It was not for the first time that Coope caught sight of John Deed staring out of the window, deep in thought and this insistent image gave the ever watchful woman food for thought as she worked at her desk in the corner of the judge's chambers. They had worked together for a good number of years and they knew each other's ways down to the tiniest detail. The first years were tumultuous and he'd barely scraped his way through a series of attempts to oust him which wasn't helped by his wilful personal life which left Coope looking on as a long suffering but always protective mother figure but his platonic association with an attractive lesbian couple and their friends had a curiously stabilizing effect just when John gained recognition amongst his peers as an unflinching opponent of Great Britain PLC. Thus it was that a gradual shift in the balance of forces made for an easier life for them both in recent years.
It was true that Lawrence James and his sidekick, Tim Smithson continued to badger him from time to time in their tenacious but unimaginative fashion but all to no avail. His wily instincts and imagination sharpened up by years of experience in adversity gave him the upper hand along with support from the brethren. Even the Attorney General had to admit that he couldn't easily dispense with John's knack of cutting through the apparent complexities of contentious trials which gave him advantage over Judge Jackson, a young fogey and untalented reactionary and his clique of followers. The only judge with any talent that was on the government's side with any talent was the recently knighted Michael Niven. What gave him grounds for optimism was that the government that had once been so zealously imperious was visibly falling apart in the full glare of the tabloid press. The original Prime Minister with his glittering smile, cold blue eyes and ready punchlines had held the government together with his narrow-minded religious zeal and appetite for control but he had been unseated by a combination of the antiwar movement and lying one too many times for the public to swallow. His successor was a bully who hadn't the knack of keeping the parcel of rogues in line so their snarling and backbiting became intermittently public.
John got glimpses of unprompted cryptic asides first hand from periodically meeting his nearest point of contact, Sir Alan Peasemarsh. He was the Attorney General and John was sure that they were half meant for his ears and weren't accidental indiscretions. The normal circle of constraint against outsiders like himself was breaking down until one day, the man came straight out with expressing his feelings, a bizarre anomaly amongst the traditional products of stiff upper lip, public school educated patricians of his generation.
"You're lucky, John to be removed from the squalid world of politics as now practices. It makes me sometimes feel that rebellion has its uses,"he said without any preambles. John raised his eyes as a flood of shared memories raced past his consciousness.
"It seems only the other day when I was dubbed the baker's boy, the lone voice crying in the wilderness against the apparatus annexing our freedoms by stealth. Then Monty and Joseph came to share my point of view and the rest of the brethren followed suit. Now, I am gratified to hear that you too are leaning in our direction."
"Don't get me wrong," the elderly man answered, his face reddening slightly with embarrassment at his outburst and likewise combing his white hair off his ears."I believe in good order and good governance. It's just that the present administration..."
"...doesn't believe its own professed values, the ones we were all brought up to believe in," finished John for the other man, treading delicately amongst this man's conflicting emotions. It vividly reminded him of that day he found his old adversary, Sir Ian Rochester, sitting on a park bench, his head in his hands and going through a nervous breakdown. For all their past clashes, he was feeling the same sympathy that he had felt for Sir Ian and wondering how this scene would play out.
""You know the latest in our long running political soap opera," Sir Alan sped on as long suppressed contempt burst forth."You know why that frightful opportunist resigned as Minister for Social Security on a point of principle over the Prime Minister's leadership?"
John knew very well what politician he referred to and why Sir Alan couldn't bring himself to name him. He had first noticed and instantly disliked this young pipsqueak of a man from his first profile raising TV event as part of his job of keeping an eye on his enemies. He had spouted a stream of reactionary rhetoric that John was sure wasn't engaged with what passed for the man's brain. For the first time in his life John wondered if he was getting old as this man looked so young, so fresh out of school that John's first thought was that this vision the wrong side of the TV screen needed to stay behind in detention and write out a hundred times 'I must learn more about humanity." At the trailing end of the trajectory of John's thoughts that flashed past in an instant, he surmised that Sir Alan was steering the conversation towards emotional safety by talking of impersonal subjects. He'd often used the same device in the past before Helen and Nikki had straightened out his thinking.
"He's obviously cooked up this attempt to pull other politicians to resign with him in sympathy, pull down the Prime Minister who's clearly wobbling on his throne and take his place only his co-conspirators have ratted on him. No honour amongst thieves," John commented dryly.
"Precisely so but Haughton's still there. He won't profit from it as the government is already a slow motion car crash waiting to happen. Needless to say, don't quote me on any of this," Sir Alan replied, a curtain of caution closing down on his expression. Their meeting was clearly at an end but wasn't going to be their last, of that John was sure as he walked on in a reflective frame of mind.
If John was becoming conscious of the passing of the years, Joseph Channing being his ex-father in law and good friend, should have been further advanced down that road. Nevertheless, his strong will and ageless experience fought to maintain his presence despite his reduced hours of work as his bluff presence and mischievous personality permeated the Law Courts. He felt that Neil Haughton was a miserable old man in his mean spirits and narrow outlook on life. What was such a man who drank mineral water compared with a man like himself who became aflame on the finest malt whisky?
From time to time, George maintained her Wednesday night visits to him along with her partner, the equally glamorous, contrastingly brunette, Alice Swinburne. For a start, it was a family tradition that extended as far back as her marriage to John and the presence of abundant female glamour made Joseph feel he was still young. People forget that a man of his advanced age wouldn't look back on the reflection of his aged self, the deep carved lines and white hair but would still feel the ardent spirits inside that had led him to take a smack or two against the Establishment over the years. George's visit served the additional purpose of keeping a close eye on his health whilst still believing that Daddy was immortal.
"So glad to see you've given up smoking," George said pertly, a slight smirk on her face at one of her successful campaigns. It was in her nature to have her cake and eat it as she passed her silver cigarette case to Alice after lighting up herself."You look healthier already."
"That doesn't stop you and Alice smoking like chimneys. What about the danger of passive smoking?" Joseph retorted, rumbling with laughter at his daughter's bare-faced cheek.
"What indeed?" George replied in a slow deliberately annoyong manner which set off Alice into an attack of the was part of their banter where the dark-haired woman was content to be an onlooker."Alice and I can smoke. You can't."
"I'll turn to drink instead," Joseph said under his breath with a wicked grin as his way of repaying in coin.
"Turn to drink? Explain yourself daddy," George retorted deliberately gesturing towards the sideboard with its display of a couple of malt whisky silver decanters. This set the two of them into a full on cut and thrust rapier routine with words until Alice intervened.
"Come on, peace you two," she said, automatically clapping her hands and Joseph turned round in perfect unison to face Alice with the identical expression of faint bemusement on their faces.
"You must forgive us Alice. My daughter and I were indulging in a perfectly friendly bout of verbal sparring. Besides, she is living with you in a state of wedded bliss so the only relief for her combative instincts is at the bar and jousing with me," Joseph said with a rich chuckle permeating every syllable.
"You don't get away with it that easily daddy. You're just as bad as me," retorted George in pretend anger which was belied by the broad grin that spreading across her face. Joseph put her arm round George's shoulders and hugged her with evident pride while Alice Looked on affectionately.
"I look forward to these Wednesday soirees when I am kept company by two attractive women," Joseph said with a twinkle in his eye as he poured drinks for his guests.
"Daddy you shouldn't have such thoughts, especially at your age. I bet it's all John's fault," reproved George as she made fine adjustments to the place settings at the deep coloured mahogany table with lace mats and shiny silver cutlery.
"You mean he's leading me off the straight and narrow? He's been doing that for years. Once, I was a true blue Conservative, thinking that the playing fields of Eton were character forming so that a gentleman's word was always his bond. I feel differently as no doubt you and Alice also think."
"You're deliberately mixing things up,"George started to protest but her sense of smell detected the mouthwatering food being served and told her that dinner was being distracted her from whatever point she was trying to make and she and Alice surrendered to the pleasures of the table.
"So Michael Niven is in the news having been elevated to a knighthood," drawled George as she scanned her father's copy of the Times which had lain on the side table next to where she and Alice wewre sitting. She remembered the capacious sofa from when she was a little girl as it made her feel safe. Alice was peeking over her shoulder and sharing their reading.
The low lights reflected softly off the silver candlebra whose ornamental curves had taken Alice's attention while they were dining and now they were comfortably seating and digesting the dinner.
"You want to spoil my dinner with an acute attack of indigestion?" Joseph retorted warmly before his brief irritation subsided in a derisive grin."It doesn't surprise me. After all, he's ingratiated himself for years before this rotten administration so he's received his Judas' thirty pieces of silver. He knows well enough that the rest of us won't be impressed by such cheap baubles. It's not as if we're in the same competition. I'm content with the way my life has turned out, especially in turning away from the path Michael Niven has followed. Most of all, I am blessed with a wonderful daughter who has given me John Deed's fine company, a granddaughter who is worth all the white hairs from her pranks over the years and last but not least her charming partner, Alice Swinburne."
The dark-haired woman flushed with pleasure at the compliment from this elderly but sharp-witted man which contrasted with the bleak negativity she had received from her own parents. She loved the feel of this family occasion and basked in the warmth of feeling of the obvious love between George and her father.
"It's a pleasure to be here, she murmured. She had been casting her gaze round the pictures on the walls as she ate her dinner, the majority being of George through the ages. The first picture that caught her eye was of a fresh-faced, teenage George wearing a summery dress and a wide brimmed straw hat slanted slightly backwards so her long hair fell either side of her tanned face and brilliant blue eyes, expressing all the promise of her combined beauty. Further along the line was the formal wedding photo with John and George of her in traditional weiled white dress and him in respendant grey top hat and tails. Last of all, an interior studio photograph showed Alice's left hand slipped demurely into George's right hand while they smiled brightly into the camera gaze. Alice wore her favourite white lacy blouse and black leather trousers while George was splendid in a low cut golden long flowing dress. It was as good as a wedding picture, they felt with deep satisfaction when they saw the prints and they were overjoyed when Joseph particularly requested a copy of it. Everyone was happy in their world, Alice concluded until her mind jumped off the track for no clear reason.
"So how is John getting on these days?" she suddenly asked.
George and Joseph exchanged sideways glances but were paralysed to act until the embarrassment of time passing prompted George to take it on herself to tell the truth.
"Professionally, her's as brilliant as he's ever been and politically he can't be touched and the establishment knows it. Besides, they're preoccupied with the government slow motion car crash waiting to happen. Personally, I know he's struggling," George said. Her bright enthusiasm trailing off at the end as she started to struggle for the right words.
"When it comes to relationships, John has always been restless and complicated. During my marriage to John, Jo Mills was the other woman. After John and I broke up, he did the same thing to Jo Mills as he did to me so it's no wonder she refused to commit herself to him. Throughout it all, Jo and I were his emotional security and he had the illusion that we'd always be around. It's one of life's ironies that our friendship with him became better after I dumped Neil Haughton and turned to women and Jo followed suit. He took this very well on the surface but, deep down, it destabilized him,"George said in slow deliberate tones.
"But what about Kristine? I thought they are eminently suited," remonstrated Alice.
"Perhaps they are too day one, Kristine made it very plain that she's not interested in permanent relationships, either with men or women," countered George .
"What?" exploded Joseph. Up till now , Joseph had felt squeamish in the presence of the unashamed female dissection of human foibles and this was the final straw. Men wouldn't talk this way.
"Daddy, this is the twenty-first century," George said in soothing tones, her kindly reassuring smile trying to convey that this was all perfectly natural.
"Hmph, I found the nineteen sixties a period of total anarchy when all I held dear was being challenged," Joseph retorted as his combative instincts were being roused. He was in the mood for a good argument.
"So John's been getting more than he bargained for and she won't be necessarily available for him when he wants it," interjected Alice in her most soothing deliberate tones designed to conjure up peace and tranquillity. It stopped things dead and Joseph mulled over this interesting observation.
"That's John all over. Blessed if I can see an answer to this conundrum," Joseph said in pessimistic tones. This cast a pall of gloom over the companionship and the comfortable glow in the room which held precious memories for her and the world felt very dark around them. George felt compelled to do something about it.
"In a lot of other ways, John has come a long way and changed for the better. Kristine's not that far away from him. At least he's honest and not selfish in his relationships. He's learnt a lot from Helen and Nikki, particularly Nikki. They used to see quite a bit of John but they've got their time cut out in bringing up their daughter and pursuing their careers. It's down to Daddy and I to keep a friendly eye on John together with Jo Mills when she has the time," spoke George forcibly with a little more confidence than she felt. Immediately the room warmed up and they sensed the golden glow in their world. George snuggled up to Alice, resting her head on the taller woman's shoulder while Joseph looked on approvingly.