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Authors: Caro Fraser
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There’s nothing interesting about any of them.’
‘I don’t know. This guy didn’t seem like he was trying to pull me.’
‘Course he was.’ Damien glanced round impatiently, eyeing up a couple of girls at the end of the bar.
Joshua shrugged. ‘Maybe. There was just something about him. Anyway, he looked like he had money. You could tell from his suit and everything.’
‘Thinking of getting yourself a sugar daddy, are you?’ Damien grinned, glancing round at the girls again.
‘I might,’ said Joshua. ‘You never know. I might.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘Haven’t lunched in hall for weeks,’ remarked Roderick, as he and Leo strolled through Fountain Court the following day.
‘I still put in the occasional appearance,’ said Leo. ‘The food’s been getting slightly better of late, believe it or not.’ They passed through the gloomy vestibule and into Middle Temple Hall, where the air was loud with conversation and the clatter of plates, and ambrosial with a smell akin to that of school dinners.
‘The chicken,’ remarked Roderick. ‘That’s the safest bet. That chilli con carne looks lethal.’
While Roderick ordered two plates of chicken casserole, Leo fetched a couple of half-pints of beer from the steward at the end of the hall, and they managed to find seats at one of the long wooden tables where they could talk in relative seclusion.
‘So, you want to hear about the meeting with the Estates Committee?’
‘That can wait,’ said Roderick. ‘I think we should talk first about Cameron. I’m afraid it’s not good news. I spoke to Hilary a week ago.’ Roderick’s face was grim. ‘After he saw his consultant, Cameron went for some tests.’
‘And?’
Roderick paused and sighed. ‘Apparently he has cancer of the liver.’
Leo put down his fork and pushed his plate away. ‘Christ.’
‘He’d had stomach pains for months, but just put it down to bad digestion.. But when he started to lose weight, Hilary got worried and insisted he see someone.’ Roderick sighed. ‘There’s nothing that can be done. There are transplants, of course, but I should imagine Cameron’s too old.’
‘How long has he got?’
‘A matter of months. Of course, there’s no question of him coming back to chambers.’
‘No … God, that’s terrible news. Poor old man.’ Leo felt shocked and upset. Cameron’s cheerful, slightly eccentric character was part of the life of chambers. He had been there for years, ever since Leo had first started, an ebullient, reactionary presence whose untidiness and casual manner had exasperated countless judges, but whose incisive legal mind was beloved of solicitors and clients. Leo sat in silence for some moments, then said, ‘That means we’re without a head of chambers.’
‘Quite. It’s something that needs to be sorted out.’
‘We can’t— I mean, we can’t do anything formal for a few months.’ He looked questioningly at Roderick. ‘Surely?’
‘No,’ agreed Roderick. ‘It wouldn’t be quite the thing. Not while Cameron’s still …’
‘No.’ He paused. ‘We’ll need an acting head of chambers till then. You’re the obvious man.’
Roderick shrugged. ‘I’m happy to stand in for a while. Depends on what the others say.’
‘I’m sure everyone will agree. We can discuss it at the next chambers meeting. Lord, poor Hilary. I must go and see Cameron. Is he at home?’
‘For the time being.’ There was silence between the two men for a moment or two, then Roderick said, ‘Anyway, you’d better tell me how the meeting with the Estates Committee went.’
‘Oh, it was nothing much. They were simply outlining the structural alterations they’re making to the building, room sizes, installing lifts, that kind of thing. They’re completely renovating the place.’ Leo rubbed his chin. ‘Quite a few chambers have expressed interest, so there’s no guarantee we’ll be granted a lease.’
‘I suppose that’s true. The fact that
‘I don’t know. This guy didn’t seem like he was trying to pull me.’
‘Course he was.’ Damien glanced round impatiently, eyeing up a couple of girls at the end of the bar.
Joshua shrugged. ‘Maybe. There was just something about him. Anyway, he looked like he had money. You could tell from his suit and everything.’
‘Thinking of getting yourself a sugar daddy, are you?’ Damien grinned, glancing round at the girls again.
‘I might,’ said Joshua. ‘You never know. I might.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘Haven’t lunched in hall for weeks,’ remarked Roderick, as he and Leo strolled through Fountain Court the following day.
‘I still put in the occasional appearance,’ said Leo. ‘The food’s been getting slightly better of late, believe it or not.’ They passed through the gloomy vestibule and into Middle Temple Hall, where the air was loud with conversation and the clatter of plates, and ambrosial with a smell akin to that of school dinners.
‘The chicken,’ remarked Roderick. ‘That’s the safest bet. That chilli con carne looks lethal.’
While Roderick ordered two plates of chicken casserole, Leo fetched a couple of half-pints of beer from the steward at the end of the hall, and they managed to find seats at one of the long wooden tables where they could talk in relative seclusion.
‘So, you want to hear about the meeting with the Estates Committee?’
‘That can wait,’ said Roderick. ‘I think we should talk first about Cameron. I’m afraid it’s not good news. I spoke to Hilary a week ago.’ Roderick’s face was grim. ‘After he saw his consultant, Cameron went for some tests.’
‘And?’
Roderick paused and sighed. ‘Apparently he has cancer of the liver.’
Leo put down his fork and pushed his plate away. ‘Christ.’
‘He’d had stomach pains for months, but just put it down to bad digestion.. But when he started to lose weight, Hilary got worried and insisted he see someone.’ Roderick sighed. ‘There’s nothing that can be done. There are transplants, of course, but I should imagine Cameron’s too old.’
‘How long has he got?’
‘A matter of months. Of course, there’s no question of him coming back to chambers.’
‘No … God, that’s terrible news. Poor old man.’ Leo felt shocked and upset. Cameron’s cheerful, slightly eccentric character was part of the life of chambers. He had been there for years, ever since Leo had first started, an ebullient, reactionary presence whose untidiness and casual manner had exasperated countless judges, but whose incisive legal mind was beloved of solicitors and clients. Leo sat in silence for some moments, then said, ‘That means we’re without a head of chambers.’
‘Quite. It’s something that needs to be sorted out.’
‘We can’t— I mean, we can’t do anything formal for a few months.’ He looked questioningly at Roderick. ‘Surely?’
‘No,’ agreed Roderick. ‘It wouldn’t be quite the thing. Not while Cameron’s still …’
‘No.’ He paused. ‘We’ll need an acting head of chambers till then. You’re the obvious man.’
Roderick shrugged. ‘I’m happy to stand in for a while. Depends on what the others say.’
‘I’m sure everyone will agree. We can discuss it at the next chambers meeting. Lord, poor Hilary. I must go and see Cameron. Is he at home?’
‘For the time being.’ There was silence between the two men for a moment or two, then Roderick said, ‘Anyway, you’d better tell me how the meeting with the Estates Committee went.’
‘Oh, it was nothing much. They were simply outlining the structural alterations they’re making to the building, room sizes, installing lifts, that kind of thing. They’re completely renovating the place.’ Leo rubbed his chin. ‘Quite a few chambers have expressed interest, so there’s no guarantee we’ll be granted a lease.’
‘I suppose that’s true. The fact that
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