Part Twenty Seven
The four of them moved in to one of the small witness rooms off the public gallery, whilst Lauren went to find somewhere that sold cigarettes.
"That barrister certainly got her knickers in a twist," Said Yvonne.
"That's what happens when you appear in front of your ex-husband, I suppose," replied Karen.
"She's his ex?" Asked Cassie in astonishment.
"Oh, yeah," Said Yvonne, "And the one prosecuting's his girlfriend."
"Jesus, that's asking for trouble," commented Roisin.
"I think she took this case on purpose," surmised Yvonne. "It gives her an opportunity to annoy the hell out of both of them."
"I've never seen a Judge put a QC in a cell, though," said Cassie.
"I can't wait to see her purge her contempt," Replied Yvonne with an evil grin on her face.
"So, the judge and what's her name, Jo Mills, they're together are they?" asked Roisin.
"So it seems" put in Karen.
"They suit each other," mused Yvonne.
"Never mind those two," Said Cassie a little too gleefully for Yvonne's liking. "What about you and this Ajit Khan?"
"What about him?" asked Yvonne innocently.
"What about him?" queried Roisin in disgust. "You're a sly old tart, Yvonne Atkins." Yvonne grinned.
"Let's just say that the opportunity presented itself," She said with a gleam in her eye.
"Was he worth it?" asked Roisin.
"Yeah," said Yvonne contemplatively. "Not bad."
"Give me a woman any day," put in Cassie. "What about you, Karen?" All eyes turned on Karen who at first didn't know where to look.
"Having never partaken of such a thing I couldn't possibly comment," she said, a soft, innocent look on her face that clearly told Cassie Karen had at least considered it.
"I wouldn't look at a man again now for anything," stated Roisin, her love for Cassie showing like the beam of a lighthouse. Yvonne stood up and walked over to look out of the window. Just occasionally, Yvonne could feel the closeness coming off Cassie and Roisin in waves and it hurt her. Whilst she was inside, she'd thought that the lack of someone to hold at night was terrible. But once at home in her enormous double bed, the lack of another person to take away the nightmares went soul deep. She had been lost in her thoughts, but she felt a presence next to her. Yvonne turned to face her.
"Aren't they sweet?" said Karen softly gesturing at Cassie and Roisin, unabashedly cuddling.
"After everything I saw them go through inside, it's good they got it back," said Yvonne, a wistful expression on her face.
"So, you're hot stuff are you, Yvonne Atkins?" asked Karen, the wickedest grin on her face Yvonne had ever seen. Yvonne laughed.
"Apparently so, yeah." She knew Karen had sensed her momentary lapse in to unwelcome thoughts, and was trying to cheer her up. Yvonne's eyes locked with Karen's and they almost felt as though they could see in to the other's soul.
"Maybe you should follow their example," said Karen, her words caressing Yvonne's mind like honey.
"As a former nurse, that would be your prescription, would it?" Yvonne asked, clearly playing with Karen.
"Maybe," was all Karen could say. Yvonne's eyes seemed to go on for ever and if Karen had gazed in to them for the whole of her life it wouldn't be long enough. They were never ending whirlpools of emotion. Karen could, in that one moment, see everything in Yvonne's eyes. Pain, loneliness, laughter, and even the faintest hint of lust. When Cassie briefly looked over at Karen and Yvonne, she silently gestured at Roisin. But Cassie only had a moment to observe the innocent stargazers when there was a brief tap at the door, which was followed by the entrance of this week's proverbial gatecrasher.
Jo stood in the doorway and followed Cassie's contemplative gaze. A slow, soft smile appeared on her face when she realised what she was seeing. Karen Betts and Yvonne Atkins were stood by the open window gazing in to each other's eyes, as if they were the only two in the entire world. She'd known she'd been right about those two when she'd seen them standing close together outside court the other day. I'm making a habit of this, she thought.
"It's time to go back in to court," she said, hardly liking to break in on Karen and Yvonne's mutual appreciation of each other. Yvonne looked startled, as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't be. As Karen followed Jo out of the room, Cassie commented,
"You look as guilty as sin. Anything you'd like to confess?" Yvonne stared at her.
"No," she said, but there was a look on her face, a look of almost horrified realisation.
"Yvonne, are you all right?" asked Roisin, thinking that now was possibly not the time for Cassie's usual lack of tact.
"Yeah, I'm fine," murmured Yvonne. "Go on in, I won't be a minute." Sensing Yvonne needed a moment to herself, Roisin dragged Cassie out the door, and meeting Lauren in the corridor, escorted them both back to the gallery.
Yvonne turned back to the window. What the hell had just happened to her? The way she and Karen had looked at each other was so, so intimate, so revealing. She'd felt like Karen could see her every part, all the physical and emotional aspects that went to make up Yvonne Atkins. In that moment when they'd looked deep in to each other's soul, Yvonne realised it'd felt like they were one being, in a similar way to how she felt when any man was buried deep inside her. But Karen hadn't even been touching her. There had been an electricity between them that Yvonne had never felt with anyone before. It was as if lightning had short-circuited her brain. She'd felt an enormous empathy with Karen, a feeling that they were equal, both striving to maintain their own little worlds which were being drawn closer and closer together. Why was this happening to her now? Was it because she hadn't had a bloke in more than a year, ever since Ajit Khan to be exact? Yvonne shook herself. There was no point in thinking like this. She either had to find herself a bloke, and fast, or accept what appeared to be the inevitable. Damn Cassie and her all-knowing smirk. Yvonne knew that she couldn't fight this thing, whatever it was. The pull towards Karen had been so strong it was like a magnet. She would simply have to wait and see what if anything happened, but the thought of the unknown scared her incredibly. It seemed Yvonne Atkins did do scared, at least with some things.
As George was led in to court by the custody officer, Jo approached her.
"Would you like legal representation, George?"
"Not from you," was George's curt reply.
"Well, do this again and you might need it," warned Jo, never more serious.
"I don't need advice from John's latest piece of flesh," Said George, her voice quiet but clearly still enraged.
"You might not want my advice," continued Jo, "But I'd take it if I were you."
Slipping back in to the gallery, Yvonne was just in time to see the Judge make his way through the door behind the Judge's bench.
"Ms Channing," Deed's voice resonated round the court. "I hope you have come to purge your contempt?"
"Yes, My Lord," came George's clearly sorrowful reply. She was stood in front of the Judge's bench, John looking down on her. "I humbly and unreservedly apologise for my unwarranted behaviour in your presence this afternoon. It was uncalled for, and I beseech you to allow me to continue in my duty of representing my clients." The look of disgust on Jo's face made Karen silently laugh.
"No beseeching is necessary, Ms Channing. But this is the second time I have held you in contempt, and I would caution you on pushing me thus far a third time. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Then, please, continue. Do you have any further questions for Mr. Khan?" George looked thoroughly flustered and out of sorts.
"No, My Lord," she said feeling as stupid as she looked. John addressed the court.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for bearing with me in the slight complication of this afternoon's proceedings. Court will be adjourned until ten tomorrow morning."
As the court filed out, Jo observed an evil smile beginning to grow on George's face. Catching up with her, she said,
"If you're thinking of unleashing that temper of yours now that you're not in court, believe me today isn't the day for it." George whirled round and the fury in her eyes made Jo stop.
"When will you keep your Oxfam-clad self out of my business. I am sick to death of finding you there at every turn."
"George, I'll have this out with you with pleasure, but not here and not now. This is neither the time nor the place. Go home, have a large drink, and cool off. John threatened you with a night in prison, and we both know he isn't above doing it. Would you like to spend a night with this morning's witness for company?" Then at George's horrified look she said, "No, I didn't think so. Why did you take this case if my presence makes you so angry?"
"Neil wants them to get off. Someone's leaning on him."
"Who?" then George seemed to remember who she was talking to.
"I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you." As she walked off, her hair flying, Jo wondered just what George had got herself involved with. Doing favours for cabinet ministers, especially if you were sleeping with one was never a good idea. This one would come back to haunt George, Jo just wondered when.
The four of them moved in to one of the small witness rooms off the public gallery, whilst Lauren went to find somewhere that sold cigarettes.
"That barrister certainly got her knickers in a twist," Said Yvonne.
"That's what happens when you appear in front of your ex-husband, I suppose," replied Karen.
"She's his ex?" Asked Cassie in astonishment.
"Oh, yeah," Said Yvonne, "And the one prosecuting's his girlfriend."
"Jesus, that's asking for trouble," commented Roisin.
"I think she took this case on purpose," surmised Yvonne. "It gives her an opportunity to annoy the hell out of both of them."
"I've never seen a Judge put a QC in a cell, though," said Cassie.
"I can't wait to see her purge her contempt," Replied Yvonne with an evil grin on her face.
"So, the judge and what's her name, Jo Mills, they're together are they?" asked Roisin.
"So it seems" put in Karen.
"They suit each other," mused Yvonne.
"Never mind those two," Said Cassie a little too gleefully for Yvonne's liking. "What about you and this Ajit Khan?"
"What about him?" asked Yvonne innocently.
"What about him?" queried Roisin in disgust. "You're a sly old tart, Yvonne Atkins." Yvonne grinned.
"Let's just say that the opportunity presented itself," She said with a gleam in her eye.
"Was he worth it?" asked Roisin.
"Yeah," said Yvonne contemplatively. "Not bad."
"Give me a woman any day," put in Cassie. "What about you, Karen?" All eyes turned on Karen who at first didn't know where to look.
"Having never partaken of such a thing I couldn't possibly comment," she said, a soft, innocent look on her face that clearly told Cassie Karen had at least considered it.
"I wouldn't look at a man again now for anything," stated Roisin, her love for Cassie showing like the beam of a lighthouse. Yvonne stood up and walked over to look out of the window. Just occasionally, Yvonne could feel the closeness coming off Cassie and Roisin in waves and it hurt her. Whilst she was inside, she'd thought that the lack of someone to hold at night was terrible. But once at home in her enormous double bed, the lack of another person to take away the nightmares went soul deep. She had been lost in her thoughts, but she felt a presence next to her. Yvonne turned to face her.
"Aren't they sweet?" said Karen softly gesturing at Cassie and Roisin, unabashedly cuddling.
"After everything I saw them go through inside, it's good they got it back," said Yvonne, a wistful expression on her face.
"So, you're hot stuff are you, Yvonne Atkins?" asked Karen, the wickedest grin on her face Yvonne had ever seen. Yvonne laughed.
"Apparently so, yeah." She knew Karen had sensed her momentary lapse in to unwelcome thoughts, and was trying to cheer her up. Yvonne's eyes locked with Karen's and they almost felt as though they could see in to the other's soul.
"Maybe you should follow their example," said Karen, her words caressing Yvonne's mind like honey.
"As a former nurse, that would be your prescription, would it?" Yvonne asked, clearly playing with Karen.
"Maybe," was all Karen could say. Yvonne's eyes seemed to go on for ever and if Karen had gazed in to them for the whole of her life it wouldn't be long enough. They were never ending whirlpools of emotion. Karen could, in that one moment, see everything in Yvonne's eyes. Pain, loneliness, laughter, and even the faintest hint of lust. When Cassie briefly looked over at Karen and Yvonne, she silently gestured at Roisin. But Cassie only had a moment to observe the innocent stargazers when there was a brief tap at the door, which was followed by the entrance of this week's proverbial gatecrasher.
Jo stood in the doorway and followed Cassie's contemplative gaze. A slow, soft smile appeared on her face when she realised what she was seeing. Karen Betts and Yvonne Atkins were stood by the open window gazing in to each other's eyes, as if they were the only two in the entire world. She'd known she'd been right about those two when she'd seen them standing close together outside court the other day. I'm making a habit of this, she thought.
"It's time to go back in to court," she said, hardly liking to break in on Karen and Yvonne's mutual appreciation of each other. Yvonne looked startled, as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't be. As Karen followed Jo out of the room, Cassie commented,
"You look as guilty as sin. Anything you'd like to confess?" Yvonne stared at her.
"No," she said, but there was a look on her face, a look of almost horrified realisation.
"Yvonne, are you all right?" asked Roisin, thinking that now was possibly not the time for Cassie's usual lack of tact.
"Yeah, I'm fine," murmured Yvonne. "Go on in, I won't be a minute." Sensing Yvonne needed a moment to herself, Roisin dragged Cassie out the door, and meeting Lauren in the corridor, escorted them both back to the gallery.
Yvonne turned back to the window. What the hell had just happened to her? The way she and Karen had looked at each other was so, so intimate, so revealing. She'd felt like Karen could see her every part, all the physical and emotional aspects that went to make up Yvonne Atkins. In that moment when they'd looked deep in to each other's soul, Yvonne realised it'd felt like they were one being, in a similar way to how she felt when any man was buried deep inside her. But Karen hadn't even been touching her. There had been an electricity between them that Yvonne had never felt with anyone before. It was as if lightning had short-circuited her brain. She'd felt an enormous empathy with Karen, a feeling that they were equal, both striving to maintain their own little worlds which were being drawn closer and closer together. Why was this happening to her now? Was it because she hadn't had a bloke in more than a year, ever since Ajit Khan to be exact? Yvonne shook herself. There was no point in thinking like this. She either had to find herself a bloke, and fast, or accept what appeared to be the inevitable. Damn Cassie and her all-knowing smirk. Yvonne knew that she couldn't fight this thing, whatever it was. The pull towards Karen had been so strong it was like a magnet. She would simply have to wait and see what if anything happened, but the thought of the unknown scared her incredibly. It seemed Yvonne Atkins did do scared, at least with some things.
As George was led in to court by the custody officer, Jo approached her.
"Would you like legal representation, George?"
"Not from you," was George's curt reply.
"Well, do this again and you might need it," warned Jo, never more serious.
"I don't need advice from John's latest piece of flesh," Said George, her voice quiet but clearly still enraged.
"You might not want my advice," continued Jo, "But I'd take it if I were you."
Slipping back in to the gallery, Yvonne was just in time to see the Judge make his way through the door behind the Judge's bench.
"Ms Channing," Deed's voice resonated round the court. "I hope you have come to purge your contempt?"
"Yes, My Lord," came George's clearly sorrowful reply. She was stood in front of the Judge's bench, John looking down on her. "I humbly and unreservedly apologise for my unwarranted behaviour in your presence this afternoon. It was uncalled for, and I beseech you to allow me to continue in my duty of representing my clients." The look of disgust on Jo's face made Karen silently laugh.
"No beseeching is necessary, Ms Channing. But this is the second time I have held you in contempt, and I would caution you on pushing me thus far a third time. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Then, please, continue. Do you have any further questions for Mr. Khan?" George looked thoroughly flustered and out of sorts.
"No, My Lord," she said feeling as stupid as she looked. John addressed the court.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for bearing with me in the slight complication of this afternoon's proceedings. Court will be adjourned until ten tomorrow morning."
As the court filed out, Jo observed an evil smile beginning to grow on George's face. Catching up with her, she said,
"If you're thinking of unleashing that temper of yours now that you're not in court, believe me today isn't the day for it." George whirled round and the fury in her eyes made Jo stop.
"When will you keep your Oxfam-clad self out of my business. I am sick to death of finding you there at every turn."
"George, I'll have this out with you with pleasure, but not here and not now. This is neither the time nor the place. Go home, have a large drink, and cool off. John threatened you with a night in prison, and we both know he isn't above doing it. Would you like to spend a night with this morning's witness for company?" Then at George's horrified look she said, "No, I didn't think so. Why did you take this case if my presence makes you so angry?"
"Neil wants them to get off. Someone's leaning on him."
"Who?" then George seemed to remember who she was talking to.
"I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you." As she walked off, her hair flying, Jo wondered just what George had got herself involved with. Doing favours for cabinet ministers, especially if you were sleeping with one was never a good idea. This one would come back to haunt George, Jo just wondered when.