He taps his substantial fingers on the table and frowns. ‘Well, that was a while ago. So much changes in business all the time. I’ll have to rack my brains to remember.’

Our drinks arrive. Mr Cunningham slugs back his whisky and gesticulates to the waitress. ‘Another double please.’

‘You said Belgravia Private Clients were slow releasing money for the deal you were negotiating.’

‘Ah, now that does ring a bell.’ His frown re-emerges and deepens. ‘I nearly lost the deal because of it. I was surprised because until then they’d worked hard. Arranged a good deal for me.’

‘It sounds serious.’ I pause. ‘You should report it to the Law Society.’

His drink arrives. He takes a sip. ‘Do you think so?’

‘Yes. Maybe Belgravia Private Clients was using the money in your client account for their own purposes and that was what caused the delay. If so, they deserve to be struck off. People need to be protected from dishonesty.’

He takes another slug of his whisky. ‘It doesn’t seem likely. I was friendly with Saffron. She seemed like a good egg. Why are you worried about what happened to me?’

I lean forwards. ‘It’s my daughter-in-law’s company. I think she is dishonest. People need protecting from her.’

He inhales sharply, and leans back in his chair. ‘People? I’m surprised. Has she caused other problems?’

‘She may well have. But she’s good at covering her tracks. She needs stopping.’ I put my head in my hands and pretend to cry. ‘She’s swindled me out of money.’

‘That’s a serious accusation. What has she done?’

I take a handkerchief from my pocket, sniff and wipe my eyes. ‘I lent her and my son a lot of money, to help them buy their house. To make sure my investment was protected it was agreed I should have a charge against the property. Just lately, I’ve started to need the money so I went to see my solicitor to discuss it. He checked the document. It was null and void. Incorrectly drafted. What a fool I was to accept her kind offer to do the legals.’

‘You poor thing. But do you think she did it deliberately?’

‘Oh yes. She’s a nasty piece of work. When I explained to Saffron and my son what had happened, he initially agreed to pay the money back. But then she threatened to leave him if he facilitated me in any way. She is the mother of his children. He went along with her. Told me the house was legally theirs and there was nothing I could do about it. I am heartbroken, short of cash. Bereft. My daughter-in-law needs stopping before she does something worse. Damages a client’s life, like she has damaged mine.’

I put my hand on his arm. ‘Please, Andrew, report your complaint to the Law Society. Protect the world from a dishonest solicitor.’

117

Hayley