. At the moment it is my Father’s.”

“I don’t want it when you get it.’

“Why? You deserve it?”

“I can’t take it.”

Samantha looked Phoebe right in the eye.

“I can see that you are certain about that.”

“I am.”

“Then I’ll put it to one side and spend it on our wedding and honeymoon… If that is ok with you?”

Phoebe looked at her lover through misty eyes.
“Yes… Yes it is.”

“Good.”

Phoebe sat silent for a bit.
“Did we just have our first argument?”

Samantha laughed.
“That was just a little disagreement so no we didn’t.”

Phoebe kissed Samantha even though tears were running down her cheeks. They were tears of joy.

---

Despite a lot of searching and trying on rings their efforts to find some that weekend amounted to nothing. They’d been back to the shop where Phoebe had been but there was only one of the pair of rings left.

The following Monday, Phoebe received notification that Samantha’s Father had agreed to the sale price that she and Mr Gregson had negotiated and that the non-returnable part of the money was in their client account.

The downside was that Samantha had just two months to find a new place to live. Phoebe knew that time would just fly by and neither of them had any specific property type or location in mind. On top of that, it would be a new experience for both of them.

“But Darling,” said Phoebe as they discussed it over dinner one evening.
“You can stay here if it comes down to the crunch. I know that it will be cramped but it would only be temporary wouldn’t it?”

“I know sweetheart but we need to find somewhere that works for both of us. That might not be possible and as we go into winter, the market slows right down. I really don’t want ‘temporary’ to become permanent. I’m really having a hard job finding somewhere to park my car.

Phoebe knew about the parking issues. She’d given Samantha her residents parking permit but even so, there were times when Samantha had to park her car well over half a mile away.

“We’ll make do.”

Samantha smiled. Then she kissed Phoebe.
“That’s what I love about you… You are the eternal optimist.”

[to be continued]

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]

It didn’t take Phoebe long to make her way from her former Chambers to Red Lion Square in Holborn, for her next meeting. This was with her old tutor from University who was according to the email confirming the meeting, right in the middle of giving a lecture on ‘Torts’ to first year law students at the University of Westminster.

Phoebe waited in a Café close by the facility and remembered how she felt as a new student being away from home for the first time in her life and smack bang in the middle of London as well. It had been rather overwhelming for her at first but thanks to the help of the person she was meeting, she stuck at it.

It was also when she’d met Sky and Lana at the Halls of Residence they’d been in that was on Marylebone Road. They shared a small kitchen on the Thirteenth floor. All of them were away from home for the first time and even though they were from very different backgrounds, they’d almost instantly bonded and became firm friends even before ‘Freshers Week’ was over. Those were happy days for Phoebe. She didn’t have a care in the world back then. Rather different to now.

Less than ten minutes after the lecture was due to end, her former tutor, Katherine Stannard walked into the Café.

“Hi Kathy,” said Phoebe.

Kathy looked at Phoebe and grinned.

“My, my Phoebe, you have come on since we last met. No lawyer drab I see?”

The phrase ‘lawyer drab’ had been one of Katherine’s jokes but Phoebe soon found out that dressing down and wearing only grey’s and black’s was the norm for those appearing before a judge in a legal capacity. Phoebe was wearing a flower print skirt and a yellow top.

“Makes a change doesn’t it,” commented Phoebe.

Kathy ordered a Coffee at the counter and sat down opposite Phoebe.

“It was a nice surprise to get your email even if you were a bit circumspect as to why you wanted to meet.”

“I thought of you simply because I know that you have been around the legal world for some time and won’t tell me what I want to hear.”

Kathy smiled.
“At least some of what I droned on about for three years stuck.”

Then she wiped the smile from her face.
“What is it that you want my advice on?”

Phoebe opened her briefcase and pulled out the envelope with the job offer and other details inside.
“Can you tell me what you think of that?”

With a raised eyebrow, Kathy opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.

As befits an experienced lawyer, she didn’t offer any comment other than the occasional nod of the head until she’d read more than half the papers that were in front of her.

“Interesting. That is one heck of a tempting offer.”

“That’s what I thought. Do you know anything about this organisation?”

Kathy looked Phoebe right in the eye.

“Sadly Phoebe, I do.”

Phoebe’s heart sank.

“I guess you want me to say yes or no to this offer as if I was sitting right where you are?”

“Something like that.”

Kathy drank some of her coffee before continuing.

“I’d tell them to their face No, and never in a million years.”

“But why?” asked Phoebe.

“Because it will be like selling your soul to the devil. You know those shady organisations so vividly brought to life by the likes of Dan Brown in stories like ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Angels & Demons’ and that sort of thing? Well, like most fiction, there is often more than a modicum of truth behind it.”

Phoebe could not stop herself from laughing.

“I dreamed up a fake history for myself that said that I worked for a company that helped people validate ownership of Art works and Antiques. It was to help me get a good deal for my wife to be in selling her house.”

Kathy raised a different eyebrow.

“Wife?”

“Yes. Long story but we are totally in love with each other.”

“I take it that she is not a lawyer?”

“No. Far from it. She runs her own IT Consulting business.”

“Good to hear that you have someone from outside the law in your life. I know to my own cost that marrying a fellow Lawyer does not always work very well.”

Then Kathy put on her serious face again.

“I meant what I said. They will use you and if you don’t equal or beat the men then they’ll spit you out just like that. The money is so very attractive. That is all part of the honey pot that is enticing you in.”

Phoebe looked confused so Kathy showed her what she meant.

“Look at these sections of the contract.”

Kathy showed Phoebe two paragraphs of the contract. Phoebe realised that taken apart they were fairly innocuous but together, they made a whole lot more sense and also confirmed what Kathy was saying.

“I didn’t connect them like that. Sorry for that.”

“Don’t be sorry. I have a lot more experience of this sort of thing than you do. It is very easy to miss how these clauses could be put together to make life very difficult for you. Did they talk about extended periods away from home or being based elsewhere?”

“Yes, they did. It was hinted that I might be based in Geneva.”

“Then this all makes sense especially as you now have someone to go home to. You may well find that very few of the people you would be working with have a home life. All those TV Shows about US Lawyers working all hours of the day and night, are very close to what these people do. Again, a dose of truth makes the fiction easier to swallow except in this case, you may well be doing it without the glamour. There is nothing in here about allowances for the different cost of living and expenses while away for the extended period of time. I saw one contract last year for a very different industry where the employee was expected to pay for all expenses out of the pretty generous salary. The downside is that your salary is such that you will be paying the top rate of tax on it and then could well be expected to pay for flights and hotels and everything out of your post tax income. I call it ‘Implication by omission’ and I think should be avoided at all costs. Sadly, this ‘feature’ is becoming more and more common in executive level employment contracts. Anything that companies can get out of paying for means more on the bottom line and also liability after all if they are not paying for a trip then they limit their liability. I’ve even heard of one US Bank charging contractors a daily rate to bring their own IT kit into the bank but they don’t supply equipment for them to do the job. A win-win for the Bank don’t you think?”

Kathy’s words hit Phoebe really hard. Not only did it show how much she had to learn about contracts but business and real life in general.
Phoebe sat there trying to digest it all. No matter which way she tried, the answer was always ‘No’ to accepting the job offer.

“Thanks Kathy. I really do appreciate what you have said.”

“Anytime Phoebe. I just wish more of my former students were as willing as you to seek advice but what happened at the Chambers? I felt sure that there would be a Tenancy waiting for you once you passed your Bar Exam with such flying colours?”

“There sort of was but things conspired and around the same time I met Samantha who turned my world upside down and inside out in a flash. So, I told them that I was leaving just when I should have been saying yes to a job as a Barrister.”

Kathy smiled.

“Life does that sometimes. Are you going to accept?”

“I was dithering but after hearing what you just said then no chance. As you said, the money is very good but those two clauses would have to go for starters for me to even consider it. I was wavering but not now. I’ll find something else to do. Not sure what yet but I’m not ready to sell my soul to the company store.”

They both laughed.

“What are you going to do next?” asked Kathy.

“I’m due to have lunch with at least one of them shortly in one of the restaurants at the Shard.”

“All to tempt you my dear. If I were you I’d go in there, tell them no and get the hell out of there. Don’t wait around to be fed or you may end up saying yes.”

Kathy looked at her watch.

“I must dash. I have a tutorial starting in twenty and I need to get the notes from my Office.”

They said their goodbyes on the pavement outside the Café. Phoebe then headed for the nearby Holborn Tube Station and her lunchtime engagement.

---

“I’m meeting a Mr Ellery,” said Phoebe to the Maitre’d as she arrived at the restaurant. The views all around the city from the ‘Shard’ tower were magnificent. She knew that eating here would not be cheap. Then she stopped herself. She would not be eating lunch that day.

“Ah yes. He is expecting you. Will you please follow me?”

Phoebe followed the man over to a table where Mr Ellery was already seated.

“Hello Phoebe,” said Mr Ellery as he stood up to greet her.

“Nice to see you again Mr Ellery.”

“Gerald please.”

Phoebe smiled back at him as they sat down.
“I’m glad you came. You seem to have brought the good weather up from the coast.”

“It is only temporary if that black cloud coming up from the west is anything to go by.”

He looked where Phoebe was indicating.

“You might be right.”

Phoebe took a deep breath before saying,

“Let me cut to the chase Mr Ellery. Thank you very much for your offer but I’m not going to accept it. I have done some research and I’m not ready to commit my life to your job or any job for that matter. That was part of the reason I left the Chambers. I’d committed more than enough to the job and really got very little back. I’m going to take my time and decide what I really want to do next. If that is nothing to do with the law then so be it.”

Then she stood up.

“I’ll leave you to your lunch. I have a train to catch.”

She didn’t wait for him to reply. Her directness even surprised herself as she made it to the lift and pressed the button. She almost caught herself looking back at him but stopped herself just in time. If she had looked, she would have seen him raising a glass in her direction and with a huge grin on his face.

Gerald Ellery might look and act like an old fool in the eyes of many, but he admired the sort of directness that Phoebe had shown just now.

---

Phoebe’s flat was quiet when she arrived home. Samantha was at her home doing some work and trying to sort out what she wanted to take with her when she moved out. There wasn’t much apart from clothes and a few knickknacks. She knew that Samantha was going to miss the place. There were a lot of memories of her childhood and adolescence in the building but she knew deep down that with the pressure from her Father and now with Phoebe in her life it was time for a break from the past. What troubled Phoebe was how smooth or rough that break with the past would be for Samantha. Phoebe resolved to do everything she could to help her lover. It was all part of being a couple.
Then she smiled. They were a couple and she could not have been happier.

Samantha arrived at Phoebe’s later that afternoon. She brought over some personal items in a box. A lot of other stuff had already been taken to the container that she was renting in Shoreham. Her home was starting to look a bit bare now but having these things with her would keep her memories of the past fresh in her mind.

She found Phoebe sitting and looking out of the window.

“Hello Darling,” said Samantha as she put the box on the table.

“How did it go?”

“I told him to his face that I was not going to accept the offer. Then I walked out.”

“You mean you didn’t get a Michelin starred lunch out of him?”

“Nah. I just felt that I had to tell him and get the hell out of there.”

“You seem far more certain that ‘No’ was the right decision than you were when you left here this morning… How come?”

“As I told you, I was going to meet my old Tutor from Uni. She read the contract very closely and… well it wasn’t good. As her speciality is Contract Law she read it and found two clauses that when put together painted a very different picture on the deal. It was that assessment that swung it for me. I was still dithering up to that point.”

Then she decided to change the subject.

“How was your day?”

Samantha smiled.
“Two loads of junk taken for recycling, one load to Shoreham and I even did some work!”

“Well done!”

Phoebe stood up and embraced Samantha.
“I missed you,” she whispered.

“Same here. It was strange not having you around.”

“All I could think about when I was up in London was getting back here and to you.”

“Now that you have decided not to take that job what are you going to do next?”

“I’ll go and sign on tomorrow then we have the little matter of finding us somewhere else to live. The next month will go by very quickly.”

“What if you get a job before then?”

“I’ll try to get the start date put back but I’m really not interested in working for a law firm full time.”

This surprised Samantha.

“When did this all come about?”

“I overheard a conversation on the train back from London that got my mind going. There are a number of advice centres in town that I am sure would love to have me as a volunteer for the time being at least. It will give me something to do while we find somewhere to live and get me out of here.”

Samantha grinned back at Phoebe.

“That is the best idea you have had since you asked me to marry you,” she remarked.

“Then there is our wedding to plan?”

Samantha shook her head.
“Have you gone off the idea already?”

“No chance of that my love. To be honest, I just want to roll up at the registry office with a few witnesses and get it done. Then go for a really good meal before we disappear off to somewhere nice for a week on Honeymoon.”

“You seem to have it all worked out?” asked Phoebe.

“Not really but you know me. No fuss, no scenes. Get it done then we can get on with the rest of our lives together.”

Phoebe thought about what her lover had said for several seconds before responding.

“Well, neither of us have any family to speak of that we want to invite it sort of makes sense.”

“My Father is certainly not welcome and I really have no idea where my mother is these days. I lost track of her once Dad had moved onto her replacement and the divorce was finalised. We were never very close though. I think that she saw me as a bit of an inconvenience. What about your family?”

Phoebe laughed.
“If I told my dad that I was marrying another woman he’d be here with a gang of his mates and my brothers who still think that a woman’s place is in the home and married to a man who earns all that is needed to run the home.”

“That bad eh?”

“Well, perhaps not that bad but getting that way. That’s why I escaped and have only been back once and that was for Granddad’s funeral.
They all made it clear that I was not welcome. In their eyes, I was a traitor to the people I lived and grew up with.”

“Then it is just Sky and Lana and their partners then?”

“Looks that way. Don’t you have anyone to ask?”

“Not really. Coming out as a woman lost me most of what few friends I had and the few that remained have got married and have families of their own. We sort of ran out of things to say after a while and I’m really not interested in a gazillion pictures of their offspring’s every movement. One of them posts at least five pictures of her children on Facebook every day. I think it is rather sad and will no doubt come back to haunt them when they get older.”

“Yeah. I was the outcast at school for not being on any social media. As Dad would not let me have a phone until I was old enough to pay for itself it was rather hard. I got bullied for that but he would not budge. Ewan, one of my brothers bought one for me but I’d only had it a week before Dad found it and stamped all over it.”

“You poor thing!” said Samantha.

Phoebe smiled.

“Not really. A bit of a blessing in disguise. What I didn’t have I couldn’t miss. Instead of spending my time seeing who was dissing whom on Facebook, I had my nose in a real book. The prospect of getting four top grade A levels and my ticket out of South Wales was more than enough reason.”

“What did you bring over in that box?” said Phoebe trying to change the subject. He past life was not easy for her to speak about. Samantha was very much in the same boat which made them very well suited for each other.

“Just a few photos and knickknacks. Not much really.”

Phoebe stood up and looked into the box. She soon spotted a photograph in a simple wooden frame.

“Is this you?” she said pointing to a young girl that was sitting on the bonnet of an old car.

“No. That’s my cousin Jacqui. She lives in New Zealand now.”

Samantha looked lovingly at the photo.

“That’s my Grandfather. It is his car. I took the photo.”

Phoebe looked at her partner. She could see that there was more to this story than Samantha was letting on.

“You don’t have to tell me the story if it is too hard for you?”

Samantha was slightly taken aback by Phoebe’s word.
Then she let out a small laugh.

“No. Just an embarrassing moment.”

“Oh, goody please tell?”

Samantha looked at Phoebe who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh well. If you must!”

Phoebe said nothing.

“A few years ago, I found out that the car in the photo still exists and that it was going to be on show at the Goodwood Reunion event that September. I came up with this cunning plan to buy the car. I told him that it was me in the photo and I’d like the car for sentimental reasons. The last bit is true though.”

“But you didn’t?”

“No. It sort of backfired on me. The guy who owned it was very nice. He even came up with a plan for me to buy the car if I’d do something for him.”

“Like sleeping with him?”

Samantha laughed.

“Nothing like that at all. He gave me a lift back to Hove from Goodwood. On the way he explained what he wanted me to do.”

Samantha paused.

“He wanted me to teach him how to become a woman.”

Phoebe tried her hardest but could not stop herself from laughing.

“It is all right for you but I’d only had the operation a few months before so I was still a bit sensitive about getting read. It was only later that I realised that he hadn’t read me but was genuine in his desires. But like a wimp, I did a runner. I legged it from where he dropped me to Hove Station. I jumped into a Taxi who took me home.”

Phoebe took hold of Samantha’s hand.

“I guess it was part of growing up then?”

“I was in a right state for nearly a week. Slowly it dawned on me what he really wanted and why. I was too much of a coward to phone him up and give him an answer. But it taught me a lesson. A lesson that I remembered when we were standing at the Bus Stop after the Speed Dating Event. I decided to not be a wimp and to go with my feelings and kiss you.”

Phoebe leaned over and kissed Samantha.

“I’m so glad you did,” said Phoebe a bit later.

“Otherwise we would not be here today I’m happy to say. Without that episode we would not have met, now would we? That means my darling that it wasn’t a disaster. An embarrassment for sure but not a disaster by any means and I’m so happy that you did kiss me.”

Then Phoebe said softly,
“I won’t mention it ever again.”

Then she did a zipping motion to her lips.

Samantha laughed and tried to tickle Phoebe.

---

The next day, Phoebe did as she promised, went to sign on for Unemployment benefit or as it is called 'Job Seekers Allowance'. She came out of the offices feeling totally unclean. The whole experience had been degrading and not one that she wanted to repeat in this lifetime or the next.

The staff had made her feel totally unworthy of any benefits. As she expected, there was a grand total of zero adverts for a qualified Barrister. The first person she’d seen had thought that Phoebe was a ‘Barista’ as in someone who waits on tables or serves in a restaurant.

It took her quite a while to get the mistake corrected without raising her voice or getting angry. Even then, they tried to get her to go for an interview for a job in a Coffee Shop saying that here three years of experience in London would be very attractive to the shop manager.

While having a Coffee and trying to calm down Phoebe remembered the slip of paper that Danny had given her when she was in London. After searching through her handbag, she found it. The phone number was for a place in Chichester. She knew the dialling code for the city because one of the people she’d represented in court had lived there.

After some hesitation, she left the coffee shop and after walking down to the sea front, she called the number.
“John Tomlinson please,” said Phoebe when the call was answered.

“No, I’m not a client. A Danny Swayne gave me his number. My name is Phoebe Russell.”

After almost a minute a man came onto the line.
“Mr Tomlinson?”

“Yes, he did give me your number.”

Then Phoebe recognised his voice. He had been the solicitor handing the case that she’d taken when the lead Barrister had a Skiing accident. It was her second solo case and also the second one that she’d won in court.

“I was just doing my job. It was clear that the prosecution case was not solid and your client’s alibi stood up.”

“No, I have left them. I’m currently out of work but to be honest Mr Tomlinson, I’m not that interested in working full time. I am thinking about volunteering at an advice centre.”

“Really? That sounds good.”

“Yes, I would like to meet to discuss things a bit further.”

“No, tomorrow morning at ten is fine.”

Phoebe hung up the call and immediately felt a lot better. The phone call had more than made up for the seemingly ritual humiliation of ‘Job Seekers’ at the hands of people who were supposed to be helping people find work.

---

Phoebe told Samantha about the phone call over dinner that evening.

“That’s good because I have some news as well.”

“You have a lead on somewhere else to live?”

Samantha shook her head and smiled at the same time.

“It is time for your first fitting. Jackie called me and said that she had a number of items ready for you to try on.”

Phoebe took a moment before she realised what Samantha was on about.
“I’d sort of forgotten about that…”

“I had as well what with one thing and another.”

Samantha sat back in her chair.
“Perhaps we should look for a house closer to Chichester? There are some really lovely villages on the South Downs.”

“Chicken and Egg!”

Samantha laughed.
“It won’t hurt for me to take a look in a few agents while you are seeing this Mr Tomlinson tomorrow now will it? Then we can go over to Ford for your fitting…”

“You are coming then? Don’t you have to work? You were complaining that there was a problem that didn’t seem to respond to any of the fixes you tried.”

“All done and dusted. I had this sudden bit of inspiration and after going back to version of the code from two weeks ago and making a small change, it all works. That means we are free to go house hunting for the rest of the week, unless you have other ideas?”

“No, I don’t as you well know.”

After a slight hesitation, Phoebe added,

“Ok, we can make a real effort to find somewhere over there only if my interview is successful!”

Samantha kissed Phoebe to seal the deal. This was becoming a bit of a habit and one that neither of them objected to.

---

“How did it go?” asked an expectant Samantha as Phoebe emerged from the building where Mr Tomlinson had his legal practice.

“Good. He’s going to send me a formal offer tomorrow but I agreed in principle to work about three days a week averaged out over a year.”

“Eh?”

“I agreed to work no more than one hundred and fifty days a year. That’s three days a week over fifty weeks. Obviously if there is a trial then it will be more days in a row while the trial is on but then I’ll get some free time.”

“Ah, I get you.”

“You seem to have had a good morning?” said Phoebe looking at the shopping bag that Samantha was carrying.

“I got lots of property details and we can look at them later. Now it is time to see how that dress looks on you.”

Phoebe had dressed down in Lawyer ‘drab’ for her visit to Mr Tomlinson. While getting dressed that morning, she’d realised how much she hated it. She’d told her prospective boss that if she came to work for him, she’d only wear those sort of clothes for appearing in court or visiting clients in Prison. To her surprise, he hadn’t objected.

Phoebe had chuckled to herself as she left the office. Every woman there seemed to be dressed down in variations of her lawyer drab. More than likely it was just to fit in and make an impression of being serious when dealing with customers. Phoebe had made it clear to Mr Tomlinson that there was a time and a place for everything. Appearing in Court was one and working in the office was another.

As they drove over to Ford, Phoebe realised that looking good was becoming almost second nature for her now thanks to Samantha’s cajoling. Now that she had someone to dress up for, something that had been a real PITA BS (Before Samantha) was now enjoyable and something that she actually looked forward to every morning.

Thirty minutes after they’d arrived at the Business Unit, Phoebe was changed and about to make her entrance and show off the dress that Jackie had made for her. It looked lovely but wearing a petticoat to show off the full skirt was a totally new experience for her. She looked at herself in the mirror and did a twirl. The way that the skirt moved made her happy. It was a far cry from the plain straight skirt that she’d worn for her meeting earlier.

After another twirl, Phoebe realised that her hair was all wrong for her new look. It wasn’t long enough nor was it full enough and nor was it the right colour especially when she was alongside Samantha. Something had to be done about that but that would have to wait as her deliberations were cut short by Samantha calling out,

“Darling, is there something wrong?”

Phoebe took one last look at herself in the mirror before stepping out from behind the curtain.

“Wow!” exclaimed Samantha as Phoebe appeared from behind the curtain.
“That really suites you.”

Jackie said nothing but the smile on her face said that she agreed.

Phoebe did a twirl for her audience. A month before she would have never done that in heels. Now, it was no problem. She could not imagine wearing flats with that sort of outfit.

As she preened herself in the mirror, a thought came into her mind. It made her laugh.

“What’s so funny?” asked Samantha.

“Wait a moment.”

Phoebe ducked back into the curtained off area where she’d gotten changed and retrieved the skirt and top that she’d worn to the interview earlier.

She returned and stood in front of Samantha and Jackie whereupon she proclaimed,
“This is not me!” as she pointed at the clothes in her hand.

Then she tossed them aside and did a twirl.

“This is ME!”

[the end]

[Postscript, some two years later]
After a lot more dithering and prevarication, Phoebe did not take the job offer with Mr Tomlinson. Instead, she took a course in teaching and is now a part time law lecturer at a Further Education College in Chichester. She married Samantha just before that Christmas and in the following March, they moved into a converted barn near the village of Duncton, which lies on the north side of the downs to the north east of Chichester. From the top of the nearby hill which is appropriately named, Duncton Down, you can see the sea and even the Isle of Wight on a clear day. It quickly became a favourite spot for the couple to go for picnics.

The photo of the old car somehow got lost in the move. Both of them had left a lot more than physical objects behind them in order to start their new life together.

Phoebe’s hair had not been given more than a trim since the ‘this is me’ day and now is what she considers the right length, halfway down her back. After a couple of failures, she settled on a yellow blonde colour with a black fringe.

Phoebe has just one set of ‘lawyer drab’ clothes left, which she only wears them when taking part in mock trials otherwise ‘colour’ and flare is the name of the day.

[authors note]
The ‘old car’ in the Photograph was a Morris Minor and is part of my story ‘A Minor Romance’ where Samantha makes an appearance.