I introduced the two of them. I was right about my sister: I didn’t have to explain who Prim was. ‘Harvey,’ I began, ‘I’m proposing to take serious advantage of our brief acquaintance, or of the fact that you’re sleeping with our Ellen, however you prefer to look at it. My ex here is in serious trouble, and she needs a guiding hand. I know you can’t represent her directly, but you might be able to point her in the right direction, and recommend appropriate people.’
The QC shifted in his chair, frowning. ‘Oz, under Faculty of Advocates rules I’m not supposed to do even that without a solicitor’s instruction.’
‘I know, but that’s covered by the phrase “take serious advantage”. You’re not going to be quoted to anyone, so will you hear us out?’
He gave a diffident smile. ‘You mean that this meeting isn’t taking place?’
‘What meeting? I’m just your girlfriend’s brother, filling you in on a wee bit of history, something that began in this very hotel, two years ago.’ I carried on and told him Prim’s story, as quickly and clearly as I could. A minute into my tale, he produced a hand-held computer from his pocket. . these days, high-flyers like Harvey and I don’t go anywhere without one of those. . and began making notes on it with a stylus.
When I was finished, he whistled. ‘You wouldn’t get away with that in court,’ I said.
‘I might, before some judges I know. In fact they’d probably be whistling themselves after a piece of evidence like that. A carefully planned, long-term, major fraud, with the child as a surprise twist; very little deception on this scale comes before the Scottish Bench, I assure you.’
He glanced at his palm-top, reviewing his notes. ‘If this was a consultation,’ he murmured, ‘I’d ask you a couple of questions, Primavera.’
She leaned forward. ‘Such as?’
‘The first would be whether Mr Wallinger ever proposed marriage to you, or you to him.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Not in the get-down-on-your-knees sense. We discussed it, but we had both come from failure, so we weren’t in any rush. I just assumed it was something that would happen eventually.’
‘Who initiated these discussions?’
She looked up and over Harvey’s head for a few moments, then back at him. ‘Now that you ask me to recall it, whenever the subject came up, it was me who raised it.’
‘My next questions would be about the fraud, if I were to ask them. Clearly it could only have happened if Mr Wallinger was acting as your financial adviser. Is that the case?’
‘Yes. I was pregnant when Paul raised the subject of my financial affairs for the first time. He said that since I was having his child, he supposed that he had a duty as a parent to ensure that its interests were protected properly. He was laughing when he said it, but I saw the sense in it.’
‘You took him seriously?’
‘Yes.’
‘So what did you do?’
‘I reconsidered the arrangement I had at the time. My funds were managed in Edinburgh, by a company that Oz had found for me. I remember when I told Paul he gave me one of those kindly looks of his that implied I was an idiot. “It’s unusual,” he said, “to let your ex have as much continuing influence over your life.” I saw the sense in that too, so I asked him if he’d be happier if he was looking after me. He was hesitant, at first.’
‘But you persuaded him?’
‘Goddamnit, I suppose I did. I thought he was a bloody stockbroker, didn’t I?’
‘A slight flaw in your case,’ said Harvey, ‘but not crippling by any means, especially since he presented himself as such. How did you give him the authority to act for you?’
‘I wrote to my former manager firing him, and instructing him to send all my papers to me, by registered post, then I signed letters that Paul produced, one for each of the companies in which I was invested, naming him as my new financial adviser and giving him full authority to act on my behalf.’
‘How was he described in those letters?’
‘As my partner.’
‘Excellent. If I was your counsel I’d be able to argue that his appointment was based upon the trust flowing from an established relationship, in which a child was at that time expected.’
‘Will you be my counsel, Harvey?’ she asked.
‘You’ll have to instruct me formally, through a solicitor, but if you do that, I will. Do you have a lawyer in Scotland?’
‘No, but …’ She looked at me.
‘I have,’ I said, diving into my pocket for my phone. ‘And when I’m around, he works on Saturdays.’
I rang Greg McPhillips, my personal brief, hoping that he wasn’t at his golf club, for mobiles are banned there. As luck had it he had just left; the background noise told me that his Bluetooth connection picked up my call in his car.
‘Hi,’ he answered cheerily. ‘I’m just on my way home, love. I won’t be long; we’ll be in plenty of time for the wedding, promise.’
‘That’s good to know, darling,’ I replied, ‘but I’m having a hell of a fucking job getting my dress to fit, so we might not be going after all.’
‘Pillock, Blackstone.’
‘I was once told by a homosexual in London that a pillock is a man with a small penis. I ask you to withdraw that remark, or I’ll have to instruct you to sue yourself. If you want a list of witnesses against you, there’s one sitting right here.’ Prim and Harvey both stared at me.
‘Withdrawn, withdrawn; I’ve played squash with you, remember. Now what the bloody hell do you want?’
‘I want you, right now this minute, to instruct Mr Harvey January, QC, to act in the case of Miss Primavera Eagle Phillips, against Mr Paul Wallinger.’
‘You serious? Harvey January? He’s a top silk.’
‘Believe it.’
‘Have you got his number?’
‘Have I ever; her name’s Ellen. He’s right here; now repeat to him what I just said.’
‘Were you serious about the Eagle bit too?’
‘I’m afraid so. It’s Prim’s middle name, so secret that once you know it she has to kill you. Her mother is close to nature; she saw a mountain eagle in Spain on the night Prim was conceived.’
‘Thank God it wasn’t a vulture!’
‘I’ve often thought that, but never had the courage to say it. Here’s Harvey, just repeat the instruction as I gave it to you.’ I passed the phone across.
The advocate took it, listened for a few seconds, then said, ‘I accept.’ They conversed quietly for another minute or so, then Harvey said, ‘I’ll get back to you as necessary with any specific requirements,’ and returned the handset.
‘Thanks, Greg,’ I told him. ‘Enjoy the wedding.’
‘I’d rather be cutting my toenails with a chainsaw,’ he admitted. ‘You keep an eye on that Eagle, d’you hear? She’s had her talons in you before; don’t let it happen again.’
‘It’s okay, I’m a protected species too. Cheers.’
I turned back to Harvey. ‘Right, that’s taken care of. What do we do now?’
‘We go on the attack,’ he replied at once, ‘on two fronts. First thing on Monday morning, we will go to the Sheriff Court to seek, and undoubtedly obtain, an interim interdict prohibiting Mr Wallinger from taking Tom out of the United Kingdom without Primavera’s consent. I know that the horse has bolted, but it will also require that he return him here forthwith. We will also initiate proceedings to award her full legal custody.’
He looked at me. ‘To do that, we’ll need to cite an address in Scotland. Can I use yours, Oz?’
‘No, no, a thousand times no. That would make the tabloids in a big way, and neither Susie nor I would like that.’
‘Semple House, Auchterarder.’ Harvey turned his gaze to his new client. ‘That’s my parents’ address,’ she told him. ‘Will it do for your purposes?’
‘Fine, as long as your parents are upstanding citizens.’
‘As up as you’ll find,’ I assured him.
‘We will need, of course, the child’s birth certif icate. Do you still have it, or did Mr Wallinger take that with him?’
‘He took it.’
‘In that case we’ll need a duplicate. You can apply for one online, but that will take a couple of weeks. Do you have a reliable friend in London?’