Down the Rabbit Hole

She pasted on her best smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands. My grandmother was born there. Besides, you had me at . . . title and bonus.”

Darda shot Alan a smug smile before turning to Beth to offer a handshake. There had been no hugs in her household. And here at work, she wouldn’t permit her niece to even hint at anything personal. Whether at home or at work, she was ma’am or Darda. Never Aunt Darda.

“The firm is counting on you, Beth. I’ve spent a lifetime playing hardball with the best of them. Now it’s your turn to show me that you can do whatever it takes to close this deal.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“Of course you won’t. Your place with the firm is depending on it.”

Darda turned to Alan. “If we’re finished here, I have some details to see to.”

Beth winced, certain that the “details” involved giving notice to dozens of young lawyers like herself that their jobs had just disappeared.

When they were alone, Alan sat back, looking relaxed and relieved to have finished with his business.

“I knew your father. He and I were in law school together.”

At that, Beth brightened considerably. “Oh, how grand. What was he like?”

She had no idea of the absolute hunger in her voice, in her eyes.

Alan gave her a gentle smile. “Darda told me about her brother’s accident. How old were you?”

“Four. I lived with my grandmother for almost two years before she passed away, and then I was taken to live with my au . . . with Darda.”

Hearing the slight hesitation, he nodded. “I’m sure you were too young to remember much about your father. He was positively brilliant. The rest of us had to work twice as hard just to keep up. But what struck me most was his compassion. I do believe Richard Campbell was the kindest man I’ve ever met. And your mother, Cybil, suited him perfectly. The two of them made the title ‘lawyer’ not only respected, but revered. They took on impossible cases, often pro bono, and won against all the big dogs. They were known as dragon-slayers.”

“I’d heard this firm was well-regarded in his day, even though it was quite small.” Beth was positively beaming. “I wish I could have been a part of it then.”

Alan looked away. “You have your aunt. And now you have the power of Connifer-Goldrich behind you.”

“Yes. Well . . .” Beth got to her feet, clutching the flash drive. “I’ll familiarize myself with the details of this client, and, as Darda promised, I’ll close the deal for you.”

As she turned away, Alan Connifer said, “Beth.”

“Yes?” She turned back.

He merely looked at her for long moments. Then, shrugging, he smiled. “You remind me of Richard.”

“Thank you. I can’t think of a finer compliment.” Beth floated away on a cloud. But minutes later she began to wonder if it had been meant as a compliment, or if Alan Connifer considered her to be, as Darda had often complained, too softhearted to fit into the corporate world.

She would show him. She would show all of them.

*   *   *

As soon as the plane from Laguardia to Edinburgh landed, Beth phoned Stag’s Head Lodge to report when she’d be arriving. She settled into the rental car and programmed the GPS, noting the estimated time before reaching her destination.

As she steered the car away from the town and toward the Highlands, she went over in her mind all the information she’d learned about her formidable opponent.

Colin Gordon had been educated like royalty. After attending boarding school at Eton, then moving on to Oxford and the University of Edinburgh, he’d returned to Stag’s Head Lodge, where his father had remarried after the death of Colin’s mother. Not long after, his father had died, followed shortly by his stepmother. As heir, Colin had taken the necessary steps to clean up an estate riddled with debt. It would seem his stern father had chosen to look the other way as his wife’s son and daughter by a previous marriage had partied like rock stars. Both were now married, but despite their established place in wealthy, titled society, rumors persisted that they were living beyond their means and were urging their stepbrother to sell Stag’s Head in order to erase their debt.

At Darda’s insistence, Beth had already notified all parties concerned of her pending arrival, in the hope that the stepsiblings could add a little weight to the deal.

Before leaving the country, Darda had given her niece her marching orders.

“Our firm has authorized you to offer one hundred million.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “So much?”

“Too much.” Darda’s tone hardened. “Start the offer at half. That way you have some bargaining room if he balks. For every million you shave off his price, the firm will add to your bonus.”

“Do you think that’s wise? What if he’s insulted by a lowball figure and flatly refuses to even deal with me?”