In Jeopardy (23 page)

‘And this will hasten my settlement?’

‘Yes – in theory. However, I caution against taking this option.’

Christine’s pleading look asks,
why?

‘It’s my legal opinion that it would be both foolish and dangerous to give the impression that you are too keen to reach settlement.’

‘My estranged husband already holds all our shared wealth – wouldn’t they assume I’m desperate?’

‘Not necessarily.’ Thornton glances at his watch. ‘More likely, you will give the impression that you are prepared to accept a more modest offer so you can move on with your life. They could easily use this to delay your settlement.’

‘You’re sure about that?’

‘Before you left the marital home your estranged husband offered what appeared to be a generous settlement, if you accepted without delay. When we ambushed him it was clear he and his lover had wasted no time redecorating the place. It’s my guess Banks has money to burn. The jewellery valuations are patchy – some pieces are of modest worth – others are rare and obscenely expensive. Finally, our Mr Banks is a member of the Melbourne Club. These facts alone suggest he is dripping with money.’

‘Go ahead and dig as deep as you can into his financial affairs and any other personal information that will be useful to us. If they can play the waiting game so can we.’

‘That’s the way. I will post you a summary of costs for each option. By all means run my advice past your brother. I’m under your instructions – give me your word once you’ve perused your options.’

‘Lucy has contacted me to tell me that my tenant is moving out of my apartment within the fortnight.’

‘Is that all she said?’

‘And that she misses me…’

‘Does that mean you’ve booked a return flight home?’

‘I haven’t made any plans.’

‘But you’re going home.’

‘Yes – earlier than I anticipated.’

‘Because – Lucy misses you…’

‘And I miss her – more than I thought.’

‘You don’t need to explain. I owe you for putting your life on hold for me – and I already miss you.’

‘I know you can manage without me, but I’m not leaving just yet. I’ll help you get back on track.’

‘I’ve never been off track – just racked with burdens. I have meaningful work, my divorce settlement looks hopeful and right now I’m in good company.’

Julian removes his glasses, rubs his eyes then clears his throat. ‘Would you consider taking leave from work?’

Christine gives him a startled look.

‘Come back to England with me, stay with me and meet Lucy and Troy.’

‘Don’t think I’m ungrateful, but I can’t.’

‘Will you at least consider it?’

‘I can’t accept your offer.’

She explains that Thornton can’t calculate how long it will take to reach a property settlement. She tells him that there are too many intangibles to consider.

‘I have reconnected with you and Melbourne; it’s been easy to extend my stay. The tyranny of distance remains a fact.’ He waits for Christine to regain eye contact. ‘Will you consider my offer?’

‘No – my decision’s final.’

‘As legal proceedings have dragged on I have watched the toll this is taking on your health. With the Blacks returning in the next few days this is a perfect time for you to take extended leave – a reprieve from all that’s happened.’

Her life has reached a turning point and she tells her brother that she is investigating other vocational options that are likely to involve further study or training. The hospital has approved her leave and to use this time on a vacation to England would only distract her from her plans.

Julian makes his own declaration within twenty-four hours, informing Christine that he is leaving once the Blacks return. He didn’t doubt that Lucy considered him her kindest and most loyal friend, although it surprised him when she said:
Come home and marry me.
He had always assumed and reluctantly accepted that it was preposterous she would return to a lover she had previously dismissed as dull.

Christine doesn’t reveal to Julian that despite declining his offer she mulled over it and was tempted to change her mind. His presence in her life had worked like a balm that had slowly drawn out the hurt and self-doubt that her torturous marriage inflicted on her. She blushes at the thought that when Julian entered her life she was prickly, rejecting his kindness towards her and his patience which persistently ameliorated some heated scenes.

Before the Blacks return Julian pleads, ‘Come home with me, meet Lucy. Stay with us indefinitely; travel Britain or Europe if you like.’

Much as she would like to hang on to her brother’s company she tells him she cannot abandon or even put on hold her plans, or leave legal proceedings solely in Thornton’s hands. These are her affairs and she must take an active role in resolving them. She imagines Julian is unable to envisage that her presence in his new life with Lucy would only be an intrusion. ‘That sounds great! I can tell you from experience – three’s a crowd.’
Lucy would positively hate this – we’d all end up hating each other.

The Blacks return in the early hours of the morning without notice. Their entry sends the spaniels into frantic barking. Christine returns to sleep then wakes to a number of voices. In the kitchen Julian makes hot drinks for the Blacks and Elliot, seated around their large oak table. Morris invites Christine to join them.

Fiona apologises for returning before sunrise. She explains that they expected to arrive before midnight and planned to stay in hotel accommodation at the airport. It was hours before daylight when they checked through customs, collected their luggage before deciding it was more practical to come home and collapse in Elliot’s lounge room.

Without accommodation arranged, Christine expects to return to the hotel she stayed at with Julian and hopes to strike the same favourable deal. Despite the Blacks’ imminent return, she had neglected to search for a place to rent, pushing this reality from her mind. Was she fool enough to think that some invisible hand would pull her along a path to the ideal place?

Julian plans to return to England within the week; Christine urges him to book his ticket and not deliberate on account of a renewed sense of obligation.

Since neither of them used the master bedroom while Morris and Fiona were overseas, there was no reason preventing the couple from retreating to the privacy of their own room and collapsing into bed.

Christine stands up, claps her hands and turns to Fiona then to Morris. ‘You must be tired.’

Fiona smiles wearily.

‘Nurse’s orders – time to sleep off your flight.’

Morris insists on one more story before their exhaustion forces them to retreat.

‘While you sleep we will pack, leave and allow you to settle back into your house. The keys are on the hook in the hallway; you’ll find the fridge stocked with basic supplies to cover the next few days.’

Morris says, ‘No need to leave so soon. At least would you like to remain until we emerge later this afternoon?’

‘That’s a kind offer. Thank you, but we have made other accommodation arrangements.’

‘Wow – you’re organised.’

Fiona asks, ‘Where are you going?’

Julian informs her of their arrangements.

Morris interrupts, ‘Please accept our offer of thanks over a meal tonight. I can make a booking at the local Indian – it’s really good. If you prefer we can order takeaway and eat in.’

They accept Morris’s offer and arrange to return to the house later that evening.

Once they have packed themselves out of the Blacks’ house they take the dogs for a last walk to the park. Christine knows Julian already misses the spaniels and will continue to when he returns to London.
What’s the bet he’ll want a dog or two. I hope Lucy’s partial to dogs, their fur and barking.

Without conversation they walk to the local coffee house they frequented with Elliot. Mario, one of the baristas, greets them and points to a spot at the back of the room. ‘Your regular table is waiting for you.’

They utter thanks at the same time.

‘No Elliot today?’

Julian shakes his head.

‘You’re real cheerful today. Has he died? Keeps threating he will.’

Julian orders a short black with two shots and Christine orders the usual, Fruits of the Forest.

‘Once we’ve checked into the hotel you must book your flight home then you can give Lucy a firm date.’

‘I can wait a day or more – until you’ve settled into the hotel.’

‘Don’t dither – there’s no reason for you to stay longer.’

‘I can’t help feeling uneasy about leaving you alone at the hotel.’

‘You mustn’t delay – this will only make you unhappy – London and Lucy are your future. On a brighter note – tell me what she’s like.’

‘She’s short, smallish in the way a child is. Her hair is cut in a long boyish style and naturally messy. Her large dark eyes make her skin appear whiter than it is.’

‘I mean as a person.’

‘She seems innocent – as if she’s new to the world. When you get to know her she seems older than she is – bookish and born wise. You’ll have to meet her.’

Before dining with the Blacks at their home Julian books his flight, departing in three days. He phones Lucy to inform her of his arrival time. He emails the television stations he has worked for and the publishing group who commissioned him to work on the Antipodes project informing them of his return and availability. Christine purchases a selection of whites and reds to add to the evening meal.

The evening evaporates with the Blacks’ pleasant company. They tell Christine and Julian more about their trip and ask about their plans. They offer congratulations and wish Julian well. Morris objects to Christine returning to the hotel, arguing that it is not a place for anyone to stay for more
than a few days. Fiona insists that she remain at their house, rationalizing that the house is half empty. Elliot adds that it is the least they can do to repay her kindness.

She doesn’t want to intrude on their privacy. ‘You are travel tired and will need time to work the weariness of your trip out of your system.’

They each in turn press her to reconsider their offer.

‘Elliot told us over and over when we were away not to rush home. We half-expected our trip would be shortened by some emergency.’

‘It’s a kind offer; I’ll consider it, but I can’t give you a decision tonight.’ So much had happened in less than twenty-four hours. Julian will be gone in a blink and she wants to spend the last days with him. Although they meet again soon, her visit is brief.

Elliot says, ‘I expect you won’t take up Morris’s offer but you’ll keep in touch won’t you?’

She nods her head.

‘That’s the way. If you don’t, I’ll set the dogs onto you.’

Elliot returns to his residence, Fiona leaves Morris in the house and walks her guests to the car. She pleads with Christine to reconsider their offer. Christine is resolute to return to the hotel and to not accept their generosity. Although she manages to keep a blank face, it troubles her that hotel accommodation will prove costly if she doesn’t find an alternative quickly. Perhaps a studio apartment would do. She dismisses any notion of shared accommodation. Her new residence must offer a quiet, uncluttered space for her to sort out her mind.

Unable to hurry divorce proceedings and settlement, she resigns herself to the likelihood of a drawn out saga. Days after their return, the Blacks ask her to reconsider their offer. She declines, but requests a tenant’s reference. She remains in contact with the Blacks; meets with Morris at the hospital when their paths cross, sometimes catching up during a break and over a meal.

She finds a small, single-story terraced house part of a new complex and accepts a six month lease. Her new home is small, clean and provides a parking space that is accessible from the laneway at the rear of the property. The rent is high and she figures this place is home until final settlement. She fills the terrace with furniture that she placed in storage. Each piece is foreign and belongs to a past that is no longer relevant to this new life that has been forced on her.

During daylight the cottage fills with sunlight. At night when she collapses onto one of the sofa chairs in the lounge room that faces the street, the room fills with malaise. She wakes plagued by headaches, disturbing dreams she cannot recall. She tries to distract herself reading a novel from one of the piles stacked on the floor until boredom sets in, then flicks on the television, switches from program to program, and becoming bored, switches it off again. Unable to nail down the cause of this feeling she dismisses these occurrences as fatigue that has culminated over the past year. Initially, she is too tired to analyse this increasingly disturbing pattern and reduces the fleeting images she sees to exhaustion. Discomfort from these dreams lingers and travel with Christine in her waking world and with greater clarity than in the past.

Christine sees Death as a knight clad in black armour riding a white horse through a foreboding landscape. Horse and rider travel through decay, a trail of carnage and a stench that stirs as the animal’s hoofs rake at the earth. A foul miasma hangs in the air. Along the path a king lies dead. A bishop pleads for his life; indifferent, the knighted skeleton draws his sword and swipes off His Worship’s head. The knight is majestic and exudes an authority that surpasses that held by figureheads.

A girl stands before the horse and rider and looks away as they pass. A small child stands in the horse’s way barely reaching the top of the animal’s legs, stares into Death’s face half-hidden by a
helmet, and without fear. The child is ignorant of life’s brutality and its innocence yields to curiosity. As he approaches he offers a hand to the child, who accepts, grips it firmly, climbs up slippery armour and onto the horse’s back.

Christine recognises herself in the child. The knight invites her on a journey, one where she will witness joy and heartache. Death’s knight is austere, subject to its own laws, bows to no one, cuts away all that is no longer of use. The fallen crown heralds and celebrates power changing hands, the dawn of a new era, the falling away of old patterns.