Archive of Our Own ^beta

Caroline wasn’t accustomed to being the one sitting in waiting rooms. She much preferred people waiting for meetings with her. She diligently tried not to nervously fidget by contemplating how she found herself in this particular seat, in this particular office, in this particular city, far from her home in Harrogate. It was all down to her friend from university who lived a half of the world away.

When Patsy, her closest friend from Oxford, heard about her finally tossing out John, she insisted Caroline take legal advice and suggested she see her best friend from childhood. Caroline had heard a lot about Hannah over the years and so, in a moment of weakness, gave into Patsy’s offer to send her Hannah’s contact information.

While Patsy was concerned that Caroline needed to protect her financial interests, Caroline had other worries she couldn’t quite verbalize, not even to her most trusted confidant. Now, sitting here, waiting for this lawyer she didn’t know, she wondered if she’d even have the courage to discuss them with her.

Caroline looked at her watch, confirming time was moving at a glacial pace; she arrived 15 minutes early, felt like she’d been waiting a half hour, but it had only been five minutes. She intentionally booked the first appointment of the day in the hopes she wouldn’t be kept waiting.

She picked up the latest copy of Look and clutched it in her hands as though it were a lifeline, selected only because it seemed to be the least dog-eared magazine on offer. She randomly flipped its pages barely taking in a word on any of them. She was trying to look poised and properly composed but internally, she was trudging through her mental list of talking points, hoping she’d organized them well enough to cover everything in the allotted hour. She knew time was money for Patsy’s friend and she didn’t want to be a pathetic time waster as well as a nervous wreck.

Looking up from the magazine, she watched the hustle and bustle of the office as workers arrived in earnest. She recognized how the younger employees seemed to give a wide birth when an older, dour looking woman breezed in, her unbuttoned coat flapping behind her like colorful tail feathers on a proud peacock.

“Is Nina in yet?” she said in greeting to the receptionist; the judgmental tone in her voice told of on-going disappointment.

“She called. Said her car battery is dead. She’s waiting on a taxi,” the receptionist responded from behind the safety of her desk. “Coffee Ruth?”

“Surely you know the answer to that question by now,” she said brusquely, attempting a smile. “I’ll take my call sheet too,” she said without a backward glance, heading up the winding staircase. “Tell her when she gets in to come see me straight away. I think that’s the second bad battery excuse in as many months.”

Caroline couldn’t help but take in the exchange. She knew nothing about the matriarch but she liked her style. She cut a properly classic figure and reeked of success. It was then that she remembered Patsy telling her this firm was a family of lawyers and assumed she’d just seen the matriarch in action. Caroline liked the idea of a female lead firm. There seemed to be a certain cache to it all that piqued her interest.

Caroline looked at her watch again. It was spot on 9 am. She opened her Mulberry to place her phone’s ringer on silent when the receptionist interrupted her. “Hannah will see you now. Please follow me.” Caroline flashed a grateful smile, pleased by the punctuality.

“Dr. Elliot, so nice to meet you at last,” Hannah Defoe said as she extended her hand in greeting at the entrance to her office. After a firm handshake, the petite professional motioned to Caroline to take a nearby chair at a round table tucked in a corner of the spacious room.

“Please call me Caroline,” she began while sizing up Patsy’s friend. Caroline recognized her floral dress from L.K. Bennett’s recent Spring collection. It was one she considered ordering for herself before deciding the bold floral pattern wasn’t really her style. She admired it on the lawyer’s slender frame and thought she seemed softer around the edges than her mother she'd just seen in action. She saw a kind understanding in her eyes.

Caroline knew they were the same age but despite her four-inch Louboutin heels being higher than her own, she didn’t realize she’d tower over the lawyer who exuded an air of confidence. She’d heard from Patsy how tenacious she could be in a dogfight and could imagine that from what she had observed so far. As a result, Caroline felt more comfortable than she expected as she placed her Mulberry on the floor by her feet and settled in.

“Please call me Hannah,” she continued as she organized her notepad in front of her and took the cap off her Mont Blanc pen and scribbled Caroline’s name and the date at the top of the page. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Patsy over the years,” she began in earnest. Patsy and Hannah were inseparable at school as teenagers. When Patsy left for Oxford, Hannah made her way to Cambridge. Despite the geographic distance between them during their university years, they remained in contact, and continued to do so even after Patsy settled Down Under. Hannah jumped at the chance to meet Caroline for a consultation; after hearing so much about her over the years, she couldn’t wait to meet her.

“I suggest you believe only the good stuff and maybe just half of that,” Caroline said with a soft laugh, flashing her quick wit. Having the conversation move to their common ground put her a little more at ease. Had it not been for the picture of a dark haired man and three children she spotted nestled on a nearby bookcase she might have wondered just how close of friends Patsy and Hannah might have been back in their younger days.

“I’ve missed her like crazy since she’s moved Down Under,” Hannah said. “Do you hear from her often? I just get the occasional email since she’s fallen madly in love.”
Hannah wondered if Caroline was as surprised as she was when Patsy broke off her engagement to Garrett and started dating Connie in earnest. Although that break-up was a few years ago, when Patsy asked Hannah to see Caroline she said she felt she owed it to her to her for being so supportive about Connie. That tidbit made the professional look forward to this initial consultation even more than most.

“Same here. But when she heard about my separation she insisted I come see you. I hope this isn’t wasting your time. I suspect my case is rather small compared to the high profile ones you normally handle.”

“Nonsense. When Patsy emailed, I insisted she get you to come see me. You get one chance to get your divorce settlement right so I’m glad to walk you through the nuances you need to consider. I understand there may be some ongoing publishing rights, which can be difficult to value.”

They spent the next half hour reviewing the financial statement Caroline had prepared. The Elliot’s had been careful with their earnings so there weren’t any debts other than the mortgage to consider. She loved the house on Conway and one of her chief concerns was keeping it. Hannah explained that given the escalation in its value, buying John out could be a difficult stretch for her since she wanted to protect her retirement savings. Her hope was that maybe there was some value to his publishing rights to offset some of its value, but Caroline had to admit that she didn’t know if John truly had any novels close to completion. His published ones were well past their peak sales revenues and as such were easy to discuss since it was doubtful there’d be any movie rights to consider after all these years.

“You have two boys, don’t you,” Hannah said, sensing there was something more Caroline wanted to discuss now that the financial issues had been thoroughly examined. None of what she told Caroline seemed to be a surprise but the stately blonde seemed more nervous than she did before she entered her inner sanctum. Typically, her clients are more relaxed by this point, especially when the there’s no crippling marital debt like the Elliot’s balance sheet. “How are the children coping?

“This is confidential, right? I mean whatever I share with you, it’s just between us?”

“Of course,” Hannah said, taking the last sip of her now stone cold tea. She put the cup down with a clink on its saucer as the penny dropped. “Oh, right. If it’s Patsy you’re worried about, she won’t learn anything about this meeting from me. I haven’t even confirmed for her that you made the appointment. I couldn’t even if I wanted to do so.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply or insult. It’s just,” Caroline looked up and saw the soft understanding evident in the kind green eyes that met her own. “The next bit is rather...new.”

“Whatever it is, I can assure you that after all these years I’ve heard it all,” Hannah prompted. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Hannah sat back, momentarily drumming her pen on her notepad, waiting for Caroline to share her concerns. She imagined it had to be about the boys and the way Caroline sheepishly looked up from under her fringe told her she was right.

Caroline unconsciously wiped her sweaty palms on her suit jacket as she fumbled for a tissue in her pocket. “I told you he went off with someone from his work, so he was the one who ended things. I was a good wife. I was always faithful. But now I’m…” It was at that point that Caroline felt her words begin to fail her.

Seeing she was quickly losing her mottle, Hannah decided to lend her a hand. “If you’ve started seeing someone after, it won’t affect your rights to the distribution of assets, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well, actually, I was more worried about how it would affect my time with the boys,” she said, starting to breath again.

“They’re teenagers, right?” Hannah was looking at the intake sheet that was completed when Caroline booked the appointment, confirming their ages. Caroline nodded. She could see their birth dates were on the sheet in front of Hannah.

“You’re in the marital residence with them and that continuity counts for something,” Hannah watched Caroline closely and noticed her body language shutting down and the eye contact was becoming less and less. She could tell she was a proud woman and was hurt by her husband’s cheating.

“Yes. He moved to her flat. The boys haven’t slept there yet and I suspect it doesn’t have enough bedrooms for them.”

“Good. Does he take them to school or pick them up after? Does he oversee their medical care?”

“They go to my school so there’s no need for him to do so really.  As for the doctor, he did take them for their appointments before he left. His schedule was more flexible than mine,” she explained, suddenly concerned that her needing him for doctor’s appointments could be a problem.

“Does he help with their school work? What about their sports and extra circulars?”

“No. Now that you mention it, about all he does is take them for the occasional meal and movie. He misses more of Lawrence’s rugby games than he makes and he always cries off from William’s choir performances.”

“I don’t think he’s got much of a claim, assuming the boys want to stay with you, unless there’s something more. Is there?” She watched Caroline and noticed she didn’t look anymore relieved. Her instincts told her there was more to the story for her to still look so nervous. “What is it, Caroline? What’s really concerning you?”

“What if,” Caroline began as she twisted her tissue nervously in her hands, “What if I was seeing someone he didn’t approve of?”

Looking at her watch and realizing time was growing short, she decided to be direct. Hannah leaned forward, dropping her voice low as she spoke, trying to signal to Patsy’s friend she well and truly understood. “Caroline,” she began. When she didn’t look at her, she started again. “Caroline. Are you trying to ask what if you’re seeing another woman?”

Caroline nodded her head, dropping her eyes to her hands temporarily. “Yes. Sorry, it’s…it’s…”

“Look at me, Caroline,” she said firmly. She saw silent tears pooling in the sad blue eyes now locked on hers. “Like I said, I’ve heard it all before, but I take it Patsy doesn’t know.”

“No one does. It’s all very secret squirrel,” Caroline explained as she continued looking directly into Hannah’s striking green eyes. She recognized they were devoid of judgment and were full of support instead.

“It’s fine Caroline. If the boys want to go and live with him, you could consider letting them as they may find it’s not what they expect and might want to come back very quickly. Of course, if you don’t agree, and if he is misguided enough to formally seek residency rights, as a practical matter, I’d push for a non-disclosure agreement and mediation to keep things private. I’d be more concerned about the tabloids given your position and John’s time on the best sellers’ list. It’s not insurmountable but it would need to be handled deftly and quietly.” She briefly paused to confirm Caroline heard her advice. When Caroline remained silent, she pressed on, “What makes you think he’d want them if he’s been as disconnected as you’ve said?”

“I just worry. I’m sure he’ll lash out in some way if he learns. When he learns. And he knows the boys would be the only way to really hurt me. Of course, it’s possible he wouldn’t want the responsibility. He enjoys being their mate more so than their dad the older they get.”

Hannah recognized the quiet thump in the hallway and looked up in time to see her sister dash down the hall, sliding against the wall, presumably on the way to her office. She looked at her wristwatch to help her gauge how angry their mother would be with Nina and braced herself for the row she knew she’d have to break up between the two in a few minutes. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could put up with being caught between them all day, every day. Noticing their allotted hour drawing to a close, she wanted to end their meeting and usher Caroline out before the inevitable fireworks began.

“Caroline, I need to be pushing on shortly but I want you to know I’d be happy to help you any way I can should this go forward. I’ve dealt with this issues several times before and it’s always worked out fine. But frankly, I doubt it will come to that given all I’m heard about John today and there’s always the possibility his paramour might not want the kids there cramping her style. My best advice is decide if your friend’s worth it and if she is, find a way to tell him so he hears it from you and then don’t hide in the shadows. Own it. You have nothing to apologize for. He’s the one who had the affair.” She was relieved to see Caroline nodding her head as though she was taking her advice on board.

“Hannah, I can’t thank you enough. Not just for your advice but for your insight and discretion. Patsy was right when she said I’d feel better after talking with you. I will share with her that we’ve met and that you’ve been most helpful.”

“Although I don’t normally do this with clients, seeing as you’re a friend of Patsy’s, I’ll give you my mobile number,” Hannah said as she pulled one of her business cards off her desk and hastily scribbled her number on it. “Of course, if you need a friend to talk with, I can’t think of anyone better than Patsy. She’ll understand.”

“I will be calling you, especially when we’re ready to complete the financial settlement and get the decree. I’m glad to hear we can do most of that through the post. And I think you’re right about the boys’ residency and I will be in touch if it comes to that as well.” Caroline felt relief from having a game plan for what might be transpiring in the coming weeks.

Hannah looked at the clock on her bookshelf and apologized again for having to press on and then escorted her back to the reception area where they said their goodbyes. There was something solid and reassuring about Hannah Defoe to Caroline. She was breathing easier than she had for the last two days. It felt good to have discussed the issue of Kate with someone, however roundabout the discussion had been. She knew Hannah was right about one other thing: if anyone could understand and be supportive of the budding relationship, it was Patsy. Caroline heard some raised voices down the hallway as she headed out the front door, mobile in hand. She spotted a nearby café and decided to regroup there. She checked her watch, calculating the time in Sydney, and decided to report back to Patsy.