‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Megan said sympathetically. ‘You’ll meet someone.’
I knew she meant well but I wasn’t looking. I was going to be a mummy and that was enough. Andrew was just different – to James, at least. He wasn’t polished to fine perfection; he was rough around the edges. He didn’t wear an expensive suit or have his hair cut fortnightly (or at all by the looks of it), and most importantly, he didn’t take life too seriously. He seemed sensitive and generous, probably through working with children, and I just felt as though we’d not had a chance to get to know one another. It was my fault, though, and if I hadn’t have meddled in the first place I wouldn’t have met him and I wouldn’t have an aching hole in the pit of my stomach. I smiled to acknowledge Megan’s comment.
‘But you’re not interested in anyone else are you?’ she asked. Evidently, my smile presented itself in a less-than-convincing way. I shook my head.
‘Well fight for him. Find this guy!’ she said. ‘You must know where he works, or what about his number? There must be something.’
‘Well, he works in a school so I can’t go stalking around there, and besides that, I don’t know which one. He goes to the same gym as Samantha – I saw him there when Sam and I went to check up on her – but I’d look crazy turning up there and I did have his number but I deleted it. Using it would have been yet another betrayal. He’d made his feelings quite clear.’
‘I could go to the gym,’ Megan suggested.
‘Thanks, but no – I’m not that pushy, interfering woman any more.’
Megan looked over at Kate for assistance. ‘Don’t look at me, I’m on revenge duty – you can do matchmaking.’ She held up her hands, emphasising her protest.
‘Thanks, but let’s leave matchmaking for now. I need to focus on being a parent and besides that, who’d want to date a pregnant whale like me?’ Kate wrinkled her nose in a less-than-encouraging gesture of agreement.
I decided I might as well tell them all about my plans to buy a house. ‘How about we focus on something a bit more positive?’
The three of them looked at me, intrigued.
‘I’m in the process of buying a house.’ I grinned. ‘It’s a small but pretty cottage in Wilmslow that looks perfect. The solicitors have everything in hand and hopefully, I’ll be moving in six weeks from now. Pretty soon I’ll have a house and a baby and no designer stuff. A completely new life.’ I plastered a smile on my face. ‘Who needs men anyway?’ Putting Andrew behind me had to be part of my new plan.
‘That’s fantastic news!’ Megan said, coming over to hug me. ‘And you’re right, you’ll have everything you need – you don’t need a man to be happy.’
Sam smirked. ‘Does it have a garden? Because there’s a man right here that you might need.’
I smiled. ‘Sorry, Sam, there’s not much of a garden but I might need a hand potting some floral plants around the yard.’
‘Hmm, I suppose you’ll want special rates and everything now.’
‘I think I might – Kate’s about to wring me out.’ I laughed. ‘Shall I show you the brochure?’
There was a chorus of yeses so I went upstairs to dig it out. ‘Ta-dah!’ I said, plonking it in the centre of the dining table.
‘Ahh, it’s lovely,’ Megan cooed. ‘I can just see it come Christmas time, with a wreath on the door and fairy lights in the windows. It’s so cosy. I love it!’
‘It’s lovely, Charlotte, a perfect place for you and the baby,’ Sam said.
‘It’s the size of a really shit wine fridge!’ Kate observed.
I smiled. ‘Your wine fridge, perhaps! I know it’s small.’ I glared at Kate. ‘But it’s all I need. All we need.’
***
Andrew had mentioned that he sometimes went to Didsbury Park after school to get some fresh air, and since I’d not been suffering from morning sickness quite as much, I thought walking might do me some good. I convinced myself I was going for the fresh air and not for a chance meeting and put on some gym wear of Megan’s since mine was still at home: long black leggings, a multi-coloured gym vest, and a black hoodie. I stuffed my phone in my pocket before shouting to Megan that I was going out. Nobody replied; I assumed she’d gone to Sam’s. It was safe to say, things were progressing, despite my advice.
The park was quiet so I put my headphones in and started walking at a brisk pace. I might as well keep my legs toned if nothing else. I kept my eyes peeled as I walked around the green and followed the path but saw no sign of him. I looped back around, but still no sign. I continued doing laps and even sat on a bench, watching some teenagers play a game of football. At one point, a dark-haired man approached and my heart leapt in my chest. But it wasn’t him. It was stupid of me to think I’d see him, and if I had, he’d have either ignored me or given me another piece of his mind anyway.
As I got up to leave, my phone buzzed with a message.
Can you come over? I have a new development. K x
I got in my car and drove straight to Kate’s house, pulling up between her Range Rover and Carl’s Bentley once she’d opened the gates for me.
‘Come in,’ she said, appearing in the doorway. ‘Carl’s watching the football in the lounge so we’ll go into the snug.’ I followed her across her dark oak hallway. Silver wallpaper with flecks of glitter lined the walls, and a huge chandelier hung above the sweeping staircase.
‘I’ll get something fiz – I mean soft. I’ve got some cucumber-infused water.’ She went towards the kitchen and returned with a metal jug of water and some glasses.
‘Okay,’ she said, pouring us each a glass. ‘God, this would be so much easier to say if there was alcohol involved.’ She took a breath.
‘It’s not like you to mince your words, Kate – spit it out.’
‘The app on my phone lets me know when movement is detected, so every time James comes in and out of his office, I get a notification and I can view the camera footage. There have been a few client visits, a few Slutty Samantha visits, and then this interesting encounter.’ She passed me the phone.
It was a girl I recognised from his office. A much younger woman. I think she worked on the reception or did admin or something like that. In the picture on the phone, she was sitting on his lap, kissing him. My stomach churned and I passed the phone wordlessly back to Kate.
‘He’s unbelievable,’ she said, putting the phone on the table so she could put an arm around me.
‘God, I feel such a fool,’ I said. ‘These indiscretions could have been going on for years. Since day one – who knows?’
‘I’m sorry, hon,’ Kate said, rubbing my back, but it provided little comfort. ‘To cheer you up, I had a little fun. I thought you might want a little gift for that ex-mother-in-law-to-be of yours.’
‘Oh?’ A gift for Frances was about as desirable as a dose of piles.
‘Okay, it’s a work in progress, and it’s been years since I did marketing at university – it actually feels great putting that degree to some use. Anyway, I made this.’ She produced a brochure of Emsworth, Haiden & Haiden Law, except it differed slightly.
I scanned the top line.
Let Emsworth, Haiden & Haiden Law help you.
Let us handle your case with care. Next to that line was a picture of James holding Samantha in his arms. She was sat on his lap in his office and the corporate logo was providing modest coverage.
We’ll examine your case thoroughly. Next to that was a picture of James with his tongue down the office woman’s throat.
We can recommend highly professional barristers to cater for your needs. A picture of one of the two with her blouse open sitting on James’s lap complemented the caption perfectly.
The leaflet actually looked quite professional. Kate had managed to get the logo right and everything.
‘My marketing is fantastic, isn’t it? Turns out I still have those desktop-publishing skills.’ I got the impression that there was more to this from Kate’s point of view than simply seeking justice.<
br />
‘I don’t know what to say.’ I really didn’t. It was so professional-looking, and her days of drinking champers and lunching were clearly a real waste of her talents. It was, however, difficult to look at, from my point of view at least.
‘I’ll take your shock as a compliment,’ she said, beaming.
‘And you should! But what were you planning on doing with it?’
‘My initial plan was to send it to the Haiden brothers but since we have something a little more substantial for them, I thought you might want to send it to Frances, so she can see how hard her glorious son really works.’
‘Whoa, Kate. Stop!’ I goggled. ‘You’re clearly very talented but I can’t possibly do that!’
Her expression fell. ‘Why not?’
I let out a small laugh. ‘Because, it isn’t very becoming of me is it? She already thinks I’m lacking in social decorum. Good effort though.’
When I pulled up outside Megan’s house, my blood ran cold. Frances’s Lexus was parked boldly outside. I’d recognise that brassy gold saloon anywhere. I thought about driving away, but a small part of me was intrigued to see what she wanted. Perhaps James had told her the truth and she was coming to apologise on his behalf. Unlikely.
‘Frances?’ I said, knocking on the window to alert her.
‘Ahh, Charlotte,’ she mouthed and opened the door. She struggled out of the car looking frailer than I’d noticed before. Maybe it was because I no longer cared what she thought and the by-product of that was that she didn’t intimidate me any more.
‘We need to sort out this separation business. James told me you’d left him.’ I was sure the weasel-like mummy’s boy had. ‘Why would you do something like that, Charlotte? Is it the hormones?’ She cast a disapproving glance over my sportswear as though my informal attire reinforced her point.
Rage began to bubble up inside my stomach, and when it reached my chest, it created a tension that could only be rivalled on the North and South Korean border. It took a few steady breaths to stop it erupting out of my mouth. ‘I take it James has been economical with his information?’ I said, clenching my jaw. ‘Perhaps he’s the one you should be talking to.’
‘I don’t follow. If you’ve got an explanation then just spit it out, Charlotte!’
‘I can’t . . . hormones!’ I shrugged and walked into Megan’s house without looking back.
She yelled after me, something about embarrassing the Emsworth family, but I forced myself to carry on.
Once inside, I sunk against the door and keyed a quick message to Kate.
Put Frances back on your mailing list! C x
Chapter Twenty
Knowing James would be at work, I went home. If James had accepted bribes, there must be some record of the money somewhere and the office was a good place to start. I scoured his computer, the filing cabinets, and all of the desk drawers but there was nothing. I’d already checked our joint account and there were no suspicious payments of any sort and I was beginning to think we’d put two and two together and got five when I had an idea.
The walk-in wardrobe was a state, but an even worse sight was the bra (not mine) on the floor I’d had to step over to it in the first place. My clothes still hung there, untouched. It was odd seeing them in their home because the place no longer felt like my home. It was cold and uninviting, ostentatious and almost repulsive after staying in Megan’s modest, cosy house. The designer clothes I’d once cherished seemed pointless and shallow. It was ridiculous to think some of them cost thousands of pounds and I’d bought them whilst being convinced that spending weeks raising five hundred quid for charity was a good deed.
It became so clear to me that buying nice things was a way to feel a connection with something. If I paid a lot for a handbag or shoes, they felt special and that gave me the warm, fuzzy feeling that I was supposed to get from a human bond. That I’d come to experience with my baby, with Megan, Sam and Kate and with Andrew.
I knelt down to level myself with his secret in-closet drawer, the one that matched mine. It was unlocked so I slid it open. The last time I’d rummaged through there, looking for a novelty corkscrew for Megan, I’d noticed documents but at the time I’d been too distracted by the receipt I’d found for my bracelet to look at them. The Breitling box was in there, taunting me, so I pushed it aside and rummaged through the assortment of crap to the paperwork underneath. There was a brown paper folder, just like the one from the office. I slid it out and sat comfortably on the floor before opening it.
The first page was details of a new bank account but it wasn’t set up in James’s name. It was in mine. I gasped and read it again. It was an account in my name and the deposits made seemed to match the money that had left the offshore account. I swallowed hard and read it again. With trembling fingers, I tapped out a message to the WhatsApp group.
Cancel everything. Meet me now at Megan’s house. NOW.
I ignored the instant beeps of response and stuffed the phone into my back pocket, collected the papers, and left. When I arrived at Megan’s house, everyone was already sat around the dining table.
‘Don’t you lot have anything better to do during the day?’ I joked but my heart wasn’t in it.
‘What is it, Charlotte?
‘This.’ I threw the file on the table and Kate took it and started leafing through.
‘It’s details of a bank account in Charlotte’s name,’ Kate said, lifting her head from the papers. ‘James has put the bribery money in your name hasn’t he?’
I nodded. ‘It looks that way. The amounts and dates tie up.’
Megan gasped. ‘Wow. Just when you think a man can’t sink any lower?’
‘On the bright side, it’s a nice lump sum – you could use it for your house,’ Sam said.
‘Yes!’ Kate agreed. ‘One hundred grand would wallop a chunk off your mortgage.’
‘Not a chance. And besides, I won’t have a mortgage.’
‘Why not?’ Kate said.
‘Because I don’t have a job so no bank in their right mind would give me a mortgage. Fortunately, I have enough money to buy it without.’
‘I meant, why won’t you take the money?’
‘Er, I don’t know,’ I said sarcastically. ‘Perhaps because it was acquired illegally!’
‘Well nobody has found it yet.’
‘Kate, I don’t need the money and I certainly don’t want it.’
‘Well, it scuppers our plan!’ she replied. ‘It’s enough to tide James over until he finds a new job. We’ll basically be giving him a paid sabbatical.’
She was right of course – I hadn’t thought of it like that. ‘What about if we make him give the money away and resign?’
‘You mean blackmail him?’ Sam asked.
‘I suppose so. I have a list of charities as long as my arm the money could go to and if we threaten to go public with our findings unless he turns over the evidence and resigns – he’ll have no choice.’
Everyone sat deep in thought for a moment before Megan nodded. ‘I like it. It seems more . . . moral.’
Sam slowly nodded in agreement. ‘Yes.’
‘Sam, Samantha could be involved in this too,’ I said gently.
‘I know, she’s a lot of things but I don’t think she’s a criminal. We’ll see.’
‘It’s a bit snowflakey, and you’ll waive your right to anonymity,’ Kate said.
‘It doesn’t matter. What exactly do I have to hide from James? He’s the one in the wrong and I said all along I didn’t want revenge. I just want to teach him a lesson and what better lesson is there than “Don’t break the law?”’
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Okay – it’s your gig.’
***
A few days later, I came into the kitchen to a note on the table from Megan. It basically said that we were all going out for dinner because we had spent enough time moping around her house and that, quite frankly, she was starting to see us as part of the furniture
(and not in a good way).
I showered and changed into my skinny jeans, which I could only just fasten. The button was locked in battle with my stomach, but I was confident it would hold – for the evening at least. But I would need to acquire some maternity jeans in the near future, as just shoving the waistband down was not going to cut it for much longer. I put on a loose cargo shirt over a long tank vest and left it unbuttoned. On the plus side, my hair looked thick and glossy.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Kate, Megan, and Sam were already sipping wine and eating bread.
‘You made it then?’ Megan looked at her watch for effect.
‘Getting ready isn’t easy when nothing fits you know.’
‘Well you look gorgeous as always. Now sit. Kate has something to show us.’
‘I certainly do.’ Kate beamed, pulling a file out of her bag. ‘Inspired by the rediscovery of my amazing desktop-publishing skills, I put a little something together.’
She pushed a piece of paper into the middle of the table. It was a page made to look like the front page of a newspaper called ‘The Cheshire Times’ with a full-page spread entitled: Scandal at the law firm. There was an article exposing ‘Equity partner James Emsworth’ for accepting bribes from Phil Brady, ‘a director in one of the UK’s largest companies’ who is in the middle of a ‘huge embezzlement scandal spanning the last twenty years.’ There were pictures taken of the invoices and bank statements with evidential areas identified with bright red circles.
For the first time ever, Kate seemed unsure as she looked between us, trying to read our faces. ‘I just thought you could have a little fun with him before you make him come clean.’
‘I love it, Kate. It’s perfect and once again your talents shine.’
Sam spoke up. ‘I’ve been digging into Samantha’s finances and I don’t think she’s a part of this. But perhaps I’ll let her know how she wasn’t James’s only bit on the side as a little bit of revenge of my own.’
Who Needs Men Anyway? Page 20
