She relaxed back into the chair, resting her hands on her thighs. “You know what I’m going to say.”
“Yes.” He swallowed. “How did you know?”
Isobel shrugged. “Experience, as you said. And instinct.”
Seconds passed.
Then she said, “That is why you brought me here.”
“Not to pry into my background.”
Isobel shook her head and stood again.
Peter’s eyes never left hers. “I’m not imagining something because of what happened to me.”
“Peter, we all do. Our perception of everything is coloured by our experiences, and you’re the same as the rest of us.”
“That may be true.”
“Is true.”
“But, honestly, I do believe there’s a problem. Do you think I would have gone to all the trouble of bringing you over, if I wasn’t genuinely worried? Yes, I have a past but maybe that’s one of the things that has enabled me to sense that something is off here.”
“Peter –”
“Maybe it is my stuff, or maybe there is something going on. Please, I need to know, one way or the other. You’re here, please see this through.”
Isobel dropped back into the chair.
“Have you seen a therapist about your mother deserting you?” she asked.
“No.”
“You need to.” Leaning forward, her hand on her forehead, she said, “I’m really uncomfortable with this. Maybe I’m doing you more harm than good by going along with it.”
He shook his head. “I need to know one way or the other. You will be helping me.”
Isobel looked at him, her mind miles away. “How are you going to organise for this couple to meet me?”
“That’s my problem.” For the first time his face relaxed. “Does that mean you’ll do it?”
Isobel felt his relief and pursed her lips. “OK, here’s the deal. If you promise to go to a therapist and have six meetings with her about what happened with your mother, I will see this couple. Irrespective of what I find, you have to do this, and I want your word.”
Peter blinked a number of times. “OK.”
“You’ll get an appointment for this week?”
Peter nodded and stood up. “So we have a deal then?”
Isobel stood too. “We have a deal.”
They shook hands.
Peter grinned. “Now, to have you meet this couple we’re going to need some help.” He left the room.
Alone briefly, Isobel rolled her shoulders and wondered if she was doing the right thing. It already had become more complicated than she’d expected.
Peter reappeared with the blonde lady. “You have already met Patricia. She’s been my secretary for five years. She knows all about my concerns and is going to help us tomorrow.”
Patricia smiled warmly at Peter and made herself comfortable in the other chair.
While she appeared friendly, Isobel could detect a wariness towards her.
“So what’s the plan?” she queried, sitting back to listen and absorb, her eyes moving from Peter to Patricia.
“Basically I’ve told my client, Anne Banks, that Patricia inadvertently shredded the contract she signed with me and that I need her to come in and sign another one. The story is that Patricia has been really stressed about her child’s health – frequent asthmatic attacks – and that’s why she’s been distracted and making errors. I’ve apologised profusely and grovelled and, I think, persuaded her that a genuine mistake has ensued. They’re coming at lunchtime tomorrow to re-sign the contract. Patricia will stay out of the office and you’ll be here as an old friend of mine who’s stepped in to help me while my secretary sorts out her home life. We get the contract re-signed and while we’re doing that you can assess this couple. Patricia has typed out another document and has everything ready to go.”
Isobel pursed her lips, feeling the anxiety in her stomach.
Peter hurried on. “Look, Isobel. Just do what you do and give me your impressions. If everything seems OK, I can resign myself to doing my job, knowing that I did my best. Final contracts are being prepared and will be ready next week as we had arranged.”
“So, if there is a problem, there isn’t much time to do anything?”
“Right – if there is something going on, time will be of the essence.”
Isobel pursed her lips. “I might say something that a legal secretary wouldn’t.”
“That’s why I’ve described you as a friend, not a professional.”
“You seem to have covered most bases.” She turned to Patricia. “Do you have children, Patricia?”
Patricia, who had listened attentively, laughed musically. “No children.”
As she spoke Isobel noticed her quickly glance at Peter.
“What time do you want me here, Peter?” Isobel asked.
“Anne is coming in at a quarter past one, so you need to be ready for then.”
“So we’re good to go.”
“I think so.”
Isobel nodded and rose to leave. “OK. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He rose and they shook hands. “Thanks again, Isobel. I really appreciate this.”
“Don’t forget our agreement.”
Patricia frowned and shifted in her seat. No one enlightened her and she stood up. “Good luck.”
“You too,” Isobel said and left.
There was no one in reception and, glancing at her watch, she realised it was six o’clock. Time had flown.
Isobel sat on the Tube, checking off the stops to Hammersmith. Her life had been like that for the past eighteen months, a route she had to follow that was laid out for her until she reached a destination, the end of treatment. She was nervous about tomorrow and felt tired. It had been a long time since she had worked and today had been a challenge. She didn’t really feel like herself, or not like her old self anyway. To borrow a line from the movie Hitch, ‘Who she was, was a fluid concept right now’.
Back in her room, she pulled out her case and unpacked her two wigs. It was a year since she had worn them. The silver-white one which had made her feel a bit sophisticated and the brunette one that was more relaxed. Trying them both on, she decided that she would wear the silver one.
Her mobile rang and she knew it was going to be Dave.
“How did your first day as a consultant go?”
“I’m not a consultant.”
“You’re consulting with Peter on this case, giving him the benefit of your experience and expertise.”
Isobel laughed.
“Peter was on the phone to me earlier, telling me that you’d given him a hard time –”
“I didn’t –”
“He was very impressed. He said you challenged him about something related to the case and you were spot on.”
She was relieved to hear that. “Well, that’s good.”
“It’s certainly a good start.”
“We’ll just have to see how tomorrow goes.”
“Good luck.”
“Bye.”
No doubt Dave would be on the phone to the whole family now, letting them know that she was working. Isobel let it go – there was no point trying to dampen their delight. She collapsed into bed. It had been a long day.