‘Then relax,’ she said, to herself as much as to John. ‘As you say, you’ve done your job. Now let me do mine.’

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

It was ‘day one’, as the newspapers insisted on calling it, of Rivelli v Rivelli at the Royal Courts of Justice. It was a popular trial, with more ambulance chasers than normal crowding into the courtroom to wallow in the misery of people richer and better looking than themselves. The press were there in force, which pleased Christine, as long as they referred to her as ‘Britain’s top divorce lawyer’ and hinted that she would soon be representing a certain ageing rock star or his young blonde wife. And she was appearing before a judge whom she knew well – he’d looked at her legs the very first time she appeared before him as a pupil, and had continued to do so at trials and dinners and parties ever since. They were on first-name terms – although never in court, where she was ‘counsel for the respondent’ and he was ‘My Lord’. When it was all over, they would be ‘Christine’ and ‘Malcolm’ over a drink in his chambers.

Janet, as the applicant, was in the witness box first. Her legal team had coached her well – Christine expected nothing less from Pennington and Blythe, who had instructed Joseph Greenbaum, one of the few barristers whom Christine regarded as her equal. It would be fun tussling with him. She knew his methods, and liked him tremendously. He was a big, charismatic man with a penchant for waistcoats and fob watches, slicked-back black hair and an appetite for the finer things in life that showed around his well-padded middle. They, too, might laugh about it in a few weeks – but for now they were sworn enemies.

Greenbaum led Janet gently through her examination-in-chief. She was dressed for the occasion in a dove-grey suit, classy but not vulgar – obviously it would not do to look rich – and spoke in a soft but clear voice with a hint of misery. Her face was smooth and matt, powdered down, subtle lipstick, nothing much around the eyes. She looked every inch the wounded wife. Pennington and Blythe had earned their fee.

She told the court that she had been aware of her husband’s infidelities for some time, but had tolerated them for the sake of their child. Yes, he had special needs. He was autistic. No, he would never lead a normal adult life. Yes, his father was frequently away from home for long periods of time, and that was why Janet had always felt the need to take particular care of him.

And why had she decided to sue for divorce at this particular time? Because hitherto her husband conducted himself properly in public, and had never rubbed her nose in his affairs. That changed last year, when he started flaunting his mistresses, giving them lavish presents, causing gossip and humiliating his wife in public.