Monday 5 April 1971 – just over three weeks earlier
Jess Farrar walked briskly into the ladies’ robing room at the Royal Courts of Justice and gratefully dropped the heavy briefcase she had hauled from her chambers on to the floor with a loud thud.
‘God, why do these cases have to have so much paper?’ she asked.
Her opponent smiled, walked over, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
‘To drive us all mad, obviously. I always assume that at least 90 per cent of what solicitors give us is unnecessary in any given case. How are you, Jess?’
‘I’m fine, Harriet, thanks. You?’
‘I’m well. How is Ben? Did you have a good weekend?’
‘Pretty good. Nice dinner in Islington on Saturday night. It was a bit fraught earlier in the day, though.’
‘Oh?’
‘West Ham lost again –’
‘Oh, dear –’
‘Yes, so Ben and Simon were pretty depressed for a while.’
‘He still takes Simon to games, does he? He’s been doing that ever since he and I joined chambers, just when Simon’s mother, Anne Gaskell, was getting her divorce, before she and Kenneth were married.’
‘Yes. He doesn’t see him as often now. Simon’s playing football himself most Saturdays, and when he is free to go to Upton Park he usually goes with his father. But he and Ben still go once in a while. He’s grown into such a nice young man, Harriet, and he’s already talking about which university he wants to go to. He’s thinking of law. It’s amazing how time flies.’
‘Well, a lot of that is down to Ben. He took an interest in Simon when he must have been feeling very low.’
‘It’s been good for both of them. Simon really looks up to Ben and I think having someone who looks up to him has been good for him.’
Harriet smiled. ‘Talking of Ben, has he had anything to say about our case today?’
Jess laughed. ‘Not much. I have told him about it – well, we always talk about our cases – but with his wife on one side and his chambers room-mate on the other, he’s been a bit coy about it. I get the impression he thinks that discretion is the better part of valour.’
‘I can’t say I blame him – especially with our former head of chambers trying it.’
‘Yes, it all feels slightly incestuous, doesn’t it?’
‘Absolutely, and Bernard Wesley would be the first to applaud that. Keep it all in the club, as far as possible. That was always his motto as head of chambers.’ She paused. ‘And I know he will be scrupulously fair, but I have to admit, he’s not the judge I would have chosen for my side of the case.’
‘A bit too prim and proper for you?’ Jess smiled.
Harriet nodded. ‘I think my girl could have done with someone a tad more understanding of human foibles. Not that she has any, of course –’
‘Of course not.’
‘But I know your man is going to throw some mud at her –’
‘The boyfriends, yes –’
‘Whom she started seeing out of desperation only because he was working all the hours God sent –’
‘In an effort to keep her in the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed –’
‘Or because he didn’t care about her any more –’
‘Said lifestyle including a predilection for drink and drugs.’
Harriet did not reply immediately.
‘I don’t think you can prove that.’
‘I think I can.’
Harriet nodded.
‘Look, Jess, do we have to fight this all the way? Can we talk about it?’
‘Maybe. What’s she suggesting?’
‘She’s the mother. She wants custody. If he will give way on custody, she will allow him very liberal access, including nights and weekends to accommodate his hours of work. He can basically see them whenever he wants to. It will be a very good deal for him.’
‘Harriet, she’s running around with drug dealers. She’s not a safe custodial parent for the children.’
‘She denies that.’
‘He is convinced of it.’
‘I don’t think you can prove it.’
‘In front of Bernard Wesley? I think I can.’
They were silent for some time.
‘I can’t understand why she wants custody, anyway,’ Jess added. ‘Having to look after the children must be cramping her style a bit.’
‘I don’t think that’s fair. She’s entitled to a night out.’
‘It’s not just a night out though, is it? Our information is that the children spend more time with her parents than they do with her. She’s out almost every night, getting back in the early hours. My man’s not making this up, Harriet. This is coming from her friends. I’m going to ask Bernard to order a welfare officer’s report.’
Harriet shrugged.
‘Fine. I can hardly oppose that.’
‘The welfare officer is bound to talk to the children. They’re old enough to know what’s going on, or at least to tell the welfare officer where they are spending all their time. The truth is going to come out.’
‘She says she has nothing to fear from that.’
‘I still don’t understand why she wants to put herself through all this. I would have thought it would have suited her down to the ground to have access when it fits in with her social life, and not have to deal with the responsibility of full custody.’
Harriet nodded.
‘I take your point, Jess. But at the end of the day, she is a full-time mother, even if she does venture out for some fun at night. And he’s not exactly the perfect custodial parent, is he? He works all the hours God sends. He’s never home, and that’s not good for the children either.’
‘It’s not ideal,’ Jess agreed. ‘But if it comes to a choice between a father who’s working too hard and a mother who is running round with drug traffickers, I think Bernard is going to go with the father. And frankly, if you fight this all the way in front of Bernard, and I can prove that she’s taking hard drugs, he is quite likely to order that any access should take place under supervision – if he allows her any access at all.’
Harriet was silent for some time.
‘Well, I’ll speak to her again,’ she said. ‘But I can’t hold out much hope, Jess. She’s digging her heels in. She seems to feel that the whole world is against her.’
‘Too much cocaine can do that to you, I’m told,’ Jess replied.