Unexpected Blessings (44 page)

At this moment the door opened and Geoffrey Creighton, one of Christopher’s junior partners, came bustling in, also carrying a pile of manila folders. After greeting everyone, he took a seat on the other side of Tessa, and told them: ‘Longden’s solicitors are just arriving downstairs. But no sign of Longden yet.’

‘It’s typical, he’s always been late for as long as I’ve known him,’ Tessa muttered.

‘I’d like to go over a couple of points with you, Tessa,’ Christopher said, opening one of the folders. ‘Let’s endeavour to get it out of the way before we’re surrounded.’

Mark Longden was the last to arrive.

From the moment he walked into the conference room Tessa was tense, on her guard, not knowing what to expect. His appearance was more or less the same, rather collegiate and youthful at first glance. But she noticed new lines around his mouth, and there was a strange bleakness in his eyes. As he moved across the conference room she saw that he was nervous, agitated underneath the surface. He was trying to control this, but she knew him so well she spotted all of the telltale signs, the odd quirks of his personality at once.

She could not help comparing him to Jean-Claude Deléon, even though she knew comparisons were odious. Jean-Claude was calm, purposeful, sure of himself in a quiet way, self-confident without being overbearing. Mark, who was spoilt, undisciplined and self-indulgent, showed how weak he was in everything he did. And he was avaricious beyond all reason.

When Mark smiled at her Tessa was startled. Her face was glacial. It remained stony and unforgiving.

Mark turned away at once, the smile still lingering, and then a smug look flashed across his face. He sat down with his solicitors and began to speak to them, appeared to be quite voluble.

After a few minutes, when greetings had been exchanged by all, Christopher Jolliet cleared his throat and looked across the table at Mark and his two representatives, Jonas Ladlow and Herbert Jennings.

He began: ‘Gentlemen, as you know we are meeting today to work out the financial settlement between the two parties present, Tessa and Mark Longden, who are about to seek the dissolution of their marriage in the divorce courts. However, this–’

‘I’ve made notes about what I want,’ Mark interjected. ‘Notes based on everything Tessa said to me several weeks ago, and what I want–’

‘Please let me finish, Mr Longden,’ Christopher said curtly, throwing Mark’s solicitors a baleful look.

Mark displayed his annoyance, gesticulating, but Jonas Ladlow put a restraining hand on his arm, leaned closer, whispered a few words.

Christopher went on, ‘I was about to explain that Mrs O’Neill is now going to take over. She wants her daughter and Mr Longden to understand the kind of settlement she is prepared to make to Mr Longden. However, there are several provisos–’

‘No provisos!’ Mark cried in a nasty voice.

‘Mark,
please,’
Herbert Jennings said, taking over from his law partner. ‘You must allow Mr Jolliet to say what he has to say without these interruptions.’

Mark threw him a dirty look, but sat back in his chair sulking, said nothing further.

Jonas Ladlow now spoke, addressing Christopher and Paula, who sat next to each other across the table. ‘We are ready to hear the provisos, Mr Jolliet, and then perhaps we can discuss them.’

‘Proviso one.
After Mrs O’Neill has presented her proposed settlement, and providing Mr Longden accepts it, the contract between them must be signed today.’

‘That is rather fast,’ Jonas Ladlow exclaimed, frowning. ‘I’m quite sure my colleague and I will have to study the contract at length.’

‘I don’t think you will, but do let me continue,’ Christopher responded politely. ‘If Mr Longden accepts the settlement and signs it, there is another condition. The
second proviso
is that certain aspects of the contract must go into operation as soon as possible.’

‘What aspects?’ Jonas Ladlow asked.

‘Mrs O’Neill will–explain them to you,’ Christopher murmured, looking unexpectedly enigmatic.

‘Perhaps I should now take over, Christopher,’ Paula suggested, glancing at her solicitor.

He nodded. ‘Of course. Do proceed, Paula.’

‘I am prepared to make a financial settlement on you today, Mark, as long as the contract is signed today, as Mr Jolliet just mentioned. It must be signed in this office, witnessed by your solicitors and mine. Do you understand, Mark? Gentlemen?’

The three of them nodded, but Jonas asked, ‘Are you saying that your offer will be withdrawn if the contract is not signed this afternoon?’

‘I’m saying exactly that, Mr Ladlow.’

‘What are you offering me?’ Mark asked, much to the irritation of his solicitors, who gave him furious glances.

‘Ten million pounds sterling,’ Paula said evenly, ‘a very generous sum in my opinion, under the circumstances.’

Mark smiled. ‘Where’s the pen? I accept. I’ll sign at once.’

His two solicitors exchanged swift glances and Jonas said rapidly, ‘We need to know all of the provisos and see the contract, study it.’

‘Of course you need to see it, so that you can familiarize yourselves with all of the provisos, Mr Ladlow,’ Paula said with a small smile. ‘I doubt you need to study it, however, since it is couched in extremely simple terms and is very short. Let me just add this. If Mark does not accept my offer and does not sign the contract, he will obviously have to take his chances in a court of law. And, under the circumstances, I doubt very much that the judge will award him anything–no settlement, no alimony.’

Tessa leaned into her mother and exclaimed, ‘Don’t do this, Mummy. It’s far too much money. Withdraw the offer, let’s go to court, leave him to the mercy of the judge, as you just said.’

Hearing Tessa’s words brought a look of concern to the lawyer’s face. Jonas Ladlow said, ‘What are the
other
provisos, Mrs O’Neill?’ He was fully aware of Paula O’Neill’s reputation as a businesswoman and he knew she was a tough negotiator. He was certain the ten million came with strings and he needed to know what those strings were.

‘I would prefer to discuss the ten million pound settlement and the terms of the payout first,’ Paula replied. ‘This is what I am offering you, Mark. One million pounds thirty days after the signature of the contract. One million pounds when the divorce is granted by the judge, and one million pounds per year for the coming five years, starting in 2002. That will make seven million pounds paid out over six years bringing us to 2007. The final payment of three million pounds will be paid to you three years after that, in 2010.’

No one spoke for a few moments.

The lawyers appeared perplexed.

Mark was looking pleased.

Tessa was angry and it showed on her face.

Jonas Ladlow and Herbert Jennings excused themselves from the table, walked to one end of the conference room. They stood near the window, discussing the terms of the contract, and Jonas whispered, ‘There’s a catch, Herb. Somewhere there’s a catch.’

‘I agree, Jonas. She’s far too smart to hand out ten million pounds just like that. It
is
over a nine-year period starting now, I realize that, nonetheless, it’s still a lot of money.’

‘Under the circumstances, yes, because he’s no angel.’

‘Say that again. But look, let’s hear the provisos, see what else she has to say.’

The two solicitors came back to the table, and Jonas asked, ‘What are the other provisos exactly, Mrs O’Neill?’

‘If Mark signs the contract today he will also be agreeing to move to Australia.’

‘That’s fine by me,’ Mark announced. ‘I’m happy to sign. Oh, and what about my Hampstead house? Do I get that? Tessa promised it to me, you know.’

‘It’s
not
your house, Mark. Nor is it Tessa’s, actually. I gave it to you both when you married, but I never actually
gifted
it to Tessa. I retained the deeds. So actually it’s mine, and I don’t propose to give it to
you.
Or to Tessa for that matter. We are talking here about a ten million pound
cash
settlement, Mark, very serious business indeed. The Hampstead house doesn’t come into play.’

Mark opened his mouth to say something, but Jonas Ladlow cut across him, saying swiftly, ‘So if Mark signs the contract today, the payout will begin in thirty days from today, with two million paid altogether. And after the divorce he must leave for Australia, to live there? Am I understanding you correctly, Mrs O’Neill?’

‘You are indeed, Mr Ladlow. Mark will be able to leave for Sydney once the judge grants the divorce and when he is no longer required in court. That is when he receives the second payment of one million. He will remain in Sydney for the next five years without returning to England, or going anywhere else, actually.’

‘What?’
Mark cried vehemently. ‘I can’t live there for five years! You’re
exiling
me!’

‘Call it what you will,’ Paula answered coldly. ‘But you will agree to stay there for five years, to build your architectural firm into a viable entity. After five years you can return to England for a visit of one month.’

‘One month!’ he shrieked. ‘No way will I agree to these terms, Paula.’

‘Very well, I understand. But don’t forget, there’s ten million pounds at stake here. We are talking very serious business. Don’t make any foolish or hasty decisions, Mark. Think about it.’

‘What happens when the five-year period is up?’ Jonas asked quietly, staring at Paula. He couldn’t help admiring her, although he kept his face neutral. She was a shrewd adversary, he had to admit that, and she obviously understood Mark Longden very well.

Paula was silent for a moment, then responded softly, ‘After the five-year period ends, Mark can return to England once every two years, and after the final payment of three million pounds, in 2010, he is free to come and go as he wishes.’

‘Yes, and by that time Adele will be twelve years old!’ Mark shouted. ‘I will have missed all of her childhood, her years of growing up.’

‘That is true, yes, but you should have thought of Adele right from the start, Mark, and then perhaps you would still have a marriage with Tessa. You are the author of your own life. You’ve written this script and played the part.’ Paula shrugged lightly, and added, ‘Very sadly.’

After a whispered conversation, the two solicitors and Mark Longden all rose and walked over to the window, where they stood discussing the settlement for ten minutes. When they finally returned and took their places at the conference table, Jonas Ladlow took charge.

Clearing his throat, he looked directly at Paula and said, ‘Mark has decided that he prefers to pass on the settlement. He’ll take his chances in the courts. Hopefully it will be a fair judge, one who will understand a father’s right to have access to his child, if not, indeed, shared custody.’

‘Very well, Mr Ladlow, I do understand. It is Mark’s choice.’ Turning to Christopher Jolliet, Paula said, ‘May I please have the folder which was sent to you two weeks ago? Oh, and the other one from the previous month please. From July.’

Christopher handed them to her silently.

Paula opened the top one, glanced inside, then looked up, stared across at Ladlow and Jennings. ‘Spousal abuse. Drug-addiction. Alcoholism.
Kidnapping.
All the details are here.’

‘I didn’t kidnap Adele!’ Mark shouted, growing red in the face.

‘Be quiet!’ Paula stared at him furiously. ‘You beat my daughter, pushed her down a flight of stairs, caused her to hurt herself. What you did could have killed her or done permanent damage. You raped her. You abducted Adele. Without telling her you took Adele for a whole day. You’ve used her money recklessly. The list is endless, Mark.’ She took a deep breath. ‘So go ahead. Do as you wish. Take your chances in a court of law and see what happens. In fact, be my guest. However, let me tell you this–with the dossier I have on you here–’ She paused, patted the folder. ‘You’ll be lucky if you don’t get a jail sentence.’

Jonas Ladlow and Herbert Jennings sat gaping at Paula. They were stunned and appalled by her words; Mark, who was seated between them, leaned back in his chair. He was suddenly grey-faced, appeared frightened.

‘May I please see those documents in the folders?’ Jonas Ladlow asked quietly, although he was almost fearful to open them, look inside. It struck him it would be like opening Pandora’s Box, letting hundreds of secrets fly out. Secrets he didn’t particularly want to know about.

Paula nodded. ‘There is one other thing I must say to you, before I pass these over to you, Mr Ladlow.’

‘Yes, Mrs O’Neill?’ He gazed at her questioningly, the frown appearing between his eyebrows.

‘Although I cannot actually prove it at this time, I do want you to be aware that I suspect your client of plotting with my cousin Jonathan Ainsley to do bodily harm to various members of my immediate family. As yet I haven’t taken my concerns and the information I have to Scotland Yard. But there is a strong possibility that I shall be doing that soon. You see, I know for a fact that Mark Longden and Jonathan Ainsley were in Paris together last weekend, and spent most of the weekend together. I also know that Jonathan Ainsley wishes to harm Tessa and her brother Lorne, and my daughter Linnet as well.’

Jonas Ladlow was unable to utter a sound. He just sat there immobilized, staring at her, as did Herbert Jennings. Both were wondering why they had ever taken on Mark Longden as a client.

As for Mark, he was speechless for once. But under his breath he was cursing Jonathan Ainsley.

Paula smiled faintly at Jonas, and finished, ‘I don’t think your client would want to be named in a conspiracy charge, a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, would he?’

After a moment’s consultation with Jonas, Herbert Jennings began to speak, looking over at Christopher, Geoffrey and Paula. ‘Could we see the contract for the settlement, please? And may we use a private room here for a short time, in order to confer with our client?’

‘It will be my pleasure, gentlemen,’ Christopher answered.

* * *

When the three men had gone out of the conference room with Geoffrey Creighton, Tessa took hold of Paula’s arm and asked in an urgent whisper, ‘Is it true, Mummy? Was Mark in Paris last weekend? And does Jonathan want to harm us?’