After the concert, the firm's car was scheduled to take Bridget, Mark, Jeremy, Magda, Nigel and Amelia home. As Mark didn't want to push what could end up to be a sticky situation, especially after the enjoyable evening he'd had with Bridget, he requested that he be dropped first. He used the excuse that he had court in the morning, which wasn't a fabrication. Bridget would be dropped next and then the other two couples.
Over the next few weeks, as Mark didn't hear from Bridget, he again assumed that the snogging had been due to the ambiance of the concert and the love songs that Adele had sung. Jeremy asked if he'd heard from her and even volunteered Magda to speak to Bridget concerning the evening but Mark demurred; carrying on with finalizing the divorce with Camilla and immersing himself in his work was enough to deal with at the moment.
Several weeks later, Mark was called into the senior partner's office of Maurice Lewis, along with Jeremy.
"Mark," said Maurice, "Jeremy tells me you and he have been discussing the development of a department with some of the younger barristers, focusing on human rights law."
Caught off guard, Mark nodded his acquiescence. Jeremy hadn't consulted with Mark the fact that he was going to discuss their private conversations with Maurice. They had really only been considering the idea in very general terms and hadn't put any solid plans down on paper.
"So, when do you think you can present this to the other senior partners?", Maurice continued. "Jeremy suggested you head up the group; be a mentor to and manage them. It would mean removing you from your daily court duties, but Mark, think of the influence you can have on the next generation of human rights law. Not to mention removing much of the travel from your schedule and allowing a more normal work week. Have you thought of managing prior? Of the wisdom you can impart due to your experience? As much as we'd be loathe to lose your expertise in the court room and with our international clients, this could mean an entirely new business model for the firm not to mention a very lucrative revenue stream, along with the notoriety these cases tend to garner. I can't think of anyone we'd rather have to lead this endeavor than you."
As Mark contemplated Maurice's words, he felt himself growing excited over not only the daunting challenge ahead of himself but also the thought of less overnights and foreign airports. My age must be catching up to me, he ruminated, when sleeping in my own bed each night is now a top priority.
"Maurice, give me until Monday and I'll have a proposal and an outline ready. Will that work?" Mark asked.
"Perfectly, looking forward to seeing it in writing. Will Monday at half three do?"
Nodding his head yes, Mark departed Maurice's office with Jeremy following close behind.
"Jeremy..." began Mark.
"I know, I know. Sorry mate, I should have discussed speaking to Maurice with you prior to-"
"No, that's not it at all," laughed Mark, clapping Jeremy on the shoulder. "Thank you for getting the ball rolling. Unfortunately, with my court schedule and the divorce taking my attention, I'm afraid this idea may have been relegated to the back hob. And thank you for the vote of confidence in heading up the department. Managing young barristers will be a far cry from day to day prep on individual cases."
"Ah, but no one has your knowledge of the law" replied Jeremy, "now, how to get that knowledge conveyed to a young group of green barristers; that's another question entirely."